UPDATE 7/16 TR Link Posted! The "I-Must-Be-Crazy" PTR - July 2012

[KatMark]

So..................are you done packing????????????

I have half a day left on my TR and departure day and then I'm done. I've not decided if I'm doing a PTR for our September trip or not, so I'm going to live through yours.

 

[Simba22]

I just read your TR last night and hopped on over to your PTR. Loved your TR btw. I have been wanting my whole family to take a trip to WDW ever since I went the first time in 2006. Reading this PTR makes me wonder how difficult that would be.There are a lot of us and a lot of kids.

Yay for reaching double digits. I'm still 140 days out and can't wait. Never read the passporter before, always read the unofficial guide and loved it.

Anyway just wanted to say hi and not be a lurker. Can't wait to read more.

thank you so much for reading!

Planning the family trip has been....interesting...yeah...we'll say interesting...

It's easy in some respects because we are all adults, no kids...so we don't have to plan around that. Also, my family knows that we are basically Professional Disney Vacationeers (vacation-ears?) so they're pretty much leaving everything up to us. But it's hard when you have 8 people who all have a different budget, different hotel preferences, and different food preferences. Basically, I just emailed everyone a list of the places we like to eat and got everyone's opinions and then went from there. So the planning process was honestly not THAT strenuous. The actual TRIP....that may be a different story. I'm hoping it all goes as magically as I imagine it!

As for The Passporter...I LOVE it! I started buying it a few years ago, mainly as a way to keep all of our trip information stored neatly, and safely, in one place. But it's SUPER convenient too because all of the actual "guidebook" stuff is in color coded sections. So if you're sitting around trying to help people plan out, let's say, a food budget. You can open right up to the Dining section and then just find the restaurant you're looking for by park or resort. It also has park maps that show you approximate times between attractions...so if you're walking from Cinderella Castle to Pirates...the map will show you about how long it will take for you to walk there. Although I also really like The Complete Walt Disney World guide books too. So many pictures.... I love to oogle them all!

So..................are you done packing????????????

I have half a day left on my TR and departure day and then I'm done. I've not decided if I'm doing a PTR for our September trip or not, so I'm going to live through yours.

Not DONE packing but I did go to Walmart today and buy some toiletries we needed. I'll pack those up tomorrow, probably! I just need to get a few more things and I'll be done with shopping! I'm REALLY trying to get a new back pack this year. The one I always bring with us was the one I used in high school....I've been out of high school for 12 years.... That backpack has literally lasted me about 15 years including 9 trips to WDW. It's still definitely useable but I really want one that has side pockets for water bottles and padded shoulder straps. I found one that I really like but it's $60. I keep hoping it goes on sale some time soon!

 

[Simba22]

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend! We drove down to North Carolina to visit my mom in her new house! She moved down there last March and her and my step-father were living in an apartment while they had a home built in a new development. They closed on it at the end of this past March and we finally got to go and see it! I'm so jealous! Her house feels like something you would see on HGTV...it's amazing! We arrived there about 11am on Saturday and had a BBQ...then Sunday we drove down to Myrtle Beach to hang out with my sister and her BF (dinner at Medieval Times!! We had never done it before and it was SO fun!). Then we drove back home on Monday...Lots of driving for just a short weekend trip and I was definitely NOT ready to come back...but it was nice to take a little break at least!

Can you believe we have less than 6 weeks until we FINALLY go to Disney!?! It's coming up so fast and we are all getting so excited! And technically, we're at 39 days now since today is basically over!

I finished buying all of the toiletries we needed ($160 at Wal-Fart... ) The only thing I still need to get is new Crocs...the ones I have now are so worn out it's just sad! So that's definitely something that needs to get bought. But other than that, we're basically ready to leave!


On a side note, and completely unrelated.... a friend of mine gave me a TON of lettuce today from her garden for my bunnies. Now, I don't know if you guys know this or not, but I am PETRIFIED of bugs. Completely irrationally, but I just can't help it. So I have three plastic grocery store bags full of lettuce...I dump the first one into the bathtub to wash it all off. Bad idea. First of all...that meant I could actually SEE the bugs as they were washing off...second, the little pieces of lettuce that broke off were clogging the drain, which meant the bugs could then crawl up the side of the tub. I saw more earwigs come out of that bag than I have seen in my collectively in my entire life up to that point. SO GROSS. So for the 2nd and 3rd bags, I opt for the kitchen sink, where at least all the creepy crawlies would go right down the drain into the garbage disposal. That worked much better. But at one point...I saw this big fat nasty worm looking thing and I actually said out loud "ew! What's that?" and (here's the Disney tie-in) Timon popped into my head and says "A Grub...what's it look like!?" After googling what grubs look like, it definitely was NOT a grub...but gosh I love Disney! Always something to make me feel better! Although I can't shake the feeling that bugs are crawling on me...all day long I've been slapping my head, my arms, my legs...like a total spaz!... because I feel things crawling on me that aren't there!

