mickiecake
I TOLD you not to eat that McDonald's crap!!!
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2007
- Messages
- 551
Well.. I have started pre trip reports 3 times already, but never finished b/c I didn't think anyone would really wanna read about my obsessive trip micro management. But I am finding that these ghost reports were theraputic, helping me escape the clutches of Disney Mania for a few days, getting it out of my system, I spose.
But the other night, I dreamed about our trip to WDW. I dreamed in wonderfully vivid detail,, about checking into AKL.. to riding rides and eating in restaurants. Of course, as far as I know WDW does not actually have a direct teleportation unit from AKL to any theme park, nor do ALL the CMs wear tie die mouse ears.. but that's not the point. The point is that I need to PURGE this mania before I end up going to the World, not only divorced, but a drooling, twitching, broken mess obsessivly clutching my ADR list and reservation number to my heaving chest, while pulling a wagon full of assorted Crocs, moleskin and 17 copies of the UnOfficial Guide. Who needs clothes when you can just paper over your parts with copies of Touring Plans?
See what I mean? I guess I should start by explaining the convoluted history of this, the ultimate vacation. The players in this little drama are as follows:
(please note as I will only being using smileys for reference)
Me- Mickie- Age 30
DH- Doug- Age 33
DS - Twin Boys -
Ashe & 
Rowan - Age 8 (going on 40, and 2, respectivly)
Also, please note our supporting cast -
My grandmother- Betty- Age Old & Grumpy
Well, it all started when I was 3...
HAHA gotchya..
No, really. This whole whizbang, I guess really dates back almost 9 years, when DH & I got married. Just for background, I went to Disney 2X as a child. ,
& have never been, either. Not to date myself or anything, but I remember the first rollercoaster I ever rode. It happened to be Space Mountain. I believe I was 5 or 6. Now, I grew up hearing this story.. and I kind of always thought it was BS, even though I have vague memories of the fated afternoon...
DH says no one is going to believe my story, and that may be true. But I SWEAR that BOTH my Grandparents (I lived with them growing up) would sign a statement in blood this is 100% true. 
Anywho.. We went to ride Space Mountain, and I was too short for the ride. Now, I am sure that I was the paragon of poise and dignity upron hearing this news (at age 5 or 6 after standing in line in the middle of Summer in the 80s to ride !) So this well-meaning but apparently stoned CM, tells my rather, um, imposing (read: obnoxious) grandfather than I can ride.. sitting on the floor of the car
... so I plop my tube topped pinkshorted 5 or 6 year old self on the floor of the ride car. My Grandfather then sits in the car, and places his legs over my shoulders, crossing his feet in front of me like some sort of misguided human harness. Off we go!!
I really do have memories of this.. I remember how dark it was, and I could only see out the side, not really in front of me.. it was dark.. and cold.. and I swear to god their were fireworks going off.. at least I remember something LIKE fireworks. I remember the feeling of freedom.. like I was flying... and the wind in my hair.. and I just remember laughing and screaming at the same time.. if you can even DO that
.. I remember getting out of the car.. and my Grandfather.. shaking and pale.. mumbling "Never again... never again... " over and over (he told me a few years ago, he was scared stoopid b/c I almost slipped, apparently it was difficult to keep a 3 foot kid leg locked on a roller coaster... go figure...). I also seem to remember a tunnel with lights like a rainbow? Any old school DISers... did SM have fireworks? Or a rainbow tunnel? I don't know, b/c once again, I was only a lil thing. That was my last trip to WDW.... I wonder why my Grandfather never wanted to go back.....
So.. believe it, or don't believe it, that's ok, too
. Sometimes, I'm not sure I believe it..
So. Onward with the Turner vacation tale . We live in South Carolina. Therefore we are poor. 
Well, I guess REALLY poor people don't have computers and internet.. but we DO support a family of 5 on a carpenter's income, and what I make from decorating cakes at home. We drive well maintained vehicles that are def. older than the Animal Kingdom, have no health insurance, and sometimes have to eat ingredients for dinner (yuh.. um.. we've got a can of green beans, an onion, and bologna....you know you're a food ninja when you can work with THAT
). My Grandparents live in Atlanta, where I grew up. Since we got married, we have never been ANYWHERE but Atlanta on vacations. We go there to see my Granparents, help them out around the house, etc.. On any given vacation, you would have seen us painting the house, or fixing the roof, or mowing the grass, cleaning the basement, and number of delightful things we all like to do on our time away from work. 3 years ago, my Grandfather had a stroke, and he is now bedridden. Oh, and he weighs almost 300 lbs. 
