The 4 Walls Meet the Mouse.

[gourmet_girl]

On a typical hot Texas summer afternoon, DH’s phone rang. As a free-lance artist, illustrator, cartoonist and caricature artist, the phone ringing isn’t unusual. Usually it’s someone wanting a new logo for a business or an opportunity to draw at a birthday party. Nothing that I’d pay attention to. On this day, however, it was BNSF. They needed 4 digital caricature artists for a convention in March - in Orlando. They agreed pay travel and lodging and a per diem for each artist. Within 10 minutes of hearing about this.... I had a plan. WE (as in all FOUR of us) were going to Disney World.

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

I plan to document our story here. It’s sure to be a nail biter. At this point, I’m the only one who’s excited about it. DH is preoccupied with work and other issues, the boys don’t remember our last trip and think they’d rather go somewhere else. I’m determined to change everyone’s mind. I’m determined to get them excited. I’m determined to have a week that we, as a family, will never forget.

Let me start at the beginning and introduce you to my crazy, yet completely amazing famly:

Me (the Cook)

My name is Crystal. I’ve been a long-time Disney fan. My first trip was to DL when I was 5, then again at 13. My parents finally took me to WDW for the first time at 16. When I was 19, I spent a summer there on the CP and from then on, I was hooked. I love to cook and I love to eat. I’m a personal chef and I teach cooking classes in homes. I’d like to say that I was looking forward to Disney Dining but I’m not so naive. I remember how difficult it was to eat “well” so I’m just going in not expecting too much. I’m also an near obsessive vacation planner and take pride in being flexible enough to plan vacations for all types. We’ll see how that goes. This seems to be my biggest challenge so far. Since I already love the place, it’s more important for me to design a plan that will make the rest of my guys love it too. This is what will really brings me joy.

Me then - On our last trip in 2001. I was self-conscious then and this was the only photo of me from that trip. Sigh.

Me now. Not nearly as self-conscious at 40. There will be photos of me after this trip.

DH (the Art Guy)

This is Ty. Ty didn’t grow up in a family that paid much attention to him when it came to silly things like vacations. Most of his trips were work-related and he was living with friends by high school. His first trip to Disney was also our last.... 2001. He’s not as excited about returning as I am but I think he’s just forgotten what a great time he had. Being an artist means that he sees things in a completely different perspective from most of us. The art direction of the parks in general, amazes him. He really notices the beauty in the landscaping and is very into details. After our last trip he went on and on about two things in particular. The theming of TOT and the Adventurer’s Club. He’s also very sarcastic and extremely funny. He’s a big kid at heart but his wit makes him tremendous fun at places like WDW where, honestly, there is a lot to snark about. It’s all in good fun and we laugh a lot. On our last trip, we stayed at POR. As the CM was taking us to our room via golf cart, something came up about something that was truly a ridiculous cost or fee. My husband made a funny comment about being robbed and the CM’s reply was “Nah. The Mouse wouldn’t do that to ya!” This became the line of the week for all things over-priced, generally “unfair”. “Nah. The Mouse wouldn’t do that to ya!” We said it a lot. He’s also very handsome and I’m completely in love with him. I love that I married well.

DH then

DH now


DS#1 - (the athlete)

This is P. He’s on the cusp of 13. He’s a great kid, has never given us a drop of real trouble (knock on wood). He loves baseball and has been playing since he was 3. He’s currently on select teams and just biding his time until he starts HS next year. He also loves girls and is excited that the dates of our trip come on the tail end of the cheerleading competitions. Sigh. He was just barely 5 when we took our last trip. He remembers very small bits and pieces. He’ll enjoy it this time, I’ll make sure of it. He’s not at all difficult to please. As long as he’s well-fed (and by well-fed, I’m talking quantity, not necessarily quality), he’ll be happy.

P. then.

P. now.


DS#2 (the musician)

G is our free-spirit. He’s 10 and will turn 11 a couple of months before our trip. He’s outgoing, super-social, has his dad’s ironic sense of humor. He loves music and plays the drums. He’s a fantastic little actor and can actually cry on demand. Thankfully, he hardly ever REALLY cries. He’s one of the happiest, most laid back kids I’ve known. On our last trip, he was 22 months old so he remembers nothing. But he loved Winnie the Pooh - and he (probably actually a “she”) loved him. He also love Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and probably still will. G’s favorite things are video games, water and thrill rides. He’ll be easy to please. When told we were taking this trip however, he just said, “okay”. I said, “Don’t you want to go to Disney World?” He shrugged and said, “I’d rather go to Japan.”

G. then

G. now


Having three “men” who are so different is exciting. It makes the planning more challenging and more fun. We won’t go commando but we will be well-organized. That’s what I’m here for. Without me, they’d be completely and hopelessly lost.

At this point, I’m playing the waiting game. I’m waiting for the 2011 packages to be released, I’m waiting for the March hours to be posted and, most importantly, I’m waiting for the deposit check from BNSF that will allow me to make all of the arrangements. Wouldn’t it be lovely if all of those things happened at once?

UP NEXT:

Will DH choose to spend the first two days with his family at WDW, or with his best friend near the Convention Center? Will G take his restaurant research assignment seriously and choose something good, or will we all be eating Mac & Cheese? Will I get off of these boards often enough to keep my family in clean clothes? Stay tuned.....