Okay guys. I want to answer each and everyone of you, but if I do that I won't have time to write. I am also trying to read trip reports as I truly just discovered them right before I went on vacation, and then took a DIS hiatus after we returned for about 5 weeks, so I need to read all the other repors. I am starting with the shorter ones first, as I can get through them, and think I will save Zzub for last as he seems to be the grand daddy of them all.
Its in this one- our windfall. Read on, but dont skip until you find it and then jump ship to another thread where the writing is funnier, traitor. I have to filibuster just a little but promise, its in this post
.. I am writing offline today as my high speed is down again. Dagnabit. I feel like Tom Hanks, stranded, isolated and I dont even have a dang soccer ball. Or was it a basketball? Cant remember, doesnt matter. Eh hmmm, stream of conciousness- it drags this report on.
So we are in the air and closing in on Cincinnati. I think of Pete Rose and sigh. I was a baseball fanatic as a kid. Knew every player on the Mets, the Reds, the Phillies and had autographs of Tug, Tom Seaver and lots others but never of Pete. I was in love with these guys. True puppy love. Dreamy gaga. Momofmnm, I like older men too. Always have. Baseball players are all I thought about back then and sometimes still now, come to think of it, but my taste in men has changed somewhat. I am married to the boy next door and wouldnt have it any other way, but sometimes a girl might look at a menu at another restaurant, "you know that saying you can look aat the menu but don't eat out" Anyway, I was thinking about all the cute baseball players from my childhood and even today.
Oops back to childhood, the wonder years. Went to Turtleback Zoo and got some autographs one day when I was 7. Ill never forget it. Tom Seaver was beautiful. Ran into Pete at Shea one game and I was awestruck, in my dreams- never happened but I did meet Cleon Jones-he was cool. My mom had Willie Mays autograph, so baseball was a family sport from way back. Next to being a jockey, and an actress, I wanted to be a baseball player back then. Good thing Petes fall from grace happened when I was an adult. I would have been shattered
.. Hadnt thought about all that in years. I liked coming through Cinncinati and thinking about how I felt when I was a wee lass, like my kids are now. Makes me remember how I felt, what was important, how the whole world seemed fantastic and wonderful. Recapturing that optimism and joy sometimes gets hard watching the news, reading dreadful story after story in the online news, dealing with mean people. Mean people suck. I love that tee shirt. Ostrich position, please. Guess thats why the escapism of WDW is so intoxicating to us adults, and from reading some of these posts (which I am now doing, having left the budget boards, wow, talent- you know the big names, I dont have to mention them- vc, hh) why so many adults like to get intoxicated.
We land without incident. Glory be, because I have to be a brave soldier in the air now that I have kids. The leg is going again. The kids dont know that sign yet-mom nervous
Stay cool, baby, real cool (I love musicals and West Side Story is one of my favs) and emit aura of calmness. Smile and squeeze the kids hands, but not too tight. See, I like control. I suppose we all do, but suspended 35,000 feet over terra firma is just way too little control over my destiny.
DJ and I are feeling pumped. The kids are so happy skipping, not running, through the airport. Jack has assumed the position- being driven in a pram like the little king that he is. He stays in his throne for much of the next two weeks, when we are mobile that is. We see a cnn report on a monitor and bam, the big one is on its way. We look up at the flight screens-they have closed philly, laguardia, jfk, Newark. Holy toledo! We scored! Not a flake of snow here in cin. And Atlanta is closed too! Fog. That had been one of our options, thank sweet mary I chose cin. Were soarin cause we know well be soarin soon from the cold to the warmth of sunny mco and on onto soarin at the Cot or Epcot to you. We are at the cusp of triumph. I love squirming my way out of a mess. It makes life interesting. The year of living dangerously-the motto of my life, and a super movie, Oh to be like Signourney- what a woman. And Mel, Mel G that is, is high on my list too, although the Mel of these boards is quite the hottie too. You little flirt you.
