So this is what mid-life crisis feels like? Dec 2011 PTR

[shocky5]

Right off the bat, I think I should say a couple of things:

1) This is my first try at a PTR - have wanted to complete one prior to the other family trips we've made to WDW and just didn't take the time to do so.
2) I don't think I'm really in a mid-life crisis but my focus this year, including working Disney back into the plans has revolved somewhat around the fact that I turn *4*0* in August.

My name is Amy and I am blessed enough to have married my DH, *almost* 16 years ago - anniversary is in March - and we have 3 awesome children who keep us extremely busy. DD is 12, soon to be 13 in a couple of weeks, DS will be turning 10 this Thursday, and younger DS turned 8 last month. Yes - it is true - we are guilty of only having reproduced winter babies... not sure why or if that was even planned? But it's major budgeting to fit in 3 birthdays and Christmas in about a 6 week span!

DH and I took our children to WDW in June 2007 and had a wonderful time. So much that we wanted to go back in 2009 and we did! We felt like we would take them back in the summer of 2011 but might be relocating so opted to wait and not try to plan any major vacations for the upcoming summer. HOWEVER, when our pin code showed up in the mail... he caught me looking at it and said 'What are you thinking?" I need to add in here at this point that I am also finishing up my masters, working full time, so does DH, and our kids are actively involved in sports. My DH is also a teacher and a coach so we are constantly on the go.

I will finish up my course curriculum by Dec. 16, 2011 and just have a practicum left to complete. That being said, I answered my DH by asking him what he thought about going to Disney over Christmas Break? We had a good pin code discount, we would be finished with transitions involving any potential move, and grad school will be all but completed... and then I threw in there "PLUS - I'm turning 40 this year!!"

I've been teasing him about what his plans for my 40th will be because I surprised him for his 40th with a trip to Las Vegas... so he knows it needs to be pretty good.

That being said - we are now officially booked for the Polynesian, arriving Dec. 16th and departing on Dec. 23rd. We are very traditional and truly want to be home, in our own beds, for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but I can't think of a better 'build up' to the holiday season than this trip... and a true celebration of birthday and grad school completion. But I'm so not going to make this trip 'all about me.' The kids do not even know about it, nor do we plan on them knowing about it, until we are literally at the airport. Have always wanted to surprise them but have never been able to contain my excitement long enough to remember to not tell them!!


I think I would like to use this PTR for a few reasons:

1) I love reading everyone elses - thus my inspiration.
2) Will help me enjoy the year and it's upcoming events without wishing them away to just hurry up and get to our next Disney trip.
3) I'm definitely going to need advice from the holiday veterans!!
4) I am also considering registering for the marathon weekend in Jan 2012. Will save that story for another day. But if that comes to be a reality, then I will add that journey in here as well.

If you've stayed with me this long - you deserve a medal. Have a great day!

 

[teachermommy78]

So is your masters in teaching? I may have missed that. How exciting!!! I'm hooked and can't wait to see how this unfolds! I've always wanted to try the poly! It looks beautiful. With your busy season of life ahead of you, the trip will be a sweet ending, for sure!!!

 

[shocky5]

So is your masters in teaching? I may have missed that. How exciting!!! I'm hooked and can't wait to see how this unfolds! I've always wanted to try the poly! It looks beautiful. With your busy season of life ahead of you, the trip will be a sweet ending, for sure!!!

Thanks Stacey! My masters will actually specialize in school counseling so still education.

We love the Poly and sometimes I get mad at myself for being such a creature of habit! LOL We took our children for the first time in '07, family of 5, and knowing little about Disney did the "search for a quote online" through the Disney website and narrowed our options down to the locations that would accommodate a family of 5. Then we let the kids pick and of course it was all about the pool and they loved the volcano pool. We never thought we would be repeat guests - thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip - so we worked it out to stay there for our first trip to WDW.

And then the pin codes started coming annually... and we've opted to take advantage of the 40% off at the Poly for our second and third trips. We are going to devote time to touring some of the other resorts though - would love to stay at WL and POR looks really cool, too!

