Over the Grapevine and down i-5 to Mickey’s House we go!
Hello and Welcome to my pre-trip report!
This is technically my second trip report, I wrote a short one of my DH’s and my anniversary trip…gosh…was it 2006? I did post it here but have no clue if you can even still see it! I should give it a shot and have me a trip down memory lane. Anywho…that one was an adult only trip…one that my kids knew nothing about (I know, bad us, but we had a BLAST! AND we took them back in November for my DD’s bday to relieve my horrible mommy guilt I experienced on our first day). So this is technically my second report but first with our entire family.
This trip is a much needed stress relief from two years of unexpected stressful event after stressful event. Whoever came up with the saying what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is both brilliant and an idiot all at the same time. While I’m not dead, I’m not entirely sure that I am that much stronger but I guess I am…
Our dates are Monday April 26-Friday April 30th. We will be driving down to Anaheim from San Jose in our Expedition (still trying to figure out HOW we are going to fit all 6 of us, all our stuff AND all of Ashlyn’s stuff. I say it can be done no problemo! DH on the other hand is not so sure, let’s hope that my fuzzy Disney packing plans will work out A-Okay!). We will be staying offsite at the Residence Inn Anaheim Resort (the full kitchen will be a super great plus with the baby, not to mention the full free hot breakfast that I’ve read so many great things about!).
The cast embarking on this little journey of ours will be, well me of course Kim 38, my DH Nick 39 (we just celebrated our 19 wedding anniversary! Go us!), DD Megan 12, DS Nathan 18, DDIL2B Ariel 19 (yes that is her real name…yes she was named after the mermaid herself and honestly it couldn’t be a more perfect fit!) and last but most certainly never least my DGD Ashlyn 9 months. Yes you read that right, we are proud grandparents to a beautiful amazing 9 month old named Ashlyn. She came into our lives a little sooner than we would’ve liked to have planned for but as they say it’s much better to turn lemons into lemon aide and I have to say that she is the sweetest, most wonderful lemonade I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my life! I am so proud to be her gram! Her birth was nothing short of amazing and Nathan and Ariel have done an wonderful job being mommy and daddy, growing up quickly and dealing with every road block and stumbling stone that was lobbed there way (trust me there were MANY…I may touch on a few during my report).
Just so know you a bit about the cast above here’s a little info about ‘em:
Me: KimD, Kim, Mom, Gram & Kimbers (my DH’s newest nickname for me
). I am the wife, mother, grandma & Disney nutter butter of the family. Everyone who knows me knows of my love for all things Disney. This will make my umpteenth trip to DLR because quite frankly there have been so many I’ve lost count! Living in Northern California (a mear 5 ½ hours from the Main Mouse) allows for lots of trips. We’ve been to WDW 4 times and plan on going back next year to make 5! I love all things Disney…period. My DH does a lot of eye rolling and jabbing at my love for it all. But I don’t care, it’s worth it! Plus he secretly likes it more than he lets on….I just know it! Yes, he does…still trying to convince myself. That could take a while so let’s move on to….
DH: Nick, Dad, Poppa San, Pappy (I won’t list all of his nicknames…don’t wanna embarrass the poor lad). He is the husband, daddio & grandpappy to the crew. He doesn’t really love Disney like some of us. In fact he may even say he dislikes it…may even make fun of it to a certain extent by saying WOW…I can’t wait to see…OH WAIT…I’ve ALREADY seen that 5000 times. Ya, ya…ha ha…you’re sooo funny. NOT. But when the family is talking about ride strategy WHO is the one that runs in a pipes up with…we’re riding Space Mountain first and that’s that. HMMM…already planning on which ride Mr. I am only going because I love you guys…so I let him have his ‘fake’ dislike. However, I have been told under no certain terms that the next vacation is just him and I and it has to be tropical. Otherwise he’ll send me a postcard. Got it honey…definitely got it! So that is why WDW will be NEXT year. He wasn’t falling for “but Clearwater is KINDOF tropical” since I pulled that one two years ago and it worked then haHA?! He is a great hubby/dad and an amazing grandpappy! That little girl loves her some grandpappy!
