A Much Needed Trip for the Mominators...10/12 NEW! Much Ado About Nothing! #80

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Perhaps my addonitis was so bad this time due to my lack of planning. I needed something to occupy my head.

Seriously? You think will all that you'd been dealing with with 3 schools, 3 apartments, jobs, selling the house, looking for a new one, Tony's job here, Tony's job there, Tony's job going somewhere else...You didn't have enough to occupy your head?

I still don't know how you're doing it

 

[Lauralee131]

Seriously? You think will all that you'd been dealing with with 3 schools, 3 apartments, jobs, selling the house, looking for a new one, Tony's job here, Tony's job there, Tony's job going somewhere else...You didn't have enough to occupy your head?

I still don't know how you're doing it

Wow - when you put it that way, it DOES sound like I had enough going on. Not enough FUN stuff going on though...big difference...

Ok, I'm going to go work on my next update...cleaning is done today, laundry's nearly done, kitchen's cleaned, dishes done...secretly planned M's birthday party for next weekend on the phone this morning...now it's ME time...

Soon it will be Wii time...I busted it out last night! Bring on TSM baby!! Just a couple more weeks!!

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Ooh, this is fun - I'm now following V's TR and yours - I guess I need to see if Tracy has started one....

 

[Lauralee131]

So with the car fully loaded and our clothes laid out for the morning, all Michael and I had to do was order a pizza and chill out and we could leave at the crack of dawn in the morning. We’d leave between 6 and 7 and get to CBR early afternoon and enjoy a day of sun, swimming and adult beverages with our favorite buddies, V and Leo, all day and into the evening. Ahhhh…sounds like pure bliss…doesn’t it?

Yeah, it didn’t quite go like that.

We suffered a bad case of “I’m too excited to sleep” on Wednesday night. So much so that I actually considered packing the little guy into the car and just driving until I couldn’t see straight anymore.

Finally sleep came for Michael.

But it must’ve zigged when it should’ve zagged as it missed me completely.

I don’t know what time I finally fell asleep but it was late. So much so that it could’ve been considered early for the next day.

Needless to say we overslept. We didn’t get up until nearly 8, but we needed the sleep and we were officially on vacation so I tried my hardest not to freak out and rush Michael around. He gets that enough during the week.

By the time we were walking out the door it was nearly 9am. GASP! So we got gas and hit the road, where I proceeded to…ummm…shall we say, drive it like I stole it, down Interstate 75.

I now know why I never see cops on I-85 on my way to and from work. It’s because they’re ALL hanging out on 75. DOH! Luckily they appeared to either have been sleeping or not concerned as I went un-noticed all the way to the Florida state line! Phew!

Speaking of the Florida state line, it was right about then that we saw it…the wall of water we were about to drive into. Yep – that’s right. You could see it in front of you. Strangely Fay-esque.

The rain came down so hard that even with the wipers on full blast, I could hardly see. The water was building up on the Turnpike and vehicles were creating waves of water which were making visibility even worse. Then I saw it. Just barely. A sign for a rest area.

I pulled off and decided that despite this additional delay, better to be safe than sorry. I’d rather arrive later than not at all.

So with the rain gushing down all around us, I decided to test out the internet on the new phone. Oh – did I not mention the new phone? The Focker Hotline it has been aptly named. Sadly, not an iPhone, but rather a Motorola i465. Haven’t heard of it? Probably won’t either. It’s really nothing special. See, I decided to get a Boost Mobile pay as you go phone so that I could text the girls and take pictures if I needed to. Last year the texts were flying fast and furious but my only cell phone is my work Nextel and I can’t text from it. Nothing worse than getting texts like “It’s AIS time…bus is here…where are you?” and not being able to respond.

So a couple of days before leaving I ran into a Nextel store and bought the phone. For $50 a month you get unlimited texts, internet, calls and it has a 3mp camera. Good enough. No commitment necessary, which is good. I’m trying to put off getting a home phone or anything until I know where we’ll be and when so this phone would be the perfect solution. I could throw $50 on it, use it to my little heart’s content and then either switch to a pay-as-you-go plan or just shut it off.

So whilst waiting out the rain I tried out my texting and internet and it kept me amused for a while. Not the greatest internet – well, the connection was fine, but it wasn’t exactly an iPhone. I texted V and told her we were on our way and before long the rain let up and we were back on the road.

It took much longer to arrive than I’d have liked, but finally we pulled into CBR. Michael and I went to the online check-in area and seriously, we were in and out in less then 5 minutes. Really. It’s THAT fast! I love it! We got our Jamaica request and were happily on our way back out to the car. I talked to V and she was at Old Port Royale so I just drove straight there to meet up with her and Leo.

Hugs all around…it was so nice to see them again! It’d been 8 months. Far too long since we’d seen each other last. And as if it’d only been 8 days and not 8 months, the four of us picked right up where we left off…V and I cruised the racks at the store, enabling each other and the boys were off causing mayhem together. Ahhh…good fun! I loaded a gift card with the loot from Michael’s piggy bank…$79.00 all for him to spend. We’d spent the few nights prior discussing money and its limits, etc. so I was hoping he’d understand that once he spent it, it was gone and there’d be no more toys bought, etc…The boys each got this lollipop-slash-fan combination that they were just going to wither and die if they didn’t have. Hey – it kept them busy and quiet and happy.

After messing around in the store for awhile, we decided to grab a bite. It had started raining again so pool-thirty was going to have to wait.

Oh - we hit the arcade. I nearly forgot.

The boys had a ball and even us girls took a spin on some retro games!

We cruised through the food court considering all of its’ yummy offerings and somehow found ourselves at the podium checking in for Shutters. We were seated faster than you say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…which is probably spelled wrong, but I’m in a hurry so I’m not even going to go back and check it. Oddly enough though, I’m typing this in Word and it wasn’t picked up as a misspelled word. When “iPhone” was. Go figure.

