Overdue and Overpacked: POR 9/23-10/1 THE EPILOGUE IS NOW UP ON PAGE 25

[sheridac]

<<<<<<slap>>>>>>
<<<<<<slurp>>>>>

LALA!! You can't be nearly finished!! Waaaaa!!

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Almost over, and another trip not planned for four months? Sadness!

Great installment (she says as she puts her head on her desk to cry . . .)

 

[ZZUB]

He was sittin’ there in his nice comfy seat casting judgemental glances at us while the kids clung to our legs and whined about how tired they were and the bus driver sat smelling the armpit stench on his fingers and waiting impatiently for us to crack the code.

This is one of the best, most descriptive sentences I've read. You so put us there with you. I could smell the inside of the bus as I was reading this. It was enough to make me move my keyboard and aim for the pail. But in a good way.

I had almost forgotten your family was affected by Katrina. I remembered it as I was reading about your last breakfast in the PORiverside Food court because you had previously compared that experience with waiting for ice. The thing that strikes me is, we're all sad when we leave Disney World. We all have Disneyfreude to some extent. None of us wants to return to the real world we left behind as much as we want to stay in the magical one we've been in on vacation. For must of us, however, the real world is gray because of deadlines and bills, work and laundry, a vague sense of malaise reminiscent of the Carter Administration. But for your family, the real world was so much more intense, so much more difficult to return to. I forgot that reading your report. Which I think was your point. It summed up, very nicely, how necessary and wonderful a vacation to the World can be. But I remembered it again as I read about your morning in the food court. Which summed up, again, how good a writer you are. We can sense the Disneyfreude in a very real way.

I'm sad your epic is coming to an end. On the other hand, I'm glad that in a few months, a new one will begin.

Now more than ever.

 

[Grammyof2]

LaLa - that totally rocked. Except for the part where I sniffed my fingers

I don't think I ever told you this, but when Katrina hit last year, I was enjoying the Poly with my mom, daughter and granddaughter. We could not believe how removed from the real world we were. They drop that paper by your door, and we didn't even look at it. It was August, I didn't need a weather forecast, I knew it was hot and would rain at some point every day. It wasn't till we were at the airport heading back did we even know of the devastation Katrina caused. We were in our happy place and didn't have a care in the world.

That is exactly why we all love to be there. No matter what we are facing at home, after you enter the gates, everything is magical.

 

[Master Gracie]

None of us wants to return to the real world we left behind as much as we want to stay in the magical one we've been in on vacation. For must of us, however, the real world is gray because of deadlines and bills, work and laundry, a vague sense of malaise reminiscent of the Carter Administration. But for your family, the real world was so much more intense, so much more difficult to return to.

Very true Zzub. I noticed the last time right after check-in, when I was taking the luggage to the room, I felt a slight twinge of sadness for the people I saw returning opposite me with their own luggage. Their vacation was over as mine was just beginning. I knew that in a few short days, my eyes would have lost that sparkle and adopted that same tired, melancholy cast I saw in those poor souls.

But just maybe it was a step further. I have no idea what they were going home to. For me, it would only be a well paying job that I reasonably like and a family that loves me. My biggest problem is how to creatively finance my next Disney trip.

For all I know, some of those people leaving that day may never come back to Disney world again. It may have been a once in a lifetime trip for them, or physical illness may render another trip impossible. For a brief period of time, maybe they were able to escape the horrors that awaited them in their everyday life, but now, at the end of the adventure, they were smacked in the face with the reality of what they had waiting for them upon their return.

You know, I really don't have any reason to complain about anything.

Wow...I had no intention to be such a wet blanket there.

Let me end on a happier(?) note and say, I am thoroughly looking forward to your last installment Lala. And not because it is your last one either. Because it means there is still more to come.

Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Laaaaaaaaaa Laaaaaaaaaaa!!!

