Operation FOURTH! a July PTR - June 24th, shopping errands and lists!

[newtexan]

Can't believe how fast time is going, 60 days seems like nothing after waiting a year!

 

[LuvEeyore]

More please!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hurray for sixty days! Although I guess at this point it is really less than that!

I was telling Charles about how you guys take the auto train down. His response was, "I want to do that!" So, he made me check it for Atlanta. We would have to go all the way to DC and THEN go to Orlando. I told him that made no sense, but he was disappointed.

 

[MEK]

Congrats on LESS than 60 days!

My brother and his family finally decided to stay with us in a treehouse villa in June (long story ). Anyway - they are taking the autotrain. Unfortunately, they waited so long to make a decision that they could only get sleeper cars on the way down. It's coach seats on the way back. I hope its not too horrible.

 

[gallmcduck]

60 days

Oh I hope your update is all good and no bad news creeping in

 

[Happydog]

Excited to hear your update Whenever you get the time

Hello! Well I think I am finally "back"! Just in time, too!!!

I cannot believe it but we are going to be there in just a little over a month!!!

Can't believe how fast time is going, 60 days seems like nothing after waiting a year!

Oh tell me about it... we have been waiting, waiting, waiting! I am so excited.

More please!!

Well I think you are finally getting your wish!

Hurray for sixty days! Although I guess at this point it is really less than that!

I was telling Charles about how you guys take the auto train down. His response was, "I want to do that!" So, he made me check it for Atlanta. We would have to go all the way to DC and THEN go to Orlando. I told him that made no sense, but he was disappointed.

YES! IT is less than that, now!! 47 days according to the Disney Website! AND really 46 days before we get on the train!!!

You know, IF you drove up to DC, and visited here.... then you could take the train ALL the way to Disney, then drive HOME from Disney... JUST saying! SO, it does make sense, if you want to visit DC one day, right before a trip to Disney!! LOL!!!

Congrats on LESS than 60 days!

My brother and his family finally decided to stay with us in a treehouse villa in June (long story ). Anyway - they are taking the autotrain. Unfortunately, they waited so long to make a decision that they could only get sleeper cars on the way down. It's coach seats on the way back. I hope its not too horrible.

Yeah, I am not so sure about coach, I have heard about kids being loopy, but if you bring earplugs, I am sure it will be fine... it would be more like an airplane, probably! overnight flight to somewhere...

60 days

Oh I hope your update is all good and no bad news creeping in

Hello!!! YES, updates are all good, going to say what it is now!!!

 

[Happydog]

Dear DIS friends,

Well, it has been quite a spring for HappyDog and her family. Well, mostly for HD to be honest, but let me fill you in on all the crazy!

So we live in Maryland, in the DC metro area. ONCE upon a time, 6 yrs ago, we moved from "inside the beltway" to "outside the beltway" to a fabulous new construction community... the problem with the house was that once DS #1 got old enough for school, we realized that the school he would go to in the new neighborhood, was very far away from the two of us, b/c we both worked down closer to DC. The commute to work wasn't terrible, b/c at the time we bought the house DH and I both worked in the same building (school) and we could commute all together in the same car (DS#1 included for daycare down by work). DS #2 entered the picture as well that first year, and so too did a new job for me... thus we no longer commuted together, and both were going to preschool and day care down by DH's work. Needless to say the commute to and from the house became less "ideal"... So then came the housing market fiasco... And the fabulous house, still fabulous, and in a wonderful area, lots of sky, space, etc., was no longer worth what we paid for it... This was not such a big deal to us, we still very much liked where we lived, community pool down the street, parks across the road, all very nice, but we knew that selling it would not be as easy as we would have wanted if we were to move again.

Well, as the kids got older, it became apparent that pretty much everything we do and like was still down where we used to live... this, along with the fact that for the past two years, with both boys in elementary school, DH was having to take them to school much earlier than necessary b/c of his work schedule, the location of our beautiful house really didn't make any sense to us. It has been hard on the kids, and I didn't like that for them. So finally, we just decided we had to move. All this spring we have been looking for a house, and working on how to get our house sold. AND, we have finally found a house we can afford, and are putting our current home on the market! We will be moving this summer! I am really excited! The house is no where near the style of home we have now, which was a custom new construction. But the new house is a fabulous cape from the 50s, with a big yard, and faces a major park. It has great possibilities for rennovation, etc., but more importantly, it is right inside the beltway! Whew! AND it is in the school cluster that my boys already go to, so even though it isn't the same elementary school, they will be in school for the rest of their years with the kids they know!!