Anyway, Shutters wasn’t busy at all and we were seated at a nice corner seat where we wouldn’t bother anyone and could catch up uninterrupted by other diners’ chatter. We ordered drinks – an Agave Nectar (of the Gods) Margarita for V and a Hurricane for me. Ahhh….finally. Nothing like the first drink on vacation.

V’s Margarita was a party for your mouth, I must admit. And it would become, short of a few exceptions, my drink of choice for the rest of the trip. Yes, it was THAT good!

V got soup and salad and I ordered the skirt steak, which was really good. The boys…well, I can’t remember what the boys ate…probably chicken or pizza. Hmmm…now I have to go look…

Leo had a little mood issue when the time came for the boys to put their toys away, but really – short of a snarly face he was making, he wasn’t bad. Once he got some food in his belly he was the same old Leo, fun-loving and happy. The boys really enjoyed being together again and we all enjoyed a nice long leisurely dinner while the rain poured down and the wind howled outside.

And V tweeted.

Or Facebooked.

Or both.

I teased V about her iPhone addiction...errr...use. Later I found this on my camera...

I may have been taking a picture of her drink and just got lucky with capturing the "Hi, I'm V and I'm App Addict" look...heh heh...

The boys even split a build it yourself Sundae and no punches were thrown. They really do play well together. So cute to watch!

After dinner, we decided to call it an early night – we had to still bring all of suitcases, etc to our room and it was still raining so we stopped and grabbed some stuff for breakfast and headed out to our room. We’d be heading to Epcot with V and Leo tomorrow morning bright and early.

After all my trips to and from the room and car with our luggage, groceries, etc…I was pretty well soaked and worn out. Our room was nice though. For a Moderate. Hey – I’m sorry. I’m a Deluxe/Villa kind of girl. But will sacrifice in the name of addonitis when it flares up. I may be a resort snob, but I’m not stupid.

It doesn’t take fuzzy math to realize that you can get 2 nights at CBR for the price of 1 at SSR And it’s been about 13 years since I’ve stayed here so I didn’t mind checking it out again. The last time Tony and I stayed at CBR, we had a mini-bar in our room that was a God-send after way too many Margaritas in Mexico and other illicit adult things we did back in those days.

The room was really clean and had a lot of Nemo accents with some Hidden Mickey’s thrown in.

I would stay here again. And I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed relaxing at the beach in a hammock. Although I’d like it even more at the Poly. Just sayin’…

I had my Owner’s Locker delivered and we were all set for our stay here and ready for the morning. With the exception of clothing, everything I need for a trip is in here...from makeup to coffee to toiletries. Owner's Locker rules. I'm sorry I didn't think of it first, but it's an idea whose time has come and I love, love, love it!

As I was getting Michael ready for bed, something dark and moving caught my eye in front of the bathroom vanity.

It was one of those tiny little frogs! ACK! Well, it had to be caught. I couldn’t sleep knowing it was in the room and could hop in my mouth at any time. Ewww…

So it took awhile, but Michael finally caught the frog…trapped it under a glass and then he slid a coaster underneath it so we could pick it up. He just thought that frog was the greatest thing and wanted to name him Squishy and keep it.

I shall call him Squishy and he shall be my friend...

Squishy was what he’d become though if I didn’t get it away from Michael though so I made him take it outside and let it go.

He did. He released it right outside of our door.

Later that night, I made myself a nice big Jack and Diet Coke and was going to go out and finally sit and enjoy a quiet smoke break. I opened the door and Squishy jumped right back in the room! It took me forever, but I managed to catch him again and this time, me and my new friend went out to the DSA together where I released him back into the wild.

I bid Squishy goodnight and then called it a night...big day tomorrow...

 

[Lauralee131]

The following morning I was up bright and early and it took some doing to get the little man up. Typical. I can never sleep at Disney World and Michael can never get up early. I went and sat down at the beach and had my coffee and watched the daylight arrive.

I enjoyed the quiet beauty of this place...and thought about booking the bounceback offer so I can come back and enjoy it again...

Eventually however, I remembered that Michael was still sleeping so I headed back to the room. I got him up and got the two of us dressed and ready to go.

I knew it was going to be hot and sticky so I wore the lightest, thinnest clothes I could think of. Not the most attractive outfit. I asked Michael, “How does this look?” “Fine” was the answer I got. Again, I spun around in front of the mirror and said, “I don’t know, I’m not sure. Really. Do you think this looks alright?”

Without missing a beat, Michael comes out with, “It’s not like you’re going to a prom. Those days are long gone.”

And so the Michael-isms started flowing…

They got so fast and furious this week that I actually considered writing them down as they were too numerous and too stinkin’ funny…

Sadly, I didn’t write them down, but a few, like the prom one, I’ll probably never forget.

So I spoke to V and we agreed to go together in her car to Epcot. She’d be ready in a bit, so Michael and I went out to the beach so I could show him how pretty this place was in the daytime, when it WASN’T raining.

He climbed all over everything, little monkey that he is.

You could really see he was all excited about spending the day with our friends. And the cherry on top of his sundae (on Friday) was that his dad was coming up that afternoon. He hadn’t seen him in nearly 3 weeks and he was really looking forward to a whole week of “all dad, all the time”.

On our way to meet V and Leo, I remembered my little run in with our dear friend Squishy and told Michael about how he had jumped back into the room because he dumped him right outside the door and I had to catch him all over again. His response? “Sounds like a personal problem. Yours, not mine, so leave me out of it.”

Yeah, great. Love you too, kid.

Boys buckled in the car, we were off to Epcot and got a great parking spot. Ok, I’m used to bussing it, but V may be on to something with this driving thing. It’s fast, it required no hand sanitizer and the company was lovely.

Honestly, I don’t mind taking the bus most of the time, I enjoy the people watching and hey – I’m on vacation, I don’t necessarily like to drive.

But – V was driving, so this was great. A shorter wait to get to the magic and I didn’t have to drive. Saaa-weeet!!

So V and her trusty iPhone had the Ridemax plan, the weather, the horoscope…everything you need for a day at Disney World. All I had to do was make a quick stop to renew our AP’s (with a sweet discount thanks to V’s referral card!) and then in just a few short minutes I’d be enjoying the company of my friend and her son.

