Happy Tuesday all.
tigger536 - you must have been sitting on the computer yesterday to read and respond so quickly. With the "frustration" we just decided we had to make our own fun and we just tried to look at them as a form of entertainment. Granted sometimes it was as entertaining as a finger in the eye but we weren't going to let it ruin our trip.
disneyloveNY - thanks again for following along and being such a loyal reader.
Today I hope to finish up Christmas Eve. Keep your fingers crossed.
Last time we were waiting for the MJJP at AK. As I said "Where's K?" and "Antsy" are not huge fans of parades, a fact we learned once we got to WDW. The parade went by and neither of them showed any type of emotion at all. It was like watching a parade at Mount Rushmore. By the time it was over "Antsy" was wondering out loud about what Maryanne was up to back at our room! "Where's K?" asked for my cigarettes and wandered off to find a smoking area. "Magic Beckdom" reminded us that our FP for EE were now good and we could go over there. This caused "Happy" to come back and all was looking up. Then we realized that we were going to have to wait for "Where's K?" to come back. (Good thing this was an EMH day!) We didn't see her any where nearby so we decided to head for EE and look for her on the way. About halfway there we spotted her in the area back over across from the FoW theater. While we waited for her to finish "Antsy" joined us again and started to "innocently" search the bushes. Luckily the Duck must have seen him coming this time and was nowhere to be seen.
We made our way over to EE and deposited "Where's K?" in the nearby smoking area with two of my cigarettes and the book of matches and got into the FP line. This time we tried to get "Tinker Jo" to keep her peepers open but this must be a fear response or some kind of weird birth defect because as soon as we hit the top the eyes closed and the mouth opened again. it took two more tries that day before she was finally able to see the Yeti. When we exited the ride we walked back over to the smoking area and found "Where's K?" discussing room rates and park tickets with some guests from Kentucky. These poor people had also heard all about her two grand daughters and her "Handicapped" grandson back home, this really irks "Magic Beckdom as she works with the disabled and can't stand it when "Where's K?" refers to him as "handicapped", "Welcome to the new millenium, we say disabled now!"
We next headed over to see about FN the musical. When we got there we were told that the show had shut down for the day due to "Technical difficulties". After this disappointment we decided to walk back over and do the Pangani jungle walk. On the way I noticed that "Where's K?" was very quiet. I had seen this happen before but usually I could trace it back to something that had recently upset her. This time I really couldn't think of what could be wrong. When I asked her what was up she just placed her finger on her lips, got a very far off look on her face and said, "Nothing at all." (something's brewing there but what it is I have no idea.)
When we got over to Pangani we found it was also closed for the day.
Checking our guides we saw that FoW was about to start a show so we decided to go back that way. I know it seems we are doing a lot of criss crossing of the park but thats because we did. This was largely due to the spacing of FP's. It seems that we just couldn't get a good game plan down as how to utilize the FP and minimize the walking at AK. When we started over to FoW "Magic Beckdom" was excited because she decided she wanted to do the whole dollar in the air thing. (This from a woman who is not crazy about wild creepy crawlers.) We got to the theater just as a show was entering so we didn't have to wait. We moved into the theater and found a spot in the center section. "Sleepy" was not impressed here at all, probably because the seats are benches with no backs so it was next to impossible for him to catch a few winks. "Where's K?" continued to be ominously quiet. When it came time for a volunteer "Magic Beckdom" jumped to her feet already waving her dollar in the air. I think she had seen this show before.
The bird trainer chose her and told her to hold her dollar out at arms length. Well talk about a look of concentration. She had a puss on that looked like someone was holding a gun to her head. Both "Middle Mermaid" and "Tinker Jo" got a good laugh out of her "serious face". It was the same face she gets when she is driving at night or in bad weather. All of her energy goes right to her jaw and her left eye twitches just a little bit, the corners of her mouth turn slightly downward and the tendons in her neck tighten. It is also the same look she had each time she was in labor and had reached ten centimeters. This is definately a woman on a mission.
Then the bird flew out and landed on her arm. She never flinched, smiled or even blinked. When her turn at being Stephanie Irwin was over she sat down and it took about 5 mins before her facial muscles relaxed. Afterward when we asked why she had volunteered for this if she was obviously so nervous she said, "I decided it was just something I wanted to do." (Guess it was her answer to the WS players, her way to find just a little more Disney magic.)