. My gmother will not have him stay at any kind of facility, so his hospital bed is set up in the living room. She has not slept on a bed since his stroke, she sleeps on the couch. So, after the stroke we started going down there 3 times a year instead of 2. The only time he gets out of bed is when we visit. We get him in his wheelchair and take him for walks around the house, then park him in the driveway, where he watches cars go by and the boys playing.
About a year ago, my Mom started having balance problems. They rapidly progressed until she couldn't drive, or perform well at her job for Verizon. Her job was complex, she fielded calls from techs all over the Southeast who were having difficulties with phone lines. Luckily, over her 15 years at Verizon, she had diligently paid disability insurance. So for a year, she was getting 50% pay from that policy. She slowly went through her savings paying co pays for tests and doctors and bills that her decreased income didn't cover. One doctor says this, one says that, this test is abnormal but this one is fine.. after a year, the insurance company calls and informs her that since she has been ill a year and has no diagnosis, that her claim in now invalid. Oh, and by the way, you are also now fired from Verizon, and will be losing your health insurance.. have a nice day!!
So, My little family was renting at the time. We decide to move in with her to take over the bills, so she won't lose her house. SO we pack it up. Myself, DH, and the twins, as well as our 18 fish, Fluffy Nugget (the cat) and Fang (the ball python). Off we go to Nana's House, where we will be joining Nana (or NanaWobbles as we call her now.. she kinda wobbles when she walks since she got sick LOL), her 6 cats and 2 spolied, obnoxious hateful brat digs <sigh>. Heh heh. At least the house is bigger...
We have been here for a few months now, and things are working out ok. We have more bills, which is always a plus . We have had a pretty rough Summer.. I swear kids are bottomless pits.. open mouth, insert cash... but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like she should be getting Social Security and a settlement from the hateful insurance company in the Spring. Until then... well.. let's just say you don't want to eat dinner at my house on Thursday nights 
Oh... I'm sorry... was I supposed to be talking about Disney??
Apparently I had a subconcious need for keyboard therapy...
Ok.. to be continued....
TOMORROW: Grandmother's Big Suprise
But the other night, I dreamed about our trip to WDW. I dreamed in wonderfully vivid detail,, about checking into AKL.. to riding rides and eating in restaurants. Of course, as far as I know WDW does not actually have a direct teleportation unit from AKL to any theme park, nor do ALL the CMs wear tie die mouse ears.. but that's not the point. The point is that I need to PURGE this mania before I end up going to the World, not only divorced, but a drooling, twitching, broken mess obsessivly clutching my ADR list and reservation number to my heaving chest, while pulling a wagon full of assorted Crocs, moleskin and 17 copies of the UnOfficial Guide. Who needs clothes when you can just paper over your parts with copies of Touring Plans?
See what I mean? I guess I should start by explaining the convoluted history of this, the ultimate vacation. The players in this little drama are as follows:
(please note as I will only being using smileys for reference)
Me- Mickie- Age 30
DH- Doug- Age 33
DS - Twin Boys -
Ashe & Rowan - Age 8 (going on 40, and 2, respectivly)Also, please note our supporting cast -
My grandmother- Betty- Age Old & Grumpy
Well, it all started when I was 3...
HAHA gotchya..
No, really. This whole whizbang, I guess really dates back almost 9 years, when DH & I got married. Just for background, I went to Disney 2X as a child.