The last time we had an outing on our own was back in January ’08. And it was awesome. Having V and Leo along back then was so much fun and it truly made our vacation. It was then I realized just how great it is have a friend on vacation. And for Michael it was amazing. He really enjoyed having a buddy to ride the rides with and play with at dinner, etc…they walked together, each keeping the other moving at a nice quick pace. There was even a time when he and Leo even shared a double stroller together and they had a ball.

And so they would again. As soon as I had my passes. Just a few short minutes.

Only it wasn’t really a few short minutes.

It was a lot longer than that.

The CM in the ticket booth, bless his heart, was in no hurry. He was an older gentleman and really was the sweetest thing. But he was S…L….O….W. So after what felt like an eternity, I’d had our new passes hand.

Where to first? Why it just so happened to be one of our favorites. Mission:Space baby! Leo had decided to ride it. So he and V, being Mission:Space VIRGINians would be perfect ride companions for us. There’s 4 people to a shuttle whatdya know…there’s 4 of us.

So off we went….got Leo measured at the start of the queue and headed on in to join the Green Team.

And that’s when I noticed it.

The nervous look on Leo’s face. Right about here….

He's got that deer-in-the-headlights look about him, no?

I think at one point he wanted to back out…but I could be wrong. So with little to no wait at all we were being briefed by Gary Sinise. We were given our assignments…Pilot, Commander, Navigator and Engineer. We’d promised Leo he could be Commander, but I think he ended up going with Pilot.

It was a great Mission and Leo got through it with flying colors. I so enjoyed being there when he had such a big “first”, and to be able to see and celebrate his joy. So big and brave and so proud of himself.

It was refreshing to see that kind of joyous new discovery. You tend to lose that childlike happiness when you’ve ridden everything. You still get excited to ride your favorites, but then again, been there…done that, know what I mean?

To see Leo experience such pure, unadulterated excitement and happiness made my whole day.

And pictures were taken all around to commemorate such a huge occasion.

So, with the Mission behind us, we continued to follow Ridemax. So far, it was pretty much right on. And we even got a later start than V was planning. I don’t recall the order in which we did things…I think, but don’t quote me that we went and like, totally, surfed the EAC with Nemo and the gang where the boys rode all by themselves...

It's pictures like this that I was dreading with that hockey player smile of his...if you open his mouth he could be a bottle opener...MOTY 2009, thank you very much...

And then I think we went to the Land and rode LWTL and picked up Soarin’ FP’s. After that, I’m not sure…did we get food? I don’t think so. Perhaps we then went to Spaceship Earth...This picture was next in my camera...The Jammitors are pretty cool to watch. I don't often take the time to enjoy things like this.

Hmmm...between the 2 of them we could possibly come up with a full mouth of teeth!

After SE we then went back over to ride Soarin’. V and Leo had plans for a lunch at Coral Reef and Michael and I would make a quick stop in Mouse Gear and get CS for lunch. Something quick. Then we’d grab the bus back and see them back at the hotel in time for pool-thirty.

Notice I said quick stop in Mouse Gear…

There’s no such thing.

We were in there for quite a while. Browsing. Having fun actually. We then lost time wandering around trying to decide what to do about lunch. One moment he was starving and was going to die any second now if I didn’t feed him immediately.

The next we’d decided to go back to CBR and get our suits on, eat at OPR and wait for V and Leo to back. Eventually we settled on the EU for a couple of burgers. And then we made our way to the exit, via a Mickey Bar cart…where Michael proved once again that he can actually get some of the Mickey Bar in his mouth and not just all around it….

Several napkins later we headed to the exit. As we were walking through the Legacy graveyard V called. They were already back at the hotel and heading to the pool. We had a good laugh over the fact that she had table service meal at CR, not the fastest place in town, and was already on her way to the pool. I was just now leaving the park. So much for a quick stop and getting back early! V will tell you it’s all because she had a car. I’ll let her have that one. It sounds better than “I spent an hour wandering around in Mouse Gear and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”…

Back in our room we quickly changed and headed to the pool. Tony was on his way up, our buddies were waiting for us and I could hear the blender from the pool bar…it was a good day!

We caught up with V and Leo and hit the water! The boys went down the slide and enjoyed splashing around for awhile and then it was time to dry off and get something refreshing to drink. Michael had been craving his world favorite “Orange milkshake” and I’d been waiting for my first Pina Colava of vacation. And the first Michelob Ultra.

What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. Mine often wants to chase a beer with a mixed drink.

Before long Tony had arrived and we went back meet him at the room. We’d split with V and Leo on the walk back to Jamaica, but not for long. We were going to Epcot that night for a counter service dinner and then wine and cheese with Tracy and family.

And we were bussing it.

And of course, it’d started to rain.

I swear we’re like Focker Forces of Nature when we all are within a few square miles of each other. It doesn’t just rain, it pours. And there was no bus for Epcot for quite a while. One and two buses for every other park showed up. No Epcot.

At one point a man who didn’t speak English very well came up and was talking to Tony. Tony then got our attention and I heard something about a cab. I said something like, “Sure, if you want to take a cab that’s fine, but we have cars here” or something along those lines, but as it turned out, the man was asking Tony about where he could get a cab or something. Strange. Whatever. Finally a bus arrived and we were on our way. Tony and Michael and Leo sat together doing their guy thing. Bonding over noogie’s and fist bumps.

V and I were busily trying to come up with a plan for dinner. Yet again we settled on table service (something about the rain makes us totally fine about wasting an hour and a half in a restaurant). I called Disney Dining and ended up securing an ADR for Nine Dragons. Again I was going to TrustV. She said that she’d eaten there before and it was really good. So I was good with that. I think this was the time it happened…a family got on the bus – an older couple and a teenaged girl – and they sat directly across from me and V. Or should I say V and I?

