The Little Trip That Could Part I-- 
(This Thread) Part II-- Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! (Countdown from Spring to trip time!) Part III-- Actual TR after trip is said and done! TBA BEFORE YOU READ THE NARRATION BELOW AND START FAST PASSING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE PRE-TRIP REPORT LET ME GIVE YOU A LITTLE DISCLAIMER. I THINK THE BEST PART OF PLANNING A TRIP, AND SHARING PLANS ON FORUMS LIKE THESE IS ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GET FROM OTHER DISPERTS! I HAVE ADDED LINKS AFTER EACH UPDATE THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT MAJOR UPDATE, TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR NEW READERS. I TRIED TO SKIM OUT MY OWN DAILY SHENANIGANS BUT I WOULD CONSIDER FOLLOWING THE LINKS SOMEWHAT OF A PRE-TRIP "GREEN TEAM"-- SURE ITS FUN AND FULL OF ITS OWN SURPRISES BUT IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME AS "ORANGE"! 
So, it was Friday February 1st and I had a snow day and was off from school. After a day of fighting and feeling distant and alone and upset I decided to do the dishes while Rob was watching TV in the living room. By the time I was done, Rob had fallen asleep and since the garbage was a bit stinky and I was on a cleaning spree I decided to take the dog out and walk to our apartment’s garbage dumpster. It was night time and dark outside. It was also freezing, maybe 20 degrees out. Liam hates the rain so I brought my polka dot umbrella with us and balanced the garbage bag and leash in the same hand. There were puddles everywhere and since I am only 5’2” the bottoms of my sweatpants were getting soaked instantly. But for some reason I felt okay. I felt better than okay, I actually felt good.
As I walked Liam out to the garbage I thought how scary that would be for me without him. How scary that would’ve been for me with him a few weeks ago. But, Rob had lost his job and I had really taken the helm with bills and expenses that had been coming up. And the independence of realizing that I could survive, and would survive all on my own was washing over me. The idea that I could take care of myself and I could take care of other people and that I could chose when I want to do either. The idea that if something terrible, horrible, and tragic happened that left me alone in this world, I could get by. It was like some fabulous sense of freedom that I had never felt before. After I dropped off the garbage I jogged with Liam for a bit until we made it back onto the sidewalk. And even though Rob is the love of my life and we have been together for 6 and a half happy years, I was thinking that I could be alone and be happy. Did I want to be? Of course not. It was then that I realized—the reason me and Rob work so well isn’t because we literally can’t live without eachother, but because without one another we would have a meager existence, that we live to make eachother happy AND that we want to be together every moment we can.
The next day I got the Adventures by Disney catalog in the mail. This was my first vacation choice. I wanted to go to Disneyland and Hollywood. We both decided that it was too much money, especially with the shock of the cost to fly from NY to CA. I think this will be a fun anniversary trip some day after we are married. Plus I would like to try out ABD in the next 5 years so that if we like it we might try a Europe one (Imagine Dinner in the Eiffel tower? Or the Palace of Versailles? Or Disneyland Paris?). To get the Cali vacation I wanted it was an easy $3000 per person and I thought that was outrageous. We had long since been done with this mutually agreed vacation but when he got the mail Rob gave me the flyer with remorse, with an “I’m Sorry” smile and told me that we will go back. And of course he meant Disney World.
I had been through a lot of vacations this planning session (which have all be planned out here with about 6-7different threads, with 44 pages and 498 replies). First trip was Walt Disney World, during either my Spring Break or Memorial Day weekend. Going during the school year seemed rushed, even with the chance to see Pirate and Princess Party and Flower and Garden Fest. I decided to save money for a better trip in the summer, hence the ABD but once I saw what I really wanted to do in Cali we nixed the expensive trip for a much cheaper (believe it or not) Disney Cruise. That was around the time of all these problems so there I was with summer approaching much quicker then it seemed and no trip money or plans.
Rob started a new job this week. He seems to have a whole new work ethic- willing to stay late, work weekends, likes hanging out with his coworkers—he seems to have found his niche. Granted its still week one but I am so proud of him I can’t even put it into words, and I am so happy and relieved its unbelievable. Being an escapist myself, I already had my next vacation ready, well ready for the okay to book from Rob at least. I mentioned it Wednesday and Rob said basically to do my thing but its too early for him to want to go on a vacation, let alone talk about one. Rob is of the personality where he doesn’t get excited for a trip until like a week or two before you go. I am of the personality that makes 100 day away countdown calendars for my wall. Combined we are seriously two little kids at heart.