All You Need is Love: an offsite, non-Disney PTR (counting down to May 2018)

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Great news Gina. Your life may finally calm down a bit

 

[Ruthie5671]

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

I've already shouted "WOO-HOO" to you, but I figured I would do it again. I am so happy for you!

 

[bankr63]

I agree, a big "Woo-Hoo" from us here too! I knew this would work out for the best; Karma always seems to keep an eye on you!

Just wondering if the new place is in Pleasantville? Are your names actually Betty and George Parker? Looks like an idyllic (if somewhat monochromatic) suburban dream.

On our side it is 11 days from noon today to departure; almost down to the single digits. Can hardly wait to get the luggage out this weekend and start packing up. Of course packing might be a bit of a challenge. We used to bring everything as my truck has something like 98 cubic feet of cargo space. We are taking A+'s Juke this time, which I estimate to have about 9.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Ah well, a bathing suit, shorts, T-shirt, sunscreen, toothbrush, passport and MasterCard; all packed.

Good luck with the packing up and prep for the move! I'll try to assist DDS with some posts and planning. If you are (un)lucky(?) perhaps I'll post an update or two on our own trip. The itinerary is already set, and it is (as always) overfull.

 

[pigletto]

Congratulations Gina!! I’m so glad it all worked out for the better. Your new home is lovely! Good Luck with your packing and move. I’m confidant @dancin Disney style and @bankr63 can amuse us with their antics in your absence.

 

[iona]

Oh congratulations Gina! The house looks lovely and sounds perfect - I'm so glad it all worked out in the end.

and making Irish Potatoes (even though we have no Irish in us).

Irish potatoes? Tell me more please!

 

[Lynne G]

Oh congratulations Gina! The house looks lovely and sounds perfect - I'm so glad it all worked out in the end.



Irish potatoes? Tell me more please!

Can google how they are made. We use cream cheese and powered sugar as main ingredients, and batter is formed in small balls that are rolled in cinnamon. Refrigerate, as when they are mushy, not as good. Sweet treat.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Congratulations on the house!!!!!

 

[dalmatian7]

So So Soooooooo happy for you guys! Congrats it looks great! Those kitties will love having the bi-level steps up and down to race on!

 

[Joanna71985]

Congrats on the new house!! I'm so happy that it worked out for you

 

[pattyw]

Congrats on the new house! It's beautiful!

 

[happy2012]

How awesome! What are your dates.....maybe we overlap?
And a big to the thread! So glad to have you joining in!

Thanks Gina!!!! We are going May 5-15
So excited!!! We tried Giordano's on your suggestion & it was fabulous. We have plans to go again for the 3rd time!!! Now I recommend it to people. Anyway, we'll be offsite @ a Marriott Resort on Points & a Hilton near Sea World. We're trying Aquatica for the 1rst time.

 

[dancin Disney style]

On our side it is 11 days from noon today to departure; almost down to the single digits. Can hardly wait to get the luggage out this weekend and start packing up. Of course packing might be a bit of a challenge. We used to bring everything as my truck has something like 98 cubic feet of cargo space. We are taking A+'s Juke this time, which I estimate to have about 9.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Ah well, a bathing suit, shorts, T-shirt, sunscreen, toothbrush, passport and MasterCard; all packed.

Just pack your mankini....it takes up less space. However, do not forget the camera. We need pictures.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yea, looking forward to more pictures, especially the tile work. I am a HGTV junkie and love house pictures. I know it will have to be late March or so but I can wait. My husband says to me today, lets reno a house. Ah, if only we could that is like my love language, hahaha.

I will definitely share some photos once we are settled in . Even better, I have the photos from the original listing (before the flip) so I can show you just how UGLY it was before it underwent the metamorphosis. Let's just say the 70's went out of style for a reason . Imagine robin-egg blue metal kitchen cabinets and matching blue kitchen carpet .

Relocating thread as requested by Gina

Her pre trip report is not about universal but other exciting areas in Orlando

Gina, enjoy your planning and have fun in Orlando this year!

Thank you mac! Much appreciated!

CONGRATULATIONS Gina & Steve on the new house!

Thank you!

Congratulations on the new house. I had the same thing happen when I went to buy my first place. We had pre-bought a townhouse / casita that was to be built in the new year but when the year was up they decided to change the plan to add a pool so it would be another year of waiting. We bailed on that deal and bought like you a single family home that we quite love. It backs onto a school yard, then a park then another school yard so we only have neighbours on 2 sides and no back neighbours. It was a good deal for us because the townhouse complex was never built so I would had to find another place anyway. See it all works out better in the end.

Yes, yes it does . You'd think I'd learn to just chillax a bit more after all these good lessons, wouldn't ya?

