Annie'sMom
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
Someone had told me I got Day 8 on the Day 9 posting. Here is the REAL Day 9. Sorry for the confusion!
Day 9 - Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Me â 42, Single mom and Disney fanatic. The first question my co-workers ask when I return from vacation is, âÂÂSo, when are you going back?â I live in Central Missouri and typically depart from St. Louis Lambert Airport, which is about a 1.5 hour drive from home.
DD â 4-year-old diva. IâÂÂm serious; this girl has a future on the stage or screen. She loves to sing and dance and loves all things Disney, too.
This is our last full day. Because DD was âÂÂparked outâÂÂ, we decided today we would just take it easy and not do anything major in the parks until the Remember the Magic parade. Leslea left us to go to work, and we had made plans to meet after she got off work. First on our agenda this morning was a trip to Downtown Disney for some more serious shopping. We got dressed and drove to DD. We arrived at around 9:15, and the shops were not even open yet. When they opened at 9:30, we went immediately to the World of Disney. I just love that store, although it is so large, that I get frequently turned around. Of course, we always start in the plush/toy room. DD went and watched cartoons while I shopped. Have you ever noticed the seats by the TV monitors are Mad Hatter hats turned upside down? There were several things I was looking for. Besides the usual souvenirs, I really wanted to buy a watch or some kind of jewelry. I looked and looked at the watches, but I couldnâÂÂt find anything I really liked. I did wind up buying a pinky ring with an inlaid Mickey head. I just love it. Also, WOD was already decorated for Christmas, so I bought the new 2000 Christmas sweatshirt. I really like it. ItâÂÂs red (naturally) with a profile Mickey head drawn in green and white. ItâÂÂs a very subtle design. We also had to look for something for DD to take back to her preschool class. I saw darling Mickey head hair clips for the girls, but I couldnâÂÂt find anything inexpensive for the boys.
After we finished shopping, we went to McDonalds for lunch. While we were eating, it started to rain. This was the first rain of our trip. It never did rain very hard, but it was steady. Regardless of the rain, DD wanted to play at the Lego Imagination Center. She played there for nearly an hour. ItâÂÂs really interesting because she never plays with the Legos she has at home. Finally, we needed to head back to the room for a rest. We planned to hit the other stores at the Marketplace tomorrow before we leave. We drove back to the Contemporary and Les had left us a message that she had gotten off work early and would be waiting for us in the lobby. It turns out that because the rain had chased away some of the crowds, they were âÂÂEarly Releasingâ staff, and she took advantage to spend some time in the park with us. We went and met her and went back to the room for a while. I showed her all of our purchases, and she ate her lunchâÂÂa delicious caramel apple from the Main Street Confectionary Shop. DD requested to go out to the playground, so we did. By this time, the rain had stopped. DD and Leslea had a good time playing on the equipment. DD had warmed a little to Leslea by this point.
Around 2:30, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to secure a place for the parade. This time, Mommy was prepared with the video camera. I just prayed that DD would get to participate in the parade again. It was neat being with Les, since she knew most of the Main Street Greeters working, and DD got some great interaction. I went in City Hall to fill out comment cards. When I went back out, DD had had a screaming fit and Leslea was mortified. I honestly donâÂÂt know what DDâÂÂs problem is, except that she is just exhausted. It was looking doubtful that I would be able to escape for a couple of hours this evening to go to Epcot. We got a place near the Car Barn again. The parade arrived around 3:40. This time, DD got to dance with Goofy. It was so cute. I canâÂÂt tell you how many times weâÂÂve watched that video since we got home. By the way, the crowds were really minimal at this point. We decided to walk up Main Street to see if DD was going to behave with Leslea. We stopped at CaseyâÂÂs and got something to drink. WE proceeded towards Toontown.
I asked DD what she would like to ride, and she said Pooh. I told her I would go look for Fast Passes, but she would have to stay with Leslea and go through MinnieâÂÂs House. She seemed OK with that, so I left. I stayed outside of MinnieâÂÂs House for a while just to be sure DD didnâÂÂt throw a fit. They didnâÂÂt come out, so I headed towards Pooh. The Fast Passes were all gone for today, so I walked back to Toontown. I couldnâÂÂt locate DD and Les. I looked in MinnieâÂÂs House and MickeyâÂÂs House. I went back to see if the stroller had been moved. It hadnâÂÂt, so I knew they were still there. Every time I heard a child crying, I looked to see if it was DD. I finally spotted them in the line for GoofyâÂÂs Barnstormer. I waited for them at the exit, and DD was so excited that she got to ride. Leslea said she did real well. I looked down and DD had Leslea by the hand. I asked DD if she would be OK with Les for a little while while I went to Epcot. We had talked about the possibility earlier. She said it was OK. I told her I would see her later. I left. Leslea told me later she had been fine. They rode the teacups, went in MickeyâÂÂs house and DonaldâÂÂs Boat and had supper at CaseyâÂÂs.
