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.

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

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....

Tell Brian not to worry he'll get back into running soon enough! What a great son he is! Really great that he at least is able to ride his bike!

You really should! I'm not much of a serious runner either, starting off with a couch to 5k program right now and will be running a 10k in June to prepare but you definitely should!

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

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!

yea, the sorcerer mickey ear magnet. you made that?! OMG CRAZY impressive! it is so cute! i don't think you have my email address but tammy sure does. :lol: she is also my go to person for booking my disney trips. could you send me a private message with the instructions? i would love to make one of those for the my next cruise...whenever that may be.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

yea, the sorcerer mickey ear magnet. you made that?! OMG CRAZY impressive! it is so cute! i don't think you have my email address but tammy sure does. :lol: she is also my go to person for booking my disney trips. could you send me a private message with the instructions? i would love to make one of those for the my next cruise...whenever that may be.

No, Tammy made it for me but I know where the graphics & stuff are. :animwink:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

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!

Can't believe I missed this! Kick me. I deserve it.

Yeah, we're definitely looking around and considering other destinations nowadays. Went to Tennessee for Christmas and had a great time. All the cheesy-ness and it was just as fun. And cost a lot less. LOL! Chandler & Brian have come out with interesting ideas for travel. On Brian's last day of kindergarten I made the mistake of asking him where he wanted to go over the summer thinking he'd say "Nana's house" or something. Oh no. He wanted to go to Australia to the Australia Zoo to meet his hero, Steve. Um, nice but that didn't happen. Now, I wish it had but there's no way we could've then. Chandler most recently is begging to go to Vegas...so he can drive the super-cars (Ferrari's, Lambo's, etc.). Those driving packages are expensive! And he's not licensed yet. So, um, no again! But its fun when they come up with such creative ideas. :lol:

Thanks for the compliments on our portraits. I love them muchly, too.

Definitely think outside the proverbial "box" on the cruises. It's not about the ports or the beach. There's so much to do onboard. It's as relaxing or active-fun as you want it to be. Something for everyone. And it's like this huge major comfort blanket for me knowing I'm sailing with the Mouse. At the end of the day I'm assured pixie dust and another epic adventure. For me it's like all the amazement of being at WDW but waaaaaay better because it's so over-the-top awesome. Ooooh, and with the 2013 itineraries for the classic ships that were announced today there's some really killer options out there! I feel ya, tho, because my bro-in-law has been trying to get us to cruise with them on Royal Caribbean for a while and I've resisted. I just didn't feel like I would be happy away from my beloved Mouse. Our cruise really opened my eyes and, yes, I am actually considering cheating on Mickey to go sailing on Royal with Shrek. LOL!

I was exhausted when we got home. Heck, I think I was exhausted during the trip. It was a rollercoaster ride of sorts. We were worn-out from the drive there but then also when we had the late nights or early mornings. The heat took it out of us alot, too. I think I'd do a trip that long again but not in 3 parts. Maybe just 2 so we can settle-in more.

I love road-tripping, too. So does Chandler. Brian hates it. When Tracey's along it's totally different because he drives and I'm in & out of sleep. My mother-in-law calls it the Magic Time Machine. You get in the car, go to sleep, and **poof** you're there! It's niiiiice!!! LOL! Just kidding. We do a lot of catching-up and goofing and such. It's fun!

Epcot resorts rock! Yes, take time to relax, enjoy a drink, and stroll. Disney isn't just for parks. When we stayed at Pop for our first 4 trips we were still fresh to the whole thing, total park commandos. Some resorts are like a destination of their own and you want to hang-out there. I think BW looks gorgeous. That scary clown pool is a little much for me personally but if that clown wasn't there I'd be all over that resort, too. It's gorgeous! I love the embiance especially at night! You'll have to tell me all about it! Well, except for the scary clown part. LOL!

Oh yes, teens driving is such fun. I've got another one gonna start later this year. Good grief, shoot me now. Ugh! Here's a tip: if I'm feeling like I won't be able to stop myself from climbing over the kid to take the wheel I whip out my iphone and read. He hasn't killed us yet. He actually relaxes and does better when I'm not strokin' out in the passenger seat. :lookaroun :lol:

The unruly kids. Yeah. Not claiming mine are angels or always have been. We put a lot of effort in gettin' them to behave in the public early on. It's not rocket science. Only took one trip where there were no witnesses to get the point across when they acted out. It's the parents that pretend like their kids aren't doing anything insane that really gets to me. Or the ones that say "Stop it, Jimmy" 50 times or make idle threats but never DO anything that kill me. Ugh. Get a leash. Or a kennel. LOL! I think even if we had taken the boys when they were younger, we wouldn't have pretended bad behavior didn't happen because we were at WDW. Ya know? I dunno. Just tough when it grinds on your little bliss bubble over and over and over and.....

K. Emailing you back. :animwink:

 

[erstwo]

Okay - ummm..... so many things! Too many things!

First - awesome MNSSHP costumes. You make the most adorable cheerleader. Really, I think you get the award for most adorable mom - love those pigtail braids!

I'm with you on the heat at WDW. A friend from high school sent a Facebook message and asked if I had any Disney tips for her trip in July and my #1 tip was to change to ANY month OTHER than July :lol::lookaroun:lol: (No, not really, but I did ask if her school got a Fall Break.)

Ask me how excited I am to get in the pool at the Yacht and Beach club. Go on, ask me!!!! Please let it be warm in February, pleeeeaaaseeee!

I can't believe you let your brother stay in your room and you both survived! NO WAY can my brother EVER stay in the same room as my family without one of us not making it out. My sister - totally different story - but my brother? Well, kudos to you! Although I must say, he looks like such a fun guy. Love all those pics of him & your husband. Too funny. Also, your commentary about their relationship is hysterical!

So much more I'm forgetting I'm sure, but I mustn't forget to say - Thank you so much for writing this amazing trip report! :wave:

 

[Saoirse1916]

Glad this got bumped because I've been away for a while since the holidays and missed it. Great report!

 

[MagicMegan]

Aww great trip report! I stayed up forever last night reading it even knowing I had a long shift today. Also, half way through I realized I haven't talked to your brother in a while and had to go face book him lol. I'm a dork. But now I REALLLLLYYYYYYYYY want to go on a cruise!!

 

[WDWFigment]

Late to the party, but I love the WS portraits. Great choice doing the photos there!

 

[Dagger]

Wow, better late than never! Just read your TR.

I am only active on these forums on and off for years, but your TRs have been some of the best tailored to my preferred writing style (LOL - well, you know what I mean) that I've read in a while so I am eating them up.

Could not just read and run so just wanted to say "HI!" We are locals to WDW but you still had me giggling and I greatly enjoyed the DCL info, as we are total virgins! You guys are so adorable - love your fam!!!

 

[englanddg]

Hey look! It’s a Disney bus drag race!

Passing the ever-famous Non-Disney Big Bass Resort (that’s what we call the Dolphin):

Ok, I am still going to keep reading, but these two posts had me literally laughing too danged hard!

I never liked the Dolphin, even when it was new, but now I don't think I'm ever going to be able to look at it again without thinking "Big Bass Resort"....

TOO FUNNY!

 

[englanddg]

I like this:

That painting in the upper left hand corner...Mickey fighting Vader...

I bought it in August 2011 (well, #18 of 95, the one in your picture is #19 or later I suspect!). Anyhow, it's sitting on the wall across from me right now.

Just funny seeing it somewhere outside of my home office.

 

[Ember]

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

I had notes written for this day in my iPhone but like a big dummy I deleted them. I’m such an idiot. Thank goodness it was just a travel day. I’ll use my pics and fill in the blanks the best I can. I jumble stuff up really bad so hopefully I’ll be able to piece together a good timeline.

I love road-tripping! It’s such fun! This year all 4 of us made the drive together. We had a 3rd driver among us to take advantage of, too.

Everything was mostly packed the night before. The goal was to get to bed early but that didn’t exactly happen, as usual. We were up late getting things ready to roll in just a few short hours. Of course I couldn’t pack a thing the way I wanted to before Tracey was asking, “Is this ready? Can I take it?” This results with me feeling rushed, forgetting things, and not packing as efficiently as I can. 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!

So in the wee hours of the morning, I’m guessing around 2:30, we got up, dressed, threw the last of our stuff in our bags and finished wedging everything into the car trunk. Lemme tell ya, packing for 4 people (including dress-up and portrait clothes) for 2 weeks is a big job. Fitting all that gear into the trunk of a sports sedan is pretty much a magic trick!

And here we go!

Oh look! Apparenty, we made it through Louisiana and into Mississippi. The time is 7:26. Making great time.

I know we were all getting hungry and needed our first potty-stop in Gulfport, Mississippi. Krispy Kreme seemed as good an idea as any for breakfast. Unfortunately, we have found the first ever Krispy Kreme that can totally ruin their own doughnuts. I have no idea what these people did but those were NOT our beloved KK’s. If Chandler throws away doughnuts you know something is seriously wrong.

We got back on the road set to make some good time kickin’ on towards Florida.