Well the girl looks strange. She laid across the woman’s lap and looks like she’s really ill. I lean over to V and whisper those 2 little words she’d been hearing a lot of lately…”Swine Flu”…Remember the movie The Cutting Edge with the ice skaters? The snotty figure skater doesn’t want to work with the hockey player and he’s having a hard time keeping up on figure skates and every time he can’t stop and falls, she goes “toe pick”…that’s kind of how I said it. “Swine Flu”…but as funny as it was, it was kind of skeevy too. I was sure to pass everyone the hand sanitizer as soon as we stepped off the bus.

Now I should mention that when Tony and Michael get together they gang up on me and do everything in their power to both amuse themselves and irritate the crap out of me. So much like herding cats, I tried to get Tony to go up to the window and upgrade a 7 day MYW ticket we had to his DVC annual pass. But noooo…he can’t do anything like that on his own. So even though he was able to bypass the stinkin’ guests with bags line, he chose to just stand there and wait. See? I have no patience for time wasting.

My husband doesn’t really see much need to split up in the interest of time. He refuses to be a Fastpass runner. If we can’t all go, then no FP’s for you. UGH…clueless.

So anyway, he’s wrestling the boys and I’m aggravated because he wouldn’t listen to me and take the stupid pass and by the time I get to the ticket window I’m so stressed out that I don’t even remember that I’ve got a ticket to upgrade! Luckily V stepped up and reminded me….DOH! After upgrading, Tony’s annual pass only cost $127. Woo Hoo!!! Ok, I forgot all about how aggravated I was. He was here, having fun and Michael was happy. They deserved their play time.

Later on he would only add to his little group of followers...like the Pied Piper...or The Kid Whisperer...

Off we went towards China. And you know me, I can’t walk past Mexico without having to have a margarita so I scurried off to the Cantina to secure Tony and I our treasured margaritas.

Completely mindless of the fact that in about 5 minutes we’d be at the place we were going for dinner. One short brain freeze later and we’d arrived in China and checked in for dinner…amused that we were having Chinese food with a Mexican drink…heh heh…

And V was right about Nine Dragons. It was excellent! We ordered appetizers…I remembered getting some yummy potstickers and I think we ordered something else too, but for the life of me I can’t recall…and I got the General Tso’s chicken for dinner while Michael got Sweet & Sour Chicken. What’d Tony get? Have no idea. But our dinners were delicious. The only I can think of to describe my chicken other than great, was really, really fresh tasting. I will definitely go back there again.

Anyway, dinner over with, we headed to Norway to catch up with T and family. After searching everywhere (a less stressful version of Where’s Waldo), we finally caught up with T and our little gang was back together again.

What's this? We're looking at the same camera at the same time??

Hugs went all around and the kids all picked right up where they’d all left off as well.

Some of T’s gang was off riding Maelstrom so we waited for them.

And wondered if they knew it was a Fastpass.

Heh heh…

We wandered around a bit and just like I said, the kids just gravitated toward him...

We ended up in Japan for our sake shots and sent the Tony and Andy into the store with all the kids…they were totally outnumbered and went into the store like lambs heading in for slaughter. I honestly didn’t think they’d have a chance. Two of them against 4 tiring, punch-drunk kids…would you take that bet?

I laughed it off, and headed with my girl friends to the sake bar, but not before taking a group photo showing Kate how much we missed her…it’s on V’s TR if you haven’t seen it yet…a sadder looking bunch I’ve never seen…

I took pictures in the sake bar, but I can't find them. They must be on my camera...

Sake shots done, we headed back to find the rest of our flock, waiting outside and not running around like bulls in a China shop. But in Japan.

We continued walking around and all decided to call it a night and headed our separate ways. Completely forgetting about wine. And cheese. And Grey Goose slushies…

Ah well. It was great to be back in the company of friends and we had a big day (and night!) ahead of us with everyone the following day...Woo Hooo!!! But would we make AIS? And has anyone seen the Spirit??

 

[PrincessV]

Nothing worse than getting texts like “It’s AIS time…bus is here…where are you?” and not being able to respond.

LOL, I remember that!

Not the greatest internet – well, the connection was fine, but it wasn’t exactly an iPhone.

It’d been 8 months. Far too long since we’d seen each other last.

I think that's the longest we've gone since first meeting!

I may have been taking a picture of her drink and just got lucky with capturing the "Hi, I'm V and I'm App Addict" look...heh heh...

I'd like to point out that this was completely staged people!

Mostly.

“It’s not like you’re going to a prom. Those days are long gone.”

Michael always brings the funny!

Ok, I’m used to bussing it, but V may be on to something with this driving thing. It’s fast, it required no hand sanitizer and the company was lovely.

I’m on vacation, I don’t necessarily like to drive.
But – V was driving, so this was great.

And V loooves to drive. It's a control issue.

I think at one point he wanted to back out…but I could be wrong.

You're right - he did think of backing out for about 30 seconds. But he worked through it!

“I spent an hour wandering around in Mouse Gear and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”…

Ooo, that's my fave shot of the night!

Some of T’s gang was off riding Maelstrom so we waited for them.

And wondered if they knew it was a Fastpass.

Still funny - thanks Maelstromers!

We continued walking around and all decided to call it a night and headed our separate ways. Completely forgetting about wine. And cheese. And Grey Goose slushies…

I can't believe we never had cheese. Somebody owes me a cheese do-over!

And has anyone seen the Spirit??

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

OMG! We DID forget the cheese, didn't we??

Hey, V - iPhone this.... next time... cheese and wine fest (1st night) and Girlie day tea party at the GF.


A double issue, LL? You are on FIYAH, sister!

 

[Lauralee131]

I think that's the longest we've gone since first meeting!

I know! Shameful...just shameful!

I'd like to point out that this was completely staged people!

Mostly.

No comment.

A double issue, LL? You are on FIYAH, sister!

Yep - I forced myself to sit and get it done. Sure it was like 1am, but it was done!!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Great updates! Poor squishy all he wanted to do was come in and get dry.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

That was some crazy rain the day you drove down. I remember seeing the big green blob on the radar and wondering how you were holding up. Why does that seems like ages ago?

