and I think this is more fun. 
I totally get it Susan...I have been looking at those exact lanyards for months. I plan to bring one home for my security pass at work.Ravenclaw for me and ds, Gryffindor for dh and dd is torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Did you order them from the Universal store online? I will wait til we get there, as duty and shipping to Canada effectively doubles the price on something like that. But, totally cool for you guys.
I'd be excited too. Heck, I'm excited for you!!
All caught up. Just in time for this PTR to be wrapping up it seems; lol. It is a good thing too, because I am super excited about your camping trip. I really want to camp at Ft. Wilderness one day, but no one in my family has ever been camping before so we don't have any of the stuff.
I can't wait to hear all about it.
That's a depressing thought. 
The new plants are in the ground, and a couple odds and ends, but it rained so much we couldn't get to anything else outside. Maybe this week.
)
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so I hope not. 
Your welcome on the chapter link tutorial. Can you tell I do alot of training at work?
Actually, yes.
I consider myself to be pretty high on the evolutionary scale when it comes to technology but still had alot of trouble figuring out how to make chapter links. Sometimes its the things that should be so simple that are the hardest
Isn't that the truth with everything, not just technology.
Awesome about the air conditioner. What a difference that will make. Heck now that I know you can buy an air conditioner for a tent maybe we will fullful Gabriel's dream of tent camping at Disney some day
We would have preferred a portable unit which sits inside the tent, with just hoses through the small cord "pocket," but those were $350. But, once Matt saw how a window unit can work by zipping it into one of the doorways (thanks again to the Dis), we decided to go that route. $100 and we're all set.
I'm sure "real" campers would be horrified at our pampered camping style. But, it could make all the difference in how pleasant this trip will be. Lack of sleep does not create happy campers in our family! Yikes!
I can not wait to see the tarp over the tent project that Matt is working on. Kenny and Gabriel have started camping with the Boy Scouts so we bought a pretty nice tent. However, it did not come with a tarp and when I look online you can not buy one for it because the tent we got is discountinued(probably why we got such a great price). So, I think Kenny will be interested to see how Matt's home made cover turns out. Perhaps Matt can take some pictures as he puts it together?
I'm planning to take some pictures this week.
It's going to be quite a sight, I have a feeling. If your husband needs to make one, there are some great videos on youtube that will help also. Ours is going to be obnoxiously big, but you could easily make it smaller.
Or, if they just need something like a standard or small rain fly, you can find those from places like Dicks. I forget what they call them, but I looked at them when we were trying to come up with a solution to our problem, they were just too small for our ginormous tent.
I am not sure about bug spray expiring but will say we have used the same bottle for three years now
That sounds promising. I couldn't find an expiration date on the bottle so I hoped they were still good. But, we made that mistake with sunblock one year (used the leftovers from the summer before) and we all paid for it. Ouch!
It always feels good to go on a trip knowing that you do not have to worry about spending money. It is never my goal to come back with cash on hand(I know my limitations) but I do love knowing I have enough to make it through
Please post pictures of Emily's new project. I have shown her flower pot fountain to so many and everyone thinks it is so creative. The person that would have really loved it is my mom! I sadly did not get the creativity gene so my house is very plain looking and could use some decorations.
I've got rooms in my house that I love (Kitchen, Mud Room, Dining Room), but the family room and living room are just BLAH. I'm working on it, but I just can't seem to find exactly what I want, so it's slow going.
em! I had to hurry and hide them, so I didn't get to really check them out, but they look better than the last set we had, so I think they'll hold up. 
I guess we'll see. And who knows what the cousins have cooked up.
We were explaining the purpose of the tent poles to Matt's mother this weekend, and started listing all the camping trips we've gone on when it rained, and wow, it's been a lot. Mammoth Cave, Destin, Knightstown, Brown County, Indy. And, since this is Orlando in the summer.... I figure we can count on our daily afternoon showers on this trip. 
They are jerky junkes. Me, not so much. It's okay, just nothing I get excited over. 