So that is big news, right? Well, it is only half of the story ... I also just finished my first semester in a new Master's Program... Communication. I am diversifying my resume with some non-education study. I have an MA+30 already, and as an administrator, my School Admin certification and licensure... however, I am not sure I want to stay school-based forever. SO, I am looking to give myself additional credentials. Johns Hopkins has great programs for professionals, so I applied last fall and started this past semester. WOW, that added a big time zap to my life!!! But it is over now, end of April, so with all this going on, I have not had much time to do much of anything else!!!

In my current position I am dealing with testing at the school right now, so I am tied up with that, and finishing evals for teachers. Luckily, the school year is coming to a close... just a few more real weeks, then finals and we are free!!! Still have lots of things to keep me busy, obviously, but I really really need this vacation!

Someone pinch me. Did I really just unload all that on y'all??!!

Alright. SO, by way of excuse for my absence, now you know where I am! AND the moving and packing and such will basically consume the rest of my summer, so seriously, Disney is going to be my reward for the rest of the toil ahead of me July - September!

I also have to confess that I went back to read my OWN PTR!!!! SO I knew where we left off! AND we left off on July 1st, our check-in day at Wilderness Lodge, and the boys trip to the Pirate's League! We'll be in the MK that night, and then back to Wilderness Lodge for our first night there after the Beach Club! I also hope to have hooked up with my DIS friends at somepoint by now, whether at Storm Along Bay, or in the park for fireworks!!! Can't wait to see you all!

SO, next up, and I promise it will be next this weekend , day 5 of our 11 day Disney summer adventure!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Oh my goodness, you have been busy!!!!

Congrats on the move! That has to be soooo exciting. It will be nice to close to the boys school and that park will be just an extension of your yard it sounds like!

As for the trip, I'm thinking both SAB and parks!!!
You can't get away from us.

 

[MeMom]

Hope this turns out to be a wonderful move for all of you!

I am signing my last paper for my teacher eval for this year on Monday. It has been a long year for us with this new evaluation system. Makes me look more forward than ever to retirement.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh WOW! Huge huge news. Congrats on the move, it sounds like the perfect fit and the boys are at a great age for that change.

I can't imagine juggling school AND work AND kids

Exciting times and BOY will you need and deserve that vacation!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Congratulations on your move to a place better for your whole family! Certainly your countdown will continue to move fast!!!

Looking forward to reading more planning - I've been a bad planner on my PTR myself.

 

[Native NYer]

Congrats on finding a new home!
That Disney vacation will definitely be necessary!

Happy Mother's Day!

 

[newtexan]

That's very exciting news!
I don't envy you a move though, no matter how short the distance it all has to go!
Looking forward to more of the report soon.
Happy Mothers Day.

 

[nannye]

I am hopping aboard your PTR!!!!!!! We'll be at Disney some of those days as well as we are there July 5-12 so perhaps our paths will cross!
hoping for an update soon and congrats on the move.

 

[Happydog]

So HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

I finally found time to get my PTR back in gear, and full swing ahead with less than 50 days to go!!!

Things are still busy, but I am really ready to start thinking about this Disney vacation and I wanted to continue sharing my plans!!!

So my last PTR post had us spending the afternoon and evening at the Magic Kingdom, and prior to heading to the MK our day also included our move from Beach Club to our second resort, The Wilderness Lodge!! Day 5 has us heading a different direction, but we won’t be arriving quite in the same style as these guys…

YEP! We are headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios !!!

This is probably the boys’ favorite locations at WDW. Not mine, but definitely theirs. They love several of the attractions, and this year will be the first year DS6 will be able to ride Rock’n Roller Coaster! He will have to wait, however, until DH arrives.... I will ride this one, but only with DH and the whole crew... I rode it for the first time, actually, this past October... Okay it wan't bad, but gasp. I much prefer the MK rollercoasters!!!

Without question, we will be at DHS for rope drop. And I say most certainly because with just me and the boys, we are going to be moving a little slower to get to Toy Story Mania!! I expect to ride it straight away, and then grab fast passes after, so I hope it isn’t too late in the day. I figure we’ll be able to fill the time in between with other fun there at DHS, so hopefully the timing will work out okay!

Mr. Potato Head I can’t wait to hear your corny jokes!

