Adventure #9: Firsts, a Dream, an Anniversary, & Three Destinations...

...I need another drink! :hammer:

I know I've neglected a whoooole lotta TRs out there for a long time. There's a reason for that. I vowed to myself to stop reading and start writing. I also vowed not to even begin posting until the report was completely written and assembled so posting would literally be cut & paste. This puppy was quite the monster to tackle but I did it! Enjoy.



Greetings to my dedicated readers, friends, family, and noobs alike! Boy, do I have a story to tell you so let’s get this thing rolling...

First, the basics:

Who? The usual suspects, of course. That would be me (The SweetPee), the old man (Tracey), the 15 year old all-knowing son (Chandler), and the 13 year old not-so-baby-of-the-family son (Brian). Later in the trip you’ll see a character from my very first trip report return for more fun. Yep, you guessed it! My big brother, the uncle extraordinare, Jerry!

What? Duh. Vacation. Anywhere but home fits the bill. Thankfully, we had 3 awesome destinations to hit. And celebrating. Can’t forget that we celebrated our 18th anniversary in style!

When? September 9 - 24, 2011.

Where? September 9: on the road & Hampton Inn, Clermont
September 10 - 15: Wilderness Lodge
September 15 - 18: Disney Cruise Line’s Dream
September 18 - 24: Yacht Club

If this is your first time reading a SweetPee report, feel free to peruse my previous reports down there in my signature. There’s better intros with pics there.

Like most folks, it’s amazing how much life you can live in less than a year. When I last left y’all at the end of our 8th adventure in November 2010 I wasn’t 100% sure where or when we’d be back. I wasn’t even sure WDW would be our destination of choice. I managed to find us some new Disney experiences to try...one of which has taken over our souls! You won’t believe it! We sure don’t!

Life has a way of keeping the adventure alive. Towards the end of January this year Tracey got sent on a project in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Don’t know where that is? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. LOL! It’s about halfway in between Dallas, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The good part was all the moolah all that overtime brings + paid expenses. The bad part was ice, snow, and working 7 days a week for months on end. We got to see a different part of the country, experience real snow & ice (which completely blows), see the Oklahoma City National Memorial, meet new people, and learn new things. After Tracey finished up in Oklahoma he came back to an assignment on a project that was plagued with deadline challenges. Again, great to have all that income from the overtime but bad because he never had any days off. Literally. The only days I think Tracey had off this year were when the snow & ice were dangerous enough for the project to shut down, Easter, and a couple sick days. That’s it. Not even July 4th or Labor Day. And so, that’s how we funded our adventure and were able to shoot for the stars. Tracey worked so hard for so long. If he said “upgrade us to club level” or “add another day to the front of the trip” I didn’t argue. He earned it.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

No pressure!!:lol: I'm on it!

Tammy, I have faith. You got us. We're gonna have such a fab time!:sohappy:

Hello....I loved this trip report! I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions, once where you talked about the little kid shoving his finger up his nose. Hah! Great imagery. The Dream looks amazing and your pictures were great. I appreciate your frankness in your story telling and you seem like a really cool down-to-earth person. -A

Well thank you very much! You made me feel like a million bucks! I do try my best to be genuine in all that I do...100%. I value that in people so I strive to emulate such in my life. What you see is what you get. I'm glad you had some laughs. I love to make people smile. Thanks again for your oober-kindness! You're pretty dang cool yourself!!!

Love the report. I really wanna cruise and I am hoping we can swing it when S gets back from deployment.

Not sure S would be real eager to hop back on a ship but I assure you you'll love it! Cruising is incredible!

Leg 3!

First, I love how much you loved Stormalong Bay! This third leg of your trip seemed so relaxing because of the time spent there. I also love that Castaway Goofy spent some time at the pool with you!!

And the Yacht Club rooms really are fabulous! What a great view you had! We were upgraded from CBR to YC for one night a couple years ago and I was surprised by how much I fell in love with the room decor and design.

I'm impressed that Disney was able to use the receipt to piece together the information and put a hold on Brian's gift card. I always keep receipts for mine - good to know it may actually come in handy one day.

Like everyone else, I loved your "save it for a special occasion" dress! It fit you like a dream - and such a great color on you. But I think I may have loved the story even more. :lol:

Hooray for meeting the Newfie's!! Your will-they-or-won't-they-like-us story was pretty entertaining, too.

Okay, so the golden ticket! Back in September 2008 (my very first trip report), Brett and I stayed at the Contemporary because I was participating in a conference there. Great room rates and everything! When we checked in they gave us gold key cards - would you believe that we didn't know why they were a different color? And no one told us?! Why wouldn't the check-in CMs alert us to the fact that we had concierge access? Not a word was mentioned. And it wasn't until we returned home and started thinking about it, that it hit us. At first we just thought they were phasing in a new key card (they used to change them a lot more often back then). Suffice to say, we had CL access at the Contemporary and didn't even take advantage of it.

