off to neverland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2004
- Messages
- 703
Cast:
Me, Rae, 34, Disney lover
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
It was time to try out the castle slide at Old Key West! To give Boo confidence, I slid before him and waited at the bottom to catch him. He was hesitant and cautious, and it took him about three runs like this before he decided that this slide was his new favorite thing in the world.
It is a long spiral slide, and you can pick up plenty of momentum on the way down. I couldnt help but laugh each time the slide plunked me bum-first into the water.
Boo wore a life jacket, but still wanted me to catch him as he came off the slide because he was concerned about getting his face in the water. We had been working on overcoming the face-in-the-water fear the past few months at our local swimming pool, but he wasnt ready to incorporate facial dunking into the slide experience yet. So, unbeknownst to him, I gradually decreased the amount of assistance I gave him until he was getting a facial dunking without even realizing it.
Boo and I had made friends with a little boy and his father, John. Between catching Boo and chatting with John, I kept an eye on the chair that was piled with our things. Although my money and camera were buried under towels, I was distrustful after the stolen cocoa fiasco the night before.
I noticed plenty of older siblings catching younger siblings coming off the slide. There was one young boy who sank the minute he hit the water. His older brother would wait for what seemed like a lifetime before pulling him to the surface.
It made me nervous.
It must have bothered the lifeguard as well, because she gave the boys a warning that little brother would need to be caught immediately upon water entry.
I wondered why the little boy didnt just wear a lifejacket.
As I was waiting for Boo to complete one of his runs down the slide, I glanced behind me and saw a child flailing in the water. Her head popped up for a short enough time to yell for someone whom I assumed to be her sibling. Before the lifeguard could get to her, I grabbed her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, and proceeded to cough and choke until she vomited water.
Her mother suddenly appeared at the side of the pool with a drink in her hand. She just swallowed some water, she kept saying to me, and told the girl to come and eat something.
A man standing in the water behind me yelled toward the mother, That girl was in trouble. She didnt just swallow some water. The mother ignored him.
I suddenly realized I had left my own child unattended! He would be down the slide by now! I turned to look for him, and realized he was in the process of trying to climb over the side of the pool to head up the slide again. Boo, Boo! I said, Im so sorry I wasnt there to catch you. I felt terrible.
Boo had not even realized I had not caught him; he assumed I had pulled him up out of the water. When I told him his life jacket had brought him to the surface and he had swum to the side all by himself, he beamed.
He didnt want me to catch him anymore.
Eventually, Sis and Dix joined us for a swim. They had come by bus after Siss nap. We swam together for a while and then decided to get out and treat the kids to an ice cream. I wrapped them both in their new fleece robes I had purchased the day before leaving on the trip. A big blue one for Boo and a pink one for Sis. They were perfect in that cool weather!
As Dix and I packed up our things, the kids started to play in the sand. We didnt hurry them, and before I realized it, they had built an elaborate tunnel. Boo called it a constructure, which is his word for constructed structure.
Dix and I stayed there and watched our two robe-wrapped children play in the sand with the marina behind them. I know that for years to come, I will be able to close my eyes and hear their excited voices from that day and see their small hands working hard in the sand.
Im so very lucky.
We finally went back to the villa and dressed for our much-anticipated shopping trip to Downtown Disney. Both kids were excited; they could finally pick out a toy.
We drove to Downtown Disney and went straight to "Once Upon a Toy." Boo studied each and every toy in that shop. If I hadnt known how patiently he had waited for this shopping trip, I would have felt the urge to hurry him, but he deserved to take his time.
As Boo and I browsed, I caught glimpses of Sis racing here and there with Dix quickly in tow. The store had obviously made her very excited! At one point Boo and I walked into a section to see Sis forcefully attacking another little girl for a dolly. The girls mother looked shocked, and Dix seemed quite embarrassed.
I grabbed Boo by the arm and quickly turned the other way so no one would know we were related to them. Later, Dix found us, and said, You wont believe what your daughter did. She attacked another girl for her dolly!
I looked at him in disbelief like I didnt believe him.
