PrincessRora
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2008
- Messages
- 228
I really had no idea what to call this thing. But anyway, Ive spent the last few days reading a bunch of trip reports and decided it was finally time to start our own. Usually its my mom who does all the message boarding before our vacations, but since Im the big Disney fanatic (or at least the one that isnt a young single mom), I figured Id do some of the talking before we left.
I want to give a little background on my family. The trips cast includes.
DF (darling father) Santos
DM (darling mother) Debbie
DB (darling brother) Jason
DS (darling sister) Melissa
DGD or DN (darling god daughter or niece) Julianna
Me Nicole
The history of this trip is pretty far back. It originally started out in the planning stages in the spring of 2006 when a few friends and I started talking about doing a trip to Disney world after we graduated from College. Unfortunately, different things happened, and the group of us, for complicated reasons were unable to go. One dropped out of school, but ended up doing the Disney College Program and loved it (shes going back this summer) and a second is too reluctant to leave her mother and father (theyre very reluctant to have their daughter away from them). Anyway, that sort of left me in the spring of 2007 still really wanting to go to Disney World.
Thats when the ball really started rolling. I took every chance I could to mention to DM how much I really wanted to go back to Disney. Well, one day she surprised me with the suggestion that we make the trip a mother-daughter thing. That meant more to me than anything. DM and I have always been close, but never really got to do many mother-daughter things after my DB was born. Dont get me wrong; I love the boy to pieces, but DM knew that a mother-daughter trip would be the ultimate gift. Especially to Disney. I may be twenty one, but Disney is still and will probably always be my dream vacation.
So DM and I started planning, looking into vacation deals and packages. We knew we wouldnt do the trip before May of 2008 because we wanted to go to celebrate my Bachelors Degree in Biology. Its a big deal for my family because I will be the first one to get a college degree (and now Im actually going on to my masters). The months went by slowly, but we kept looking and planning.
Plans started to change that fall though. My best friend, who is almost literally my sister (were only missing the blood and who shall now be known as DS) was having a lot of trouble. Our DMs were friends and pregnant at the same time with us, so we are three weeks apart EXACTLY in birth (May 26-June 16). Even when my family moved from NY to NC, we talked at least once a week.
Anyway, DS made some mistakes in her life. Her family was never tightly knit as many are and both her mother and her father had their problems (they are now separated). When she was sixteen, she attempted suicide and was diagnosis as clinically depressed and started on medication. Shes done so much better. Unfortunately, she also has very low self esteem. She ended up dating a guy who was by no means good for her and only helped fuel her idea that in order for her to get unconditional love in her life, she needed to have a baby. Mind you, he was already the father of a little boy and behind on child support he owed to the boys mother. Anyway, long story short, my DS did get pregnant, she did carry to term, and she did want to keep the baby.
(( Please understand that my family does not excuse her mistakes. She knows she made them, and she knows she should not have gotten pregnant so young. I would really appreciate it if any negative feelings you have toward teen mothers were kept to yourselves. You dont know all the facts and you cant assume you do. Im not saying these things to be mean or because I feel she didnt do anything wrong. I just say them because I had a particular nasty experience when one of my co-workers heard my familys story and said that my DS and DGD should be on the street because if she could spread her legs, she could take care of herself. So please, Ill just ask as nicely as I can, that you dont make any remarks about that )).
Anyway, DS stayed with the babys father until Nov of 2007. They constantly argued and werent living together. Problems ensued. But, the point was, they ended their relationship (although the babys father is still giving us problems but thats an entirely different story). DS was living with her dad in a tiny one bedroom home out on LI in NY and was not working. DM and DF went to visit in January of 2008 and the conditions my DS and now 1 year old DGD were living in, were horrible. DM and DF asked DS to come live with us even thought they were excited about finally having their two kids out of the house (DB just started college in August of 2007).
So, Feb 2008, DS and DGD moved in with my parents while DB and I are off at the same University (me a senior, him a freshman). DM and I put our plans on hold for a bit. However, we couldnt completely let Disney go. With a bit more planning and some secrete keeping for DF (who is very stern about finances) we found a way for all six members of our family to go to Disney. Unfortunately, before wed ironed out all the details, DF found out.
Instead of saying no he decides we can do it, but just a bit cheaper. One, we cant stay on property. Ok, I can deal with that. Two: DB, DS, and I each have to pay for our own park tickets 3 day park hoppers ~ $250 each. Got that covered. We all work, so it wasnt too big a deal. And Three: we drive with a 17 month old in the car. We fought that one a bit because Julie (DGD) does not sit well in cars for more than thirty minutes. However, we eventually caved and DF found an off site resort for us to stay out. We just had to pick the dates.
So the family (minus DB who said we could do the planning and hed just go along for the ride) sat down to decide when to go. After May 10, because mom still wanted to celebrate my graduation. But then DS suggested June 13-17 her reasoning, was that the 16th was my birthday and we should take the chance to spend my birthday in Disney (a dream Ive had since I was six). We also wanted to make the trip about DS and DGD and how theyre getting a new start: my DS finally working and earning money for herself and DGD; and DGD making wonderful adjustments to her new home. So that settled it, wed be going June 13-17. DF immediately booked our resort while DM called DB to tell him not to make plans for those days.