The Yachtsman Steakhouse - we're not big fans either. We ate there on our December 2009 trip and I was having trouble trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. Our steaks were okay, but nothing fabulous. And I wished the dishes would've been better composed. Instead, it was like, pick your steak and pick your side. I'm a fan of chefs who marry the side with the entree in a way that enhances the overall dish - but I digress.

Overall, I loved your trip report. It was worth the wait! Thanks for sharing all the fabulousness and the not so fabulousness - and for taking a picture of "our" waterfall. :animwink:

Yes! That 3rd leg of the trip was veeery relaxing. It really was. I like to think the massage worked out Tracey's tension a good bit. He seemed like a new person after that. Then the drinks really kept us rolling on a low-key for the most part. It was nice to just relax.

YC. I used to think it would be too stuffy sorta like how the GF sometimes comes off. You know? The YC really doesn't, tho. It's relaxing. It was the perfect destination after the cruise. Kept that nautical vibe going. Stormalong Bay is my new little piece of heaven! I can't wait to get back there!

That was totally impressive how the receipts made it possible to piece the numbers together for the gift card. I figured it had to be possible with all the numbers and all but didn't trust that the numbers would align easily. I thought the difficulty would be finding CMs willing to really pursue it. I was wrong! Those CMs were amazing and really saved Brian's behind. He would've been completely out of luck.

O.M.G. Golden tickets at the Contemporary and nobody told you?! That's terrible! Holy cow! How sad! I've always wanted to go rub elbows with the money up in that lounge. The views alone would be worth it! Still, if you didn't know there'd be no chance you'd be skipping around during EMHs singing "I've got a golden ticket...." Oi! So tacky! I still can't believe Brian did that! But then it's so stinkin' funny that he even thought of it! LOL!

Your thoughts on the Yachtsman are pretty on-point. "Pick your steak. Pick your topping. Pick your side." is very much what it was like. I do think the chef should compose the plate with dishes that will compliment or contrast. I try to listen to the wait staff when we go to better restaurants and let them guide me in my choices. When properly trained, they can answer questions. They know the dishes. They can listen to what your likes are and recommend things that might appeal. Both our waiters were great. I think it was just the way they did the menu and all. You're right!

Your waterfall. I think of y'all every time I walk past that thing. It's just so sweet! LOL!

Glad you enjoyed the adventure. Tracey says this report was his least favorite of all. Oh well. If he wants lollipops and bunnies he can go read a fairytale. :lol:

 

[erstwo]

Friday, 9/9: On the road again...

One of these days I’m gonna get ready a week early and follow Tracey around asking him, “Are you ready? Why isn’t that packed? What are you waiting for? Can this go to the car???” LOL!

I've only just started this TR and only got to the end of page 1, but yes! This! :lol::lol::lol::lol: I'm totally going to do this too. Of course that would require my husband to be responsible for packing something more than just his toothbrush. He really can't imagine why it's so hard to pack for 4 people, get the house ready, the pets ready, etc.

Anyway - the Epcot professional pictures are awesome! If you hadn't told me y'all were dying in the heat, I would never have noticed any of it. Love it!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I've only just started this TR and only got to the end of page 1, but yes! This! :lol::lol::lol::lol: I'm totally going to do this too. Of course that would require my husband to be responsible for packing something more than just his toothbrush. He really can't imagine why it's so hard to pack for 4 people, get the house ready, the pets ready, etc.

Anyway - the Epcot professional pictures are awesome! If you hadn't told me y'all were dying in the heat, I would never have noticed any of it. Love it!

Um yeah! If I say anything Tracey will come back with, "I'll pack my own stuff!" Right! He'll pack like 6 pairs of shorts, 4 shirts, & 2 pairs of drawers. He doesn't pack matching numbers of things like by outfits. Duh! When we were first married we spent more money buying him stuff on the fly because he packed his own bags. Then I took over. Problem solved. Of course this is all supposed to magically happen in 10 minutes flat. Ugh! Maybe we should make complete checklists of what we have to do in the order it must be done then when they fuss we can show them the list and tell 'em that's how they'll help speed it all up.

Thanks for the compliment on the pics. I *heart* them, too.

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

Is the Flying Dutchman still at Castaway Cay?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Update on Brian's knee issues:

A few days ago I sorta threw the idea at the boys of going to a Magic Kingdom to hit the big 24 hour Leap Day thing sans Daddy, just us. Chandler immediately was jumping around cheering. Brian got tight-lipped. He acted mad and said he didn't want to go. What?!?! I was shocked. But then I also wasn't because there's no rhyme or reason when it comes to these teens sometimes. First he played the jealous card; said he didn't want to go because he didn't want to be around when Chandler was living it up celebrating his birthday (3/3). We talked him down on that one. Then Brian played the emotional card; said he didn't want to go without Dad because it'd be too sad. We talked him down on that one. Still, he was not happy and I'm thinking, "My God. Have my kids been so much that they now take it all for granted or dislike it????" A little more pressing for what the root of the issue was and the kid broke. He started to cry saying his knees will hurt him and he doesn't want to ruin it for us. Whaaaat?! I was aware that the knees aggravate him on occasion but didn't know it was still that bad. I thought not returning to our running routine would've helped him get fully past all that. Apparently it hasn't. For a kid who seems to love Disney as much as the rest of us, this was a pretty solid sign that this was more than just lack of conditioning or temporary growing pains.

We went to the orthopedic today. Totally skipped the pediatrician. They'd have sent us to the ortho anyway. LOL! Turns out the guy we saw does sports medicine. Perfect! They x-ray'd Brian's knees. The doctor questioned and listened to the full history of the knees issues (off & on for the past 2 years but never as severe as during the summer when we were running daily to prep for the 5k). He had Brian walk & jog up and down the hallway a few times. He came back to the room and said, "Are you or your husband flat-footed?" Uh, no. We're both archy folks. Brian is flat footed! So, he has chondromalacia patella. Basically it's sorta a combination of his knee cap not sitting square in just the right spot over his joint and his gait compensating for the flat feet. The way he runs makes his legs do this twisty thing that makes the weird position of the knee cap rub where it shoudn't and it causes him pain. Then when he's running and it hurts it makes the way he runs compensate more so it becomes a snowball effect. The doctor had me put my fingers on his knee cap as he shifted the knee cap the way it moves when Brian runs. It grinds! My God! My poor baby! The doc says this is the number 1 cause of knee pain in adolescents.

So what's the fix? Well, the doctor looked at Brian and said, "Buddy, you probably shouldn't expect to be a runner. It's not likely you'll be able to do marathons." Brian looked so broken. I guess that's what prompted him to say, "Look, let's focus on getting you totally pain-free. Do the exercises I'm going to give you, wear your new orthotics in your shoes, get those knees as healthy as you can and we'll go from there. Only once you are pain-free can we even think about you running." At least we had answers and know what's up. We have a brace that can hold the knee caps in the proper place. The orthotic inserts will take some getting used to.

After we got home Brian was a little sad and tearful. He said he wants to be able to run with me because it's something we do together and he really enjoys that time. Awwwww.... Of course I assured him that if he never could run with me again we'd still find something else special for just the 2 of us to do together. Like last weekend: cookie baking! :slurp: For now he's focusing on getting his knees well and eliminating the pain so we can look at options from there.

Sooooooo, there's the answer as to why the problems with Brian's knees. Poor guy. I swear, I wanna go out and run like the wind because my baby can't. It's the little things....ya know?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Is the Flying Dutchman still at Castaway Cay?

Nope. It deteriorated so much just sitting out there in the salt air that it was falling apart. It was never built to be something that would last beyond it's intended purpose: to shoot a movie. It was towed somewhere (forget where) and dismantled. I'm sad I never got to see it, either.

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

Nope. It deteriorated so much just sitting out there in the salt air that it was falling apart. It was never built to be something that would last beyond it's intended purpose: to shoot a movie. It was towed somewhere (forget where) and dismantled. I'm sad I never got to see it, either.

Thanks for the info. Now I have to figure out another way to get my wife to go on the cruise. She`s a huge POTC fan and not a big fan of cruises.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks for the info. Now I have to figure out another way to get my wife to go on the cruise. She`s a huge POTC fan and not a big fan of cruises.

Pirate night! You can dress as authentic as ya like (hello?! I'd love to dress up as "The Redhead"), the whole night is pirate themed, there's a pirate show on the Deck 11 stage, fireworks off the ship (a pirate battle at sea!), and the the night culminates with a huge pirate dance party on deck. Also, there's meet-n-greets with the characters dressed in their pirate finery....PLUS! There could be no pirate night without a photo-op/meet with Captain Jack himself! Let me just tell you, I'm no real fan of the movies or any of the characters but that Jack is a scallywag if ever I met one! He's a bit coy & flirtatious...had me looking back wistfully for a second! :goodnevil :ROFLOL: There ya go. Problem solved. :wave:

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

Pirate night! You can dress as authentic as ya like (hello?! I'd love to dress up as "The Redhead"), the whole night is pirate themed, there's a pirate show on the Deck 11 stage, fireworks off the ship (a pirate battle at sea!), and the the night culminates with a huge pirate dance party on deck. Also, there's meet-n-greets with the characters dressed in their pirate finery....PLUS! There could be no pirate night without a photo-op/meet with Captain Jack himself! Let me just tell you, I'm no real fan of the movies or any of the characters but that Jack is a scallywag if ever I met one! He's a bit coy & flirtatious...had me looking back wistfully for a second! :goodnevil :ROFLOL: There ya go. Problem solved. :wave:

Thanks, I`ll give it a go.

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

It`s looking good, the first words out of her mouth this morning were about the cruise! One question about the parking. We pull a TT and stay at FW when we go and I was wondering if there was adequate parking at the Port. In your TR you called it a parking garage but in the pics it looks like a flat parking lot.

Thanks again.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It`s looking good, the first words out of her mouth this morning were about the cruise! One question about the parking. We pull a TT and stay at FW when we go and I was wondering if there was adequate parking at the Port. In your TR you called it a parking garage but in the pics it looks like a flat parking lot.

