Princess Phoebe's Pre-WISH-Trip Report (arriving in MK 4/17/10)

[yinyanggirls]

I think you and I are the only ones "up". Hope you're having a nice quiet evening!

And now you're gone too. I do like being on west coast time (for six more months anyway) because I feel like I can read my emails and threads without them growing while I'm reading them.

 

[dawnbu40]

Great Disneyland update!

I love the picture of Tessa looking in the mirror at her facepainting!
She is just adorable!

Phoebe smiles in the Dumbo and IASW pics are priceless! That child's smile must light up the room!

I've been a Johnny Depp fan since the 21 Jump Street days too! Maybe we can start a club

for your trip being so close

 

[Charleston Princess]

It's always fun to play with a new camera! All of them seem to turn out really good -- you can tell I have an untrained eye!

 

[Wee Annie]

Ann (doesn't have her own PTR, just hijacks ours, lol)



Sort of like a parasite. You and Kelly are my hosts.

I'm just lazy. And a technophobe to boot.

Melissa, when you finish my dining reservations, can you please post them so I can give you feedback? Kelly, do you have my park plans done yet?

No pressure, though.

 

[TokyoDina]

I should have called you last night. I was so lost in Sahuarita! We were dropping off the puppy and we were lost beyond words! The street signs are so far in the turn for the street we couldn't figure out how to get out of Rancho Sahuarita! Some how we ended up on Nogales HWY. I'm like I wish I had save Melissa's phone number into my phone now.....


I love the portrait shot! That was just too pretty! Haha I like how Phoebe goes from okay to okay Mom it's time to freaking go! Your camera takes awesome pictures! I can't wait to see your shots from WDW!

 

[yinyanggirls]

I've been a Johnny Depp fan since the 21 Jump Street days too! Maybe we can start a club

I have a feeling there already is one.

It's always fun to play with a new camera! All of them seem to turn out really good -- you can tell I have an untrained eye!

Thanks. You don't need a trained eye to decide if you like something though.

Ann (doesn't have her own PTR, just hijacks ours, lol)



Sort of like a parasite. You and Kelly are my hosts.

I'm just lazy. And a technophobe to boot.

Melissa, when you finish my dining reservations, can you please post them so I can give you feedback? Kelly, do you have my park plans done yet?

No pressure, though.

HA! As if you'd go with them. You pretend to be so last minute, easy going, but I know before next weekend you're going to go all commando on us!

I should have called you last night. I was so lost in Sahuarita! We were dropping off the puppy and we were lost beyond words! The street signs are so far in the turn for the street we couldn't figure out how to get out of Rancho Sahuarita! Some how we ended up on Nogales HWY. I'm like I wish I had save Melissa's phone number into my phone now.....

Oh no!!! We used to rent a house in Rancho, so I definitely could have helped. The area is so big it is flanked by I19 and Nogales Hwy. At least you got home eventually!

I love the portrait shot! That was just too pretty! Haha I like how Phoebe goes from okay to okay Mom it's time to freaking go! Your camera takes awesome pictures! I can't wait to see your shots from WDW!

Thanks! It's definitely growing on me. For a "cheap" little camera it's got some good features I just need to learn how to use.

 

[yinyanggirls]

I thought I'd shop around one more time for my future DSLR and see if I couldn't make up my mind in time to get one before the trip. I decided on a Canon T1i body, a Tamron 17-50mm lens, a UV protection filter and a very cute purse-looking carrying case. My hesitation with ordering this camera before was that the reviews said the resolution was too high for the Canon lens making it useless. It dawned on me to get a better lens that can handle the high resolution. It also comes with the ability to capture HD video.I'm excited about this one for sure!
Read all about it if you are really bored and/or in the market for a DSLR.
I ordered it from Amazon, with guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, plenty of time before we leave. They also had an offer for 6 months interest free financing, so I can get it now and pay off the large portions of it when my cousins pay for their weddings. Yippee!!!!

 

[eyor44]

for the new camera. I can't see pictures at work (firewall) but I can't wait to see them this evening. I know their great.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Well, I was super grumpy earlier because I wasted my whole day, or at least it felt that way. Tessa is at auntie's still but today was Phoebe's early day from school and then of course she's off for the weekend. I had hoped to run several errands "in town", some shopping, etc but my day was completely consumed with this Amazon.com purchase! I placed the order last night, but the billing page was confusing with this 0% financing offer in the mix. Somehow they ended up taking the money out of our checking account (saved in their system from previous orders) which, being a large purchase, left us with $18 until payday NEXT WEEK! I know for sure, I never told them to bill that account. I tried to complain, they said it wasn't billed, because it wasn't shipped yet, so I cancelled it and started over. The bank won't release the hold for three days, so at least we will have some grocery money by Monday, hopefully.

