When Life Gives you Lemons... You Book A Trip To Disney World!

[DisneyTiger]

Hello everyone! Well, it's been a while so I thought I would try and breath life back into ole "DisneyTiger" and start up a new PTR! I haven't been around here in a long time and am looking forward to reconnecting to old DIS friends and making new ones along the say

So, here's the deal-e-o... life has been pretty sucky for me over the last year. I'll just be blunt about it. Between husband issues, family issues, weight issues... it's just been one roller coaster of a year I'll get into more detail later, but for now I'll let you know that the latest drama that has occured is my MIL was diagnosed with cancer and has been given 3 years to live. It's horrible and a complete shock to everyone. No one is ever prepared to hear those words. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 9 years ago and it has recently reappeard, metastacized on her spine, skull, and other various places. To make matters worse, she is bipolar but refuses to take the medicine. She is in complete denial and thinks she is fine, and let me tell you, she is NOT! Soooooooo, this was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back. Which leads me to the title of my PTR....

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS...

YOU BOOK A TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD

Sadly, I've kind of lost count of our trips to Disney. I think this is maybe our 12th but I could be wrong. We are complete Disney-aholics. I am of course the ring leader, but my DH is almost as bad. 3 years ago, I looked into turning my obsession with Disney into a job and signed on with a travel agency. So, not only do I get to make my own Disney dreams come true but I get to help others plan their trips as well. It's wonderful It's nothing that pays my mortgage or anything but it certainly helps out with our Disney travel fund.

So here's the cast...

Me My name is Talissa (pronounced like Melissa with a "T") and I am a SAHM with two beautiful children, DD6 Aubrey (turning 6 in September and the other reason for this trip) and DS Brendan (aka Bobo). As I said, I work from home as a TA specializing in Disney trips. I am 34 and feel like I am very blessed with a wonderful family, a roof over my head, strong faith, and good friends

DH: Jason - 35 - and my partner in crime. Even though we have had our ups and downs (more downs than ups lately) we are still partners. He loves Disney just as much as me and can always be persuaded into "just one more trip?" He's the practical thinker, always worrying about being able to pay the bills and stuff, where I say we need to live for today! His mother's cancer diagnosis made this point even more clear to him, which is why we have booked this "last minute" September trip.

DD6: Aubrey. My princess She is the light of my life and is closely following in her mother's footsteps. I'll catch her staring off into space and ask her what she's thinking about to which she usually replies "Disney World" Yes, I have raised (cough cough brainwashed) her right! Her 6th birthday is September 30th so we're calling this her birthday trip which she is thrilled about

DD4: Brendan aka Bobo my little man You will never meet a sweeter, cuter, or more loving little boy. He really is and I'm not ashamed to say it. He is ALL boy and loves everything Disney. Shocking, I know His first trip to Disney was at 18 months and he claims to remember all of it. You never know!

I can't come up with any picture of myself and DH by ourselves so here's the whole gang from our last trip this past December...

Alrighty, so that's us. Up next, how this whole "last minute" trip came about

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I'm here my friend. I hadn't realized that things had been going so crappy for you Really? In Nawlins with ALL that booze and drive thru daquiri bars, things are still craptastic? Seriously, I really am sorry. I really hope that things look up for you SOON!

for the record, I laughed OUT LOUD when I read the breakdown of how to pronounce your name. I didn't realize Talissa was so tricky for folks

 

[coteau_chick]

 

[DisneyTiger]

I'm here my friend. I hadn't realized that things had been going so crappy for you Really? In Nawlins with ALL that booze and drive thru daquiri bars, things are still craptastic? Seriously, I really am sorry. I really hope that things look up for you SOON!

for the record, I laughed OUT LOUD when I read the breakdown of how to pronounce your name. I didn't realize Talissa was so tricky for folks

Yeah, I know I put a lot on FB but I don't get too specific. I need another outlet to vent!!! And that's funny about my name. You should hear how people butcher it! But I'm sure you're used to that with Ash's name

Thanks for reading along.

I am so happy we are going to WDW at the same time. Finally!!!!!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Good morning everyone! The kids are sleeping in this morning so I thought I would take a minute to do a quick update...

So, here's the story... Let me first say that I know I am a very lucky girl. I have been to WDW more times than I can count since 2002, multiple times a year. DH supports my addiction and more times than not, he can't say no to me But, he was being pretty adamant about us not going to Disney this year. Why you ask? Well, after years of him asking, we finally booked a Disney Cruise on the Dream for our 10 year anniversary in Feb 2012 I was hesitant to do this because of two things: 1) We are DVC and are using points for the cruise. Everyone knows how pricey the cruises can be so you can imagine how many points we had to use We had to bank and borrow to scrounge up enough points which left us with no points to use in 2011 which means no trip for us for over a year! I know, your violin is in the shop... Really though, this was hard for me to swallow but I know our cruise will be amazing and I truly am looking forward to it - 4 nights at BCV then 4 nights on the Dream to the Bahamas! 2) my second hesitation to book the cruise was because of the fact that I get motion sickness extremely easy! I am one of those people who can't read in the car, can't ride simulated rides... I was once out of commission for an entire day after I rode Star Tours I was (and still am) very nervous about using up all of these points and then being stuck on the boat, sick as a dog! From what I've heard, the Disney ships are huge and most people are ok with the sea sickness. I am going to load up on Dramamine and think positively!

So, because of this huge trip that we have planned, DH put his foot down and said no trips in 2011! Plus we just did a trip this past December for 6 nights so I was really trying to respect that and not push the subject, then life started happening. He and I have gone through some tough times since last August but thankfully, I think it has made our marriage stronger. Then there's his family... Oh good Lord. Could I tell y'all some stories!!! I'll just focus on my MIL for now. The poor woman is truly mentally ill but in complete denial about it. She has a form of bipolar called "Hypomania" which basically means that she is on a constant high - she never stops. She is constantly on the go, shopping or doing something and she NEVER stops talking. It is enough to drive a person (me) INSANE! I know so much about this because DH also has the same condition. This is partly why we have had such problems in our marriage lately. THANKFULLY, he recognized that there was a problem and has been seeing a dr and taking the correct meds. You would never know that he is bipolar because he takes care of himself. Now, I know this is some seriously personal information that I am sharing here, but I want people to know that being bipolar does not make you a freak of nature! There is such a stigma that goes along with the diagnosis. My wish is that people can become more educated on the subject and not judge. DH is a wonderful man who happened to be dealt some bad genes. Bipolar is extremely genetic and he's got it coming at him from both sides of his family - including his mother, who just won't accept the fact that she needs medication Well, DH and I worked through our problems but dealing with his mother is a different story. So...... we were having to set up some serious boundaries with her (ie: you can't see your grandchildren until you get on the proper medication) and then we get the cancer diagnosis. Seriously? What else can happen! I so shouldn't say that... so basically, she's been given 3 years to live and I doubt she lasts that long. It's a horrible situation. One day last week, I was sitting on my couch really about to snap, and I picked up the phone and called Disney. I knew that the free dining promo will be coming to an end soon so if I was going to do something, I needed to do it quickly. So I did it. I booked a short trip without even telling DH

Needless to say, he was ok with it. He knows we need an escape from reality. He just worries about the money. But, we decided to drive, for the first time, to Orlando with our two kids Pray for me. Not sure how it will go but that's the plan.

Soooooooooooo, now that I've shared entirely too much with you about my personal life, here are the details of our trip:

-9/21/11 - check DD out of school early and hit the road. The kids know we're going to Disney but they don't know the date. They're only 4 and 5 so keeping this a secret from them will be easy. I plan on filling the car with balloons so when DD gets in the car, she'll be totally suprised! We plan on driving as far as we can this day. Hopefully making it to Gainesville. If not that far, then at least to Tallahassee! I've already explained to the kids that we will be in the car for a LONG time and they say they're ok with that. We shall see

-9/22/11 - arrive in Orlando and check in at All Star Sports! Ok, so being DVC members, we have not stayed in a value resort in forever! But since we are out of points we had to do it the old fashoined way. And, you can't get the free dining if you book using DVC points. So annoying ASSp was the only resort available so I took it. I'm not going to be picky here!

I'm still working on our itinerary and dining so I'll have to post that in a bit, but we'll be there for 4 nights and will be doing MNSSHP on 9/23 I LOVE that party!!! We did it once in 2008 for the kid's first trip and it was AMAZING!!! I cannot wait to go again!!!

Ok, so that's it for now. A little bit of background on the situation. And really, I am using this trip report as therapy. There aren't many people that I can talk about this situation with because I realize that people will judge DH and I just don't want that to happen. I appreciate anyone out there who would like to offer any words of support or encouragement. What a year it's been! But hey, at least I'm getting a trip to Disney out of all the craziness!!!!! lol

Up next, our itinerary!