Thanks again.

I didn't take pics of the parking structure because it's nothing spectacular...especially when it's sitting right next to the nice terminal and the breathtaking ship. Yes, it's a parking garage. There's some parking off to the side but I'm not sure if it's reserved for anything in particular. There's also offsite parking sorta like when you go to the airport that's actually cheaper. Parking at the terminal has had a price increase since we were there. I think their rates are stupid. The offsite might be a better option for a travel trailer. Here's a few links for you:

Park n Cruise

Park n Sail

Hope that helps! :wave:

 

[minnielaw]

Kelly I LOVED your trip report....as usual!! Brutally honest, laugh out loud funny and loads of great photos...couldn't ask for more.

I totally understand the WDW losing its luster. My boys have only been twice and we are returning in October. My youngest asked if we could go somewhere else after this trip. He is really looking forward to traveling to some larger cities...Chicago, New York as we live in a small town. I am also planning a DC trip once the boys get a few years older. I was fortunate to get to travel to Europe several times during my high school and college years and hope that we can make it over sometime....security issues in some areas are definitely a concern. We also want to do a trip to Isreal, but talk about security issues!!

Where do I even begin with my comments?? I should have taken notes as I read! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the EPCOT photoshoot! What a wonderful idea and priceless pictures that you will treasure forever. Not to mention getting to be in the WS alone! Score!

You definitely have me rethinking the whole cruising thing. I have never been on a cruise and it has never appealed to me. Small pools, crowds, buffets, cramped rooms...yuck. We have several groups of friends that cruise every year on fall break and have invited us along. I have so far managed to gracefully decline...they book cheap Carnival cruises and you could just shoot me first before boarding. :hurl: I will be researching the Disney cruises and trying to convince my family that it would be worth it to wait and save up for a Disney cruise. Maybe a reconnaissance trip with the girls COULD be justified??

Wow, a two week, three part trip! I bet you were plum exhausted by the end! I haven't done a two week trip since Europe in the 1990's. The Yacht Club looks fab-you-lous and makes me really look forward to the BWV in October. I think staying in the EPCOT area is gonna rock! That was great that you had a chance to chill at the pool and enjoy some drinks. It's so hard to force ourselves to slow down at WDW and just enjoy the surroundings....we are planning some down time this trip and I am going to refrain from pushing everyone through the park!

Love the road trip details...we drive too and I find the drive to be such a relaxing way to start the trip. Ryan and I get to catch up with each other and I love watching the roadside scenery. I totally understand about the packing! Ryan's responsibility is packing his bag, washing and gassing up the car. We usually leave right after he gets off work on Friday and drive about 6 hours to Macon, GA. To save time, I get the car packed, we meet him at his workplace and leave from there. Last trip I was 1/2 way to his office and frantically running through my packing list in my head to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.....suddenly it occurred to me that I had left ALL of our hanging clothes in the laundry room!! Basically that consisted of ALL of my shirts and all of Ryan's shirts...thank goodness I remembered or we would have been wearing WDW t-shirts from the gift shop all week!! Packing and planning is a LOT of work.

Glad you got to visit with your Gramma too! BONUS! Awesome that Chandler got to drive...we are cautiously looking forward to that in three more years! Although Ryan is such a control freak about driving, it will take some convincing to get him to give up the wheel. Of course, he'll be three years older by then and maybe he'll appreciate the help! :ROFLOL:

Ok, considering that I am just on page one of reviewing your trip report for comments...I better just email you my thoughts! I could fill up a whole page just commenting!

I will end this post saying I totally agree with you about unruly children and inattentive parents....RUDE! After my boys turned about three, we avoided going out to restaurants just because it was difficult for them to sit still and be quiet. I was NOT going to inflict my restless, fussy children on other diners trying to have a nice meal out. Not that my boys were out of control or that I couldn't/wouldn't discipline them, but two toddlers in a restaurant are just a recipe for disaster! We also purposely waited until they were older to travel to WDW for the same reason. I did not want to ruin my trip spending time trying to corral two toddlers while waiting in long lines. Our first trip the boys were 7 and 9 and they behaved wonderfully. Parents need to get their heads out of their iphones and pay attention to their children! If your child steps on someone's foot....ask them to apologize! Don't allow your children to run around in crowded areas, bump into people or swing on the railings while in line!

Ok....enough! I will email you!

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

I didn't take pics of the parking structure because it's nothing spectacular...especially when it's sitting right next to the nice terminal and the breathtaking ship. Yes, it's a parking garage. There's some parking off to the side but I'm not sure if it's reserved for anything in particular. There's also offsite parking sorta like when you go to the airport that's actually cheaper. Parking at the terminal has had a price increase since we were there. I think their rates are stupid. The offsite might be a better option for a travel trailer. Here's a few links for you:

Park n Cruise

Park n Sail

Hope that helps! :wave:

Oh well so much for a cruise; Thanks to the ship wreck in Italy.

