~~~~~~ Sew, I was the silent partner! ~~~~~~ DLP May 2018 (Updated 8-25)

[kbarrett]

Sorry the car hunting was such a bust, fingers crossed that the next car is a winner!
Paris amazing, so exciting, so beautiful! Laryngitis, how horrible, at least you didn't let it get the better of you and your experience!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Hi, D~! I am here. I will do what I can to follow along! So excited that you are doing this!!! I sure do miss getting my daily dose of Disney on here. I have picked back up on my Disboards addiction this summer.

I am going to get a tiny taste of Disney when we do an off site visit to Orlando this August. I have a few Dashes of magic planned to wet my whistle so to speak. Next fall we are taking an EIGHT night DCL cruise. CANNOT WAIT!!! Anywho, miss my Dis peeps, and I am looking forward to reconnecting on here via your DLP report!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Your photos of arriving at and entering Disneyland Paris are wonderful! Thank you for sharing them with us.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Yay!!! Another trip report is underway. Love, love, love your glass jars with colored scraps in them and the stories behind the things you chose to decorate your room.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Less strollers... and not a single scooter to be seen anywhere.

Yeah, definitely had the same experience. I saw maybe 2 scooters the entire time I was there. And far fewer strollers - I think because it is so hard to get around anywhere in Europe with strollers they just aren't used to them!

 

[Clio]

Sorry you're having such a hard time finding a car for V. Hopefully you find somfamily manething soon.
i love your pictures going into Disneyland Paris. I'm glad Main St. smells like Florida's main st.
Poor Myrthe having to be your spokesperson for the trip. Too bad you couldn't redeem both tickets at the same time. Hopefully the line isn't that long the next day.
We had a great time at the park on Sunday . It turned out to be a beautiful day even though it rained earlier that morning. All my family were able to come. It was nice to spend the day with my brothers, sister and nieces and nephews. My son in law's sister came with her six kids. The younger boys had never been to the beach before. They wanted to find beach glass but the lake was too rough. The boys did find lots of rocks, though.
Have a good day
Liz

 

[Iamthequeen]

14 months, but I'm not counting yet.....

We are planning a trip to England, France, Germany and Italy. Itinerary is being worked on. The idea is to visit castles in each country - and I want to spend some time in Venice. We were there a few years ago, but it was only a day trip - we stayed in Florence, which was amazing.

 

[DMGeurts]

First, how CUTE is that ticket! And so sorry you had to exchange them at Guest Services. Even before Magic Bands and MDE, there was always a specific line you would enter through with those tickets.

So it smells like Main Street USA Florida, huh?

You know some of us would have been highly entertained by your trying to communicate with Myrthe...I probably would have started making things up for you, just because I could, lol.

Great start! Can't wait to see the parade with you!

No worries at all... I knew the line would be long just because of the time of day - but it was totally OK.

Hehehe - it did!!!

Hahahaha - that would have been really funny actually!

Can't wait to share it!

Yuck! Sorry you didn't have any luck.

Oh! Fingers crossed this one works out for you!

Love the new furniture!

I really hope that you do some posts about your non-Disney time overseas. I for one would love to read about it.

Totally understand where you are coming from here!

OK, this one is amazing and brought tears to my eyes.

Definitely beautiful!

OK so I felt bad at first that you were sick but then I was reading about you trying to communicate.

Whoo!! A Disney parade. Can't wait to see the pictures.

Thanks! I am excited for the new patio furniture... I am a *little* nervous that it's wicker. We have a wicker set on our front porch - same brand - 10 years old... and aside from a bit of fading, it's in new condition... But our back deck isn't covered - so I am a bit nervous about that.

I think I will do a little bit about our other days of our trip too... It won't be too detailed, as I didn't keep a trip journal for this trip, but I am sure I could write something. LOL

Yah - it was kind of funny... Not only not being able to speak or understand the main language used, but then just not even being able to talk... It was quite funny.

I'm so sorry that the car shopping for V didn't go well. Crossing my fingers that you will find a good car soon.

I'm so sorry to hear you almost lost your voice when going to DLP.
