Lizzie-in-Texas
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2005
- Messages
- 110
The ball says...to soon to tell.
I joined this discussion board years ago and as you can see from my low number of posts that I just tend to lurk and enjoy reading other peoples comments. However, a few relatives have asked me to post a trip report so they can live vicariously through our adventures. In other words, so they could phone each other and laugh about the fact that they were not on this trip and I did the one thing that I said I would never do again.
You know, my mom was a wise women and she always told me, Darling, never say never. Many years ago after we returned from one of our annual family reunions at WDW, I told her never again, will I take my SIL and niece with me, I love my brother dearly, but it was just not worth it. Well, she did not live to see the day that I would eat those words.
Thats right, I was conned into taking a trip to WDW with my family. My brother set me up perfectly, I never saw it coming, one minute we are sitting there enjoying Christmas Eve lunch and the next thing I know my husband is kicking me under the table, he had this deer in the headlight look on his face and he was trying to tell me no without looking too obvious. But it was too late; the words were already forming in my mouth, Sure we would love to go with you. I soon realized my mistake when I saw the fear in my husbands eyes but it was too late it was out there for all of the restaurant hear, I had agreed to go on a road trip with my in-laws.
My poor husband had heard all the stories of the infamous family reunions at WDW where to save your own sanity, you would have to make up stories to get away from my SIL and niece, but he had never had to actually experience any trips because we were not together at the time and by the time he came along, I had already taken my solemn oath to never travel with them again.
Ok, Im a the glass is half full kind of person, I can do this, after all, it has been 20 years since our last trip together, my niece and nephew are grown, hes married, how bad can this be. Then my daring husband reminded me that my nephews wife would be coming on this trip oh, this will be the worst trip ever and I even tried to sleep in the van one night on our last trip just to get away from my SILs snoring.
Without farther ado, the loving cast is:
Me 50, lover of all things Disney, is known to watch the Disney channel even when the grandkids are not over, slightly OCD, husband would argue more Monk-like than slightly due to the order of food placement at check-out counter at grocery store, I argue there is a method to my madness in not wanting the wet items touching the dry items. He counters with there is madness to my method.
Grumpy 51, husband of 5 years, had no idea that people traveled to WDW every year, would have been happy with a once in a lifetime trip but now tolerates our annual trek to the world.
Bubba 68, brother, when referring to him when I was small the closest thing that I could get to brother was bubba and unfortunately for him, the name stuck, had not been to WDW in years due to work load before retirement.
Pete and Repeat - 68 and 37, sister-in-law and niece, I cannot describe one without the other, would swear they are joined at the hip. Have you ever known someone with a parrot and when you are having a conversation with the person, the bird repeats everything the person says WORD for WORD enough said.
Geek 46, nephew, we were raised more like brother and sister than aunt and nephew, loves my warped sense of humor and at times is the only one to get the joke.
Patricia Pouts-A lot 46, niece-in-law, I have never seen anyone that can pout like this woman can, she does not get along with her mother-in-law because they are too similar, each having to have their own way.
I learned something about my brother on this little excursion; he does not like to fly. So as the trip was being planned, I had to think of something fast regarding the number of vehicles needed. I had already done my time of being trapped confined in a vehicle with no way out with Pete and Repeat. I would have to play my cards carefully as to not make Geek aware of the fact that he was about to be in that same boat. You see I knew my brother would not want to drive and would be looking to ride with someone and in the meantime, I calculated my next move. I called him and said, You know that Patricia Pouts-A lot is not a morning person, so why dont we meet them at their house and we can load up my van with all of the luggage and ice chests and then there will be plenty of room for the three of you to ride with them in their van. He took the bait, hook, line and sinker ah, at least hubby and I will have a peaceful ride to and from the world.
Day 1 Travel Day
Patricia Pouts-A lot e-mailed me the night before and wanted to know what time we were planning on being at their house, she said anytime was fine with her, so I replied we would all be there at 6:00 am she replied 6ish it is. Ooohhh, the dreaded ish word, not something an obsessive planner wants to hear. Ish translates to anywhere between 10 to 90 minutes. So we were not at all surprised when we arrived to a dark house. Apparently, Geek had been trying to get Patricia up for about an hour and a half and she still had not made it out of bed. The saving grace was that their foyer was filled with their suitcases, ice chests, etc. So Grumpy and I happily loaded their items into our van while singing - Hi ho, hi ho, its off to Disney we go, we dont have to ride with Repeat, hi ho, hi ho.
At 7:45 am, we finally pull out of the driveway only to be told that we have to stop at the corner gas station because Patricia did not feel like filling up the tank yesterday. Ten minutes later, we receive a call stating that Ms. Pouts A lot, who was already pouting, did not feel very well and that we needed to stop at the next McDonalds so she could get some breakfast. Oh, this is going to be a long trip. One more food stop and 6 potty breaks later, we arrive at the La Quinta in Pensacola, Florida.
