mickeystoontown
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
Well howdy folks! It’s me Mickeystoontown! Who’s me? Who’s she? Who’s that? I mean, who am I? Let me introduce myself. I’m Lisa, I joined the Disboards in 2006 and started writing reports soon after. Over the years, I’ve chronicled our journeys several times over and I’ve met and made many dear friends and hope to make many more. When I joined, I had no clue that my writing reports and sharing my love for Disney with others would still be going strong years later. But, here I am and here you are. Having said that, I have been so busy that I haven't written a full report in a couple of years. I don't include just the "good stuff" in my trip reports. I tell it like it is. If we had a crappy experience, I'm going to tell y'all. If we have an excellent experience, you'll hear all about it as well. I mean what kind of trip report writer would I be if I only wrote about the good stuff? What good would that do for others who use trip reports as a planning tool? So who are the cast members of this trip report? First, there’s me. My name is Lisa a/k/a mickeystoontown. I'm a full time paralegal in a law office that specializes in family law. I’ve often said that I want to be something else when I grow up and I finally took the plunge, and I turned my Disney passion into a small business which helps pay for our Disney trips. I like to sew, cook, spend time with my family and pretty much anything that involves being outdoors.
I've been married to my husband, John, for almost 38 years. John is a master craftsman specializing in custom cabinets and furniture. Give that man a saw, hammer and a piece of wood and he can make anything you want. He started making cigar box guitars a couple of years ago and he does an awesome job. We also have an Etsy shop for our woodworking projects and his guitars. John has epilepsy which means our everyday life can be turned upside in the blink of an eye. You never know when it will rear its ugly stupid head. Even after almost 30 years, we are still learning to adjust.
I've been married to my husband, John, for almost 38 years. John is a master craftsman specializing in custom cabinets and furniture. Give that man a saw, hammer and a piece of wood and he can make anything you want. He started making cigar box guitars a couple of years ago and he does an awesome job. We also have an Etsy shop for our woodworking projects and his guitars. John has epilepsy which means our everyday life can be turned upside in the blink of an eye. You never know when it will rear its ugly stupid head. Even after almost 30 years, we are still learning to adjust.
We are the proud parents of two beautiful children (Lacey and Hunter), an amazing son-in-law (Jesse), and a wonderful daughter-in-law (Tabitha). We love getting together as a family every chance that we get. As a matter of fact, one of those family get-togethers will be written about in this report.
Lacey and Jesse
Tabitha and Hunter
In 2020, John and I began taking monthly road trips because my job can be very stressful and, with John’s epilepsy, we both need to get away from everything, focus on one another, and destress. John and I are also the kind of people who can never just chill out and do nothing. If we are home, we are doing a task that needs to be done. Road trips made us stop and smell the roses so to speak.
We were having a blast on our road trips until...well, I am sure you can guess, COVID. Stupid dumb monkey wrench throwing COVID. Our road trips were no longer monthly but still as frequently as possible and safely as possible. We took all of the precautions, wore masks, carried wipes everywhere we went and we kept hand sanitizer at the ready. Many of our destinations were outdoor events such as the flea market, First Monday Trade Days, in Canton, Texas where there are acres and acres of outdoor vendors. Physical distancing rules were easy to follow because I’ve always tried to give people their space even before COVID. No matter where our road trips take us, we keep them as budget friendly as possible so that we can still take our long annual trip to Walt Disney World. Road trips keep us sane as we count down the days to Disney!
Our latest road trip found us in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We were eating a delicious banana split in The Purple Cow when everyone's phones went off. There was a tornado in the area. The news and weather were telling everyone to go to their safe place. Well, we didn't have a safe place. Our room at the hotel was on the 13th floor which I don't exactly put in the "safe place" category. We walked out and danged if I didn't see a tornado on top of the mountain. We set out for downtown, all the while trying to figure out where the heck to go. The sky turned more and more a strange color of yellowish green and we turned around and headed to, of all places, Walmart. We snapped this picture right before we went in and hunkered down for two hours. I have another picture of the "real tornado" which was big and huge and large and scary but I don't have it on the flash drive that I have with me.
Okay sorry, I got off subject a bit.
After a few of our overnight road trips, I realized how much of a pain in the behind it was to pack, unpack and repack our toiletries and “miscellaneous stuff” bag. You know the stuff I’m talking about: disinfectant spray, Q-tips, toothpaste, shampoo, brush, comb, shampoo, razors, phone chargers, batteries, ziplock bags, etc. Now, we have a permanent duffel that has all of that stuff and more. I even have extra toothbrushes. On the last day of our trip, I toss the used toothbrushes in the garbage and open new ones on the next trip. Why? Think about it. The toothbrush goes into a travel tube thing that stays closed for a month or so. That just sounds gross to me so it makes us feel better to just toss ‘em. Keeping the bag packed and ready to grab up and go is so convenient!
I guess that’s enough babbling. If you have read my reports previously, you already know who we are. If you are a new reader, you’ll soon learn that we are a crazy, fun, Disney lovin’ family!
I hope that you will all speak up and post often. A trip report isn't quite as fun if you just read along and don't join in on the comments. After all, that's how I became friends with so many of my fellow Disers.
Up next: Why do the days leading up to the trip go so slowly but fly by when you are actually there?
Last edited: