Soooo... I didn't mean to fall off the face of the Earth again (story of my life lately...)
As some of you may have seen on FB last night... I had a momentary lapse in adult rational judgement and booked a trip to WDW... I am sure many of you heard the screams coming from MN last night... None of us thought we would ever get the chance to do a final girls trip together... The last time we were in WDW as a three-some was in 2014... So we are overdue.
I'll talk more about this below... I need to get started on replies this morning - I have a lot to catch up on!
I can understand why you haven't been too interested in planning your DLP trip. It is just too far away and there are too many things to think about before then.
We were out of town this weekend visiting our daughter, son-in-law and youngest grandson. It was his 8th birthday and he was really excited about it. I told my daughter to enjoy it while you can because pretty soon he'll hit those pre-teen years when toys aren't interesting any more.
And even more now!
How fun!!! And how true! Though I never had boys - the girls weren't always a picnic either. LOL Though - I love spending time with them now... Or, maybe I should say - they are easier to be with at the same time, as their relationship has gotten better over this last year. (Thank God!)
How great that you could help out a family member by giving them your old washer.
This weekend I was at a conference outside of Oslo. It was nice. Next week Ulf and I are going to Vienna, Austria for a few days with fellow geocaching friends. I'm really looking forward to that trip.
I have sent my mobile phone to repair. I don't want to get a new phone since the one I had was only 1 1\2 years old. They say the repair can take 2 weeks. So I'm crossing my fingers that I will have it back before my trip to Vienna.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun... And you must be in Vienna now??? What an awesome trip - now that interests me! I am sure you are enjoying yourself immensely!
I don't blame you there - I hate getting new phones! LOL I hope you were able to get it back in time?
That was nice you gave your family your old washer.
My washing machine is broken. My laundry hallway makes it next to impossible to replace. I think we found one. It would be nice to actually do a load of laundry without having to hope it drains enough to open the door and then having it do a few rinse cycles.
My mom has been physically gone a month but it has been almost a year since she got sick. I miss being able to tell her what is happening. Using her as a sounding board.
I haven't planned a thing for my December Disney/universal trip. Dh made adrs both other than that we have done nothing. But before Disney, I'm tagging along in DH's business trip to Copenhagen. I have to start planning for that.
We were happy to be able to do it for them.
I thought I saw on FB that you got a new one??? Congrats!!!
I am so sorry for your loss, my friend. I understand how hard it is to lose your mom, as I lost mine when I was 16... A lot of turmoil followed in my life after... Sending you lots of hugs!
I hope you've been able to get more planning done for your December trip?
First court case is next week, pray for a judicious outcome!
I am having a hard time getting excited about our trip, because of this black cloud hanging over the family. But I'm sure a certain custom package that is due to arrive before my trip will get me excited again!!!:
I'm kind of in that waiting with nothing to do stage of the trip--still over a month away, so plans made, dining ressies and FP+ made. Now the wait for the trip. I'm also going to a work convention in Orlando which I'm not too excited about, but I need to go. It will be fine because I plan to spend the evenings at Universal! I haven't been for about 6 years, so I am excited to see the new HP stuff. They had the first HP stuff open then, but the Diagon Alley portion wasn't created yet!
Hope all is well with you and the family. I'm sure you are glad V is back home!
I hope it went well... Any updates?
I am sure you will be very excited very soon.
I think you will really enjoy Universal... We sure did!!! I wish we could afford to go every time we go down - sadly it's just so much cheaper to stay in Disney property.
We are doing very well... Adjusting to life with Dad nearby... And definitely enjoying having V home - though we rarely see her, the kid is always working! LOL
I am finally back. I spent most of the summer creating costumes for our
MNSSHP and making a dress for our Victoria and Albert's dinner - Charlie wanted to go with a 20s theme again. I didn't want a "flapper" dress, so I found a vintage pattern and made my own dress - directions were almost none existent, but I managed to figure it out. Thank goodness I have a dress form to use! Then, 2 weeks before our trip, my son comes to me and said his gf started a new job and did not have time to make their costumes....so naturally, Mom volunteered to make the gf's costume and a shirt for Steve.....what was I thinking???? I did finish everything with a couple of days to spare, but I did not finish packing until the night before we left. We had a great trip despite Irma's visit. Had to rearrange some details, and did not get to go to the water park, but that was ok.
My brother is there now, staying at Shades of Green. Can't wait to hear from him when he gets back.
I loved all of your outfits from your trip! It looks like you all had a great time!
Ha!!! You sound like me, with all of the last minute stuff... I am currently in your boat and scrambling! LOL
I would love to hear what your brother though of SoG???
I haven't stopped in for a while. Glad to hear things are a bit better with your dad. I hope they continue to improve.
I can't announce it on FB yet (and Matt really should not have done so either) but we have a trip booked for next year. I will have my house paid off next September, with the car note not too far after that, so I do not feel too guilty about booking this for then. Hopefully nothing will bow up and we can make it then!
Allison will decide what she wants to be in time. and keep encouraging her to go to college...it is a place to discover what you do want to do! My son was so scared to tell me he wanted to change his major after the first semester...I just laughed and reminded him that I changed mine 3 times..
Take care!
Hi Lynn!! It's great to see you!!!
Hehehehe... I wasn't expecting Allison to announce our trip on FB last night either.... So, I feel your pain! We were just so excited! I cannot wait to tell you all how this trip came about... Literally, in 1 hour, we went from not even a thought in our brain to "WE'RE GOIN' TO DISNEY!!!!" LOL
We will be almost debt free when we go... I am trying hard to rationalize my decision to do this... As it's earlier than I had planned - I'll talk about it a little bit below.
I hope so - she is definitely dead set on going to college in the Fall of 2019 - so I am thankful for that. And I am not worried that she will figure it out - SHE is worried, but I am not.
It's always great to catch up with you on The Dis Lynn!
I hope you get your camper. That is so popular these days to redo old ones. My father and his wife fixed up my grandparents old one many years ago. We used it on our honeymoon to travel very cheaply. My niece just totally redid one for their weekend camping trips. They redid everything and it is so cute.
My husband just had cataract surgery. He is terrible about anything touching his eyes though so the drops have not been fun. He is getting a little better now. They weren't bad yet and his doctor said he would probably need them done in 3 years, but he just wanted to do it now.
We had a huge maple tree removed from our back yard. It had branches going over the house and we thought about just having some trimmed. But since we had to take down the fence to get the lift back there, we just decided to do the whole thing. It was quite expensive and we decided to remove the stump grindings ourselves instead of paying an extra $200. My husband likes to say we have more time than money. If I had known he would have a weight restriction after his surgery I would have paid it. It was a lot of work to haul it all and spread it around my garden as a mulch.
How nice of you to gift your old washer to your relatives and you even delivered it too. I hope it was at least a nice day for a drive. We're thinking about driving to Duluth for a few days. We haven't gone up there for a long time and it would be nice to see the leaves changing. We decided to close our cabin early before his surgery so we didn't get to see any leaves this year. It was lucky we got the dock out with his weight restriction.
We're heading to the apple orchard after my husband's follow up eye appointment since it's on the way. Hopefully no more rain today.
Thank you - I have no doubt that one day we will get our camper.
Your grandparents camper sounds like a lot of fun too!
I hope your dh is recovered by now! And I hope his sight has improved after surgery!
Yikes - that is a lot of work! We need to have a tree removed next spring too... We were kind of holding on to it to see if it would pull through - but it's not looking very promising. We'll see what spring brings...
I love Duluth - though we don't get there often... Such a fun place to visit! I hope you enjoyed going!
I hope you enjoyed your day at the apple orchard too!
I'm still here, I promise! Work stuff cuts into my DIS and FB time -- not fun! LOL But I'm still here. Like you, not much exciting going on here, other than we think we found a lot for a house in a neighborhood that we really like. And we went to church there last week to see if the congregation was friendly and they really were -- a good mix of people and we really liked it. So we've told the builder we want him to hold the lot for us and we're starting on the prequalification process for the loan -- that scares me...I've put Mark in charge of that because even thinking about it makes my anxiety start to skyrocket. And we're looking for a house plan. I need to feel like I'm moving forward on getting settled somewhere. As much as I love my MIL, and as grateful as I am that she's letting us live with her rent-free, I just need to feel settled. But we should be able to pay off a good chunk of debt while we're living with her and that's wonderful. I'm paying off another small credit card today (only around $500 -- but it will be paid off). Here's a question for you -- I've heard different things about closing accounts -- should I close the account or cancel the account? It's not one that I plan to use again, and I'd like to be gone. Recommendations?
I'm so glad you're able to spend time with your Dad -- it sounds like he's feeling more settled and getting adjusted?
Brie is doing ok...she had a rough weekend and we spent some time on the phone with her while she cried. Mark ended up going up to see her Monday night and took her out to dinner. Turns out that she left her mailbox key and room key (not apartment key, just her bedroom key) with us when she brought her car down to leave it with us a week or so ago....and he also took her an assortment of fall/winter coats that were in storage since it's getting colder here much sooner than we expected. She's struggling with not being the best at everything anymore like she was in high school. Alyssa and I both went through that, and I feel like I'm going through it again with my adjustment to my new job, so I felt like I could relate to her feelings. We had a good conversation on Sunday and Mark had a good talk with her Monday night. We'll see her this weekend (going to her first lacrosse game, although it's highly likely she won't get any playing time, which is a first for her and making her sad and frustrated) and then she's coming for dinner Sunday since Alyssa and Andrew will need to be picked up at the airport and driven home.
Just like Allison, Brie hasn't really figured out what she wants to major in. She declared biochemistry but she's really not enjoying her chemistry class at all. So she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life and that stresses her out. I told her to take advantage of the opportunity she has in college to explore different subject areas. It can be an exciting time, if she'll just relax and let herself take different classes until she finds something that really sparks her passion. Allison will figure it out, too. SO impressed with the wise financial decisions she's making!
I need to watch that video you posted on FB...I'm feeling a glimmer of hope about our financial future as I look at our ability to pay down debt over the next several months. You are such a great example!
Yay for finding a lot! And I know it's such a relief to you to be paying down debt - I know that feeling!
I am very proud of you... Not many people could live with their in-laws - I know I couldn't.
I've closed all of my accounts as I've paid them off... I just don't want the temptation to use them to distract me from our goals. However - I do have one card that's paid off, but not closed yet. I plan to close it soon though.
Dad is doing pretty well - adjusting - each day seems to be getting better and better.
Still a few kinks to work out - but overall, doing good.
Sending hugs to Brie - it's gotta be hard for her. I am so glad you could have a good conversation and truly relate to her situation - that really helped her a lot, I am sure.
I am sure that both of our girls will figure it out... Hopefully sooner rather than later. LOL
You are doing awesome, my friend! Keep it up!
Hey D! Sorry I have been away for a while. I will explain below. But- your camping weekend looks so fun! I like your idea for a little camper for you and Josh. Although, I might have to agree with him on having the conveniences. Emma is always begging us to go camping. I remember camping in the mountains when I was a kid, and I always hated it. We slept in tents and had a make-shift port-a-potty. It was really roughing it. Anyway, I've loved seeing pics of your bags in the parks- it's so neat that so many are there at the same time! It was really great of you & Josh to drive all that way to deliver the appliance for someone. It is nice to know that people still take care of each other.
I have been a little distant lately on all social media because we are dealing with looking at a much more serious diagnosis for Quinn. I haven't told anyone yet, not even my parents. She hasn't been diagnosed yet, because it has to come from a specific doctor, but we have been told that she more than likely will. And when that happens it would be an automatic return to the States for us because they do not have the required resources here. So that puts us in a situation of looking at moving, requesting orders, dealing with commands and how it would affect promotions. None of that is as important as Quinn getting the help that she needs. I don't really want to name the diagnosis until they give it to us officially, and that could be a few months from now. For now, I have been trying to work with her more diligently on her speech and interaction. I find myself questioning every decision I have made with her since the day she was born, and thinking that I maybe if I had done more of this or less of that it might have been different, but they said nothing would have changed it. Anyway, That's where I have been. But I am caught up here now. I always enjoy coming here and reading about how things are going with you. Also- the Renaissance Faire looks fun; I've always wanted to go to one of those!
I hope you have a great weekend and week ahead!
Hi Brandi!!!
I am still sending you hugs and good thoughts - you have been on my mind a lot these last few days.
I hope that having some sort of diagnosis is much better than the wondering and worrying that I am sure comes with the unknown. Love ya, my friend and I am here for you!
Sorry I haven't been keeping up lately but just caught up.
I love, love her haircut! It fits her perfectly.
The aprons and potholders are adorable! Great job.
The camping trip looked fun. The vintage trailer you posted was cute but I'm like Josh and would prefer a modern one. When the time is right, I'm sure you will find one you both like.
It sounds like things are going well with your dad. That's good to hear!