Sounds like you still had a good start to your DLP day.

We did find her a car! I am a bit jealous of it, actually. LOL

We did have a good time anyways.

Sorry the car hunting was such a bust, fingers crossed that the next car is a winner!
Paris amazing, so exciting, so beautiful! Laryngitis, how horrible, at least you didn't let it get the better of you and your experience!

We did find a car for her!

Hahahah... it was interesting not having a voice... Entertaining at times. We had fun though!

Hi, D~! I am here. I will do what I can to follow along! So excited that you are doing this!!! I sure do miss getting my daily dose of Disney on here. I have picked back up on my Disboards addiction this summer.

I am going to get a tiny taste of Disney when we do an off site visit to Orlando this August. I have a few Dashes of magic planned to wet my whistle so to speak. Next fall we are taking an EIGHT night DCL cruise. CANNOT WAIT!!! Anywho, miss my Dis peeps, and I am looking forward to reconnecting on here via your DLP report!

Yay!!! Welcome back - I've missed seeing you here!

Exciting, and it sounds like you may be doing a couple of Dismeets too??? A little jealous there - I"d love to spend time with you all! And DCL!!!! Even better! One day...

Love ya, my friend - it's great having you read along!

Your photos of arriving at and entering Disneyland Paris are wonderful! Thank you for sharing them with us.

Sure!!! It was a great trip!

Yay!!! Another trip report is underway. Love, love, love your glass jars with colored scraps in them and the stories behind the things you chose to decorate your room.

Thank you! I just had to find something to organize and contain those scraps - they were getting the better of me. LOL

Yeah, definitely had the same experience. I saw maybe 2 scooters the entire time I was there. And far fewer strollers - I think because it is so hard to get around anywhere in Europe with strollers they just aren't used to them!

Yah - I honestly didn't even notice it when I was there... It wasn't until we were almost leaving - and I realized, hey - there are no scooters here. I am sure it makes a difference that the parks are smaller too?

Sorry you're having such a hard time finding a car for V. Hopefully you find somfamily manething soon.
i love your pictures going into Disneyland Paris. I'm glad Main St. smells like Florida's main st.
Poor Myrthe having to be your spokesperson for the trip. Too bad you couldn't redeem both tickets at the same time. Hopefully the line isn't that long the next day.
We had a great time at the park on Sunday . It turned out to be a beautiful day even though it rained earlier that morning. All my family were able to come. It was nice to spend the day with my brothers, sister and nieces and nephews. My son in law's sister came with her six kids. The younger boys had never been to the beach before. They wanted to find beach glass but the lake was too rough. The boys did find lots of rocks, though.
Have a good day
Liz

We did find a car for her! A little jealous of it actually. LOL

Thanks!

Yes - poor Myrthe... LOL - we had fun though.

It sounds like you had a wonderful day!

14 months, but I'm not counting yet.....

We are planning a trip to England, France, Germany and Italy. Itinerary is being worked on. The idea is to visit castles in each country - and I want to spend some time in Venice. We were there a few years ago, but it was only a day trip - we stayed in Florence, which was amazing.

LOL...

That sounds wonderful!!! Do you know how long you will be there?

**************************************************************************************************************

Super fast update!

We did find a car for V... All 3 of us were doing endless scrolling of cars on Wednesday night... And I found one - which happened to be available at the dealer I purchased my car from (7 years ago)... I was 8:01pm, and I called - they closed at 8, but I was hoping someone would answer. No one answered - bummer... but they did call me back about 15 minutes later. I made an appointment for the following day to test drive it. V had to work and I had an oil change scheduled for my own car (my mechanic is near V's work, so they just pick up my car there and bring it back to her when they are done)... I was kind of stuck without a car. Thankfully Josh was able to take a half day. We test drove this car... It's a 2007 Chrysler Sebring - it has kinda high miles (170k)... but seriously - I have 165k on my car and it runs like a top - there is no reason - if a car is taken good care of, that it can't run well with higher miles... And it's seriously 60k less miles than her other car had...