Anyway, it took most of my day to get it all sorted out, minus a wasted trip to town to try and pick up Phoebe's new gait trainer. When I arrived they brought it out and I thought to myself - crap! I thought it was going to be in a box unassembled or maybe folded up, but it was fully assembled and huge! There was no way it was going to fit in DH's compact. He took my van to go to a shooting range for target practice. So I sent him a message to go get the GT after he was done, but I still drove up and back for no reason, wasting the 1 1/2 hours I could have been doing something fun. Oh well! Maybe I can sneak out for a bit tomorrow, since DH will only have to care for Phoebe. Plus he's having boys' night out tonight, so I deserve it, right?

The gait trainer is a little bit big for Phoebe, but that's why we ordered the larger size, because she's right in between and would have outgrown the smaller size too quickly. She seemed comfortable with it and was excited to use it so I'll try and get some pics to share tomorrow.

 

[that's nice]

That is messed up with amazon and the interest free mix up. I hate having to deal with stuff like that. It seems like it takes forever (probably because it always does!) Hopefully you weren't dealing with a guy named 'Mikey' from India!

But hurry for the camera!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

And now you're gone too. I do like being on west coast time (for six more months anyway) because I feel like I can read my emails and threads without them growing while I'm reading them.

I totally get that!!! Totallly!

That is messed up with amazon and the interest free mix up. I hate having to deal with stuff like that. It seems like it takes forever (probably because it always does!) Hopefully you weren't dealing with a guy named 'Mikey' from India!

But hurry for the camera!!!

Me too! Last time it was Stevey. I said right back to him, "No, you're not! What's your real name?" He nervously chuckled....

 

[wishin' on a star]

I hope you get the camera stuff worked out soon! I'm following you so I can see what you end up with before I buy mine! FWIW, I thought your Coolpix pics came out really well!

We got the Make a Wish pack with the genie stickers, planner, and video back when they first granted the wish. Catherine watches the video every day! I guess it may just vary from chapter to chapter? I'm not sure, but I think it came before we even had our dates!

Good luck with continuing packing.

 

[Wee Annie]

The package we got the other day. Addressed from MAW but letter inside is signed by Disney.

The letter.

Melissa -- I cannot begin to thank you enough for taking this photo of this letter! Our wish coordinator just dropped by, and when I say dropped by I mean for 15 minutes tops, and that's only because I blathered on for half the time (and had tears in my eyes when she handed me the expense check!). Don't get me wrong -- she was really nice, and very polite, she's just a very "to the point" kind of person, I think (which is A-OK with Jake and I). We received the Birnbaum book, a handout with GKTW info on it, car rental and airport car service info, the aforementioned expense check (SO nice and so very much appreciated!), and our "special event" info -- a lunch with the princesses at CRT on Monday, April 19 at 12:05 pm (see you there Melissa!). No dvd, and no welcome letter from Disney. BUT, we did get a sheet of the Genie stickers. If you had not posted this photo of the letter, I would never know that the Genie stickers were important, and I can tell you now that in less than half an hour they would have ended up on books, our walls, and our noses a la Elke! Yikes. Disaster averted! So THANK YOU Melissa!

And thanks for letting me hijack your PTR. Perhaps I'll hijack Kelly's later and spread the wealth....

It's real! We're going!

(PS: it appears from their list of amenities that there is no dishwasher in the villas. That's a good heads up for us re bringing stuff (or going to Walmart) to make sure we have cleaning supplies for the 10 - 15 syringes and tubes we use every day with Elke's g-tube. Yes, we're lazy and usually put the syringes in the dishwasher.)

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Those were some great pictures Melissa. I would have never noticed the tree's being too green. I definately have an untrained eye. I used to love photography but it has been so long ago. (High School) Pheobe looks just dazzeling in those pictures. How cool to turn her chair into a powerchair I will not be mentioning that one to Ty Although not too sure our little Rat terrier's could pull it lol.

Grandma and Tessa look like they are having so much fun on your excursion. What pretty scenery.

I hope Amazon got your camera purchase straighted out. I hope you like it!

Wee Annie I put Ty's syringes in the dishwasher too.

 

[kdzbear]

I wish I had seen your letter before our trip. It appears our Wish granter forgot to put the letter and the correct book in the envelope. I did get the picture frame and the stickers, but I thought the stickers were just for the kids to play with.

I bet you are getting excited with your trip so close!

