The new convert's first ever PTR to DCL Alaska Cruise (8/16/11 - 8/23/11)

[DisneyDerek]

Happy New Year, Derek and family, and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY!!!




Hmmm, goals, I hate goals, but we need them! Your first few sound like mine. They say it only takes 30 days to establish new habits... here's hoping we all stick to them!

So 1-3 are also mine
4. Take a little more time to show DH I appreciate him
5. Increase my business so I can go on more Disney trips and see my grandkids more! i.e. work harder (but it's fun!)

6. Get more excercise

Thanks Tammie (on behalf of Wendy) for your birthday wishes for her. Alas, I have to say the last couple of nights with the kids have been less of a celebration and more of herding cattle (in our case, into their beds). I like your 4, 5, and 6 goals. As I was hitting the submit button, I realized that I left off the "get more exercise" goal but then had to laugh at my own expense.....even with a company subsidy, I forgo the gym membership because 1) I have limited time to go and 2) the only one that would work with our annual subsidy ($400) is 24 Hour Fitness and when I went on a tour of the facility, it reeked of sweat and looked like a literal "meat market". I need to work on #4 as well with DW......does attending a Family Life conference in June count?

 

[mom3sonstt]

T We still need to lay out our vacation plans for 2011 because interspersed between our upcoming trip to New Jersey in July for Wendy's friend's (Kim & Allan) wedding, our Alaskan cruise in August and Wendy's cousin's wedding in Oahu (followed by a week in our timeshare in Maui), we still have like 2 weeks of time share points to use. We usually try to plan short trips to Palm Springs and Scottsdale, but I fear that due to limited days off, we'll have to cash out points or let our family go....sigh!

Is this "Kim" the one that went to WDW with you a few years ago? I just finished reading that trip report of Jordan's....I remember throughout the report he mentioned that she was moving back East to be near her boyfriend....

Sounds like you have a busy year lined up from Alaska to Hawaii to New Jersey - you sure do have the country covered!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Derek, just want to let you know that I'm here too! Gotta go back to catch up. Your first PTR, yay!

EDIT: Ok, all caught up. Sooze was right about the Western Canada thing. For a sec there, looking at the map, I thought you were still in Canada! Then I saw the border line. I had no idea it stretched like that! Wow....my geography isn't that great.....I thought B.C had a longer shore line.

One on one time with the kids, that sounds great! Wow....my parents never really did that with me and my siblings. They were always busy with work, so we just took care of ourselves and kept each other occupied. You're a great dad.

My goals hm?

-Stop skipping so much class. I unfortunately hate to admit that I skip too much class for my own good.....
-Become more active and eat less junkie stuff like Lay's chips. But I LOVE THEM SO.
-Stop being so cheap and buy more vegetables and fruits. And maybe more beef cause I'm seriously lacking in iron. Groceries are expensive.
-Actually finish my TR this year? Maybe even by.....the summer.....um.....no.....this September. Yes, I shall have it done by this fall (maybe I shouldn't write this down, it'll come back to haunt me in some way)
-Finish my scrapbook. By this summer for sure.

Everything else is just fitness and health related. Taking Dr.Oz's Just 10 challenge!

BTW, I just want to say that I LOOOVE The Amazing Race. I don't think I could ever stop watching it. Andrew stopped watching this past season after the Asian team lost.

 

[englishrose47]

At 63 My one and only goal is to see another New Year!!!!I would like to win a BIG Lottery so I could work less and go to Disney more , but that is hardly a goal!!!!

Happy Birthday Wendy!!!!!!

 

[DisneyDerek]

At 63 My one and only goal is to see another New Year!!!!I would like to win a BIG Lottery so I could work less and go to Disney more , but that is hardly a goal!!!!

Happy Birthday Wendy!!!!!!

Rosie, who needs money when you have so many friends and family members that love ya! Thanks for wishing Wendy a Happy Birthday. We're celebrating on Saturday at a local fondue restaurant that she's had her eye one. I'll have to post an update as an aside to this PTR.

Derek, just want to let you know that I'm here too! Gotta go back to catch up. Your first PTR, yay!

EDIT: Ok, all caught up. Sooze was right about the Western Canada thing. For a sec there, looking at the map, I thought you were still in Canada! Then I saw the border line. I had no idea it stretched like that! Wow....my geography isn't that great.....I thought B.C had a longer shore line.