I would love to do a mother/daughter trip sometime and want to get as much of Disney as my DH will indulge us.

Thanks for reading!!

 

[shocky5]

So I really thought I would be able to figure this out on my own... but to no avail... and I know there are many of you that know the answer to this question.

What do I need to do to be able to post pictures on here?


TIA!

 

[teachermommy78]

You have to upload to a site like photobucket first. Photobucket is super easy. Once the pictures are uploaded, you click on the the option to copy the link. Then you come here and click on the photo icon above. Then you simply paste the link into the window prompt. I believe there is a video tutorial in one of the help areas here. I am well versed on pictures because I also post on a couple mommy boards using the same format. Hope that helps!

 

[micandminforever]

Joining your report. My DH and I are retired teachers, so I know how it is to tailor everything around school breaks, coaching, and going back to school to keep up with the latest accreditation requirement. We were never able to plan over Christmas break because of basketball tournaments. One of the first things I did when we retired was plan a Dec. trip. Dec. is a great time of the year to visit Disney. This year I actually can visit the Flower Festival before spring break start for people in school. I look forward to the smaller crowds.

 

[shocky5]

Joining your report. My DH and I are retired teachers, so I know how it is to tailor everything around school breaks, coaching, and going back to school to keep up with the latest accreditation requirement. We were never able to plan over Christmas break because of basketball tournaments. One of the first things I did when we retired was plan a Dec. trip. Dec. is a great time of the year to visit Disney. This year I actually can visit the Flower Festival before spring break start for people in school. I look forward to the smaller crowds.

Yeah! Welcome! And you give me another reason to be thankful we will be going this December as our DD is in JH and an avid basketball player so our winter break will soon enough become consumed with her activities by Dec. 2012 when she's officially in high school!

You have to upload to a site like photobucket first. Photobucket is super easy. Once the pictures are uploaded, you click on the the option to copy the link. Then you come here and click on the photo icon above. Then you simply paste the link into the window prompt. I believe there is a video tutorial in one of the help areas here. I am well versed on pictures because I also post on a couple mommy boards using the same format. Hope that helps!

Aww thank you Stacey! Next up - pictures! The flu has officially hit our home so on my day home tomorrow with the sick kids, I can upload photos!! A positive about having a day at home.

 

[annmarieda]

I am here! I am so glad to not be the only one with a PTR going for Christmas 2011!!!

Your life sounds busy...and what better way to end a busy year than to take a trip to WDW. (at least this is what I tell myself )

As for pics...looks like someone gave you directions already. I use photobucket..and it works pretty easy. I however don't do the last step. When I hit the "copy link" on photobucket...I just then right click my mouse while in the body of the message and then click paste.

On your dates...almost exactly what I have. Even though I have already booked...the thought of extending through the 23 has crossed my mind. Only reason I booked the 15th through the 22nd is because it is usually cheaper to fly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Course, I did a check today..and the cheapest time to fly as of right now... Wednesday to Wednesday.

 

[annmarieda]

OH...I forgot.. on turning 40.... I just turned 41 exactly one month ago. Strange becoming 40..something.... seems like I was just 20. Well, maybe not just On our December 2011 trip...I will turn 42 I can't believe I will be just that much closer to 50.. Sigh....

 

[shocky5]

OH...I forgot.. on turning 40.... I just turned 41 exactly one month ago. Strange becoming 40..something.... seems like I was just 20. Well, maybe not just On our December 2011 trip...I will turn 42 I can't believe I will be just that much closer to 50.. Sigh....

Could not agree more! I think my hang up is I'm more surprised that I don't feel any different. I tease about my mid-life crisis but I so don't foresee that happening. I dunno.... in one of my grad classes, I finished up my research on human development and life span and one difference I did recognize as opposed to when I had this class in undergrad is that I'm not on the front end of 'young adulthood' anymore... I'm moving into the transitional period from young adulthood to middle adulthood. Which be happy to know that middle adulthood begins at about 45... I think I'm of the mindset to just 'embrace, embrace, embrace!'