We arrive at our gate. It is packed. We find an area with no other people in a section so the kids can run in tiny circles without the Mr. Magoo affect. DJ does the ticket thing and I look at how cute our darlings are. Carson has struck up a conversation with a little boy next to him and they discuss the wonders of Buzz. Sky is on my lap snuggling and jack has found another little mike myers with the harness type of kids and they are orbiting around one another making strange intergalactic noises. Me, ever the doom monger, is still a tad nervous. We arent out on easy street yet. You know how life is, you think youre heading into calm waters and it turns out to actually be the eye of the storm and the worst winds are on the other side? DJ comes back.
Me- All set, hon?
DJ-Yup, but they asked me if we would be willing to give up our seats.
Me- Ha, did you tell them NO WAY?
DJ- Yeah, but they are offering to give us $500 bucks and first class on the next flight.
ME-(wheels turning)- First class? Oooh, a couple of G & Ts for mommy and daddy who have now been up for 30 hours
..
DJ-Its 4 hours. This isnt fair on the kids.
ME- The kids, what about us? Yeach, $500 bucks and first class aint worth it.
We all sit and wait. They keep asking for 5 volunteers. My stomach feels a knot. They are short 5 seats. And I see an attendant sauntering over to us. With all the people on this flight, why is she zeroing in on us. You know how you can sense when you are the target way before someone is in your zone? I looked up and tried to gauge what she might be going to say. Have they figured out that we were the five seats that got booked when there wasnt a seat vacant? Did my sweet gal who put us on this flight somehow mark that we were the last reservations? My leg is really swinging. DOES SHE KNOW ITS OUR FAULT THEY ARE OVERBOOKED? OKay stuck in cin for 24 hours, here it comes. Well, we got this far, maybe we can go check out the rock n roll hall of fame. Wait, that's cleveland. Dang...
Attendant- Are you sure you folks wouldnt consider giving up your seat? $2000 in Delta air vouchers, first class on the next flight out and lunch any where in the airport.
DJ- Thanks, well think about it. He always acts so cool. Would make a great poker player, only this boy is all about safety.
$2000 whoa, big fella. Horse of a different color. She got my attention. My adrenalin flows. I see several families listening to the whole thing. I am thinking they might try to horn in on this deal. None of them has little tykes like us-well not as many.
DJ isnt a wall street trader kinda guy. Decisions come slowly and with great thought behind them. I am a high stakes bidder kind a girl and can still instantly play out the scenarios, make a decision and live with the consequences. I do it fast. Some might call me impulsive, I prefer decisive. I know there isnt a whole lotta time to debate this one.
I put DJ in charge of this one. The kids have been up since 3, we would be hanging in an airport for 4 extra hours and would miss our afternoon at CBR. But we do see it is raining in Orlando. This is another piece of info to add to the mix.
We calmly hit the pros and cons, and decide to take deal! DJ didnt balk on this one. Sometimes I am the power player, pushing my agenda on him- a high pressure salesman- but this was an equal partnership and if we had meltdowns in first class on the next flight- oh well.
So my man, the elegant and silent negotiator, goes up to the counter and brings back 2000 buckeroonies in vouchers. Thats how we did it, thats how we made our mysterious money on our trip. Isn't that awesome? I
ve secretly hoped I'd get a chance to do this, but never have run into the situation. We were and are tickled to get such a big return for 4 hours of 'work'. But for all you mathematicians and detail oriented types, you might be saying $2000 smackers doesnt make $3,600. Right you are and thus without giving away too much of the details, we end up with 1600 more somewhere at the end of our trip. I want you to stay with me, so for now, you figure it out.
Was this anti-climatic for you guys? I hope not. For anyone who travels with 5 people, you know how expensive it is to go anywhere. I was on cloud nine and promised myself not to be depressed at the end of the trip because now I knew we would get back to Mickey before 2 years time and maybe even swing in a trip to Paris. We always have Paris
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Part 5- GO TO PAGE 10, post 138