Something tells me you usually have a strategy or two at the ready, just for "emergencies" such as these .

Yipee, Congrats on the new house!!

Thank you!

View attachment 304992

Thanks!!!

So happy to hear that things worked out for you. Congratulations on the new home!

Thank you!

Don't forget, boxes are for the cats too. LOL

Congratulations! Glad to see you found a house you will enjoy. Plus, with an extra bedroom, visits from DS will be easy. So nice it's close for Steve to commute.

Time is ticking. Busy March for us. Spring soccer, little one goes for driving license, doctor appointments, and making Irish Potatoes (even though we have no Irish in us).

Thanks Lynne!! And yes, the cats might be the only ones who find joy in the moving process . We dread being uprooted yet again, but know the chaos will be worth it in the end.

Your Irish potatoes sound very intriguing! And good luck to your DD on her driving test . What a fun summer ahead if she has the freedom to scoot around in momma's car!

Great news Gina. Your life may finally calm down a bit

Oh man, I sure hope so!! I've had enough excitement to last us all year, and its only the end of February .

I've already shouted "WOO-HOO" to you, but I figured I would do it again. I am so happy for you!

Thanks, beautiful . Now you and Tony can start planning a road trip to Michigan .

I agree, a big "Woo-Hoo" from us here too! I knew this would work out for the best; Karma always seems to keep an eye on you!

Just wondering if the new place is in Pleasantville? Are your names actually Betty and George Parker? Looks like an idyllic (if somewhat monochromatic) suburban dream.

On our side it is 11 days from noon today to departure; almost down to the single digits. Can hardly wait to get the luggage out this weekend and start packing up. Of course packing might be a bit of a challenge. We used to bring everything as my truck has something like 98 cubic feet of cargo space. We are taking A+'s Juke this time, which I estimate to have about 9.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Ah well, a bathing suit, shorts, T-shirt, sunscreen, toothbrush, passport and MasterCard; all packed.

Good luck with the packing up and prep for the move! I'll try to assist DDS with some posts and planning. If you are (un)lucky(?) perhaps I'll post an update or two on our own trip. The itinerary is already set, and it is (as always) overfull.

Thanks Munro!

I can't believe you leave in just over a week!! I'm more than a little jealous . It is just the two of you on this trip? No kiddos along for the fun?

We will all be waiting for an update or two from sunshiny Orlando, so don't let us down. Didn't you say you were going to post a photo of you in your new Speedo?

Congratulations Gina!! I’m so glad it all worked out for the better. Your new home is lovely! Good Luck with your packing and move. I’m confidant @dancin Disney style and @bankr63 can amuse us with their antics in your absence.

Thanks pigletto . I'm counting on you to keep the hooligans in line. I can picture things going downhill quickly under the right conditions .

Oh congratulations Gina! The house looks lovely and sounds perfect - I'm so glad it all worked out in the end.

Irish potatoes? Tell me more please!

Thank you!

(I'm also glad you asked about the potatoes.....I had never heard of them, either!)

Can google how they are made. We use cream cheese and powered sugar as main ingredients, and batter is formed in small balls that are rolled in cinnamon. Refrigerate, as when they are mushy, not as good. Sweet treat.

So.....there's no potato in them all all? How interesting!

Congratulations on the house!!!!!

Thank you!

So So Soooooooo happy for you guys! Congrats it looks great! Those kitties will love having the bi-level steps up and down to race on!

Thank you! And much as I hate to admit it (because it really does make me sound crazy ) we had the cats in mind when we toured through every property. After all, they spend more time in the house than we do, so it has to be a good place for them, too! Not only will they love the stairs to the three levels, they are going to go crazy for all the windows and the wide ledges for snoozing in the sun . We can even let them out in the Florida room in the warm weather so they can enjoy the warm breeze.

Congrats on the new house!! I'm so happy that it worked out for you

Thanks Joanna! We are super excited!

Congrats on the new house! It's beautiful!

Thank you! The picture doesn't do it justice right now, it's such an ugly time of year here in the north. I can't wait to see the neighborhood in the spring, when the grass is green and everyone's trees are all leafy and lush. Things just take on a whole new glow!

Thanks Gina!!!! We are going May 5-15
So excited!!! We tried Giordano's on your suggestion & it was fabulous. We have plans to go again for the 3rd time!!! Now I recommend it to people. Anyway, we'll be offsite @ a Marriott Resort on Points & a Hilton near Sea World. We're trying Aquatica for the 1rst time.

We do overlap! Here's to a great week of low crowds and great weather for us both!

