An Inconvenient Truth: happyhaunt Style! (New... pg. 113!)

[bdg100]

Uhmmm, Mel. Uhhh. Want to dance with me?

 

[patrokls]

Man, I finally remember to come over here and catch up on the report, and what do I get DOOTY!
I don't know you might be slipping into Mr and Mrs Federline land now.
Which is of course why I keep coming back.

 

[princessjv]

Thats our girl! Your moving right along now! Keep them coming. Love the ooper-pooper story. Maybe you should put out a single...? I bet it would sell!

The HM is a favorite of mine too. Just the thought of the smell, brings it right back home baby!

 

[celerystalker]

My dear Mel,
No, I am not, nor have I ever been, a teacher of yours. I, too, had HORRIBLE penmanship in grade school. I also use a lot of commas (and parantheses). I might start using your punctuation style. or essence of Mel. or whatever you want to call it. so to speak of.

I do, however, sympathize with Tommy. It can not come downstairs until it is fully "formed." This is a long and unsure process. Perhaps singing will help me as well.

I loved your description of the haunted mansion. everything is like that for me when I'm there. Except the circlevision films. Although, since they bring back memories, just not fun ones, I guess they are nostalgic as well. Although I do like the geese in the Canada one.
I'll be sure to watch it this time around in honour of the happyhaunts.

Love,

Da Stalker

P.S. To a certain mean mommy out there - there is no reason to fear the stalker! I come for your vegetables only!

 

[Shelby5514]

Thanks for the laughs!

 

[WDW LOVR]

Mel, Haven't replied before, but have enjoyed the TR.

This installment made me reply though. The part about HM being different and the same. That's why we continue to go back to WDW. It's always different, yet the same. Most of our friends can't understand going over and over (just made ressies at Christmas for our 4th trip this year).

And also the Liberty Tree restrooms. My son pulled a ZZUB there multiple times when he was about 8 yrs old. And at the boat dock, and at the next boat dock......he gets uncomfortable just walking past Crystal Palace (the meal that caused the event) even though it's been 10 years.

Keep em coming.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Most excellent installment, Mel!

"There's a feeling I get, when I look to the west. And my spirit is crying for leaving..."

Yup, that is exactly what I wanted to say on my TR about Pirates. It is my HM! But the way you said it. Exactly!!!! I'm in awe! You da man! Or woman! Hear you write!
Thanks, it almost brought tears to my eyes.....

but it was the spikey poop thing that I,

Couldn't.

Get.

Over.



My DS always wants me to squeeze his legs..... Then I get real close to the icky bowl......

Looking forward to more!

 

[Frickles]

Gosh I feel like we are a lot more normal. My DS5 has what he calls 'spikey poops'. It was a hoot to hear you talk about that!
My favorite part of the HM is going down the stairs backwards. That used to scare the heck out of me when I was little - but even though it was scary I still loved it!
Fun, fun, fun report Mel!

 

[jen0610]

Me(l) if they ever turn this into a TV show, you really need to push to have Gary cast as Mellyman. That way, you and he could be on the set together, up close and personal, 5/6 days a week. Cause you know, you'd be tweeking the script all the time. And you would just have to show him the proper way for Mellyman to kiss his Me(l). Think of all the possibilities for up close and personal time!

 

[MissMagnolia]

Once again, laughing uncontrollably! Wish that I would have thought up a good "poop" song for those long waits...(or not?)!

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Sorry. Not in this installment... but in the very next. One.

And... I'm planning on tearing a strip off of Mellyman. For at least two of them. Shhhhh! Don't tell DH.

The third terrible picture is one I took. After I post this installment, I will proceed to tear a strip off myself. For that.

Alrighty... folks!

When our breathing returned to normal... Calvin and I decided that we would like to go AGAIN! Do the Haunted Mansion... ONE MORE TIME!

Oh yeah. Baybeee.

But Mellyman said, unexpectedly, "I'd like to go this time with Calvin."

Huh?

