The "How did I pull this one out of my hat?" TR - NEW! Updated 9/24

[cjhinch]

Make sure you practice a lot with your new camera before you go!!! That way you can take advantage of all the great features, and actually know what you're doing!!! Unlike some of us, who, uh, got a new camera before vacation and didn't know how to use it! Not that I know anyone like that....

I have never been that great at taking pictures, but I am really going to try to learn how to use some of the options this time! Wish me luck! LOL

Looking forward to many good pictures taken with your new camera. It does get very good reviews. It was one of the ones I was looking at before I got the Canon S5IS just before this trip.

I'm reading, but I'm reading so many different reports that I forget who I respond to. I'm trying to get all I can in before school starts back and I don't have as much Dis time.

I know what you mean about forgetting who you have responded to and who you haven't! I'm glad you are still here!

 

[cjhinch]

Well, I am going to be gone for a while! We are leaving for our trip to Hilton Head later today! The bags are mostly packed, just need to get the car cleaned up and ready for the road. When we get back, we will only have 3 weeks until Disney!! See you in a week!

 

[karajeboo]

Well, I am going to be gone for a while! We are leaving for our trip to Hilton Head later today! The bags are mostly packed, just need to get the car cleaned up and ready for the road. When we get back, we will only have 3 weeks until Disney!! See you in a week!

OH, we love HHI! We rented a house in Harbor Town last year and loved it! Have a great week! We're actually heading the other way, south to Clearwater Beach for the weekend! Have to use my DH's Hilton points before they expire - so it's a FREE weekend!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Have fun in Hilton Head!!! Go get some sweets from Signe's Bakery -- they are the best!!!

 

[thewesterberg]

Well, I am going to be gone for a while! We are leaving for our trip to Hilton Head later today! The bags are mostly packed, just need to get the car cleaned up and ready for the road. When we get back, we will only have 3 weeks until Disney!! See you in a week!

Have tons o' fun!!

 

[cjhinch]

I have been absent for quite a while, but a lot has happened since then!

We told the kids yesterday, and they were thrilled. I will have a good update hopefully by tomorrow (if I have any readers left! LOL)

Only 10 days to go!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading about all of your news!

 

[MeMom]

When we get back, we will only have 3 weeks until Disney!! See you in a week!

I wanna go on vacation and come back and go on vacation again!!! You must be living right! I told my kids about a week ago that the perfect scenario would be working for three weeks and then a week at Disney - year 'round.

The other way around would be fine, too. Three Disney weeks, and then a week to zap me back to reality so I could remember to appreciate it all!

 

[cjhinch]

Have fun in Hilton Head!!! Go get some sweets from Signe's Bakery -- they are the best!!!

I'm not sure if we have ever gotten sweets from there or not! Where exactly is it located?

We usually get donuts/pastries at least one morning for breakfast, but this year we didn't! The boys rode their bikes with dh down to the general store in Palmetto Dunes and got a sausage biscuit one morning, but that was it! LOL

 

[cjhinch]

I wanna go on vacation and come back and go on vacation again!!! You must be living right! I told my kids about a week ago that the perfect scenario would be working for three weeks and then a week at Disney - year 'round.

The other way around would be fine, too. Three Disney weeks, and then a week to zap me back to reality so I could remember to appreciate it all!

I have to say that I do feel very blessed to get to go on these two vacations back to back almost! That is part of the reason why I titled this report the way I did! I knew that it was going to be hard to convince DH to go to Disney again, but even harder because it would come on the heels of our other vacation!

I like your scenario's above! Heck, I would be happy with a trip every other month! LOL

 

[cjhinch]

Ok, it has been a few weeks since I have been here, and I apologize!

Our trip to Hilton Head was incredible. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. I will include a few pics from our trip, just to liven things up a bit!

Here we are all loaded in the car, ready to leave:

Don't they look happy? We only drive part of the way on the first night, then stay in a hotel and get up the next morning to finish the trip.

We stopped at Tamarack for dinner.

If you are ever driving along I-77S/I-64E through WV, you need to stop here to eat and look around. They have some of the coolest artwork and crafts all created by WV Artisans. The food is by The Greenbrier, and is always wonderful! You must get The Greenbrier peach for dessert.....YUM!!

Once we got there, we spent every day on the beach, and every night having a good dinner! Isn't that what a trip to the beach is all about? We also rented bikes, and took bike rides daily.

Oh, but one of our bikes got stolen right in front of us on Friday night when we were packing to leave!! Dh had to go pick up the boys bikes from my in-laws condo, and when he got them back, he didn't lock them up just yet. We needed to move all 4 of them together so they could be picked up in the morning. We came down with a load of stuff to pack in the car, and we saw this boy (looked to be about 17) backing out of the bike area with a bike and a 12 pack of beer in the basket. He was acting suspicious, but we just thought it was because of the beer......nope......a few minutes later we realized that he had taken one of our bikes!! We hoped it would be back in the morning, but no such luck. We got charged $75 for that stolen bike!! Very frustrating to say the least!

Here are a few more pics from our trip:

 

[karajeboo]

Great pics! Look how tanned you are!!!

We rented bikes at HHI, too, but I can't imagine it being stolen! Where were you when this happened???

 

[cjhinch]

I am laughing right now because every time I type up a post, I always think that I am writing this really long post, and that I should cut it off so people don't get tired of reading. Then I post it, go back and read it, and it is like really short!!

So, since the last post wasn't too long, I will continue in this one!