 

[NewfieFan]

Update on Brian's knee issues:

A few days ago I sorta threw the idea at the boys of going to a Magic Kingdom to hit the big 24 hour Leap Day thing sans Daddy, just us. Chandler immediately was jumping around cheering. Brian got tight-lipped. He acted mad and said he didn't want to go. What?!?! I was shocked. But then I also wasn't because there's no rhyme or reason when it comes to these teens sometimes. First he played the jealous card; said he didn't want to go because he didn't want to be around when Chandler was living it up celebrating his birthday (3/3). We talked him down on that one. Then Brian played the emotional card; said he didn't want to go without Dad because it'd be too sad. We talked him down on that one. Still, he was not happy and I'm thinking, "My God. Have my kids been so much that they now take it all for granted or dislike it????" A little more pressing for what the root of the issue was and the kid broke. He started to cry saying his knees will hurt him and he doesn't want to ruin it for us. Whaaaat?! I was aware that the knees aggravate him on occasion but didn't know it was still that bad. I thought not returning to our running routine would've helped him get fully past all that. Apparently it hasn't. For a kid who seems to love Disney as much as the rest of us, this was a pretty solid sign that this was more than just lack of conditioning or temporary growing pains.

We went to the orthopedic today. Totally skipped the pediatrician. They'd have sent us to the ortho anyway. LOL! Turns out the guy we saw does sports medicine. Perfect! They x-ray'd Brian's knees. The doctor questioned and listened to the full history of the knees issues (off & on for the past 2 years but never as severe as during the summer when we were running daily to prep for the 5k). He had Brian walk & jog up and down the hallway a few times. He came back to the room and said, "Are you or your husband flat-footed?" Uh, no. We're both archy folks. Brian is flat footed! So, he has chondromalacia patella. Basically it's sorta a combination of his knee cap not sitting square in just the right spot over his joint and his gait compensating for the flat feet. The way he runs makes his legs do this twisty thing that makes the weird position of the knee cap rub where it shoudn't and it causes him pain. Then when he's running and it hurts it makes the way he runs compensate more so it becomes a snowball effect. The doctor had me put my fingers on his knee cap as he shifted the knee cap the way it moves when Brian runs. It grinds! My God! My poor baby! The doc says this is the number 1 cause of knee pain in adolescents.

So what's the fix? Well, the doctor looked at Brian and said, "Buddy, you probably shouldn't expect to be a runner. It's not likely you'll be able to do marathons." Brian looked so broken. I guess that's what prompted him to say, "Look, let's focus on getting you totally pain-free. Do the exercises I'm going to give you, wear your new orthotics in your shoes, get those knees as healthy as you can and we'll go from there. Only once you are pain-free can we even think about you running." At least we had answers and know what's up. We have a brace that can hold the knee caps in the proper place. The orthotic inserts will take some getting used to.

After we got home Brian was a little sad and tearful. He said he wants to be able to run with me because it's something we do together and he really enjoys that time. Awwwww.... Of course I assured him that if he never could run with me again we'd still find something else special for just the 2 of us to do together. Like last weekend: cookie baking! :slurp: For now he's focusing on getting his knees well and eliminating the pain so we can look at options from there.

Sooooooo, there's the answer as to why the problems with Brian's knees. Poor guy. I swear, I wanna go out and run like the wind because my baby can't. It's the little things....ya know?

Oooooh, poor Brian... but I'm glad the problem was figured out. I hope he's pain free really soon. I read the beginning to Pete and he laughed when you said you went straight to ortho. You'd still be on a waiting list here... sad, so sad!

 

[erstwo]

I'm making my way through slowly but surely!

I just wanted to say - wearing platform heels in the parks - I always assume they must be local or it's their first day. It totally reminds me of going to a Bears game when everyone is wearing their full on ski clothes (sometimes including our goggles!) and you go into the women's restroom and there are all these girls who wore skinny jeans and cute boots literally CRYING their eyes out because they are so cold and in so much pain. Some of them just don't know better....... it's crazy.

Seems like there was something else about the trip before the cruise.......... I guess I'll edit it in later!

But about the Castaway Cay 5K - it was awful heat wasn't it? That bicycle path is killer. You made great time though! I am certain I was much slower than that - but I may or may not have purposefully avoided the time guy when I was finished. :lookaroun Just turn up the ipod a little louder......... :lol:

It really kind of ruined my day on the island. Looking back I wish I had just run on the deck or in the gym on the treadmill (my personal fav!) and sent they hubster down to grab some chairs until I could join them. Or really, if I do it again, that will just be my 'off' day.

Later in they day on our CC day, I saw some of the ship crew jogging (at around 3pm) I about died. Like you, I'm used to the heat, but there was NO WAY. But I guess if you live on a ship and you entertain people until the wee hours of the morning, you take any chance you can get to run on land.

