Operation Big Thunder: the Dole Whip Conspiracy COMPLETE

[Captain_Oblivious]

BOOOOO!!!! It was rigged.

He doesn't seem to excited about his major award, does he?

I can't wait to see what the plan is for next year. I'm sure it will be a fun adventure, whatever it is.

Coming soon...I already let the cat out of the bag in a few places.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Up-to-date standings...

GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes 173
glennbo123 156
afwdwfan 90

So, there you have it. The winner is Rob! Congratulations! You are hereby awarded the title

SUPREME MOVIE QUOTE SPOTTER OF 2012*

*This title carries no value whatsoever.

“I won, I won, I won!

It's a major award!”

BOOOOO!!!! It was rigged.

“Mind power, Andy, mind power.”

He doesn't seem to excited about his major award, does he?

Sorry about that Mark. I’m generally lost to the boards on the weekends and I was out doing the Christmas shopping thing and house decorating duties yesterday.

(and then Andy got upset that I wasn’t paying enough attention to his TR so I figured I’d better hear over there first thing and try to smooth out his fetheres and such and…
well, you know, time just got away from me, and... )



I really enjoyed playing along sir.
That was entirely too much fun and I’m eagerly awaiting the next great Oblivious TR.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

“I won, I won, I won!

It's a major award!”

Very nice! And completely appropriate.

Sorry about that Mark. I’m generally lost to the boards on the weekends and I was out doing the Christmas shopping thing and house decorating duties yesterday.

(and then Andy got upset that I wasn’t paying enough attention to his TR so I figured I’d better hear over there first thing and try to smooth out his fetheres and such and…
well, you know, time just got away from me, and... )



I really enjoyed playing along sir.
That was entirely too much fun and I’m eagerly awaiting the next great Oblivious TR.

...and the sun was in my eyes, and...

I'm just grateful you guys were willing to read it. I lost about half my readership somewhere along the line, so there must have been some point along the way where this TR went from mediocre to unbearable.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm just grateful you guys were willing to read it. I lost about half my readership somewhere along the line, so there must have been some point along the way where this TR went from mediocre to unbearable.

I think everybody just gave up on it because Rob and Glenn were running away with the movie quote contest.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Very nice! And completely appropriate.



...and the sun was in my eyes, and...

I'm just grateful you guys were willing to read it. I lost about half my readership somewhere along the line, so there must have been some point along the way where this TR went from mediocre to unbearable.

Just so you know, I've been here all along! Just can't believe you Lied!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, we’ve come to the end of another Trip Report. So that means another year is in the books, we’re all a little older, and I have to stop living vicariously through the pictures and report and bring myself to admit that the adventure is over. I really love writing these reports—not only do I get to experience all of the memories of the trip, but I enjoy the back-and-forth banter with all of you. I hope you enjoyed the write-up and saw some pictures you liked or at least chuckled once or twice. Most importantly, I hope it inspired you to keep traveling and planning your own adventures. After all, time isn’t slowing down for any of us. Sooner or later we’ll reach the point where all we have are the memories, so we need to get out there and create as many memories as we can!

With this trip, I’m grateful and thrilled that we were able to pull off the surprise. As I mentioned in the report, this was a bucket list item for Julie and me—surprising the kids with a Disney trip was every bit as special as we’d hoped it would be. Disney World is an extraordinary place, not that you need me to convince you. I’m thankful that we have a place we can go to escape from the real world, where your worried can fade into the background and everything (mostly) runs like clockwork. As I’ve said before, you can visit beaches or cities or mountains or exotic places and get all sorts of unique experiences, but a Disney trip is like a vacation inside imagination itself. I’ll never get tired of visiting and finding out what’s around the next corner.

I must also say a special thanks to our Mysterious Benefactor, without whom we’d never have been able to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, experience the magic of that resort, and cross another item off our bucket list. Barry and Bambi, thanks for being amazing friends. And DVC owners. And for having a baby at just the right time. But mostly for being amazing friends.

The only way out of the doldrums of finishing an adventure is planning the next one. So with that in mind, let’s take a peek at what 2013 has in store for us.