I walked to the entrance of the park. DonâÂÂt ask me why I didnâÂÂt take the train. I couldnâÂÂt tell you. I did stop at the Emporium and picked up a MK sweatshirt for myself and a Cinderella playset for DD. I took the monorail to Epcot and entered the park. I headed immediately for World Showcase and started sampling some of the booths from the International Food and Wine Festival. I must say I enjoyed this immensely. ItâÂÂs a great way to try new foods without worrying about wasting money in a restaurant by ordering something you might not like. I had kielbasa and pieroggi from Poland (along with a Polish beer), cheddar cheese soup from Canada, and Coq au Vin from France. I spent a little time watching the living statue in France. He was fascinating. I found a spot to watch the Tapestry of Nation between France and Morrocco. I even found space on a bench on the lagoon side. I loved ToN. I didnâÂÂt realize it was so long. I wished DD could have seen it. After the parade, I continued my walk around World Showcase, but I only sampled one more foodâÂÂraclette from Switzerland. It was also delicious. I ended the tour with a Mickey ice cream bar. After thinking more about it, I should have done the tour clockwise, since over by Canada and UK was a food booth that featured chocolate. That would have been a perfect place to have dessert.
I planned to be back in the room by 8:00, and I didnâÂÂt miss it by much. However, it was nearly 9:00 before I actually got in the room. I had given Leslea my key because I knew they would get back before me. Apparently, Les fell asleep and didnâÂÂt hear me knock. I thought at first that they just hadnâÂÂt gotten back to the room yet. But by almost 9:00, I knew they had to be there. I pounded on the door, and woke Leslea. She gave me a run down on what had happened and went back to sleep. I hadnâÂÂt planned to do laundry, but I spilled coq au vin on my shorts, so I decided to wash them. If I was going to wash one thing, I might as well wash all the dirty stuff. ItâÂÂs so much nicer to come home with clean clothes anyway. I did laundry and began to pack. I was having trouble with the dryer (it didnâÂÂt want to dry the clothes), so it was almost 11:30 when I finally turned out the light. No worry, we didnâÂÂt need to get up early in the morning. The only thing we were doing was checking out!
Day 9 - Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Me â 42, Single mom and Disney fanatic. The first question my co-workers ask when I return from vacation is, âÂÂSo, when are you going back?â I live in Central Missouri and typically depart from St. Louis Lambert Airport, which is about a 1.5 hour drive from home.
DD â 4-year-old diva. IâÂÂm serious; this girl has a future on the stage or screen. She loves to sing and dance and loves all things Disney, too.
This is our last full day. Because DD was âÂÂparked outâÂÂ, we decided today we would just take it easy and not do anything major in the parks until the Remember the Magic parade. Leslea left us to go to work, and we had made plans to meet after she got off work. First on our agenda this morning was a trip to Downtown Disney for some more serious shopping. We got dressed and drove to DD. We arrived at around 9:15, and the shops were not even open yet. When they opened at 9:30, we went immediately to the World of Disney. I just love that store, although it is so large, that I get frequently turned around. Of course, we always start in the plush/toy room. DD went and watched cartoons while I shopped. Have you ever noticed the seats by the TV monitors are Mad Hatter hats turned upside down? There were several things I was looking for. Besides the usual souvenirs, I really wanted to buy a watch or some kind of jewelry. I looked and looked at the watches, but I couldnâÂÂt find anything I really liked. I did wind up buying a pinky ring with an inlaid Mickey head. I just love it. Also, WOD was already decorated for Christmas, so I bought the new 2000 Christmas sweatshirt. I really like it. ItâÂÂs red (naturally) with a profile Mickey head drawn in green and white. ItâÂÂs a very subtle design. We also had to look for something for DD to take back to her preschool class. I saw darling Mickey head hair clips for the girls, but I couldnâÂÂt find anything inexpensive for the boys.
After we finished shopping, we went to McDonalds for lunch. While we were eating, it started to rain. This was the first rain of our trip. It never did rain very hard, but it was steady. Regardless of the rain, DD wanted to play at the Lego Imagination Center. She played there for nearly an hour. ItâÂÂs really interesting because she never plays with the Legos she has at home. Finally, we needed to head back to the room for a rest. We planned to hit the other stores at the Marketplace tomorrow before we leave. We drove back to the Contemporary and Les had left us a message that she had gotten off work early and would be waiting for us in the lobby. It turns out that because the rain had chased away some of the crowds, they were âÂÂEarly Releasingâ staff, and she took advantage to spend some time in the park with us. We went and met her and went back to the room for a while. I showed her all of our purchases, and she ate her lunchâÂÂa delicious caramel apple from the Main Street Confectionary Shop. DD requested to go out to the playground, so we did. By this time, the rain had stopped. DD and Leslea had a good time playing on the equipment. DD had warmed a little to Leslea by this point.