After the bird show we went back to the train that takes you out to RPW. It was starting to get kind of dark and we didn't have much time when we got out there. The whole reason we went is that we had read on the Boards that Jimminy Cricket had been showing up out there and we really wanted to see if we could find him. As you can guess this held little interest for "Antsy", this was a bug that was big enough to squash him back, or "Where's K?", no princess pedigree. When we got out to RPW we had just enough time for "Tinker Jo" to run to that little room again and miss JC, "Middle Mermaid" got her pic with the green one. Then "Middle Mermaid" and I jumped in line to see Pocahontas. We tried to get "Where's K?" to get this autograph but she wasn't falling for it. "Middle Mermaid" tried to convince her that Pocahontas was an indian princess but she might as well have been trying to get "Picky" to eat spinach quiche. We all did the petting zoo there, pretty much on a dead run and then made our way back out to the train stop. During the ride back out on the train "Where's K?" was still being very quiet and I actually began to worry that something was really wrong. When we reached the main part of the park we made a happy discovery. It seems that this was an EMH day, we had somehow missed this or forgotten this during all our planning. Now I really have to say that considering everything today had been going OK. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, "Where's K?" was quiet but that is not an entirely bad thing
, and there had been no complaints about tired feet or the occassional headache. Since this was the case and since this was our one and only day for AK "Magic Beckdom" and I thought it was probably a good idea that we stay. When we brought up grabbing our EMH bracelets all He** broke lose. "Where's K?'s" eyes glassed over and the veins on her forhead popped out about 1/2 inch, her face turned purple and I swear I thought, just for a second< that her head was going to spin completly around on her neck. "
OH NO! I AM NOT STAYING HERE ONE MORE MINUTE. I CAN NOT TAKE ANOTHER STEP. MY FEET ARE BLEEDING AND I AM ABOUT TO COLLAPSE. I AM GOING BACK TO THE ROOM!!!:"scared1: I would like to tell you that I looked on my dear friend with warmth and understanding. That I came to her rescue and gently put my arm around her and then supported her entire weight out of the park and all the way back to the hotel room where "Magic Beckdom" drew her a warm bath and then "Middle Mermaid" and "Tinker Jo" took turns alternately rubbing lotion on her poor cracked feet and making her cups of herbal tea. I would like to tell you that but I can't. Instead I felt my blood pressure explode through the top of my head and every muscle in my body began to vibrate. I looked her in the eyes and said, "
THAT'S FINE...(Keep your cool.)...just take your room key and go." "
I AM!! "Can you find your way out of the park?" "
I'LL BE FINE!!!" At that she gathered up all her strength and off she went. I turned to the rest of the group and "Magic Beckdom's" face was blank, "Tinker Jo" looked like Bambi in the head lights, "Middle Mermaid" had a slight smirk on her face and "Clueless" was busy studying a nearby shrub. His indifference would soon change.
"Ok let's see what's next?", I asked the group. "Middle Mermaid" offered, "I could eat something." "So could I." said "Magic Beckdom" "Ok, then lets grab our EMH bands and find something to eat." Then with our magic wrist bands in place we grabbed burgers and chicken at a spot just as you head into CMM and then sat at an umbrella in the courtyard to eat. While we ate it started to rain! Just a little at first then harder and harder. It started to run down the sides of the umbrella and drip down "Middle Mermaids" back. Then it started to drip down my right arm. Next "Magic Beckdom" started to feel it on the back of her head. We all moved in closer under the umbrella and continued to eat. Then it started to rain even harder. Now "Tinker Jo's" feet were getting wet and "Drippy" was starting to get splattered from rain falling off the overhead tree. We moved in even closer. I started to feel a little guilty at this point. We had sent "Where's K?" off into the cold cruel world on her own, we would probably never see her again and now to top it off wherever she was she was also getting wet. I felt guilty but at this stage in the game there was nothing I could do, she was gone by now and any attempt to find her would be fruitless. I just kept thinking that I wish it had been any other park but here because AK is probably the most confusing layout of them all, especially after dark. The rain continued to increase and we decided that we really needed our ponchos now. As we all pulled them out and started to put them on "Happy" popped up, yes this was a meal that he actually ate and seemed to enjoy it! (Ironic, She leaves, he perks up.) "I don't have my poncho, my grandmother took it with her." This kid was forced to wear this plastic bag everytime he came within forty feet of any kind of water all week and now when for the first time he really needs it it's gone!! The next problem was that since this was an EMH night all of the stores and most of the rests were closed. There wasn't a poncho for sale anywhere. (It figures, usually as soon as it starts to cloud up in Miami Disney pulls out the ponchos, tonight we can't buy one for all the tea in China.) We decide that we have committed ourselves now so we will just brave it out, or rather "Drippy" will brave it out, I have my poncho.
