Ahhhh the Bubble.

Like I said in my Pre Trip Report, I was considering the Exit to the Villa the start of "My Bubble". Well due to the stress of the day, and I left A LOT out...Like me threatening to leave everyone at Jacksonville Beach and go find a really nice hotel room and drink the week away... I was only mildly miffed that DS 19 got there before we did. But then HE is smart and has a GPS. And is driving solo. He calls to tell us how much NICER it is than we thought. And it was. And I took very few pictures because,well, I was off Mom duty and it was never clean enough for me to take any.

So we get there,unload,and head to DTD! YAY! We are going to pass under those Magic Signs.We are on our way to TRex for DINNER!
Of course it being Friday night,they are PACKED, but that is OK, we need to Build-Some-Dinos. Now as much as my kids have experienced and as much as my grands have experienced, from the simple pleasures of canoing the Suwannee to being a VIP on a Cruise to grand Dining experiences, I myself have never Built-a-Bear. I will wait while you get over the shock.
Better? So I hit Grandma mode ans I am shoot pics,picking out outfits, and loving Trex. And then my camera dies. I am gonna have to steal some pics from my daughter,but for now..

Yeah Lady, I am not real sure about this group either.

We Make-Some-Dinos! And I pick out some useless mess and they call us "Dysfunctional Family,Party of 8,Time for you to whateverthespielis!!" And they take us..TO A SECLUDED BOOTH IN THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT.Ahem. I think not. If we had sat there we would have seen NADA. I very nicely say" Um NO, we are not spending gobs of Fred Flintstone currency to sit here." And I get "Well this is all we have." And I say" We walked past 4 empty 8 tops." And she says "I'll get my manager." Good Idea.
We get a lovely table and we have a lovely meal. DH ate most of the appetizer sampler. Which was good but we were all so tired we just wanted to eat and crash. We did have some fun moments and I will do it again.
Cuz I got the Landry's Select card. And I have already earned a free meal.
http://www.landrysinc.com/selectclub.asp
So we head back to the Villa and crash.
Coming up...we will make Opening at MK?? Will Princess Maddie and Gramma survive BBB??

The Next Day. AKA the Day I actually said " I don't wanna go. I wanna go home"

*thud* That is the sound of y'all collectively hitting the floor. I KNOW. I look back and think *that was a crazy woman*.
Yeah I kinda was. In defense of the other people in this report, I had a chemical d and c the week before. Because I put off wimmens surgery so I could go on a cruise. ( it was soooo worth it).So as I am a very young pre-meno I have some issues. And let's be frank ( or Tom. or Harry) those of you that have raised girl-type children through puberty know that there are enough hormones there already to fuel a small country.

But ANYWAYBACKTOTHESTORY. We get up. The mom person rides with us to take the dog to the kennel. I did tear up. I would have anyway. She is my baby.( who is right now chewing on my desk leg) and I was gonna miss her.
There are no pictures for this part of the journey. ( I am saving them for my book *Disney For Dysfunctionals*. Cuz really, who has written THAT book. And I have the poster children for it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOW. We have no GPS. Because I have an uber excellent sense of direction. It is so good it should have a Wiki entry. So DH says *I do not have a Tom-Tom.I have a Kat-Kat* Please note dear people that I suggested buying one. And THAT was pooh poohed. And not as in Winnie.

So we set out and ended up on A1A ( member we are going to St Augustine) ---go ahead you old skoolers. *BEACH FRONT AVENUE* And we are loster than lost. And I am teary because DH is not happy.
Well we made it to St Auggie. We hook up with my buddy and have some lunch.

And then it happens. DD22 going on starts fighting with her hubby. And it gets worse. Let's just say that my DS19 made it to the Villa BEFORE we did. And by that time I was a sobbing mess. And DH kept telling me we would turn this trip around! We did. That part is coming.

Like Paul Harvey. THE Rest OF the Story.,..

YAY! We are on 95. I am doing my *MOM IS GOING TO DISNEY* dance. Sorry, that video is only available in a Limited Edition of 1. That I burned.
So yes, we are on the way. Maddie, who travels with us a lot, starts her questions. *Poppop are we still in mytown"? PP are we in Disney? PP are we at Great Grandmas? PP HOW DOES MICKEY PEE?" I wish I had recorded that answer. Let's just my DH came through with an answer that included Magic and Pixie dust.
So we pass the hometown.

HOLLA! I am doing well once we hit 3 lanes. SC is bad with the 2 lanes. AND people just do not know how to drive on the big road.
W have to stop at the FL welcome center. Because,you do.

Where were we? Oh mom's.b Who has put in a DOGGY YARD! Yeah! Fu Ji is the first pup in the family to poop in it. HEY this is a milestone people.

