The 2 Little C's drain the bank.....

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

INSTALLMENT ONE: WHY DID THE MOUSE-KA-TOOL TURN MY BRAIN TO MUSH?

Now, I couldn’t call this report the battle for my wallet because, one, that’s the infamous “Zzub” title, and two, it’s not really a battle, now is it? (Zzub, my man, just give it up already…..Disney won!) I willingly open my purse and toss it to the wind, going “Disney, take it all, have it, it’s yours”….

Because I’m generally nosy about other people in their report, I’ll give a rundown real quick of who we’ve got in this trip.

There’s me. First and foremost, I’m a mom. (I know, how generic, right?) Second, I sew clothing. I know, you’re thinking “Wow, how ‘Little House on the Prairie’ of you”, but that’s what I do. It keeps me out of trouble, keeps my mind active and even paid for part of this trip. So, when you see pictures of my 2 little C’s and ask yourself “Where did she find those outfits”, I’ll tell ya right now, I made them. Don’t ask again.

As Bill Engvall puts it, I am “15 degrees off cool”. There are the “cool people” that fit into the “cliques” (i.e., Zzub, Lala, 1000thHappyHaunt…C’mon…Ya’ll KNOW you are the “cool” ones and rule the trip report world!!) Then, there’s me. I am 15 degrees off cool. I’ve accepted the fact that I won’t have 100,000 plus reading my trip report and that’s okay. I’m fine with it. Really. I think. No, I am. Story of my life, really.

Then, there’s my husband. He’s the one in the group who just tolerates Disney and that’s fine with me. I’ll drag him along whenever I can. He’s happiest when he has a Mickey Premium bar in his hand, so we make sure we have plenty on hand. Last trip, he spent so much money on those melting, delectable delights, you’d think he’d gained 20 pounds….but, of course, he didn’t. He’s a man.

Case in point.....

Now, there are the stars of the group….or at least the stars of the title. My 2 little C’s.

The first little C is Courtney, or Cinderella as she likes to be called. She’s 6 and is obsessed with Cinderella. When she spills something on the kitchen floor, she grabs a scrub brush and goes “I’ll clean this, stepmother”…Yeah, you guessed it…She’s my BIOLOGICAL child. This little C is crazy in love with that blonde princess.

The second little C is Collin. He really doesn’t like to be called anything except Collin because, quite frankly, he doesn’t really care. He’s only 21 months old. He’s quiet, reserved and pretty much the opposite of his chatty Kathy sister. His biggest worries are “peek a boo” and whether or not he gets his sippy cup.

Moving on…

Now, this time around, the 2 little C’s aren’t draining my bank account…They’re draining my parents! (Do you feel it? The heavens are opening up and singing “Hallelujuah”)

Nana and Grandpa. They’re the ones who started me on this lifelong Disney obsession. They took me and my brother every year, sometimes twice a year. I secretly think they too are obsessed with the mouse. They turned me and my brother into Disney freaks…so much so that my brother works for Disney. Yup, he drives the monorail. How much more obsessed with Disney can you get than actually WORKING for them? Even on his days off, he heads to the parks. Lucky duck.

Now Nana and Grandpa are pretty much exactly like my husband and myself. My mom checks her purse at the Disney property line and picks it up, empty, when she leaves. My dad is most happy with a Mickey premium bar in his hand...see above picture. (They’re 2 for $5, by the way…according to my husband). My husband and him stick together and let the “Disney nuts” go….well….NUTS.

For this trip, we’re staying at the Port Orleans Riverside. I always think of this hotel as the “Dixie Landings” and, for the majority of this trip, called it just that. Newbie Disney lovers looked at me like “Is that a new hotel she’s staying at?” Experienced Disney people would look at me like “did she have a brain fart?”.

To be perfectly honest, it’s the latter of the 2. I’m a mom. All day I watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I think the suspenseful “ooh, what kind of Mickey Mouse-ka-tools are they going to use today?” has really turned my brain to mush. I’m positive it’s the mouse-ka-tools that have done this. Mouse-ka-tool watching=brain into mush…or maybe I just like typing “mouse-ka-tool”…

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

WHO IS GENERAL MITCHELL ANYWAY AND WHY ARE THERE NO MICKEY PREMIUM BARS IN PRISON?


