Its been one month since we were at Walt Disney World. That means its time for two things to happen: 
Okay here we go! Its
Day 1. Its finally here! The Trip there.
Something happens when you grow older. Time seems to go faster all the time. For example:
I figure that starting to pack in April (yes, April!) really paid off this time around. That and the fact that I was working from the most fine-tuned and detailed packing list of all time. I've been working on getting it just right since our 2005 trip to the World.
5:00 am, Saturday, October 13. The alarms go off & I literally jump out of bed and hit the shower. This day came faster than I had ever anticipated. After 9 months of almost continual planning, wishing & dreaming, D-Day was actually here! Handsome and I were able to complete our packing by 11:00 the night before, so I did get into bed before midnight, a complete miracle. The only problem was that I was so hyped up that I couldnt even begin to relax to sleep. I did manage to fall asleep, somehow.
We got ready, roused the kids, fed them breakfast and amazingly enough, were all set to go when the cab arrives at 6:15. Handsome was already waiting outside with the luggage. Miracles never cease to amaze me.
We get to Washingtons Reagan National Airport around 6:40 and drag our luggage around to the US Airways counter for check-in. We're to the security line about 10 minutes later. Its funny, the TSA agents freaked out that we did not take the portable DVD player out of its bag and in its own bin, but they said nothing about the three 3-1-1 bags of liquids stashed in my carry-on that I forgot to place separately in a bin. Go figure.
After we get through security, its 1-1/2 hours of waiting before our plane takes off. I thought that I'd grab a few shots around the terminal while I waited.
Here's the Washington National Cathedral:
The Washington Monument (you can barely see the Jefferson Memorial peeking above the trees on the right):
The Capitol (on the left) and the Library of Congress Jefferson building (on the right):
Did ya'll know that Washington Reagan National Airport is actually in Virginia?
Handsome gets us snacks, and we wait. The plane just sits there, waiting for us to get on!
My Pal Mickey - "Mick" - and Sweetie Girl's puppy, Lisa, get acquainted. You see, they just met.
Then amazingly enough, its time to board the plane!
The flight leaves on time wow - and I spend the whole flight time trying to figure out just how my new camera works. I had taken it to Williamsburg and Jamestown just the week before when I chaperoned Buddy Boys day-long field trip, but that just began to scratch the surface. By the time we arrived EARLY at MCO another wow - I at least had a grip on how to work on the thing.
We deplane; make the necessary pit stops, then try to find our way to the Disney Magical Express line. Im very directionally challenged, so we had to stumble around a bit. We eventually find the place and wait in what I think is a huge line to check in. Its now 11:10 am.
Exactly 10 minutes later (that line really moved fast) I am gathering the family from the DME waiting area and we are heading to the Red Carpet. (Or as ZUBB puts it, the doormat.) You can barely see it in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.
But all the same, we go to our designated line for PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE & FRENCH QUARTER and wait ... and wait ... and wait for what seems like an eternity, yet was only ½ hour. The bus came and we got on. Thrilling, but true.
Im so excited that I was shaking. I felt like I was about to get up in front of a crowd to speak without notes. Dry mouth, the boatload of butterflies in my stomach, the whole bit.
I know that really wasn't an exciting pic, but I was on the DME!!
The bus takes off - not soon enough in my opinion. And before long - this is what I see:
WE'RE HERE!!!!!
We arrive at POR at 10 past noon.
Next - The Resort.
- Start my Trip Report and StoryBook (they are related, you know!)
- Start planning our next trip. Thatll be in 3-4 years, but you can never start too early!
Okay here we go! Its
- Me, QuiltyMom Disney fanatic since I was four
- Handsome (yes thats my actual nickname for him!) Not a Disney fanatic by any means, but hes getting there, very s-l-o-w-l-y.
- Buddy Boy DS9. Because he didnt want to be called sweetie anymore.
- Sweetie Girl DD7. Because well, she is.
Day 1. Its finally here! The Trip there.
