Tikibird Flies Over the Hill in the World: June/July 2002 WL - Completed w/photos About This Page:

[tikibird]

Okay, time to practice what I preach here! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Cast Members:
Sandy aka “tikibird” (that would be me), 39 at the start of this trip, 40 by the end of it!
Andy aka “The Food Police), DH, age 40
Craig aka “Gonzo”, DS, age 21
Chris aka “Chris”, DS, age 18

When: Friday, June 28th through Friday, July 5th, 2002

Resort: The Wilderness Lodge

Why: A year of celebration for our family. Andy turned 40 in January, Chris turned 18 in February, Craig turned 21 in March, Chris graduated from High School in June, and I just had to spend my 40th birthday with the Mouse!!!! (not that we really needed a reason to go!  )

Day minus 1 and counting - Thursday, June 27, 2002

I had to work all day, but hoped to be able to leave by 5:00 p.m. (a rarity for me). [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Everyone decided that they had all kinds of HR issues that needed to be addressed before I left, not the least of which, was an email I received early in the morning from our Director of Database Administration which read “Interview for Database Administrator candidate at 4:30 p.m.” Say what???!!!! This from the man that always leaves work by 3:30 p.m.? I made a point all day of telling all my coworkers what an evil thing he had done the day before my trip when I wasn’t even packed yet and had to leave for the airport at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. All in good fun, though, he’s a really great guy. (He just returned from a Disney Cruise and stay at WL - course he left at 2:00 p.m. the day before HIS vacation) [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] So, anyway, 4:30 rolls around, no interviewee. He calls, and is stuck in traffic! Meanwhile, the execs had decided we also had to hire a new Director of Sales ASAP – he’s still in the interview process at this point, and I have to wrap that up. At 4:45 p.m. I get a call from the contact place that my spare pair is in, if I can pick them up before 5:00 p.m. So, risking life and limb to dart through Pittsburgh city traffic, I run up the street to pick them up to be back before either candidate is ready (good thing, as one ripped during the trip) . 5:15 p.m. – still no candidate! Finally get to speak with both of them – we ended up making offers to both, so it was a good thing we took care of this, but I didn’t get to leave the office until 6:30 p.m.
[img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] At least it wasn’t bus day (bus days are scary - I let Craig have the car on Mondays and Fridays so he can get to work), and I got to drive home in about a half hour.

The Food Police is in a huff when I get home, that I would be so brazen as to come home so late on the night before the trip. He, of course, has not yet started packing. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Neither has Craig or Chris. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Now, being the organized planner that I am, I had created lists for all three of them with precisely everything they needed to pack. And, as usual, they were totally ignored. Oh well, maybe next time!

My clothes were already packed, but spent a couple of hours getting the food items, film, cameras, tickets, Connections vouchers, and toiletries together. Packed the foo of the trip (love this idea, Nate!) – Bath and Body Works Orange Blossom along with their Cool Tangerine sun products. Was kind of disappointed, though, these scents didn’t stay with me during the day. DH is trying to convince me that it’s designer/department store fragrances (love CK One and Clinque’s Happy) or nothing – but won’t ever give up my Victoria’s Secret Vanilla Lace! Andy and Craig have also picked up on the foo fun, and pack theirs, as well, when they finally do pack. Chris just uses everyone else’s (except mine, that is!) [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Chloe, the cat, is at our friend's house, and The Food Police took Taffy, the dog, to the kennel after work. (Chris was supposed to do this but didn't, thus adding to the Food Police's sour attitude) Looks like we are ready to go.

Craig and Chris decide to stay up all night, but I finally crash around 12:00 a.m. Am actually able to drift off to sleep, but this will be short-lived…..

Next up – Too little sleep and too much caffeine make tiki a very strange bird, and arrival in Orlando and the WL!

[ 10-24-2002, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: tikibird ]

[PS - I LUV WDW]

Yeah Tiki's report has been started! Don't you just love all those 'last minute' things they throw at you as you are trying to get out of work??

Can't wait to hear more about Tikibird's adventures in WDW with the Food Police!

[AKLRULZ]

Wow, please tell me there will be another installment tongiht! Loving that picture by the totem poll!

[kadterp]

Hooray another trip report! Cant wait to hear what happens next!

[disneyknut]

Looking forward to your trip report.. I need to live vicariuosly through all of the reports since it's going to be a while until *my* trip! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[Elliot'sDragon]

Great to see you writing again. Too bad I forgot. I checked into WL on the 5th, but was around the on the 3rd and 4th. No matter, I'll see you again in NYC in two weeks.

[MrsM]

Oh, don't leave us hanging already! You haven't even left yet and I want to know what happened next!

