A cabin, princess audition, service dog, hurricane season, 14 days trip with a bunch of crazy people trip report!

[cinderella73 1]

Okay take 2 here we go---

Well the title says it all ! This is going to be a very heavy content report.

So its time for our annual Disney trip . I thought seeing as how our trips usually turn into something out like a National Lampoons Vacation movie , I figured a few of you might get a kick ( or laugh) out of coming along.

This will be a live , and at times live streaming ( you can watch live video via ustream) report . It will also be a bit of a pre-trip report and a trip report in one. When the time is right just before the trip I will post a link and password for the live stream so you can pop in and watch if you like. I will also list off certain dates and times that I will be streaming. I plan on getting tons of pics and want to focus on more unusal things this trips. I also notice I like pics better when people are not posing, but reacting to whats going on. So this trip I really want to capture more of what Disney is to us.

Now before we get started , be forewarned. I misspell a LOT. Mostly because I type to fast and dont double check my sentences ( I'm lazy). But sometimes because I havent had my caffine for the day. If you are good at crossword puzzles you should be able to tag along just fine. Sometimes I ramble ( okay a lot) , and I tend to share a little TMO ( to much info) which I groan about after ( did I really just admit that!) . I also use ( these things) wayyy to much. I pretty much can take a sentence and turn it into a paragraph. ( <--- SEE?) So if u think I am crazy , just dont tell me.. Im sensitive ! lol

SIDENOTE:

I just wanted to add a little something here being new and all. I hail from that "other" place. Whilst in that "other"place I kept hearing about about this "site that shall not be mentioned" . Now the best way to perk my interest in something, is to tell me you CANT tell me! I tried typing in various things to Google to figure out where this "site that cant be mentioned" was. But to no avail...

One day by accident BAM Google slipped up and I found you all . Actually I think I typed in something about a cabin and found it . But anyway thought you might be interested to know someone recently brought up this site and a mod named Kathy shut it off really quick. I dont know what the flush thing was about but it sure sounds interesting!! lol

Now even though a lot of you have no idea who I am . I feel like I know you all, because I have been reading and scouring these boards for the last couple weeks. I really enjoy your trip reports and various posts. Its such a more relaxed atmosphere over here and you all are so friendly. Been having a rough couple weeks in fact ( which I will tell you about later on) and its been nice to just hop on here and more than a few times you all made me chuckle . Which was badly needed.

Now see, I told you I ramble . Lots of words and no real intro yet! Let get down to business.

I will be posting my report in that "other" place because of the people I have met over there . But I will try to do a little more over here , because .. well I like you all. ( more..

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Here is the nitty gritty of it all.

We are going in mid September for 2 weeks. We are staying in a cabin . ( I hope to one day SOON own my own RV . Especially with some of the needs we have its a really good idea. So I will be asking you all lots of questions about that later on.) Nothing says adventure like staying in a cabin during "peak" hurricane season !

Side note: Growing up in Florida I have gone through many a hurricanes. While they dont bother me I am hoping we dont get one because I do not want to get moved to anywhere!

I am getting a 6 seater cart from Steve . We will have some friends staying at the fort with us in their new Rv , which I cant wait to check out ! Just found out today out dog trainer might be flying out from Montana to join us ! She was just featured on The Doctors show ( I guess its related to the Dr. Phil show) and now has tons of work rolling in so I really hope she can make it. My mom and sister may come along also. Next up the cast and agenda , as well as some back history.

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

:popcorn:

[cinderella73 1]

CAST

Myself - I am a 37yr old mom of the 3 best kids in world. I grew up on the east coast of Florida on the beachside , about a hour away from the parks. Disney was a regular part of my childhood and my escape from a not to happy home. ( u will get to know my mother on this trip!) Not trying to sound pathetic . I also had some great family that took me in and helped raise me . I am very thankful for that! lol I will go by CINDERELLA since all I ever seem to do is clean. lol

About 10 years ago I moved with my husband to PA. And have been stuck here ever since. ( I will be moving back to FL within the year) . I pretty much stay at home and homeschool the kids. I am working on a book to help parents of kids with special needs at Disney. Its slow going as I have never done it before . I am going to start submitting inquirys to publishers this year sometime. Wish me luck as I have no idea what I am doing but ts a labor of love. Sort of learning as I go along.