Anyways - the car was impeccable... CLEAN... Ran excellent... So, I told the salesman (riding in the back)... "Here's the deal... This car must go to our mechanic - I have an appointment already scheduled at 1 - if he gives the green light - we will pay cash and walk out of here today with this car." We signed a no-charge rental contract for it, and took it to our mechanic (picking V up on the way, because she was on lunch... She couldn't drive it - but she could ride in it and check it out)... Our mechanic checked it over with a fine tooth comb... Said it was an incredible vehicle and if we didn't buy it - he would... The only thing it needed was new brakes all around - and it will need new tires before winter.

We went back... after a few back n' forths, we agreed on terms and a price... They didn't make us put $$ down to hold it - because we were coming back in a few hours with V (we wanted her to purchase her own car). We stopped at the bank and got a cashiers check (as the bank would be closed by the time she was off of work) and then we waited for V to get off of work.

She purchased the car on her own - with cash - NO CAR PAYMENT!!! We got an excellent deal on it - because they hadn't had a chance to have their mechanics look at it - so they priced it low due to the miles on it and expecting it to have something major wrong with it. Praying this car is good to V - as her last one was a nightmare, and she deserves a break!

Anyways... This car - as I said above - a 2007 Chrysler Sebring... It is LOADED... It has everything - I've never seen so many options in a car! Heated seats... Heated and cooled cup holders... Heated mirrors... Plus all of the other "standard upgrades"... (and they all work!) I chuckled a little bit - as the rest of her life - she will expect these things in every car. LOL I even told her - if she didn't buy it, I would. It's a fantastic car! We did find a piece of paper in it with the previous owner's name on it - I did a brief FB search and discovered (as the dealership told us) - it was a local trade, and the lady who owned it was an insurance agent - other than the miles and the driver's seat - the car doesn't look like it was even sat in - I am guessing it was a work car.

V just loves it! She is SO PROUD of her new car! And we are so excited for her. It just goes to prove that they are out there - with a little digging... (and no strategic standing here to hide any dents LOL)

So, that's all... I had a busy week at work this week... And that will continue on for the remainder of the year. I only have a short break this fall and another one for the holidays. I"ll try to keep up here as much as possible. Though it may be a few days before I get another update done.

Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all!

D~

 

[Terkina]

Congratulation with finding V a car and Congratulations to V for her new car

 

[Clio]

Congrats for finding a car for V. My brother in law had a Sebring for years it was a great car. He only got rid of it because he got tired of it. He's a retired police officer and a lot of the police departments around here used them for their cruisers before they switched to suvs. Chysler engines seem to last forever., Both my dodges had over 200,000 miles when I got rid of them.
I'm working a late shift today and doing a 5k in the morning. Other than that, it,s been quiet around here. I'm plant sitting for my sister this week. She and her husband are in Myrtle Beach this week. I think her husband just wants some stopped by the house while they,re gone. It's the police officer in him.
Have a good weekend and happy fourth if I don't talk to you before.
Liz

 

[DHare]

I have been checking the boards for your trip report. I am so Happy you started this! I was begining to think you might not I love hearing about your daily posts, your trips, and your sewing. You are very inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing .

Your sewing room looks Awesome!

I have always dreamed of going to Europe, but I don't think I will ever make it there. Hope you weren't sick during your whole trip?

 

[SuperNEMOfan]

Im so glad V found a car! My husband has a sebring as well and it has been great to him since 2008!

DLP is sooo pretty, looking forward to another update, for some reason its not notifying me when you post, so ill have to come back and check every so often

 

[Ladyfish77]

I'm finally here! So excited to hear about your trip. Things have been crazy at work, but there's hope that it will get less crazy (after perhaps getting a bit crazier first)!

I am a bit old fashioned too... But I keep telling myself that things are different now

Yes, but the times they are achangin! My oldest DS is currently living with is former GF who is now his fiance! They are getting married in the spring. I knew they were serious before they moved in, and figured they'd be getting married. So we have a wedding to plan!

Out of both of my girls - I honestly thought that V would never choose to go to college, as she HATED school so much

My younger DS struggled in school. He recently graduated from community college with an excellent GPA and transferred to the university. College is so much better than HS for him. He loves it (and he never loved HS).