(That's a wizard, not a "stirring the pot" smiley this time.) I can't wait to hear about her visit (and to pick her brain, of course... she may have some timely tips to give me. lol). I even forgot Garren's allergy shots this week. Grrr. We're gonna have to go Monday morning, first thing, and hopefully, this doesn't put him off schedule or cause a bigger reaction. We're not supposed to go more than two weeks between shots. Blah. Probably.
Sounds like you have to much to do and, to little time to do it. So excited to see the pics hope you get them up soon .......
Yeah, it's getting a little crazy here. We are probably not going to have the yard or landscaping done before our trip. But, I'm too excited about our impending vacation to really care right now. lol. We'll just get it done when we get back.
I am alittle lost though how do you zip the AC into the tent? Do you have to have it up at the top of the tent flap? mm how do you hold it up there. Ok trying to pic in my head but not working a pic would be great of the AC installed, maybe when you get there and your camp is all set you could take one, pls
I'll definitely get a picture once we're set up at the campground. But, I'll try to explain the best I can now:
Our tent has two doors on the front, side by side. (Don't ask me why, it's a bit redundant, don't you think??)
But, in this case, that helps. We'll have one door to enter and exit, and one to use for the a/c.
Our tent doors are shaped like a D. The one on the left (which we're using for the a/c is a backwards D. We can put the a/c unit into the bottom left corner of the D (on the bend), then (since the door has two zippers) zip the tent down from the top, and over from the right corner toward the unit. It closes up pretty tight all on it's own thanks to how flexible the tent is. We'll probably add a bit of duck tape and/or zip ties to keep it all secure, and to keep bugs out, but it's really pretty simple.
The only real problem we had is the bottom of the (D) tent door is about six inches up from the ground. Now, that was a minor
Hope you have a great time=wishing we were going this year.
have to live vicariously for now. Thinking of Disney always makes me happy.
Will you be writing a PTR for your trip next year? I'd love to read it. It looks like your going to have a fun group!!Your update sounds just like mine the two weeks before we were supposed to leave. No matter how far in advance we plan and how slow the times seems to go the last 30 days seems to fly by and I always get a little panicked the last two weeks. However, it always comes together in the end. Having the two days before off will really help!
Hope you get time to post some pictures before you leave but if not you can always include them in you TR
Not sure what I'm going to do about those yet... This could be interesting. I hope I pull it off!! (Crosses Fingers) He hates those things. They weren't that bad in the beginning, but now that he's up to the full dose in both arms, they do hurt going in, itch something awful, and make his upper arms sore for days. ). Have I mentioned she's a better cook than I am?? I'm thinking she likes her own cakes better since she loves to bake and makes them from scratch. I am a box mix baker all the way. 
Poor kid, doomed to make her own birthday cakes.
In his defense, we were working with an old tarp the last time which was too narrow and too long, so we were really just getting a feel for things. We've got the right size tarp now so he wants to make sure everything is covered properly and we've got all the stakes we need to keep it secure, blah, blah, blah, insert man-speak here.
He is ready to leave. Now. It's all he can talk about at home. (I'm lovin it.)
It was not good. We never even got on TSMM that day. Gotta do the slower loading top picks FIRST, not LAST, especially when the ride is fairly new...) He LOVES the low crowds after rope drop (his crowd aversion is why we are avoiding MK on this trip, that park drives him crazy. lol) 
But, hey, we can give it a shot if he wants to. It's a family trait. lol.) 
It also means we'll have the extra time needed to pool hop to the other resorts if the kids are interested. RPR has a nice kids play area, but no slide. The other two resorts have slides, and their own unique theme, so we may want to check them out. Now, I feel like we can manage that, and not cut into our park time. 
And now I read talk of tropical storms on the Dis. I really hope not. I can handle the afternoon thundershowers, but heavy rain, all day, every day! Or worse, a tropical storm! YIKES! 
Okay, I'm glad he's all calm about it, but if I drag half my house all the way to Orlando to camp, I'm going to be mildly annoyed if we end up in a hotel. Not to mention this is supposed to be a budget trip. Paying for a campsite and a hotel for the same nights is not budget. So, please pray for lovely weather July 19-28!!! I'd greatly appreciate it!!!
. He had no idea what that something else was and could have cared less but he did assume we would not be at Disney for two whole weeks. . .
