EJ4Disney
07-23-2003, 10:26 PM
Cast of Characters
Me- Ellen
DH – Doug
DS – Matthew (13)
DM – Delores (Ellen’s Mother)
Dates: May 29 – June 5, 2003
Where: Contemporary Resort Concierge - Room # 4638
Transportation: Personal car to Omaha NE
Flights on American Airlines with layover in St. Louis
Stretch limo to and from the Contemporary
Disney transportation while on property
Pre-trip Information
We really hadn’t planned on a trip to WDW this year as there was A LOT going on in our lives. Our dear SIL Jay was deployed on January 21st. He stayed stateside at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs until May 21st, then was sent to Kuwait. Elizabeth (our DD) was a wreck and we all stayed very close by her side. Our youngest DD Stephanie was to graduate from college on June 8th, and this is usually our WDW time frame. We had a
7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean already planned, as a graduation present for Stephanie and the whole family in late June. We thought maybe after Jay got home later in the year we would all go to Disney . . . well that sounded good but…!!!
We were having lunch one day and Mother was bemoaning the fact that she wasn’t going to spend her birthday with Mickey Mouse this year and she always does, and how sad she was. . . and on and on and on. Good grief she was acting like a 3 year old. LOL I looked right at her and said if you want to go so bad, then let’s go. Her eyes started to sparkle and she wondered if we could do it on such short notice. If you all remember our mess last year with our Travel Agent, well needless to say she is no longer in business. So we have no local travel agent. I asked her if she was serious and she said YES!! I told her I would like to try to do it myself with Your Magical Journeys help. All was looking great. As soon as I got home I e-mailed Tink with my requests and wants,
and . . . well the rest is history. We were on our way!!!
Nanc you are the best, and I owe you a BIG Thank you.
May 28th – the day before departure
We were up early, as Doug and I both had decided to work all day today. Man, this was one very long day, and it didn’t help that about every 10 minutes, Eleanor (the other secretary), Karen (the custodian) or Pastor Todd would say, “Are you getting excited yet?” Oh my goodness – YES!! I got off at 4:00 p.m. and headed right home. When Doug walked through the door at 5:00 p.m. I was tapping my foot. I was more than ready to hit the road. He had to load the car and do chores yet, so we finally said good-bye to the animals and was headed to pick up Mom at 6:00 p.m. Not great but not too bad. As we were leaving Mom’s, Matthew realized he had forgotten his wallet. So back to our house we went. Wallet in hand and on the way to the interstate, when Mother said, “Oh my, I have forgotten Stephanie’s graduation present.” Good grief!!! Back to Mom’s, present in hand and finally we hit the interstate at 6:30 p.m. We drive about 20 miles and my phone rings and it is Elizabeth, “You are stopping in Kearney to say good bye, right?!” Yes, honey we will be right there. Kisses, hugs and good byes said, we are again on the road. It is now 7:15 p.m. and we have only gone 30 miles. We get close to Grand Island (about 60 miles from home) and Mother, bless her heart, says “I am hungry, is anyone else?” So we stop to eat. We had planned to eat in Lincoln with Stephanie at our favorite Cracker Barrel, this is a tradition of sorts. But it was getting late so stop to eat we do. On the road again and are in Lincoln at 9:45 p.m. Stephanie is disappointed but we meet at the IHOP for yet another meal. Kisses, hugs and good byes said and we are again on the road to our final destination – Omaha. We check into the Motel at – would you believe - after midnight. We go right to bed as we have a 5:30 a.m. wake up call. What a start to a wonderful vacation.
Me- Ellen
DH – Doug
DS – Matthew (13)
DM – Delores (Ellen’s Mother)
Dates: May 29 – June 5, 2003
Where: Contemporary Resort Concierge - Room # 4638
Transportation: Personal car to Omaha NE
Flights on American Airlines with layover in St. Louis
Stretch limo to and from the Contemporary
Disney transportation while on property
Pre-trip Information
We really hadn’t planned on a trip to WDW this year as there was A LOT going on in our lives. Our dear SIL Jay was deployed on January 21st. He stayed stateside at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs until May 21st, then was sent to Kuwait. Elizabeth (our DD) was a wreck and we all stayed very close by her side. Our youngest DD Stephanie was to graduate from college on June 8th, and this is usually our WDW time frame. We had a
7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean already planned, as a graduation present for Stephanie and the whole family in late June. We thought maybe after Jay got home later in the year we would all go to Disney . . . well that sounded good but…!!!
We were having lunch one day and Mother was bemoaning the fact that she wasn’t going to spend her birthday with Mickey Mouse this year and she always does, and how sad she was. . . and on and on and on. Good grief she was acting like a 3 year old. LOL I looked right at her and said if you want to go so bad, then let’s go. Her eyes started to sparkle and she wondered if we could do it on such short notice. If you all remember our mess last year with our Travel Agent, well needless to say she is no longer in business. So we have no local travel agent. I asked her if she was serious and she said YES!! I told her I would like to try to do it myself with Your Magical Journeys help. All was looking great. As soon as I got home I e-mailed Tink with my requests and wants,
and . . . well the rest is history. We were on our way!!!
Nanc you are the best, and I owe you a BIG Thank you.
May 28th – the day before departure
We were up early, as Doug and I both had decided to work all day today. Man, this was one very long day, and it didn’t help that about every 10 minutes, Eleanor (the other secretary), Karen (the custodian) or Pastor Todd would say, “Are you getting excited yet?” Oh my goodness – YES!! I got off at 4:00 p.m. and headed right home. When Doug walked through the door at 5:00 p.m. I was tapping my foot. I was more than ready to hit the road. He had to load the car and do chores yet, so we finally said good-bye to the animals and was headed to pick up Mom at 6:00 p.m. Not great but not too bad. As we were leaving Mom’s, Matthew realized he had forgotten his wallet. So back to our house we went. Wallet in hand and on the way to the interstate, when Mother said, “Oh my, I have forgotten Stephanie’s graduation present.” Good grief!!! Back to Mom’s, present in hand and finally we hit the interstate at 6:30 p.m. We drive about 20 miles and my phone rings and it is Elizabeth, “You are stopping in Kearney to say good bye, right?!” Yes, honey we will be right there. Kisses, hugs and good byes said, we are again on the road. It is now 7:15 p.m. and we have only gone 30 miles. We get close to Grand Island (about 60 miles from home) and Mother, bless her heart, says “I am hungry, is anyone else?” So we stop to eat. We had planned to eat in Lincoln with Stephanie at our favorite Cracker Barrel, this is a tradition of sorts. But it was getting late so stop to eat we do. On the road again and are in Lincoln at 9:45 p.m. Stephanie is disappointed but we meet at the IHOP for yet another meal. Kisses, hugs and good byes said and we are again on the road to our final destination – Omaha. We check into the Motel at – would you believe - after midnight. We go right to bed as we have a 5:30 a.m. wake up call. What a start to a wonderful vacation.