3 more sleeps...

Remember the Disney commercial where the kids can't sleep - then the adults can't sleep all because they are going to Disney World the next day...

Well this is us....except it is still 3 sleeps till Disneyland.  

Unfortunately I have a to do list that is about a mile long.  It also seems like as soon as I cross one item off the list I add 2 more to the bottom.

Thankfully the kids are packed, and hubby is packed, so it's just me and all the other non-clothing crap.

We have all our reservations made for meals.  Some of those we are trying...

Rainforest cafe

Storytellers breakfast

Goofy's dinner

Ariel's Grotto

Surf's up breakfast

Minnie's breakfast

Carthay Circle

Steakhouse 55

Cafe Orleans

Naples

Oh and at some point DH must have In-N-Out.  We have decided to take some snacks with us...pop tarts, granola bars, cold fish, animal crackers, fruit pouches, etc.  just to save one some snacks for the kids.

I am really going to try and update this blog as our trip progresses so that way I won't have to try and do it after (yeah I still don't have our trip from Feb up and going - lol)

Well, it's time to get to sleep so I will only have 2 sleeps left!

It all starts with a wish....

Have you ever wished you could win a free vacation?

Well, I won a trip to Disneyland.  Well ACTUALLY I won a trip to my choice...Disney World or Disneyland.  Cool eh?

Upon talking to some people they were amazed that I wouldn't choose WDW.  Well the truth is uhm I won the trip in January, and we already had a 8 night trip planned in Feb....so we decided to mix it up a bit.

One thing you much know - everyone thinks a free vacation is awesome, so let me assure you it is TOTALLY awesome (SQUEE)  there are a few drawbacks....

• If you are a larger family you must pay for them out of pocket (555 for one ticket for DH to fly as our 5th...and thankfully our 5th was Eve and she is 2 so parks, room, food at buffets....well she still gets for free)
• Other expenses...ie kennel for our dogs, money to vaccinate said dogs because their kennel cough vaccine runs out 2 weeks before our trip, money to extend our trip by a few days (figured why not since we are already there), parking at the airport.
• Taxes on the trip....hopefully it isn't that bad....hopefully...lol (I will update you)

So we have everything - our travel vouchers for the bus to take us from the airport to Disneyland and back, dogs have their boarding reservations, pins for trading have been bought, stroller tires are aired up (still on the fence as to take it or not).  But we are no where ready to actually go yet....

I have a small packing list...well 4 pages so far 

• one for meds (which I had to buy pill versions of for the flight - I figure we would use it anyway at some point either her or there so I might as well get some just in case) 
• one for stuff in the carry on
• one for clothes
• one of things I still need to buy

On top of all of this I am knee deep in my semester of grad school and I have homework due tonight, so that's it from me tonight - see ya tomorrow :)

Rainy day #2

It is the second day of summer vacation for the kids, and it is the second rainy day.  If it continues in this fashion it will surely be a long summer :|

We visited the county library yesterday.  The kids got their very own library cards and checked out their first books and a DVD each.

They also signed up for the summer reading program.  If they read 5 books they get a door hanger, 10 books and they get a book bag, and with 15 books they get a medal, a certificate and a t-shirt.   They also want to sign up for the reading program on base - so it looks like we will head there on Friday and sign up for it.  I LOVE that I have kids that want to read all the time!

Burned

So in order to make my life less relaxed we signed the 3 kids up for swimming lessons.  Thankfully the older two are in the same class, but the little one is of course not.  She gets to go spend some baby/daddy time and do a toddler/parent class.

I looked at the schedule beforehand and was excited that the older 2 would have lessons at 10:30 and then she would follow at 11, but no, her classes instead are at 9am.

So since I had heard that there was usually a line to sign up we decided instead of showing up at noon to instead go at 11 and buy our family pass and swim until sign ups started.

We get there at 11:20 and of course there already is a long line.  Thankfully the kids behaved and played in the shade till we got signed up. Then we went and swam.

I am usually very preventative of sunburns.  The kids had on SPF shirts, I slathered them with sunscreen before we left, and I slathered myself too.  Unfortunately I missed a good portion of my back and I forgot to have hubs help me.  My face arms and chest (well except a quarter size blotch that I missed) are fine - however my back is quite lobster-ish....I am hoping it quickly turns and doesn't last long because iti s hard for me to reach it and neither of my kids are very good at spreading aloe yet.  I am thinking I might be able to thin it down with some water and use one of my spray bottles to spray it on.