As we go along in this project, my sewing room gets more and more clean and organized

It looks amazing. Love how you incorporated personal touches from the women in your family!

This is as close as I got to the Eiffel Tower.

Lol. I got a bit closer, but not too much! We went to Paris a long time ago and were headed tot he Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately the train stop for the tower had the same name as the airport. Yep, we ended up at the airport. Sigh. Didn't have time to get to the tower before we had to leave. We did go to the Louvre though, so I did take in some of the sights!

We have arrived! Gates opened at 10 am and I believe it was 10:06 when we pulled into our spot.

Excellent navigating!

Heated and cooled cup holders

OMG! We finally got me a new car last year. It's a 2017 model and it does not have this feature. What was I thinking????

and no strategic standing here to hide any dents

Haha! My DH is a pretty good mechanic (he started buying and fixing up cars before he was old enough to drive!). So he can spot a sweet deal on a car. Both our boys are driving cars circa 2000. But both cars have less than 70,000 original miles! They are serving them well and both paid cash. I'm sure they will upgrade at some point, but these cars allow them to save money to pay cash again on their next model!

I think I need to start planning some trips to visit the DL's of the world! I may start with the original as I grew up going there when I was a kid. We always got one day there on our vacation. One pack of tickets each. Those E tickets went fast, and we always seemed to have some A's left over!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Thanks for the explanation of what a Cover Stitch machine is! You reminded me that I need to find an alterations place with a hem stitch machine to get one of my skirts re-hemmed...i can do simple straight hems but invisible hems are not my strong suit (hand sewing). Your sewing room looks fabulous. You have a great eye for color and pattern mixing. I'm so sorry V's car officially died but it looks like the replacement car will be a good one. It absolutely looks fabulous! Mark's car is back in the shop today...after the last repair, the car has very little "get up and go" which is a definite change, so it's back in the shop. Crossing my fingers that whatever it is is a quick and easy fix and that they'll fix it for free since it didn't start having this problem until immediately after the last repair. We shall see. It looks like we may be taking his car on our Disneyland trip so I want to be sure it's in excellent working condition. On that topic -- yesterday he decided to come to Disneyland with the girls and me!! We are all very excited about that. I think my (repeated) comments about how little time we really have left with the girls at home sunk in -- someone at church said something yesterday that really made him think about it -- and last night he said he wanted to come with us. We are so happy that he's coming! (Alyssa especially since now she'll have someone to ride thrill rides with.)

I love your new outdoor furniture -- very nice! We have a nice deck at our house and on my wish list is a small outdoor dining set -- but that's going to wait until more things are paid off.

I'm so sorry you lost your voice on the trip! I was wondering how that trip title fit...

The park is gorgeous! So pretty. The castle is gorgeous. I'm like you -- on our upcoming DL trip we're making a concerted effort to focus on the things that aren't at WDW. Such fun!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Congrats, V, on your new car!!! My dad is SO GOOD at finding good cars for my girls. Both of them drive cars that he found, good cars at GREAT prices! Yay for our girls growing into responsible adults!

 

[rdkeim]

SO glad you're doing a TR for your European adventure! I hope you have time to include some of the other things you did/saw in addition to DLP. First, your sewing room looks like an amazing place to work - so bright and cheerful. Sounds like your DD got a great deal on a used car! I'm sure it's a relief for all of you - nothing can mess up your week like car issues. It's easy to take them for granted until something goes wrong. Love the outdoor furniture! I wish we had more cover or shade on our back patio. I'd love to just start over back there but that's not going to happen any time soon. Anxious to hear more about your experience at DLP. It must have been great not dealing with scooters or strollers It doesn't look very crowded at all - did it feel that way to you?

 

[Iamthequeen]

Glad you found V a good car. Shannon's car is a 2002 Ford Escort. I bought it used from my mechanic in 2005. Just took it in for inspections and I was holding my breath that it might need something major done. The only thing it needed was a light bulb. Because she lives in NYC, she doesn't drive it every day - takes the train back and forth to work. It has about 96,000 miles on it, so I'm expecting it to last a long time.