Squishy looked tiny...was he really that small? And you wouldn't let him stay? Of course, this is coming from the momma who let her 6 year old adopt two crickets as pets.

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Love the pre-sunrise pics at CBR - how peaceful!

 

[askelton]

No idea where Michael gets his funny from!

 

[Phibbles]

I swear we’re like Focker Forces of Nature when we all are within a few square miles of each other. It doesn’t just rain, it pours.

Now I know who to blame for the rain that whole week. At least the weekend was nice though.

 

[DisneyJo]

The boys look as though they're having so much fun together, there again so do the girls

 

[lazydoxy66]

Michael comes out with, “It’s not like you’re going to a prom. Those days are long gone.”

-LL

Honesty can be brutal.

Oh yeah, the first drink while on vacation is heaven! I haven't make up my mind whether it will be a margarita from Capt'n Jacks or something from the T-Rex bar. I love choices like that.

V having the App Attack is a keeper!

Poor little Squishy. Michael is quite the frog wrangler. He has a nice technique. With the exception of relocation.

I love all the pics especially the ones with the kids with your DH. Too cute.

 

[Lauralee131]

Well rested and wide awake I was again up before the dawn. And the boys. Big, heavy sigh.

I took my coffee outside and walked around the resort for a bit, watching the sky get lighter and lighter. For you smokers out there, I did manage to find a sweet little DSA at CBR...I don't know why there can't be something like this everywhere...it's out of the way, with plenty of seating...covered seating actually. And I met quite a few nice people there.

Anyway...

Finally when I couldn’t take it anymore I showered and got dressed and began to make louder and louder noises to rouse the troops.

I set the wake up call. When the phone rang, I pressed “speaker”…and wondered when they’d ever change the whole Stitch “no sleeping” bit…but there was finally movement under the covers.

I refreshed the boy’s memories’ of AIS.

The grudgingly started getting up and ready to head out for the day. M had breakfast – some cereal we’d picked up the other night and although he still wasn’t quite as awake as he should be, he was pretty excited to spend the day with all of our friends.

I’d already talked to V and we decided that I would drive today since there was now one more of us (Tony) so we headed out to open up the third row seat in the Mazda.

Which is not a mini-van.

Just sayin’…

So anyway, we all piled in and headed to the Magic Kingdom. Michael and I were looking forward to this day for weeks. Each morning we’d start our (very) early day with the Welcome medly in the car…you know…the rope drop song. We’d sing it at the top of our lungs as we drove to daycare and it seemed to make our crappy day ahead seem a bit more bearable.

We’d heard from T and AIS wasn’t working for her. At all. She was still on the bus. DOH! That’s ok though, there was a meeting place all picked out and she’d catch up. We went through the bag check and I was more than ready to enjoy the little opening number. I needed Magic. I needed Fantasy. I needed Pixie Dust. Actually, Michael and I both did. We were looking forward to this morning for weeks. No. Months, actually.

So imagine my surprise when immediately upon entering the turnstiles, something had happened to my sweet little boy. I don’t know what it was, or when it happened exactly. But he was ugly. Not happy at all.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t bring some silly toy with him.

Perhaps it was because Minnie Mouse is on his AP.

Who the heck knows…but he was ugly. And mad. And in no mood for Magic.

Period.

The show began and he basically pout-cried through the whole thing. What the??? He was really killing my Disney buzz. When I asked him what his problem was, he burst into tears and yelled “I lost my Disney spirit, OK!?!?!”

Wow…it was serious.

So instead of my family enjoying the magical moment of leaving the real world behind and stepping over the line into a world of fantasy…my little guy was having a very real-world meltdown.

In my Happy Place.

Grrrrr…

He didn’t want to get closer to the center to be showered with streamers and pixie dust.

He didn’t want to be there at all as a matter of fact.

He also couldn't tell me exactly why, or when, or where for that matter, he’d lost his Disney Spirit.

By that point, all I was…was aggravated.

He was just going to have to suck it up.

The show was over. My magical moment was gone and reality was still with me.

Like a monkey on my back.

We walked up Main Street and took no pictures with the castle behind us.

We bypassed every Photopass photographer.

Yes, that’s right. NO PHOTOPASS. In fact, there wasn’t a single Photopass picture taken at all that week. Why? I gained a lot of weight in the last few months and Michael had a hockey player smile.

And pictures last forever.

So no Photopass for us.

We did have a couple of group shots taken when we got to the Castle. Although they were crooked and my lens was fogged up. But it should have been a magical day. Notice the unhappy, almost-in-tears look on M's face...

The trash cans were blowing bubbles.

The cast members were waving their big Mickey hands at everyone.

The boy, however, was still in a foul mood.

And then it hit me.

Directly in front of us was the trolley.

During our last few weeks of planning (or lack thereof) and fantasizing about our trip, Michael and I talked about riding the trolley that we sang about every morning…

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley…
Right down the middle of Main Street USA…

So I asked M if he’d like to ride the trolley. He’d never done it before. My mom always took me on it. And maybe, just maybe, if we rode it back down Main Street, we’d find his Disney Spirit…

He agreed and so we told V we’d catch up to her. And headed for the trolley.

In a non-ditching sort of way. Just sayin’…

We hopped on the trolley at the Castle hub as it emptied out and it was just us.

And the four Dapper Dans who joined us.

All in matching suits this morning. That was odd.

They were so fun to talk to…and to listen to as they bantered back and forth, making fun of each other and an “undercover” Dapper Dan who was there celebrating his birthday and had hopped on the trolley as it was leaving.

Riding the trolley and waving to people who were watching us seemed to perk Michael up a bit. We watching for T and her crew but never saw them. They apparently saw us though. One of the Dapper Dan’s we were chatting with asked where we were from and when we told him we lived in Newnan, Georgia, he excitedly asked if we’d eaten at Sprayberry’s BBQ…he knows Newnan very well and apparently has relatives that live there and Sprayberry’s was one of his favorite places to eat. So we chatted a bit and then they sang to us. It was awesome. They were great and best of all…they apparently helped Michael find his Disney Spirit! YAY!! The Mayor even stopped and chatted with us for a bit...the bantering going back and forth between him and the Dapper Dan's was so funny. The Mayor is quite a riot. Michael was pretty impressed with having met a famous politician too. Sadly I forgot to take a picture until it was too late...

