JawsCPA said:
gopherit said:Gifts have never been DH's strong suit, haha! Don't get me wrong- he's a loving, giving, wonderful husband, but after 14 yrs of marriage, I've come to terms with the fact he's just more practical than romantic, I guess. He's afraid of getting me anything that I wouldn't like or that wouldn't be of any use... (sentimentality is not something he understands!) Flowers die... he's afraid of buying ANYTHING in women's clothing... we're typically not big dine-out folks... and I'm not a big jewelry person (working as a chemist, I wear fairly minimal jewelry... it's a safety thing, more for the sake of the jewelry than for me!) Once, he did buy me -- to my utter surprise -- a Valentine's gift in Victoria's Secret. I guess my post-3rd baby blues made him think he needed to show me he thought of me as more than "Mom" to his progeny....but I really had to stifle a laugh, though, when I opened it! I knew good and well the only way he had the opportunity (and nerve) to buy that gift was to haul all 3 kids into the store with him... the idea of my DH standing there grabbing swiftly, blindly at the first thing he could find with 3 kids in tow (ages 5,4, and infant at the time!) just made me giggle, for some reason! The fact that it wasn't the right size or really "me" made no difference -- I knew what courage it took for him to do that, and that was my "gift", really!
Wow-- with that kind of history, I'm amazed they would have the gall to complain AT ALL!
I enjoy the family trips, but don't paint our vacations as post-card perfect by any means! Like ANY trip, it had its ups and downs, and people-conflict comes with the territory, especially when you have more than one family traveling together. However, I just couldn't see the point in making that a highlight in my trip-report. For starters, I don't think people are always aware of how they may come off. THings that may have gotten me miffed may have had a logical explanation, if I had bothered to press for one. But since I didn't, it didn't seem fair to bust on that person in a trip report, where the DIS world could form an opinion about them without them even having a chance to defend themselves! (And besides, then they would have the fair game of writing a report about ME... and I'd just as soon pass on that as I would a barium enema, thank you kindly!)
I think the memory tiles is an incredible idea, and even moreso coming as an inspiration from a child. It's certainly a testimony to how well your family has kept your husband "alive" in your hearts all these years, especially for a young child who lost his father so long ago. I was 11 when my father died suddenly -- and I make it a point to share every bit of those 11 years (and every bit of history I know prior to that!) with my 3 children, so that their Grandpa Don is as real to them as the relatives they know here on earth.
Hope a most magical, wonderful trip to WDW is in the very near future for you and your family!
theSurlyMermaid said:Guess what? I'm bumping again for 2006! I just sat and read your whole trip report and oh my goodness, BEST REPORT EVER. The part about Captain Superior cracked me up so badly I called DH just to tell him about these amazing reports. He's reading them tonight, whether he knows it or not.
We'll be in Disney soon and I enjoy reading trip reports to prepare. Yours are the best...humor mixed in with serious emotion...that's how I like my stories. I remember when me, younger sis and older brother (yeah, I'm middle child!) used to do theme parks with my parents. There's a bit of Evan, Ryan and Caroline in all of us. Mostly Evan, though, as NO ONE could drag any of us on the rides and my mother is fond of telling the story of how I was so nervous for one coaster I just stood there literally shaking until my parents decided the gig was up and took me out of line. Theme parks really can be big experiences for kids...and the pride you feel when you finally conquer something is pretty extraordinary. At age 13, I suddenly started riding all the rides and have been a thrill seeker ever since. I bet Evan eventually comes around....especially if he loves Mission:Space...that's pretty intense!
Can't wait for your 2006 trip report and your experiences at Universal.
I am already preparing Evan for US and IOA - I'm giving him the guidebook and letting HIM decide NOW if he will or won't ride (and then giving DH strict instructions not to ask or so much as say a peep about any non-selected thrill rides in front of him once we're there! 
) Can you believe Evan is already worried about spending a day at MGM (because he's afraid of the TOT and RNRC). Poor kid. Gotta find a way to help him realize it's OK to just sit back and smell the flowers! 
Meanwhile - my dd5 has been telling everyone that "Mommy is studying real hard on the computer at night so we can all go to the University this summer". Had to break it to her formerly impressed teachers that it's UniVERSAL.... not an institute of higher learning. (Unless, of course, you consider the dynamics of the Spiderman and Hulk rides to be lessons in the laws of physics and motion, in which case, maybe it DOES count, LOL!) 
heaven2dc said:Thank you - I have had to delay our trip (again) but have no fear, we will make a trip back to WDW this year!!
gopherit said:So glad you enjoyed the reports - what persistence to plow through the lengthy saga, AND all the responses, and even leave a post!
I am deeply engrossed these days planning our trip for this summer. We have pared it down a bit (3 nights at RPR and probably 7 nts at OKW.) We wanted 4 and 8, but we have increasingly elderly pets and it has become apparent after recent trips away that, even with a good pet sitter, those 2 old cats hold a grudge if we're gone too long!!