You wont see to many pics of me this trip because I gained a lot weight with all the stuff we had going on. I am feeling pretty bad about it .Not a excuse but its been a hard year. Thats why when we drained our savings with medical bills and my husband said we cant go I looked at him like he had 3 heads. Yeah right..

This is a funny one from when my mom and I tried out for the Biggest Loser. We got through a couple rounds but didnt make it to the final finals in California. ( She lost all her weight already with gastric anyway - I will be signing up if my weights not off by February because I have diabetes they approved me to start taking classes for gastric as well ) She was Tastycakes and I was Senorita Bonita . The video was hysterical . Note the "grills" on her teeth we made from gum wrappers. What makes this so hysterical is the fact its not like my mom to do this stuff ! The video has now been passed around to our entire family and lets just say its never gonna go away!

My husband- I will call him Grumpy for the sake of the report and well because he always so darn grumpy lately . I wanted to call him something else today but that sounds nicer ! He is also known as " bald man" around here by the kids. lol Something they made up when they were little kids and it stuck.( they like to be silly with him, not meant to be mean) Here is the " bald man" at Columbia Harbor House

On the beach ( this is the beach we used to live across the street from). We both really miss hearing the waves at night ! This was taken when hurricane Hannah was just off the coast.

My husband and I have been married over 11 years . ( EDIT- My husband just lovingly reminded me that we have been married 14 years not 11. I was just having so much fun I guess the time flew by . )I know one things that been hurting him, is he recently lost his sister ( she was only 53) this last Christmas ( Christmas Day) . We still cry everyday . She was just that amazing. Since I dont have any real relationship with my mom she was so much more to me than a sister in law to me .

His family is down in Florida so he is hoping to get a chance to visit with them which, I think will be great for all of us. They are all still hurting pretty bad down there and I think it will be a great thing to just get everyone together if at all possible. We plan to head over to the beachside and pick his mom up to spend at least the day with us. His mom is a sweet lady. I adore her.

Below are the chitlins or children if you will.....

Thing 1-

my 17 yr old DD. I will call her KAIRI after her favorite video game character from the video game Kingdom Hearts . Here is a pic of her in her kairi costume from last September when we went to the MNSSHP . This was taken on the balcony of our room at the Contemporary.

She is a typical teenager . One day shes sweet and the next shes moody. Shes is a great big sister and awesome daughter. One of our favorite things to do is play Tomb Raider or team up playing Halo. ( video games) She hates to admit it ( after all cant like what your mom does) but she does like Disney. Just dont let her know I told you.She is into asian culture and history. Shes a great artist and musician . We always try to sneak off on our trips and squeeze in something girly. We are hoping to get in some tea time at the Grand Floridian this trip. Last year we did MNSSHP and had a blast. She has a autoimmune thyroid condition and is like a little stick. Its like pulling teeth to get her to eat. ( wish I had that problem) Although she had no problem stealing the last chocolate cake ( with Mickey sprinkles I might add) from me last trip!!! Shes been really worried about her brothers and not sleeping anough which wears her down. I am hoping the trip will help her de-stress a bit. I am steeling myself for what will surely be a hit and run when she robs me blind in the Mitsokoshi ( however you spell it) store in Epcot japan. She just bats her eyes and the next thing I know my wallets empty!

Thing 2- My curly headed little 10 yr old DS. We will call him SONIC after his favorite video game Sonic the Hedgehog. If its something mischievous, you can bet it will make him giggle. He loves helping me cook and in fact just loves to help out in general ( as long its not cleaning up his own room) . He has had some health scares this week ( we still dont know whats causing it ) and we have been to doc after doc. , with more still scheduled . He also has a service dog thats just been so amazing and wonderful for him. He loves anything to do with video games and electronics. Hes a sweet boys that just been through so much . As a result hes been suffering anxiety attacks lately from it all , which I hate seeing him go through. Hes the most outgoing and laid back of the trio and makes friends easily. He will be meeting up with another little boy he met last year ( at Disney) who also has a service dog .