Our arrival day came as maddening slow as a woman trying to lose weight. (You ladies know what I mean….”2 weeks on this stinkin’ diet and I’ve only lost half a pound!!”) It seemed like forever and a day until this trip, but here we were.

Our flight left at a lovely 7:30 in the morning out of General Mitchell International Airport. (That’s Milwaukee, WI for those who don’t know their airports. Why is it called this? I don’t know. Someday I’ll find out who General Mitchell is…He’s got to be a pretty big important guy in the army to have an AIRPORT named after him, right?)

Ok, so it’s 3:30 in the morning and I’m up. I’m awake…sort of. Because I want to at least start out the day looking good, I get up early and do the normal girlie stuff. Yes, it takes me an hour to get ready versus my husband, whom it only takes about 10 minutes. BUT, in that hour, I have to get everyone else ready, versus my husband. He throws on some clothes and goes “I’m ready.”..All he does is show up…(kind of like conceiving a child..all he does is show up.)

ANYWAY…we finally go through the “Are we ready? Let’s go..C’mon, NO, we have to go NOW to make it to the airport 2 hours before the flight takes off…MOVE-MOVE-MOVE..” (That’s my General Mitchell impersonation, by the way)

All the way there, my husband and I are going “Did we turn the lights off? Did we lock the doors? Did we shut the coffee maker off?” HA, we don’t drink coffee…fooled you!

We get to the airport at the designated 2 hours before the flight takes off. My husband pulled up the curb, yelled "Tuck 'n roll" and we leaped out of the van, as he threw our suitcases at us going "I'll be back!!"

The whole drive there, I kept thinking "it's going to be dead. We're going to be the only ones there. We're going to have to pound on the doors to get in." Nope. Complete chaos.

(I know, you’re thinking “How busy can the airport BE? It’s located in MILWAUKEE, for goodness sakes”.)

I looked around and saw business men and women, running to who knows where, holding their cell phones, purses, man bags, extra foam double grande lattes, looking frantically for their gates and that's when it hit me.....What kind of idiot gets up at this ungodly hour to FLY of all things? US...that's who.

We check in and head up to the gate and sit….and sit….and sit. It seemed as if we waited longer to get on the plane than we did for this actual trip.

My first little C took great pleasure in taking everything OUT of her carry-on. All of the items I told her to keep in her carryon until we got on the plane were scattered through Gate 39.

My second little C thought his Cars suitcase was the greatest thing in the world since his sippy cup. He wouldn't put it down for a second!

FINALLY, we jumped on our little puddle hopper and we took off.

This is Courtney’s 4th Disney trip. She’s a seasoned (not like French fries) flier. She knows not to yell, scream, run up and down the isles…It’s my HUSBAND I worry about behaving. Normally, when we fly, he always instructs the kids to lift their feet up off the ground when we take off. It helps us get off the ground faster. He always does his feet routine and his “I’m a Bomb-ba-deer”…You Focker watchers know what I’m talking about…”BOMB, BOMB, BOMB---Take the little toothpicks out of your ears and listen…We are THROUGH with the checking of the bags conversation!”…Cracks me up everytime. (See? I really AM 15 degrees off cool!)

Well, he was actually quite behaved and didn’t get arrested this time. I reminded him they had no Mickey Premium bars in prison.

The flight was pretty uneventful and we landed. We used the Magical Express and during the entire pre-trip phase, I worried about our luggage making it there. I heard horror stories of the Magical Express and how it wasn’t so “magical” if you wanted your suitcase. ( My cast member brother called it the “Tragical Express”) I worried not only for the sake of our luggage (we’re weird…we’re attached to the actual felise---for those of you that don’t know, felise is a 6 letter word for baggage), but also for the sake of what’s IN the luggage. I made all of the C’s clothes. I didn’t want to lose all those man hours of sweat and pricked fingers.

I must have had an angel on my shoulder that day because <HALLELUJUAH> our luggage made it.

And so our trip begins....

 

[Avivasmom]

Just love love the beginning...you have a way with words...I too have a 6 year old not much a princess, rather do rides then see characters.

I love the clothes...so do you take orders? Would love an outfit or two if you make them for others.