Thanks for the photo upload tips... I'm getting ready to post my next portion with pictures!

 

[shocky5]

Thank you to those who helped me discover the world of photo upload!

These pics are from our '09 trip to WDW so they are about 1 1/2 years old... but it's Disney, ya know?

This is me and my DH, Eddie, at Le Cellier, Epcot - and clearly you can see I need to work on the photoupload editing!! YIKES - we are big.

This is our DD, Erin, at 1900 Park Fare dinner

This is our DS, Nolan - who is 10 years old TODAY - he is 2 for 2 of getting pooped on by a bird at WDW. We couldn't be more proud!! That explains the 'white spot' on his arm... as for the dirty mouth...he'd just finished a Mickey bar!

And last but not least, our youngest DS, Naton, who has trouble staying awake at WDW....
Magical Express off of the plane traveling to the Poly

Outside Splash Mountain in the MK...

And here he is awake... finally....

 

[teachermommy78]

Happy Birthday Nolan!!!!!!!!

You have a BEAUTIFUL family!!!! And Nolan looks how I picture my ds Ethan to look when he's 10. Does Erin have a Bibbiti bobbiti boutique hair do in that pic? Or is it just pulled back? Sophie (who will be almost 8 on the trip) really is struggling about wanting to do BBB again. She wants to, but feels too old. I love Naton's sleeping pics!!! I hope my kids do some of that at the parks! At least the boys, anyway.

 

[shocky5]

Happy Birthday Nolan!!!!!!!!

You have a BEAUTIFUL family!!!! And Nolan looks how I picture my ds Ethan to look when he's 10. Does Erin have a Bibbiti bobbiti boutique hair do in that pic? Or is it just pulled back? Sophie (who will be almost 8 on the trip) really is struggling about wanting to do BBB again. She wants to, but feels too old. I love Naton's sleeping pics!!! I hope my kids do some of that at the parks! At least the boys, anyway.

Thanks!! Erin does not have a hair do - it's just pulled back. She had also hit that 'too old' phase, but she was 11. I think Sophie should go for it!!

I think Nate can sleep anywhere!!

 

[shocky5]

So, even though January is almost over... here's my timeline for the year until Disney:

January - Nolan's birthday, mom's surgery which I should say all happened yesterday and today and all went well! Have birthday party tomorrow night, Erin's semi-formal dance on Saturday and then the remainder of January should be smooth sailing.

February - Erin becomes a teenager - planning a surprise party for her, a special mommy/daughter dinner at a nice restaurant, finish up her basketball season and Nolan's as well.

March - Spring brings baseball season for DH and boys. Also our anniversary is this month and I will be finishing up my current curriculum in my master's program.

April - begin new curriculum and juggle work and baseball games!!

May - I love May - not a whole lot going on - still baseball season, and will still have my grad school til mid-June but school for the kids and DH begins winding down and it's just a good feeling to be so close to summer!

June - I GET TO MAKE OUR ADR's!!! I'm more excited about that than completing another round of classes. June is also the month I will travel out to Arizona for a week long residency for my masters degree. Excited about this!!

July - Back to school for me! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Pre-season football will also begin for DH and I will be a widow until mid-November or so... depending on post-season play.

August - Argh! Guess who turns *40*!! And it's back to school for the rest of the family!

September - hmmm... work, grad school, work, football, work, grad school, work, football... DH also has his birthday this month...he's going to be 42. I love that he's older than me!

October - repeat of September minus DH birthday.

November - repeat of September and October... coupled with secret packing for our first WDW Christmas Vacation!!

December - Football completed, Grad school curriculum completed, Naton's 9th birthday and three weeks of school and then it's off to the happiest place on Earth in my book!

2011 is looking great!

 

[shocky5]

Had Nolan's b-day party last night and while I great time was had by all, I was TIRED. Basketball games this morning and Erin's dance is tonight. She is so excited and we need to find a few things today to 'complete the look.' Will have to post some pics later of party and dance.