As many of you know, Julie and I have a goal of getting our kids to see all 50 states. We’re doing pretty well so far and with this latest trip, we’ve covered the entire East Coast. So far, they’ve set foot in 23 states in our travels (Sarah has 24 due to a trip to California with her grandparents). Here’s our updated family map:

We added pins to Pawleys Island and Charleston in South Carolina, Savannah Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida. Blue pins mean an overnight stay and red signifies other places of interest we’ve visited. (Yellow pins are for me and Julie traveling alone, and clear pins are for Cheesecake Factories, just because).

For 2013, we’ve decided to try and conquer one of the harder-to-reach states on the list. Julie and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary in late June, so we wanted to do something special. So we decided to shoot for the moon. However, travel to the moon is still not what I would call cost effective, so we lowered our sights a bit. In mid-June, we will be heading to…





Hawaii!



And we’re taking the kids with us!


A few factors are making this possible. For one thing, Julie got a job this year as a long-term substitute teacher. That provided a great source of extra income which we conveniently labeled the “Vacation Fund.” Secondly, we had been saving frequent-flier miles since we’d been married and now had enough for 3 free round-trip tickets (and we wanted to use them before the airlines change the rules again). And thirdly, I have a cousin who lives full-time on Maui…and her parents (my aunt and uncle) also have a house there, so we have a place to stay at least part of the time.

Even with those helpful factors this will still be by far the most expensive trip we’ve ever taken! But hey, you only live once. Our feeling is that we may never get back here (or at least won’t for a long time), so we want to try and see as much as possible. It’s difficult because inter-island travel is expensive (you basically have to fly, and each flight ranges from $70-$100 a person), but that’s what a 2nd income is making possible for us. I’m willing to drive my Pontiac POS a little longer if we can get to see more islands.

I also put Hawaiian Airlines gift cards on my Christmas list this year.

Anyway, here’s the plan. I’m taking 3 weeks off from work this summer. Hope my boss isn’t too angry. I’m not that important anyway, and nobody ever lay on their deathbed and said, “You know, I wish I’d spent more hours at the office.” Because the airline offers hundreds of flights every day but only allows you to use your frequent flier miles on 2 of them, we’ve already booked our tickets to and from the mainland. I have to drive a little further than normal because I got the best deal out of Dulles airport near D.C. instead of Philly or Baltimore.

We’ll have to get up at 5:00 a.m. or so to make an early flight. Then we’ll fly for about 12 hours and land in Honolulu somewhere around 2:00 p.m. Don’t you love airport math? That jet lag adjustment is going to be rough, since 2:00 there will feel like 8:00 p.m. here. We’ll need to try and stay up as late as possible, but that’s going to be tough for the kids. Hopefully the excitement of being in a new place will help.

I know what you’re thinking now: are we going to Aulani? As of right now, no. Friends of ours at our church are DVC owners and were willing to let us rent their points, but they called at the 7-month window and the 1-bedroom suites were already booked. There may have been some ocean-view suites available, but when I did the math on the cost of renting, it was just too much for our budget. We’re on the waitlist and hoping it works out, but it looks like we’ll probably have to make other plans.

I did look into their hotel rooms and you’ll never believe this, but they only allow 4 in a room. I have thought many times about conveniently forgetting the 3rd child when I make the reservation, but it won’t work here since everyone needs a wristband to use the water play area. I guess we could rent the royal suite at $1,100/night, but substitutes don’t make that much money.

So, in a nutshell, here’s what we would like to do if the budget works out:
3 nights on Oahu: Pearl Harbor is a must-do. Hiking to the top of Diamond Head is a must-do. We’d also like to walk on Waikiki Beach, drive to the Dole Plantation for a Dole Whip, and visit the famed North Shore. If we have time, maybe we’ll get to see Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the U.S., and the Nu'uanu Pali Lookout.

1 week on Maui: We’ll visit with my extended family there and have some R&R time on the beach(es). We’ll visit Haleakala National Park (word is both the sunrise and nighttime star-scape are spectacular), drive the infamous Hana Highway (52 miles that take about 2.5 hours to drive), and check out the resort town of Lahaina. If the stars align (and Julie says yes), I would dearly love to play golf at the Kapalua Planatation course, which is built on a mountainside overlooking the island of Molokai. The pros play here every year. My dad played it years ago and called it the most beautiful course he’d ever seen. Julie and I will also celebrate our anniversary here, so we’ll have to find a suitable roadside dive to stumble into.