Your kids are adorable...love the one of Collin with his Cars carryon just to cute.

I want more!

 

[jcc0621]

I love the start of your TR. Your kids are so cute and I love the snow white dress you DD is wearing and I am not asking, I know you made it

Because I am a good Diser I found out the following for you:

General William Mitchell - (1879-1936)

General William "Billy" Mitchell, for whom Milwaukee County's airport is named, was born to a prominent Milwaukee family on December 29, 1879. His father, John Lendrum Mitchell, who eventually became a United States Senator for Wisconsin, was an only child to millionaire Milwaukee banker and railroad tycoon Alexander Mitchell.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Billy Mitchell returned to Milwaukee from what is now known as George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to enlist. Mitchell quickly rose through the ranks in the Signal Corps and in 1912 was appointed to the General Staff, the youngest person at that time to hold such a position.

In 1916, when Europe was on the verge of the first World War, Mitchell recognized the increasing importance of aviation in war and took it upon himself to learn to fly at his own expense. Mitchell was promoted to Major and appointed the head of the Army's aviation section. He was then sent to Europe, where he became a leader in establishing a United States aviation force. Mitchell was promoted again, this time to the rank of Colonel, and was appointed Chief of Air Service of the First Army. In the Battle of St. Mihiel, he was given command of more than 1,500 British, French, and American aircraft units. This was the largest air force ever assembled to that date. For Mitchell's action, he was promoted to Brigadier General and made Chief of Air Service of the Group of Armies, the top aviation command.

Returning to the United States in 1919, Mitchell was appointed Director of Military Aeronautics. He vigorously began promoting aviation, planning the building of a strong air force and fostering the budding aircraft industry to establish commercial aviation on a sound footing. But his opponents were not in sympathy with his efforts. His claims of air superiority over the sea led to a confrontation with the U.S. Navy. In July, 1921, in a test bombing of German warships, Mitchell proved his point when his men sank a battleship.

Inevitably, Mitchell's forceful promotion of his ideas led to a clash with the traditional forces. As his opposition grew stronger, Mitchell became more outspoken in his criticism. Finally in September 1925, he charged the administration with neglecting the national defense. He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of insubordination. He resigned from the service February 1, 1926, but his influence lived on as he carried his case to the people. He continued his work incessantly until his untimely death in February 1936.

On March 17, 1941, the Milwaukee County Board voted to change the County airport's name to General Mitchell Field. It is a source of pride for Milwaukeans that our main airport is named in honor of General William Mitchell, who, though impatient with those who did not share his beliefs, nevertheless retained until his death his boundless faith in aviation's future which he so unerringly visualized.

I about your DH making the ids lift their feet off the ground during the take off. DS(4) did this on Soarin becasue he didn't want his feet to get wet

Can't wiat to hear about the rest of your trip

 

[eeyore3847]

Love the TR so far.. can't wait for day 1 at disney!!!!!!

Lori

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

I love the start of your TR. Your kids are so cute and I love the snow white dress you DD is wearing and I am not asking, I know you made it

Because I am a good Diser I found out the following for you:

General William Mitchell - (1879-1936)

General William "Billy" Mitchell, for whom Milwaukee County's airport is named, was born to a prominent Milwaukee family on December 29, 1879. His father, John Lendrum Mitchell, who eventually became a United States Senator for Wisconsin, was an only child to millionaire Milwaukee banker and railroad tycoon Alexander Mitchell.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Billy Mitchell returned to Milwaukee from what is now known as George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to enlist. Mitchell quickly rose through the ranks in the Signal Corps and in 1912 was appointed to the General Staff, the youngest person at that time to hold such a position.

In 1916, when Europe was on the verge of the first World War, Mitchell recognized the increasing importance of aviation in war and took it upon himself to learn to fly at his own expense. Mitchell was promoted to Major and appointed the head of the Army's aviation section. He was then sent to Europe, where he became a leader in establishing a United States aviation force. Mitchell was promoted again, this time to the rank of Colonel, and was appointed Chief of Air Service of the First Army. In the Battle of St. Mihiel, he was given command of more than 1,500 British, French, and American aircraft units. This was the largest air force ever assembled to that date. For Mitchell's action, he was promoted to Brigadier General and made Chief of Air Service of the Group of Armies, the top aviation command.

