WDW, Christmas & folks new house: Update 2/11 Part 10 COMPLETE About This Page:

[RobinKay6573]

One day left: Last Minute Errands

There was so much to do to get ready for my vacation that I decided to take Monday, December 20 off from my full-time job. I volunteered to work at my part-time job at Doggy Daycare and Spa all weekend because I would be losing some hours during my vacation. I was worked Friday 7 pm until 9:30 pm, Saturday 6:30 am until 2 pm, Sunday 2 pm until 9:30 pm and Monday 7 pm until 9:30 pm. I pretty much cleaned the house all weekend. On Monday I took my dog Belle in to my full-time job at the Dairy Council so she could visit with some of my co-workers. I also had to pick up all the recycling from the office. We get 5 newspapers a day and I hate to have them all end up in the landfill so I volunteer to take them to be recycled once a month. I recycle at my home as well (cans, glass, newspaper, cardboard, plastic) so I loaded up my car that morning with my stuff as well.

After going to UDIM I stopped at the credit union to withdraw my vacation fund. I then visited Bath and Body Works to pick up some last minute Christmas gifts. Next on my list was to drive over to Pet Nanny to drop off a file. I work for Pet Nanny as a pet sitter, which gives me money for vacation. Since Belle was being such a good girl while I was running errands I took her to Petco for a treat. We walked through the isles and she picked out a bone, which she had devoured by the time we got home. AAA was right around the corner so we went there to pick up my traveler’s cheques. On our way home we went to the recycling center where I deposited all my recycling. This took about a half hour because I literally had a truck and backseat full! Finally we were on the way home.

Belle and I went home and I put her in her crate for a nap while I finished packing. I realized I had forgotten a few things so I made a plan to go to Target before work. I then sat and had lunch. I checked my e-mail and called my mom who had arrived in Florida the previous Friday. She and my sister (who lives in Kissimmee) had been at Solavita all weekend looking at houses. The appointment to pick the options for mom & dad’s new house was on Wednesday and mom wanted to make sure of her choices. She said it was in the mid 60’s down there and I was getting excited about getting out of the Michigan cold. I checked my e-mail and then headed to Target then work.

I decided not to take Belle to Daycare because she was so tired from our and she would have a pretty hectic week that she really needed the rest. All daycare dogs were gone by the time I got there. Only 1 dogs were staying overnight. It was a good day to get some cleaning done. I washed the windows and cleaned up the bathroom. I played fetch with the one dog (a golden retriever named Sandy), fed her and then put her to bed. I made sure my timesheet was filled out and headed home.

[LizardCop]

Great Start Robin...

[tigger22]

Great start! Can't wait to hear more!

[RobinKay6573]

Day One, December 21, 2004: Disney is for Babies???

My flight was due to leave at 11:35. Independence had changed my flight times 4 times before I left so I wasn’t exactly sure what time I was leaving until I checked in the night before! I got up at 7 am because I was planning on taking the city bus to the airport. Why pay $20 for a cab when I could pay $1 and be dropped off at the same place? Last time a took at to the airport I almost missed my connecting bus and I didn’t want that to happen this time after examining the bus schedules I picked two timetables that would get me to the airport at least a hour and a half before my flight.

I took Belle out and then fed her. After choosing my clothes I jumped in the shower. It was approaching 7:30 and I wanted to be out the door at 8:00. I did some last minute packing and grabbed my cell phone charger out of my car. Both Max (my cat) and Belle knew there was something going on. I always feel so bad when I leave them. They ARE my kids! I told Belle to be a good girl for Cheryl (her sitter) and I gave Max a big hug. I then rolled my suitcases out the door locking it behind me. Bye car, by apartment, by Belle, bye Max.

After about a quarter of a mile trek to the bus stop I waited about 10 minutes. It was chilly, probably in the teens and the air was very dry. The bus driver was nice and let me know what bus the airport bus was. He said he hoped I was going to Florida. I told him I was and he laughed saying he was only joking. Yippy I am going to Disney!! It took my about 40 minutes to go to the airport so I was very early for my 11:35 flight. I would rather be early then late! Bag check in with Independence Air was quick and I was done in about 2 minutes. Capital City Airport in Lansing (LAN) is very small. Detroit is just over an hour from Lansing so most people fly out of Detroit. I have only flown out of Detroit once and I was not too impressed. I will stick with LAN! I went to the gift shop and purchased a word-find book. The line for security is was very short. The guy in front of me was fumbling for his ID so I just stood there. The security agent had me go around him and checked my boarding pass and ID. There were a handful of people at the gate so I found a seat. The wait began!