Thing 3- My littlest guy DS9 . We will call him LINK after his favorite video game . ( He really does remind me of little Windwaker Link) He has the most beautiful smile. Like his brother if its something fresh , its hysterical. The two of them keep me busy! He is like my little proffessor. This kid taught himself to read , no really I mean BIG words I cant even spell. This was long before anyone even taught him! I dont know how... He remembers everything in detail even from years ago! ( no idea where he got that from!!!) .It sometimes gives his older brother ( and the rest of us) a complex because he is so advanced. He has a great sense of humor and always loves to give hugs. Its seriously hard to have a bad day when this guy is around. Likewise he just cant stay mad at anyone because hes such a sweetie. He has also decided to part of the fun this week. We ended up in Er when he started having these episodes of sudden onsets of arm/ leg / hand/ foot pain. Good news is most tests came back fine, still waiting on his ANA ( to check for autoimmune stuff) and a RH factor ( arthritis) .

( Yeah we are a healthy lot aren't we ?)

here is a a few pictures of the boys

With their monorail purchase on the monorail lol

Outside Columbia Harbor House ( One of our fav places)

Taken near Cosmic Rays

The kids all tease me about my Disney obsession. The boys always roll their eyes at my Disney music and groan everytime I mention the D word. When I told them that I would be willing to cancel this years trip with everything that had been going on , they all of a sudden didnt mind Disney! Yes, they actually want to go... And here I thought I was doing my duty as a mom and torturing them with a Disney trip.. again.. Guess I will have to think of something better now. ( Think I have a Barney dvd around here somewhere.)

Actually I forgot to mention my little guy Link wasn't to sure about the trip. You see last trip on our very first night at Epcot we had a lightening storm like I have never seen before. On top of that we were at the back of word showcase and Illuminations was going off. Lots of ground lightening and loud fireworks and music and a downpour. Check out this video. Here we are along with our friends and their service dog and our trainer with the pacemaker running to get out. lol Needless to say its stuck in my little guys mind as he HATES thunderstorms. ( hope I pasted the video correctly)

Service Dog - Our service dog Bobber ( or Bobber Slobber as I like to call him) is the worlds sweetest puppy. he will have been with us a year this August .He loves everyone ( except Mickey , Woody , Jessie , and Pluto , etc. ) . This will be his second trip to Disney with the first one being last September, only a month after we brought him home from Texas. I was warned it would be a tough go with him being so new to us. Seeing as how his pick up date kept changing we just couldnt get out of the trip.

Here are some of Bobber from our last trip Sept 2010 ( his first)

Outside downtown Disney Once Upon a Toy

This is also at downtown Disney in the toy store. He is a very meek dog and gentle but is not fond of lots of little kids running around in circles screaming he wont bark or act up but he will just shut down if he gets overwhelmed. Thankfully he is more comfortable with us now and was just new then. This is where he sat down and just refused to move one night. Poor boy.

This one woman I met Mrs. K , who will be joining us again this trip , and her son who we will be calling Buzz decided to join us with their SD ( we recieved our dogs from the same trainer / ranch) so that my dog could acclimate to the sites and sounds and not be so overwhelmed. She also flew our dogs trainer out to join us all !!! It was a great experience and I really love and appreciate all these people have done for us. I cant wait to see them all again soon! My son actually got his first lesson from the trainer on how to perform a search with his dog at the Polynesian!

Here is a short 2 sec video but its sideways! lol I had just gotten my droid and thought it would flip it .

