To go or not to go, that is the question! The Andreu family in suspense!

[bkandreu]

Hello, guys! Let's start off with the title, shall we? To go or not to go, that is the question. My family has been to Disney World countless times (and I say that because I do not know the exact number of times we've gone, but I do know that is has been a lot) and we all truly love Disney World. We usually go in the fall or the winter. We've been during the summer, but it just isn't for us.

What about you all? When is your family's favorite time of year for Disney?

Anyway, as fall is approaching, the always-asked question has been ringing through the Andreu home: "When are we going to Disney!?" But this question has mostly fallen on deaf ears.. No one is answering! This has, quite frankly, gotten me just a little bit frantic. I have always been a Disney fanatic. I love Disney. For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking nonstop about different Disney restaraunts, resorts, and I've even been thinking longingly of the nine hour car ride from our house to Disney.. Yes, I know, I've got a bad case of the Disney My Disney pin collection has been gone through over and over, and I've been on Disboards more than should be allowed

However, there are a couple of things keeping our family from taking our annual trip to Disney this year. Last year, our trip had many, many low notes (although in my personal opinion, it had many high ones too, and even if your Disney trip is less than perfect, it should never stop you from going back the next time... or maybe that's just my Disney alter ego talking) which I will talk about later, and it's made my Dad very reluctant to go again. (I'm hoping to be able to win him over...possibly with this pre-trip report??? )

Also, my parents have become foster parents and we have a foster baby, who we've had living with us for about a year now and who we are deeply, deeply in love with and hoping to adopt. However, if we wanted her to go, it would have to be approved, and if it wasn't approved, my mom would lose all of her desire to go. She is head over heels for that child, and I can't blame her. I'd love to see this little girl at Disney World.. It's so magical there! I get a feeling I cannot describe at Disney World. I love that place.

So that brings us to the question that is leaving me shaking in my boots: To go or not go?!

I will have another post soon about our group and all of our little quirks. There will be pictures also Thanks for reading!

 

[bkandreu]

In years past, a lot of different Andreu members have gone on Disney trips (also friends of the family have gone) but the ones listed below are just the ones who would be potentionally going this year if we did go... (fingers crossed!)

Mom and Dad! They have both been to Disney world so, so, so many times.. and now I'm honestly having a hard time convincing them to go back this year Not only is it an expensive trip with the large bunch we always bring, but it always seems to stress Dad out.. Last year our car broke down on the way back home and we spent a whole freezing cold night inside of Waffle House while our car was being fixed.. Not the best night, most definitely. On top of some family arguments, this did not make Dad any more anxious to go back.. I'm hoping to change that! Mom loves the Incredibles and Rock n Roller Coaster, and she is a little more laid back, especially at Disney, than Dad is... She would be easier to convince than Dad, and trust me.. I have been trying. I constantly bring up how cute our foster baby, Patience, would look after going to Bibbity Boppity and how much she'd like it.. But she keeps saying I have to talk to dad!! UGH! Tell me this girl wouldn't look absolutely adorable with some mickey ears on!? This will be a major bribe point

Our next set is Tarah, Keith, and Atticus

Tarah is my sister and Keith is her husband. They are both twenty two. Tarah is almost done with college, where she has gone to become a teacher. Atticus is Tarah's son and Keith's step-son, and he is five going on six Tarah is a self confessed Disney freak. Last year, we took Keith with us for his first ever trip to Disney! Imagine that! His first trip to Disney when he is already over twenty years old! Anyway, he proposed to Tarah in Magic Kingdom, right in front the castle, and they got a round of applause from everyone around! It was great. Atticus has been to Disney every year of his life, and he loves it! We are all always fighting over who will get to ride which ride with Atticus! He is extremely spoiled with love and with toys. He says some of the cutest, smartest things.. and he loves Disney movies!

