Making Peace with Mike
Now, that I've talked out my anxiety about Disney, I'm making peace with Mike. I've printed off his suggested agendas for reading on the plane. I'm now just more ready to go more than anything. I thought I'd share my memories of Disney from the one trip I made as a teen.
At 12, I was really too old to get super excited about Walt Disney World, and yet I really was. My parents rarely took trips and were just fine with that. I had always had the itch to travel. An itch that stays with me today. I look forward to my retirement/empty nester years because I hope to be able to travel to all the places I've never seen. I find myself envious of friends who have the finances and freedom to take spontaneous trips. Not that we haven't taken some great family trips in our past. When you have kids, especially school-aged kids, and you've been on one income (mostly) for more than 8 years, well you have to pace yourself and spontenaity is a thing of the past.
My sister was 4 at the time of our trip. I remember we both were excited about stopping off to see our family in Fort Walton Beach before we drove the rest of the way to Orlando. My mother was not, and let us know that quite often both on the way to Florida and even while we were there. Her lifestyle didn't mesh with my Dad's families really. There was too much drinking and telling of the same stories over and over again. Me, I just thought about the two story dock at my grandmother's house on the water. And, the special platform bed she had in her guest room that closed up like a closet. It was the coolest thing ever!
The long drive to Florida took about a day and a half, so we'd get to stay in a hotel and do fun things like eat in waffle houses and eat all the fast food we could ever want. How perfect is that for a preteen, I ask you?
My sister and I always had trouble with fighting with one another, even back then. But, what remains in my head about this trip was not squabbling. It was silly memories of just having fun with her. The 8-year age gap went away for us during that trip, and I find myself feeling happy when I see this going on these days with my son and daughter who are five years apart in age.
I remember blasting music in the back speakers of the van we'd taken on our trip to Disney, a demo van my Dad had borrowed from the current dealership he managed. We loved how the van had seats that could lay down into a flat bed in the back and you still had bucket seats in the middle. During one song as we drove through either Alabama or Mississippi we would recline and sit up the buckets seats to the music. I am sure it drove my parents nuts, but we laughed and laughed. Another stretch of road we got to get out and tour a Coca Cola bottling plant. When we hit a long patch of heavy rains, we'd wait until we went under the over passes when the rain sound would cease for a few seconds and flop back our bucket seats and sigh, "AHHHHH" and then giggle each time.
Disney turned out to be a lot of fun. I have a lot of special memories from that trip, including a fishing trip with my Dad that I've talked about on here before. Our family grew closer during that trip, even with my parents' squabbles over the map, my Dad shouting back to us to be quiet when he got in traffic, and my mom's getting frustrated that he didn't allow enough potty breaks for all the rest of us girls in the car.
So, this Disney trip for me, and some of my anxiety about it I suppose, is that I look forward to that family bonding that only a family vacation can bring you. I crave that right now. And, I think my entire family really needs it. It might be something that helps us through a very difficult place. On the negative side, the stress of it could be very detrimental as well. But, I like to think it could make all the difference in the world...and bring a little magic to our lives again. Everyone needs a little magic now and then, don't you think?
At 12, I was really too old to get super excited about Walt Disney World, and yet I really was. My parents rarely took trips and were just fine with that. I had always had the itch to travel. An itch that stays with me today. I look forward to my retirement/empty nester years because I hope to be able to travel to all the places I've never seen. I find myself envious of friends who have the finances and freedom to take spontaneous trips. Not that we haven't taken some great family trips in our past. When you have kids, especially school-aged kids, and you've been on one income (mostly) for more than 8 years, well you have to pace yourself and spontenaity is a thing of the past.
My sister was 4 at the time of our trip. I remember we both were excited about stopping off to see our family in Fort Walton Beach before we drove the rest of the way to Orlando. My mother was not, and let us know that quite often both on the way to Florida and even while we were there. Her lifestyle didn't mesh with my Dad's families really. There was too much drinking and telling of the same stories over and over again. Me, I just thought about the two story dock at my grandmother's house on the water. And, the special platform bed she had in her guest room that closed up like a closet. It was the coolest thing ever!
The long drive to Florida took about a day and a half, so we'd get to stay in a hotel and do fun things like eat in waffle houses and eat all the fast food we could ever want. How perfect is that for a preteen, I ask you?
My sister and I always had trouble with fighting with one another, even back then. But, what remains in my head about this trip was not squabbling. It was silly memories of just having fun with her. The 8-year age gap went away for us during that trip, and I find myself feeling happy when I see this going on these days with my son and daughter who are five years apart in age.
I remember blasting music in the back speakers of the van we'd taken on our trip to Disney, a demo van my Dad had borrowed from the current dealership he managed. We loved how the van had seats that could lay down into a flat bed in the back and you still had bucket seats in the middle. During one song as we drove through either Alabama or Mississippi we would recline and sit up the buckets seats to the music. I am sure it drove my parents nuts, but we laughed and laughed. Another stretch of road we got to get out and tour a Coca Cola bottling plant. When we hit a long patch of heavy rains, we'd wait until we went under the over passes when the rain sound would cease for a few seconds and flop back our bucket seats and sigh, "AHHHHH" and then giggle each time.
Disney turned out to be a lot of fun. I have a lot of special memories from that trip, including a fishing trip with my Dad that I've talked about on here before. Our family grew closer during that trip, even with my parents' squabbles over the map, my Dad shouting back to us to be quiet when he got in traffic, and my mom's getting frustrated that he didn't allow enough potty breaks for all the rest of us girls in the car.
So, this Disney trip for me, and some of my anxiety about it I suppose, is that I look forward to that family bonding that only a family vacation can bring you. I crave that right now. And, I think my entire family really needs it. It might be something that helps us through a very difficult place. On the negative side, the stress of it could be very detrimental as well. But, I like to think it could make all the difference in the world...and bring a little magic to our lives again. Everyone needs a little magic now and then, don't you think?
posted by Crazy MomCat @ 10:32 AM
3 Comments:
Your experiences on your road trip really remind me so much of sitting in the back seat with my sister on long cross country drives :) It's amazing how many memories are made just sitting in a car with your family!
I hope that you have a truly magical experience and that the joy of Disney can bring you all together without worrying about timetables and schedules. This will be a lifelong memory for all of you!!
Thanks, Angela! By the way, I haven't commented lately, but I am totally enjoying your trip posts. And totally jealous of you as well...you're one of those travelers I talked about in this post. HA! So, glad you and Colby had a wonderful trip!
In the right frame of mind, Disney truly is magical. We went when Mark returned from Iraq and spent a week on the property. It was SO fun, we can't wait to go back again! It really does a lot to create some very special memories for both the parents and the kids.
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