DD (going on 18 or 21 depending on the day): Megan, Missy Moo, Tunia, Auntie Megan & last but not least Stonky Bruf (pronounced BROOF, that last one is a dooser that she inadvertently gave herself one day actually buy making fun of me in her made up accented language…in a fun way though...while I was talking to the baby…it stuck with her dad and here we are today, when she calls my DH’s cell phone her name comes up as Missy Moo Stonky Bruf, LOL). My little Missy Moo is my baby and my Disney partner in crime! She loves anything and everything Disney just like her ole mom and is always cracking me up with the hidden mickey’s she seems to find in just about everything. She has outgrown everything ‘princess’ (WAH) but still loves her fav’s Cinderella & Ariel and everything else Disney related. I was so afraid that she would think she was too cool like she is for most stuff (unless it includes anything to do with the Twilight Series or Justin Bieber…ugh) so I am extremely pleased she’s still drinking the koolaide! She is in 7th grade and has more drama than this momma cares for but the times have just changed and girls are just mean sometimes. She’s a sensitive girl but it’s actually making her out to be a good judge on character. I’ve just started asking her “So, what’s the drama today” instead of “How was your day?”.
DS: Nathan, NaNa (with a long A), Bird, Daddy. My big dude who’s now a daddy is very excited for this trip. He, along with the rest of us, have been through the ringer and is just too excited to show his “Teeny Miss Disneyland”. It’s very very sweet. Nathan has definitely kept us on our toes thru his teenage years and sure ended them with a bang by making us grandparents before 40. But like I said above he is a good boy with a golden heart and I love him very much (well, I love BOTH my kids very much, I am a lucky lady). He still has a great love for video games and always will I think, especially those role playing ones. He really wants to get into video game designing. I think he’d be excellent at it. He’s my momma’s boy but in a good way. He, Ariel and the baby actually live with us (they have their own attached studio w/kitchen and the baby’s room is in the main house). This works out great, helping to give them some independence and learn how to be adults even though it takes some adjusting and patience on our parts! He is a great daddy and loves his little girl to pieces, trust me the feeling is mutual. My heart melts when he walks in and her smile goes on for miles!
DDIL2B: Ariel, Sweetie, Mommy (I don’t want to use the nicknames her parents use because well we don’t call her by any of those so that is why she’s a little shorter on the nickname list…doesn’t mean we love her less!) Ariel is a very sweet girl who thankfully also has a great love for all Disney, especially her namesake Ariel & Nightmare Before Christmas anything! She just fits right in with my family! Ariel and Nathan have been together for over 4 years. They got together freshman year and have been (mostly, a few on and offs) together ever since. Like all young couples they’ve had their fare share of issues but when we found out Ariel was pregnant last year we were honestly surprised, shocked, upset, happy, freaked out, pretty much you name it we felt it. Then if being pregnant at 18 wasn’t enough we find out she’s pregnant with Mono-Mono Twin girls! Basically one of the most high risk pregnancies where both babies are in the same sack and share a placenta). NICE, more to stress about! But we took it all in stride, planning and preparing until I took her in for a very routine ultra sound at 24 weeks. We knew something was wrong by their faces and we found out right then that she had lost Twin B, Bailey, to cord trauma and would have to carry her along with Ashlyn as long as possible. That was one of the absolute hardest and emotional days I’ve ever had in my life. I felt SO SO bad for her as she had to lay there while they poked and prodded her as we tried not to look at the screen with tears running down our faces. The best news is she went thru the rest of her pregnancy visiting weekly and going into labor 2 months early delivering my granddaughter ON MY BIRTHDAY no less!!! Best birthday gift I’ve EVER received! Thanks again Ariel! She is such a trooper and has had a huge adjustment by not only becoming a young mother but moving in with us so they can be a real family. She is a great mommy and her little girl loves her momma very much! We are very blessed to have Ariel in our lives. They are getting married October 6th, 2012.
