KathyRN137
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,882
Ch. 47: There is a Fine Art to Disney Shopping...
We continued our way through the Marketplace in search of the perfect baby gift. Now I don’t know about you, but when I think about a sweet new little baby, I think Pooh.
No, not that kind of Pooh!
This kind!
Well, I was right! Aunt Rae scored the perfect little outfit for her friend’s new wee one and had it shipped home. With superhuman strength, I resisted an adorable Jim Shore figure of Pooh and friends ‘round a Christmas tree. (Insert smilie patting self on back.) We had a lot of fun just looking at all the stuff.
Now, I don’t know whether it was the power of suggestion or just the fact that my breakfast had consisted of a banana and a piece of corn bread, but I was beginning to get a rumbly in the tumbly. Sure enough, it was after twelve and since we had an early dinner planned that night, I suggested we break for lunch. The suggestion was well received!
Time to munch an early luncheon….
Mmmm, I love EOS! Only problem is, so does everyone else! It was super-crowded and the line almost reached the front door. At least it gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu!
I chose The Caprese ~ sliced fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, fresh basil and drizzled balsamic vinaigrette.
Aunt Rae wanted the Ham and Swiss ~ Roasted ham and swiss cheese and Earl’s mustard.
Tricia opted for the kid’s meal Grilled Cheese ~ Grilled…..cheese. (American.)
I sent the two of them outside to scout out a table while I waited for our order. I had placed the sandwiches on a tray and was getting the napkins, etc., when Tricia came inside and broke the news that there were no tables to be had.
It was rather noisy and crowded inside, so I put a drink in each of her hands and told her to follow me outside. Together we walked all around the restaurant and searched the entire seating area. It was true, every table was taken! I did not feel like standing around waiting like a vulture for the next one to become available, so we took to the path.
We found seats on a low brick wall nearby, deposited our bags on the ground and unwrapped our sandwiches on our laps. (Only after thoroughly cleansing our hands with anti-bacterial wipes, generously provided by Aunt Rae.) It was a gorgeous day to eat outside!
We ate, and talked, and rested for a while. But Tricia finished quickly; she did not care for the way they had prepared the grilled cheese. Perhaps it was the type of bread, I can’t remember, but it was not like the grilled cheese sandwich she was used to. She ate about half of it, polished off the bag of chips, and sat there waiting for us.
There were some children playing in the water play fountain nearby and with some amusement we watched as they ran, screaming with laughter, through the intermittent jets of water. I finished my sandwich and we waited for Aunt Rae to do the same.
And we waited…..
And we waited….
You may think that I’m exaggerating, but we had been up against this situation every day, three times a day, all week long and I was beginning to tire of it. Tricia was getting antsy and kept asking if she could go on ahead to World of Disney while I stayed with Aunt Rae. Of course, my answer was No. Then she asked, if she couldn’t go to a store, could she go play in the fountain?
It’s a funny age, eleven. In one breath she’s telling me she’s old enough to go off by herself into a crowded store and with the next, she’s asking permission to play in the fountain with the little kids! I sent her off to play so she could burn off a bit of energy and I scolded myself for being so impatient with AR. And yet…. just for yucks and giggles…. I stole a furtive glance at my watch and noted the time. Then, I sat back and watched as my daughter enjoyed one of the few remaining delights of her waning childhood:
I sat for a full twenty-five minutes! Since there was nothing else I could do, I did some calculations in my head. “Let’s see, that’s 25 minutes X 3 meals per day X 7 days….that equals 525 minutes, or 8 hours and 45 minutes that we had spent waiting on AR to finish eating this week.” Ugh! It was a good thing we were planning to do the second Spectro that night; we might barely make it out of the Poly in time to position ourselves for Wishes!
At that point Aunt Rae, sensing that it had been quite some time since both Tricia and I had completed our meals, began to wrap up the remaining portion of her sandwich and declared that she was full. I signaled to Tricia that we were on the move again and she came to get her things. Fortunately, she had avoided getting soaked! We threw out the trash, picked up our bags, and headed in the direction of the World of Disney Store.