 

[yinyanggirls]

It certainly isn't a perfect system, but we all forgive the inconsistencies because their hearts are in the right place! I still haven't heard from the coordinator, so I guess Monday morning I'm emailing. Monday afternoon I'm calling. Tim just asked me how we are getting to the airport and I didn't have an answer. I was waiting to hear the final details from them, and if it included transportation to and from, great, if not, we'd figure something out. Then I put it out of my mind until now. It's time to figure it out!

 

[kellyw8863]

Ann (doesn't have her own PTR, just hijacks ours, lol)



Sort of like a parasite. You and Kelly are my hosts.

I'm just lazy. And a technophobe to boot.

Melissa, when you finish my dining reservations, can you please post them so I can give you feedback? Kelly, do you have my park plans done yet?

No pressure, though.

You crack me up. Unfortunately, besides interpreting the crowd calendars at touringplans and TGM, I can't really help you out. That's about the extent of my own park planning.

Melissa -- I cannot begin to thank you enough for taking this photo of this letter! Our wish coordinator just dropped by, and when I say dropped by I mean for 15 minutes tops, and that's only because I blathered on for half the time (and had tears in my eyes when she handed me the expense check!). Don't get me wrong -- she was really nice, and very polite, she's just a very "to the point" kind of person, I think (which is A-OK with Jake and I). We received the Birnbaum book, a handout with GKTW info on it, car rental and airport car service info, the aforementioned expense check (SO nice and so very much appreciated!), and our "special event" info -- a lunch with the princesses at CRT on Monday, April 19 at 12:05 pm (see you there Melissa!). No dvd, and no welcome letter from Disney. BUT, we did get a sheet of the Genie stickers. If you had not posted this photo of the letter, I would never know that the Genie stickers were important, and I can tell you now that in less than half an hour they would have ended up on books, our walls, and our noses a la Elke! Yikes. Disaster averted! So THANK YOU Melissa!

And thanks for letting me hijack your PTR. Perhaps I'll hijack Kelly's later and spread the wealth....

It's real! We're going!

(PS: it appears from their list of amenities that there is no dishwasher in the villas. That's a good heads up for us re bringing stuff (or going to Walmart) to make sure we have cleaning supplies for the 10 - 15 syringes and tubes we use every day with Elke's g-tube. Yes, we're lazy and usually put the syringes in the dishwasher.)

Please, hijack any time! We had a similar experience. We were initially told that they would bring a cake (even asked what flavors and color frosting) and balloons for a little "party." Nonetheless, it didn't cut down on the excitement and it was so nice to have all the information right there in front of us.

That's awfully ambitious of you to clean Elke's syringes while on vacation! I just ordered a case of 100 luer syringes (they fit directly into the button - no need for extensions just for meds) so that I can use them and toss them. But then again, I think cleaning syringes/extensions is just about my least favorite household "chore" ever.

Well, I was super grumpy earlier because I wasted my whole day, or at least it felt that way. Tessa is at auntie's still but today was Phoebe's early day from school and then of course she's off for the weekend. I had hoped to run several errands "in town", some shopping, etc but my day was completely consumed with this Amazon.com purchase! I placed the order last night, but the billing page was confusing with this 0% financing offer in the mix. Somehow they ended up taking the money out of our checking account (saved in their system from previous orders) which, being a large purchase, left us with $18 until payday NEXT WEEK! I know for sure, I never told them to bill that account. I tried to complain, they said it wasn't billed, because it wasn't shipped yet, so I cancelled it and started over. The bank won't release the hold for three days, so at least we will have some grocery money by Monday, hopefully.

Anyway, it took most of my day to get it all sorted out, minus a wasted trip to town to try and pick up Phoebe's new gait trainer. When I arrived they brought it out and I thought to myself - crap! I thought it was going to be in a box unassembled or maybe folded up, but it was fully assembled and huge! There was no way it was going to fit in DH's compact. He took my van to go to a shooting range for target practice. So I sent him a message to go get the GT after he was done, but I still drove up and back for no reason, wasting the 1 1/2 hours I could have been doing something fun. Oh well! Maybe I can sneak out for a bit tomorrow, since DH will only have to care for Phoebe. Plus he's having boys' night out tonight, so I deserve it, right?

The gait trainer is a little bit big for Phoebe, but that's why we ordered the larger size, because she's right in between and would have outgrown the smaller size too quickly. She seemed comfortable with it and was excited to use it so I'll try and get some pics to share tomorrow.

How frustrating! I'm glad you got it all sorted out and that you'll have the camera before you leave, but man, talk about not keeping things easy! FWIW, I thought the Nikon took pretty decent pictures, though admittedly I'm not sure what I'm looking for when it comes to photography. I LOVE the pic of Phoebe that you took using the portrait setting. She is such a beautiful girl. I am so looking forward to meeting your family. And yes, you absolutely deserve it - with a Starbucks to boot!