DGD: Ashlyn, Teenie Miss, Tiny Peanut, Sweet Pea, Grimace (yes, I said Grimace…as in the giant purple blobby guy from McDonalds. I have asked and shaken my head but it remains a very much used nick name, sigh, even they don’t know why and she actually answers to it! Imagine the looks we get in public.), Grimmely (form of grimace…I again, just plug my ears). Ashlyn Ann Marie is the sweetest most gorgeous baby! She came into the world a bit too early but little miss smarty pants just knew it was her time. Ariel was scheduled for an induction July 22nd because of Bailey and running out of room for Ashlyn. They wanted to play it safe. Well Saturday night July 18th (exactly one week after Ariel had moved in) Nathan came running into my room at 11pm saying…Mom, I think we have a huge problem, Ariel’s having contractions. I of course hopped out of bed while my husband was like, eh, see you when it’s done and she falls back asleep. Well after going in to the hospital to be checked we were completely dumbfounded that she was already at 4cm and they weren’t stopping it. It was then that I realized my granddaughter would be born on my birthday and she was! She was a tiny 3lbs 11 oz, 17” long and she had to go to the NICU for 3 weeks. She was a breather though because Ariel had gotten the steroid shots to develop her lungs in preparation for her ‘scheduled’ delivery later that week. We all joke that no one is telling Ashlyn when to come or what to do…she’s doing it her way! She was a trouper and had no issues other than needing to gain weight and master eating…which she did in record time! She is just beautiful, can sit up, scoot like a maniac, do her zerberts and just claps and claps! We’re working on waving hi and bye bye (with some kiss blowing thrown in for fun). Her entire room is Disney everything. We are really hoping she’ll be ok with the characters ‘cause we want some good pics! But babies will be babies and we are just happy to be taking her to our happy place. People think we’re totally nuts taking such a small baby but hey, she’s portable and FREE! Easy peasy baby!
The rest of the cast who will not be attending this magical journey but will most likely be mentioned are our beloved pets:
Sierra Nevada (named after the mountain range…not the beer, thank you!): Tweedums, Tiddly Winks, Wonkey Doo (she has so many nicknames and answers to each one! Lol) She is our 5 year old beagle who is full of love and mischief! She’s a food hound to the end and loves to make her family smile! She’s the sweetest dog ever!
Scooter: Scoops, Scooper Ralph, Damn Cat. Our 8 year old black and white cat who is a big ole baby. If I’m sitting anywhere he will seek my out and try to make it bed on my lap. He was found abandoned with his eyes barely open so we had to bottle feed him. I think that has something to do with it. He loves anyone who sits down, lol.
Mafia: Mr. Man, Mafiano, used to be tiny kitty until we found ‘old fiagro below, now he’s called that. Mafia is out 3 year old grey stripped kitty…wait back up the bus…I should say this is Nathan and Ariels’s 3 year old Christmas surprise! Oh yes, they swore this was THEIR cat, after the ‘showed up’ with him right before Christmas three years ago, they’d pay for it all, take him when they moved, yadda yadda, yadda. Ya, who’s Mr.’s mom? Me! So sorry suckers he ain’t going anywhere…he’s my kitty now! I pay therefore my say so there!
Then there’s Figaro Bruce: Figgy, Tiny boy or kitty, little sh*** (dh’s name for him). He is our Thanksgiving find! We were taking Sierra for a walk with Megan and her friend on the creek trail by our house when we heard this tiny meow. Look over to the side of the creek bed and saw the tiny little black kitty just sitting there looking pathetic and adorable all at the same time. Before we knew it Megan’s friend was over that fence and standing there with that precious little dude in her arms. Of course my daughter and I threw a tear or two when Nick said no way so he agreed to let us foster him while we found him a new home! What ole Pappy didn’t know was that he HAD found his new home…with us! We guessed he was about 7 or 8 weeks old from his size. He is so appreciative being a true rescue. He is full of poop and salt most days and brings out the kitten in the other two. He and Sierra are great friends and Scooter acts like his dad. It’s adorable!
Uncle Tim from Alaska! This is Nick’s uncle who happens to be coming into town the week we’re gone and needed a place to stay. Well if that wasn’t perfect timing I don’t know what was?! Uncle Tim is true Alaska in everyway. A hippie at heart who is an amazing artist and we’ve been told currently has a large white ZZ Top type beard goin’….can’t wait to actually SEE him when we get back on Friday. He is good times!
So this concludes my intro to the cast and gives you a good idea how incredibly much I can talk and…well…write! I promise to try not to bore you or put in too much not relevant info but when I talk about my two favorite things: family and Disney, it’s hard to shut me up!
So hope you will join me as I retell our, what’s going to be, fabulous trip full of magic!
Thanks for reading so far! (If you’re not snoozing already!
)
Will be adding photo's - Promise!!
Hello and Welcome to my pre-trip report!