Back to Disney... while I'm not trying to consume my days with thoughts of this trip, I find myself consuming my days with thoughts of this trip.

I'm not too horribly focused on what park, which day as the hours, etc. won't be out until June - but I am completely focused on watching airfare. Anyone have any good tips? I'm signed up for and receive regularly the discount updates and of course none of them will apply to our trip until later simply because the trip is still 10 months away. But if there are any tips out there, I'd love to hear them!!

TIA,
Amy

 

[shocky5]

WOW! So I've completely neglected this PTR but hope to be back on track now. I think I've got time (about 10 months, actually).

Not much has changed - we did find good airfare though! Or it seems good compared to what prices have been and what they are predicted to become before too long! We will be flying in on american and flying home on continental and we did find the flight times we wanted at $389 so I'm happy!

And it makes it very difficult for anyone to change their minds at this point since airfare is purchased. So hopefully, the airlines won't change their flight schedule too much between now and then.

We also have our dining desires picked out... for now... no doubt this could change by June when we can actually make our ADR's but here are the tentative ones we would like to hit:

Chef Mickey's
O'hana's
Boma's - want to tour AKL, as well
Fantasmic Dinner Package - looking at Hollywood and Vine for the quick service aspect of a buffet
Tusker House breakfast
Coral Reef - not super excited about this one, have never been, but kids will love the aquarium and DH wants some seafood while we are there and this seems to work into our 'tentative plans.'
1900 Park Fare - my kids love this dinner buffet
CRT breakfast (tradition)
Whispering Canyon for breakfast and the opportunity to tour the WL

So... what do you all think? My goal is to put in some relaxation time alongside park time as well as get into the Christmas spirit!

 

[shocky5]

We have a teenager! Happy Birthday to my sweet daughter!!

 

[shocky5]

So not much has changed... still considering ADR's but have tried to set this trip on the backburner to get through birthday parties and paper for school that I finished up yesterday.

Both kid's parties went well and each were happy. Need to post some pics of their cakes - they turned out so cute!

I did have my dr appt this past week for my foot that started giving me grief last year - in short - had begun running and a couple of months in (which was going very well, by the way) I hurt my foot not realizing I really_really hurt my foot. I wasn't running at the time, but it definitely prohibited me from running on it. I went to the doctor in Sept, he ran a couple of x-rays and injected cortisone and said give it some time. Well 5 months later, I pick a new doctor to figure out why it still hurts and he found I had partially ruptured a tendon... At least now we have the 'why' answered. I go back in a few weeks for a followup... after 5+ months, it had begun to repair itself and while it will be forever shaped like a "V", upside down though, he seems to think surgery will not be necessary. Of course my biggest concern is getting rid of the pain, and being able to walk all I need to while on my trip this Dec. And I have aspirations to run one of the marathon weekends at WDW next year...

Sorry to any followers who may still be reading my long, lacking PTR! I will try to beef it up!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[annmarieda]

Ack, I thought I sub'd and then...low in behold, I didn't.

I am glad you got through a couple of the bdays and that went well.

Your ADR desires look great. I keep hearing about 1900 Park Faire. I did not know this place even existed. I wonder if I might want to take a serious look at it.

Isn't it strange breaking down the year like you did? (I did it too) It is like you look at each month and see how busy it is then move to the next and then the next and all of a sudden December is here. Busy year!!!

Since I didn't mention it before, you have a beautiful family. I found it neat to look at your kids...it reminds me of my three oldest., spaced just like yours, with the girl being the oldest. It wasn't long ago that we traveled with all three of them. Now they are older..

 

[teachermommy78]

Happy Bday to your DD!!! I'm sorry to her about your foot! That sounds painful. I'm glad you have some answers,, though. I know they said surgery won't be necessary, but do you need to do anything to help it heal? I'm impressed by anyone who runs. I think I would enjoy running. My neighborhood isn't the best running choice. It's not a BAD neighborhood, but it's Chicago. And it's not chicago gold coast or lake front! I have my elliptical and DVD/Wii. Totally not the same as running!