Well kiss my grits! Alrighty, then. I was very pleased and even though it meant I'd miss round 2... it was FINE with me.

Just fine.

Beth asked if we could go directly to Dumbo. While the fellows were off doin' their thing. Because, she said, Tommy had been asking to go there. The whole time they were waiting for us to emerge from the HM. Apparently he asked... like... three-teen times.

SURE! My lovely boy! Why not?

We headed to Fantasyland. Beth. Tommy. Me. And our dirty, broken-down, immortal stroller. Which Tommy wasn't really using today. At MK. He is old enough to handle the walk, here, it seems. Unlike at Epcot. Epicot seems WAY to big for him. Still.

The minute we were close enough to see Dumbo... I cringed.

EEK!

The line was the LONGEST one I'd seen yet. On this whole trip. FOR DUMBO! It was gonna be LONG. A long long wait. I could tell.

What kind of idiots line up for DUMBO... for an hour? In the sun. Midday.

Us. We do. Us... kind of idiots.

The ride is aptly named. TFI.

At least most of the line was covered by an awning. To protect those closer to the over-hyped, standard carnival ride from the rays of the harsh skin-damaging sun.

I love tanning. BTW.

Both Beth and I asked Tommy if he was SURE that he wanted to wait for Dumbo? Completely sure?!

Yep.

He wanted to wait. ABSOLUTELY! He was jazzed. For the flying elephant baby.

So.

We waited.

We met a bunch of people in line. To talk to. There was one lady who said to me, "I LOVE your shirt! Where did you get it?" Heh heh.

My Haunted Mansion shirt? Well... right beside the Haunted Mansion. But I didn't actually buy it myself. It was a gift. From my family. For Christmas. That's why it is size 6X. And I can barely breath in it. And I can see my bellybutton if I move around too much. Or breath. In it. Yada yada yada...

Anywho... as we were chatting and the line was moving along at a snail's pace. We noticed the OTHER SIDE of the ride. Another platform with NO line, really, so to speak of. (you're welcome... CStalker!) Every other ride they were loading from THAT platform. That was why our line was taking forever. And ever. And a day. It seemed like people were just wandering into that line from wherever they wanted in Fantasyland and riding Dumbo right away.

Huh?

What up? With that?

The lady beside me said that, too. To me. In a wee bit of an angry tone.

She glowered towards that other line.

AND...THEN... I realized what was up. Over there.

Because I noticed a difference between our crowd and theirs. The wheelchairs, for example. The walkers. The girl in the body cast. And their buttons. On their shirts.

Which read: Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Oh.

OH.

Oh no.

I told the lady beside me. And Beth.

We stood there and looked for a little bit. The lady turned to me and said, "God Bless them all!". I nodded. And felt absolutely GRATEFUL that we were in the SLOW LINE. In the hot sun. For an hour.

I felt lucky. So lucky. To be in this line.

With two beautiful healthy children. And another one... with his father... having a blast in my Haunted Mansion.

And, I realized, that there are millions of people at Disney. All for different reasons. All with different dreams. Hopes and fears.

I felt fortunate that our biggest worries were little, insignificant ones. Like... what snack to have? When to go swimming? Water park or not? Chicken or fish? Or pork, even. The OTHER white meat.

What I'm tryin' to say is this: Some people were here because their children were very ill. Yes.

It puts everything in perspective. I think.

No.

I know it does. For every parent out there.

And... I wanted to hug all those parents. In that OTHER line. I can't IMAGINE how difficult their trip to Disney must be. And their lives. Everyday.

I have to admit my mood was dampened. The "magic" was gone. For me. Right there. All of a sudden.

We waited quietly. Sadly. Beth and I. Tommy was oblivious to it all.

Until someone a little ways behind us said, "Do you mind if we slide in here, behind you? My friend is getting a little bit over-heated."

I turned and noticed a young man in his twenties. A nice-looking man. Holding the hand of another man. A man in a sunhat who had to be in his early fifties.

He had Down Syndrome. Clearly.

