Archive for September 11th, 2009
Albeit by a very circuitous route. A long (really, really long) and winding road, if you will.
Back in July J and I found ourselves with a week off at the same time. We briefly floated the idea of heading to Disney World on a spur of the moment trip then but our friends (thank goodness) quickly talked some sense into us and we postponed the trip until September when it would be cooler, less crowded, cheaper, etc. Oh, and it would be a nice birthday present to me too which made me happy because there has been a sad lack of vacations and travel in my life lately (oh, since about January 2008) and I’ve been getting itchy to go somewhere, anywhere to get away from it all.
Disney was not my first choice. I actually spent a day or so trying to work out a trip to St. Maarten but then decided that Disney would be simpler, cheaper, more easily accessible and Ava would like it better anyway (that point is debatable, by the way). We’d also looked at a Disney cruise until I figured out that I could pay off my car for just about the amount the cruise would cost us. Ummm, no. So that left the Disney parks. I threw myself into planning, scored some free Disney vacation planning books off of Freecycle, and then agonized about it for weeks before deciding on a hotel and plan.
Our plan included driving – in part because we have 2 dogs that needed a place to stay. I didn’t want to board them for 8 days (hello – can you say bankrupt at $20 per day per dog?) so we hauled them across the state to stay at my Mom’s house. The advantage of this course of action is clear: my mom and dad are dog people so I knew the girls would be in good hands and I wouldn’t have to worry. The disadvantage was that it added another leg to an already long trip.
We rented a car. Well, a minivan. Nice to have the extra space but it solidified my position on minivan ownership – it’s just not for me. I would hate, hate, hate to have to walk out of my house every single day and know that I had to drive a minivan everywhere. I disliked it enough that, with the exception of one short portion of the drive, J drove the minivan for the entire trip.
Despite the fact that we preplanned this trip we were still not packed and ready to go as I’d hoped. Ava went to daycare in the AM while I packed and cleaned while J was at work. J slacked a bit this time by not packing days in advance as he usually does which means I was at least spared the evil eye he normally gives me when he’s forced to wait on me as I gather up needed items. What was even better was that this time J made us late – really, really late as in finally hitting the road in just enough time to land us in Friday rush hour traffic.
6.5 hours later – we’re at my mom’s house. Mission accomplished with dogs settled into their temporary home while we’re away and the !st leg of the journey complete.
And, believe it or not, no pictures from today. Zero, zip, nada. I think that’s a record in and of itself.