I know, I know... Dix is going to heaven, and Im going . somewhere else. I can imagine the scenario in about 150 years when Dix, Boo and Sis are all in heaven and the kids ask Dix where Mommy is. Dix will have to explain. Kids, mommy isnt with us in heaven. She went somewhere warmer. Much warmer.
When Boo had finished his careful inspection of that store, he finally turned to me and asked me to pick something out for him. There were just too many choices. I told him he had to pick something himself, but I suggested three items from which he may want to choose, and he settled on Aladdin action figures. Sis was still in bully mode and was hunting for vulnerable children, so I picked out a Little Pony and some pretend make-up for her.
They were both thrilled.
After shopping, we ate at Rainforest Café, and though we liked the atmosphere, we thought the food was far overpriced for the quality, even with the Disney Dining Experience discount. Sorry, but I dont consider wilted iceberg lettuce worthy of a $13 salad. And you cant drizzle a tiny line of Tabasco down a chicken strip from a kids meal and call it Buffalo Chicken.
With full bellies and new toys, we drove back to the villa. During the ride, one of the kids needed something in the back seat, and as I was turning to pass it to them, I hit my elbow on the Oh **** handle above the door. How I got my elbow that high at such a high rate of speed is still a mystery to me, but I suspect the Gods were punishing me for abandoning Dix with Sis-the-Bully in the store.
The edge of the handle stabbed the soft, tender tissue imbedded deep between the two bones of my elbow. As you are reading this, feel your elbow. When you find the two round bones that come together, stick your finger between them into that soft tissue. Tender and unpleasant, isnt it?
Now imagine hitting it as hard as you can with the edge of a hard object.
Thats what I did.
I stopped breathing for a second and then told Dix that I wasnt sure if I was going to throw-up or pass out.
Remember the ring of chirping birds they used to show in old cartoons when someone was hurt? Well, those birds do exist. They were fluttering and chirping above my head as I rocked back and forth in my seat.
Fly away, pretty birdies. Fly away.
I heard Boo ask what was wrong with Mommy, and then I heard Dix say, Lets not talk to, look at, or touch Mommy right now. There must have been a forceful tone to his voice, because both kids were as silent as can be.
Dix had seen me like this before. On our third day of living in Brazil, I accidentally slammed four of my fingertips in our huge metal balcony door.
I saw birdies that time too, and Dix made the mistake of touching me when I was in extreme pain.
I still blush when I think of some of the words that flew out of my mouth toward my husband.
That experience had taught Dix to avoid me while I am suffering from a pain-induced adrenaline rush and he left me alone while we quietly drove toward Old Key West. When the birdies stopped chirping and I started breathing again and had regained my composure, I told Dix I thought that my elbow was broken.
Oh sweetie. Its not broken. I just saw you bend your arm. It just hurts right now.
Well, arent you the Smarty-Pants of the family? I don't see chirping birdies flying around your head!
I had also thought my fingers were broken in the Brazil door-slam incident, but Dix was right when he diagnosed them as just being smushed, not broken. Maybe he did know what he was talking about. (By the way, Smushed = smashed + mushed.)
Smushed in Brazil did mean that we got to go to the local pharmacy and play charades with the non-English-speaking pharmacist, who quickly won the game when he figured out the word was PAIN. He gave me an unidentifiable painkiller that let me see pretty birdies all night long.
I dont think they have THAT kind of drug at Disney World.
When we arrived back at the villa, I looked at the phone to see if the message light was flashing. If Mom was coming to surprise us, she would have come already. There was no message, and I knew then that she would not be joining us on this trip. I took solace in the fact that she would be joining us for the May trip.
So, were still not even. Someday down the road she will show up unannounced to pay me back for my surprise trip to see her years ago. Until then, Ill keep watching for her over my shoulder.
Mothers. Even when they arent with you, they have a way of following you everywhere you go, dont they?
Next Installment:
Part 13...The German Hottie!
Previous Installment:
Part 11...Time for a break...
See below picture for more previous installments.
Me, Rae, 34, Disney lover
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old who can holler louder than a blowhorn
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
It was time to try out the castle slide at Old Key West! To give Boo confidence, I slid before him and waited at the bottom to catch him. He was hesitant and cautious, and it took him about three runs like this before he decided that this slide was his new favorite thing in the world.