And look what Mom found for the BabyCave. Don't Hate. My Mom is cooler than your's. I lucked up that way. Took me 30 years. But I figured it out.

Okay. a bit more of Mom's.

Mom and Maddie planting. YES we are a family of redheads. Poor dad.

. We get there and crash. See above for a link to Mom's place. We get there, have dinner. a few snootfulls Of JD. And then put the brats, I mean my lovely adorable ,grandkids to bed.
And then planned.
Yup.

While they dreamed with Visions of Castles,Princesses and Mickey in their heads.

The first day. AKA The Day Of Doom.

The best way to start this off is with a few pics.

 

 This is my boudoir on the  night BEFORE we left. Yes I know, I do not have a real closet. I will by Mother's day or I'll be collecting Life Insurance.

Well, I finally have a chance to sit down and detail our first day. AKA TRAVEL DAY FROM HECK.

The day got off to an ok start. I had plenty of coffee, grands were here and excited.They oohed and ahhhed and wowed over their travel boxes.

 We were just waiting for  DD to get here with her SUV to take my overflow. And there was overflow. But I can pack a car like nobody’s business. Good thing.  8 people for 10 days in a vacation villa. We should have rented a u haul. We just might next  time.

Well DD gets here and we get packing in the drizzle. Plan was for the grands  and dog to ride with us and DD13 to ride with DD and DSIL.

Guess who got home early? DH! Of course all this time I am back and forth on the phone with my mom. She is worried about the weather and my causing a wreck. And I was  not even driving. See I have some control issues in the vehicle. My DH is a really good driver ( cue Rainman) but I hate the way he drives. BECAUSE I AM NOT IN CONTROL.  I could not do my usual *looks around* pop a Dr. prescribed sedative…because I have 2 children and a chowdren in the car.  So mom is worried that I will freak out,startle DH and we will die in a fiery crash. Because that is how I am going to die. I am convinced. YOU RIDE WITH DH if you are skeptical. I’ll wait.  *ahem*

So all eleventy hundred bags are packed, kids are settled, big travel mugs of coffee for meeee and we are off! Wait we have to get gas. ( Don’t tell anyone but I put the gas on the company CC. In all fairness I was going to meet with the owners) OK. We are off!

                                           My goofy SIL. I love him,but he is such a GOOBER.

NO! We have to eat. ( I am thinking  we can eat when we all get to Florida,but NOOO apparently you have to feed small children. And grown men.) SO we hit Zaxby’s at the exit.  Then my husband’s Lasik * kicks in. Small children have to pee a lot. So do men over 45. OKAY WE ARE READY!

NOOOOOOOOOOO. The dog will not sit still and we have to put her in my daughters SUV so SHE will not be the cause of our fiery crash. We have a small car. It is a Volvo. You can fit 3 bodies in the trunk but there is not a lot of room in the car itself. When I bought it I did not expect to take 2 car seats and a large mutant puppy on a trip.

OK WE are on I-95. WOO HOO! We had 2 way radios and cell phones. My DD22 came up with a unique trucker name for herself and we had a joyful conversation for 2 miles. When her battery died. So she calls,we pull over,get a charged radio from the trunk and WE.ARE.ON.OUR.WAY.

Nope. DD22 calls and says “ Your dog is puking all over my back seat .Can we swap my son for your dog?”

SOOOOOOO we pull over at the next exit. Make the swap. The dog had a hairball. Like a centimeter of spit. But that is ok.  I understand . She has a brand new vehicle ( that I am helping pay for and is in my name) So I get it.

Please note at this time we have gone exactly 22 miles.We started at 10:25 it is now 11:45. But hey we are only 15 minutes behind schedule.

Then my cell phone slips UNDER.MY.SEAT. For the rest of the trip my phone stayed in bra. I was begging people to call me.

I’ll be back in a bit with more. I know you can’t wait.

It's raining. I hate traveling in the rain.

Well I was up until2 packing everything last night. I plan to start my trip report template on the road. I have to leave my poor baby with Stacie. My lappy I mean. But I still have my tablet and the 100 other lappys that will be going with me. Maybe William has an extra one.....Or dad. I hate sharing.
Well this is it. I am going to finish my coffe and wait for the kids to get here.
I still have some minimal hw to do and to pack some some stuff in Haley's vehicle.

Goodie Bags for the trip!

D - 4

Yesterday, I crawled out of bed long enough to go share a nail spa experience with my DD22 and DD13.
We knew we would wait a while so we took drinks and the PassPorter. It was a neat experience. Just me and my daughters.
I have just about pushed ahead with work that I feel comfortable I will get everything done as far as my professional duties go. I was planning on working thursday morning, our departure day,but I think we all know that ain't happening. I am so ready to be finished planing and double checking and packing. I just want to get through to thursday. Ahh Thursday.....Not an actual Disney Day but we will be on the road to mom's.Which means we are halfway to St Augustine.My Bubble I think should start on I 95. When I do my going to Disney Car Dance.
I want the plans laid out so all I have to do is enjoy myself dammit.