2 days on the big island, Hawaii: we couldn’t pass up the chance to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (and I don’t think my kids would have let me skip it anyway). I dearly hope we get to see an actual lava flow. And I’d also like to see Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park (you pronounce it just as it’s written) and try and get to both a black sand beach and the southernmost point in the U.S.

Finally, 3 days on Kauai. I found and booked a condo in the Princeville area already (it was cheaper than the hotels). We want to hike a portion of the Kalalau Trail to see the stunning Na Pali Coast, since I can’t afford the boat or helicopter tours. And we’ll check out Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Research continues for additional places to stay and Road Food-type diners and dives for meals. I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of meals in condos or with family in order to cut down on costs as well.

Are we biting off more than we can chew? Maybe. But like I said, when will we ever get back? Hopefully we’ll survive the jet lag and costs, and our kids will have a vacation they’ll remember forever. I promise to bore all of you to death with another Trip Report once we get back.

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading along. Remember, adventure is out there!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I think everybody just gave up on it because Rob and Glenn were running away with the movie quote contest.

You mean nobody was reading for the actual content?

Just so you know, I've been here all along! Just can't believe you Lied!

Really?

And would I lie to you? Anyway, thanks for sticking with me!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I'm just grateful you guys were willing to read it. I lost about half my readership somewhere along the line, so there must have been some point along the way where this TR went from mediocre to unbearable.

Consider for a moment just how many folks are willing to read my TRs…

I think you can safely say that this one was a roaring success
(not to mention a heck of a story).



Bravo!... Encore!... Author! Author!...

I think everybody just gave up on it because Rob and Glenn were running away with the movie quote contest.

Did y’all hear something?
I keep hear this annoying buzzing sound kind’a like a gnat just pointlessly buzzing around, or like elevator music repeating the same tired tune over and over and over and…

 

[jedijill]

Hawaii sounds fantastic. You should totally start a PTR for all your Hawaii planning.

Jill in CO

 

[afwdwfan]

Well, we’ve come to the end of another Trip Report. So that means another year is in the books, we’re all a little older, and I have to stop living vicariously through the pictures and report and bring myself to admit that the adventure is over. I really love writing these reports—not only do I get to experience all of the memories of the trip, but I enjoy the back-and-forth banter with all of you. I hope you enjoyed the write-up and saw some pictures you liked or at least chuckled once or twice. Most importantly, I hope it inspired you to keep traveling and planning your own adventures. After all, time isn’t slowing down for any of us. Sooner or later we’ll reach the point where all we have are the memories, so we need to get out there and create as many memories as we can!

Well said. I always enjoy your TR's, so keep up the good work.

clear pins are for Cheesecake Factories, just because

It doesn't look like you have too many of those up there. You need to work on that one.

For 2013, we’ve decided to try and conquer one of the harder-to-reach states on the list

I've always wanted to go to Alaska. I can't wait to read this TR!!!!

In mid-June, we will be heading to…





Hawaii!

Oh, that hard to reach state... that one's on my bucket list too.

And we’re taking the kids with us!

For your 15th anniversary trip to Hawaii????????

I’m willing to drive my Pontiac POS a little longer if we can get to see more islands.

Well, I hope you don't have to dip into the vacation fund for more catalytic converters.

I also put Hawaiian Airlines gift cards on my Christmas list this year.

Good idea! I'd go ahead and get some of them for the kids for Christmas too.

I’m taking 3 weeks off from work this summer.

No comment. Too easy.

We’re on the waitlist and hoping it works out, but it looks like we’ll probably have to make other plans.

That would be amazing if it works out for you! I hope you can get there. If not you're still sleeping somewhere in Hawaii, so really, what does it matter?

I have thought many times about conveniently forgetting the 3rd child when I make the reservation, but it won’t work here since everyone needs a wristband to use the water play area

You aren't willing to make the sacrifice and let one of them use yours???

Hana Highway[/URL] (52 miles that take about 2.5 hours to drive)

That sounds fun.

If the stars align (and Julie says yes), I would dearly love to play golf at the Kapalua Planatation course, which is built on a mountainside overlooking the island of Molokai. The pros play here every year. My dad played it years ago and called it the most beautiful course he’d ever seen.

Uh oh. The Budget Committee might not like this one...

(you pronounce it just as it’s written)

Really??? Because I'm not sure I can even read how it's written.

Are we biting off more than we can chew? Maybe. But like I said, when will we ever get back? Hopefully we’ll survive the jet lag and costs, and our kids will have a vacation they’ll remember forever. I promise to bore all of you to death with another Trip Report once we get back.

Looks like an epic Oblivious family trip!!!!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Hawaii!



And we’re taking the kids with us!

A few factors are making this possible. For one thing, Julie got a job this year as a long-term substitute teacher. That provided a great source of extra income which we conveniently labeled the “Vacation Fund.” Secondly, we had been saving frequent-flier miles since we’d been married and now had enough for 3 free round-trip tickets (and we wanted to use them before the airlines change the rules again). And thirdly, I have a cousin who lives full-time on Maui…and her parents (my aunt and uncle) also have a house there, so we have a place to stay at least part of the time.

Anyway, here’s the plan. I’m taking 3 weeks off from work this summer.

Congrats on even being allowed to pull off a stunt like that one.
It’s all I can do to get a week and 1 day.

and nobody ever lay on their deathbed and said, “You know, I wish I’d spent more hours at the office.”

My overlords might beg to differ on that assessment.

So, in a nutshell, here’s what we would like to do….

That’s a fabulous list. Actually, it aligns pretty much up to my Hawaii bucket list (you’ll just be get there a whole lot sooner then I will).

Research continues for additional places to stay and Road Food-type diners and dives for meals.

Be sure to have them add the beans when you order up the shaved ice.

Are we biting off more than we can chew?

I hope so!
It wouldn’t be much of a journey otherwise now would it?

I promise to bore all of you to death with another Trip Report once we get back.

I triple dog dare you!

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading along. Remember, adventure is out there!

Wouldn’t have missed it for the world sir!
Thanks for allowing us to travel along.

 

[scott2997]

Bravo Sir. Well done.

If only all TR's could be this entertaining and well written.

Thanks for letting me tag along - and for my 1 point! I will cherish it forever!

 

[MEK]

I love the pictures of your kids. It's amazing to see how much the grow and change.

Hawaii sounds so super fabulous. I hope the planning continues to go and I really hope you waitlist comes through. Hey - you never know.

Take lots and lots and lots of pics. I hope I eventually get there.

for frequent flier miles. That's awesome. And yeah for family in Hawaii,

Did you follow Saintstickets TR from Hawaii? If not, I'll post you a link

 

[Mrs. Knowitall]

LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS!!!!!!!
They're all so SQUEEZABLE!!

Still cute!

I must also say a special thanks to our Mysterious Benefactor, without whom we’d never have been able to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, experience the magic of that resort, and cross another item off our bucket list. Barry and Bambi, thanks for being amazing friends. And DVC owners. And for having a baby at just the right time. But mostly for being amazing friends.

Thanks!!!!

I did look into their hotel rooms and you’ll never believe this, but they only allow 4 in a room. I have thought many times about conveniently forgetting the 3rd child when I make the reservation, but it won’t work here since everyone needs a wristband to use the water play area. I guess we could rent the royal suite at $1,100/night, but substitutes don’t make that much money.

Wanna know how many days I would have to work to earn $1,100? Yeah....didn't think so.

2 days on the big island, Hawaii: we couldn’t pass up the chance to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (and I don’t think my kids would have let me skip it anyway). I dearly hope we get to see an actual lava flow.

And we need to get that stamp in our National Parks Passport!

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading along. Remember, adventure is out there!

For your 15th anniversary trip to Hawaii????????

Well.....we originally were planning on going for our 10th anniversary. And then Scotty happened.

Well, I hope you don't have to dip into the vacation fund for more catalytic converters.

Ain't that the truth.

That would be amazing if it works out for you! I hope you can get there. If not you're still sleeping somewhere in Hawaii, so really, what does it matter?