All good things. Making good choices doesn't sound like much but it really is a big deal. Good for you! I started a workout challenge with a friend almost 3 weeks ago and it's going very well. It's nothing major. She just challenged some of us to do a 20 minute or so pilates video at least 5 times a week. I've been doing it more than that and really like it. It's really easy for me to do it at night while the kids watch their nightly tv show before bed. Last night I did an extra video and my 5 yr old daughter decided to follow along with me. She was so cute. 15 minutes after I finished, she was still trying to do one of the moves that she couldn't figure out.
Your steak fajita sheet pan looked really good. Keep making those good choices!
Thank you for all of the nice compliments... I agree - I love V's new haircut too!
Thanks!
Good for you!!! I am proud of you! Keep it up! It's so awesome when you can find something that you love to do.
It's always great catching up with you - thank you for stopping by!
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I hope this update isn't too big. LOL
I've been doing super well with my good eating... I am still losing size and making progress there... I am so close to my smallest size, I never thought I would be able to gather strength and perseverance again to get to this point in life. Thrilled doesn't even begin to describe it!
Here's a photo from yesterday... I am wearing a pair of shorts (which I later changed out of, because it was too cold out to actually leave the house wearing them, LOL) that I purchased a few years ago, as I was losing - but I never actually got to wear them. I was so thrilled to be able to get them on. Also my WDW sweatshirt - this is one of those sweatshirts that doesn't stretch - so you can't wear it if you can't get it on.
I was so excited to be able to wear this yesterday too!
(don't mind the wet hair)
Last week, a good friend of mine was in WDW, and she tracked down Photopass Joe for me in DHS... I was so excited and relieved to see that he was doing OK after Irma!
Last weekend, BFF and I went to the Renaissance Festival - I had never been before - it was a lot of fun spending time with her, we don't get a chance to do it very often these days - with her work schedule... So, it was fun!
And a picture of V and I wearing our Zorbaz shirts... Funnily enough, she is wearing mine and I am wearing her's.
And a picture of V and Dad napping at lunch yesterday... I swear V had her eyes closed for quite some time - she must have opened them just as I snapped the photo. It was quite funny actually.
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And finally - the news you've all been anxiously waiting for...
WE'RE GOIN' TO DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you believe it?
I can't believe it either...
Actually - we are all in a little bit of shock here...
So, how did this come about?
Welp...
So, I've been avoiding EVERYTHING WDW related for almost a year... Seriously. I knew we wouldn't be able to go back until next year at the earliest - and it was just so painful.
For some reason, this last weekend - I put the Kayak app back on my phone...
Yesterday, I was bored, and decided to do the famous "search" - MSP > MCO... +/- 3 days... And the lowest fares I have EVER seen came back to me... And they were non-stop flights! The times were terrible, but CHEAP!!!
NO WAY....
I tried SO hard to talk myself out of it...
I called V downstairs - she was useless...
I emailed Josh at work - surely HE would be the voice of reason... He didn't say "no"...
I called Allison - she didn't answer her phone... All 3 times I tried to call her...
So, there I was with V egging me on... Seriously egging me on... Handing me HER bank card... And before I knew it - I (she) purchased airfare to go to WDW in January!
Allison was screaming excited when we told her that we booked airfare to WDW without her consent... When we told her the price - she was even more elated!
There you have it... we have no idea where we are staying...
But true to the "Disney addict" tendencies we all have, we have all of our meals booked.
We also have our new custom bags planned.
This trip WILL be paid for with CASH, by all 3 of us - splitting everything 3 ways... As none of us can afford to fully fund a trip by ourselves...
Finally - it has been since our August 2014 trip since we have all been in WDW together - we will get one more "Epic GIrls Trip" together.
This momma couldn't be happier.
So, it looks like I will keep this PTR going for our Europe trip...
But keep your eyes peeled in the coming days for a new (high octane, fast paced) PTR for our WDW trip in January!
And if any of you will be in WDW in January - please PM me with your dates - as usual, I will not be posting our actual dates here on The Dis, but I always love to do Dismeets - and so do my girls!
Prayers and pixie dust going out to all!
D~
I can't believe how much in lbs I had to lose to get them to fit properly though - I am shocked!
I was so excited when you posted this about going to DLP and then when you got the great deal to go sooner to WDW. I downloaded Kayak as soon as I read that lol. I was wondering how I would be able to find the link to your new PTR?
I may be dragging Josh back to a Disney park very soon... Please pray for us! 