Around 2:30, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to secure a place for the parade. This time, Mommy was prepared with the video camera. I just prayed that DD would get to participate in the parade again. It was neat being with Les, since she knew most of the Main Street Greeters working, and DD got some great interaction. I went in City Hall to fill out comment cards. When I went back out, DD had had a screaming fit and Leslea was mortified. I honestly donâÂÂt know what DDâÂÂs problem is, except that she is just exhausted. It was looking doubtful that I would be able to escape for a couple of hours this evening to go to Epcot. We got a place near the Car Barn again. The parade arrived around 3:40. This time, DD got to dance with Goofy. It was so cute. I canâÂÂt tell you how many times weâÂÂve watched that video since we got home. By the way, the crowds were really minimal at this point. We decided to walk up Main Street to see if DD was going to behave with Leslea. We stopped at CaseyâÂÂs and got something to drink. WE proceeded towards Toontown.
I asked DD what she would like to ride, and she said Pooh. I told her I would go look for Fast Passes, but she would have to stay with Leslea and go through MinnieâÂÂs House. She seemed OK with that, so I left. I stayed outside of MinnieâÂÂs House for a while just to be sure DD didnâÂÂt throw a fit. They didnâÂÂt come out, so I headed towards Pooh. The Fast Passes were all gone for today, so I walked back to Toontown. I couldnâÂÂt locate DD and Les. I looked in MinnieâÂÂs House and MickeyâÂÂs House. I went back to see if the stroller had been moved. It hadnâÂÂt, so I knew they were still there. Every time I heard a child crying, I looked to see if it was DD. I finally spotted them in the line for GoofyâÂÂs Barnstormer. I waited for them at the exit, and DD was so excited that she got to ride. Leslea said she did real well. I looked down and DD had Leslea by the hand. I asked DD if she would be OK with Les for a little while while I went to Epcot. We had talked about the possibility earlier. She said it was OK. I told her I would see her later. I left. Leslea told me later she had been fine. They rode the teacups, went in MickeyâÂÂs house and DonaldâÂÂs Boat and had supper at CaseyâÂÂs.
I walked to the entrance of the park. DonâÂÂt ask me why I didnâÂÂt take the train. I couldnâÂÂt tell you. I did stop at the Emporium and picked up a MK sweatshirt for myself and a Cinderella playset for DD. I took the monorail to Epcot and entered the park. I headed immediately for World Showcase and started sampling some of the booths from the International Food and Wine Festival. I must say I enjoyed this immensely. ItâÂÂs a great way to try new foods without worrying about wasting money in a restaurant by ordering something you might not like. I had kielbasa and pieroggi from Poland (along with a Polish beer), cheddar cheese soup from Canada, and Coq au Vin from France. I spent a little time watching the living statue in France. He was fascinating. I found a spot to watch the Tapestry of Nation between France and Morrocco. I even found space on a bench on the lagoon side. I loved ToN. I didnâÂÂt realize it was so long. I wished DD could have seen it. After the parade, I continued my walk around World Showcase, but I only sampled one more foodâÂÂraclette from Switzerland. It was also delicious. I ended the tour with a Mickey ice cream bar. After thinking more about it, I should have done the tour clockwise, since over by Canada and UK was a food booth that featured chocolate. That would have been a perfect place to have dessert.
I planned to be back in the room by 8:00, and I didnâÂÂt miss it by much. However, it was nearly 9:00 before I actually got in the room. I had given Leslea my key because I knew they would get back before me. Apparently, Les fell asleep and didnâÂÂt hear me knock. I thought at first that they just hadnâÂÂt gotten back to the room yet. But by almost 9:00, I knew they had to be there. I pounded on the door, and woke Leslea. She gave me a run down on what had happened and went back to sleep. I hadnâÂÂt planned to do laundry, but I spilled coq au vin on my shorts, so I decided to wash them. If I was going to wash one thing, I might as well wash all the dirty stuff. ItâÂÂs so much nicer to come home with clean clothes anyway. I did laundry and began to pack. I was having trouble with the dryer (it didnâÂÂt want to dry the clothes), so it was almost 11:30 when I finally turned out the light. No worry, we didnâÂÂt need to get up early in the morning. The only thing we were doing was checking out!
Sounds like a wonderful day!!