Geek walks up to me and states, You did this on purpose, I totally forgot what it was like to ride anywhere with my mom and sister. I smiled at him sweetly and said, Do you remember when we were little and I wanted to play with your Tonka truck and you got mad and throw it at me and broke my nose? Ah, revenge is best served cold my friend.
Day 2 Travel Day
We were in no hurry this morning since our only plan was to have dinner at Raglan Road later that evening, so our goal was to leave the hotel about 8:00. Geek begged Grumpy and I to let him ride with us, but I told him that it was good for his soul for him to learn tolerance of others.
I asked him how his dad was holding up and he said that Bubba had it all figured out he set on the right side of the van. Good for him, Geek said what was funny was that his mom still had not figured out that by doing that, his good ear was away from them and that the ear he is deaf in was right next to her.
About an hour into the drive, Grumpy stated that it appeared that Geek was going to pass us, so we were watching and as he went by, my brother was holding up a sign that said, help me! Yes, I remember those days well.
We arrived at Pop Century and had absolutely no wait to check in. We never ask for any requests for room locations, but Patricia wanted to be close to the main pool so they paid for the preferred section, while my brother and I threw caution to the wind and paid for standard. Geeks room was in the 60s section while the other two rooms were in the 50s (which I love). We all retired to our various rooms and decided to meet back at the vans in 30 minutes so we could head to Raglan Road.
Now prior to making all of our ADRs , Pete and Ms. Pouts-A lot were told to check out the menus for the restaurants and everyone was to make a list of their favorites. I would then make the reservations based on the various lists. Raglan Road was on everyones list so this one was a no brainer.
We arrive and are seated within 5 minutes at the most. Our server stoped by to take our drink orders and then the drama started. Pete makes a comment to Repeat something along the line of, Well at least there is a salad. Of course, Repeat has to repeat it word for word. So I take a deep breathe and ask if there is anything wrong. Pete then states that she and Repeat are vegetarians. Really, I take a look at my brother and he is just shrugging his shoulders, when did this happen? Yesterday, before we left, we decided that we should eat healthier so we have become vegetarians. Yes, we decided to become vegetarians, said Repeat. I heard your mother the first time. Well, you two go right ahead and have your salad, me, Im going to order the short ribs. Grumpy and I split the Crock O Pate, he had the Shepherd Pie and we split the Bread and Butter Pudding for dessert. I dont even remember what everyone else had because I knew exactly what was happening this vacation was taking its usual turn for the worst.
I joined this discussion board years ago and as you can see from my low number of posts that I just tend to lurk and enjoy reading other peoples comments. However, a few relatives have asked me to post a trip report so they can live vicariously through our adventures. In other words, so they could phone each other and laugh about the fact that they were not on this trip and I did the one thing that I said I would never do again.
You know, my mom was a wise women and she always told me, Darling, never say never. Many years ago after we returned from one of our annual family reunions at WDW, I told her never again, will I take my SIL and niece with me, I love my brother dearly, but it was just not worth it. Well, she did not live to see the day that I would eat those words.
Thats right, I was conned into taking a trip to WDW with my family. My brother set me up perfectly, I never saw it coming, one minute we are sitting there enjoying Christmas Eve lunch and the next thing I know my husband is kicking me under the table, he had this deer in the headlight look on his face and he was trying to tell me no without looking too obvious. But it was too late; the words were already forming in my mouth, Sure we would love to go with you. I soon realized my mistake when I saw the fear in my husbands eyes but it was too late it was out there for all of the restaurant hear, I had agreed to go on a road trip with my in-laws.
My poor husband had heard all the stories of the infamous family reunions at WDW where to save your own sanity, you would have to make up stories to get away from my SIL and niece, but he had never had to actually experience any trips because we were not together at the time and by the time he came along, I had already taken my solemn oath to never travel with them again.
Ok, Im a the glass is half full kind of person, I can do this, after all, it has been 20 years since our last trip together, my niece and nephew are grown, hes married, how bad can this be. Then my daring husband reminded me that my nephews wife would be coming on this trip oh, this will be the worst trip ever and I even tried to sleep in the van one night on our last trip just to get away from my SILs snoring.
Without farther ado, the loving cast is:
Me 50, lover of all things Disney, is known to watch the Disney channel even when the grandkids are not over, slightly OCD, husband would argue more Monk-like than slightly due to the order of food placement at check-out counter at grocery store, I argue there is a method to my madness in not wanting the wet items touching the dry items. He counters with there is madness to my method.
Grumpy 51, husband of 5 years, had no idea that people traveled to WDW every year, would have been happy with a once in a lifetime trip but now tolerates our annual trek to the world.
Bubba 68, brother, when referring to him when I was small the closest thing that I could get to brother was bubba and unfortunately for him, the name stuck, had not been to WDW in years due to work load before retirement.