Once we got back, football was in full swing for DS8. He had missed week of practice, and he was anxious to get out there and get started. DS10 is not playing football this year, and the team is really hoping he does! You should have seen everyones reactions we I showed up at the field on Monday. The coach of what would be his team said, "Boy am I happy to see you!" I felt bad to tell them that he wasn't going to play. He has decided to play fall baseball instead.

So, we have practice almost daily for one or the other. Also, my sister was flying in from Dallas on Saturday the 9th for a short visit, so I had to get my house ready for that! Then I found out that the boys would be going to Morehead, KY (about an hour away from here) to play in a baseball tournament on the 9th and 10th!! What a hectic weekend! I had to leave the boys there to stay overnight with a friend while DD and I drove back home so I could spend some time with my sister.

We drove back to Morehead on Sunday morning to watch a game, then left to go back home to have a late lunch with my Mom's side of the family. I got about 10 miles down the interstate when I realized that I still had the boys bat bags in my car, and they still had another game to play! I had to turn around and go back! I was not a happy camper!

I wanted to tell the kids about the trip while my sister was here so she could see their reactions in person. Trouble was, they were gone until Sunday evening, and I couldn't tell them then because DH was at work all day and night on Sunday! I was hoping for Monday afternoon before my sister had to leave for her flight, but DH was still at work!! (Now he was not a happy camper.....he got 2 hours of sleep Sunday night, and they worked him until Monday afternoon!)

Miraculously, he got home just in time for us to be able to tell the kids while they were both here. They knew they were getting a surprise trip, but they didn't know to where. We had them make some guesses, and DS8 was convinced that we were going to an NFL football game. Then they were convinced that they were going to Kings Island in Cincinnati.

I had made them each a card telling them where we were going, so I had them close their eyes and I gave them their cards. I had Casey read his first, and the reaction was sort of like unbelief! We told them that they were going to Disney World, and we got a YaY! Then we told them taht we were leaving in less than two weeks and that got a little louder of a YaY! Then, we told them where we were staying...and that is what got the biggest celebration! LOL Geez, my kids are spoiled!!

For the next couple of hours, DS8 just couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He is the one who has been begging for Disney all summer, saying he can't wait until next spring to go, etc. The fact that this trip is for his birthday makes it all that much better!

They woke up yesterday still talking about the trip, and I still don't think it has sunk in with them that we are leaving in 9 days! It has barely sunk in with me! I am afraid to get too excited for it to get here, because once it is here, then it is over so fast! LOL

I have enjoyed the planning so much!

I guess the best part is that I have another trip already in the works, and that one is going to take TONS of planning, so I won't have to go through the post-trip depression! LOL

Up next, I will have to go over the packing list and planning so you guys can make sure I'm not forgetting anything!!

 

[ampc3]

great update, and welcome back! I can't believe that about the bike bummer... that is funny (although probably wasn't at the time) about the bat bags being in your car still...

Your family is too cute!
What an amazing surprise for the kids.. Can't wait to hear all about it! 9 days cool!

 

[cjhinch]

Great pics! Look how tanned you are!!!

We rented bikes at HHI, too, but I can't imagine it being stolen! Where were you when this happened???

We were staying at The Villamare in Palmetto Dunes. It is a condo complex, so each building has this large area in the underground garages where they park all of the bikes. When we saw the kids pulling out with a bike, it was one of a hundred bikes that were there, so we didn't notice immediately that it was our bike! I guess that is what we get for not locking them up right away. We are hoping to take our own bikes next year......that will be better, and we will be sure to keep them locked up!

 

[LISAMWDW]

 

[cjhinch]

OMG, I can't believe we are 2 days away from when we leave!! It has totally crept up on me for sure!

I have started the packing, but tomorrow will be the big day to get most of it finished. I am going to attempt the zip lock bags this year......we will see how well I like it! It will be easier for DD because her clothes are definitely "outfits". The boys clothes are more of a mix and match, so sorting them into outfits before we leave will be a challenge.

The plan is to have everything packed and maybe even in the car Wed. night. We aren't leaving until Friday morning, but dh will be at work for 24 hours straight Thursday and won't be home to help pack the car! We want to leave as soon as he gets home Friday morning!

We also took a wild hair, and decided at the last minute to add Cirque tickets for Saturday night to our trip! Dh had to work tons of overtime his last paycheck, and with the extra money he thought we should go for it! The clincher was finding the 15% off discount on the back of the Disney Visa mailer! The kids don't know about seeing the show, but they actually mentioned tonight that they would really like to see it! We will let them know that night!

Also, while I was on the phone getting the Cirque tickets, I decided to check again for a couple more ADR's. I could choose between Marrakesh Morocco or Tokyo Dining in Japan. I decided to go with Marrakesh, I hope everyone enjoys it! Also, I got a reservation at Tusker House for lunch on our last day. I was really hoping for Chef Mickeys, but nothing is available for our entire stay!! I might try again when we get there, you never know what might open up!

Dh and I are in a disagreement about what to do about visiting family on Saturday afternoon. I have a cousin who would really like for us to come over for a swim, but dh is not to thrilled by it. He isn't much for seeing extended family....and thinks it would be a waste of time! I will have to let you know how this one turns out.

I still have so much printing I need to do for this trip, and that is hard to do without a printer! I have to email it all to my in-laws house, then go out there to use their printer! Not FUN!

Other than that, we are good to go! I am almost in disbelief that it is here. I can't wait to tell you guys all about our trip when we get back!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

2 Days!!! It has crept up very fast! How exciting!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

2 days!!!

Have a great time!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you come back!

 

[MRYPPNS]

Have a safe and wonderful trip!