It is a long spiral slide, and you can pick up plenty of momentum on the way down. I couldnt help but laugh each time the slide plunked me bum-first into the water.
Boo wore a life jacket, but still wanted me to catch him as he came off the slide because he was concerned about getting his face in the water. We had been working on overcoming the face-in-the-water fear the past few months at our local swimming pool, but he wasnt ready to incorporate facial dunking into the slide experience yet. So, unbeknownst to him, I gradually decreased the amount of assistance I gave him until he was getting a facial dunking without even realizing it.
Boo and I had made friends with a little boy and his father, John. Between catching Boo and chatting with John, I kept an eye on the chair that was piled with our things. Although my money and camera were buried under towels, I was distrustful after the stolen cocoa fiasco the night before.
I noticed plenty of older siblings catching younger siblings coming off the slide. There was one young boy who sank the minute he hit the water. His older brother would wait for what seemed like a lifetime before pulling him to the surface.
It made me nervous.
It must have bothered the lifeguard as well, because she gave the boys a warning that little brother would need to be caught immediately upon water entry.
I wondered why the little boy didnt just wear a lifejacket.
As I was waiting for Boo to complete one of his runs down the slide, I glanced behind me and saw a child flailing in the water. Her head popped up for a short enough time to yell for someone whom I assumed to be her sibling. Before the lifeguard could get to her, I grabbed her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, and proceeded to cough and choke until she vomited water.
Her mother suddenly appeared at the side of the pool with a drink in her hand. She just swallowed some water, she kept saying to me, and told the girl to come and eat something.
A man standing in the water behind me yelled toward the mother, That girl was in trouble. She didnt just swallow some water. The mother ignored him.
I suddenly realized I had left my own child unattended! He would be down the slide by now! I turned to look for him, and realized he was in the process of trying to climb over the side of the pool to head up the slide again. Boo, Boo! I said, Im so sorry I wasnt there to catch you. I felt terrible.
Boo had not even realized I had not caught him; he assumed I had pulled him up out of the water. When I told him his life jacket had brought him to the surface and he had swum to the side all by himself, he beamed.
He didnt want me to catch him anymore.
Eventually, Sis and Dix joined us for a swim. They had come by bus after Siss nap. We swam together for a while and then decided to get out and treat the kids to an ice cream. I wrapped them both in their new fleece robes I had purchased the day before leaving on the trip. A big blue one for Boo and a pink one for Sis. They were perfect in that cool weather!
As Dix and I packed up our things, the kids started to play in the sand. We didnt hurry them, and before I realized it, they had built an elaborate tunnel. Boo called it a constructure, which is his word for constructed structure.
Dix and I stayed there and watched our two robe-wrapped children play in the sand with the marina behind them. I know that for years to come, I will be able to close my eyes and hear their excited voices from that day and see their small hands working hard in the sand.
Im so very lucky.
We finally went back to the villa and dressed for our much-anticipated shopping trip to Downtown Disney. Both kids were excited; they could finally pick out a toy.
We drove to Downtown Disney and went straight to "Once Upon a Toy." Boo studied each and every toy in that shop. If I hadnt known how patiently he had waited for this shopping trip, I would have felt the urge to hurry him, but he deserved to take his time.
As Boo and I browsed, I caught glimpses of Sis racing here and there with Dix quickly in tow. The store had obviously made her very excited! At one point Boo and I walked into a section to see Sis forcefully attacking another little girl for a dolly. The girls mother looked shocked, and Dix seemed quite embarrassed.
I grabbed Boo by the arm and quickly turned the other way so no one would know we were related to them. Later, Dix found us, and said, You wont believe what your daughter did. She attacked another girl for her dolly!
I looked at him in disbelief like I didnt believe him.
I know, I know... Dix is going to heaven, and Im going . somewhere else. I can imagine the scenario in about 150 years when Dix, Boo and Sis are all in heaven and the kids ask Dix where Mommy is. Dix will have to explain. Kids, mommy isnt with us in heaven. She went somewhere warmer. Much warmer.