I'm thinking our European trip will be about 3 weeks, next October.

 

[Illuminations_Rocks]

Joining in to follow along. Though I may never comment again! I’ve been following you for years and I have always enjoyed reading not only about your trips, but also how close you are with your daughters.

On a side note, I learned to drive on a Chrysler back in 2001 and that was the plushest car ever! They all seem to be well-appointed if you get the right class. My husband has a 300C now and it is loaded —- but heated and cooled cup holders is new to me and sounds amaaaaazing!

 

[DMGeurts]

Congratulation with finding V a car and Congratulations to V for her new car

Thank you - it has been so nice to not have to worry so much about her.

Congrats for finding a car for V. My brother in law had a Sebring for years it was a great car. He only got rid of it because he got tired of it. He's a retired police officer and a lot of the police departments around here used them for their cruisers before they switched to suvs. Chysler engines seem to last forever., Both my dodges had over 200,000 miles when I got rid of them.
I'm working a late shift today and doing a 5k in the morning. Other than that, it,s been quiet around here. I'm plant sitting for my sister this week. She and her husband are in Myrtle Beach this week. I think her husband just wants some stopped by the house while they,re gone. It's the police officer in him.
Have a good weekend and happy fourth if I don't talk to you before.
Liz

I am hoping this is a good car for her.

I hope your 5k went well... I understand the "someone stopping by" thing... I always feel better when my house doesn't sit empty.

Thanks! I hope you had a great 4th as well.

I have been checking the boards for your trip report. I am so Happy you started this! I was begining to think you might not I love hearing about your daily posts, your trips, and your sewing. You are very inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing .

Your sewing room looks Awesome!

I have always dreamed of going to Europe, but I don't think I will ever make it there. Hope you weren't sick during your whole trip?

Welcome! And thank you! I am trying to keep up with it... I need to be better. LOL I got out of the habit of checking here every day - and now a days, I tend to forget about it more often. Maybe it's age? LOL I always think I will have more time once I finish my next project - and then I start another.

Thanks! It is so much fun to be up there and creating these days!

Well, yes we were both sick for the whole trip - to different degress of "sickness" for the entire time... However, we were never at a point where we were so sick that we couldn't do anything... It was more of an annoying cold and eventually a cough that just hung on. I am still a little shocked that we were able to go there too - I never even imagined that I would ever go, and now I've been twice. In all honestly - if it wasn't for Josh's brother living there - we may have gone one day, but it would have been more of a "tourist" capacity - we are very fortunate to be able to go for extended trips and "live" with family. It's totally immersive - and not only is Josh's brother there, but Myrthe's family is also there - and they have become family over the years... So, we have many people there that we know and love.

Im so glad V found a car! My husband has a sebring as well and it has been great to him since 2008!

DLP is sooo pretty, looking forward to another update, for some reason its not notifying me when you post, so ill have to come back and check every so often

That is awesome to hear! I hope this is a good car for V too - she deserves to have something reliable and trustworthy.

I'll try to get another update going here... Possibly even today, if the family stays sleeping for a bit.

I'm finally here! So excited to hear about your trip. Things have been crazy at work, but there's hope that it will get less crazy (after perhaps getting a bit crazier first)!


Yes, but the times they are achangin! My oldest DS is currently living with is former GF who is now his fiance! They are getting married in the spring. I knew they were serious before they moved in, and figured they'd be getting married. So we have a wedding to plan!


My younger DS struggled in school. He recently graduated from community college with an excellent GPA and transferred to the university. College is so much better than HS for him. He loves it (and he never loved HS).


It looks amazing. Love how you incorporated personal touches from the women in your family!


Lol. I got a bit closer, but not too much! We went to Paris a long time ago and were headed tot he Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately the train stop for the tower had the same name as the airport. Yep, we ended up at the airport. Sigh. Didn't have time to get to the tower before we had to leave. We did go to the Louvre though, so I did take in some of the sights!


Excellent navigating!


OMG! We finally got me a new car last year. It's a 2017 model and it does not have this feature. What was I thinking????


Haha! My DH is a pretty good mechanic (he started buying and fixing up cars before he was old enough to drive!). So he can spot a sweet deal on a car. Both our boys are driving cars circa 2000. But both cars have less than 70,000 original miles! They are serving them well and both paid cash. I'm sure they will upgrade at some point, but these cars allow them to save money to pay cash again on their next model!

I think I need to start planning some trips to visit the DL's of the world! I may start with the original as I grew up going there when I was a kid. We always got one day there on our vacation. One pack of tickets each. Those E tickets went fast, and we always seemed to have some A's left over!

It's great having you here! I miss seeing all of you guys regularly here (my fault)... Thank God for FB.

Ooooh - exciting about the wedding! Yes, times are changing... And I just keep telling myself that Allison and Gus have been dating for 4 years now (with a 1 year break in between) - so they must be serious enough... We'll see how it goes. They signed their lease the other day - and they are moving out on Sept 1... I am glad they will be close though - that will help me a lot.

I hope that college is that way for both of my girls... Allison is enrolled to start at the end of August - she is so excited! And V isn't registered yet - but it's coming, I think?

Oh no about the Paris airport - how confusing! At least you got a good story out of it!

Hahaha - yah I am a little jealous of all the features that V's car has.

That is awesome about your cars! I wish we were that lucky to have someone that could do that for us... I just keep telling myself that Josh can do EVERYTHING else - we are very fortunate with that... He can build anything and fix anything - but not cars. LOL Though he is learning - and youtube is very helpful - he isn't afraid to give things a try.

That would be awesome - I hope to make it to DL one day too...

It's always great to see you - thanks for checking in!

Thanks for the explanation of what a Cover Stitch machine is! You reminded me that I need to find an alterations place with a hem stitch machine to get one of my skirts re-hemmed...i can do simple straight hems but invisible hems are not my strong suit (hand sewing). Your sewing room looks fabulous. You have a great eye for color and pattern mixing. I'm so sorry V's car officially died but it looks like the replacement car will be a good one. It absolutely looks fabulous! Mark's car is back in the shop today...after the last repair, the car has very little "get up and go" which is a definite change, so it's back in the shop. Crossing my fingers that whatever it is is a quick and easy fix and that they'll fix it for free since it didn't start having this problem until immediately after the last repair. We shall see. It looks like we may be taking his car on our Disneyland trip so I want to be sure it's in excellent working condition. On that topic -- yesterday he decided to come to Disneyland with the girls and me!! We are all very excited about that. I think my (repeated) comments about how little time we really have left with the girls at home sunk in -- someone at church said something yesterday that really made him think about it -- and last night he said he wanted to come with us. We are so happy that he's coming! (Alyssa especially since now she'll have someone to ride thrill rides with.)

I love your new outdoor furniture -- very nice! We have a nice deck at our house and on my wish list is a small outdoor dining set -- but that's going to wait until more things are paid off.

I'm so sorry you lost your voice on the trip! I was wondering how that trip title fit...

The park is gorgeous! So pretty. The castle is gorgeous. I'm like you -- on our upcoming DL trip we're making a concerted effort to focus on the things that aren't at WDW. Such fun!

Thanks - it's so nice to be up there and creating these days! Hah - I don't do invisible hems either... I had a friend that wanted me to do her son's pants once - and I was like "nope" sorry... That's one thing that I don't know how to do... However - I am learning and maybe one day I will pick up that skill?

Hopefully Mark's car is all fixed now?

That is SUPER exciting about the DL trip!!! I am so glad that all of you will get to enjoy it together! It will be a fantastic memory for you all!

Thanks! We picked up the table and chair set the other day - sadly 3 of the chairs were damaged (look like the box was punctured by a fork lift?) - so I had to order an entire new set and I am planning to swap out the 3 chairs when it comes in... Hopefully I can find 3 chairs that aren't damaged in this new set. And we are still waiting for the couch set to be delivered... I think sometime late next week or the following week? Which is fine - that gives us time to finish the deck anyways. We are very excited to have that space usable again.