Something happens when you grow older. Time seems to go faster all the time. For example:
THEN: I remember waiting on our front lawn with my sisters on Halloween night, wishing the sun to go down faster so we could get on with the job of trick-or-treating. It just wouldnt move. You see, we needed that candy.
NOW: Were eating dinner and the kids are coming around for their treats, which makes my kids not want to eat dinner because theres candy out there with their names on it and they gotta go and get it. NOW. And I still need to get my costume on. We wont even go into the problems DH is having with his costume. What a fiasco.
NOW: Were eating dinner and the kids are coming around for their treats, which makes my kids not want to eat dinner because theres candy out there with their names on it and they gotta go and get it. NOW. And I still need to get my costume on. We wont even go into the problems DH is having with his costume. What a fiasco.
I figure that starting to pack in April (yes, April!) really paid off this time around. That and the fact that I was working from the most fine-tuned and detailed packing list of all time. I've been working on getting it just right since our 2005 trip to the World.
5:00 am, Saturday, October 13. The alarms go off & I literally jump out of bed and hit the shower. This day came faster than I had ever anticipated. After 9 months of almost continual planning, wishing & dreaming, D-Day was actually here! Handsome and I were able to complete our packing by 11:00 the night before, so I did get into bed before midnight, a complete miracle. The only problem was that I was so hyped up that I couldnt even begin to relax to sleep. I did manage to fall asleep, somehow.
We got ready, roused the kids, fed them breakfast and amazingly enough, were all set to go when the cab arrives at 6:15. Handsome was already waiting outside with the luggage. Miracles never cease to amaze me.
We get to Washingtons Reagan National Airport around 6:40 and drag our luggage around to the US Airways counter for check-in. We're to the security line about 10 minutes later. Its funny, the TSA agents freaked out that we did not take the portable DVD player out of its bag and in its own bin, but they said nothing about the three 3-1-1 bags of liquids stashed in my carry-on that I forgot to place separately in a bin. Go figure.
After we get through security, its 1-1/2 hours of waiting before our plane takes off. I thought that I'd grab a few shots around the terminal while I waited.
Here's the Washington National Cathedral:
The Washington Monument (you can barely see the Jefferson Memorial peeking above the trees on the right):
The Capitol (on the left) and the Library of Congress Jefferson building (on the right):
Did ya'll know that Washington Reagan National Airport is actually in Virginia?
Handsome gets us snacks, and we wait. The plane just sits there, waiting for us to get on!
My Pal Mickey - "Mick" - and Sweetie Girl's puppy, Lisa, get acquainted. You see, they just met.
Then amazingly enough, its time to board the plane!
The flight leaves on time wow - and I spend the whole flight time trying to figure out just how my new camera works. I had taken it to Williamsburg and Jamestown just the week before when I chaperoned Buddy Boys day-long field trip, but that just began to scratch the surface. By the time we arrived EARLY at MCO another wow - I at least had a grip on how to work on the thing.
We deplane; make the necessary pit stops, then try to find our way to the Disney Magical Express line. Im very directionally challenged, so we had to stumble around a bit. We eventually find the place and wait in what I think is a huge line to check in. Its now 11:10 am.
Exactly 10 minutes later (that line really moved fast) I am gathering the family from the DME waiting area and we are heading to the Red Carpet. (Or as ZUBB puts it, the doormat.) You can barely see it in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.
But all the same, we go to our designated line for PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE & FRENCH QUARTER and wait ... and wait ... and wait for what seems like an eternity, yet was only ½ hour. The bus came and we got on. Thrilling, but true.
Im so excited that I was shaking. I felt like I was about to get up in front of a crowd to speak without notes. Dry mouth, the boatload of butterflies in my stomach, the whole bit.
I know that really wasn't an exciting pic, but I was on the DME!!
The bus takes off - not soon enough in my opinion. And before long - this is what I see:
WE'RE HERE!!!!!
We arrive at POR at 10 past noon.
Next - The Resort.
(Handsome counted as a kid there), so we changed into our swimsuits, which I had smartly packed into our carry-on bags, and headed over to Old Man’s Island for a dip in the cement pond.