They were married in July, and are happily living in their own apartment with Tarah's first son, Atticus (my loving nephew who I love more than anything!) who loves his step dad and now calls him Daddy! Tarah, Keith, and Atticus love Disney, but are not sure if they can go this year sadly. Not only does Keith have a new job that does not offer him vacation days yet, Tarah is also pregnant and not sure that she would want to go to Disney pregnant! This is a bummer, and I hope that they get to go if we went, but we shall have to see! Below is a cool disney picture from their wedding:

I bought the bride ears at Disney before Keith proposed, and she found the groom ones on Ebay.

The next group would be my boyfriend, Cameron, and I

We're both seventeen years old and seniors in high school. Although at times he is a little freaked out with what he calls my "Disney obsession" he is overall pretty accepting of it He has been to Disney before.. sadly.. I've always wanted to take someone who has never been before! But I still plan on showing him a LOT of cool Disney stuff that I'm sure he hasn't seen before

 

[bkandreu]

Bump!

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

Subbing back!

I hope you can get a trip set in stone soon for all of you.

Your parents foster child is ADORABLE. I use to work with our Department of Family Services and I never understood that rule about vacations. I mean, yes, the department should know where you are and be able to contact you, but I just think it's ridiculous that you have to get vacations out of state approved and all that.

Regardless, you and your boyfriend look cute and if he hasn't been, then he need to GO! And the best person to go with is a Disney fan

 

[bkandreu]

Subbing back!

I hope you can get a trip set in stone soon for all of you.

Your parents foster child is ADORABLE. I use to work with our Department of Family Services and I never understood that rule about vacations. I mean, yes, the department should know where you are and be able to contact you, but I just think it's ridiculous that you have to get vacations out of state approved and all that.

Regardless, you and your boyfriend look cute and if he hasn't been, then he need to GO! And the best person to go with is a Disney fan

Thank you! I think the rule is a little crazy too. If we want to take her on vacation, they should really see that as a good opportunity for her, but who knows? I'm definitely wanting to take him to Disney with us! I've never been to Disney with anyone other than my family. Or, rather, I'm one of the ones in our family who has never invited anyone outside of the family, so this is really exciting for me!

 

[stitcharoo]

bkandreu! I found you!!!
LOVE the pretrip report so far
WHY DID YOU GET ME STARTED ON THIS SITE AGAIN!!!!!!!?????
Now I am gonna have to read a few trip reports to feel calm again.
Why don't you talk our father into just staying home?? HAHA. Mom for sure wants to go........ Dad..... Not so much.

This is all his fault for raising us to be obsessed! He should just go with it....

 

[bkandreu]

For the last couple of days I have been fervently trying to get my family to get back in the Disney spirit! It's a little disheartening because my Dad is still not on board.. Although, he did have me look at different resorts and prices on the Walt Disney World website.. so that may be a good sign

The question of whether or not to go to Disney is definitely a major one now because I've been pushing it lately.. Trying to slip little Disney things into conversations and joking with them about it. And right when I think I got them.. BAM! Dad will say forget about it, or mom will say there's no way we can go with the foster baby, etc, etc, blah, blah, BLAH! It's kind of a joke in our family that every year my Dad will say, "NO! No Disney this year, no Disney next year, NO MORE DISNEY!" But we always end up going anyway.. But now I am terrified we really won't go!

I want to go, and I am determined to! Dad has been wanting to buy a camper for a long, long time now, and now that he's got one in his sights, I have definitely been bringing up Fort Wilderness Campsites a LOT.

However, one of my main strategies was to tell Dad that going with a smaller group this year would be ideal and a lot less stressful. I think that idea may be getting thrown out of the window, because it is seeming more and more likely that Tarah, Keith, and Atticus will be joining us (the more the merrier ) and there are also two new guests that have been brought up recently, that had slipped my mind before now!

My brother, Bryan, and his fiance, Jin. Bryan joined the military around two years ago and was assigned to go to Korea. There he met Jin, and they began dating. Now he will be coming back to the states in November and is planning on marrying Jin. It would be so exciting if Bryan decided to come with us! He has not been to Disney in a while. Bryan likes Disney, especially Epcot, but he is one of those Disney lovers/haters. He loves Disney, and you can tell that at times it makes him feel like a kid again. But it does not take much for him to get verry aggravated with the crowds and things of that nature. He and my Dad are the ones we worry about when we go, because it does not take much to make them want to head back to the hotel and be done with the crowds or long lines!