We rode the trolley all the way back up to the Castle where I caught up with T via text – they were heading to ride Buzz so we’d meet up with our gang there.

Spirit found, springs in our step once again, we made our way through Tomorrowland and caught up with our friends, where Buzz was a walk on. In fact, it was all ours. Awesome!

Awesome, however, was not how you’d describe my score. UGH…I had a bum blaster. Bummer.

With The Plan fully abandoned, I couldn’t quite tell you what we did next. I can tell you what we didn’t do.

We didn’t ride AstroOrbiter.

Nor did we go to Laugh Factory. Or my beloved Carousel of Progress.

In fact, I think we headed back toward Liberty Square for a spin on some Doom Buggy’s. We did have a celebrity sighting though…Barbie was alive and well and walking through Tomorrowland. In a bright pink camel-jockey sweatsuit…heh heh. See V’s TR for pictures.

We all split up – My gang, Andy, Evan, Rick, Debbie, Max and Michael all went to the Haunted Mansion whilst V, Leo, Tracy and Maddie went to get our FP’s for BTMR. We’d meet up over there when we were done. At least I think that’s how it went.

I had no notes at all from this trip.

But I hear there’s an App for that…heh heh…

While waiting to be let into HM, Rick and Debbie were telling us about the differences between their Mansion and ours. The two sound so different. I can’t wait to see their “house” some time. During this conversation, a woman was eagerly listening to our talking back and forth and Rick’s descriptions of what’s at their “house” and I think she even asked him if he lived in a mansion or something…it was funny.

So eventually we were let in and rode our Doom Buggy’s as Grim Grinning Ghosts came out to socialize…a headcount after the ride indicated that none of our group became the 1,000th spirit to reside permanently at Master Gracey’s Mansion…Phew!

All alive and in one piece we headed to Frontierland to catch up with the rest of our gang. Leo was excited to ride BTMR with his friends. We’d talked about it for weeks. Who’d ride with whom, etc…So our party of 11-ish went to get our ride-scream on. I rode with Tracy, Tony and Michael rode together with Evan. V got oh-so-fabulous pictures from the ride – check them out on her TR.

The Wildest Ride in the West was apparently a bit too wild for our buddy Leo in the end. His body was shaking. His teeth were chattering. His eyes were wide with fear. It was painful to watch. And oh-so reminiscent of Michael’s ride on TOT last year. You know, the one I ruined him for life on? Yeah, Leo had THAT look.

V and Leo went off for a little mommy-son comforting time and we all headed somewhere…but where? I know we tried to ride Splash but it was down. We grabbed FP’s for Splash to ride later and then what? Oh…I think we headed back toward Liberty Square again.

Yes, The Plan was long gone, my friends. Never to be seen or heard from again.

My boys were starving and took off to get a hot dog. Leo and V had some popcorn. And then I think we headed into the Hall of Presidents. The new and improved Hall of Presidents, that is. Newly re-opened with President Obama included, Morgan Freeman as narrator…I’d been anxiously awaiting this.

I recall we all went back and forth. We all wanted to go see it, but differed on our ideas of exactly when. Not today, later in the week, right now…I was part of the group that voted for Right Now…a temporary break from the feeling of walking on the surface of the sun. God it was hot!!

At the HOP, we caught up with TE and Waldo and hugs went all around. It was so good to see them again. We adore them. Heck, we adore all of T’s family and it was very much like a reunion once TE and Waldo showed up. Poor TE has a bum knee, but she had a scooter so it wasn’t keeping her down. We headed into the HOP once we all got together and our group, which started at 5 at 8am was now up to 13. We were one flag and a bunch of soccer jerseys away from looking like a Brazilian tour group! Our group was much more considerate of others around us though, TFI.

I didn’t take the time to check out the new exhibits inside like I wanted to though. I was too busy enjoying the company of good friends and air conditioning. And it was getting pretty packed in there. When they let us in, we got the ummm…Presidential Suite thanks to TE and her scooter where we proceeded to break all kinds of rules – like drinking, and eating…but we did NOT use flash photography. To do so would have been un-American.

It was a great show – one that I’ve always liked – but this new and improved version was awesome and I’ll admit, more than one time a tear or two came to my eyes.

After HOP we were all ready for some lunch and decided to head for CHH for Magical Tuna. Well, not for me anyway. I’m no fan of tuna. Magical or not. Unless it’s sushi or a tuna steak, I want no part of it. I’m all about their fish. So anyway, off we all went to CHH. Except my guys. Michael needed popcorn because Leo had some. So Tony and Michael grabbed some popcorn and THEN we got lunch. The kids all sat together in the same row – gravitating together like magnets as they continue to do each year.

Where we chart their growth with pictures like these…

Because we had a big night planned…oops, I forgot to mention that it was a special day! Evan turned 5 today! YAY!! We were all going to Chef Mickey’s for his birthday dinner and then to the MK afterward for Wishes and Spectro so we were going to call it an early day and get some pool and rest time in before going back out that night.

We left CHH and headed towards POTC and then eventually the exit. That’s when my phone rang. Our very good friends from North Carolina were there somewhere and were trying to find us. They were in Frontierland and were going to head toward POTC to catch up with us. We separated from our rather large group, took the time for a butt break and a potty break and tried to find Jason and Margarita.

The text messages were just flying back and forth…T and the rest of the gang were at POTC, Jason and Margie were now by the Adventureland sign and we were outside POTC watching the Pirate Tutorial.