 

[StephaniexMarie]

Oh I love your PTR so far!
Your kids are the cutest and your plans sound great (even though they're only for getting there )
And I just love your sense of humor!
I'm sorry about your MIL and everything else that's been going on for you this year - but now you have magical WDW to look forward to and you'll be immersed in a happy place for a while!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Oh I love your PTR so far!
Your kids are the cutest and your plans sound great (even though they're only for getting there )
And I just love your sense of humor!
I'm sorry about your MIL and everything else that's been going on for you this year - but now you have magical WDW to look forward to and you'll be immersed in a happy place for a while!

Hey! Thanks so much for reading along And you are so right, I am looking forward to our trip. It's just the dose of magic that we need

I'm headed over to check out your PTR

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Joining in! September is a great time to go, and you have a beautiful family!

As a side note, I am sorry to hear about everything you have gone through lately I hope that things get better for you soon. My dad has bipolar, and refused to take meds, and it was rough for a while. So I know what you are going through, but it does get better!

Looking forward to reading all about your trip!

 

[StephaniexMarie]

Hey! Thanks so much for reading along And you are so right, I am looking forward to our trip. It's just the dose of magic that we need

I'm headed over to check out your PTR

No problem! Your trip will be here in no time, it seems like it was just yesterday we booked and now we have less than 20 days!

Aw thanks!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! I wanted to share with y'all my first official purchase for this trip...

It's a cute Minnie dress that I found at Walmart for 10 bucks

So, here's the plan. Aubrey is starting Kindergarten this year. I can't believe it's already time for her to start big girl school We will be pulling her out for this trip as well as our trip in February. I have two sisters that are teachers and they said go for it. Pull her out while she's young! Brendan will be starting a half day preK program and will be getting out at noon every day.

I mentioned before that the kids know we are going to Disney but they have no concept of time. We will be leaving Baton Rouge on 9/21. I'm not going to tell them when we're leaving so my plan is to fill up the car with balloons and streamers. DH and I will go get Brendan and have him open the door to see the suprise! Then we'll drive over to Aubrey's school and do the same thing with her. The car will be packed and we'll hit the road from there. That means we'll be leaving around 1:00 or 2:00. My goal is to drive as far as we can, maybe until 11:00. We'll eat dinner on the road and hopefully the kids will fall asleep in their seats. Fingers crossed!!!

Here's the first problem that I'm trying to figure out... I have A BBB appointment booked for Aubrey on 9/22 (the day we'll be driving into Orlando) at 12:50pm. If the kids cooperate in the car and fall asleep, I would love to get to Gainesville which is only about 2 hours from Orlando or even make it all the way to Disney! I could do it but i know the kids can't if they're awake. Unfortunately, we won't know until we're on the road what the plan is going to be for our first day. Here are the two possibilities:

Option 1:
-Drive to Gainesville or Orlando and find a cheap hotel to sleep in. If we make it to Orlando, we'll try to get a room at ASSp. That would be ideal. Either way, we should still be able to make it to MK for her BBB appointment at 12:50. We'll hang out at MK for the afternoon then head over to Epcot at around 5:00

Option 2:
-Drive to Tallahassee and stay in a hotel for the night. Get up and make the 4 hour drive to Orlando. Check into hotel and head straight to Epcot
-spend the evening in Epcot

-6:45pm dinner reservation at Akershus!! I would love for Aubrey's hair to be done for this meal from BBB but if it doesn't happen, it's no biggie. We LOVE this meal! The food is good and it's great to get to see all of the princesses in one place. Here are some pics from our December trip...

We've been lucky each time to Cinderella at this meal. She's not always there!
Here she is admiring Aubrey's shirt with her picture on it

And here is what it's ALL about

After the meal, we head out to enjoy the world showcase and wait for Illuminations at 9:00 - my most favorite show at Disney Sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect day to me

 

[DisneyTiger]

Joining in! September is a great time to go, and you have a beautiful family!

As a side note, I am sorry to hear about everything you have gone through lately I hope that things get better for you soon. My dad has bipolar, and refused to take meds, and it was rough for a while. So I know what you are going through, but it does get better!

Looking forward to reading all about your trip!

Thank you so much Glad to have you reading along! Now that I have the backstory out of the way, I can start talking about the fun stuff!

 

[dizney chick]

I am so glad you are getting away for a break. My DH and I have gone through alot of family issues. We know how frustrating it can be when you can't make someone see the problem that is right in front of them. I can't wait to hear more about your plans

 

[DisneyTiger]

I am so glad you are getting away for a break. My DH and I have gone through alot of family issues. We know how frustrating it can be when you can't make someone see the problem that is right in front of them. I can't wait to hear more about your plans

Uh, marriage is hard right?? We are working on things though. Slowly but surely

More plans ahead...

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hi everyone! Ok, I have two more cute purchases that I have to share with you. I found these on the Walmart website. Dontcha just love cheap shopping!

How cute is that! Brendan will love it

And here's a little something for Aubrey...

I was Googling last night trying to find some "Prince Charming" and "Cinderella" tshirts for me and Jason. When I googled Cinderella tshirt, this is what came up...

That made me laugh. I will not be sporting that around the world!

Alrighty, so onto our second day...

We will be waking up early and heading over to AK for rope drop. I LOVE getting to this park early and heading straight to the safari. This is our favorite park. There is so much to see here. One of our "must sees" on each trip is this cool chick...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JHf1ufPcc&feature=related

She is absolutely amazing! If you haven't seen her, make sure to look for her on the pathway between Asia and Africa. Too very cool!

We'll spend the day there, probably eating a QS lunch at Flame Tree - I heart their onion rings and ribs! We'll leave AK by 3:30 or so and head over to The Grand Floridian.

5:05pm dinner at The Grand Floridian Cafe. Anybody have any feedback on this restaurant? We've never eaten here so I'm looking forward to it. I've heard that the food is really good and the restaurant is nice. It will be fun trying something new

After dinner, we'll take the monorail over to MK. Just in case we don't make it to BBB on our first day, I have made a second appointment for Aubrey at 6:40. I have also made an appointment for Brendan to get the Kinght makeover. I mentioned this to him and he didn't sound very happy so we'll see how that goes over. Hopefully we will have made it to the appointment the day before so we can get into the park and get ready for.....

We went to this party once before back in 2008 and I was totally blown away. I had no idea what to expect and Disney definitely did not disappoint!

DH doesn't know that I bought these tickets yet. I'm still easing him into the idea that we are going back in a few months so we are taking baby steps with the plans

So we'll party the night away and have a spooktacular time! Can't wait

 

[coteau_chick]

Okay first of all let me apologize for being a jack %$#. it what I posted to subscribe and I didn't even read it first. I just wanted to subscribe before I forgot. I planned to come read later. I would have never to you having problems. I know we never met but I often talk about my imaginary friend in Baton Rouge. I am so sorry. I have had some hard issues to deal with this year too. It sucks........ I am so glad we will be there when you are too. The 22nd we will be at EPCOT too. It will be Courtney's 19 th bday. We are driving too. We are driving all the way. It is not as bad as you think. We flew two times and drove two as a family. I drove Courtney there in May and it was not bad. The first time we drove we stopped in Tallahassee for the night. I rather just keep going straight through. Grace was so good. She watched movies. It was hard the first time we drove because we were spoiled with flying. It doesn't bother me now. I think you should let Aubrey skip school and leave early in the morning on the 21st and follow us. LOL!!! We are going to be at MK on the 25th my 40th birthday. When we went to Disney World in December, Faron said we were not going back for a few years. I told God a secret that I wanted to celebrate my 40th bday at MK. Next thing I knew Courtney called saying she was applying for the College Program. She got accepted and bingo......God answered my secret prayer. It is just icing on the cake if I get to FINALLY meet you and your wonderful family. I want to let you know that I will keep you in my prayers. You are one of my best DisBoard friends and it makes me sad that y'all have to go through tough times. I think we are only doing four park days because we want to spend some time hanging out with Courtney at the hotel. I just want to hug her and not let go.

Our schedule so you can find me.........
Arrive 21st Caribbean Beach
22nd Epcot
23rd HS
24th AK
25th MK
We will be there until the 27th Courtney is off the whole time

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Looks like you are doing some good shopping

Cruise...I get sick on everything as well. I need to take Dramamine all the time now (two doses a day at WDW) and I did fine on the cruise. Never even had to take it!

We love DeVine too. I have this pic of her blown up in my dining room!!!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I am loving the pictures already and you haven't even gone!

I stayed at All Star Sports last March. It was my first stay at a value. I did miss the amenities that I am used to, like the mini-fridge, the ceiling fan, the covered bus stops, and the COFFEE POT!

Overall, though, I did like it well enough. I wasn't in the room much anyways. I spent most of my time in the parks.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[disneylovin24]

Joining into your PTR


We ate at GFC in 2004. It was good, very nicely decorated and good good, but nothing special. It' all "simple" food and nothing really special going on for entertainment. I think you'll enjoy it but don't know if it's some place you'll ever rush back to. I think it's perfect for those staying at GF that do not want to try the upscale dining or the character buffet at 1900 Park Fare (this was us in 2004, we didn't want to do the fancy stuff but we were not interested in the characters they had at Park Fare).