When Boo had finished his careful inspection of that store, he finally turned to me and asked me to pick something out for him. There were just too many choices. I told him he had to pick something himself, but I suggested three items from which he may want to choose, and he settled on Aladdin action figures. Sis was still in bully mode and was hunting for vulnerable children, so I picked out a Little Pony and some pretend make-up for her.
They were both thrilled.
After shopping, we ate at Rainforest Café, and though we liked the atmosphere, we thought the food was far overpriced for the quality, even with the Disney Dining Experience discount. Sorry, but I dont consider wilted iceberg lettuce worthy of a $13 salad. And you cant drizzle a tiny line of Tabasco down a chicken strip from a kids meal and call it Buffalo Chicken.
With full bellies and new toys, we drove back to the villa. During the ride, one of the kids needed something in the back seat, and as I was turning to pass it to them, I hit my elbow on the Oh **** handle above the door. How I got my elbow that high at such a high rate of speed is still a mystery to me, but I suspect the Gods were punishing me for abandoning Dix with Sis-the-Bully in the store.
The edge of the handle stabbed the soft, tender tissue imbedded deep between the two bones of my elbow. As you are reading this, feel your elbow. When you find the two round bones that come together, stick your finger between them into that soft tissue. Tender and unpleasant, isnt it?
Now imagine hitting it as hard as you can with the edge of a hard object.
Thats what I did.
I stopped breathing for a second and then told Dix that I wasnt sure if I was going to throw-up or pass out.
Remember the ring of chirping birds they used to show in old cartoons when someone was hurt? Well, those birds do exist. They were fluttering and chirping above my head as I rocked back and forth in my seat.
Fly away, pretty birdies. Fly away.
I heard Boo ask what was wrong with Mommy, and then I heard Dix say, Lets not talk to, look at, or touch Mommy right now. There must have been a forceful tone to his voice, because both kids were as silent as can be.
Dix had seen me like this before. On our third day of living in Brazil, I accidentally slammed four of my fingertips in our huge metal balcony door.
I saw birdies that time too, and Dix made the mistake of touching me when I was in extreme pain.
I still blush when I think of some of the words that flew out of my mouth toward my husband.
That experience had taught Dix to avoid me while I am suffering from a pain-induced adrenaline rush and he left me alone while we quietly drove toward Old Key West. When the birdies stopped chirping and I started breathing again and had regained my composure, I told Dix I thought that my elbow was broken.
Oh sweetie. Its not broken. I just saw you bend your arm. It just hurts right now.
Well, arent you the Smarty-Pants of the family? I don't see chirping birdies flying around your head!
I had also thought my fingers were broken in the Brazil door-slam incident, but Dix was right when he diagnosed them as just being smushed, not broken. Maybe he did know what he was talking about. (By the way, Smushed = smashed + mushed.)
Smushed in Brazil did mean that we got to go to the local pharmacy and play charades with the non-English-speaking pharmacist, who quickly won the game when he figured out the word was PAIN. He gave me an unidentifiable painkiller that let me see pretty birdies all night long.
I dont think they have THAT kind of drug at Disney World.
When we arrived back at the villa, I looked at the phone to see if the message light was flashing. If Mom was coming to surprise us, she would have come already. There was no message, and I knew then that she would not be joining us on this trip. I took solace in the fact that she would be joining us for the May trip.
So, were still not even. Someday down the road she will show up unannounced to pay me back for my surprise trip to see her years ago. Until then, Ill keep watching for her over my shoulder.
Mothers. Even when they arent with you, they have a way of following you everywhere you go, dont they?
Next Installment:
Part 13...The German Hottie!
Previous Installment:
Part 11...Time for a break...
See below picture for more previous installments.
). When interrogated upon arriving back home I had to explain that we just couldn't play in our little town, I knew too many people and didn't want us to obtain a lasting memory of "those people with that aggressive uncontrollable child" 
, where if we played where nobody knew us, I could just sneak away after any unfortunate abuse that others suffered at her hands (I did talk to her about it each time though). Luckily she has settled down a bit and hasn't yelled or hit anyone in about 3 weeks, I'll call it progress, there is hope for us yet! 