Of note…this would be the last time we would enjoy Mark Priest’s character of Mack. He would fall and hit his head and end up in the hospital and sadly pass away just a couple of days later. RIP Mark. You’ve provided so much laughter and entertained so many people….sniff, sniff…

We hit POTC with everyone as a group and to hear Rick and Debbie tell it, our POTC sucks compared to theirs. Really wish I could go to Disneyland one of these days. Hopefully when the economy gets better. After all, we can stay on DVC points now!! GCV's baby!

As we exited and all separated we tried one more time to catch up with Jason and Margie, but the afternoon show was going up Main Street and it was an absolute zoo. We told them we’d be back that night and try and catch up with them later.

Back at the resort, we enjoyed some pool time where saw an amazing transformation take place.

My husband, the big burly tough guy, becomes an instant pool toy-slash-kid magnet. I’m actually kind of used to it – even at our apartment pool kids just sort of float over to him. And the next thing you know, kids are climbing on him, getting thrown around the pool by him and having a grand old time with him.

It’s pretty amazing to see him…he has such patience with kids and he’s so good with them. In the parks it’s the same thing. They want to walk with him, ride the rides with him…All he needs is a flute and he could be the Pied Piper!

So while V and I enjoyed a good soak in the pool, Tony was a gymnast, a strong man, an acrobat and a water horse…and a darn good babysitter for Michael and Leo! Heh heh…Eventually we all split up headed back to the rooms to relax. We’d catch up later.

A short, late nap was in order so we could have a nice late night.

Rested and showered we were running a bit behind so between V and I, we decided that we’d take separate cars to the Contemporary. We were all going to Chef Mickey’s for Evan’s birthday. Big thank you to T and her whole family for welcoming us into this family celebration. We had a great time and were glad to be a part of the party! I won’t even go into the whole party of 11, then 13, then 15 then 18 confusion. T and V can beat that horse. It really was a fun night though and I enjoyed our time together. I really wish we could get together more often.

Dinner was yummy (as were the Nectar of The Gods Margaritas!) and Michael, Mr. I’m-too-cool-for-character-meals, had a great time. Eventually he was looking forward to seeing Mickey and the gang and forgot that he was too cool for this. And he ate like he knew it was all-you-can-eat. A huge plate of Mac & Cheese and several chicken nuggets…then more chicken nuggets.

The characters were fun and seemed to be pretty attentive compared to some other character meals I’ve been to.

Michael had a lot of personal attention from Mickey..

As did the birthday boy!

In fact, I seem to recall that my husband and Minnie Mouse had a moment…Minnie actually seemed to have a moment with just about every male in our party!

Isn't this a great picture of V and Leo?? And how about his eyes? Dreamy, no? He's gonna grow up to be such a heartbreaker. Watch out ladies!

And then it was time for dessert where Michael continued to eat…I think he ate 4 or 5 brownies, cookies and he may have even had ice cream. I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t help but have a second where I worried about how what goes in, must come out…ugh…

After dinner it was off to the MK for the night.




And it was pretty busy too. I'm not used to going when it's this busy...not loving it. At all.

Oh and did I mention that it was still really darn hot out? And all those people made it feel even worse? We headed back to Fantasyland, and having given Michael the choice on what to ride, he first chose Dumbo whilst everyone else I think headed toward Barnstormer. Then we saw it.

The line.

No way. Too long. Too hot. And it’s generally not us.

We don’t stand in long lines. That’s not how we roll. So we decided to hit Philharmagic instead. No trip to the MK is complete unless you’ve seen Philharmagic anyway. It’s the epitome of Disney magic all wrapped up in yellow glasses. I won’t lie to you…it brings a tear to my eye every time. That’s how much I love it.

And yes, I still jump when things fly out at me and still try and grab for Donald’s hand…love it, love it….and so do my boys...

I can't wait till his teeth grow in....just sayin'...

Anyway, once out of there, we caught up with everyone on the phone and began to make our way toward Splash to use our FP’s. We did finally manage to meet up with Jason and Margarita there. It was nice to catch up finally. Eventually we all split up and agreed to catch up the following day.

It was so hot and so stinkin’ crowded that after riding Splash we decided to leave. No staying for Wishes. Skip Spectro. Let’s blow this joint.

Only by the time we got to Main Street, Spectro had already started. We were…

Trapped like rats.

In the Mouse’s house.

We cut through the Emporium and ended up with a really great spot by the fire station and managed to enjoy Spectro. With what felt like 50,000 smelly, sweaty people. Michael was the only one who didn’t want to leave so we came up with a plan to go swimming back at CBR.

Finally back at the Contemporary to retrieve our car…it started lightening and raining.

Figures.

Just as well anyway. We had to pack because tomorrow we were movin’ on up Weezie…

Going to our Home Sweet Home….errrr…Away From Home…

Saratoga Springs here we come baby!!!

Up next…meet me at the corner of Beer and Pool...Thirty...

And what's this?

Laundry??? And why is my son telling complete strangers about my underwear?!?!

 

[PrincessV]

I’d already talked to V and we decided that I would drive today since there was now one more of us (Tony) so we headed out to open up the third row seat in the Mazda. Which is not a mini-van.

Duly noted.

“I lost my Disney spirit, OK!?!?!”

I have to admit - I was mostly unaware of this whole situation until you told me. Poor little guy!

He agreed and so we told V we’d catch up to her. And headed for the trolley.

In a non-ditching sort of way. Just sayin’…

It's all good baybee!

All in matching suits this morning. That was odd.

Um, someone's stripes are going the wrong way!

I had no notes at all from this trip.
But I hear there’s an App for that…heh heh…

Yes, The Plan was long gone, my friends. Never to be seen or heard from again.

Plan? What plan?!

Michael needed popcorn because Leo had some.

LOL, I forgot about the popcorn debacle!

My husband, the big burly tough guy, becomes an instant pool toy-slash-kid magnet.

But I can't comment more - there's a big space saved in my TR for an Ode to Tony!

It really was a fun night though and I enjoyed our time together. I really wish we could get together more often.[/QUOTE]
Amen, sistah-friend.

Congratulations LL - I believe you managed to get an unflattering shot of every single person within the frame, including Goofy! LY!


