Ready for a food review? This is a year old so I can't remember EXACTLY what everything tasted like. But I still remember what I way too much of!
So we get called, and the Suzy & Milo team get called shortly thereafter. We got seated in a really great place, way better than last time. This time we were here near windows and in the main room.
We walk past this:
I wasn't in the mood to get a drink. So we just said, "BRING ON THE FOOD!"
I love broccoli and this was delish, just the right amount of crunchiness. The salad was good too, though I didn't want to fill up on salad & broccoli! The wings were good but I don't generally like wings so I mostly just sucked on one to get all the yummy sauce taste in my mouth. And I really enjoyed the pot sticker/fried wonton things. Mmmmm....
That was the only noodle bite I had. It wasn't good enough to waste tummy room on. But my kids loved them.
Bring on the skewers!
I mostly ate pork and chicken. Donald and Ariel LOVED the steak. They really were diggin' it.
So, while we were digging in, Donald says, "I think we should just pay and drive to Ohio."
I said, "Tonight? It's like 6:30. By the time we get back to the resort it'll be 8:00 and we aren't packed at all!"
And he said, "We could just do it fast."
I pondered it a moment and decided it was a good idea. Better than driving 14 hours all in one day. So I went and asked Suzy & Milo. Here's their table:
And they said, "Sure," after thinking and talking about it a moment. We'd stay in Georgia somewhere and have a shorter drive the next day. Then this lady came:
And the kids & I tried our hand at dancing:
Let me tell you something, we were the sorriest dancers of the bunch. Terrible. Embarrassingly terrible. I'm not a terrible dancer, I swear. But I hadn't been paying attention to the directions and this kind of dancing requires grace. Not a single one of us has anything close to grace. We're more the Get Down and Boogie types.
After that, I was done. All I could think was, "I have to pack." It was like chanting in my head. So the end of this meal took FOREVER! It seemed like an hour to pay our meal and get out of there despite me telling our server to hurry it up. But it probably wasn't that long. It just felt long.
FINALLY, we were out of there. I went to the front desk and asked for a map and directions so we could walk to the TTA & skip the monorail. This was like a treasure hunt to the TTA. But we did pretty good. I was leading with the map and talking to Suzy on the phone to explain how to do it. She's the one good with directions, not me, so that conversation was probably a total waste. I'm sure they could have found it without my help.
So there was a tram waiting and we were parked REALLY far from the TTA so I was happy. We got the back seat and the girl was super funny. I told her I'd take her pic for my TR and she loved the idea:
And just like that we were on our way to the resort.
Donald & I were like crazy packing machines. Bags & things were just flying!!!! Lickety split & we were ready to go. We decided that I would go use the rest of our CS/Snack credits on food for the road and check us out while he packed.
When I went to the front desk to check out the lady was very upset that we were leaving early and asked what was wrong and how she could help. She tried to get me a discount for the night we weren't staying there but I explained we'd already eaten the "free" food and so really we'd gotten the value out of that night. I mean, if you want to give me money back, that'd be awesome, but it's like 9 p.m., I was leaving at 5 a.m. anyway and I already used my tickets and food. Finally she understood and I was allowed to go.
So I went to order a pizza (we had a lot of CS left) and pick out drinks and snacks while that was cooking. All the while Donald keeps calling me and asking me if I had the van keys. This super stressful because A) he had lost the keys and had a very accusing tone of voice that I had lost them despite my being no where near him and B) I didn't have signal in the building so I had to keep stopping what I was doing and walking outside so I could talk to him.
FINALLY, I got the food & walked back to the van. He had found the keys (which he indeed had lost) but he was in a RAGE. His rages are not screaming rages, they are very quiet internal throwing things about. He is the ultimate packer and the rage didn't throw off his organization skills so shortly we were packed perfectly and ready to go.
Here is the Fridge I swapped and I walked this back to the luggage area when I checked out/got food:
Here is Boo:
She's staring at our t.v.'s
Anyway, back to Donald's rage. I mention his internal rage because it effected me in two ways, one is still bothering me.
Sometime while I was gone the stroller fell out of our car top carrier and broke a little bit. It was a MacClaren, pink and brand new. It was still under warranty and had cost me $129.00. I LOVED this stroller. It had a big basket, one hand fold, a carrying strap, a canopy. It was perfect. Donald had refused all week to have a lesson on the stroller. Every time it was time to fold it he would say, "I hate this stroller" and I would fold it. So this night he took his rage out on my new stroller. I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened.