Pete and Repeat - 68 and 37, sister-in-law and niece, I cannot describe one without the other, would swear they are joined at the hip. Have you ever known someone with a parrot and when you are having a conversation with the person, the bird repeats everything the person says WORD for WORD enough said.
Geek 46, nephew, we were raised more like brother and sister than aunt and nephew, loves my warped sense of humor and at times is the only one to get the joke.
Patricia Pouts-A lot 46, niece-in-law, I have never seen anyone that can pout like this woman can, she does not get along with her mother-in-law because they are too similar, each having to have their own way.
I learned something about my brother on this little excursion; he does not like to fly. So as the trip was being planned, I had to think of something fast regarding the number of vehicles needed. I had already done my time of being trapped confined in a vehicle with no way out with Pete and Repeat. I would have to play my cards carefully as to not make Geek aware of the fact that he was about to be in that same boat. You see I knew my brother would not want to drive and would be looking to ride with someone and in the meantime, I calculated my next move. I called him and said, You know that Patricia Pouts-A lot is not a morning person, so why dont we meet them at their house and we can load up my van with all of the luggage and ice chests and then there will be plenty of room for the three of you to ride with them in their van. He took the bait, hook, line and sinker ah, at least hubby and I will have a peaceful ride to and from the world.
Day 1 Travel Day
Patricia Pouts-A lot e-mailed me the night before and wanted to know what time we were planning on being at their house, she said anytime was fine with her, so I replied we would all be there at 6:00 am she replied 6ish it is. Ooohhh, the dreaded ish word, not something an obsessive planner wants to hear. Ish translates to anywhere between 10 to 90 minutes. So we were not at all surprised when we arrived to a dark house. Apparently, Geek had been trying to get Patricia up for about an hour and a half and she still had not made it out of bed. The saving grace was that their foyer was filled with their suitcases, ice chests, etc. So Grumpy and I happily loaded their items into our van while singing - Hi ho, hi ho, its off to Disney we go, we dont have to ride with Repeat, hi ho, hi ho.
At 7:45 am, we finally pull out of the driveway only to be told that we have to stop at the corner gas station because Patricia did not feel like filling up the tank yesterday. Ten minutes later, we receive a call stating that Ms. Pouts A lot, who was already pouting, did not feel very well and that we needed to stop at the next McDonalds so she could get some breakfast. Oh, this is going to be a long trip. One more food stop and 6 potty breaks later, we arrive at the La Quinta in Pensacola, Florida.
Geek walks up to me and states, You did this on purpose, I totally forgot what it was like to ride anywhere with my mom and sister. I smiled at him sweetly and said, Do you remember when we were little and I wanted to play with your Tonka truck and you got mad and throw it at me and broke my nose? Ah, revenge is best served cold my friend.
Day 2 Travel Day
We were in no hurry this morning since our only plan was to have dinner at Raglan Road later that evening, so our goal was to leave the hotel about 8:00. Geek begged Grumpy and I to let him ride with us, but I told him that it was good for his soul for him to learn tolerance of others.
I asked him how his dad was holding up and he said that Bubba had it all figured out he set on the right side of the van. Good for him, Geek said what was funny was that his mom still had not figured out that by doing that, his good ear was away from them and that the ear he is deaf in was right next to her.
About an hour into the drive, Grumpy stated that it appeared that Geek was going to pass us, so we were watching and as he went by, my brother was holding up a sign that said, help me! Yes, I remember those days well.
We arrived at Pop Century and had absolutely no wait to check in. We never ask for any requests for room locations, but Patricia wanted to be close to the main pool so they paid for the preferred section, while my brother and I threw caution to the wind and paid for standard. Geeks room was in the 60s section while the other two rooms were in the 50s (which I love). We all retired to our various rooms and decided to meet back at the vans in 30 minutes so we could head to Raglan Road.
Now prior to making all of our ADRs , Pete and Ms. Pouts-A lot were told to check out the menus for the restaurants and everyone was to make a list of their favorites. I would then make the reservations based on the various lists. Raglan Road was on everyones list so this one was a no brainer.
We arrive and are seated within 5 minutes at the most. Our server stoped by to take our drink orders and then the drama started. Pete makes a comment to Repeat something along the line of, Well at least there is a salad. Of course, Repeat has to repeat it word for word. So I take a deep breathe and ask if there is anything wrong. Pete then states that she and Repeat are vegetarians. Really, I take a look at my brother and he is just shrugging his shoulders, when did this happen? Yesterday, before we left, we decided that we should eat healthier so we have become vegetarians. Yes, we decided to become vegetarians, said Repeat. I heard your mother the first time. Well, you two go right ahead and have your salad, me, Im going to order the short ribs. Grumpy and I split the Crock O Pate, he had the Shepherd Pie and we split the Bread and Butter Pudding for dessert. I dont even remember what everyone else had because I knew exactly what was happening this vacation was taking its usual turn for the worst.
I feel for you...I really do.
You're a tough, but funny cookie!