About an hour and a half later the guy next to be noticed the time for our flight had changed from 11:35 to 12:20. There was no announcement made. I decided to check what was going on so I went up to the gate. A few other concerned passengers joined me. The crew assured me that I would be able to make my connection in Dullas. I found a seat by the window and waited, and waited. Again the time on the monitor had changed again no announcement. This time it was 1:30. Another passenger going to Orlando told me that he had to change his connection so I might want to go up and change mine. When I went up I asked what the problem was and she informed me it was mechanical and they may have to get a new airplane. I stuck up a conversation with some other passengers. We all were scratching our heads about what was going on. Since there was no “official” announcement we were not sure if we were ever going to leave. It was now 1:30 and an announcement was FINALLY made that there was a plane en route to Lansing from Dullas. I checked my connections again. I was going to miss it. There was one last chance I could try to catch the 4:30 flight to MCO from Dullas. If our flight was on time (at this point they weren’t even telling us what time we were going to leave so what “on-time” was was anyone’s guess!) I could make it. In the meantime I got on the phone with Independence Air to find out what my options were once I got to Dullas. She gave me a couple of flight numbers one was direct from Dullas to MCO which got in at 10:58 pm and the other was from Dullas to Greenville to MCO which got into MCO at 10:15 pm. At this point I was quite upset. I get worked up pretty easily and I am prone to anxiety attacks so with all the delays and not knowing ANYTHING was the perfect recipe for an anxiety attack. The operator from Independence Air kept telling me the problem was with air traffic control even though in Lansing they were telling us it was “mechanical”. After doing alittle computer typing the operator from Independence told me she was going to check something and call me “right back”. A half hour later she called me back and said the plane was en route and should be touching down soon. About 5 minutes later this announcement was made at the gate. By this time it was 2:45. Our plane finally arrived around 3 and they made a very quick turn around. We were boarded in less then 20 minutes! They were still fueling when we boarded.

While waiting in the airport I got to talking to a number of different passengers. I sat with a retired gentleman and his wife. They were going to Washington, DC to spend Christmas with their son who was a fighter pilot. Their son had booked the flight as a surprised to his parents. How sweet is that?? (Why can’t he live in Michigan??) They both very nice people the husband was a hoot making light of the whole situation and making us all laugh. I met another young couple with a little girl who was maybe 5. She came over to visit with us. I asked her where she was going and she told me they were going to Tampa to visit grandma! She also said they were going to go to Orlando. Mom informed me that the family was flying to Orlando and spending a few days at Disney and then heading to Tampa. I asked the little girl if she was going to see Mickey Mouse and she informed me very matter-a-fact that, “Mickey Mouse if for babies!” OMG…no he isn’t! You should have seen the shocked looks on mom and dad’s faces. She did like the princesses though so I guess she is okay! I also met a single lady who was traveling to see her son and daughter-in-law in Washington. I exchanged addresses with the couple and the single woman and we plan to get together this summer.

A little over an hour later we were at Dullas. I hugged and said goodbye to my new friends. Sadly I missed my connection by about a half hour. I went to the gate to make sure I was booked on the next flight to MCO. I wasn’t the operator that I had talked to Karen had booked me on the Greenville flight connecting to MCO. Opps!!! I had to call FlyI back and rebook on the flight from Dullas to MCO! While I was on hold I heard and announcement that the flight to Greenville was delayed! Yikes good thing I changed! I called my sister and mom to let them know what was going on. I offered to take a cab from the airport because I probably wouldn’t be getting in until after 11 pm. Mom agreed to that, thankful they would not have to stay up that late to pick me up! Independence agreed to give me and the other delayed Lansing passengers $10 vouchers for dinner. That was good because I had not eaten since that morning and I was very hungry.

I found a stake sandwich shop and ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich combo and found a table and relaxed for a bit. My flight was not due to take off until after 8 pm and it was only 5:30. I was suppose to be in Orlando at 4:55. I should have been waiting for my luggage at MCO with my mom & sister. I walked around after dinner and peeked into the little Boarders Bookstore that was set up in the little airport mall. I purchased a book and found a stop at my gate to read for a bit. The time ticked away very slow. I called my pet sitter Cheryl to see how Belle was doing. The flight was delayed out of Dullas for an hour. Now I would not get into MCO until after midnight! I called mom with this news and she was thankfully I would be taking a cab to my sister’s house.

We finally got on the plane and were in the air for the two-hour flight to MCO. We arrived just after midnight and I had my bags by 12:30. My contacts were so foggy I could hardly see where to pick up a cab. I finally found the cabstand downstairs and got a cab to my sister’s condo near Boggy Creek and Bauna Ventura Blvd in Kissimmee. I paid the driver and prayed Sandy left the door unlocked for me. I tried to be as quiet as I could as I popped my contacts out, changed and finally got to sleep alittle after 1 am!

Next: Part 2: Mom & Dad’s New House, Passporter Meet and Shopping at Downtown Disney (and photos!)

[Jennifer2003]

Great start...great signature picture!!!!!