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

So sorry to hear about Brian! But no worries, he isn't the only flat footed person out there! I am flat footed on my left foot and had to wear inserts for a long time. But I never had the pain. The insert is long gone now, and my foot walks straight but my knee faces a different direction. Definitely reminds me of what Brian has. I hope the pain goes away soon! Tell him I'll be thinkin of him and hoping he gets better!!!

Poor Brian got me worried though because he was running, and here I am training to run the ToT 10-miler in September...

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

great trip report, kelly! i am so glad i finally got time to read it. there's just so much to comment on!

i am so glad you all loved the cruise! we just went on our first cruise, also on the dream, and we were blown away by the experience! and i totally understand how you felt about not knowing all the ins and outs of the ship and that making it a little difficult for you to enjoy it at first. i also felt kind of blah about the experience the first day and i really think it was because i didn't know what to do or where to go. then by the last day i was sad to leave and ready to book another trip! :lol: funny how quickly my opinion changed.

i love the little magnet you put on your cruise room door. where did you get that? on our cruise, i saw so many people with those magnets and i thought they were so cute.

and omg you are so crafty! those gifts you made for the other cruisers in your group were AMAZING! i loved all of the little notes you put to go along with the gifts. they were so well thought out. i am so envious of everyone who got those awesome gifts! well done!

i loved all of the pictures of your husband and brother together. :lol: they look like really fun guys. i especially liked the ones of them with their slushies and their feet popped in the air. so cute!

i also loved your costumes for mnsshp! such a clever idea. very original.

i have that same rex christmas ornament! i got it on our trip last december. he is just so cute with his little mickey premium bar and mickey ears.

holy moly! that is a LOT of h20 stuff! i love it too and wish i could score that much on one trip. :lol:

AMAZING trip report! thanks so much for sharing!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oooooh, poor Brian... but I'm glad the problem was figured out. I hope he's pain free really soon. I read the beginning to Pete and he laughed when you said you went straight to ortho. You'd still be on a waiting list here... sad, so sad!

Oh my. Yeah, that long chat with you & Pete about the health care system where you are was very fascinating to us. On one hand it's like "Holy-crap-scary!" because there's a very real possibility that's where ours will be sooner than later but then on another hand it really got us thinking about how wasteful and nuts some things are here. I didn't even think about the fact that y'all can't just skip the middle-man and go straight to the specialist. Things we take for granted, huh? LOL! Can't wait to see y'all again. It's surprising how I miss you! We've only "met" once! :lol:

I'm making my way through slowly but surely!

I just wanted to say - wearing platform heels in the parks - I always assume they must be local or it's their first day. It totally reminds me of going to a Bears game when everyone is wearing their full on ski clothes (sometimes including our goggles!) and you go into the women's restroom and there are all these girls who wore skinny jeans and cute boots literally CRYING their eyes out because they are so cold and in so much pain. Some of them just don't know better....... it's crazy.

Seems like there was something else about the trip before the cruise.......... I guess I'll edit it in later!

But about the Castaway Cay 5K - it was awful heat wasn't it? That bicycle path is killer. You made great time though! I am certain I was much slower than that - but I may or may not have purposefully avoided the time guy when I was finished. :lookaroun Just turn up the ipod a little louder.........

It really kind of ruined my day on the island. Looking back I wish I had just run on the deck or in the gym on the treadmill (my personal fav!) and sent they hubster down to grab some chairs until I could join them. Or really, if I do it again, that will just be my 'off' day.

Later in they day on our CC day, I saw some of the ship crew jogging (at around 3pm) I about died. Like you, I'm used to the heat, but there was NO WAY. But I guess if you live on a ship and you entertain people until the wee hours of the morning, you take any chance you can get to run on land.

OMG, yes! I'm surprised they don't position at least 1 or 2 people back on that bike path to make sure nobody collapses. It was so bad! I wonder if the CM who's there for the 5k isn't silently counting the bodies going in and then coming back out. Ya know?

I agree, running the 5k there did impact the rest of the day on the island which probably isn't the best thing in the world. Maybe I would've enjoyed the rest of the day there more had I not started out feeling like I'd been thoroughly baked from the inside-out. Then again, I'm not a beach-girl so my island enjoyment will prob'ly always be limited at best. I've never run any event before so the 5k was sorta the thing Brian & I wanted to get out of our time there. No regrets. Not sure I'll do it again in the future but I'm glad I did it once. Right? This spring we'll likely be moving to the Houston area which means real running groups and more races. Maybe I'll be able to get more into running and not just for Disney reason! Woot! :sohappy:

Ships crew jogging later in the day?! Wow! Let's just go with the theory that they're better-acclimated.