One on one time with the kids, that sounds great! Wow....my parents never really did that with me and my siblings. They were always busy with work, so we just took care of ourselves and kept each other occupied. You're a great dad.

My goals hm?

-Stop skipping so much class. I unfortunately hate to admit that I skip too much class for my own good.....
-Become more active and eat less junkie stuff like Lay's chips. But I LOVE THEM SO.
-Stop being so cheap and buy more vegetables and fruits. And maybe more beef cause I'm seriously lacking in iron. Groceries are expensive.
-Actually finish my TR this year? Maybe even by.....the summer.....um.....no.....this September. Yes, I shall have it done by this fall (maybe I shouldn't write this down, it'll come back to haunt me in some way)
-Finish my scrapbook. By this summer for sure.

Everything else is just fitness and health related. Taking Dr.Oz's Just 10 challenge!

BTW, I just want to say that I LOOOVE The Amazing Race. I don't think I could ever stop watching it. Andrew stopped watching this past season after the Asian team lost.

Thanks for joining in the fun. Yeah, I didn't know that we were on a Western Canadian cruise either until I saw the map. I'd say, "what a rip-off" but when cruising with DCL, you kinda know you're not always getting the best deal but may still have the most fun.

Regarding time with the kids, it's kind of hit or miss depending upon whether they've been good, have time to play with dad, or whether I lock myself in my office catching up on other stuff.....but I know your parents worked hard to provide for you guys and it's great that you could help them out by taking care of yourselves.

Thanks for sharing your goals.....as noted before, I kind of skipped the health and nutrition goals But I did look into the amount of subsidy my company provides for gym memberships and maybe I'll investigate again.

As for the Amazing Race....well, it's just too Amazing to give up.

Is this "Kim" the one that went to WDW with you a few years ago? I just finished reading that trip report of Jordan's....I remember throughout the report he mentioned that she was moving back East to be near her boyfriend....

Sounds like you have a busy year lined up from Alaska to Hawaii to New Jersey - you sure do have the country covered!

Yes, this is the same Kim, Wendy's friend Kim E from Santa Barbara who she went to school with and moved out to New Jersey to join her then boyfriend Allan, who is now her fiancee. Kim and Allan joined us on our February trip to WDW (I still can't believe that was less than a year ago....it feels like forever.....maybe because Cherie T has already been back to WDW multiple times since we last left in the freezing cold.

 

[DisneyDerek]

In the spirit of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas (which I used to attend), I thought I'd bring you a few things you might have never wished for

A smart pill box that reminds you when to take your medication, tells your doctor you're being a good patient and sends automatic refills


A Skype enabled Sony TV player with built in webcam


A universal charging dock


A headset enabled webcam



Energizer inductive charging packs



 

[MAGICFOR2]

Derek, just want to let you know that I'm here too! Gotta go back to catch up. Your first PTR, yay!

EDIT: Ok, all caught up. Sooze was right about the Western Canada thing. For a sec there, looking at the map, I thought you were still in Canada! Then I saw the border line. I had no idea it stretched like that! Wow....my geography isn't that great.....I thought B.C had a longer shore line.

One on one time with the kids, that sounds great! Wow....my parents never really did that with me and my siblings. They were always busy with work, so we just took care of ourselves and kept each other occupied. You're a great dad.

My goals hm?

-Stop skipping so much class. I unfortunately hate to admit that I skip too much class for my own good.....
-Become more active and eat less junkie stuff like Lay's chips. But I LOVE THEM SO.
-Stop being so cheap and buy more vegetables and fruits. And maybe more beef cause I'm seriously lacking in iron. Groceries are expensive.
-Actually finish my TR this year? Maybe even by.....the summer.....um.....no.....this September. Yes, I shall have it done by this fall (maybe I shouldn't write this down, it'll come back to haunt me in some way)
-Finish my scrapbook. By this summer for sure.

Everything else is just fitness and health related. Taking Dr.Oz's Just 10 challenge!

BTW, I just want to say that I LOOOVE The Amazing Race. I don't think I could ever stop watching it. Andrew stopped watching this past season after the Asian team lost.

I love Amazing Race, too! I felt so bad for the Asian guys - that one challenge really messed them up, and then the Taxi thing. They had such a good attitude!

At 63 My one and only goal is to see another New Year!!!!I would like to win a BIG Lottery so I could work less and go to Disney more , but that is hardly a goal!!!!

Happy Birthday Wendy!!!!!!

