Trip Report Now THIS is podracing!

When: January 19-25

Where: AoA Family Suites

Who: Me, DH, and lil BES (our 2.5 yo firecracker of a daughter)

Why: 1) To get a break from MI winter. (Our high next Tuesday is 9*F )

2) To recharge a bit in between some extremely busy and challenging times* at work. (*More on that later.)

3) To get more of a vacation-y vacation than my previous WDW trip.

In addition to being an overall fantastic kid, lil BES is a great traveler. That combined with my long history of WDW trips means I don’t need to prep a whole lot before the trip.

That’s great because it feels like I am 5% ready and we have 7 days before our trip and I work 4 of them.

Our travel style is go with the flow and only have things loosely planned. With park reservations gone and all day park hopping back that should be a lot easier this trip.

Like anything involving a toddler this trip will be a little intense at times but overall I think we’re set up for a fun and wild ride.

Spoiler: Track#1:

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

This is some of the marker lil BES put on herself 15 min before bedtime. She looks like Post Malone.

The purple came off easy but the green not so much. This is a PSA to only buy Crayola markers.

12 hours from now we should be partway to the airport.

 

[Doberge]

Now in!



Safe travels!

 

[Swissmiss]

View attachment 763825

View attachment 763826

This is some of the marker lil BES put on herself 15 min before bedtime. She looks like Post Malone.

The purple came off easy but the green not so much. This is a PSA to only buy Crayola markers.

12 hours from now we should be partway to the airport.

I understand the green from the proximity to the paper. But the purple? Love her color choice with it but how? Just how?

 

[BwlrBry212]

This is some of the marker lil BES put on herself 15 min before bedtime. She looks like Post Malone.

I LOLed at this!

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Made it to MCO.

Mostly intact.

 

[meggo819]

Made it to MCO.

Mostly intact.

View attachment 763938

Oh no! Did she lose it?

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Oh no! Did she lose it?

Only temporarily thankfully.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Day 2 preview:

The good:

Lil BES(singing): “Sha wa wa wa wa! Kissing her! The little crab sings that.”

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Day 2 preview:

The bad:

DH: “I threw the pants away. I had to.”

 

[Tuvalu]

Day 2 preview:

The bad:

DH: “I threw the pants away. I had to.”

Mud? (Oh never mind - BandAids are for mud. )

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Mud? (Oh never mind - BandAids are for mud. )

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

I understand the green from the proximity to the paper. But the purple? Love her color choice with it but how? Just how?

And I was sitting right next to her coloring as well. Apparently she snuck purple onto her chair for her little side project.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

We’ve been back for almost a week so I had better start this before I forget everything.

Prologue:

“Let me start at the middle. Wait no—what am I thinking? That’s a terrible place to start a story. I’ll just tell you how it ends. No, wait. I got an idea: I’ll start at the beginning. I was born from a small, blue egg. Wait, wait. Too far.”

Maybe I’ll just start with the day(s) before our trip.

About a week before our trip I had a meeting with my boss’s boss. I didn’t think anything of it because we have occasional meetings about the progress of a big project I’m working on. Someone from HR was at the meeting though.

Welp. My current position “isn’t part of the new work model” and I have the “exciting opportunity” to apply for a newly created position.

To make a long story short I am kinda being forced into a promotion that I don’t really want.

Or I could go back to regular staff for less money, a worse schedule and likely still more responsibility than other staff.

The application for this job was due on our travel day. And I had to make the decision to apply or not without knowing details about exact responsibilities, pay, schedule etc.

It’s extremely likely that I will get this job but not guaranteed. As much as I was glad to have time off to process this all, I felt a little nervous about going on a pricey vacation.

This is all to say that I was a tad bit stressed in the week leading up to the trip.

I was super super glad to have taken off the day prior to our flight.

Spoiler: Track #2:

This clean version isn’t as much of a banger as the original but it’ll have to do for here:

 

[fractal]

Jeez, hope everything works out with the job.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Thursday January 18th (Day 0)

I only had a few goals for today:

• Pack
• Get gas in my car
• Relax (more of a stretch goal really)

The first step of packing was to unpack everything that lil BES had “helped” pack already.

This was done by slipping upstairs while lil BES watched Mickey’s Clubhouse. Or Mickey’s Funhouse. Or Mickey’s Mixed Up Adventures. I can never keep them straight.

This is unfortunate because lil BES often requests something vague like “The one with Minnie’s puppy!” And you have to pull it up on Disney+ immediately. DH is much better at this game.

Once lil BES’s clothes were secured, DH and I packed our stuff.

We were done with everything that could be packed ahead of time before dinner which is a new record for me.

Lil BES “helping” pack up the dog’s bag:

My dad picked up our dog on his way home from work. This was a big help. Maeby was so excited to go. As soon as he arrived she hopped in her carrier.

Lil BES’s carry on:

I previously showed you all the coloring lil BES did that evening. It was a relaxing albeit messy way to end the evening. It seemed all systems were go for a mellow bedtime.

Lil BES had other ideas.

DH and I take turns putting her to bed and it was his night but I ended up tagging in after a while due to the intensity of her meltdown.

I calmed her down and said I would read her one book. She said three books. We compromised on three books.

Then Lil BES wanted one “very last book”-her big Mickey Mouse book.

I told her, “No buddy. I think you’ll see enough Mickey on vacation.”

Lil BES, confidently: “Ummm. No. I don’t think so.”

Finally got lil BES to sleep, did some last minute prep for the morning and headed off to bed.

I never did get gas but vowed I would just get up extra early and do it in the morning.

There was snow predicted overnight and our drive to the airport was during rush hour. So although I got to bed on time I didn’t sleep soundly.

For those keeping track that means I accomplished one of goals for today.

Spoiler: Track #3:

 

[radiorae]

One out of three?

 

[Swissmiss]

Since I know that you did indeed make it to WDW I am only mildly stressed about you not getting gas for the car

 

[k8einwdw]

This was done by slipping upstairs while lil BES watched Mickey’s Clubhouse. Or Mickey’s Funhouse. Or Mickey’s Mixed Up Adventures. I can never keep them straight

Or Mickey and the Roadster Racers, or Minnie’s Bow-Toons…

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Or Mickey and the Roadster Racers, or Minnie’s Bow-Toons…

Oh yes. Those too.

Lil BES woke me up at midnight the other night to talk about unicorns (as one does). She kept talking about one named “Peanut P”

It took me a while to figure out she was trying to say Penelope- Minnie’s unicorn friend from one of those many many shows.

 

[Swissmiss]

Oh yes. Those too.

Lil BES woke me up at midnight the other night to talk about unicorns (as one does). She kept talking about one named “Peanut P”

It took me a while to figure out she was trying to say Penelope- Minnie’s unicorn friend from one of those many many shows.

I sincerely hope she never loses her imagination (but for you I hope she waits to hold these conversations during daylight hours )