My boys LOVE this attraction, and who wouldn’t!! ??

This queue always impresses me…

So after we are done monkey-ing around here, we will head towards the next big attraction for the kids, Star Tours!!! Soonergirl and I tried it out in October, and I cannot wait to share this with the guys!

A Boba Fett look-alike... Though sadly I have a feeling we will be coming home with one of these masks this year... I have tried to fend this off each time, now, they are definitely older, and it will be hard to say no in this case!!!

At least I will only have TWO boys to extract from this shop at the end of the ride!!!! DH is ALMOST as bad as the two boys are!!!

I cannot remember if this is still outside in front of the entrance, but I hope so! I would like to get a similar photo…

We will no doubt head to the shows here as well. Indiana is a favorite for my boys, as is Lights, Motor Action!

I don't mind watching these with them, because it is fun to see their reactions. I am glad it has been two summers, because the shows will seem "new" enough to them...

MORE IN THE NEXT POST!!!

 

[MEK]

I think you were very smart to move back to a location that makes sense for you. I know only too well how draining a daily commute can be. And quite honestly, it only gets worse until you kids start driving themselves because the after school activities get more and more involved.

So good for you. I hope the housing market continues to be good to you and you can sell your present house at an acceptable asking value.

And yeah for more education. I think I did my post masters as a nurse practitioner when my kids were your kids ages so I know how time consuming that yes.

for Disney planning and a break for school and work!!!!!

 

[Happydog]

So, as I mentioned, this is probably DS9 & 6's favorite park...To be honest, I especially love strolling through the Avenue of the Americas, when they are empty... it is fun to see the streets without anyone walking them! In the morning it takes people a while to get back to that area, so it is usually pretty empty... so while we will be walking this way, we will also be making a pit stop here:

MOST certainly, without question, this is the site for one of my most favorite treats in WDW, a carrot cake cookie….

SIGH. Why are these so good??!! We will probably hit this on the way through Avenue of the Americas en route to Star Tours… cream cheese frosting isn’t the best after it gets too hot!!! Ewwwww…

I love all the staging here… so cool. The boys love exploring it (the subway, etc.) Here they are running around and being silly!

I know we will be riding the great movie ride… BOTH boys like this one, and here is DS6 trying out his Grauman's Chinese Theater Lion imitation!

Now something I would like to do, which I hope the boys will do with me, is go ro see Beauty and the Beast, and, maybe, Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Not sure which would be more tolerable to them, but I am going to try!! I also heard that Disney is adding a cool Pirate’s of the Caribbean attraction, but unfortunately that won’t be open this summer! BOOOO!!!

I am hoping between these plans, lunch (which will probably be at the QS spots along Sunset Blvd) and our use of a TSM fast pass, we will be able to see the shows, ride Start Tours a couple times, and then hit TSM before heading back to the resort. This late afternoon I had hoped to hang at the pool, and get cleaned up for dinner there at WL, at Whispering Canyon Café!

The boys LOVE this place, and I like the fun atmosphere for all of us! I also like that way that we can WALK to dinner tonight!

Now, after dinner, I don’t have any real plans… I was thinking we might head back to DHS for Fantasmic IF we didn’t see it our first night… I don’t like the idea of getting back into the car again, however, so maybe I will see which movie is playing on the beach at the resort, or I will check to see which park has magic hours that evening, and maybe boat to MK... We'll see.

So to close this update, here is a photo of the boys one night at DHS, complete with their glow "swords", ready for action! They have the lightsabers they made at DTD, but on this trip in 2010 they really wanted those glowing swords from the cart where they sell all that glowing merchandise!!! And of course, we caved LOL!!! LONG gone at this point, broken shortly after the trip I think, but I am sure we will be doing the same this summer... SIGH.

Next up, DAY SIX!!!!

 

[eandesmom]

I wouldn't be getting back in the car either, actually that's why we don't even rent one. LOL! But with such a busy day, movie on the beach sounds about perfect to me.

 

[Happydog]

Oh my goodness, you have been busy!!!!

Congrats on the move! That has to be soooo exciting. It will be nice to close to the boys school and that park will be just an extension of your yard it sounds like!

As for the trip, I'm thinking both SAB and parks!!!
You can't get away from us.