Calm before the storm, Or after the storm. In other words, an eye...

Of a hurricane. That is what I feel like I am in. But that is OK because guess what? I am SO GOING TO SEE MICKEY. Drama seems to find me lately and really, I do not seek it out. I had to move my other blog because someone seems to think that I have it out for them,that everything I say or do is in references to them, and that I spend every minute obsessed with their actions. Honestly, I have not given them a thought since the last time I had to take evasive actions. Hopefully this time it sticks.
Also had an upheaval among a group of friends which was out of the blue,but these things do happen, deal with it and move on. There is constant drama with one of my sisters, but again,part of life. I really need a break.

So I am taking part of today and Disney Planning. It hopefully will be a stress release. I really have so much to do and after deciding to purchase more luggage I think I am ready to pack. Time has flown by so quickly that it will be the 29th and I will be packing the car before I turn around twice.

So hopefully I'll have a burst of blog posts because I am documenting getting things done.

Yeah I have been slack, But I am so gonna make up for it.

 I am actually gonna cheat. But it's ok because it's me. I am gonna just put up an amalgamation of posts from the Disney Forums I post at.
01/14/2012
I am trying to keep this all together,lol! As soon as I finish some work on this project for work, I will post the next "chapter"
I wanted to show you the box I have been storing goodies in for the car ride and the welcome baskets. The adults are gonna have their own with popcorn,fave chips,and bags of Mickey Pretzels that I ordered online.
The majority of this box is for Maddie and Logan.

.When I sort it out to see what is what and make sure it is equal I will take more pics. I am hoping to find some ribbons for the adult baskets. For space though I may just go with Disney gift baskets. I know there are a few more things at the bottom of my closet. I TOLD YOU I OVERDO IT. I may decided to stick some stuff in my backpack to distract meltdowns.

01/14/2012
When we first decided to take the extended family to Disney, we planned on maybe a 4 day stay in a moderate resort. Once we were given the idea of a Vacation Home Rental and I started researching it everything seemed to start falling into place. Since my daughter, her husband, and my husband are all at USC we needed to go on their Spring Break (my husband is on his way to becoming a Nurse Practitioner). With some research I found the Academic Calendar for the next five years on USC’s website. I also discovered it was the week of my mother’s birthday so they were sure to be there for Epcot’s Flower Festival.
Once we started budgeting and discussing plans we discovered we could stay for 9 days and spend 8 in the Parks! We had several Disney Meetings and discussed Pros and Cons. The Pros won out. So then our monthly meetings turned to other details. I gifted my Son In Law with a guidebook and customizable maps from Disney.com. We rented the various Park DVDs that they have at Netflix. I made sure to have Disney themed napkins, plates etc.
I made sure we had the classic Disney Movies on DVD so my Grands would be familiar with those characters. We have watched those with them when they spend the night. Now that all of the details of When,Where, and How were taken care of, our next meeting will be What! As in the must dos! I copied the Attraction Priority List for the next meeting.
The Passporter has been invaluable but I do wish I had gotten a Deluxe. I did ,however,create my own binder. I have all the maps and directions and worksheets and stuffs. I am using my Passporter too but I like being able to customize.
So our basic Itinerary is as follows;
03/01 Leave home for mom’s. She is outside of Jacksonville
03/02 Leave mom’s. Drop the Fluffball and the cats at the Kennel and head to St Augustine.We will spend a few hours there with an old friend. Then head for Orlando. Check in, unload, go to the grocery store and then the fun begins! Head to DTD for dinner at Trex and some shopping.
03/03 Up and at em! Hit Mk at Rope Drop and the rest of the day is still open. I do know that the plan is to give my Son In Law a tour and then go from there.
04/04 Magic Kingdom!
04/05 Epcot in the morning then to Hollywood Studios for lunch.We have ADRs at the 50’s Diner.
04/06 Mom’s Bday! Epcot and then Hoop De Do! Then back to Epcot for the Fireworks.
04/07 Bippity Boppity Bootique for my favorite Princess! Lunch at the Castle
04/08 Animal Kingdom
04/09 and 04/10 are way open. I am sure we will rearrange things a bit!




Yeah and I already do not like that schedule,lol. I can't change ADRs but I will play with this a bit.