[LizardCop]

Well, a little delayed, [b]BUT YOU"RE THERE!!!!!

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Robin How awful that you had to be delayed on your way to MCO! Didn't they know you had an appointment with the Mouse!!!

Can't wait for more

[DrDolphin]

Wow - what a day!!! I bet you were glad to see a bed!! Hope things improve!

[BritDisFan]

Mickey Mouse is for babies !! I hope when that little girl gets to WDW Mickey will be able to convince her otherwise.

Oh dear Robin a bit of a nightmare journey to start with but hopefully things will look up now. I'm looking forward to more.

Karen

[luvnwdwgal]

What a bummer about your flights!! So glad you're finally at your sister's!! Looking forward to more!!

[Tara O'Hara]

Wow! You've certainly had a day!! So glad that you finally made it to your sister's!! Can't wait to hear more!!

[RobinKay6573]

Day 2: December 22, 2004: Mom & Dad’s New House, Passporter Meet and Shopping at Downtown Disney

For years mom and dad have wanted to move to Florida when they retire. Dad hates to shovel and hates to drive in the winter weather (he drives a semi truck for a living) and he is prone to seasonal “grumpiness” as mom calls it and can be a real bear to live with in the winter. In February they visited a retirement community in Poinciana, FL called Solivita. My sister lives in Kissimmee and had heard good things about Solivita. After several visits and some soul searching my folks decided to make a commitment to buy a house in the community. They made several down payments and made an appointment to pick out the options for the house. After the model was picked out they needed personalize their house so a design appointment was made while mom was on holiday break from school where she is a teacher aid. Dad tried to get the time off from work but sadly was not able to. Mom was on her own and very nervous.

We were up pretty early since I had to pick up my rental car that morning. I rented from National and had a pretty good experience with them. Before I left I joined the Emerald Club (thanks to Mouseforless.com) and was able to go right up to the garage give them my paperwork and go pick out a car. It was very quick (less then 10 minutes). My rental was $35 for the day (holiday rates are KILLER!) and I only rented the car for the day. I rented a compact car, I picked out a red Chevy Cavalier coupe. I used mousesavers.com to find some good codes to use and ended up with a rate that was half of what Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity were listing.

Mom’s appointment at Solivita was at 10 but she wanted to show me she and Dad’s lot before the appointment. We were out the door by 7:45 and at the airport by 8:00. I picked up my car and followed Sandy and Mom to Poinciana where Solivia is located. Poinciana is about a half hour South of Walt Disney World. We went to breakfast at Burger King and then headed right to Solivita. Poinciana is nice and mom says it is growing very quickly. When Solivita is done there will be almost 5000 homes that is a city in it self!

Solivita is completely gated so we needed to pass by a guard shake to enter the community. I had had visited Solivita’s web-site a few times but had never seen the houses in person. I was quite impressed with how manicured everything was. As Sandy lead me through the winding roads I was glad I was following her because I doubt very much I would have been able to navigate these roads myself. Sandy stopped the car and I pulled up behind her. Mom looked at me and said, “This is it!” as she pointed to a bare stretch of land next between two homes. I was surprised to see so many houses in her neighborhood already completed. The land my parents had purchased boarders a land reserve so no development will be done behind them it also gives them a bigger lot. I took some photos of the lot.



Town Center at Solivita

Mom pointing out her dirt lot

It was getting close to the time for mom’s design appointment so we made our way back to the town center. I was very impressed with the surroundings. The whole community is done in Tuscan style and you really get that Mediterranean feel everywhere you go. We parked our cars and went into the Welcome Center. I asked mom if she wanted Sandy & I to leave or if she wanted us to stay. Mom said she wanted us to join her so we all made our way to the design room with Christine mom’s design consultant.



Fountain outside the Welcome Center

The contract states that my folks must pay for half the cost of the options before the house is built. Mom was a bit concerned that she would not have enough money to get everything she would like in her new house. In the end she ended up being very happy with her choices and Christine said she spent her money wisely. Seeing the house come together was very interesting. Mom went though tile samples, carpet samples, countertop samples and door samples. It was neat seeing everything come together. You just don’t understand how much goes into building a house until you see it for yourself. Mom ended up with a couple of extras she didn’t budget for but she came out smiling (and dad was okay with them).

We broke for lunch around noon and arranged to meet with Christine at 1:30 so mom could finish the paperwork. Mom wanted to take me inside the model for she and dad’s home. I was surprised by how open the floor plan was. It is so hard to tell what a house looks like from the diagram on the website. Seeing the model made me anxious to see my parents home finished. The new house is bigger then my parents current home in Vermont. You could tell mom was excited about showing me around.



Cheesy photo of mom welcoming us to a house similar to hers

We toured the health club. I was very impressed. There were two large pools one inside and one outside. There was a walking track above the indoor pool with lanes. The gym had treadmills, exercise bikes and weight machines. A studio was set up with wooden floors and equip with steps for step aerobics and bars for dancing. It was all very cool and I could see myself working out in there when I visited my folks!