We passed this tent full of artwork:
This portrait of Mickey Mouse was fun to look at; it “magically” transformed into an image of Walt Disney, depending on the admirer’s point of view:
On the way to World of Disney:
We arrive:
Here we spent a pleasant hour or so browsing among Mickey’s merchandise. I was on the hunt for a car magnet to replace the one that had graced the rear of the Mommy-van since our first visit in ’03, an image of Mickey and the American flag. After years of constant exposure to the elements, our Mickey had begun to look a bit cyanotic. Well, I had no luck finding patriotic Mickey, so I picked up a Tinkerbell magnet instead.
Aunt Rae found some little souvenirs for her cousin and I think Tricia just browsed (she probably blew all her cash on pins, if I’m not mistaken!) This may have been when I bought my Mickey Mouse handbag. Yes, I’m sure it was!
Jess did a little browsing, too:
I asked AR to keep Tricia busy with something and I went back and picked up the Ariel and Belle doll costumes and had them sent home. Guess what Jess and Cathy found under the tree Christmas morning?
We finally tore ourselves away from WOD and found ourselves elbow to elbow among a growing Marketplace crowd. It looked as though it was time to think about getting on back to the Wilderness Lodge. I wanted to make sure that we had a chance to rest a bit before heading out to dinner at the Poly. But then we passed a store that reminded me of the need to use up the twenty-five-odd snack credits that were remaining on our Dining Plan:
Fully loaded up with bags of yummy carbs, we strolled on back to the bus stop. While we waited, I called Ed to see how the boys had enjoyed the pool. Hmmm….voicemail. Oh well, perhaps they got a late start and were swimming still. It’s not like the cell phone would be handy, right?
The three, excuse me, the four of us arrived at the VWL somewhere around three o’clock. The boys were not there. We all really needed to rest up a bit for our long night, so Tricia and I got something to drink and went out on the patio to relax. It was a bit breezy out there for AR, so she retired to her room to put her feet up.
I decided to do the same…
Tricia took all her pins, old and new, and arranged them in her new binder.
We were having fun just talking about pins, the ones we had and the ones we still coveted, but I was getting worried about the boys. Soon we would need to start getting ready for dinner. Suddenly, as if he had read my mind telepathically, Ed called me on my cell phone.
“Where are you two?” I asked, quizzically.
He told me, and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe my ears!!
“You’re where??”
Kathy
We continued our way through the Marketplace in search of the perfect baby gift. Now I don’t know about you, but when I think about a sweet new little baby, I think Pooh.
No, not that kind of Pooh!
This kind!
Well, I was right! Aunt Rae scored the perfect little outfit for her friend’s new wee one and had it shipped home. With superhuman strength, I resisted an adorable Jim Shore figure of Pooh and friends ‘round a Christmas tree. (Insert smilie patting self on back.) We had a lot of fun just looking at all the stuff.
Now, I don’t know whether it was the power of suggestion or just the fact that my breakfast had consisted of a banana and a piece of corn bread, but I was beginning to get a rumbly in the tumbly. Sure enough, it was after twelve and since we had an early dinner planned that night, I suggested we break for lunch. The suggestion was well received!
Time to munch an early luncheon….
Mmmm, I love EOS! Only problem is, so does everyone else! It was super-crowded and the line almost reached the front door. At least it gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu!
I chose The Caprese ~ sliced fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, fresh basil and drizzled balsamic vinaigrette.
Aunt Rae wanted the Ham and Swiss ~ Roasted ham and swiss cheese and Earl’s mustard.
Tricia opted for the kid’s meal Grilled Cheese ~ Grilled…..cheese. (American.)
I sent the two of them outside to scout out a table while I waited for our order. I had placed the sandwiches on a tray and was getting the napkins, etc., when Tricia came inside and broke the news that there were no tables to be had.
It was rather noisy and crowded inside, so I put a drink in each of her hands and told her to follow me outside. Together we walked all around the restaurant and searched the entire seating area. It was true, every table was taken! I did not feel like standing around waiting like a vulture for the next one to become available, so we took to the path.
We found seats on a low brick wall nearby, deposited our bags on the ground and unwrapped our sandwiches on our laps. (Only after thoroughly cleansing our hands with anti-bacterial wipes, generously provided by Aunt Rae.) It was a gorgeous day to eat outside!
We ate, and talked, and rested for a while. But Tricia finished quickly; she did not care for the way they had prepared the grilled cheese. Perhaps it was the type of bread, I can’t remember, but it was not like the grilled cheese sandwich she was used to. She ate about half of it, polished off the bag of chips, and sat there waiting for us.