So Bobber Slobber did well. He didnt like the costumed characters . We had a suprise meet up with Woody and Jessie while trying to do some potty business backstage behind Splash Mountain. He didnt appreciate the unannounced company, and didnt care much for a dog plutos size either! The first few days were a bit rough as he was still getting used to me but he did great by the 3rd day in. We had one day where a woman brought a poorly trained service dog on the boat( if he was even one at all) to MK that was barking at him and pulling on his leash trying to get to him. To his credit he sat there like a good boy and ignored the other dog. Now to my knowledge,while all dogs have their issues or weakness , most dogs wont even pass training with those behaviours! Right after that a 3 year old ran into him , a balloon popped on main St, and a foriegn man that didnt speak english or read the "do not pet" patch on him , ran up to him and started touching him and at that point he just sat down right in the middle of main st and would NOT MOVE! If he could talk he would be saying " I am so OVER this!" LOL Good thing it was not time for the 3:00 parade!!! I had to get on the phone to our friends who where still at the fort and they came over to join us and ... wow what a difference it made. She took us over into a cool air conditioned room , we took off his vest and let him destress , she got him to drink ( he had been refusing) and the rest of the trip he was GREAT! ( Well except the last day where we got stuck during the fireworks and the people in Tomorrowland let us stay in a closed store till they were over( That was fun). Both dogs did just not like the noise from the fireworks, but then again I dont think any labs or dogs do.)

Bobber is a rescue dog. He is a rather tall Lab that was saved from a kill shelter. Saved by his really sweet disposition and ability to follow orders well. He was noticed, and a woman that rehabilitates animals was called. Bobber came to us a 2 year old ball of love with nothing to tell us of his past, except a rather deep scar on his leg and his insane desire to be loved and approved of. I like to say his life was saved and now hes saving my sons life. Its a beautiful thing. Tears me up everytime. He is a scent detection dog. I had to take a 2 week training course out in TX before bringing him home. We have upkeep training we do weekly, and he has a certain indication he gives when he alerts, as well as a list of commands and rules we adhere to in the home to keep him working properly. He is amazing. I cant say enough about him. Even though its not why we got him he has been a great source of calm for my son's who have both been dealing with scary stuff the last two weeks.

Last trip we stayed both offsite in a condo where we were threatened to be kicked out for having a dog , even though we explained it was a service dog and had papers. It worked out okay , but talk about stress! Its funny how much people dont know about service dogs. The last half we stayed at the Contemporary which was let me tell you not fun with a dog. That elevator was a pain making potty breaks. But the view... sigh. Heavenly!

We are hoping the fort will be a lot less stress for him and we will be close to our friends who will be staying in their RV.

I am trying to figure out how a dog rides in a electric cart. I mean... really. He rode many rides at Disney just fine . But this is a new one for me ! I will take lots of pics ! lol

Last trip we had a special cooling vest for him and boots for the hot pavement. I had people asking if he was a service dog when the cooling vest was on ( guests not cast members) because the cooling vest didnt have patches. So this trip I am making sure he gets his patches for that. He had his picture taken more times than Mickey himself. Everyone was super nice. Cast members were giving us free bottled waters for both dogs and I cant tell you how much kindness we experienced. You dont get anywhere what you get at Disney and at no time is it more apparent intil you have special needs. I wont vacation with my family anywhere else with that kind of piece of mind. ( I have a really special story I will share with you later.)

So thats my whole crew . hope I didnt scare you all away with so much text and pics.

Coming up next the rest of the cast and the agenda!

[cinderella73 1]

Yikes sorry the pics are so big.. I can always resize them. Also hope its okay to put that many pics and video. If I need to do anythng different someone please give me a heads up. Thanks

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

awwwwwsome start! I'm excited about the streaming video's paitently waiting for more!! :popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

Wow, great start...and thorough!

Service dogs are amazing. Looking forward to stories of the kids and Bobber Slobber! :heart:

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Looking forward to more, have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great job, Cindy. You have a beautiful family and I have fallen in love with Bobber :banana:

[kampfirekim 260]

Beautiful family you have there! :) Oh yeah! don't resize the photos. We like 'em that way around here.

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

Holy Cow - that was detailed - what an awesome start. Your family and friends sound fantastic - can't wait to hear more!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I do love me a good, detailed trip report with lots of photos!! :)

[cinderella73 1]

awwwwwsome start! I'm excited about the streaming video's paitently waiting for more!! :popcorn:

Judy, I am so glad u are interested in the streams. I was kinda worried I might do them and no one would show up. lol

Wow, great start...and thorough!