Ill post more about our planning for the trip so far, later.
I want to give a little background on my family. The trips cast includes.
DF (darling father) Santos
DM (darling mother) Debbie
DB (darling brother) Jason
DS (darling sister) Melissa
DGD or DN (darling god daughter or niece) Julianna
Me Nicole
The history of this trip is pretty far back. It originally started out in the planning stages in the spring of 2006 when a few friends and I started talking about doing a trip to Disney world after we graduated from College. Unfortunately, different things happened, and the group of us, for complicated reasons were unable to go. One dropped out of school, but ended up doing the Disney College Program and loved it (shes going back this summer) and a second is too reluctant to leave her mother and father (theyre very reluctant to have their daughter away from them). Anyway, that sort of left me in the spring of 2007 still really wanting to go to Disney World.
Thats when the ball really started rolling. I took every chance I could to mention to DM how much I really wanted to go back to Disney. Well, one day she surprised me with the suggestion that we make the trip a mother-daughter thing. That meant more to me than anything. DM and I have always been close, but never really got to do many mother-daughter things after my DB was born. Dont get me wrong; I love the boy to pieces, but DM knew that a mother-daughter trip would be the ultimate gift. Especially to Disney. I may be twenty one, but Disney is still and will probably always be my dream vacation.
So DM and I started planning, looking into vacation deals and packages. We knew we wouldnt do the trip before May of 2008 because we wanted to go to celebrate my Bachelors Degree in Biology. Its a big deal for my family because I will be the first one to get a college degree (and now Im actually going on to my masters). The months went by slowly, but we kept looking and planning.
Plans started to change that fall though. My best friend, who is almost literally my sister (were only missing the blood and who shall now be known as DS) was having a lot of trouble. Our DMs were friends and pregnant at the same time with us, so we are three weeks apart EXACTLY in birth (May 26-June 16). Even when my family moved from NY to NC, we talked at least once a week.
Anyway, DS made some mistakes in her life. Her family was never tightly knit as many are and both her mother and her father had their problems (they are now separated). When she was sixteen, she attempted suicide and was diagnosis as clinically depressed and started on medication. Shes done so much better. Unfortunately, she also has very low self esteem. She ended up dating a guy who was by no means good for her and only helped fuel her idea that in order for her to get unconditional love in her life, she needed to have a baby. Mind you, he was already the father of a little boy and behind on child support he owed to the boys mother. Anyway, long story short, my DS did get pregnant, she did carry to term, and she did want to keep the baby.
(( Please understand that my family does not excuse her mistakes. She knows she made them, and she knows she should not have gotten pregnant so young. I would really appreciate it if any negative feelings you have toward teen mothers were kept to yourselves. You dont know all the facts and you cant assume you do. Im not saying these things to be mean or because I feel she didnt do anything wrong. I just say them because I had a particular nasty experience when one of my co-workers heard my familys story and said that my DS and DGD should be on the street because if she could spread her legs, she could take care of herself. So please, Ill just ask as nicely as I can, that you dont make any remarks about that )).
Anyway, DS stayed with the babys father until Nov of 2007. They constantly argued and werent living together. Problems ensued. But, the point was, they ended their relationship (although the babys father is still giving us problems but thats an entirely different story). DS was living with her dad in a tiny one bedroom home out on LI in NY and was not working. DM and DF went to visit in January of 2008 and the conditions my DS and now 1 year old DGD were living in, were horrible. DM and DF asked DS to come live with us even thought they were excited about finally having their two kids out of the house (DB just started college in August of 2007).
So, Feb 2008, DS and DGD moved in with my parents while DB and I are off at the same University (me a senior, him a freshman). DM and I put our plans on hold for a bit. However, we couldnt completely let Disney go. With a bit more planning and some secrete keeping for DF (who is very stern about finances) we found a way for all six members of our family to go to Disney. Unfortunately, before wed ironed out all the details, DF found out.
Instead of saying no he decides we can do it, but just a bit cheaper. One, we cant stay on property. Ok, I can deal with that. Two: DB, DS, and I each have to pay for our own park tickets 3 day park hoppers ~ $250 each. Got that covered. We all work, so it wasnt too big a deal. And Three: we drive with a 17 month old in the car. We fought that one a bit because Julie (DGD) does not sit well in cars for more than thirty minutes. However, we eventually caved and DF found an off site resort for us to stay out. We just had to pick the dates.
So the family (minus DB who said we could do the planning and hed just go along for the ride) sat down to decide when to go. After May 10, because mom still wanted to celebrate my graduation. But then DS suggested June 13-17 her reasoning, was that the 16th was my birthday and we should take the chance to spend my birthday in Disney (a dream Ive had since I was six). We also wanted to make the trip about DS and DGD and how theyre getting a new start: my DS finally working and earning money for herself and DGD; and DGD making wonderful adjustments to her new home. So that settled it, wed be going June 13-17. DF immediately booked our resort while DM called DB to tell him not to make plans for those days.
Ill post more about our planning for the trip so far, later.
You will be going down right after we get back!!