Either way, I am very excited about this summer and the pool.  We have a small backyard pool to use everyday, but since it is just barely 2 feet deep it is hard to swim much in it.  We never used the base pool back in NC.  It was a 20 minute drive to base and we just never got around to doing it.

Now it is just around the corner (well 2-3 miles away)

I have so much planned for this summer and I can't wait to share it with the kids (and you!)

WTF

Holy Shizzballs.  I haven't blogged since January and if you logged on and saw what I see you too would be thinking WTF.  Blogger apparently has changed things or Ihave clicked the wrong switch somewhere because I can't quite figure out how to work it - but hold on - I'm trying.

I got so busy with grad school - disney vacation - well life in general that I haven't blogged in a while - so in 2 weeks school will be out for summer and I am going to have loads of time on my hands - right - buwahahaha

Stay tuned - I will be back!

sometimes it's ok to be...

Sad.

A few days ago I found out that one of my cousins had died in car crash.  While I have to admit that he wasn't one of my closest cousins, he was one I had hung out with a few times outside of family functions, and he was really a great guy.  Billy was one I would actually admit was a part of my family.

Death is an odd thing.  When it happens to someone you only see every year or so, it doesn't seem as final as it does when it is someone you are close with.  If it is a close friend, a neighbor, a sibling, a parent, etc.  Someone you connect with on a daily or weekly basis, there comes such a range of emotions.  But when it is someone less close, the emotions are different.

I think this is what has me in a funk.

Not the Stay in bed all day kind of funk, or the go weeks without showering kind of funk.

The kind of funk that leaves you feeling a little melancholy, a little retrospective, a little wistful and thoughtful as to what is really going on in your life.  Tonight what sound good to me is to eat a box of chocolate, drink a bottle of wine and listen to something emotional - like maybe a little Adele....

The waiting game

So here I am - 9 days after getting the prize notification - and still no other communication from them.  A lesser person might be worried....awe heck, I AM worried - but the letter did say 7 BUSINESS days, and of course my luck there was a stinking holiday in there, so technically I am just at 6 BUSINESS days....oh and then there is this....

My name (though slightly misspelled) is there - listed as a Winner! 

SHUT THE DOOR!!!!!!

So yesterday the hubster and I are kicking it (aka cleaning the living room) and Fed Ex pulls up.  I often order things I forget about - and while I knew I had some things coming in the mail, I was pretty sure I hadn't received any shipping notifications and what I had ordered was supposed to come via UPS.

So he goes to get it and I remember!  A computer charger - my laptop cord died and I ordered a new one...

So goes the conversation...

He gets the package and I ask - my computer cord?

Him - No...

Me - what is it then - bank paperwork?

Him - no, it's addressed to you.

Me - what?

I get the envelope and read... Ventura Associates ... NY...

OMG


Am I getting sued!


Why am I getting sued!


Am I having to testify for something?


What in the world...

Hubby sees my look of terror (and before you read further I don't have any reason to be sued, and have never been sued, but mistakes are made and people get slapped with lawsuits....

I've never saw it happen IRL

but on the good wife, la law, Fairly legal, drop dead diva, PEOPLE"S COURT

ACCCKKKKKKK!!!!!!

So I tear open the envelope...

Ventura Associates
blah blah blah

my address
yeah I know it already

Dear Melissa
yeah - that's me

Important Notice!
dear God how much is this going to cost me?
will I have to sell my car?
my first born?
my second born?

Ventura Associates International, L.L.C. is the independent judging organization for the One More Disney Day Sweepstakes...We are responsible for determining the winner(s) ...you have been selected as a "potential winner...We say "potential winner" because...blah blah you have to sign and notarize this paper saying you didn't cheat, you are who you are, you live where you live...yada yada yada....

DH is looking at my face like whats wrong

I am thinking NO FREAKING WAY

normal people don't win this
you see them on commercials and they aren't normal
NO FREAKING WAY

so I tell him, he doesn't believe me

I give him the letter

he still doesn't believe me

it took some convincing - but he now believes...

So we rushed off to get the paper work notarized and fed-ex'd back to NY

I then spent every few hours yesterday and today checking to see where it was via my tracking number

it was delivered today - at 11:12am

and now I wait, because of course it said you will hear back in 7 days...

and so I wait...