Thanks WigD! We are very excited. The commute for DH is 15 minutes. 15 minutes to the elementary school that the guys go to, and about 20 minutes for me, but against morning traffic, so the commute is nothing. We are excited for certain, and I am already thinking about all the packing and pitching of junk I get to do!!! I HATE moving/packing, but it will be good to do it. RockCreek park is a huge park that laces through Maryland and into DC. The very beginning of the park is in our front yard, basically, and we see it from accross the road, which is a nice quiet place. It is going to be a great fall...

SAB, parks, etc. OF COURSE!!! We'll have fun for sure.

Hope this turns out to be a wonderful move for all of you!

I am signing my last paper for my teacher eval for this year on Monday. It has been a long year for us with this new evaluation system. Makes me look more forward than ever to retirement.

Oh once the move is DONE, it will be great!!! PACKING in August not so much fun! We have painters coming first of August, after we sign, but it will be hot for sure!

Teacher Evals are no fun, I love going into classrooms, and talking instruction with teachers, but the write-ups. UGH.

Oh WOW! Huge huge news. Congrats on the move, it sounds like the perfect fit and the boys are at a great age for that change.

I can't imagine juggling school AND work AND kids

Exciting times and BOY will you need and deserve that vacation!

Yes, Thanks! It has been a busy few months... They will still go to their current elementary school, Griffin only has one more year anyhow, and we like it there. It isn't hard for DH to drop them off, and it will be easier now that our new house is closer. 15 minutes. The house is in a different elementary school "area" but both schools go to the same middle and high school, so it all works out fine -- new neighborhood kids will be school friends as well.

Yes, the school piece, I didn't really figure that out until I was in the thick of it, but the classes are fun.... it was just NON stop January - April!!! LOL!!!

Congratulations on your move to a place better for your whole family! Certainly your countdown will continue to move fast!!!

Looking forward to reading more planning - I've been a bad planner on my PTR myself.

Hi there!!! I just found your PTR, btw!!! It was sort of by chance... My DS9 is 10 in a month! AND also finishing 4th grade... sorry we wont be there at the same time!!! I am going to go subscribe to you PTR!

 

[Happydog]

Congrats on finding a new home!
That Disney vacation will definitely be necessary!

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you!!! It is a great house, traditional white-washed brick cape, black shutters, and garage door... but the front door is red and black, very fun! It has very good structure and space, all the original tile from the 50s in the bathrooms, which is very cool, but the bathroom that the boys will share is ... pink ... Fire place, and a full walk-out basement. It is nice, but obviously a traditional floorplan. We'll be knocking out walls soon enough, slowly but surely, all renovation plans we have mind you, and it will be fun to start them once we get in and get settled... The MOVE is going to be nuts, six years in the house with the kids, and we have collected a lot of stuff...

That's very exciting news!
I don't envy you a move though, no matter how short the distance it all has to go!
Looking forward to more of the report soon.
Happy Mothers Day.

NO, I know!!! I don't envy myself this move, no matter how happy I am that we are!!!

I am hopping aboard your PTR!!!!!!! We'll be at Disney some of those days as well as we are there July 5-12 so perhaps our paths will cross!
hoping for an update soon and congrats on the move.

WELCOME!! Updates are UP! There is a whole big group of DISers going this July week!

I think you were very smart to move back to a location that makes sense for you. I know only too well how draining a daily commute can be. And quite honestly, it only gets worse until you kids start driving themselves because the after school activities get more and more involved.

So good for you. I hope the housing market continues to be good to you and you can sell your present house at an acceptable asking value.

And yeah for more education. I think I did my post masters as a nurse practitioner when my kids were your kids ages so I know how time consuming that yes.

for Disney planning and a break for school and work!!!!!

Hey! Thank you!!! It is a good move for us. We paid more for the new house than the house we are selling, and we are getting a smaller place, but it really made the most sense for us. We just missed being close to what we like and enjoy doing... And for the kids, it is the best thing. I am sure we are going to take a small hit on the house, which is why we had to wait a little longer than we wanted, but in the end it is for the best... If we are lucky, it wont be that much. The realtor believes we'll be in good shape, so I am going to hope for the best! We don't close on the other house (due to the seller's timeline) until August. This helps us too, b/c putting the house on the market now would be tough on us as we finish the school year. We are looking at August/September, b/c middle summer (July) is a dead period for house sales around here, and we don't want it on the market for too long. It gives us more time to move into the new house, and do what we need to do here with time.

I have enjoyed my classes, and this fall I am going to start back again. Not sure where this will lead me, but it will give my resume some depth.