And he looked really over-heated. And he was coughing. A lot.

I asked his escort if he was alright. He said yes.

We waited.

Waited some more.

The line moved slowly.

Slowly.

And then the older man started coughing again. His friend asked him if he wanted to go. Did he want to get out of line?

And he answered, "No! I want to wait. I want to ride Dumbo!"

Just like Tommy.

With the very same look on his face.

They BOTH really wanted to ride Dumbo. And were VERY excited about it!

I felt happy again.

Yellow. And sunny. Inside.

And then a lady in front of us handed the older man a bottle of water. From her pack.

Yellower.

And...THEN... the cast member loading our line noticed him. We were only about one full group away from her. And waved him forward. Through the crowd. Who happily parted for him to pass through.

So he could ride Dumbo. Sooner. And get out of the heat.

EVEN YELLOWER.

And THAT... my Disfriends... is what Disney is ALL ABOUT.

Spreading the "Magic"... the love... and holding those who are the most fragile and vulnerable gently in the palm of his hands. Hands with big white gloves.

And... four fingers.



To be continued. Up next: Calvin and Mellyman return. We ACTUALLY ride DUMBO! Finally. Fantasyland continues. We have a snack. I am grossed out. I tear a strip off of Calvin. And MORE! MUCH MORE!

 

[bdg100]

Sorry. This post left me all out of smartalec comments.

 

[ead79]

OK, you've got me crying with this last post.

You're right that it puts everything in perspective, and I'm not even a parent yet. On our last trip we saw a family wearing "Give Kids the World" shirts (the village that many Make a Wish kids stay at that can handle their medical needs) and I had to fight back the tears then too.

 

[1stTimeDisneyer]

Mel, I am sitting at work crying!

That is what the magic is truely about.

 

[LaLa]

Melly.

That one was yellow. And just a little wolley too. I have nothing other than that.

 

[Shelby5514]

Mel~ You should've warned us. That made me yellow and said, all at the same time. I know exactly how you felt, I've been to the parks with a handicapped person. Yes it does make you notice the little things and thankful for what you do have. But we ALL need a little DISNEY in our lives. Thanks for the reminder...a lesson we all can learn from.

 

[Lisa_Belle]

Ah - I was just about to cry. Then I remembered DD's "Yellow song" ...

(To the tune of "If your happy and you know it")

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells "Lello" (gotta love kidspeak)
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells "Lello"
Like the early morning sun
When the day has just begun
Y-E-L-L-O-W spells "Lello"

 

[UtahMama]

Mel! We all knew you have a gushy side. The Dumbo moment proves it. Like your heart grew three times too big that day. You are nothing like the General.

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Carp Melly.

I have tears running down my face. I can't help it. For the wonder and joy of it all. The appreciation I have every time I see or hear about something like that.

I deal with the dregs of humanity every day. People who, literally, push old women down to steal the three dollars they have in their purse. People with no respect for themselves or others.

I thank God daily that all of humanity has not devolved to that level. I know that there are good and kind and decent and loving people in this world. That would let someone ahead of them in line, cheerfully, or give someone a water bottle, or a kleenex, or whatever they could, just for the joy of doing so. I love it when I get to see those people in action, even vicariously.

Random acts of kindness and all that.

And also, being reminded to appreciate the many blessings given to us every day. Cheerfully. Fully. Wholeheartedly. Embrace life and all it has to offer.

Thanks girl.

 

[nicolemarie]

AND...THEN... I realized what was up. Over there.

Because I noticed a difference between our crowd and theirs. The wheelchairs, for example. The walkers. The girl in the body cast. And their buttons. On their shirts.

Which read: Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Oh.

OH.

Oh no.

I told the lady beside me. And Beth.

We stood there and looked for a little bit. The lady turned to me and said, "God Bless them all!". I nodded. And felt absolutely GRATEFUL that we were in the SLOW LINE. In the hot sun. For an hour.

That pretty much sums it up.

That was an incredible installment, Mel.

NM