This Is Where the Magic Lives: Anticipation!!!

Well, we are just under two weeks until our trip!! I had delusions of getting some fantastic SWA Ding fare that would allow me to change my dates a bit and RE add on my last 2 nights (that I - during temporary insanity) chopped off because I wasn't (in my head at the time I made this change) up for moving to a third resort during one trip. The closer my trip gets the more I ask myself...why did I shorten it?!?!? We really like to do a split stay between two resorts - one on the EPCOT side of the "world" and then over to the Magic Kingdom side.....but moving a third time left me bleh. So I added one more night to my Grand Floridian reservation and chopped off 2 Wilderness Lodge nights. Yeah, a confusing mess, but what

it comes down to is 4 nights at the Yacht Club and 6 at the Grand.

What happened to SWA Dings?!?!? I used to get Dings here and there that would send me to fun places.....now it's Indianapolis & Cleveland most often....not fun..... So, no such fun destination Ding arrived for me.....and I feel like I am paying more for air for this summer trip than we have paid in years.

Yesterday I was reviewing my park plans and ADRs. I use Tour Guide Mike to plan the "best days" and I have found him to be useful and helpful. But my handwriting and scribble scrabbled notes all over my trip notes page had me lost. It took me a LOOOOOooooong time to figure out WHAT?!?! What did I want to do?? And WHY?? My reasoning a month ago seems to conflict with my 2 week out reasoning haha. So I had to back track, head over to TGM and then try and figure out what time and where I did want to dine. I plan for other people in a nice legible logical way, but my own plans and ideas for my family trip get added here and there when I have a few minutes and become scattered LOL - I guess it's like the plumber with the clogged drains all over his house. So, after rereviewing TGM and double checking my ADRs online, I am now good to go with a new plan of attack!!!

I booked our flight to Florida based on my 13 yr old daughter's high hopes of seeing the midnight showing of the Twilight movie, "Eclipse" haha.....her birthday is July 1 and she had visions of me taking her and several friends to the midnight opening showing on June 30.....omg.....I am now in denial mode. WHY did I agree to that?!?!? I can't even think about the reality of doing that....... I have never read the books, not seen the movies, am going to snooze thru this movie from midnight to 2 am....and then have to deal with driving a throng of teen girls to our house to spend the night and dealing with them in the morning while trying to throw everything all together and get us out of the house for the airport. I selected a 2 pm flight, thinking that works.....but how do I get roped into these crazy schemes....... I am still (when feeling a reality check) trying to plot a way out of doing these plans.

So now that I have the ADRs and schedule the way I like it.....time to start dealing with things here on the home front. I have started taking Miss Mischief Penny to a doggy daycare to prepare her for when she'll be kenneled there. She just turned 8 months old and has never been away from home. Have to make sure everybody has good park shoes.....shorts and more.....start getting the toiletries together, stuff for the flight...lots of Target runs before a vacation.....I am actually getting butterflies in my stomach while thinking of this list of have to dos!!! I am a last minute packer - I don't like the pressure of doing it that way, but I don't enjoy packing and procrastinate til it has to be done. I always bring too much.....so make more work for myself than I should. I am going to TRY my best to leave home without 400lbs of junk in 8 bags. Coming home to have to put that away (AFTER laundering 400lbs) is the pits. I have an almost 20 year old son and he won't be coming with this time. Part of me is jumping for joy because the last time he did come with (he was 17.5 at that time) he was a huge buzz kill and downed us all out. But...then I think about being 1200 miles away from him for 10 nights and get a bit of a sick panicky feeling. I just have to work that out in my head.....but I am sure out of sight out of mind may be what happens once I step onto the colorful mosaic floor in MCO and hop on their monorails!!! *LOL*

We don't have anything super special planned during our trip. With my crazy family it's hard to even stick with my schedule because inevitably somebody wants to do something else.....or isn't hungry at ADR time.....or is tired or hot....flexibility is a necessary thing for us on our vacations.....We just plan on hitting the parks early (ya right - we shall see..... - flexibility needed here haha) returning for a swim and then back to the parks in the late afternoon/evenings and stay til close.

Three of us have birthdays during the first week of July but my younger daughter is a January baby...I don't want to make a giant deal out of us three birthday people when she has actually never been during hers. My older daughter and husband and I chose where we want to eat for our days but I didn't mention BIRTHDAY on the reservations. Last year I let my youngest daughter have my birthday.....she wore the button and got the cupcake at lunch. She got my year and birthday calories. What a deal.

Well.....we are finally seeing the sun here in good old northern Illinois, so I am going to soak some up and get a nice tan going so I don't burn in Florida.

I CAN"T WAIT TO GO!!!!!!!

Happy travels, all!!

Channing

TravelWithTheMagic