This is technically my second trip report, I wrote a short one of my DH’s and my anniversary trip…gosh…was it 2006? I did post it here but have no clue if you can even still see it! I should give it a shot and have me a trip down memory lane. Anywho…that one was an adult only trip…one that my kids knew nothing about (I know, bad us, but we had a BLAST! AND we took them back in November for my DD’s bday to relieve my horrible mommy guilt I experienced on our first day). So this is technically my second report but first with our entire family.
This trip is a much needed stress relief from two years of unexpected stressful event after stressful event. Whoever came up with the saying what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is both brilliant and an idiot all at the same time. While I’m not dead, I’m not entirely sure that I am that much stronger but I guess I am…
Our dates are Monday April 26-Friday April 30th. We will be driving down to Anaheim from San Jose in our Expedition (still trying to figure out HOW we are going to fit all 6 of us, all our stuff AND all of Ashlyn’s stuff. I say it can be done no problemo! DH on the other hand is not so sure, let’s hope that my fuzzy Disney packing plans will work out A-Okay!). We will be staying offsite at the Residence Inn Anaheim Resort (the full kitchen will be a super great plus with the baby, not to mention the full free hot breakfast that I’ve read so many great things about!).
The cast embarking on this little journey of ours will be, well me of course Kim 38, my DH Nick 39 (we just celebrated our 19 wedding anniversary! Go us!), DD Megan 12, DS Nathan 18, DDIL2B Ariel 19 (yes that is her real name…yes she was named after the mermaid herself and honestly it couldn’t be a more perfect fit!) and last but most certainly never least my DGD Ashlyn 9 months. Yes you read that right, we are proud grandparents to a beautiful amazing 9 month old named Ashlyn. She came into our lives a little sooner than we would’ve liked to have planned for but as they say it’s much better to turn lemons into lemon aide and I have to say that she is the sweetest, most wonderful lemonade I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my life! I am so proud to be her gram! Her birth was nothing short of amazing and Nathan and Ariel have done an wonderful job being mommy and daddy, growing up quickly and dealing with every road block and stumbling stone that was lobbed there way (trust me there were MANY…I may touch on a few during my report).
Just so know you a bit about the cast above here’s a little info about ‘em:
Me: KimD, Kim, Mom, Gram & Kimbers (my DH’s newest nickname for me
). I am the wife, mother, grandma & Disney nutter butter of the family. Everyone who knows me knows of my love for all things Disney. This will make my umpteenth trip to DLR because quite frankly there have been so many I’ve lost count! Living in Northern California (a mear 5 ½ hours from the Main Mouse) allows for lots of trips. We’ve been to WDW 4 times and plan on going back next year to make 5! I love all things Disney…period. My DH does a lot of eye rolling and jabbing at my love for it all. But I don’t care, it’s worth it! Plus he secretly likes it more than he lets on….I just know it! Yes, he does…still trying to convince myself. That could take a while so let’s move on to….DH: Nick, Dad, Poppa San, Pappy (I won’t list all of his nicknames…don’t wanna embarrass the poor lad). He is the husband, daddio & grandpappy to the crew. He doesn’t really love Disney like some of us. In fact he may even say he dislikes it…may even make fun of it to a certain extent by saying WOW…I can’t wait to see…OH WAIT…I’ve ALREADY seen that 5000 times. Ya, ya…ha ha…you’re sooo funny. NOT. But when the family is talking about ride strategy WHO is the one that runs in a pipes up with…we’re riding Space Mountain first and that’s that. HMMM…already planning on which ride Mr. I am only going because I love you guys…so I let him have his ‘fake’ dislike. However, I have been told under no certain terms that the next vacation is just him and I and it has to be tropical. Otherwise he’ll send me a postcard. Got it honey…definitely got it! So that is why WDW will be NEXT year. He wasn’t falling for “but Clearwater is KINDOF tropical” since I pulled that one two years ago and it worked then haHA?! He is a great hubby/dad and an amazing grandpappy! That little girl loves her some grandpappy!