[SMG]

To think I almost turned off the computer before I checked the TR's!! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] So glad I didn't, now I want MORE!! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[maggy_1]

Tiki, hope we can wait to long before the other installement [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Chantal [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Jsbalcio1]

Its always the days you need to be out on time that stuff gets thrown at you. Any other day they do not even notice if you are there or not! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[bearak27]

Tiki
What an awesome report you are doing. I felt obligated to make a nice comment after razzing you so bad about the where abouts of your report-lol. But the truth of the matter is - it is AWESOME! Keep em coming-I hope it's comleted by the time I take my quick trip July 27-29th. I broke a pooh canister and need to run down and get a replacement. I know I can have it mailed but my dh doesn't-lol. I'll just be there for a day cause travel is long from Alaska. Ssssh don't tell dh it's one expensive pooh canister-lol.
Betty

[Tara O'Hara]

Tiki! What a great report so far! I did not realize that you were surrounded by all boys!! I also LOVE your picture of you and the Food Police. Where did you have that done?! Keep it coming!

Tara
[img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Day One – Friday, June 28, 2002
Too little sleep and too much caffeine make tiki a very strange bird, and arrival in Orlando and the WL!

Okay, in my previous installment I forgot to mention that when I arrived home from work, no Chris is sight, and no one knew where he was. 10:00 p.m. rolls around, still no Chris. By this time my pre-trip crazies and paranoia kicked in and I was sure he was arrested somewhere and that I would have to go bail him out and miss the trip. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Or, I thought, he forgot, and will be out all night, and we’ll miss the flight. Or maybe he’s been in an accident, and on and on. He finally strolls in at 11:30 p.m., and is amazed that I am upset. Sigh!

But anyway, as stated earlier, I do get to sleep at 12:00 a.m., hoping to get up at 4:00 a.m. I’m figuring 4 hours of sleep will get me through the next day. HOWEVER….

DH decides he must stick with his normal routine and wake me up at 2:30 a.m. to take my vitamins (don’t ask!). [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Of course, I cannot fall back asleep, and am not too happy! I get out of bed at 3:30 a.m. to get ready to go, and he is mad because I am intruding on his morning time alone. Whatever!

We get the kids up at around 4:30 (decided we didn’t need to leave quite so early). They get their last minute stuff together, Andy locks up the house (I tried not to spaz about the time like I normally do) and collects all the garbage, which, in another Andy routine, must be thrown in a public garbage can before we leave. I ask the boys to help me with the luggage (we’re taking the Neon to the airpot, as Andy has yet to clean out the trunk of the Saturn (been about a year now). This trip it is Chris’ turn to lift my jumbo, fully-packed suitcase into the trunk. “WHAT do you have in here Mom?” (echoing Craig’s comments when he lifted it in December). I give him the same response I give Craig “Stuff!” Now I really over-packed as far as clothes this trip – brought about half of them home clean.

It is a challenge getting the clothes into the Neon, along with 4 adults, but we finally manage by putting two suitcase in the seating area – one on my lap and one between Craig and Chris. And we’re off! I tell Andy his nickname for the trip will be “Slick Doo” to which Chris replies “Slick Dude?” I inform them that the slicked back wet look the Food Police is sporting makes him “Slick Doo.” We make the sacred garbage stop, and are on our way to Pittsburgh International Airport!!!!

It’s early, so there is no traffic, and as we pull up to the parking area the Food Police asks “Which parking area?” Now, he asks this EVERY time we go to the airport, just to be cute. We tell him to get a new routine and pull into the extended lot. He drops us and the luggage at the end of the moving walkway and parks the car.

When we get to the US Airways counter, we are delighted to see that they have installed electronic check in so we go to check that out. The luggage guys asks me why do I have such a big suitcase, am I going on a cruise - to which Craig replies "What do you have in there, a COW?!!! " We are done at the counter in 10 minutes – a record for us! Craig is disappointed that the popcorn cow is missing from the check-in area (maybe I did have a cow in my suitcase! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] )

All three men remind me that we now have 1.5 hours until our flight leaves, and there was no reason to get to the airport so early. I say better safe than sorry when leaving for WDW!

Time to go through security. For the very first time, I get wanded. Since I am not a terrorist, I am free to go. Craig, however, neglected to remove the pocket knife he uses to open boxes at work from his keychain, so that gets confiscated, and he gets the once and twice over – including removal of his shoes (now these are some pretty big shoes – size 14 Reebok pumps (yes, they still make them, and he has just about every pair ever made!). He is now visibly upset, and in my continuing paranoia, I am giving him the eye to calm down so he doesn’t get interrogated or something. We get to the transport to the gates. It is us, a few other people and a pilot. Andy starts discussing the knife. Craig says “don’t worry I have more” What I missed was the part when he said “at home” because by this time I’m ready to faint thinking he’s going to get escorted off the shuttle when it opens. Fortunately, this was not the case, however, he realizes he now does not have his boarding pass. So, back to security we go. They don’t have it either, but after several minutes, tell us just to get a new one at the gate. On the way back to the gate area, he finds it, all rumpled up in his pocket.