, & have never been, either. Not to date myself or anything, but I remember the first rollercoaster I ever rode. It happened to be Space Mountain. I believe I was 5 or 6. Now, I grew up hearing this story.. and I kind of always thought it was BS, even though I have vague memories of the fated afternoon... DH says no one is going to believe my story, and that may be true. But I SWEAR that BOTH my Grandparents (I lived with them growing up) would sign a statement in blood this is 100% true. Anywho.. We went to ride Space Mountain, and I was too short for the ride. Now, I am sure that I was the paragon of poise and dignity upron hearing this news (at age 5 or 6 after standing in line in the middle of Summer in the 80s to ride !) So this well-meaning but apparently stoned CM, tells my rather, um, imposing (read: obnoxious) grandfather than I can ride.. sitting on the floor of the car
... so I plop my tube topped pinkshorted 5 or 6 year old self on the floor of the ride car. My Grandfather then sits in the car, and places his legs over my shoulders, crossing his feet in front of me like some sort of misguided human harness. Off we go!! I really do have memories of this.. I remember how dark it was, and I could only see out the side, not really in front of me.. it was dark.. and cold.. and I swear to god their were fireworks going off.. at least I remember something LIKE fireworks. I remember the feeling of freedom.. like I was flying... and the wind in my hair.. and I just remember laughing and screaming at the same time.. if you can even DO that
.. I remember getting out of the car.. and my Grandfather.. shaking and pale.. mumbling "Never again... never again... " over and over (he told me a few years ago, he was scared stoopid b/c I almost slipped, apparently it was difficult to keep a 3 foot kid leg locked on a roller coaster... go figure...). I also seem to remember a tunnel with lights like a rainbow? Any old school DISers... did SM have fireworks? Or a rainbow tunnel? I don't know, b/c once again, I was only a lil thing. That was my last trip to WDW.... I wonder why my Grandfather never wanted to go back.....So.. believe it, or don't believe it, that's ok, too
. Sometimes, I'm not sure I believe it.. So. Onward with the Turner vacation tale
. We live in South Carolina. Therefore we are poor. Well, I guess REALLY poor people don't have computers and internet.. but we DO support a family of 5 on a carpenter's income, and what I make from decorating cakes at home. We drive well maintained vehicles that are def. older than the Animal Kingdom, have no health insurance, and sometimes have to eat ingredients for dinner (yuh.. um.. we've got a can of green beans, an onion, and bologna....you know you're a food ninja when you can work with THAT ). My Grandparents live in Atlanta, where I grew up. Since we got married, we have never been ANYWHERE but Atlanta on vacations. We go there to see my Granparents, help them out around the house, etc.. On any given vacation, you would have seen us painting the house, or fixing the roof, or mowing the grass, cleaning the basement, and number of delightful things we all like to do on our time away from work. 3 years ago, my Grandfather had a stroke, and he is now bedridden. Oh, and he weighs almost 300 lbs. . My gmother will not have him stay at any kind of facility, so his hospital bed is set up in the living room. She has not slept on a bed since his stroke, she sleeps on the couch. So, after the stroke we started going down there 3 times a year instead of 2. The only time he gets out of bed is when we visit. We get him in his wheelchair and take him for walks around the house, then park him in the driveway, where he watches cars go by and the boys playing. About a year ago, my Mom started having balance problems. They rapidly progressed until she couldn't drive, or perform well at her job for Verizon. Her job was complex, she fielded calls from techs all over the Southeast who were having difficulties with phone lines. Luckily, over her 15 years at Verizon, she had diligently paid disability insurance. So for a year, she was getting 50% pay from that policy. She slowly went through her savings paying co pays for tests and doctors and bills that her decreased income didn't cover. One doctor says this, one says that, this test is abnormal but this one is fine.. after a year, the insurance company calls and informs her that since she has been ill a year and has no diagnosis, that her claim in now invalid. Oh, and by the way, you are also now fired from Verizon, and will be losing your health insurance.. have a nice day!!
So, My little family was renting at the time. We decide to move in with her to take over the bills, so she won't lose her house. SO we pack it up. Myself, DH, and the twins, as well as our 18 fish, Fluffy Nugget (the cat) and Fang (the ball python). Off we go to Nana's House, where we will be joining Nana (or NanaWobbles as we call her now.. she kinda wobbles when she walks since she got sick LOL), her 6 cats and 2 spolied, obnoxious hateful brat digs <sigh>. Heh heh. At least the house is bigger... We have been here for a few months now, and things are working out ok. We have more bills, which is always a plus
. We have had a pretty rough Summer.. I swear kids are bottomless pits.. open mouth, insert cash... but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like she should be getting Social Security and a settlement from the hateful insurance company in the Spring. Until then... well.. let's just say you don't want to eat dinner at my house on Thursday nights Oh... I'm sorry... was I supposed to be talking about Disney??
Apparently I had a subconcious need for keyboard therapy...
Ok.. to be continued....
TOMORROW: Grandmother's Big Suprise
, IF I am ever able to visit the World, it will be many, many years in the future. By then I'm sure WDW will encompass the entire state of Florida,and I will in a flying wheelchair 
. So yea, this trip is big. Really, really BIG. 
..
let me call you in an hour..."