We headed over to catch FOTLK in CMM. This is "Magic Beckdom's" all time hands down favorite show and nothing was going to stop her from seeing it. When we got to the theater the show was due to start in about 25 mins so of course now in the rain we have to wait for an attraction again. All week we have pretty much walked on everything but this time we can't. While we are standing in line the heavens open and I begin to think we are going to have to round up the animals out on the safari and line them up two by two. We try to share our four ponchos with "Drippy" as best we can. Then this lovely lady in front of us offers to share her umbrella with "Drippy". We gratefully accept and he moves in under her. Turns out she is visiting WDW with her family from Japan and her husband and her sons have decided to go back to the room but she wanted to stay for a little bit, so she is flying solo. We strike up a conversation with her and explain EMH. She becomes very excited that she can stay an additional 3 hours tonight and we tell her where to get her wristband. I hope her family didn't panic too much when mom didn't show up at the hotel when they expected her. (Now we are beginning to corrupt people from around the world.
) Due to the fact that English is a second language to her and the rain is making all kinds of noise it is very hard to understand her at times and it is obvious that "Drippy" doesn't have a clue what his benefactress is trying to say. Eventually the push of the crowd behind us gets larger and "Drippy" and friend are moved slightly further in front of us so that we can no longer converse. It's fun to watch him nodding his head and smiling to everything she is saying while he tries to stay as close to her as possible so as to stay out of the deluge going on around them. I'm sure he learned what it means to be alone in a crowd that night.
The interesting thing about this whole situation is that he is handling himself very appropriately. He is showing a maturity and a graciousness under pressure that we had not seen all week!
When we enter the theater he is reunited with us and as he excuses himself he makes sure to thank his umbrella mate for her kindness. After the show, which he actually stayed awake for, he seems genuinely impressed and just keeps saying, "I wish Gram had stayed, she would have just loved that!" This change in character was almost enough to cause you to forgive the other difficulties all week, ALMOST. (I decided to just go with it and enjoy this personality while I could. Who knows it might not last or it could well be one of those personalities that causes neighbors to stare wild eyed into the news cameras and proclaim, "He just always seemed so quiet and mild mannered. I can't believe he just killed his entire family with a melon baller!"
)
Sorry folks, took longer than I had hoped today due to many interruptions. I will definately complete this installment tom.
Next installment: the obstinate 2 year old returns during our last day at MK, "Magic Beckdom" tries to thank the entire cast of WDW for working on Christmas, the new dwarf from last night disappears never to be seen again, "Tinker Jo" gets her wish to spend some family time on Christmas sort of, "Where's K?" visits a FIFTH new park (she can't remember doing anything in MK before.), "Middle Mermaid" meets fish girl and is slightly disapointed and I learn why fruit and Space Mountain don't mix.
"Where's K?" acted like she hadn't heard. (I think she was just determined to not let anything interfere with her enjoyment of my cigarette.) 
I was sure I was Dino chow. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't seem to find the belt. Everytime I would think I had it the car would lurch and it was gone or some big lizzard would jump out and threaten to swallow me whole. I was sure I was about to be one of those headlines you see every once in awhile. "Man thrown from ride vehicle and then crushed by falling rock." When we finally got to the end of the ride I still hadn't been able to secure myself into the ride and attempted to jump from the car of death as soon as it came to something that passed as a full stop. I was confused when I couldn't get out of the seat, I figured I had been paralized by fear and would be forced to ride again and again until the attraction finally succeeded in my demise. It was then that I realized that my seat belt was still in place.
We all really did have a good night. All the frustrations and stress of the last week was forgotten and we just enjoyed the company and the moment.