You're trip report has been quite a fun ride. In fact, you've got me feeling that feeling and I haven't even LEFT yet for our trip. Let alone gotten to the very end of it. And, yet, I can feel it all the same. Geez La La.

But... you STILL make we want to la la. In the kitchen and on the floor...

I laughed, too, 'cause I collect the cutlery. You know the Disney red forks, aqua-blue spoons and purple forks. I have a buttload in the cupboard as we speak. I know. It makes no sense to me, either.

Anyway, thanks for the memories. Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for a little bit of your family and of you. I'm eagerly awaiting the finale.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

 

[nicolemarie]

LaLa - That was awesome. You are such a witty and effective writer. I wanted to quote all the parts that I REALLY loved - but guess what? I loved it all. Great report - thanks for writing it.

But '88 still dominates...oh yeah, baby.

 

[MOMOFMNM]

Master Gracie posted on my trip report. My life is now complete.

Just kiddin'. Really, it's not. But I am so glad you found your way here via our girl Melons.

And you soooo belong in that group. I still think about the Puke...by Chase thing from time to time and start laughing out loud. DH looks at me like I've lost it and then I start "Well, see, there was this trip report on the DIS...."

So glad you're going back. Free dining? It was the free dining, wasn't it? Yeah, us too. Well, I will look forward to reading more hilarious adventures starring Chase and the gang. Oh, and you might wanna give ZZUB a heads up before you unleash the puke stories on him. Apparently he has a weak stomach.

LALA!!
ON IGNORE CUZ YOU DID NOT INCLUDE ME IN THAT TRIP REPORT SEND OFF!!! OR HORSEY OR KPK!!!WHAZTZ UP WITH YOU LADY??

ON IGNORE!!

CEPT TO SAY YOUR BRILLIANT AND AMAZING IN EVERYWAY

AND i AM MAD AT YOU



lymi

 

[kpk89]

whoa! Easy PolyMom.

So I'm supposed to be mad at LaLa too? I think? I've been slighted somehow -- I'm shocked that I didn't notice because usually I'm very quick to pout/b**ch, you know.

Back to the point. LaLaaaa ... I too had forgotten that this trip was a much-needed reprieve for you from the disaster. You've done well in writing the fun and footloose times at Disney, bookended between the reality of life after Katrina. A fine job.

 

[horsegirl]

We all knew we had to go back home today. And we all knew what that meant. I have tried very hard in the trip report to not get into what we had all left behind us at home on this particular trip to Disneyworld. Although something as big as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is hard to sidestep and I know I have mentioned it in passing a couple of times. My intent was to not mention anything about the storm during our adventures in the World to make a point. That point is that while we were there, it almost didn’t exist. The destruction left behind us at home, I mean. We didn’t think about it while we were there. Except for the time when we met the Canadians, Katrina was the furthest thing from our minds. But as we sat in the food court that Saturday and reflected on our awesome vacation that was coming to a close, we were painfully aware that we were now on the brink of stepping back into the real world again.

We were experiencing a case of Disneyschadenfreude like you wouldn’t believe.

Lala beautifully written. This is the part that brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you for sharing in the wonderful way you do. You have a gift my friend.

Now
[[[[[[[[[[[[[SLAP]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Get yourself signed up and join us! Down there, you know where, in October. I cannot hold a slapfest by myself!

 

[Chapter 11]

Wow. A bittersweet installment. I liked the shoutout to the Mary Katherine Gallagher-like bus driver. Superstar! But, as others have mentioned, I was struck by how easy it was to lose track, OVER THE SEVERAL MONTHS IT HAS TAKEN YOU TO WRITE THIS THING (sorry, excuse me -- who is that rude person who is shouting at you?), of what you left behind when you started on this adventure. Life sometimes deals you a glancing blow, and sometimes it smacks you right on the dang nose. But you know what? As I read your trip report, it occurred to me that life only really clobbers you when you let it. You, my friend, seem to possess the ability, whether through your wry outlook on life (that's code for twisted sense of humor, in case you didn't know), your addiction to all things 80s, or just your boundless optimism, to deflect the sharpest punches that life has to offer, so that none of them truly catches you flush. You bring new meaning to the phrase "wax on, wax off". In short, you inspire me. And, there it is. Let me leave you with one further thought -- you have clearly mastered all that Mr. Miyagi has to teach:

Daniel-san: Don't you know anything you can tell me?
Miyagi: Hai. No get hit.