Okay, time for breakfast! The popcorn cow appears in view at the top of the escalator, so he hasn’t disappeared from the airport!

Craig and I go for bagels and coffee at AuBon Pain (and to prove that writing trip reports is a good thing to do, yesterday when I was on the bus to work, I decided to go to AuBon Pain when thinking about writing this, as it was two weeks to the day we left for WDW, and I always get a bagel and coffee there – turns out the one by my work had free coffee and half off baked goods, so I got a coffee and bagel/w cream cheese for $1.17! – but I digress!). Chris got a couple of breakfast burritos at McDs, but decided my bagel looked better, so he had half of that, also. The food police got a protein bar at Eckerd’s, and some glass cleaner for his glasses.

Chris, being a victim of advertising, was convinced that he needed EarPlanes, so we went to Eckerd’s and got those, as well as Ritz Bitz for the plane. Chris insisted Craig preferred the peanut butter ones, so we got one peanut butter and one cheese. This inspired a heated debate between the two, and Craig ended up with the cheese, as he felt Chris should have the peanut butter, as Craig’s pet name for Chris when he was little was “Peanut Butter Turd” (endearing, isn’t it?) [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

We look through some shops, and I restrain myself from getting Vanity Fair simply because it had a picture of Collin Farrell in an open shirt, and got Vogue instead. We got to the gate about 15 minutes prior to boarding, and then it was time to go!

The seating arrangement going down was Chris window, tiki middle, Craig aisle, and the Food Police aisle, but one back (although the rows were numbered the same, which was weird).

The flight was fine, but I get really, REALLY weird when I have too little sleep and too much caffeine (large coffee). Chris and I just started getting really silly. Every picture of every man in the Vogue magazine we decide looks like Andy, and we say “Slick Doo” and we show the pictures to Andy (Craig is in the middle here) and start laughing hysterically at every one of them. I was laughing so hard I was crying – I’m sure people thought we were on something. Craig is getting really irritated and trying to pull the magazine out of my hands, so I pick up the USAirways catalog instead. Many more Slick Doos in there!



Now doesn't this "Slick Doo" guy (that I tore out of the US Airways catalog look just like my husband? Guess you had to be there!

I get up to use the restroom, and Craig wisely moves into my seat, separating me from Chris. It’s not nearly as fun now, so I’m done.

We land in Orlando right before 10:00 a.m. and head down to baggage pick up. Get our luggage and off to the Emerald Aisle. Now the Food Police had yet to experience this, as he used L&M in December. I try to explain to him that we can pick any car in the aisle. He wants the white Prowler, but another family is standing by it. They leave, but the doors are locked, so I’m sure this car is not available. So then he is insisting that he wants the other Prowler that he sees. I try to explain to him that that one belongs to Alamo, but he’s not getting it. We finally decide on a really sharp Hundai Gold Sonata, complete with sunroof, pack our things into it, and drive up to the window. I have my coupon from the Disney Club this time, so we get the free day (missed out on this in December). Now I’m asked if I want the tank filled by them when we return for $1.40/gallon, if not I have to have a receipt showing I filled up the car 5 miles from the airport? What! When did they start this – this is one of the reasons I refused to rent from Dollar. Okay – tell them we’ll pay for a tank now.

Even though Andy complained about the car, he’s starting to settled into it. As we are driving down the highway, we go through one toll booth, and notice a truck hauling a palm tree. We wonder if it is going to WDW. Next thing we know, a car is headed down the grass median, and then right behind us, lights flashing. UH OH! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] The officer asks for Andy’s license and asks us if we just got in. He replies that we did and the officer asks what the speed limit is in Pennsylvania. Says he sure the PA Police are not fond of people going 84 miles/hour in a 65 mile/hour zone, and neither is he. Asks which rental agency the car is from and goes back to his car for several minutes. Comes back and tells Andy the fine would be $267.00, but he is just giving him a warning. Also says (love this part) “Since you don’t have to pay this fine, you should buy something nice for your wife.” Now I fall instantly in love with this officer. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] I’m wondering if I can take him out to dinner. He just gave me cart blanche to spend money at WDW – how much better can it get??!!!

After our run in with the Florida police, we are back on our way to the Wilderness Lodge….

[rescuesk]

Your report is already awesome...can't wait for more!

Chris sounds just like my DStepson (also 18)....especially the "amazed that you were upset" part. LOL! Aren't teenagers great?
[img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]

Keep it coming!!

Sue

[tikibird]

Sorry, Tara,

Forgot to respond to your question.

We got the Lilo and Stitch picture done in the Imagination building at Epcot.

And thanks for the comments everyone! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]