One thing I didn't mention in the report that I saw on CC and thought of was seeing CMs walking together like couples. I recall one couple we saw one was in life-guard garb and the other just regular old CM garb but they were definitely a couple walking holding hands. Makes you imagine the life of the CMs, relationships, finding time together, etc. It makes those folks into people like the rest of us (not that they aren't always), not just the CMs there to help out on our vacations. Truly interesting. Our waiter, Ali, said his wife also worked for DCL but she was currently on another ship. Craziness. I could see me & Tracey working together but not-together like that as long as we were on the same ship. We did it before when we worked for the same engineering firm...and LOVED it! It was especially cool that he was tucked in a little cubicle while I had a nice office with a door right down the hall from each other....but I digress! :lol:

So sorry to hear about Brian! But no worries, he isn't the only flat footed person out there! I am flat footed on my left foot and had to wear inserts for a long time. But I never had the pain. The insert is long gone now, and my foot walks straight but my knee faces a different direction. Definitely reminds me of what Brian has. I hope the pain goes away soon! Tell him I'll be thinkin of him and hoping he gets better!!!

Poor Brian got me worried though because he was running, and here I am training to run the ToT 10-miler in September...

Really?! You too??? See, I know there has to be other flat-footed runners out there that have worked thru these things and I'd like to find some resources for him. He's been sorta down about not being able to run with me (not that I've actively been running but we had been discussing restarting). He cried about it some. For now he still wants to ride his bike while I go, carry water in his backpack, and cheer me on. I love my Boo. He's such an awesome son!

I want to run that ToT 10-mile with y'all!!! I'm not much of a serious runner and need to get my sneakers back on (haven't run since September) if I want to do it....

great trip report, kelly! i am so glad i finally got time to read it. there's just so much to comment on!

i am so glad you all loved the cruise! we just went on our first cruise, also on the dream, and we were blown away by the experience! and i totally understand how you felt about not knowing all the ins and outs of the ship and that making it a little difficult for you to enjoy it at first. i also felt kind of blah about the experience the first day and i really think it was because i didn't know what to do or where to go. then by the last day i was sad to leave and ready to book another trip! :lol: funny how quickly my opinion changed.

i love the little magnet you put on your cruise room door. where did you get that? on our cruise, i saw so many people with those magnets and i thought they were so cute.

and omg you are so crafty! those gifts you made for the other cruisers in your group were AMAZING! i loved all of the little notes you put to go along with the gifts. they were so well thought out. i am so envious of everyone who got those awesome gifts! well done!

i loved all of the pictures of your husband and brother together. :lol: they look like really fun guys. i especially liked the ones of them with their slushies and their feet popped in the air. so cute!

i also loved your costumes for mnsshp! such a clever idea. very original.

i have that same rex christmas ornament! i got it on our trip last december. he is just so cute with his little mickey premium bar and mickey ears.

holy moly! that is a LOT of h20 stuff! i love it too and wish i could score that much on one trip. :lol:

AMAZING trip report! thanks so much for sharing!

Thanks for reading! I'm thinking this is the down-side to doing the TR the way I did it this time vs. the way I have in the past. When you post the whole thing so fast it makes it like a super-big oversized read for the readers which can be overwhelming. Learning as I go with these things.....

Me, too! One day I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on another cruise then the next day I was the total opposite all broken-hearted because I had to leave. And it's like I haven't been the same since!

The magnet? You mean the Sorcerer Mickey ears? I'll have to email you about those. I think I have your email. Mine came from Tammy (she was my TA) but I know where she got the graphics and stuff. It's a fun DIY crafty thing that's pretty simple. I had to think which magnet you were referring to. Fun door magnets are a popular Fish Extender gift and we ended the cruise with the top half of our door covered in fun magnets. Post-cruise/vacation the magnets are all on the side of my fridge. Fun souvenir that didn't cost me a thing and means even more because they were all gifts!

Thanks for the compliments on my crafty Fish Extender gifts. Those were fun! The bottles of rum were a bit pricy. I think I was out around $60 on just the rum. I think in supplies and stuff for all my gifts I gave I'd guess-timate I spent around $150....but I do still have a bit of most of the supplies on-hand so if I do another exchange I'll be a little ahead. I love to sew and craft so I have boxes and boxes of craft stuff stored in my closet. But ya know, for a lot of the gifts we received in the exchange....((I totally feel like a raging b-word for even thinking it))....I have to say I was kinda disappointed. I know it's difficult to do for teens and not everyone is crafty. But we got lots and lots of candy. The boys don't really eat a lot of candies unless it's specific things they want or like in a particular moment. Like Chandler with his Doctor Pepper jelly beans. Plus, teens often have braces. 'Nuff said. There were some awesome things and it's the thought that counts. And, hey, at least 1 other person gave out little bottles of rum so big yay there! LOL!

Yes, Jerry & Tracey are fun when they're together regardless of where we are. We were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee over the holidays together which was total awesome-sauce! Tracey getting totally sloshed Christmas night....Jerry making like a one-man-comedy show slipping & bustin' his butt 4 times consecutively as he attempted to walk across some ice....funny pics....hilarious catch-phrases....the list goes on. Jerry is slated to go with us on our next cruise on the Fantasy in September. I cannot wait!

The h2O stuff. It was a long trip. And my guys are totally shameless in begging for extras anytime they see a mousekeeper, especially one we know is ours, near our door. LOL!

