Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Little Continuity

So, like the rest of my life, this blog has become an chaotic mess lacking theme and continuity. If I have any chance of continuing it then I must fix this immediately. So, I'm going to improve my predictability.



  • Nerdy Mondays - Because Mondays are hard enough as is and a bit of fangirling always brightens my day.

  • Disaster Wednesdays - I've probably had at least one soul-crushing disaster by the middle of the week.

  • Funny Fridays - I love alliteration, 'nuff said. **Warning** Will probably contain cat pictures and the like...




Today is Tuesday. I fangirled in private this week. No, not that! Get your mind out of the gutter! I've simply irritated my parents by continually insisting that they need to watch last week's "Doctor Who". They haven't complied and I am very disappointed in them. I've suffered no disasters yet but fear not, it is a rainy day and I have a puppy and a child who doesn't listen, a disaster is forthcoming.






Friday, April 5, 2013

Packing is a Journey

I've begun the arduous task of packing for Disney. The most difficult part of this is that I typically don't own or wear summer clothes. I don't wear T-shirts and I can never seem to find shoes that I think look right with shorts. But, when you're going to be in 80 degree weather for seven days straight you might want to wear appropriate clothing, which is why I've spent the past two days shopping. I'm fairly sure I've tried on at least 500,000 pairs of shorts (OK more like 100 but still, that is a lot of shorts!) I have shirts, shorts and underwear crossed off the packing list. Now I just have to make sure I don't forget anything, like shoes. The only plus side to packing two bags is that I have can pack two people's worth of liquids even though, like most six year old boys, Professor doesn't need to carry any.

I've been packing for three days now and I'm still not done. The good thing is I've been forced to organize my clothes and clean my room. It is a project that will extend far past my vacation but I've made enough progress to feel like my spring break has been a success. There is nothing like going back to work after a week off and realizing you've accomplished nothing.

I'm a little antsy about the flight with Professor. I'm sure it will be fine but our last flight together was a complete nightmare that I would rather not relive. When Professor was 15 months old I flew from Maryland to California alone with Professor in my lap. I've never experienced such anxiety. He cried for 2 hours of the flight, couldn't sit still, had to have his diaper changed multiple times and was just all around "That baby" on the flight. I may have PTSD from that flight. I'm hoping at six (and properly medicated for his ADHD) that he will be able to handle the two hour flight and navigating the airport without an issue, but I'm not counting on it.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Dammit Disney (Updated!)

I never thought I would say this but Disney, you've let me down. I scheduled my vacation and flights a few months ago. It turns out, they made a mistake or I did. Someone screwed up big time. My flight, which I thought was for 9:15 AM is actually for 9:15 PM which means I won't be arriving in Orlando until 11:26 at night negating an entire day I thought I would be spending soaking up some Disney magic.

I'm beyond upset that the lady I spoke with when making the flight reservation never said "Are you sure you want to arrive at 11:30 at night when you've paid for the hotel for that night? Don't you want to enjoy a full day?" I know good customer service and good customer service means making the customer happy, not just now but in the long term. I'm so stressed and heartbroken that my dream vacation with Professor has now turned into a financial nightmare.

They can change my flight but I have to pay a $75 fee and the cost difference putting my round trip flight costs over $1,400 which doesn't make sense because I can schedule the same one right now for $1,000. I'm just so mad at myself and at the person who took my reservation. I know, I should have checked my flight information weeks ago, then this wouldn't have been such an issue. BUT the fact of the matter is, the person who took my reservation screwed up BIG TIME. I don't know if I will ever book through Disney again and if I do, it will be online. I'm not leaving room for human error (beyond my own).

I spoke with a Guest Services Supervisor and she is going to attempt to find a solution. Hopefully, it will be better than paying $1000 for a flight I thought I had already paid for.

UPDATE!

Disney called me back and they fixed everything! They admitted that it was an error on their part which made me feel better. I thought I'd been an idiot but for once it was out of my hands, although I do wish I had caught it sooner. They changed my flight to a morning flight so I will be able to get there even earlier than I thought, which is awesome! The most important thing was they did it for free. I'm just so glad that now I can sit back an enjoy my vacation. Although, I will be checking my flight information over and over again until I'm on that plane.

Monday, April 1, 2013

I'm Going To DISNEY WORLD!!

I used my tax refund this year to plan the first real family vacation just me and Professor. A more financially responsible person would have saved the money for a rainy day but if I've learned one thing about parenthood from the ladies I work with, whose children are all grown, it is this: They're only young once.

Professor grows right before my eyes, sometimes it seems overnight. He just turned 6. He still believes in Santa and the Easter bunny but his keen scientist's eye will likely see through the magic soon. This is the perfect time for him to forge a love of magic and Disney, two things that I hold dear. 

I've planned a week long stay on Disney property. We have a character breakfast and reservations for some unique meals. I'm a researcher and a planner. The idea of taking Professor into a crowded, busy theme park alone and with no game plan is enough to give me a panic attack. I'm still working on my list of rides for each park and I have to review the maps to be familiar with it all. Luckily I have an iPhone and I can save any vital information to it for while we are in the parks.

Packing can be overwhelming for me since I tend to be forgetful so I've begun early instead of waiting until right before we leave. I have checklists from several different planning sites so hopefully I will have all of my bases covered. I know that no matter how well I plan I am going to forget something vital but I'm used to it. I don't call this blog "Dammit Murphy" for nothing. 

And so the packing and planning continues...