Epilogue:
Ok
.so we have now moved ahead to November 2008. Wait a tick
isnt November 2008 in the past? How does one move ahead
..to the past? Well, you raise a valid question
..but I think if you just go out and rent
Back to the Future
..starring a young Michael J Fox as the hot-headed, hard-rocking Marty McFly
..itll address most of your concerns. If that doesnt work
.I would suggest that you dont worry about those kinds of things
.and just sit back and enjoy yourself.
Anyway, its November 2008
..and Im starting to see all the signs that we will be taking another WDW Christmas trip in 2009. I realize that many of you have just done the math
. and are horrified to discover that that means we would have only 13 months until the vacation. How can anyone properly plan a WDW experience in that pathetically inadequate amount of time? Well, it wont be easy
.but it has been done before....once. Obviously, certain sacrifices will have to be made
like sleeping
..but if we really put our backs into it
..we should be fine. Besides the critical time constraints
..there was also the itsy-bitsy problem that our countrys economy was currently in the crapper......and if I book a vacation that I cant afford
..Im going to end up looking like a moron of epic proportions
.which I detest. But, you know what.....sometimes in life youve just got to have faith. Luckily, Tinkershell has faith enough for the both of us.
As we all know, the first order of business
after making the decision to take a WDW vacation....is to head for the Disboards. Sadly, none of our friends or family members share our degree of obsession with WDW.....but to be fair.....few people do. Thankfully
the Disboards is like a teeming petri dish of Disney addicts. As I was skimming through the various threads.....one in particular caught my eye. It was a thread about Pal Mickeys......and how Disney had decided to discontinue them in their parks. Obviously, I was flabbergasted. According to this thread
.Pal Mickey had already been pulled from the stores
..so the only place you could buy one was on-line.
I spent the next couple of weeks searching for a Pal Mickey....but my heart wasn't really in it. To be honest
..I wasnt sure if I even wanted to buy one
.because it just didnt feel right
..kind of like an act of betrayal. Luckily
.the price for Pal Mickeys had gone through the roof.....so, for the most part....the decision was made for me. To be honest
it was the first time I had ever seen a body organ listed under "minimum bid".
Im not sure why I decided to check that one last time.....but I suspect it was divine intervention. Anyway, I pulled up a Pal Mickey that was going for a song. Apparently, the owner was anxious to sell. As I scrolled down the page.....it described the Pal Mickey as a moderately used 2005 model......dressed in a santa suit.....who was driving this poor guys red-headed wife crazy. It also indicated that shipping would cost a little extra
..because this particular Pal Mickey had an unreasonable fear which required a special water-proof packaging. Obviously, I bought him on the spot.
The hardest part was keeping it a secret from the rest of the family...but Christmas Eve finally arrived
..and I wrapped Pal Mickey up and stuck him under the tree.....way in the back
..after poking a couple of air holes in the paper of course...because he didn't want to spend the holidays dead. Anyway, after all the other presents had been opened....Pal Mickey made his triumphant return. If you could have seen the looks on everyone's faces....it was amazing. But...then again....Pal Mickey always did know how to make an entrance. Later...after the kids had scampered off to bed in anticipation of the arrival of jolly old Saint Nick, Tinkershell and Pal Mickey just snuggled up by the fire
..sharing a glass of wine.....while I hung up his stocking on the fireplace with the rest.
I know what youre thinking
..but Pal Mickey never told us what happened on that fateful day in December 2007.....he said he couldnt remember. I guess sometimes your brain just suppresses things to help you cope.....even when your brain is computer-ish
. and runs on batteries. I didnt push it.......I was just thankful to have him back. Besides that.....we had a new trip to plan......Pal Mickey and I.....and time was a wastin'.
. But I was secretly hoping that your photographic prowess was equal to your trip report writing prowess and the picture would somehow appear. Lol at the thought of it!!!
You are my trip report hero.I called everyday but we never did find him again...i was sooo upset about it....at least I am not alone