I’m pretty sure it was on this stretch of highway that I discovered one the major things I had forgotten in all my rushing to pack: my Spanx! Sweet Holy heck! How could I forget that?! I had to wear dresses on this trip, one of which I’d totally annihilate without some heavy-duty help from the spandex Gods! I was in a panic! I didn’t want to stop and buy another because as us girls know, Spanx ain’t cheap. I texted my mother-in-law back home to see if she would be able to go fetch it and mail it to me. I had a hard time nailing down the right address for our 1st resort so I sent off an email to my killer travel agent to get that straightened out. Thank goodness all was not lost this morning. My fellow gals came to the rescue: MiL was able to ship within hours and my travel agent was able to ensure it went to the right place. Hafta send a huge shoutout to the best TA evah: Tammy, you’re a hero! Thank YOU! ((My blue sundress thanks you, too! LOL))

I think it was around 9:30-ish when we arrived at our next stopping spot, the most heavenly of places to be on Earth:

What?! You didn’t recognize it?! It’s my Gramma’s house! See how the sun shines down from the heavens???

We hadn’t really planned to stop for a visit. In all our excitement we had originally planned to push through and get on down to Central Florida. My mom and grandmother had been asking in the weeks leading up to our departure if we’d be stopping. Then, a day or so before we were leaving my mom called in tears telling me how she missed us and she hadn’t even seen Tracey since Christmas. ((Told ya he’s been working non-stop!)) So Mom & Gramma cooked up a couple pounds of bacon, bought doughnuts and bagels, and put on a fresh pot of coffee for us. How sweet! We had a fantastic visit that was all too short. We took a few pics on my iPhone (they’re terrible) to mark the occasion:

Tracey, Mom, & me:

Mom, Gramma, & me:

Brian, Tracey, Gramma, me, & Chandler:

I’m so glad we stopped for the visit. Thanks for calling me on an emotional day, Mom! Tracey can’t resist when I tell him you cried for us. We pulled back out on the highway around 11 or 11:30 but not before changing things up a bit:

Strap on your seatbelts, folks! That’s Chandler at the wheel!!! He got his permit in early June and has been working all summer to be able to take a shift driving for this trip without totally freaking his dad out. I’m the laid back one when Chandler drives. Tracey? Notsomuch.

Tracey kept a close eye on the kiddo. Chandler did a great job driving from Pensacola all the way to Tallahassee. Tracey found a Chevron station for the next pit stop and got it all squared away on the GPS.

And Tracey took back over the wheel. No road trip through Tallahassee is complete without this random jewel:

(for those who don’t recall, when I was a kid this random office building was a landmark my brother and I always sought out and photographed on our road trips to/from visits with our dad when we were growing up.)

That's the Department of Environmental Protection!! I lived in Tallahassee for 10 years and will be visiting there after our Disney trip next week.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

That's the Department of Environmental Protection!! I lived in Tallahassee for 10 years and will be visiting there after our Disney trip next week.

Do you have any idea how insanely awesome it is to know what that building is now???? After all these years! I love WDWMagic! THANK YOU!!!!

 

[Ember]

No problem! I have friends that work there. It's an awesome building!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

No problem! I have friends that work there. It's an awesome building!

I bet they would get a good laugh at 2 little kids who grew up looking for their building and taking pictures of it every time they passed. It was such a random thing that became this anticipated milestone in every road trip that took us past. It still carries on today. Maybe I'll stop & try to get one of the kids to take a pic of me standing outside pointing at it for a change. LOL!

 

[englanddg]

I bet they would get a good laugh at 2 little kids who grew up looking for their building and taking pictures of it every time they passed. It was such a random thing that became this anticipated milestone in every road trip that took us past. It still carries on today. Maybe I'll stop & try to get one of the kids to take a pic of me standing outside pointing at it for a change. LOL!

Or, even better, see if you can arrange a short tour?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Or, even better, see if you can arrange a short tour?

Oh I wish but we'll have the family pooch on the road with us. Waaaay too hot to leave her in the car. Gotta get her checked in at the pet resort before they close, too.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Great trip report! Thanks so much for taking the time to share it. Your vacation sounds like an absolute dream.

I especially love how you tie in photographs and memories from past trips, weaving old memories with new ones.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Great trip report! Thanks so much for taking the time to share it. Your vacation sounds like an absolute dream.

I especially love how you tie in photographs and memories from past trips, weaving old memories with new ones.

Thank you! I'll be honest, this trip feels like a lifetime ago as do most of the past trips. The years are slipping by so fast now it's all becoming this big blur. I love infusing old photos! I plan to rummage thru my parents' pics when I'm at their house the first week of June to throw some contrast shots out there with the upcoming trip report. Should be FUN!