Returning to the United States in 1919, Mitchell was appointed Director of Military Aeronautics. He vigorously began promoting aviation, planning the building of a strong air force and fostering the budding aircraft industry to establish commercial aviation on a sound footing. But his opponents were not in sympathy with his efforts. His claims of air superiority over the sea led to a confrontation with the U.S. Navy. In July, 1921, in a test bombing of German warships, Mitchell proved his point when his men sank a battleship.

Inevitably, Mitchell's forceful promotion of his ideas led to a clash with the traditional forces. As his opposition grew stronger, Mitchell became more outspoken in his criticism. Finally in September 1925, he charged the administration with neglecting the national defense. He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of insubordination. He resigned from the service February 1, 1926, but his influence lived on as he carried his case to the people. He continued his work incessantly until his untimely death in February 1936.

On March 17, 1941, the Milwaukee County Board voted to change the County airport's name to General Mitchell Field. It is a source of pride for Milwaukeans that our main airport is named in honor of General William Mitchell, who, though impatient with those who did not share his beliefs, nevertheless retained until his death his boundless faith in aviation's future which he so unerringly visualized.
QUOTE]




How funny! Now, ya think, being a cheesehead, I woulda known that.

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

A LITTLE LINT, 2 LEVEL ONES AND SOME DISNEY BUS PROPAGANDA



So, we land our little puddle hopper after repeated requests from my daughter to the pilot not to “loop-dee-loop”.

We walked on the exit ramp (I know, I know, this isn’t the freeway, but what else DO you call the ramp that you walk on after deplaning? See…it’s not that easy coming up with the technical term, now is it?) and my husband turns to me and goes “It feels hotter here”. HA! Of course it feels hotter here. Didn’t you see my hair start to frizz the INSTANT we crossed the Florida state line!?!? I’ve been trying not to think about it because if I think about it, my hair will frizz even more and sweat will start raining down my face, but THANKS for bringing it up honey. Obviously, the look on my face read something not too pretty because he instantly closed his mouth.

We were in row 15 and my parents were in row 39. Yes, 39. I think they sat next to the engine the whole time, throwing in coals. My dad will do anything for a discount.

Needless to say, we “de-planed” first. We stood in the “gateway” for a few minutes when my husband poked my shoulder. Thinking to myself “if he tells me that it feels hotter here one more time……” All of a sudden, my husband points up. What? Is the sky falling? And if it is, who cares? We’re out of it, so we’re safe. Then, I look up.

Now, as a general rule, I’m not too picky when it comes to my airports and the way they look. Good grief, it’s an airport. Take me up, land me and get me to Disney. That’s all I’m thinkin’ when I’m there.

BUT, when I looked up at the ceiling of Orlando International Airport, a little shudder ran through me….and no, it wasn’t the Disney excitement that got me goin’. I looked up and the ceiling was gone. Poof! Gone in the night like Britney Spears’ hair. In its’ place were pipes, an assortment of pipes, weaving in and out of each other…and they were covered in…..mold….mildew….something really black and fuzzy. ICK! My husband turns to me and goes “Maybe it’s lint?” Lint? From what? From all of the flight attendants and pilots doing their laundry at the airport?!?!!?

I impatiently waited for my ‘el cheapo, coal throwing father and mother to de-plane so we could move to another part of the airport that wasn’t covered in mold. Every few seconds, I glanced up until finally mom and pops were the last to exit.

We made our way to the fake-o monorail to take us to Orlando International Airport’s other half. Ever notice that even though it’s not the “real deal”, in essence the monorail smells the same as the real one? Am I the only one that’s ever noticed that? Probably….. (I betcha right about now you’re kicking yourself for opening up this trip report, aren’t ya?)

We all hop onto the monorail in disguise, which was no easy task in itself. There were 4 adults, 1 child who kept going “Is Cinderella here? Where’s Cinderella? Are we there yet? I don’t see the castle” and 1 toddler whom we had to carry everywhere, plus enough carry-ons to make others that passed us shake their heads in wonderment. “Why do they have so many carry-ons? There’s only 6 people!”


Can you imagine trying to get all of these people, plus luggage to get on the M.I.D. (monorail in disguise) TOGETHER? My dad nearly lost his arm in the closing M.I.D.’s doors, but luckily we all made it on together. I mentioned to him what a travesty it would be to lose an arm. How would he get back home? He’d have to throw the coal with one arm.

So, we make it to the other half and pass the secuirty line of people wanting to get to the mold covered section of the airport. The line was out the door and reached Miami. It was that long. I made a mental note to self to leave extra time coming back and left to find the Tragical Express “window”.

Since this was a new experience to us, we had no clue where it was. My dad happens to mention that the Magical Express is on level 1. We were on level 3.

In a panic, my husband with luggage train in tow proceeds to push people left and right to make it onto the elevator. Did I mention that he had 14 suitcases? Yes, you read that right. 14 suitcases. We were only staying 4 nights. In an executive decision, my mom and I decided NOT to attach the Magical Express tags. My poor husband.

We all get on the elevator and make it down to level 1, where we ran smack dab into a Magical Express “cast member”. She goes “ya’ll here for the Magical Express?” Gee, what gave that away? Could it have been that almost everyone in the group was wearing something Disney and my husband was towing 14 suitcases with Mickey on them?

She then goes “You’re on the wrong level. It’s on level 1.”…..Uh-huh. Level 1.

“You need to go back up to level 3, over to the other elevator and then come back down to level 1”.

Ummmm….okay.

So, we did as instructed and sure enough, she wasn’t pulling our chain. I guess there are 2 different level 1’s at O.I.A. Who knew?

I guess the Magical Express people are really picky about who stands in line because “only one member from each party is allowed”, so my dad and I volunteered ourselves. The line was surprising fast, which is exactly what this tired party of 6 needed.

We made our way over to the PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE line and waited….and waited….and waited. I kept thinking in my head “At least it’s free, at least it’s free…” Eventually, our bus showed up and we all hopped on. I told my parents that this time they didn’t have to sit by the engine and we all sat down to watch the Disney propaganda unfold on the tv’s in the bus. They started out by trying to sell us something Disney... AHHHH…it was good to be home…

 

[OhMari]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

We live about an hour west of Milwaukee. I had no idea why it was called that either. I just refer to it as "the airport". I guess I learned somethin'.

 

[50 years Too!]

Darling kids. Love their plane outfits. You make great stuff.

Deb

 

[jcc0621]

I can't believe someone dug up the info for General Mitchell Airport. I can't believe I didn't know why it is called General Mitchell. Plus you have to remember it is a International airport too. LOL! I usually refer to it as MKE.


Where do you guys live in Wisconsin?

We live about an hour west of Milwaukee. I had no idea why it was called that either. I just refer to it as "the airport". I guess I learned somethin'.

Google is your friend

 

[Avivasmom]

I think they sat next to the engine the whole time, throwing in coals. My dad will do anything for a discount.

That is hilarious....gave me a good laugh.

Hey I have been to Wisconsin...went inner tubing down the Apple River and had a blast.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm on west coast time and am exhausted, but your report so far has given me many smiles while worrying my head off about my brother and sister in law in San Diego who live right next to what is currently a huge, shifting-with-the-wind, fire. So, thank you, and do keep telling us about your trip.

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

I'm on west coast time and am exhausted, but your report so far has given me many smiles while worrying my head off about my brother and sister in law in San Diego who live right next to what is currently a huge, shifting-with-the-wind, fire. So, thank you, and do keep telling us about your trip.

I hope everyone in your family is doing okay! Thanks for the kind words!

 

[GreatLakes5]

Great report! You've got me already! Of course I won't ask who made the clothes but they ARE beautiful - do you list items online at all?

Anyway - can't wait for the next installment - the bank account isn't nearly drained enough yet.

 

[kellymary]

I have not laughed so much in my life.

I'm on pins and needles for your next installment

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Ack, can you believe it? My little trip report was way back on page 2. And only 344 people have read it?

I'm working on the next installment right now.....

 

[whogirl'smom]

Yay, another chapter soon! You are so funny; I can't wait to hear about this trip! Maybe there will be more when we get back from dance class later!

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Sorry, still working on it!

 

[lovegrumpy]

I'm loving it