What's the Big Deal With Staying On Property Anyway? *Goodbyes* 12/17 p.114

[Charleston Princess]

Originally Posted by carissanboys

So, the big question is...

Who did you think was older??

Why me, of course!

[LaurenMic]

Hi Carissa!! Yay you have started. Your postcard came today, I was so excited, thank you so much!!! I was having a serious case of the Mondays and your pixie dust totally brightened my day Can't wait to read more about the trip!!

[gogo65]

I'm in I might not be 35(I wish!)
But I am an Aussie and I know Carissa us regardless of age

[dddisrunner]

Holy Crap Carissa! I cannot believe this report is on page 4 already! I am here and ready for the festivities to begin! Yes, you should try and stay at 35...I however forgot to and well let's just say that this year was the last birthday I am celebrating, I am 39!

[carissanboys]

Originally Posted by moparop

Yep, I think we haunt many of the same TRs!

My kids are 4 and a half, 3 as of tomorrow and I am due in September with 3.0. The first two were planned and 20 months apart. That was rough, but I loved it. This one was unplanned and I can already feel that it's pushing me over the edge. Looking forward to reading more about your family vacation!

Well, here's hoping # 3 is a happy, easy baby for you.

Originally Posted by Stephanie VanMeter

Count me in! I am ready to hear how you liked it on property. I went several times off property when I was younger but I don't think I ever really experienced the "World" unitl we (my family) stayed on property.

I really didn't feel like we were missing anything by staying off property (except the towel animals ). But, we'll see if my opinion changed.

Originally Posted by DisMomAmy

Hey - Do I get to be in the club? I'm a 1973 35er!

Sure! You're older than me!! Chuck is a 1973 baby too. He's only six months older than me, but I remind him of that often.

Originally Posted by Charleston Princess

Why me, of course!

Good answer!!

Originally Posted by LaurenMic

Hi Carissa!! Yay you have started. Your postcard came today, I was so excited, thank you so much!!! I was having a serious case of the Mondays and your pixie dust totally brightened my day Can't wait to read more about the trip!!

I'm so glad to hear that Lauren!

Originally Posted by gogo65

I'm in I might not be 35(I wish!)
But I am an Aussie and I know Carissa us regardless of age

It's great to see you again! And yes - I love all Aussies - regardless of age!

Originally Posted by dddisrunner

Holy Crap Carissa! I cannot believe this report is on page 4 already! I am here and ready for the festivities to begin! Yes, you should try and stay at 35...I however forgot to and well let's just say that this year was the last birthday I am celebrating, I am 39!

I'm sure as I get closer to 40 I won't care as much. A funny note that I'll probably forget to mention in my TR - I was getting my photo taken somewhere by photopass and I had a special birthday photopass card. The photographer asked who was celebrating a birthday and when I said me, he said, "You know in Disney World, you're allowed to add the two numbers together for your age so you can be 5 instead of 23."

I will be posting the start of the TR shortly!

[carissanboys]

~ March 27th, 2009 ~

Friday morning dawned and with it an excited Carissa woke up early. I had to get my last moments of internet use in before I had almost no access for the week!

Because I'm such a great procrastinator, I had lots to keep me busy. I finished packing, picked up the house (don't you just hate coming home to a mess?), and brought Oreo to the kennel. Those of you who read my last TR might remember that when Chuck attempted to bring our cat Josie to the kennel last time, we ran into issues with her vaccinations and had to scurry last minute to find someone to watch her.

When I got to the kennel on Friday morning, they couldn't find her reservation. Turns out that whomever put our reservation in the system booked us a year ahead - for 2010. Luckily, it wasn't a problem and they were still able to take her.

Here she is oblivious to the fact that we'd be taking her to stay in a small, enclosed space for 10 nights.



Having dropped Oreo at her kitty condo, I filled up the van with gas, and made my way home to begin loading up. Chuck, Connor, and I all ate some lunch and then it was time for me to head over to school to pick up Sully and Owen.

Everyone took a final pit stop in the bathroom and then we were on our way! Here are the boys before piling into the van (don't mind the look on Sully's face - he really was excited):



We were on the road by 12:15 and thankfully - no need to turn around and get forgotten Gameboys on this trip!

Are we excited???



I started out driving since Chuck was feeling tired (he blamed me for jumping on the bed around 6:30 to wake him up - ), but after a short while I developed a migraine. Chuck ended up doing the driving for the rest of the day. Thankfully there was very little traffic around D.C. and northern Virginia.