It can't hurt, right? DH is getting really dedicated to buying the tickets. I just don't feel it in my spirit - don't think it's happening for us, but it's fun to try.

Derek - cool gadgets! Are you an engineer on some of these projects? I think the pill bottle would be great for my Dad when my mom leaves town - he's had a stroke and is quite forgretful. But it would be hard to convince him that "Big Brother" isn't watching him. He and mom kind of operate on a conspiracy theory half the time!

And, I confess I don't know what the last one is

 

[Charleston Princess]

I want the pill bottle and the universal charging station!

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

Im here Derek! I've been gone for a while but I am ready to catch back up with everyone!!! I can't wait to read about your trip plans!

 

[Poolrat]

Checking in here. So cool about the new gadgets coming out.

i am real curious if they will announce the iphone for verizon.

 

[DisneyDerek]

Derek - cool gadgets! Are you an engineer on some of these projects? I think the pill bottle would be great for my Dad when my mom leaves town - he's had a stroke and is quite forgretful. But it would be hard to convince him that "Big Brother" isn't watching him. He and mom kind of operate on a conspiracy theory half the time!

And, I confess I don't know what the last one is

The last one is an inductive charger (e.g. for an iPod), sorry I was cryptic in my comment.

I want the pill bottle and the universal charging station!

Yes, we can all use a little help in the memory department.

Im here Derek! I've been gone for a while but I am ready to catch back up with everyone!!! I can't wait to read about your trip plans!

Thanks....I'm getting into planning mode

Checking in here. So cool about the new gadgets coming out.

i am real curious if they will announce the iphone for verizon.

Thanks for subbing in. According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon will carry the iPhone with an official announcement being made next week

 

[DisneyDerek]

So I walk in the house after my 1.5 hour commute home from a hard week at work and see my parents in the kitchen with no kids around. So I go to the back guest room and see Ashlyn and Dylan playing alone but with broken legos everywhere. I continue through the house to find Erin alone but not before my mom tells me that my parents took the initiative on their own to take down our Christmas tree and vacuum the carpets....nice

But then as we're getting ready for dinner, I go back to check on the kids again and see that our brand spanking new (barely over a week old) Sony 40" flat screen HDTV is covered with white marks all over the screen. I'm thinking to myself, who let Ashlyn take crayons to the screen (the fire starts to burn inside me ). So I go ask my parents what happened and they tell me that they didn't hear anything as they were taking down the tree and vacuuming and I'm like "who was watching Ashlyn?" (our two year old vandalism suspect).

But when I get back to checking the TV, I see that the damage is much worse, it's not white crayons, it's scratches from something tough on the screen. I ask Dylan what happened and he says that Ashlyn was hitting the TV with his wooden toy saw. So now I'm really and saying to myself, "well there goes a quick $500". Dylan also tells me that he told grandma but she didn't listen to him when he said that Ashlyn as hitting the TV

My dad continues to eat dinner and avoid the conflict while my mom goes back into the guest room to investigate and continues to try to salvage the situation while I got get a bunch of special wet wipes for glasses. Alas, I felt so defeated after a tough week that I just had to leave the room, sulk back into the kitchen , eat dinner and then go on to give the kids their baths.

Then Ashlyn continues with her "terrible twos" act, splashing, kicking and hitting Dylan in the bath causing him to cry . Our littlest has quickly turned into a little devil. Ah, welcome to our weekend family life.

 

[glennbo123]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon will carry the iPhone with an official announcement being made next week [/FONT]

That may be my next phone!

So I walk in the house after my 1.5 hour commute home from a hard week at work and see my parents in the kitchen with no kids around. So I go to the back guest room and see Ashlyn and Dylan playing alone but with broken legos everywhere. I continue through the house to find Erin alone but not before my mom tells me that my parents took the initiative on their own to take down our Christmas tree and vacuum the carpets....nice

But then as we're getting ready for dinner, I go back to check on the kids again and see that our brand spanking new (barely over a week old) Sony 40" flat screen HDTV is covered with white marks all over the screen. I'm thinking to myself, who let Ashlyn take crayons to the screen (the fire starts to burn inside me ). So I go ask my parents what happened and they tell me that they didn't hear anything as they were taking down the tree and vacuuming and I'm like "who was watching Ashlyn?" (our two year old vandalism suspect).