Hahaha - thankfully, I only lost my voice at DLP... It started returning the next days and got better and better every day. It sure made DLP interesting though. LOL

Yes - it was very neat to see and do things that weren't available at WDW... I am glad I made a focus on that part of it.

It's great to see you here and catch up Stephanie!

Congrats, V, on your new car!!! My dad is SO GOOD at finding good cars for my girls. Both of them drive cars that he found, good cars at GREAT prices! Yay for our girls growing into responsible adults!

Thanks! We are very relieved, so far... It will be a good car for her.

Sending you lots of love this week, my friend... You and your family have been on my mind constantly and I am so thankful for all of the miracles surrounding you this week. Hang in there!

SO glad you're doing a TR for your European adventure! I hope you have time to include some of the other things you did/saw in addition to DLP. First, your sewing room looks like an amazing place to work - so bright and cheerful. Sounds like your DD got a great deal on a used car! I'm sure it's a relief for all of you - nothing can mess up your week like car issues. It's easy to take them for granted until something goes wrong. Love the outdoor furniture! I wish we had more cover or shade on our back patio. I'd love to just start over back there but that's not going to happen any time soon. Anxious to hear more about your experience at DLP. It must have been great not dealing with scooters or strollers It doesn't look very crowded at all - did it feel that way to you?

I am trying - LOL... So far, I am not doing very well on updates.

I will try to write a little about the rest of our trip too.

Thanks - I am really enjoying my time up there these days... However, since the reorganization was done over the course of a few weeks, I am trying hard to remember where I put some items. LOL Thankfully, my space is pretty small, and I tried to organize it pretty logically - so I've managed to locate anything that was "missing" - so far. LOL

Yes - it's such a relief that V finally has a reliable car!

Thanks! We are so excited about this project! It's coming together so nicely and we are hoping to make a HUGE amount of progress this weekend. ::yes: I also wish we had some ability to cover our back deck... I am really stressing about that - as I don't want any of our new furniture ruined... We purchased a large waterproof deck box for all of our cushions, and we will be able to store some of it in the house during the winter.... We will see how it goes - hopefully it will last a few years. Thankfully - we did get a great deal on it - so I won't be upset if we only get 5 or 6 years out of it... But I do hope it lasts longer than that.

It was definitely nice to not have so many scooters around... It was like WDW 10 years ago. The thing about DLP is that yes, it was crowded, but when they planned the park - they planned it out very well, in that it was easy to find spots to take strategic pictures without many people... Like, near the castle... They have a few paths that are dead ends - where unobstructed pictures can be taken - that was super nice! But no - it wasn't nearly as crowded as WDW... Lines were long and there were lots of people - but it wasn't suffocating like WDW has been over the last few years.

Glad you found V a good car. Shannon's car is a 2002 Ford Escort. I bought it used from my mechanic in 2005. Just took it in for inspections and I was holding my breath that it might need something major done. The only thing it needed was a light bulb. Because she lives in NYC, she doesn't drive it every day - takes the train back and forth to work. It has about 96,000 miles on it, so I'm expecting it to last a long time.

I'm thinking our European trip will be about 3 weeks, next October.

Yes - us too - it's such a relief!

That is awesome!!! What a fantastic car! I hope it lasts her a long time!

That will be a wonderful amount of time to be there! I can't wait to watch you plan it and see where you all go and what you all do!

Joining in to follow along. Though I may never comment again! I’ve been following you for years and I have always enjoyed reading not only about your trips, but also how close you are with your daughters.

On a side note, I learned to drive on a Chrysler back in 2001 and that was the plushest car ever! They all seem to be well-appointed if you get the right class. My husband has a 300C now and it is loaded —- but heated and cooled cup holders is new to me and sounds amaaaaazing!

Welcome!!! Thanks for stopping by to say hi! I always love meeting the people that read my TRs!

Thanks! Yes, the girls and I are very close - I am so lucky... Even now that they are "grown" and starting to leave home... I am a little shocked at how close we still are. Allison talks a lot about moving out and how excited she is... but then she is like "but I'll be home all the time, and we will be here for dinner a few nights per week"... Thank God - I wouldn't want it any other way!

Hahaha - yah, I can't believe how nice V's car is... Seriously jealous of all her bells and whistles! Yes - and those heated and cooled cup holders - seriously - who thinks of things like that? LOL In my next car... Yah. LOL

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I know I disappeared again - sorry about that... I knew it was going to happen and there just isn't anything that could be done about it. We were at the lake for 10 days, and it' just isn't safe for me to announce when we aren't home... So, I chose to stay quiet here.

We had a great trip and we enjoyed ourselves immensely - as always, it went too quickly!

Most of the time, we had beautiful weather... We had a few VERY windy days - but I don't mind those so much, as it keeps the bugs down... biting flies and mosquitoes are no fun!

The dogs enjoyed themselves... Cooper especially. Both of them are "lake dogs" and enjoy the water... but Cooper is my "perpetual 7 year old boy"... All day, every day... round n' round... Jump off the dock into the water... Swim to shore... Run down the dock... Jump off. No ball, no toys, sometimes no humans in sight... Happy just to be in the water. He also "hunts for rocks in the water"... He is one of the only dogs I have ever known to swim under water... It's sort of humorous to watch. They also got to go for a boat ride... And lots of running around...

As for us humans... We did a lot of boating... Pontooning... Eating... Reading... Relaxing... The girls even came up for a few days each - it was so nice to have them there and spend some time together - they even overlapped for almost a full day on Josh's birthday - it was incredibly wonderful to have them both there together, the last time that happened was in 2015 - I find these times are so special to me.

And, as we do every year, we celebrated Josh's birthday at the lake... I think he has spent every birthday of his life there? Even the year he was in Iraq - he happened to be home for R & R on his birthday.

As usual - we had a wonderful time. That was the last of our vacations for the year - as of now... Now, it's home and back to the grind for both of us.

I did manage to finish my curtains for my sewing room - I am super happy with how they turned out. My polka-dot rug was delivered the same day.

And now we've been working diligently on our deck... I am actually embarrassed to be posting these pictures. Our deck has been in such a sad state for years, but we've been working on other house projects (living room, kitchen, main bathroom... ) So, this beast has been left *mostly* neglected... And it shows. And our patio furniture has been limping along for several years too - so this (once) awesome space, that was probably the most used space in our house - wasn't being used much at all anymore...

So, the plan was to redo the deck completely... but - after some crazy cleaning and muscle power, we think it can be saved. We are also taking out the "U" shape and making our deck go straight across the back. Josh is also finishing the bar he started late last summer.

This is the view from our patio door in the kitchen...

And then this is from our gate on the side... (the patio door is in the far corner on the left)

This is a giant space! Well, comparatively... LOL

This is the "once over" with the pressure washer...

Crazy huh???

Here's how it looked after it dried the next day...

We have since scrubbed it down with TSP, and it looks even better now. There are a few boards that still need to be repaired/replaced... but for the most part - we both think it can be saved. And I would sure like to avoid spending that much $$ replacing all of the decking.

Today and tomorrow, we are working on taking out the "U" and all the work involved in that... There is also something else Josh listed as a 'goal' for this weekend - but I can't remember what it was? LOL Something amazing, I am sure.

I was hoping the family would sleep in today, so I could get another update done here... but Josh is up and ready to get to work. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can get it done?

Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all! Have a great weekend!

D~

 

[Terkina]

Looks like you all had a great time at the lake.
The curtains in your sewing room looks great. I like the little detail with the hidden Mickeys.
Looks like a lot of work getting the deck done. It looks great after you guys finished washing it.


My ears are still not normal after the ear infection, but according to my doctor it can still take some weeks to get them back to normal. At least I can hear as normal again now.
Ulf and I have known where we are going on vacation in 2020 for 5 years now, but we hadn't planned anything for 2019 until now. We have decided to go to the UK on a road trip around the whole UK to geocache in each state we haven't geocached in yet. We will spend one week up in Scotland and probably 14 days in the rest of the country and then before we fly back home we will spend some days in London.