01/16/2012
 Since it has been 12 years since I was last at the Happiest Place on Earth, there is a lot of new magic,magic I have forgotten , and magic I do not want the group to miss. Of course I am carrying my Passporter, My NookColor ( with other guidebooks..)and my phone with Disney aps in my backpack. I wanted to have a way though of getting my hands on notes about tips quickly and compactly. Well I probably saw this idea somewhere but… I am gonna go with the fact that since I am not sure I did and it is IMO an awesome idea I am gonna toot my own horn.
I have several places I have been keeping notes . I wanted a way to easily organize those notes. Centralize them in one place that I could carry with me. Index cards! I bought a pack of cards that have 5 different colors. I color coded them by each park, and then the last color is DTD and everything else!
I can carry these with me and pull them out in line,in transit or while taking a break. I don’t plan to further organize them. I can just pull them out and share tips and hints with the group. It will help pass the waiting time AND they will know to help be on the look for say…PUSH or a certain Hidden Mickey!
 
Another thing for today’s post. I truly hope that I am not overdoing my welcome. I am just so excited about this trip. Sharing the Magic with First timers, spending time with my husband in one of our very most favorite places AND being at Disney with my Daddy! It has been over 20 years!
My granddaughter Maddie wanted to create her own countdown calendar so I let her use one of my office bulletin boards.  I let her design and choose her materials with just a little help.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

I am kinda pressed for time but I wanted to get this post out.
Article On BBBat Allears.
Princess Maddie is going on Saturday the 3rd. Left it to late to get into the castle, but it's all good. It will be perfect time for her to go while her brother naps.


I have so much planning left to do! I guess I can really nail down our itinerary now. It's getting so close!

THE TRIP!~

Warning! I tend to overdo things as well as over explain. My apologies in advance. I just wanted to share my excitement and my plans!

The Trip:
The first one in 12 years!
My Grandaughter ( 4 yr) ,My Grandson (2 yr) and My dear Son In Law’s First Trip EVER!
The week of my Mother’s Birthday.
The longest one we have ever take to WDW!!
The Cast:
Myself
Dear Husband
My 13 year old daughter – she is homeschooled and travels a lot with us so she does not have a lot of that “ I don’t wanna be with ya’ll” attitude. She has her moments but she is really a joy to travel with!
My 19 Year old Son.
My first born – my oldest daughter
Her husband
The best 4 year old in the world –Maddie! My granddaughter.
The cutest 2 year old boy in the world – Logan.
My mother
My father
My son’s girlfriend is still unsure of whether she will be able to spend any time with us.
The Dates:
March 1-March 11 2012 ( March 6th is my mother’s birthday)
A little Background:
Even though we have not been in an – ahem – few years, we are lifelong Disney lovers.  My first memories of Disney are of Thanksgiving 1975 and the summer of 1976. In fact the camera strap on my favorite 35 mm was purchased by my dad in Disney the summer of 1976. That visit is when I rode Space Mountain for the first time!
I am going to sit down soon with mom and try to list all of the trips. I know I was there in 1984 at least once . I marched with my high school band in Donald Duck’s Birthday Parade. And Grad night in 1987. By the time I was in high school we averaged at least twice a year. There were many a Friday I got home from school and my father called me and said “Start packing for you and your sisters, we are going to Disney! (We are all 7 years apart so by HS I was really good at packing a younger child).
So one of the reasons I liked my husband ( ok love him) is his shared love of Disney. We honeymooned there! My youngest child took her first steps when she saw her daddy getting off Space Mountain during a kid swap! It was the summer the Disney TV commercials featured a young child telling their infant sibling that “Mom said we can’t go to Disney until you learn to walk” but they go anyway and the child takes her first steps at Disney. That was our last visit.
We wanted to expose our children to experiences other than Disney, I have had some health issues and a myriad of other reasons we did not go back. I have kept up with news and changes and planned to one day go back. So here we are. My parents have Florida Resident APs.

Where we are staying:
Off Property! We have rented a Vacation Home with Private Pool in Emerald Island.
I am really looking forward to the down time as much as the Disney time. My parents are staying at Fort Wilderness in their RV. I wanted to do a cabin there at first but once a friend recommended a Vacation Villa and I started researching this just seemed the way to go. Plus with the savings we can stay longer and do more things. Also, we can put the little ones to bed and still be able to spend time together.

Grandma’s Extra Magic…
I have been collecting stuff here and there so I can make welcome baskets for everyone. The little ones will have a note from Mickey to welcome them to his home. I will detail those later. I also have ordered Mickey themed paper plates,napkins,etc for use at the Villa because,well I tend to overdo everything.


If it were up to me I would plan every last minute, but my husband wisely curtails my planning. We all know the meltdowns and disappointments that can occur with overplanning. Especially with a large group that includes small children and first timers. I am so glad to have found the Passporter! I used it to plan ( of course) and also as a guide to discuss what the others wanted to do during our monthly Disney Meetings. Yes, we had them. I will give a brief overview of those later.