It'll still be great though. I'm hoping that all of these new developments will lead to another Christmas (my favorite holiday) at Disneyworld (My favorite place!) with my favorite people! Let's hope!


STATUS:
Dad: 30% of the time will sound SOMEWHAT okay with it.. 30% of the time.. "Breanna! I never said we were going to Disney! Just let me think about it and quit talking about it nonstop!" and the other 30% of the time... NO!

Mom: 50% of the time wants to go, and talks to me about it a bit. 30% of the time will say, "Breanna... You know your Dad.. We'll just have to see.. We probably won't.. but who knows.. maybe we will.. maybe we won't.." (I hate these kind of answers!) and 20% of the time it is basically a no, either because of Patience (foster child) or because of Dad, or money, or SOME reason..

Tarah: 30% of the time says.. "Oh we can't go. We won't go.. I'll be pregnant! etc, etc!" 70% of the time.. "Oh, I get off for Christmas break on December 1st, what about you? We can start planning it."

 

[OziJo]

Hi there. I'm subscribing to your thread because I'm very interested to see how it turns out. Can she convince her family? Will her sister's pregnancy be an issue? Wouldn't it be great for the brother to bring his Korean fiance and how cute is the little one!! Staying tuned...

 

[bkandreu]

Hi there. I'm subscribing to your thread because I'm very interested to see how it turns out. Can she convince her family? Will her sister's pregnancy be an issue? Wouldn't it be great for the brother to bring his Korean fiance and how cute is the little one!! Staying tuned...

Thank you! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! We'll know soon enough!!

 

[mom2pixies]

I'm subscribing! I can't wait to find out about your parents' decision.

As a parent, I'd play the whole 'this might be the last time all of us we'll ever be able to go as a family' angle. LOL!!! Parents can't fathom the idea of missing out on having their entire family together for a special memory like this. Especially, when they see their children growing up and heading off into different directions, having families of their own. It's a devious plan--but it works!

Obviously, your sister is busy with her new husband, baby on the way and young kiddo at home and I'm certain it's rare enough that your brother is home--and maybe it would be the first time to spend a vacation with his fiancée and it would be special for her if it was her first time to Disney! And now, you are a senior. Next year, you'll be off doing your on college/working thing and it may be difficult to ever be able to plan this special trip again!

Of course, if they can't go because of Patience, I would completely understand that. But, if they can get approved to take her, it would be a sweet memory for her, too. A special trip with all of her older foster siblings to spoil her and cover her in magic!

Hope your dream comes true. I'll be checking in to see how it goes!

 

[coteau_chick]

Subbing I can't wait to find out if y'all go. I have a suggestion........start praying and quit talking to your dad about it. Let God work it out. You might be surprised. It worked for me. I never told Faron that I wanted to go back for my birthday until he told me to book a trip to go see Courtney.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Subbing in too! I think it's great that you started a PTR on the faith that you will get it all to work out. With that kind of determination, I have a good feeling about your trip!

 

[bkandreu]

I'm subscribing! I can't wait to find out about your parents' decision.

As a parent, I'd play the whole 'this might be the last time all of us we'll ever be able to go as a family' angle. LOL!!! Parents can't fathom the idea of missing out on having their entire family together for a special memory like this. Especially, when they see their children growing up and heading off into different directions, having families of their own. It's a devious plan--but it works!

Obviously, your sister is busy with her new husband, baby on the way and young kiddo at home and I'm certain it's rare enough that your brother is home--and maybe it would be the first time to spend a vacation with his fiancée and it would be special for her if it was her first time to Disney! And now, you are a senior. Next year, you'll be off doing your on college/working thing and it may be difficult to ever be able to plan this special trip again!

Of course, if they can't go because of Patience, I would completely understand that. But, if they can get approved to take her, it would be a sweet memory for her, too. A special trip with all of her older foster siblings to spoil her and cover her in magic!

Hope your dream comes true. I'll be checking in to see how it goes!

Exactly! I think I'm definitely going to take your idea and play it from that angle! I really hope Patience will be able to go, but I never thought about the fact that it's a nine hour drive and Patience is very impatient in the car! (haha.. Patience.. impatience ) And thank you! I am really hoping it will

 

[bkandreu]

Subbing I can't wait to find out if y'all go. I have a suggestion........start praying and quit talking to your dad about it. Let God work it out. You might be surprised. It worked for me. I never told Faron that I wanted to go back for my birthday until he told me to book a trip to go see Courtney.

I will definitely start praying

Subbing in too! I think it's great that you started a PTR on the faith that you will get it all to work out. With that kind of determination, I have a good feeling about your trip!

Thanks!! That means a lot! I just really want to have another chance to prove to them that Disney doesn't have to be the fast-paced, stressful thing that they think it is now! I'm really hoping it'll work out! And welcome too, by the way

 

[bkandreu]

This weekend has been an interesting one! On Saturday morning, Mom and Dad decided to go look at some yard sales. After I get ready I come downstairs to find Dad in a Mickey Mouse shirt, Mom in a Mickey Mouse shirt (while filling up our refillable Disney mugs from last year), and Patience wearing a Disney princess shirt! I asked if they were trying to mess with me, but they said it was just a coincidence.

We drove around a lot both on Saturday and on Sunday morning, and I definitely pointed out how good Patience was being in the car.. and when Dad asked me if I would be looking for anything, I replied, "Disney stuff."

I found a corkboard and put most of my Disney pins onto it. I'd been wanting to do that for a long time, and I'm very pleased with how it looks:

That isn't all of them, but they're the ones that I know I will never get rid of. I used to keep them in my Disney pin book that Mom bought for me at Disney last year and also a custom bag that Mom had made for me. I love it, but I'm going to keep the ones I want to trade in there:

An hour ago I came downstairs and Mom and Dad were looking at different dates and prices, but Dad didn't seem too pleased about either one. We looked at various dates from November, December, and January. Trying to find a place to stay and dates to where missing school isn't too much of an issue is kind of hard.

Right now our options are basically these:
1. Buying a camper (which Dad has wanted for a long time) and staying at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.
2. Staying at one of the value resorts (Pop Century, Music, Movies, Sports..) We have stayed at one of these for the last three years. We really like them, but since we aren't planning on doing the Dining Plan this year and because we want to save even more money, we're still not sure about it.
3. Staying at a Hilton. My Dad travels a lot for his job and he has a lot of Hilton "points" we could use where we technically wouldn't have to spend real money to stay there.
I called Disney and asked about various dates, resorts, etc.. and the lady was very helpful!


I'm really hoping it works out, but after we did all of these, I realized how complicated it's going to be. I've never been a part of the planning before. It's hard work! As you all know
After all of this talk, Dad said he is still not sure and he doesn't want me to get my hopes up... but it's looking up guys!

 

[Darkfirewolfe]

Wow - I love your pin collection! That cork-board was a good idea.

And it does sound like you've planted some seeds in their subconscious - who knows if they will sprout ::fingers crosses::

 

[coteau_chick]

Wow you have a lot of pins. It sure is looking like a trip might be in the works. Keep praying. I have my fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted

 

[stitches of laughter]

I really like your pin cork board! that's a really cute idea

 

[vdarrell]

I am praying for you and your family to be able to share this time together in a magical place.
Your foster sister is adorable and I love her name she would make a beautiful BB princess.
Your cork board displaying your pins is so neat my dh would be envious he started collecting a few that last time we were there and I have been fortunate to find him a few at garage sales and thrift stores(WHO would part with such items)
It would be great if I get to go in Dec. to see you and your family strolling past us at one of the parks.

Please thank your brother for serving our country.

Will keep checking in on your PTR to see if you can convince everyone that Disney is the place to be.

 

[OziJo]

Love the Pin cork board!

Buying a camper and staying at Fort Wilderness would be a great idea. Your dad would have his camper and you would have your Disney Holiday. Maybe your dad could hang out in FW fishing and hiking while the rest of you do the Parks. Have you been to FW before?