DD (going on 18 or 21 depending on the day): Megan, Missy Moo, Tunia, Auntie Megan & last but not least Stonky Bruf (pronounced BROOF, that last one is a dooser that she inadvertently gave herself one day actually buy making fun of me in her made up accented language…in a fun way though...while I was talking to the baby…it stuck with her dad and here we are today, when she calls my DH’s cell phone her name comes up as Missy Moo Stonky Bruf, LOL). My little Missy Moo is my baby and my Disney partner in crime! She loves anything and everything Disney just like her ole mom and is always cracking me up with the hidden mickey’s she seems to find in just about everything. She has outgrown everything ‘princess’ (WAH) but still loves her fav’s Cinderella & Ariel and everything else Disney related. I was so afraid that she would think she was too cool like she is for most stuff (unless it includes anything to do with the Twilight Series or Justin Bieber…ugh) so I am extremely pleased she’s still drinking the koolaide! She is in 7th grade and has more drama than this momma cares for but the times have just changed and girls are just mean sometimes. She’s a sensitive girl but it’s actually making her out to be a good judge on character. I’ve just started asking her “So, what’s the drama today” instead of “How was your day?”.
DS: Nathan, NaNa (with a long A), Bird, Daddy. My big dude who’s now a daddy is very excited for this trip. He, along with the rest of us, have been through the ringer and is just too excited to show his “Teeny Miss Disneyland”. It’s very very sweet. Nathan has definitely kept us on our toes thru his teenage years and sure ended them with a bang by making us grandparents before 40. But like I said above he is a good boy with a golden heart and I love him very much (well, I love BOTH my kids very much, I am a lucky lady). He still has a great love for video games and always will I think, especially those role playing ones. He really wants to get into video game designing. I think he’d be excellent at it. He’s my momma’s boy but in a good way. He, Ariel and the baby actually live with us (they have their own attached studio w/kitchen and the baby’s room is in the main house). This works out great, helping to give them some independence and learn how to be adults even though it takes some adjusting and patience on our parts! He is a great daddy and loves his little girl to pieces, trust me the feeling is mutual. My heart melts when he walks in and her smile goes on for miles!
DDIL2B: Ariel, Sweetie, Mommy (I don’t want to use the nicknames her parents use because well we don’t call her by any of those so that is why she’s a little shorter on the nickname list…doesn’t mean we love her less!) Ariel is a very sweet girl who thankfully also has a great love for all Disney, especially her namesake Ariel & Nightmare Before Christmas anything! She just fits right in with my family! Ariel and Nathan have been together for over 4 years. They got together freshman year and have been (mostly, a few on and offs) together ever since. Like all young couples they’ve had their fare share of issues but when we found out Ariel was pregnant last year we were honestly surprised, shocked, upset, happy, freaked out, pretty much you name it we felt it. Then if being pregnant at 18 wasn’t enough we find out she’s pregnant with Mono-Mono Twin girls! Basically one of the most high risk pregnancies where both babies are in the same sack and share a placenta). NICE, more to stress about! But we took it all in stride, planning and preparing until I took her in for a very routine ultra sound at 24 weeks. We knew something was wrong by their faces and we found out right then that she had lost Twin B, Bailey, to cord trauma and would have to carry her along with Ashlyn as long as possible. That was one of the absolute hardest and emotional days I’ve ever had in my life. I felt SO SO bad for her as she had to lay there while they poked and prodded her as we tried not to look at the screen with tears running down our faces. The best news is she went thru the rest of her pregnancy visiting weekly and going into labor 2 months early delivering my granddaughter ON MY BIRTHDAY no less!!! Best birthday gift I’ve EVER received! Thanks again Ariel! She is such a trooper and has had a huge adjustment by not only becoming a young mother but moving in with us so they can be a real family. She is a great mommy and her little girl loves her momma very much! We are very blessed to have Ariel in our lives. They are getting married October 6th, 2012.
DGD: Ashlyn, Teenie Miss, Tiny Peanut, Sweet Pea, Grimace (yes, I said Grimace…as in the giant purple blobby guy from McDonalds. I have asked and shaken my head but it remains a very much used nick name, sigh, even they don’t know why and she actually answers to it! Imagine the looks we get in public.), Grimmely (form of grimace…I again, just plug my ears). Ashlyn Ann Marie is the sweetest most gorgeous baby! She came into the world a bit too early but little miss smarty pants just knew it was her time. Ariel was scheduled for an induction July 22nd because of Bailey and running out of room for Ashlyn. They wanted to play it safe. Well Saturday night July 18th (exactly one week after Ariel had moved in) Nathan came running into my room at 11pm saying…Mom, I think we have a huge problem, Ariel’s having contractions. I of course hopped out of bed while my husband was like, eh, see you when it’s done and she falls back asleep. Well after going in to the hospital to be checked we were completely dumbfounded that she was already at 4cm and they weren’t stopping it. It was then that I realized my granddaughter would be born on my birthday and she was! She was a tiny 3lbs 11 oz, 17” long and she had to go to the NICU for 3 weeks. She was a breather though because Ariel had gotten the steroid shots to develop her lungs in preparation for her ‘scheduled’ delivery later that week. We all joke that no one is telling Ashlyn when to come or what to do…she’s doing it her way! She was a trouper and had no issues other than needing to gain weight and master eating…which she did in record time! She is just beautiful, can sit up, scoot like a maniac, do her zerberts and just claps and claps! We’re working on waving hi and bye bye (with some kiss blowing thrown in for fun). Her entire room is Disney everything. We are really hoping she’ll be ok with the characters ‘cause we want some good pics! But babies will be babies and we are just happy to be taking her to our happy place. People think we’re totally nuts taking such a small baby but hey, she’s portable and FREE! Easy peasy baby!
