Planning some trips

The maniacal task of planning more trips has begun. A whole new outlet, slightly forced, is at our beckon call.

As many know, we purchased a Disney Vacation Club ownership interest. We're extremely excited about it. Having taken only an annual five day work week off since 1998, typically around bank holidays to reduce the amount of actual off time, we're forcing ourselves into vacations.

Well, its begun in earnest and we like to share.

We've purchased enough 'points' in the vacation club to allow us to have 3 weeks of vacation time each year at any Disney Resort. This also allows us to bring friends and guests on trips as well. The typical Disney World resorts are available to us, as well as other vacation club resorts in Fl and NC. Add to this the ability to use Disney Cruises and 600 other partner properties Its a no brainer for us.

I've always wanted to go to Disney World (DW) for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Don't know why, it's typically nuts with yelling and screaming kids, but the kid inside me has always wanted to go through the experience, at least just once.

When we got home from this past vacation we compiled over 1400 pictures and video's from our 10 day stint. I used Roxio's Easy CD Creator program and put together my first compilation DVD. I edited slightly, added music, fades, cross-overs, titles and finished. Its a little cheesy, but does the job. I'm going to look into more Adobe products shortly to further enhance my capabilities. Back to the story.

I stopped over my sisters house to give her copies of the DVD's I made for the kids and check to see if her small ones had received the gifts I'd sent to them while we were away. Then the conversation began. They have wanted to take the kids to Disney for the longest time as a family. Budget constraints and planning efforts have never been fully addressed and as such they've always put those plans on the back burner. When wifey and I come home with the tales of hither and too, she has always expressed her continued interest in going.

What made me do it I have no idea, because sis is a bit fickle about these things, but not realizing where my mouth was going I said to her that I had already begun making plans to be in Disney in April/May of '08. I have a professional conference being held at the Contemporary at that time. That wifey and I will stay on a bit longer and combine a business trip with some pleasure to make the most of another stay at our favorite destination, Disney. With this she asked what dates I'd be in Disney for the trip and told her. She then said that the week prior to my stay, the nieces and nephews had off from school for the spring break. I said to her that if she wanted, we could make our business trip the final portion of the stay and arrive earlier to spend time with them if they wished. She thought this a great idea. I also offered that we had a great many 'points' to use by end of 2008 and we could probably swing a large villa for them. This would allow them to just need air and park passes while there. She thought it sounded even better. So with this, I'm planning our trip, hopefully to include my sis and her family. So, we'll be back in Disney in late April for about 14 days. Can't wait.

Then, we came home and found a package has been delivered from our recent trip there. We purchased some gifts for our great neighbors who've become as good as family to us. Wifey opened them and then made a bee-line over to their house to say hello. She dropped off the gifts and started talking. Pleasantries were exchanged and then Jenny said, as she pulled out a large cookie jar with dollars and coins in it, that this was her Disney vacation savings tub. She'd been saving for quite some time to get her family down to Disney since they'd never been before. Jenny, herself, had been there about 30 years ago, but it had now been time to save for it for a near future trip. She further stated that it had always been her goal to go to DW during Christmas. Wifey expressed her surprise at this. She told Jenny that I too had always wanted to go to DW during the holidays. Wifey related ' great I'm surrounded by them.' Wifey and I had a conversation earlier this week about my desires to go during the holidays to which she said she'd never go, that I'd go alone instead. Okay. Nuff said about that subject.

So, Wifey came back and related all this to me. In turn we started scheming and discussing things. Our neighbors have been so great to us, always helping out, always happy people, we could always ask them to check on our house when we were away. They're invited to every dinner and party we have. A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed and opened our Vacation Points guide and looked to see how much it would be to give them a weeks stay in Disney. A quick calculation, we had more than enough points and I explained my scheming.  She thought it was a wonderful idea. I sent a quick email over and Jenny was thrilled. They said they'd love to go this year, and that it'd be fun to meet up with us down there at the same time. Mary gave these big googly eyes. I was not opposed, just surprised she'd be willing to go when earlier this week she said she didn't want to.  In typical woman fashion, 'I changed my mind.' So, now we're going to Disney December 17th and coming home on the 24th. Two families, two villas. How could life not get any better. I'll be in Disney now every 4 months until May. WOW.