Toystoryduo's Journal....Moving Forward From Here

[toystoryduo]

Wow, that is going to be a far drive. How long does it take you?

Hi Amy,

It usually takes us about 16 hours one way. We drive straight through, but we take bathroom breaks along the way, and we'll stop for a quick meal or two. On the way down, I usually drive Ohio to give my DH time to rest. He'll drive through to S. Carolina and then I drive Georgia so he can rest again. It actually works out well for us. We have some of our best conversations on our Florida road trips! We play games (trivia, BINGO, state license plate game) and we bring the DVD player for the girls as well. The funny thing is that when we get to Orlando, we're never tired despite being in the car for 16 hours. Must be that Disney magic!

 

[toystoryduo]

Lots to do today....Homeschooling, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning bedrooms, running an errand or two, getting my hair dyed, e.t.c.

I am making progress on our Disney to do list, but at a more leisurely pace then in the past. It's kind of nice not leaving right after Thanksgiving like we have the past couple of years because it's giving us time to get things done. We may plan next year's vacation the same way.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

 

[solar]

ooh, you're heading to Disney next week! I enjoyed our trip and miss Florida all ready!

Laughing..bathroom breaks, i'd drive you crazy, i'd need them every 90 mins or so!!

Hope you get your errands done, and your chores out of the way...and your Disney to do list accomplished

 

[lovinaz]

Wow, 16hrs! But at least the prize at the end is totally worth it!!

 

[traceycooper]

Hi Amy,

It usually takes us about 16 hours one way. We drive straight through, :

omg Tracy, it takes you twice as long as me!!! ive just told DH how long it takes you & he said it wouldnt take that long to drive the whole length of Britain from south england to scotland!!
still well worth it

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hey Tracy,

Hope your dh's job went well yesterday, some people take out their stress on the least deserving people!

We have done road trips that long and longer. Honestly, we toy with driving to WDW all the way from Colorado, so much to see between hear and there. But its about 28 hours total! Like you, we enjoy the time to reconnect as a family on road trips.

I can't believe your trip is so close, for sure single digit dancing burns calories! I'll dance with you!

Oh and btw, I think you'll be in WDW just about the same time frame we were three years ago. We had learned a couple of years earlie that it is hard to leave too quickly after Thanksgiving. And you come home so close to Christmas, it makes it less sad to leave!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks ladies.

Yesterday was another long day....Looking for lost money, issues with DH's work (3 job cancellations this week!), issues with the bank, issues with DD7, not feeling well yesterday...UGH! I'm glad today is a new day!

Today's Plan:

* Homeschooling (last day of Science for the year!)
* Call the bank
* Laundry
* Clean the kitchen, the living room, and the bedroom
* Errands

We'll also be counting the change jar today...It's money we've been adding to the jar since September...No dollars, just change...I can't wait to see how much $$ is in there!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

***********************************************************************
Deb~ I'm glad to hear that you had a great time in Florida! On our trips to Florida, we sometimes we do stop to go to the bathroom every 90 minutes or so.

Amy~ The 16 hour drive to WDW goes surprisingly well. Of course, we have WDW as our "prize" once we get there. The trip home is a different story. It seems like it takes forever to get home and or course, we're all sad to leave WDW. It's definitely worth it though! Some of our best family memories are WDW memories.

Tracey~ The long trip is well worth it! I'll have to tell my DH that it's a longer trip than S. England to Scotland.

Amy~ My DH's job didn't go as planned. He got onsite to do the install and the owner told him to come back next week. He should have told my DH that on the phone Monday. Now, my DH may have to ship the equipment to the tech that is covering for him while we are out of town. UGH! We could have used the extra money too. By the way, you have stayed at BWV before, right? Do you have any "tips" you can share with us? We'll be there 12/14-12/17. Thanks! :

 

[solar]

I hope today is a better day for you...sounds like you had your hands full. Ending science for the year...woohooo....when do you start it up again?

I love dumping our change too! It's always a nice surprise and always more than we expect. Here's to big numbers!!!!

 

[lovinaz]

Sorry to hear you had such a rough day yesterday! Hope everything is better today. Can't wait to see how much change you saved up!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks Deb and Amy.

Yesterday was a much better day! We got a lot accomplished and it was much more peaceful.

We counted our change jar yesterday and we have $50 extra dollars for our trip! Not too bad since we've only been adding change since the end of September.

Here's what the next few days look like:

Today:
* Homeschooling
* Workout
* Clean bedroom (still haven't found $$ yet)
* Help DD7 clean her room
* Finish laundry

Tomorrow's Plan:
* DH works
* Show dad how to take care of guinea pig
* Errands
* Packing
* Bank

Sunday:
* DH works
* Finish packing
* CVS, Wags, Rite Aid

Monday:
* DH works x 2
* Last minute errands

Tuesday:
* DH works
* Get rental car
* Pack car
* Leave by 4:00 p.m.

Well, those are the plans anyways...Subject to change as always!

I weighed in this morning and showed a 1.4 pound gain. Not totally unexpected....TOM is here and my food choices have not been good this week. It's my last weigh in before Florida so we'll see what happens when we get back....

That's about all from here...Have a great day!

 

[lovinaz]

It's amazing how quickly change adds up! That's great to have that extra $$ for your trip.

Sounds like you have everything planned out, I hope it doesn't change too much!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks Amy.

