Warning: This Trip Report may contain immature behaviour that some viewers may find disturbing. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
The Set-up:
After our December trip in 2008, it was agreed upon that we would not go back to WDW until 2012, and would instead take a cheap beach vacation over the 2010 spring break (using Airmiles and staying with my snowbird parents). As “luck” would have it, Airmiles flights were totally booked for our original spring break dates March 27-April 4). The earliest we could fly into Tampa on March 28, and there was nothing but a flight out of Orlando on April 6, 3 days after my parents vacate their condo. Hmmm, what's a poor girl to do? Why, stay in Disney of course!
But … (da-da-da-dum …) Back in January, it came to my attention that my teaching contract was going to be extended. It was supposed to end March 26. Back in October, when I was booking our vacation, the teacher I replaced was adamant she was coming back to work in April. Well, lo-and-behold, she's decided to take the rest of the year off. Since we were staying on the coast with my parents for the majority of the trip, I thought if my contract got extended, I would have to cancel the WDW portion of our vacation since we come back 2 days after spring break ends. My principal told me not to hold my breath and that it would be very unlikely I would be able to get a two day leave added onto spring break (a very big no-no for teachers here).
Well, last month, my principal came up to me and told me to call the the central office to speak to the superintendent. The superintendent offered me the extension (which I obviously accepted). Wanting to be totally transparent as not to jeopardize future opportunities, I then told the superintendent my situation and asked about the possibility of a two day leave. Amazingly, he agreed on the spot, noting that it was a special circumstance and acknowledging that I may have made plans in the fall based on what I knew in the fall. So, my contract was extended and my leave was granted! I have to say, after that phone call, I was so ecstatic that I did my happy dance in the staff room.
The Suspects:
Me, single mom and teacher extraordinaire. Over 20 trips in 35 years. On a quiz, I was declared Most Like Belle (“You love to read and are known around town as quite a catch, but they also find you a tad odd”). Lol … who me?
Jackson, 8, my son and Co-accused. Conceived in Disney World and addicted to pin trading (think Phineas, “We're gonna build a rollercoaster!).
Mom, 60, our very own Kitty Forman (“Well, fine. Kill each other. Just do it together!) Here she is, without a drop of alcohol, doing "The Robot" at MVMCP:
Dad, 62, the Crankshaft of the family, ready to whip out his “Tape Measure of Life” on a moment’s notice:
My mom loves Disney. My dad … likes it, tolerates it, but doesn’t “get it”. The last trip with my dad there was in March 2007 – with us and my brother’s family. Actually, make that my brother’s whole family (wife, kids, her parents, her siblings, their kids, etc.) Needless to say, my son didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with his Granddad. My mom came down on my 2008 solo trip for a couple days, and hit the World with us on our December 2008 trip with our besties. But my dad … could we convince him? They would already be in Florida … And, what’s that I hear? My parents are coming with us? Oh my … nothing like a little guilt from their grandson to have them roaring into the World with us!
And by now, you've probably all been wondering about that warning. My family is a bit off the wall, a little unPC, and with a somewhat British (aka potty) sense of humour. In fact, our family motto is something like this ...
Don't say I didn't warn you
)