Service dogs are amazing. Looking forward to stories of the kids and Bobber Slobber! :heart:

Heh Yeah a liitle over the top through know. I just get carried away typing. Glad you like our Bob's also . Btw he got his name Bobber because when he does a indication on something he sits and points in a bobblehead type fashion. lol Its really cute.

Looking forward to more, have a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! I cant wait . Its like when you start getting close its all you can think about. Trying to get back into reality here and the pile of laundry but all I wanna do is read trip reports. I think we have only 5 weeks left now.

Great job, Cindy. You have a beautiful family and I have fallen in love with Bobber :banana:

Aw thank you ! Yeah I kinda love them just a lot. Good kids and Bobber Slobber is such a sweet boy. I am a lucky mom .

Beautiful family you have there! :) Oh yeah! don't resize the photos. We like 'em that way around here.

Let me tell you something , everytime I load this page and see my big old head I cringe! lol I tried resizing my pics in photobucket a million times yesterday. It worked finally but still loads large on here even though I relinked it . I give up! You all will have to put up with my big old head anyway. Glad you dont mind the larger pics. Btw I am really enjoying your TR. Finally got all caught up on it.

Holy Cow - that was detailed - what an awesome start. Your family and friends sound fantastic - can't wait to hear more!

My friends are really great. I couldnt have done our last trip without them. My mom and sister , they are worth a whole TR themselves ! Thats where the comedy will come in I am sure.

I do love me a good, detailed trip report with lots of photos!! :)

And I love you joining me . It is so much fun to share a live trip report . I have learned its best to do a live one as my memory is not so good these days. ( cant tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday) Maybe I am getting old or maybe its just my kids are killing my braincells.. Anyway , glad you are here !

Next update coming this evening - Thanks for reading

[Live4FW 30]

Great Start! I grew up in Cocoa beach, that would happen to be where you were from?

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

:suspense:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

:popcorn:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I'm in!

I have a special needs daughter and am crazy in love with dogs and I live in PA. What more could I ask for in a TR? LOL

Really though, you have a beautiful family and I think you are lovely...we'd be glad to see more pics of you!

[cinderella73 1]

Great Start! I grew up in Cocoa beach, that would happen to be where you were from?

No but I have been there many times. I lived all up and down the coast from Ft Lauderdale to Jacksonville , but I did most of my growing up in the St Augustine beachside area. Had some good times in Cocoa though, miss it .

I'm in!

I have a special needs daughter and am crazy in love with dogs and I live in PA. What more could I ask for in a TR? LOL

Really though, you have a beautiful family and I think you are lovely...we'd be glad to see more pics of you!

If u dont mind my asking is that Great Wolf Lodge in your picture with your 2 cuties? It looked like the waterpark spot I know so well. My husband was with them for a several years. I heard the just redid the bottom floors , I really wanna go visit and check it out.. Thank you for the nice comments! I dont get many of those around here and I will take all I can get ! lol

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Was hoping the next part up by now but my boys have decided to start a war of the worlds tonight ( over a video game) . And if thats not enough my one son was complaining again about his throat. ( He lost 10 pounds last week when he wouldnt eat) Most tests have come back fine and he started eating soft foods and he will seem fine then he starts complaining again. This is n conjunction with his heart racing. So stressed not knowing what the heck is going on now. We see a cardio and ent this coming week for more tests but I have a feeling we will end up at a GI doc as well. Thankfully my other little guy has not had any more bone pain today. Still no word on his Rh and ana tests. I am so exhausted from worry.

Going to go make some coffee and come back on a bit if they fall asleep before I do, otherwise I will pop on tomorrow and get the next part going.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Hope the little guy starts feeling better :bighug: :heart:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

If u dont mind my asking is that Great Wolf Lodge in your picture with your 2 cuties? It looked like the waterpark spot I know so well. My husband was with them for a several years. I heard the just redid the bottom floors , I really wanna go visit and check it out.. Thank you for the nice comments! I dont get many of those around here and I will take all I can get ! lol

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WOW! You have good eyes! LOL Yes, that is the Sandusky Ohio Great Wolf Lodge. We were there in April and LOVED it! We're thinking of heading to the Cincinnati one in November.