Giant Chess Game next to the outdoor pool

The ballroom/banquet hall was right next door so we peeked our heads in there. It was very large and could probably fit close to 3000 people! I could see then doing health fairs and community dances in there.

We visited the computer center/library next. Mom mentioned all the books were donated by residents. The walls were already full. I cannot imagine how many books will be in there in a few years when the community multiplies. There were seven computers set up on the side. Mom needed to check her e-mail. My sister’s computer was not connected because she was waiting for her carpet to be installed (she is still dealing with hurricane damage) and mom wanted to let family know she made it to Florida safely. I also checked my mail and posted a quick note on the Passporter board.

As we walked back to the design center I noticed some steps down to the lagoon. There was a guy fishing from the steps. We talked with the gentleman for a little while and he mentioned that he had yet to catch anything that day but I caught a couple the day before. All the fishing is like Disney catch-and-release.

We peeked into the window of the pool & card hall. They had about 10 pool tables. There were a few games of cards being played from the 15 card tables set up. I could see my mom playing gin rummy with the girls in there.

Mom, Sandy and I went to lunch at Mosaics a Tuscan Style restaurant on the main street. I had a cocoanut chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries and iced tea. The sandwich was wonderful and who would have thought sweet potato fries would be so good?? As we were exiting mom said she better use the restroom before we headed back over to the design center. Sandy and I stood at the door as another couple came up the street. They asked us if we were moving in and we explained that my mom was here for her design appointment. They then asked where her house was going to be and Sandy told them. The lady whom we later found out was named Jean gasp and said, “That is right across the street from our house!” Her husband Butch jumped into the conversation and then mom. Jean asked us if we were the ones out there taking photos the night before. Sandy said it was. Mom came out and we introduced her to her new neighbors! We chatted with them for a bit and then went back to the design center.

Christine was waiting for mom with a stack of papers. Since mom still had to pick her exterior color she mentioned the model color she liked and Christine showed her the sample. The house would be light rust with cream trim a brown roof and a green door.


Choosing tiles, cabinets and countertops



Model home with the same colors very similar to mom & dad home except roofline and garage are different

Next mom had to sign all forms and the blueprints. They had to go through every decision that was made the morning.


Mom reviewing the paperwork with Christine.

Finally everything was done and we decided to head back to the property to take one last look. Mom was very happy with her decisions that day but she was alittle concerned about what dad would think. On the way to the property we spotted a house that was exactly like the exterior of mom & dad’s new house. We stopped to get some photos. The sun was going down so mine were alittle dark



House just like mom and dad’s new house. The roofline, color and gararge position are exactly the same! Sorry it is so dark the sun was going down

We also went over to the property where a couple mom & dad had in February were building a house. This couple live in the same city in Vermont as my mom and dad. They have kept in touch and have gotten together a few times since February in Vermont. This couples house is much bigger then my folks house.

Since we got done so early we decided to head over to Downtown Disney to do alittle shopping. The Passporter meet that was scheduled didn’t start until 8. We arrived at Downtown Disney at about 5:30. I found a parking space first and Sandy parked a few cars down behind us. We hit World of Disney first and I found a Christmas scrapbook kit and a package of paper that Sandy had to buy for me because I forgot my traveler’s Cheques at her condo (opps). We then went to Pet Tails where I found some very cool things I would LIKE to buy for Belle and Max. There was NO WAY I was going to pay $30 for a plastic and nylone dog collar that said Princess on it! I did find a t-shirt that I like with many of the Disney dogs on it. I figured we would make it back to Downtown Disney before the week was through but that wasn’t to be. I guess I will just add that t-shirt on to my “things to buy next time” list! We then stopped by the scrapbook store where I didn’t find anything I could not live without.

The Christmas Store was next on the list. While Sandy looked for some ornaments mom and I searched for hidden Mickeys. We found several in the engraving room. As we were looking up the CM asked what we were doing. She then asked Did you see the HM in the main room? We had not seen them so she brought us into the room and pointed out HM on the trucks of the Christmas trees. You need to step back and look at the center of the tree to see then because they are very hidden.



Hidden Mickey on trunk of Christmas tree

Sandy found the ornaments she was looking for and we made our way over to Wolfgang Puck Express. Sandy & mom offered to save us a table as I waited outside the restaurant for my Passporter Friends

Next: Day 2 December 22, Pt 3 Passporter Meet!

[LizardCop]

Great Update Robin, love the photos...

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Robin Having built a house from scratch, I know how long that meeting must have been for you guys and your Mom! I'm sure the house will be lovely, the area looks wonderful!

Hurry back with more

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update Robin!! What a cool looking community your parents are moving to!! Can't wait to hear about your next adventure!!