That's a tough decision with the BBB. I guess it really comes down to deciding whether or not you want to rush to get there and if you want your daughter to be dressed up for the dinner or for the Halloween party. I would go for doing it the first day. Ive driven down a lot and have found that you always end up pushing yourself driving a little because you want to get there I think it'll be more special to have your daughter all dressed up for the dinner then for the Halloween party since a lot of little girls will probably be doing that for the party. I think the Princesses would also give her more special attention after a session at BBB

 

[DisneyTiger]

Okay first of all let me apologize for being a jack %$#. it what I posted to subscribe and I didn't even read it first. I just wanted to subscribe before I forgot. I planned to come read later. I would have never to you having problems. I know we never met but I often talk about my imaginary friend in Baton Rouge. I am so sorry. I have had some hard issues to deal with this year too. It sucks........ I am so glad we will be there when you are too. The 22nd we will be at EPCOT too. It will be Courtney's 19 th bday. We are driving too. We are driving all the way. It is not as bad as you think. We flew two times and drove two as a family. I drove Courtney there in May and it was not bad. The first time we drove we stopped in Tallahassee for the night. I rather just keep going straight through. Grace was so good. She watched movies. It was hard the first time we drove because we were spoiled with flying. It doesn't bother me now. I think you should let Aubrey skip school and leave early in the morning on the 21st and follow us. LOL!!! We are going to be at MK on the 25th my 40th birthday. When we went to Disney World in December, Faron said we were not going back for a few years. I told God a secret that I wanted to celebrate my 40th bday at MK. Next thing I knew Courtney called saying she was applying for the College Program. She got accepted and bingo......God answered my secret prayer. It is just icing on the cake if I get to FINALLY meet you and your wonderful family. I want to let you know that I will keep you in my prayers. You are one of my best DisBoard friends and it makes me sad that y'all have to go through tough times. I think we are only doing four park days because we want to spend some time hanging out with Courtney at the hotel. I just want to hug her and not let go.

Our schedule so you can find me.........
Arrive 21st Caribbean Beach
22nd Epcot
23rd HS
24th AK
25th MK
We will be there until the 27th Courtney is off the whole time

Oh please don't apologize to me! I know you have been sick and going through stuff. Really, it's fine. I am so excited that we'll be there at the same time too When it gets closer, we'll have to make some plans. Maybe we can to a QS lunch together or something. And that last line about not wanting to let Courtney go made me cry She is making some wonderful memories there. I am so jealous!!! I need to catch up on her blog but I don't think I have the link anymore. FB it to me when you get a chance! Love ya DIS friend

 

[DisneyTiger]

Happy Friday everyone! I would like to ask all of you to join me in the TGIF dance

Ok, now that that's out of the way, on with the plans...

Next up is 9/24. I really don't have any set plans for this morning. I guess we'll just do whatever we feel like!

But later that day we'll have to head over to DHS for our late lunch/early dinner at...

We haven't eaten here since we took the kids in 2008. Aubrey was traumatized by the movie clips and we ended up having to take our food to go. I remember threatening her with the giant man was going to get her for the rest of the week when she acted up. Yep, mom of the year right here!

Our ADR is at 3:45. It was the best I could do because we want to be done in time to watch Fantasmic. Our kids love this show and since it's running every night, it makes planning a lot easier!!

Side note - do any of y'all read Kingdom Keepers? I just finished the 3rd one and the big ending scene is at Fantasmic. I can't wait to be there in just a few months!!

Ok, back on track... So, I've done a bit more shopping and I'd like to share it with y'all. Look at this precious shirt I found for Aubrey...

And look at the back!

I also hit up the Michael's Dollar aisle for some stuff for the kids to do on the LONG car ride. They have the best $ stuff. I can always find stuff there. Plus, I had a 25% off coupon so I got it even cheaper Here's a pic of my loot...

Sticker books, scratch pads, glow bracelets... all kinds of stuff. I heart Michael's.

Ok, so on another side note, I mentioned in my first post that one of the issues I've been dealing with lately is my weight. The year before last, I lost 50lbs and was feeling and looking great. When I started dealing with all of the drama, the weight came back, and then some. I am a stress eater, can I tell you! I have been miserable and so uncomfortable in my own skin. So, I started the 17 Day Diet this past Monday. It's something that Dr. Oz endorses and so far the book is really interesting. But, the best part is... I've lost 4lbs since Monday Now, I just have to keep it up. Maybe I should add a weightloss tracker?!?!

Alrighty, I need to go. My in-laws are on their way in town for the weekend and I need to prepare myself Pray for me. Need I say more?