Ok I'm done.

 

[KatMark]

Ali, if I ever have a bad moment, I know you are good at making me smile. I can just see you with the bugs and thinking of Timon. That is a very good story.

So glad things are coming together and you are only 39 days out. I know you so need this trip.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for 39 days left!!!

Hahaha I'm the same way with bugs, I would have been freaking out too!! That was very nice of your friend to give you the lettuce though!

 

[Simba22]

Ali, if I ever have a bad moment, I know you are good at making me smile. I can just see you with the bugs and thinking of Timon. That is a very good story.

So glad things are coming together and you are only 39 days out. I know you so need this trip.

I'm so glad that someone out there appreciates my antics! I'm the person that walks into a room and immediately scours the corners of the ceiling for bugs. I was sitting here just now talking to Lumar and I found a bug on the ceiling above his head. The other night, I found a spider in the corner of my room and of course, when I went to kill it, it fell down directly onto my pillow.... Ugh, I found a little green caterpillar on one of the lettuce leaves this morning and now I'm wondering what else is hiding in the pile, still. I HATE BUGS!!! (this from the girl who wants to move to Florida...land of the 3 foot moths.....)

Yay for 39 days left!!!

Hahaha I'm the same way with bugs, I would have been freaking out too!! That was very nice of your friend to give you the lettuce though!

It WAS nice of her! I told her next time she can keep the creepy crawlies, though!

 

[Simba22]

we're going to disney next month!!!!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

we're going to disney next month!!!!!!!!

 

[Nermel9]

we're going to disney next month!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!

 

[Simba22]

Yay!!!!

So excited! I was just reading your TR about the butterflies....Did you read my bug story about halfway up this page??

 

[Simba22]

I had intended to wait until Saturday to do another update because that will be our 30 day mark but.........

MICKEY MAIL CAME TODAY!!!!!! 35 days to go!!!!

 

[KatMark]

I LOVE Mickey mail.



It will be here before you know it.

 

[Simba22]

30 DAYS!!​

​

 

[KatMark]

30 DAYS!!​

​

Coming to dance with you.

 

[Simba22]

Coming to dance with you.

Yay!!

 

[Nermel9]

30 DAYS!!​

​

WOO HOO 30 DAYS!!!

And I'm all excited because tomorrow my ticker will say 4 months! Ugh! I have so long to wait!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your trip is coming up so soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay for Mickey Mail too!!!

 

[Simba22]

WOO HOO 30 DAYS!!!

And I'm all excited because tomorrow my ticker will say 4 months! Ugh! I have so long to wait!

I know EXACTLY how you feel! After this trip is over, my remaining ticker will stay "1 year"

Your trip is coming up so soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay for Mickey Mail too!!!

I can't believe we're in the TWENTIES!! I felt like it would never get here since I've been planning it for a year! Now that it's so close, I'm just really glad that everything is in place...no one is in a panic over anything, no one is waiting until the last minute for anything...I just feel so calm about it all!

 

[Simba22]

So I'm pretty sure there are only three of you still with me (I really hate writing PTR's because people lose interest so quickly!), but I had to pop in to say:

ONLY 2 MORE WEEKS!!!!​

Lumar and I, and also my cousin Tom and my brother Mike, have all received our DME packets.

My sister and her BF are driving so they don't NEED a packet.

My cousin Toni and her BF, Josh, have NOT received their packet.

I emailed our DVC guy so he could reorder one for them. That was the beginning of last week. As far as I know, they still have not received it. I know that when we get to MCO, they can just go up to the counter and give their info, so that they can get on the bus...but that means they have to pick up their own luggage because they won't have the yellow tags. So I'm really hoping that their packet arrives soon.

I also emailed Private Dining at The Contemporary about ordering us a custom cake, to be delivered after dinner on our 3rd night (we'll be eating at The Wave). I'm really really hoping that it's fantastical because I would hate to have everyone be totally disappointed and underwhelmed by it. Especially since it's probably going to cost me over $100. I'm really nervous but the pastry chef at the CR is one of the most trusted so I'm trying to have faith!

In other news... I've found a job! I'm not totally 100% excited about it because I really love being home, but my insurance (which was paid for by my old job and included as part of my severance package) and my unemployment will be up in August so I needed to get a move on. We come back from vacation on Monday July 16th, and I start my job on Tuesday the 17th! It's not ideal, but it was better than starting BEFORE vacation!

I just have a few more things to buy (something nice to wear to California Grill!), and then a few more things to pack, and then I'll be totally done and ready to leave!

 

[Joyciemc]

I feel like a total dolt for never noticing your PTR link in your signature! At least I caught on before your trip (just barely!)

I am all caught up, and so excited for you that it's so close now! After reading about the changes of whose going, and all the job/no-job situations, it must be nice to finally have things settled!

Also- did I know you have bunnies? I have one now, but had 3 originally George thinks he's a cat, and I'm pretty sure my cats agree with him!