The rest of the cast who will not be attending this magical journey but will most likely be mentioned are our beloved pets:
Sierra Nevada (named after the mountain range…not the beer, thank you!): Tweedums, Tiddly Winks, Wonkey Doo (she has so many nicknames and answers to each one! Lol) She is our 5 year old beagle who is full of love and mischief! She’s a food hound to the end and loves to make her family smile! She’s the sweetest dog ever!
Scooter: Scoops, Scooper Ralph, Damn Cat. Our 8 year old black and white cat who is a big ole baby. If I’m sitting anywhere he will seek my out and try to make it bed on my lap. He was found abandoned with his eyes barely open so we had to bottle feed him. I think that has something to do with it. He loves anyone who sits down, lol.
Mafia: Mr. Man, Mafiano, used to be tiny kitty until we found ‘old fiagro below, now he’s called that. Mafia is out 3 year old grey stripped kitty…wait back up the bus…I should say this is Nathan and Ariels’s 3 year old Christmas surprise! Oh yes, they swore this was THEIR cat, after the ‘showed up’ with him right before Christmas three years ago, they’d pay for it all, take him when they moved, yadda yadda, yadda. Ya, who’s Mr.’s mom? Me! So sorry suckers he ain’t going anywhere…he’s my kitty now! I pay therefore my say so there!
Then there’s Figaro Bruce: Figgy, Tiny boy or kitty, little sh*** (dh’s name for him). He is our Thanksgiving find! We were taking Sierra for a walk with Megan and her friend on the creek trail by our house when we heard this tiny meow. Look over to the side of the creek bed and saw the tiny little black kitty just sitting there looking pathetic and adorable all at the same time. Before we knew it Megan’s friend was over that fence and standing there with that precious little dude in her arms. Of course my daughter and I threw a tear or two when Nick said no way so he agreed to let us foster him while we found him a new home! What ole Pappy didn’t know was that he HAD found his new home…with us! We guessed he was about 7 or 8 weeks old from his size. He is so appreciative being a true rescue. He is full of poop and salt most days and brings out the kitten in the other two. He and Sierra are great friends and Scooter acts like his dad. It’s adorable!
Uncle Tim from Alaska! This is Nick’s uncle who happens to be coming into town the week we’re gone and needed a place to stay. Well if that wasn’t perfect timing I don’t know what was?! Uncle Tim is true Alaska in everyway. A hippie at heart who is an amazing artist and we’ve been told currently has a large white ZZ Top type beard goin’….can’t wait to actually SEE him when we get back on Friday. He is good times!
So this concludes my intro to the cast and gives you a good idea how incredibly much I can talk and…well…write! I promise to try not to bore you or put in too much not relevant info but when I talk about my two favorite things: family and Disney, it’s hard to shut me up!
So hope you will join me as I retell our, what’s going to be, fabulous trip full of magic!
Thanks for reading so far! (If you’re not snoozing already!
)Will be adding photo's - Promise!!
)! I do like to write so I am going to really enjoy writing this report and if you and my family are the only ones that read it I'm good with that. 
I'm working on getting some pictures on there and will do another pre-trip update hopefully today or latest tomorrow before the weekend windfall of getting ready embarks on us. You know the one right before you go when you think you have SO MUCH time...then it's Sunday night and when you should be packing the car like you swore you would but you're still pulling stuff outta the dryer? Ya...I'm a procrastinator in addition to all of my other fine qualities. 