I love the fact that Matt is so excited. To have someone in my family actually listen to my plans would be a dream come true for me! Kenny is 'eh" through the planning and stays that way until we actually get to Disney. Last trip he was actually surprised to find out the day before we were leaving that we were staying for two weeks. Somehow he thought we were staying at Disney for one week and doing something else the second week
I do like being the one in charge of the trip planning (obviously, then I get my way in most things), but it's nice when Matt starts to show and interest.
And, of course, I'm such a people-pleaser that situations like you describe above start to bug me, I start second guessing the plan and wondering if they are disappointed and get myself all worked up.
The only problem we ever have (and it doesn't just involve trips) is that Matt will want to make changes at the last minute. I'll have everything settled in my mind and then he comes along and says 'how about this' or 'we could try that.'
He's already making some subtle changes in our plans for this trip: i.e. the a/c, telling the kids about Universal the night before so we can get over there quicker in the am, and now he's talking about leaving earlier on Friday and stopping for the night on the way down.
He does the same thing at Christmas. I've budgeted and bought the gifts (and got his go-ahead on things), then Dec. 18th rolls around and off he goes buying more stuff for the kids, etc. I'm finally learning to be a last minute shopper like him so we don't blow our budget every year.
I think there is a fine balance between looser with your plans and making the most of your day. I think I finally achieved that balance this past trip after 10+ trips to Disney. So my philosophy is plan every detail and then be flexible when things change. I do not even let anyone know I have planned every detail (not that they would care) I just simply say hey lets go to this next and they all follow. Because of my planning usually by the end of the day everyone has seen or done everything they wanted to do.
I'm trying really hard to walk that tight-rope better this time. Our first trip was very mellow, but we didn't really know every option on that trip. We were such newbies. We took a longer trip (two weeks) the second time and because I over-planned it felt much more hectic and stressful than our first trip, when it was supposed to be more relaxing.
I love the idea of the letters and I bet the kids will love them too. I know kids have to grow up but I think it is important to realize that there are always times in life (no matter how old you are) when it is ok to just be a kid again. Heck it sounds like Matt is a good example of that
I did work on the letters this morning and I'm going to use them. (The kids spent the night at their cousins' house so I had the computer and printer to myself for awhile.) They came out pretty well if I do say so myself. I had some decent stationary so they look more polished/realistic, I just needed a few trial and errors with the printer to get the envelopes to print correctly. I even found a Hogwarts post mark to put on the envelope, lol. I love the internet! Never could have managed that myself!
Good luck on early entry for Universal the first day. I bet you make it right on time or very close after. Telling the kids early will make sure the whole family has the incentive they need to get things packed up and on your way. If the kids thought they were headed home you might have had more trouble (I know I am slow to get things together when I know my destination is home).
It will be tight, but you may be right. I met Matt for lunch today, and he was listing all the things we could pack up the night before and it was a lot. The final breakdown may not be as bad as I was imagining. But I'm not going to stress about it either way. We've got plenty time to enjoy everything at the "dark side".
I have never had any trouble with any ride (except the Tea Cups) until recently. The last couple of trips I have not enjoyed some of the rides I used to love. I am now the person that always volunteers to stay off with the little ones while everyone else rides the thrill rides
Getting older sucks, doesn't it? Of course, sometimes it's nice getting that one-on-one time with the little guys. They can be pure entertainment all by themselves!
I recently rechecked the hours for our September trip and was surprised at the number of changes! I do think it is weird about the Nightly show is 45 minutes after closing. I might almost think that was a misprint
Maybe I should check a couple different web sites? I think I'll do that. It does seem odd.
Glad you are going to have some pool time. I love exploring other resorts. It will let you know if you might want to consider another resort for your next trip
Good Point!
We got more rain during our May trip then we have ever gotten. We did have TS Andrea come through while we were there. I actually grew to love the rain because we did not have to deal with heat at all but I was not camping. I am sure I would NOT have have loved it if I was
We have also had nothing but rain since school let out here in Georgia. Seriously I think it has rained every single day since memorial day. Most days all day. So hoping it will be all rained out by the time you get there! I will definitely say a prayer for nice weather for your week!