I hope you love Aquatica as much as we do!! It's such a fun park! Cabanas there are a great value and a reasonable price, too.....if you're looking for a splurge, I highly recommend them. We have one booked for our week, and it is only $89. That includes a large locker (right inside the cabana), 12 bottles of Dasani water in your cabana fridge, rental towels, and 20% off all merchandise that day (including photos).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just pack your mankini....it takes up less space.

And lots of sunscreen. There are parts of the body that will be seeing sunshine for the first time in months .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey all, finally dropping in to get a tiny bit caught up (not completely, but it's a start). It's been a busy start to the week here, with both of us working extra hours (various things at both of our offices have modified our regular schedules this week) and we've also been knee-deep in tax paperwork. Unfortunately, we got horrible news as to the status of this year's returns, and Uncle Sam will be getting a nice contribution from the Bo-Binas this year thanks to an IRS rule that levied a foreign exchange gain on the sale of our Canadian home . Alas, there's no use complaining.....as Benjamin Franklin once said, "There are only two certainties in life: death and taxes" ...... but it was particularly crappy timing with the expenses of the move on the immediate horizon. I'm glad our trip is all paid for at this point, so nothing there has to suffer as a result.

With 19 days to the move, I'll soon be switching into full-on packing mode, but I'm still trying to squeeze in some trip preparations at the same time. I ordered some t-shirts this week in some fun "Florida" colors and dri-fit material.....we can't change the weather, but we CAN be prepared for the heat and humidity if it happens to be a particularly warm week. I have to work on getting a few for Steve that co-ordinate with those that I bought for myself.....it's become a bit of a tradition to "match" on our park days.....so that will be my next task. Finding something in a men's 3XL to compliment my "guava punch" v-neck T might be the impossible challenge, but I'll do my best .
The countdown officially sits at 65 days .

We gave our notice on our rental townhome this afternoon, and booked the moving company for March 23rd. I have a feeling these next two months will absolutely fly by.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

And because we need a cat meme every once in a while.....

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I'm a little late here, but Congrats on the new house! What a weight off your shoulders. I hope you have a snow blower - that's a mighty large driveway to shovel! LOL

Good luck with the packing and move. Although since you moved recently, you probably got all the junk out of the way in the first move. I cringe at the thought of moving from here one day, after so many years with kids, mess, dings in walls and floors, etc. Ugh.

 

[bankr63]

Just pack your mankini....it takes up less space. However, do not forget the camera. We need pictures.

I might need more than that. Although probably perfectly acceptable for grocery getting at WalMart on Sunday, I think that Disney parks requires "slightly" better attire than that!

Pictures? Sure!

Of me in a mankini? Not on your life!

I can't believe you leave in just over a week!! I'm more than a little jealous . It is just the two of you on this trip? No kiddos along for the fun?

We will all be waiting for an update or two from sunshiny Orlando, so don't let us down. Didn't you say you were going to post a photo of you in your new Speedo?

Now at 8 days!

Yes, just a couples trip. Like you, the doves have pretty much flown the nest. DD will be working and cat sitting for us, except for 2nd weekend as she heads to Toronto for T-Swift (I think?, maybe it was Demi Lovato?) DS is too busy with school; 2nd year Mech Eng at OttawaU. He just got back from Provincials last weekend (200 and 400m) and is feeling very behind on the school work now.

I'll try for an update or two if there is any down time, but there will be none in a Speedo. That would be exposing parts that haven't seen the light of day in decades, and I don't think they make enough sunscreen to cover all that!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Gina with everything going on you and Steve should be working up a great appetite for your Orlando food fest, sorry vacation..... hot donuts come to mind, milkshakes etc etc.....

I might need more than that. Although probably perfectly acceptable for grocery getting at WalMart on Sunday, I think that Disney parks requires "slightly" better attire than that!

Pictures? Sure!

Of me in a mankini? Not on your life!

Now does this mean that you actually own a mankini but you're just not willing to share

 

[afan]

Congrats on the new house! It sounds like a better fit for everyone and no sharing walls with anyone!

Thank you! And much as I hate to admit it (because it really does make me sound crazy ) we had the cats in mind when we toured through every property. After all, they spend more time in the house than we do, so it has to be a good place for them, too! Not only will they love the stairs to the three levels, they are going to go crazy for all the windows and the wide ledges for snoozing in the sun . We can even let them out in the Florida room in the warm weather so they can enjoy the warm breeze.

Nothing wrong with this, I promised Dude long ago that if we (err I) can ever afford to get our own place again I'll make sure it has sun for him to enjoy. Luckily mom's house does but not all year because of the trees. He's been able to enjoy more than a sliver the last few weeks, well when the sun's out and it's not raining since it is still Seattle