We got almost everything accomplished on yesterday's to do list. The only thing I did not tackle was cleaning the bedroom. My DH has work stuff all over the place in there and I don't want to move anything without knowing where he wants to put it. Besides, that gets him to help clean too! We'll try and get that done today.

Today's Plan:
* Guinea pig instructions
* DH works
* Get banking done
* Start packing
* Drop off mail hold at USPS
* Invoicing and scheduling for DH
* Clean bedroom
* Work on CVS, Wags, Rite Aid lists

I've taken errands off the list today because we will be out and about tomorrow doing CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid deals. We'll just get the other errands done at the same time. We'll get the bank and post office errands done today though since they're not open tomorrow.

That's about all from here...Have a great Saturday!

 

[toystoryduo]

So, what got accomplished on yesterday's to do list? Not much.

My DH forgot to stop at the bank and the post office on the way to work. By the time he got home, both were closed.

After he got home, we took my parents out to eat at Bob Evans. When done, we got in the car and the car wouldn't start. My parents took the girls and I home while my DH worked on the car. Two hours later, he comes home with spark plugs and wires and says the car isn't "firing" properly and needs to change those out. He does that, the car starts, but it still doesn't sound right. He needs to take it to Auto Zone after work today to see what the problem is. If it's the ignition coils, he can fix those. If it's the pistons, he's not sure because he doesn't want to tear the motor apart again. We are trying to hang on to this car as long as possible so we can continue saving for a new one. If you have any pixie dust, good thoughts, or prayers you can send our way today, we would appreciate it.

Today's Plan:
* Fix the car
* Start packing
* Clean the bedroom
* CVS, Wags, Rite Aid (maybe)
* Work on to do list

I have to say, I thank God that this car problem happened here and not in Cincinnati where my DH was working on Friday. I can't even begin to imagine how much more difficult this would have been had he been out of town. Thank you, Lord!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

 

[lovinaz]

Yikes! Nothing like car problems to ruin an otherwise perfect day. At least your DH is mechanically inclined and is able to fix a lot of those problems! THat is a wonderful thing! I hope this is something he can fix.

 

[toystoryduo]

Unfortunately, the car is about kaput. We can drive it around locally. Scratch that...DH can drive it around locally, but any distance travel is out of the question. He fixed what he could and said that the other repairs would cost more than the car is worth. So, when we get home from Florida, we'll need to get another car. I was hoping to have a few more months to save, but I guess it's not to be. Please send good thoughts/prayers that God will bless us with the right car at the right price. My DH is thinking of getting the same make/model car and then use our car for parts and then scrap it out. We'll see how that goes.....

My to do list is a mile long today....Cleaning, shopping, packing, e.t.c. I'll probably work a little, DIS a lot...Work a little, DIS a lot! Gotta keep up on all the Disney news before we leave.

GOOD NEWS!!! We found the missing money! My DH put it with his deejaying CDs that he wants to take to Florida with us. Woohoo!

Well, that's all for now. I'll probably be back later. Have a great Monday!
*****************************************************************************

Amy~ Thanks! I am very grateful that my DH is mechanically inclined. He has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.

 

[solar]

YEAH, congrats to $50 extra dollars!

Looks like you have a full schedule, but your trip is almost here, so that's so much fun to look forward to!

Sending car pixie dust your way..hope it's an easy fix --ooh, kept reading, looks like it will be time to car shop soon...hope you find a great deal

and YEAH for finding missing money!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks Deb.

We're slowly getting things done here....

* Christmas gifts are wrapped and put away
* Front room is clean
* Bedroom is clean except for vacuuming
* DH is going to the post office, bank, and grocery store for me
* Guinea pig's bedding is changed
* We're about 50% packed

I need to:

* Finish packing
* Finish DH's invoicing
* Go to the Dollar Store
* Go to the library
* Get a McDonalds gift card
* Get the rental car (tomorrow)
* Pay a bill
* Cancel an account
* Write out the guinea pig instructions for my dad
* Pack the car and go!

My DH may have to work after we get the rental car tomorrow. He's not sure yet. We should know within the next hour or so....

Have a great afternoon everyone!

 

[lovinaz]

Sounds like everything is coming together for the trip! That is wonderful that you found the missing $$! And I'm sure you will be able to find a new car to suit your needs.

 

[DisDee]

Tracy,I bet you're so excited to be going to WDW in just 2 days. I am so totally jealous! All kidding aside, have a wonderful time! I love all the holiday happenings at the parks and resorts, although we haven't done a trip at this time of the year in quite awhile.

Have fun!!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy, did you find the lost money? I hate it when that happens. And I will say prayers that you get the right car! We have been there and done that and its not fun. That is great your husband can fix it most of the time and I am so thankful it didn't break down when he was in Cincinnati.

I love BWV! Make sure you ask them about the entertainment on the boardwalk while you are there. I am not sure they do eveything nightly and there's a lot of neat things that are fun to watch and free too! I love the Boardwalk bakery, love the pizza window and think the quiet pool at BW is one of the nicest ones in WDW. And if you can, get a Ferris Wheel at the pool bar! Very tasty cocktail! And of course, think of me when you drink it!

Have a wonderful trip, I know you will! You really deserve this, I wish I could come with you! One of these days that will happen.

Oh, I read a bunch of the book you gave me today while ds was at his appt. I really laughed out loud a few times (have you read it? The story about the mom and the pacifier totally cracked me up!).