I do know that MONTHS later I was going to the mall with Suzy and asked him where my stroller was (I use a jogging stroller around home) and he confessed he had thrown it in the Disney dumpster.
$129.00!!!
"Did it break?"
"Probably."
"Did you break it?"
"Maybe."
"And then you threw it away?"
"Yes."
Then Perla was in a rage!!!!!
"It was under warranty!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Sorry."
Oh my goodness. Just even typing this I am still kinda mad about it. How could you beat a $129.00 stroller in a "I lost my keys" rage and then just dump it without telling your wife? MEN!
The second way it affected me is as we were pulling out of Disney World Donald turned on his GPS (I wasn't mad about the stroller, by the way, because I didn't know it was trashed until months later) and typed in our home address.
We call our GPS Sheila and she is not always the cleverest. But Donald likes her and would follow her blindly anywhere. So she's on and despite the fact that there are giant I-4 signs everywhere Donald is blindly following Sheila.
"This isn't the right way," I say.
"How do you know Sheila doesn't know a shortcut?"
"A shortcut to I-4? We're driving in the opposite direction. I could SEE I-4 on my right when you turn left."
"Sheila knows."
At this point the last 3 days just came flooding over me. I was exhausted. And if my entire family would just shut up, I would drive to Timbuktu if they wanted. I was dry. I had a nice drink in a Disney mug. And Boo was watching TV and not crying.
So go ahead and drive into the middle of nowhere. I had totally stopped talking. Which is odd because on our LAST WDW trip I was totally silent on the way home because I had lost my voice.
So after about 15 miles (YES, 15 MILES!!!) Donald says,
"Do you think I should turn around?"
Me: silence.
At this point my phone rings and Suzy & Milo are on the road and ask where we are.
I say, "I don't know where we are. Somewhere in the middle of Florida driving deeper into the middle of nowhere."
To which Donald mutters, "Fine, I'm turning around."
Ya THINK?!?!?!?!
Anyhoooooo, we drove back to I-4 in silence and at some point he says, "Sorry."
And I just started crying. What a way to leave the most magical place on earth.
At some point we decided it was time to stop for the night and I told Suzy to just find something. They had stopped at the travel center and gotten a cheap hotel brochure thingy. So they pulled into a place and it was like $70.00. We're Priceline crazies so Donald thought it was too expensive but I was so drained it seemed like a bargain.
And look how nice our room was:
We dropped into bed and slept pretty well. The beds were really comfy.
But we wanted to get an early start so we awoke before daybreak:
Free breakfast! That helps with the $70.00 sting, right?
We were all in a much better mood this day and drove home. But truth be told, it took me a couple weeks to fully recover. Perhaps even through the kid's Christmas break.
I think perhaps my issue on this trip was I was delusional about Boo when we started. She is a darling little girl, entertains herself well, smiles easily. But she is difficult in bizarre ways, even, I'd say, frustrating ways. I said on this trip that she was suspicious of my intentions. And that is exactly true still. She didn't trust me. And she definitely didn't trust anyone else. Her anxiety just ate her alive and I didn't understand nor know how to deal with it.
I think without Boo, my parents wouldn't have drained me. It was the combo of it all.
And, of course, I was sick this entire trip, from start to finish, despite my trip to the Urgent Care. When we got home both Donald and I went to an ENT and have been getting help since.
So this year we are doing three things differently:
1) We aren't going in November when I am ALWAYS sick for the entire month.
2) We are getting AP's so there is never pressure to get "everything" done. We'll always "be right back"
3) I bought a new stroller (used and only $20.00) and told Donald he is not allowed to complain about it, not even once.
ice cream.
Unfortunately it is still in that bag as I can't find a cage for it & think setting a pearl for a 10 year old is a bit crazy. Since she clearly loses them I don't want to pour too much money into it. We'll see. But just the same, she was thrilled and we really do have a keepsake for the ages.
I am speechless. They do have a decent breakfast, and I really liked the character interaction there too. I am with Boo again, Snow White can be pretty awesome
i read it start to finish today. loved all the pictures. great TR.