Look Ma! One hand!



And I had to take a picture of my freshly painted tootsies on the drive! Two hidden Mickeys! (I'm happy to report that my Mickey Heads stayed on for the entire trip. )



We made a few stops at rest areas (and it wasn't just for me this trip! Owen has developed quite a small bladder - he's so much like me) and encountered those new hand dryers. Have y'all seen them yet? They're very powerful and suck the water right off your hands! I really wanted to videotape myself using one just so I could post it here, but I kept forgetting my camera. It's funny to watch your skin being pulled as it dries. Yes, I'm easily amused.

(Here is a video I found on youtube that someone took of the exact dryer I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87h1mn6Xkn4 )

Somewhere on 295 around Richmond, Virginia the traffic slowed down. We could see a police car in the front keeping everyone back and then a Black Hawk helicopter flew overhead. Chuck thought maybe the President was up ahead and they were keeping cars back for security purposes.

I'm going to leave you with this picture for now. The weather began to turn a bit for us and the rain started to lightly fall.



Up Next - Are We a Magnet for Tornadoes or What???

[Charleston Princess]

I am cracking up over the amount of DVDs that Chuck is carrying out of the house.

I haven't experienced those hand dryers yet -- I will have to keep my eyes out for them!

[mommytothreeboys]

Woo-Hoo!!!! The party begins!


I'm sorry you got a migraine...what a crappy way to start a vacation.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

[whogirl'smom]

Glad to see a quick update! I'm home today with a sick child, so I see a lot of Dis'ing here on the couch. I've very intrigued by those hand dryers--I haven't seen them. Do they vacuum the water off your hands? That just cracks me up!

Can't wait till you get to Disney!

[mommytothreeboys]

Originally Posted by Charleston Princess

I am cracking up over the amount of DVDs that Chuck is carrying out of the house.

I didn't even notice that!! LOL!!!!

[jcc0621]

Wha...wha...what do you mean? You are going to drop that little bomb about a Tornado and leave us hanging like that

[carissanboys]

Originally Posted by Charleston Princess

I am cracking up over the amount of DVDs that Chuck is carrying out of the house.

I haven't experienced those hand dryers yet -- I will have to keep my eyes out for them!

Very observant of you Jackie! I was going to comment on that, but you noticed anyway.

Originally Posted by mommytothreeboys

Woo-Hoo!!!! The party begins!


I'm sorry you got a migraine...what a crappy way to start a vacation.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

Like I told Chuck, if I had to have a migraine on the trip, I'm glad it was on that first day.

Originally Posted by whogirl'smom

Glad to see a quick update! I'm home today with a sick child, so I see a lot of Dis'ing here on the couch. I've very intrigued by those hand dryers--I haven't seen them. Do they vacuum the water off your hands? That just cracks me up!

Can't wait till you get to Disney!

Sully is home sick today too. It appears the post-Disney illness has begun. He has a fever and sore throat. Hopefully it'll be short lived! Hope your little one is better soon.

Yes! They vaccuum the water right off your hands! They're suppose to be better about getting rid of germs or something like that. I first encountered one last year on a trip into Baltimore, but I hadn't seen any since. Most of the rest areas on this trip had them.

Originally Posted by mommytothreeboys

I didn't even notice that!! LOL!!!!

Lots of movies = quieter drive.

[carissanboys]

Originally Posted by jcc0621

Wha...wha...what do you mean? You are going to drop that little bomb about a Tornado and leave us hanging like that

Here is a youtube video that shows the Dyson hand dryer. This is the one that I first saw in Baltimore last year. The ones in the rest areas were not like this, but a similar concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQrCF-D-9k

[carissanboys]

Oh my gosh guys! I found a youtube link for the exact dryer in the rest areas. It's called Xlerator. What cracks me up is that someone else had the idea to videotape the dryer - I'm not the only nut who thinks up these things! This video really shows how strong the suction is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87h1mn6Xkn4

(I'm going to add this link into the installment so those who don't read all of the comments will see it.)

[heaven2dc]

Great trip so far! Haven't those hand dryers have been around for years? (well at least when I've traveled to Oregon & Florida and when I lived in WV 7 years ago and now in VA). Some restroom facilities have put back in the paper towels along with the hand dryers because some people complained about them. (My cousin owns a chain of restaurants and due to popular demand, he had to reinstall the paper towels along side the blow dryer one.)

I had to use one to dry my top in an airport back in 2003 when I spilled tea right before boarding a plane and I thought that thing was going to blow me across the room!!