I can't comment much on the rest of the night... it was one of those weird nights where each of us had a tale from the same place, but completely different scenarios! Just wait I guess, and all shall be revealed.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I refreshed the boy’s memories’ of AIS.

AIS is the BEST! Too bad mine was WAAAAAAY off!

Which is not a mini-van.

Just sayin’…

I was waiting for this line!

Perhaps it was because Minnie Mouse is on his AP.

Seriously? That'd make Evan pissy too!

Riding the trolley and waving to people who were watching us seemed to perk Michael up a bit. We watching for T and her crew but never saw them. They apparently saw us though.

Ok, funny story ... We're walking up Main St. and Andy tells me "Hey, there goes LL, Tony and M on the trolley!" Pfft! I tell him. No way they'd be going on the trolley back down Main St.

But I hear there’s an App for that…heh heh…

Ba dum dump!

At the HOP, we caught up with TE and Waldo and hugs went all around. It was so good to see them again. We adore them. Heck, we adore all of T’s family and it was very much like a reunion once TE and Waldo showed up. Poor TE has a bum knee, but she had a scooter so it wasn’t keeping her down. We headed into the HOP once we all got together and our group, which started at 5 at 8am was now up to 13. We were one flag and a bunch of soccer jerseys away from looking like a Brazilian tour group! Our group was much more considerate of others around us though, TFI.

Actually we're now up to 15.

Where we chart their growth with pictures like these…

I love it! I remember our first year together... Evan was what... 2? Both M Mads and Leo were around 5? Yickes, they've all grown so quickly.

We hit POTC with everyone as a group and to hear Rick and Debbie tell it, our POTC sucks compared to theirs. Really wish I could go to Disneyland one of these days. Hopefully when the economy gets better. After all, we can stay on DVC points now!! GCV's baby!

Yup! I can't wait to report on the villa's to you girls!

It’s pretty amazing to see him…he has such patience with kids and he’s so good with them. In the parks it’s the same thing. They want to walk with him, ride the rides with him…All he needs is a flute and he could be the Pied Piper!

So, so true! You should have had a dozen, LL!

Rested and showered we were running a bit behind so between V and I, we decided that we’d take separate cars to the Contemporary. We were all going to Chef Mickey’s for Evan’s birthday. Big thank you to T and her whole family for welcoming us into this family celebration. We had a great time and were glad to be a part of the party! I won’t even go into the whole party of 11, then 13, then 15 then 18 confusion. T and V can beat that horse. It really was a fun night though and I enjoyed our time together. I really wish we could get together more often.

Are you kidding me? It was a family celebration!

Dude we all looked **** faced!

Michael had a lot of personal attention from Mickey..

I was surprised to see M so into the characters this time. It was really cute!

We cut through the Emporium and ended up with a really great spot by the fire station and managed to enjoy Spectro. With what felt like 50,000 smelly, sweaty people. Michael was the only one who didn’t want to leave so we came up with a plan to go swimming back at CBR.

Are you kidding me? We were right in the center hub directly infront of the fire station.

Laundry??? And why is my son telling complete strangers about my underwear?!?!

 

[lazydoxy66]

LL I am exhausted! What a jam-packed day. The party looked like so much fun. Too bad about the crowds at night in the MK.

 

[Lauralee131]

I have to admit - I was mostly unaware of this whole situation until you told me. Poor little guy!

Yeah...I don't know WHAT the heck happened...it was like someone flipped a big switch...he went from happy to mad/sad in like 2.1 seconds...and when he kind of yelled/cried "I lost my Disney spirit!" it was kind of sad...he was SO upset...I honestly don't know what the heck started it?!?!

But I can't comment more - there's a big space saved in my TR for an Ode to Tony!

Awwww...I can't wait to read it!!

I can't comment much on the rest of the night... it was one of those weird nights where each of us had a tale from the same place, but completely different scenarios! Just wait I guess, and all shall be revealed.

So umm....is it coming any time soon??? I can't possibly be ahead of you, can I? Wait, what day are we on? Hmmm.....

AIS is the BEST! Too bad mine was WAAAAAAY off!

Yeah, what the heck happened that morning anyway??? Get writing Sista!

Ok, funny story ... We're walking up Main St. and Andy tells me "Hey, there goes LL, Tony and M on the trolley!" Pfft! I tell him. No way they'd be going on the trolley back down Main St.

Darn it, we were looking for you guys too!!

Actually we're now up to 15.

I totally couldn't keep track.

And I ran out of fingers to count on whilst I was typing...heh heh...

I did, however, use the word "epitome", of which V took no notice...I should get bonus points for using a fancy word like that...just sayin'

I love it! I remember our first year together... Evan was what... 2? Both M Mads and Leo were around 5? Yickes, they've all grown so quickly.

Haven't they though?!? I love looking back at these pictures and the great memories we've made each year! LY girls!!!

Yup! I can't wait to report on the villa's to you girls!

Me too...I'm dying to see them!!

So, so true! You should have had a dozen, LL!

You take that back Tracy!!

Are you kidding me? It was a family celebration!

Dude we all looked **** faced!

Ummmm...you guys weren't?

I was surprised to see M so into the characters this time. It was really cute!

Me too! He's so funny...it changes from trip to trip. In fact at the beginning of dinner he didn't want to have anything to do with the characters, but yet another switch was flipped...maybe it was 'cause Mickey came and sat with him...not sure, but I was glad to see him acting like a little kid and enjoying himself though...too many times he's too grown up for this stuff. Or at least he thinks he is...

Are you kidding me? We were right in the center hub directly infront of the fire station.

NO WAY!!! DOH!

LL I am exhausted! What a jam-packed day. The party looked like so much fun. Too bad about the crowds at night in the MK.

OMG - it was so hot and crowded Kristel...ugh...it was actually hard to really enjoy it.

This is where I need to stand up and remind my friends about value season and how it's TOTALLY ok to pull the kids out of school for a week!! I'm all about it...

There. I've said it.

I'll step down off my soap box now...