There were some children playing in the water play fountain nearby and with some amusement we watched as they ran, screaming with laughter, through the intermittent jets of water. I finished my sandwich and we waited for Aunt Rae to do the same.
And we waited…..
And we waited….
You may think that I’m exaggerating, but we had been up against this situation every day, three times a day, all week long and I was beginning to tire of it. Tricia was getting antsy and kept asking if she could go on ahead to World of Disney while I stayed with Aunt Rae. Of course, my answer was No. Then she asked, if she couldn’t go to a store, could she go play in the fountain?
It’s a funny age, eleven. In one breath she’s telling me she’s old enough to go off by herself into a crowded store and with the next, she’s asking permission to play in the fountain with the little kids! I sent her off to play so she could burn off a bit of energy and I scolded myself for being so impatient with AR. And yet…. just for yucks and giggles…. I stole a furtive glance at my watch and noted the time. Then, I sat back and watched as my daughter enjoyed one of the few remaining delights of her waning childhood:
I sat for a full twenty-five minutes! Since there was nothing else I could do, I did some calculations in my head. “Let’s see, that’s 25 minutes X 3 meals per day X 7 days….that equals 525 minutes, or 8 hours and 45 minutes that we had spent waiting on AR to finish eating this week.” Ugh! It was a good thing we were planning to do the second Spectro that night; we might barely make it out of the Poly in time to position ourselves for Wishes!
At that point Aunt Rae, sensing that it had been quite some time since both Tricia and I had completed our meals, began to wrap up the remaining portion of her sandwich and declared that she was full. I signaled to Tricia that we were on the move again and she came to get her things. Fortunately, she had avoided getting soaked! We threw out the trash, picked up our bags, and headed in the direction of the World of Disney Store.
We passed this tent full of artwork:
This portrait of Mickey Mouse was fun to look at; it “magically” transformed into an image of Walt Disney, depending on the admirer’s point of view:
On the way to World of Disney:
We arrive:
Here we spent a pleasant hour or so browsing among Mickey’s merchandise. I was on the hunt for a car magnet to replace the one that had graced the rear of the Mommy-van since our first visit in ’03, an image of Mickey and the American flag. After years of constant exposure to the elements, our Mickey had begun to look a bit cyanotic. Well, I had no luck finding patriotic Mickey, so I picked up a Tinkerbell magnet instead.
Aunt Rae found some little souvenirs for her cousin and I think Tricia just browsed (she probably blew all her cash on pins, if I’m not mistaken!) This may have been when I bought my Mickey Mouse handbag. Yes, I’m sure it was!
Jess did a little browsing, too:
I asked AR to keep Tricia busy with something and I went back and picked up the Ariel and Belle doll costumes and had them sent home. Guess what Jess and Cathy found under the tree Christmas morning?
We finally tore ourselves away from WOD and found ourselves elbow to elbow among a growing Marketplace crowd. It looked as though it was time to think about getting on back to the Wilderness Lodge. I wanted to make sure that we had a chance to rest a bit before heading out to dinner at the Poly. But then we passed a store that reminded me of the need to use up the twenty-five-odd snack credits that were remaining on our Dining Plan:
Fully loaded up with bags of yummy carbs, we strolled on back to the bus stop. While we waited, I called Ed to see how the boys had enjoyed the pool. Hmmm….voicemail. Oh well, perhaps they got a late start and were swimming still. It’s not like the cell phone would be handy, right?
The three, excuse me, the four of us arrived at the VWL somewhere around three o’clock. The boys were not there. We all really needed to rest up a bit for our long night, so Tricia and I got something to drink and went out on the patio to relax. It was a bit breezy out there for AR, so she retired to her room to put her feet up.
I decided to do the same…
Tricia took all her pins, old and new, and arranged them in her new binder.
We were having fun just talking about pins, the ones we had and the ones we still coveted, but I was getting worried about the boys. Soon we would need to start getting ready for dinner. Suddenly, as if he had read my mind telepathically, Ed called me on my cell phone.
“Where are you two?” I asked, quizzically.
He told me, and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe my ears!!
“You’re where??”
Kathy
C'mon Kathy, keep it coming! Where were the boys?
Hope you can find that book....
(See below.)