It certainly isn't a perfect system, but we all forgive the inconsistencies because their hearts are in the right place! I still haven't heard from the coordinator, so I guess Monday morning I'm emailing. Monday afternoon I'm calling. Tim just asked me how we are getting to the airport and I didn't have an answer. I was waiting to hear the final details from them, and if it included transportation to and from, great, if not, we'd figure something out. Then I put it out of my mind until now. It's time to figure it out!

How true. Without MAW, we wouldn't have any of this at all. Through all of our frustrations, that's what I always tried to remember. I'm sorry you still haven't heard from the coordinator - hopefully you will get an answer Monday morning and put your mind at ease. Transportation to and from the airport is a pretty big deal, especially if you have to budget for parking. Only a couple of more days!

 

[dawnbu40]

Your trip is THIS WEEK!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hopefully you weren't dealing with a guy named 'Mikey' from India!
s

Me too! Last time it was Stevey. I said right back to him, "No, you're not! What's your real name?" He nervously chuckled....

I had a guy one time whom I really could not understand. If it were in a normal, real world encounter I wouldn't have thought anything negative about it, but I was having a problem and the guy was not fixing it, or if he was I couldn't tell, and I was so frustrated. I told him, honestly, I can't understand you and I need to talk to someone else!

We got the Make a Wish pack with the genie stickers, planner, and video back when they first granted the wish. Catherine watches the video every day! I guess it may just vary from chapter to chapter? I'm not sure, but I think it came before we even had our dates!

That's so cute that she watches it over and over.

Melissa -- I cannot begin to thank you enough for taking this photo of this letter!

I wish I had seen your letter before our trip. It appears our Wish granter forgot to put the letter and the correct book in the envelope. I did get the picture frame and the stickers, but I thought the stickers were just for the kids to play with.

Well, hopefully some future families will benefit from it. I'm glad that our process has been pretty smooth (so far) but it is so hard to be the passenger in all the itinerary and details. Tessa saw the genie stickers today and immediately came up and showed them to me. My heart skipped a beat, like she was holding a 1,000 dollar bill and might destroy it or lose it at any moment!

How cool to turn her chair into a powerchair I will not be mentioning that one to Ty Although not too sure our little Rat terrier's could pull it lol.

I can just picture it!

:
We had a similar experience. We were initially told that they would bring a cake (even asked what flavors and color frosting) and balloons for a little "party." Nonetheless, it didn't cut down on the excitement and it was so nice to have all the information right there in front of us.

I am so looking forward to meeting your family. And yes, you absolutely deserve it - with a Starbucks to boot!


How true. Without MAW, we wouldn't have any of this at all. Through all of our frustrations, that's what I always tried to remember. I'm sorry you still haven't heard from the coordinator - hopefully you will get an answer Monday morning and put your mind at ease. Transportation to and from the airport is a pretty big deal, especially if you have to budget for parking. Only a couple of more days!

I'm sorry you both had lackluster "send off" parties. At least we were never promised one. I never would have known about half the stuff that some chapters do if it weren't for this board, which may be why Pamela's chapter wasn't thrilled with the idea of telling other families about it? Setting up expectations?

I can't wait to meet you guys! I did get some alone time on Saturday, so I feel better now.

Your trip is THIS WEEK!

I know!!!!!

 

[yinyanggirls]

I spent Saturday shopping, shopping, shopping! I had quite a few returns and exchanges that I've been putting off because running in one store and then another and another is not something I can do with either child in tow. Of course I found some new fun things to buy while returning and exchanging. More sunglasses for Phoebe and shoes for Tessa, because those are the items each of them seem to always lose or break. A few more clothes and a couple of good deals on future gifts.

This afternoon I got a call from Phoebe's "Fairy Godmother" Liz who wanted to know when they could stop by. I was so relieved that I didn't have to hunt her down on Monday. We went over possible days, she called her partner (whom we haven't met yet) and she called back to say Thursday at 6:00! I don't like waiting that long, but at least she didn't say Friday!!!

I met my sister halfway between our houses to exchange Tessa and we had lunch. My BIL ( a pilot - not for SWA) said that SW has some special seats (I want to say he called them "club seats" but maybe not) where two rows face each other. How cool would that be? He confirmed what everyone else has said about no pre-board for children, but recommended we arrange for an aisle chair, which would likely get us on first (or at least early). Phoebe is at an age/height/weight where we can still manage to carry her but it's getting tough. We probably should start getting used to arranging for one when we fly and why not now?

Phoebe loves using her gait trainer. I'm thinking we should call it her "Mustang GT".