I thought that was the perfect title to the last chapter.
Yes, the last chapter should have been the last, but I like long goodbyes.
Let's face it, DisneyWorld is all of our's Oz at the end of the Yellow Brick Road, no matter whether we fly, drive, or walk and pick up strange characters on the way. There will always be some heartaches, some pain, "But most of it will be beautiful", and we don't need Dorothy to tell us that.
So we climb on the Yellow Brick Road.
But mercifully, this journey for now, has come to an end.
More importantly, let me give you a single example of why I spend all this time writing about these journeys though:
I've been prolonging the inevitable long enough. While I know it's over, I just can't bring myself to accept it.
Our last trip in October '10 seems so long ago now, but reading your TR at least brought back some great memories, and now all me and DH can talk about is one day meeting you and Smidgy on a trip...sometime in the very near...ok distant...ok very distant future, just hopefully not too distant.
We've all laughed, and cried, and laughed until we've cried with you and Smidgy through this report. I can only wait impatiently for the next report you write. Until then, I might sneak over to some of your old TR's just to get my fix
.
Thank you for the entertainment and friendship.
ThumperManswife, really, I,,, thank you! Your letter made my day, and I feel we have all gone down the that Yellow Brick Road together, but I guess now it's time to tap our heels together...and no, I promise not to say, "And I'll miss you most of all" to Ponzi.
Speaking of Yellow Brick, if you are a fan of the Lion King and it's music, you really need to hear Elton John's versions of "Can you feel the love tonight" and "Circle of Life". He blows away the ones you hear on the DVD or in the musical. He should, he wrote them.
Boy, where did the time go?
It was August 5, I finally decided to do a report on the July trip, which just blended into the December trip. That's a lot of mornings getting up and running to the computer to see who posted! Yes, I do.
Or who I ticked off now.
But most importantly, it's been a lot of fun, although this last trip report was hard to do simply because of the cold, and the fact that we didn't really do anything different.
The doing things different, ah, that's the important part when it comes to doing multiple reports on the same subject.
And, of course, a bit of the absurd mixed in always helps, too.
Let's face it, nobody wants to read anymore about what they saw in a ride, and we've all seen tons of pictures of It's a Small World, yes, some pictures do add to things, but you really need more than that now to keep readers.
Luckilly, I've been blessed with having things go wrong!
It really helps when doing the writing, let me tell you.
There have been times I sat down and started writing from what's in my head, and I just couldn't type fast enough, the thoughts were flying in and out so fast, that's when you absolutely just love doing the trip report.
I have laughed myself silly just writing some chapters at times.
Other times I'm like, "Please, give me a sign! How can I make Test Track and Soarin' (apostrophe trademarked) sound fun".
But it's almost exciting to sit down at the computer knowing that tonight's the night I tell about being picked as an extra in the Indy Stunt Show! Yep, that was a good time. Or the one weird day I almost totally left out cuz nothing major really happened,,,,, well, except getting to meet jock itch guy and the incredible smoker, not to mention being rebuffed by a little kid during Illuminations.
Just watching something like jock itch guy may not seem like anything special at the time, until you picture trying to put it into words,,,,that's when the potential for laughs comes in.
Ok, one last list and I"m breaking up this "double header" into two separate entities, "Oil's Well" and "Jingle Bells." This is in case anyone should want to read other reports from the past, hey, at least you don't have to wait for a new chapter or me to make fresh manhattans:
My favorite self written trip reports, least to best:
7. Smidgy and the Grump
another very cold trip, BWV highlights, biggest problem was my computer, it just got too old to do it.
6. This last report, "Jingle Bells"
even I got tired of complaining in the report how cold it was, back didn't help.
5. Guess who's coming to free dinner?
My second report, first time writing on free dining. Did I mention Segways? And Pool Cleaner guy and aftermath.
4. If it's Tuesday, this must be Epcot.
First report, no idea what I was doing, kinda funny in how stupid I was. (leave it alone)
3. Honey I Shrunk the Checkbook
First time In December, lotsa fun meeting others and hanging out with them. (Colleen, Marita, Emily, Jill & John)
2. Oils well that ends well
Yeah, the first of this double header, I had a lot of fun with Vero Beach, (for awhile) and all that went on at BCV.
It was hard to write because of the Brazilians and what went on with them, very hard for me, anyway. I'd try to set a mode of forboding but I had too many good lines still running around in my head that I just couldn't waste.
"He stood up, started to come right at me and I knew soccer players are in the best of health and fitness.
I get winded making a double jump in checkers."something like that.
By the way, don't close the car door on the seat belt!
Yes, my favorite report was the most bizarre,,,bizzare,,, strange.
1. Still feeding Nebo
Great, we both lose our jobs, still go on a bunch of trips and meet lots of dissers. I think it was the funniest report out of all of them, and got to touch on a couple OTHER trips we took in the process of writing that report.
Definately a wacky time in our life.
Which again brings us back here.
Yes, Nicole, it's time to go away for a while, i'll still be hanging around though, just not talking about myself for awhile.
Believe me, it's a good thing.
I'm all out of ammo, I need new material and I need to step away for a bit to see if new perspectives cross my mind for another report.
Here's where Diane says, "Thoughts can't cross your mind Steve, the bridge is out!"
Thank you all very much, lotta laughs, lotta fun, lotsa hugs. If I start a pre trip report, i'll notify a lot of you that I think of ahead of time, certainly if I do another report.
Marita, Marie, Nicole, Janet, you kids have been with me the longest I think, thank you for your participation and friendship over the years, everybody else, I'm sorry if you fell I've left you out, but I look forward to seeing you all in the future, but I can't name all of you now.
So now, it's time to actually click our heels, (this is really embarrassing because I look really silly in ruby red slippers) "there's no place like home" "there's no place like home".
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September 29, 2011
I knew it was coming, but I just lay there anyway.
Let it have it's fun, see how much Smidgy jumps.
I've been awake almost an hour now, just waiting for the little box to start blaring out the news, and even though it was expected, I still jumped. Along with Smidgy.
What I had forgotten about was our deal, how I forgot I have no idea, but as Smidgy then reminded me, a Deal's a Deal.
Once I put my shirt on and brushed my tooth she then hung my bathroom bag around my neck.
This had to stay in place until we pulled out of the driveway, and most of you know why.
She was not going to blow 6 hours of a trip again by having to turn around and start over!
The day is September 5, Monday morning.
What started as a one night stay in Kissimmee turned into a one night stay in Disney, then a two night stay in Disney, then, when free dining came out and you had to stay a minimum 3 nights,,, 3 nights at Music/ quick service plan, since 30 bucks would have to be spent on mugs, anyway.
Yeah, it just blows up bigger and bigger all the time, that 's the way it has always been with us, but I'm kind of looking forward to spending time again at the Calypso Pool,,,why?,,, hey anybody, wanna play some water balloon toss? Yep, good memories.
Luckily the Santa Fe was packed the night before, I think I would have hurt myself with this thing hanging from my Adam's Apple the whole time, but by 3:30, we were in the car, holding hands and saying a prayer.
Then, it was time to leave, and you know what comes next,,,,,,
"Steve, you can take that bag away from your neck now."
"I knew that!" "Geesh, you just ruined it."
Then, it was time to leave, and you know what comes next....
Everybody!
"Annnnnnnnnnnd, we're Off!"
.
. Their version of "when you wish upon a star" would always give me goose bumps.