[ºoºThomasclan85ºoº 8]

Michelle, loving the report so far. I love, love, love all the details! Keep 'em coming! Will be keeping ya'll in my thoughts and hoping the doctor's report gives you some positive news.

[disney4dan 68]

Really looking forward to more of this, were headed down on Wednesday for a week at Pop Century and this is the fix I need!

I hope the medical issues become easier for you soon.

[Duane 152]

Ok, I'm hooked.... :popcorn:

[cinderella73 1]

Hope the little guy starts feeling better :bighug: :heart:

Thanks Doodle ! We had our visit with the ent friday. It took 3 people to get him still but we got the scope done. Poor guy , I felt so horrible. Good news is they didnt see anything visibly going on. Only have the cardio doc and a GI study left. At least all the worst things are over with . He has been eating a little more so thats a great sign. I am just so glad all the news coming back has been good.

If u dont mind my asking is that Great Wolf Lodge in your picture with your 2 cuties? It looked like the waterpark spot I know so well. My husband was with them for a several years. I heard the just redid the bottom floors , I really wanna go visit and check it out.. Thank you for the nice comments! I dont get many of those around here and I will take all I can get ! lol

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WOW! You have good eyes! LOL Yes, that is the Sandusky Ohio Great Wolf Lodge. We were there in April and LOVED it! We're thinking of heading to the Cincinnati one in November.

I have spent many many a days there when my husband was working there. I would know that place blindfolded. lol My kids used to love that spot over by that tree.

Michelle, loving the report so far. I love, love, love all the details! Keep 'em coming! Will be keeping ya'll in my thoughts and hoping the doctor's report gives you some positive news.

Thank you , So good so far. The testing hasn't been fun but I am glad its ruling stuff out.

Really looking forward to more of this, were headed down on Wednesday for a week at Pop Century and this is the fix I need!

I hope the medical issues become easier for you soon.

Hi Dan , I will be doing my update later tonight ( after dinner) . I hear so many people love Pop . Havent had a chance to check it out but its on my list. Should be really nice with all those rooms being just refurbed! Glad your reading along !

Ok, I'm hooked.... :popcorn:

Glad to have you!

[cinderella73 1]

I am going to get that next update up tonight. Been crazy here. I came down with a horrible cold and so did my computer! ( a virus that is) Thats what I get for trying to save money! was on one of those coupon sites next thing I know computer was running slow and when I went to reboot it was all black and wont let me access windows .

After 2 hours on the phone with Norton speaking to a guy I couldnt understand, he told me he didnt know what to tell me, and to call HP . So thats what I am going to do as soon as dinners done here. Thankfully I have this crappy little notepad here in the meantime. Hope Hp is there on the weekend.

Anyway thank you for keeping us in your thoughts. I am glad to say my son is doing better and another test / doc visit is behind us.

So who else is going to be at the fort in September ?

[disney4dan 68]

I am going to get that next update up tonight. Been crazy here. I came down with a horrible cold and so did my computer! ( a virus that is) Thats what I get for trying to save money! was on one of those coupon sites next thing I know computer was running slow and when I went to reboot it was all black and wont let me access windows .

After 2 hours on the phone with Norton speaking to a guy I couldnt understand, he told me he didnt know what to tell me, and to call HP . So thats what I am going to do as soon as dinners done here. Thankfully I have this crappy little notepad here in the meantime. Hope Hp is there on the weekend.

Anyway thank you for keeping us in your thoughts. I am glad to say my son is doing better and another test / doc visit is behind us.

So who else is going to be at the fort in September ?

Man, I hate computer viruses. Any chance the folks at Norton could give you a path to a built in DOS version of their virus killer? I remember getting hit by a virus years ago that would shut down any and all anti-virus programs. Luckily, the guy at Norton (maybe it was McAffee?) gave me the tools I needed to launch a handy little program in DOS. When I rebooted the computer, I went straight to DOS and ran that command. Left the program running all night and woke up the next morning to a clean machine. Takes a long time, but DOS only lets one executable run at once, so that anti-virus program was running like a champ.

Good luck, looking forward to the updates at some point!