 

[Ariel484]

Update on Brian's knee issues:

A few days ago I sorta threw the idea at the boys of going to a Magic Kingdom to hit the big 24 hour Leap Day thing sans Daddy, just us. Chandler immediately was jumping around cheering. Brian got tight-lipped. He acted mad and said he didn't want to go. What?!?! I was shocked. But then I also wasn't because there's no rhyme or reason when it comes to these teens sometimes. First he played the jealous card; said he didn't want to go because he didn't want to be around when Chandler was living it up celebrating his birthday (3/3). We talked him down on that one. Then Brian played the emotional card; said he didn't want to go without Dad because it'd be too sad. We talked him down on that one. Still, he was not happy and I'm thinking, "My God. Have my kids been so much that they now take it all for granted or dislike it????" A little more pressing for what the root of the issue was and the kid broke. He started to cry saying his knees will hurt him and he doesn't want to ruin it for us. Whaaaat?! I was aware that the knees aggravate him on occasion but didn't know it was still that bad. I thought not returning to our running routine would've helped him get fully past all that. Apparently it hasn't. For a kid who seems to love Disney as much as the rest of us, this was a pretty solid sign that this was more than just lack of conditioning or temporary growing pains.

We went to the orthopedic today. Totally skipped the pediatrician. They'd have sent us to the ortho anyway. LOL! Turns out the guy we saw does sports medicine. Perfect! They x-ray'd Brian's knees. The doctor questioned and listened to the full history of the knees issues (off & on for the past 2 years but never as severe as during the summer when we were running daily to prep for the 5k). He had Brian walk & jog up and down the hallway a few times. He came back to the room and said, "Are you or your husband flat-footed?" Uh, no. We're both archy folks. Brian is flat footed! So, he has chondromalacia patella. Basically it's sorta a combination of his knee cap not sitting square in just the right spot over his joint and his gait compensating for the flat feet. The way he runs makes his legs do this twisty thing that makes the weird position of the knee cap rub where it shoudn't and it causes him pain. Then when he's running and it hurts it makes the way he runs compensate more so it becomes a snowball effect. The doctor had me put my fingers on his knee cap as he shifted the knee cap the way it moves when Brian runs. It grinds! My God! My poor baby! The doc says this is the number 1 cause of knee pain in adolescents.

So what's the fix? Well, the doctor looked at Brian and said, "Buddy, you probably shouldn't expect to be a runner. It's not likely you'll be able to do marathons." Brian looked so broken. I guess that's what prompted him to say, "Look, let's focus on getting you totally pain-free. Do the exercises I'm going to give you, wear your new orthotics in your shoes, get those knees as healthy as you can and we'll go from there. Only once you are pain-free can we even think about you running." At least we had answers and know what's up. We have a brace that can hold the knee caps in the proper place. The orthotic inserts will take some getting used to.

After we got home Brian was a little sad and tearful. He said he wants to be able to run with me because it's something we do together and he really enjoys that time. Awwwww.... Of course I assured him that if he never could run with me again we'd still find something else special for just the 2 of us to do together. Like last weekend: cookie baking! :slurp: For now he's focusing on getting his knees well and eliminating the pain so we can look at options from there.

Sooooooo, there's the answer as to why the problems with Brian's knees. Poor guy. I swear, I wanna go out and run like the wind because my baby can't. It's the little things....ya know?

So I randomly popped in here and saw this whole story...I'm flat-footed too! Flat footers unite...?! :lol:

I went to an ortho in 2009 when I was training for a 6.3-mile portion of a marathon relay and my knees were KILLING me. She diagnosed me with Runner's Knee (not sure if it's exactly the same as what poor Brian has, but I think it's pretty similar)...$25 Powerstep Orthotics completely solved the problem for me, and I've been using them in my shoes ever since with almost zero knee pain. Hopefully his recovery will be as good as mine was (might be different in an adult vs. an adolescent). Did he get fitted for shoes at a running store? When he's ready to try to resume running, maybe your doc can recommend a good running store. Knowledgeable associates should be able to recommend a shoe that's good for him and can work with his orthotics. :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

So I randomly popped in here and saw this whole story...I'm flat-footed too! Flat footers unite...?! :lol:

I went to an ortho in 2009 when I was training for a 6.3-mile portion of a marathon relay and my knees were KILLING me. She diagnosed me with Runner's Knee (not sure if it's exactly the same as what poor Brian has, but I think it's pretty similar)...$25 Powerstep Orthotics completely solved the problem for me, and I've been using them in my shoes ever since with almost zero knee pain. Hopefully his recovery will be as good as mine was (might be different in an adult vs. an adolescent). Did he get fitted for shoes at a running store? When he's ready to try to resume running, maybe your doc can recommend a good running store. Knowledgeable associates should be able to recommend a shoe that's good for him and can work with his orthotics. :wave:

I'm totally showing Brian your post! No, we didn't have him fitted at a running shoe store (nearest one is over an hour away at the time being but not for long). I guess you just don't expect a kid to have these sort of aches and pains. LOL! I think with the right equipment and the knowledgable support from the ortho he might just get back to running yet! :sohappy: