I haven't mentioned that we leave for a week long vacation next Wednesday. I'm not exactly jumping for joy over this. Because it's not this type of vacation. It's 15.Hours.Drive.To.Florida.In.August.
With.5.Children.For.Grandparent's.50th.Wedding.Anniversary.Party. Can someone please shoot me now?
But wait, it's gets better. I have no idea where we are staying or what we are really doing while we're in Florida. Well I know we're at a Hampton Inn in Orlando for a few nights (I'm sure there are only 500 Hamptons down there) and then Disney World's Pop Culture Resort for another couple of nights. Seriously the only plan I've made for the whole week is a reserve seating registration for a character lunch at the Magic Kingdom.
All you obsessive planning freaks might want to look away while I run down the itinerary as I know it:
Wednesday: Drive 8 hours to Atlanta. Lodging: No clue. Greg wants to camp but that means dragging along the 4 room condo tent and a bunch of camping gear. Plus an hour setting up tent and an hour taking the tent down in the morning. All that for one night. With no air conditioning in Altanta in August. We'll see...
Thursday: Drive remaining 7 hours to Orlando. Lodging: Hampton Inn somewhere in Orlando. The reservations were made by another family member and MIL (mother-in-law) has confirmed them. So we have a room somewhere.
Friday: I've been vaguely told that we are all working on party stuff as soon as we arrive (stuffing mushroom caps? arranging flowers? building the dance floor from toothpicks?). I'm not sure how much help I can be with 5 little ones. That night the family is having a pizza party at someone's rented condo. Again where and when, I'm not privy to those details. Lodging: Hampton Inn (although hopefully I'll know where it is by then).
Saturday: Anniversary Party! But not until 6pm. And there's a Mass in there somewhere. Again, I think we're suppose to help with party stuff which means I'll probably be sitting in the Hampton Inn room with the 5 children. And then oh joy, dress up the 5 children, pray they behave through Mass, and then keep them quiet and clean to show off through the party afterwards. Lodging: Hampton Inn (I'm really starting to hate this hotel and I haven't even stepped foot in it yet).
Sunday: The party insanity is over! We might meet Evil One and DMouse. Or wait until Tuesday. No one will give me a place and time to get together. As you can tell, I'm just the most awesome planner, I don't know why I don't have a set rendezvous with them yet. *rolls eyes* Lodging: Oh boy, we move to Disney's Pop Culture Resort today! (reservations made by MIL last December, see she's a planner!) Since Disney is strict on the number of guests per room, we have two. Let's hope they aren't on opposite ends of the hotel.
Monday: Our one and only day at the Magic Kingdom. And Zach's 7th birthday. But we are not going to Disney World because it's Zach's birthday! (repeat a hundred more times) It just happens to be the day we can go. And look, here's the day when we do the only thing that I have personally planned, a Character Lunch at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends at 11:30! Yippee! Lodging: Still at Pop Culture Resort.
Tuesday: Originally we were leaving on this day. It goes to show you how much I know, a few weeks ago I found out we are staying at the Pop Culture Resort one more night. I really don't know why. We may have plans for this day too but again I don't know. So I've told Evil One and DMouse that we could possibly get together if Sunday doesn't work out. Lodging: Pop Culture Resort.
Wednesday: Finally we leave Florida! But since we're leaving Wednesday instead of Tuesday, there's no stop in Atlanta. 15 freaking hours drive straight home. Let's see the van gets a measly 14 miles a gallon and with a 30 gallon tank, that's 400 miles between gas fill ups at $50 (ow...) and 1000 miles between home and Orlando... Uh, my brain and credit card hurt. Lodging: Hopefully my lovely pillow top California King size bed and not the front seat of the van.
So what should I be doing right now? Packing? Oh you so are wrong. I'm suppose to be planning an impromptu birthday party for Zach on Saturday and preparing for two different sets of overnight guests (the A family with 6 boys) on Friday night and my family (my parents and 2 brothers) for Saturday night. Where are the vodka and valium?
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