But when I get back to checking the TV, I see that the damage is much worse, it's not white crayons, it's scratches from something tough on the screen. I ask Dylan what happened and he says that Ashlyn was hitting the TV with his wooden toy saw. So now I'm really and saying to myself, "well there goes a quick $500". Dylan also tells me that he told grandma but she didn't listen to him when he said that Ashlyn as hitting the TV

My dad continues to eat dinner and avoid the conflict while my mom goes back into the guest room to investigate and continues to try to salvage the situation while I got get a bunch of special wet wipes for glasses. Alas, I felt so defeated after a tough week that I just had to leave the room, sulk back into the kitchen , eat dinner and then go on to give the kids their baths.

Then Ashlyn continues with her "terrible twos" act, splashing, kicking and hitting Dylan in the bath causing him to cry . Our littlest has quickly turned into a little devil. Ah, welcome to our weekend family life.

Great use of smilies Derek! It's like I was there. Hope your TV is okay.

I remember those days with young'ns....hang in there.

 

[Poolrat]

So I walk in the house after my 1.5 hour commute home from a hard week at work and see my parents in the kitchen with no kids around. So I go to the back guest room and see Ashlyn and Dylan playing alone but with broken legos everywhere. I continue through the house to find Erin alone but not before my mom tells me that my parents took the initiative on their own to take down our Christmas tree and vacuum the carpets....nice

But then as we're getting ready for dinner, I go back to check on the kids again and see that our brand spanking new (barely over a week old) Sony 40" flat screen HDTV is covered with white marks all over the screen. I'm thinking to myself, who let Ashlyn take crayons to the screen (the fire starts to burn inside me ). So I go ask my parents what happened and they tell me that they didn't hear anything as they were taking down the tree and vacuuming and I'm like "who was watching Ashlyn?" (our two year old vandalism suspect).

But when I get back to checking the TV, I see that the damage is much worse, it's not white crayons, it's scratches from something tough on the screen. I ask Dylan what happened and he says that Ashlyn was hitting the TV with his wooden toy saw. So now I'm really and saying to myself, "well there goes a quick $500". Dylan also tells me that he told grandma but she didn't listen to him when he said that Ashlyn as hitting the TV

My dad continues to eat dinner and avoid the conflict while my mom goes back into the guest room to investigate and continues to try to salvage the situation while I got get a bunch of special wet wipes for glasses. Alas, I felt so defeated after a tough week that I just had to leave the room, sulk back into the kitchen , eat dinner and then go on to give the kids their baths.

Then Ashlyn continues with her "terrible twos" act, splashing, kicking and hitting Dylan in the bath causing him to cry . Our littlest has quickly turned into a little devil. Ah, welcome to our weekend family life.

Oh Derek You need some big hugs right about now.

Once she grows out of being the Tasmanian devil, you will laugh about this.
It may take until she has kids of her own and you are babysitting and your grandchild is hitting the new media device with something but you will laugh.
Hang in there Derek.



As soon as I posted that I went to Yahoo and it was right there staring me in the face. I may still go android though, have not fully decided but I am leaning that way. Any thoughts on that?

 

[englishrose47]

Oh Derek I soo feel for you!!!!The Terrible Twos unfortunately turn into the Terifying Threes !!!Hang in there eventually they will be parents and pay backs are so BLISSFUL!!!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Oh no! It must be so hard for you! Like Glenn said, I like your use of smilies.

Wow, all those gadgets look so nifty! I've always wanted to go to the CES, but civilians aren't allowed. Must've been so cool to see all that new stuff!

 

[WendyO]

Happy New Year, Derek to you and your family, and hope you are better quickly!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY!!!

Happy Birthday Wendy!!!!!!

Thanks all for the bday wishes! Derek and I went to The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) tonight to celebrate... it was yum!

BTW, I just want to say that I LOOOVE The Amazing Race. I don't think I could ever stop watching it. Andrew stopped watching this past season after the Asian team lost.

I love Amazing Race, too! I felt so bad for the Asian guys - that one challenge really messed them up, and then the Taxi thing. They had such a good attitude!

I totally wanted Michael and Kevin to win too... I was bummed... but did you also know that Kevin is a YouTube sensation? I had heard about him before but never got a chance to see him online and I didn't realize he was the same person on the Amazing Race. If you liked the funny banter and relationship between him and his dad on the AR, check them out on YouTube (search on KevJumba)... he's got a huge following and his videos are hysterical!! He's got a gift of showmanship...

Oh Derek You need some big hugs right about now.

Once she grows out of being the Tasmanian devil, you will laugh about this.
It may take until she has kids of her own and you are babysitting and your grandchild is hitting the new media device with something but you will laugh.
Hang in there Derek

Funny you should mention that as Derek is reminded about the time when he was little and he threw a rock at the TV set and busted the screen. Ouch!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Derek, sorry you've had a hard week. So sorry about the TV. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but these days really will go by fast - look how grown up Erin is already!

Wendy! Thanks for the Utube info - I'll have to look for him!

 

[DisneyDerek]

That may be my next phone!

Come to the dark side, Glenn, and we can be iPhone half-brothers (me on AT&T and you on Verizon).

Great use of smilies Derek! It's like I was there. Hope your TV is okay.

I remember those days with young'ns....hang in there.

Thanks for the kudos on the smiles. I was trying to find a way to make my rant less painful for me and hopefully more interesting for you all. Wendy says the TV is okay but I still see all the scratches (and yet to be paid bill).

Oh Derek You need some big hugs right about now.

Once she grows out of being the Tasmanian devil, you will laugh about this.
It may take until she has kids of her own and you are babysitting and your grandchild is hitting the new media device with something but you will laugh.
Hang in there Derek.

As soon as I posted that I went to Yahoo and it was right there staring me in the face. I may still go android though, have not fully decided but I am leaning that way. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks for the I needed a shoulder to cry on but am learning a good lesson in materiality this weekend. I also dressed up way too much for our Men's Discipleship meeting this morning and offered to help out with moving cut trees and got all dirty and kept thinking to myself, "Why did I wear my good jeans and nice polo shirt?" Oh wellz : But yes, I'm sure we'll have a good laugh down the road about it.

Regarding your phone choice, it depends upon how much creativity you want to put into using your smart phone. Android is more customizable due to the open software architecture and iPhone is more trendy. But wait, Motorola just announced their new Atrix Android phone with a dual core processor and has a docking station that looks like a laptop so you can use it to power up and use apps on the docking station! Check out these links from Motorola and from GeekBeat.tv (with a video clip)

Personally speaking, i get a lot of use out of my iPhone 4 and love the diversity of apps so I wouldn't trade it for the world. I also use my iPhone as an iPod at work, as a smart remote at home with our new Apple TV, as my mobile data center (to manage websites while I'm on the go) and my email nerve center. But alas, I wish I had access to flash which Android has.

Oh Derek I soo feel for you!!!!The Terrible Twos unfortunately turn into the Terifying Threes !!!Hang in there eventually they will be parents and pay backs are so BLISSFUL!!!

Yes, I'll have to remember these stories when Ashlyn gets married, if I live that long. At this rate, not.....

Oh no! It must be so hard for you! Like Glenn said, I like your use of smilies.

Thanks Yuki on the kudos too on the smiles. Trying to keep it real

Wow, all those gadgets look so nifty! I've always wanted to go to the CES, but civilians aren't allowed. Must've been so cool to see all that new stuff!

Actually, civilians can go. You can register for free (the registration comes out about July or so). Just check out cesweb.org (check back in June-July 2011 for the 2012 show) and sign up for free before the deadline. Once you register, you'll be on their mailing list to remind you to register in future years! That's how I got hooked. As they say, the first time is "free" but after that, the addition begins.

Thanks all for the bday wishes! Derek and I went to The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) tonight to celebrate... it was yum!

Thanks for being a wonderful date. The dinner and company were excellent

Funny you should mention that as Derek is reminded about the time when he was little and he threw a rock at the TV set and busted the screen. Ouch!

This is a true story

 

[mom3sonstt]

[FONT="

Actually, civilians can go. You can register for free (the registration comes out about July or so). Just check out [URL="http://www.cesweb.org"]cesweb.org[/URL] (check back in June-July 2011 for the 2012 show) and sign up for free before the deadline. Once you register, you'll be on their mailing list to remind you to register in future years! That's how I got hooked. As they say, the first time is "free" but after that, the addition begins. :[/FONT]

My husband and his buddy have been going out there for years. In their opinion the show isn't as good as it used to be. Or at least they have gone for so long that it doesn't take them long to cover the whole thing. Not to say that they aren't gone for a long time....they flew out wednesday morning and aren't coming home until next Sunday. They are road tripping through Arizona. Today the London bridge and Yuma are on the agenda.