Exactly.

Uh oh. The Budget Committee might not like this one...

I dunno. I could be convinced.....with Aulani.

 

[CopperWife]

I'm still here, just a bit of a lurker. It was nice reading your TR - it gave me hope that we can pull off our surprise roadtrip to the World in September.

 

[KatMark]

HOW EXCITING!!!! Hawaii next year. That is absolutely awesome. We went on our honeymoon all those years ago and loved it. We've thought about going back...but the expense with the wedding and grandbabies coming in the future deters us.

I thoroughly enjoyed your family trip again...it was awesome.

I hope you will be passing through Chicago again sometime soon.

 

[MissLiz]

So sorry to see your trip report end, but I'm excited for you about Hawaii!!! And jealous. We are still planning Hawaii for the end of July, but it will just be Oahu. I would really like to be able to go to the Big Island, but it's just not in the budget since we just paid off our Disney cruise for April.

I vote for a PTR so that I can sneak some of your planning ideas for Oahu (since your To Do list looks about the same as mine there).

We are at our 7-month mark for Aulani on Christmas Day and my fingers are crossed that we'll be able to get what we want.

Thanks again for keeping us all entertained and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we can't wait for your next report!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Consider for a moment just how many folks are willing to read my TRs…

I think you can safely say that this one was a roaring success
(not to mention a heck of a story).

Bravo!... Encore!... Author! Author!...

Thanks, Rob. I think we all know that the real credit goes to my shameless plagiarism of movie quotes, though.

Did y’all hear something?
I keep hear this annoying buzzing sound kind’a like a gnat just pointlessly buzzing around, or like elevator music repeating the same tired tune over and over and over and…

Or political ads...

Hawaii sounds fantastic. You should totally start a PTR for all your Hawaii planning.

This basically is the PTR! I'm not sure how much more I could really say between now and the trip. But if anyone has ideas on places to eat, visit, or get good deals on hotels or rental cars, I'm all ears.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well said. I always enjoy your TR's, so keep up the good work.

Thanks, Andy. I appreciate you taking the time to read all of them.

It doesn't look like you have too many of those up there. You need to work on that one.

They're a little harder to see in the picture. I think we have 8 of them on there, if I remember correctly.

I've always wanted to go to Alaska. I can't wait to read this TR!!!!

Me too! That's the last state I need on my list!

Oh, that hard to reach state... that one's on my bucket list too.

I have had the privilege of being in Hawaii twice in my life. It's one of my favorite places ever.

For your 15th anniversary trip to Hawaii????????

Don't get me wrong, we love traveling alone. But you don't get to Hawaii much, and we didn't want the kids to miss out on this.

Well, I hope you don't have to dip into the vacation fund for more catalytic converters.

I keep wondering how much longer it'll run before I have to replace ALL of the parts.

Good idea! I'd go ahead and get some of them for the kids for Christmas too.

Yeah, that'll be much more exciting than boring Lego sets!

No comment. Too easy.

I figured somebody would spike my set-up there.

That would be amazing if it works out for you! I hope you can get there. If not you're still sleeping somewhere in Hawaii, so really, what does it matter?

Exactly. I'll happily stay in a Motel 6 if it means I'm in Hawaii. Still, we figured we at least had to try for Aulani.

You aren't willing to make the sacrifice and let one of them use yours???

No. No, I'm not.

That sounds fun.

I did that drive once. It's not as bad as it sounds. There are a lot of places to pull off and explore waterfalls, etc. It's just the 50+ one-lane bridges that get to you...

Uh oh. The Budget Committee might not like this one...

But I'm taking the Budget Committee to Hawaii! And did I mention her new camera lens?

Really??? Because I'm not sure I can even read how it's written.

I was hoping saying that would get me out of trying to pronounce it.

Looks like an epic Oblivious family trip!!!!

I sure hope so! And epic for the right reasons!

 

[WDW2012]

I mostly lurk but have enjoyed following your trip reports. They remind me of something my husband would write if he took the time. As for Hawaii, well, I can't wait to read that trip report! Have a wonderful time. Go to the volcano early, we went on our honeymoon and went too late in the day to walk out to the lava flow. Princeville was by far our favorite.