I think that pretty well sums it up (although, I'll admit that "if do right, no can defense" works pretty gosh darn well too). Cheers!

 

[Master Gracie]

LALA!!
ON IGNORE CUZ YOU DID NOT INCLUDE ME IN THAT TRIP REPORT SEND OFF!!! OR HORSEY OR KPK!!!WHAZTZ UP WITH YOU LADY??

ON IGNORE!!

CEPT TO SAY YOUR BRILLIANT AND AMAZING IN EVERYWAY

AND i AM MAD AT YOU



lymi

Umm...I sat here for a while and debated whether or not to post as there is a possibility that I will look a little slow...but then that occurs whenever I post, so no loss there.

I must admit to being lost here. Did you quote the wrong post, or is there a send off hidden in Lala's reply to me?

Ok, let me look around for my Secret Squirrel decoder ring...

 

[LaLa]

Umm...I sat here for a while and debated whether or not to post as there is a possibility that I will look a little slow...but then that occurs whenever I post, so no loss there.

I must admit to being lost here. Did you quote the wrong post, or is there a send off hidden in Lala's reply to me?

Ok, let me look around for my Secret Squirrel decoder ring...

Ahem, put the squirrel away Master Gracie. I think I can help ya with this one. I think Polymelonmom's got me on Ignore cause I didn't include her name in the trip report elite earlier on in my report. That right, PMM?

But it's all good Master Gracie cause I think she knows how much I love her trip report. And kpk89's and Horsegirl's. In fact the reason you even found your way here was because you saw me posting all that stuff on hers, right? So doesn't that count for anything?

Well, I think I know PMM well enough to know that she really is kidding and that she really doesn't have me on Ignore. Maybe. But just for the record, her trip report rocks.

Geez. Some people are so touchy. Don't you agree?

LY/MI PMM

 

[Master Gracie]

Ahem, put the squirrel away Master Gracie. I think I can help ya with this one.

Just as well. I have been forgetting to feed him anyway and he had that wild look in his eye.

The Melon Queen has no reason to feel slighted. Her report is excellent. As I stated recently in kpk's report, there are several very talented submissions popping up these days.

I just might make it til September after all.

 

[LaLa]

Hey Everybody!

Thanks so much for your kind words. Yall are the best.

The thing that strikes me is, we're all sad when we leave Disney World. We all have Disneyfreude to some extent. None of us wants to return to the real world we left behind as much as we want to stay in the magical one we've been in on vacation. For must of us, however, the real world is gray because of deadlines and bills, work and laundry, a vague sense of malaise reminiscent of the Carter Administration. But for your family, the real world was so much more intense, so much more difficult to return to. I forgot that reading your report. Which I think was your point. It summed up, very nicely, how necessary and wonderful a vacation to the World can be. But I remembered it again as I read about your morning in the food court. Which summed up, again, how good a writer you are. We can sense the Disneyfreude in a very real way.

ZZUB, every time you post, I smile. Or laugh. Or cry. Or all three at once. There are no exceptions. You know that, right?

You and Master Gracie both so eloquently put down exactly how we were feeling. I'm so glad you "got it". I wanted the trip report to be happy and to illustrate the point that we never thought about home while we were there. We had no worries. It was The Magic at work in a big way and I'm so glad you and Master Gracie and others picked up on what I was trying to do.

Laaaaaaaaaa Laaaaaaaaaaa!!!

You're trip report has been quite a fun ride. In fact, you've got me feeling that feeling and I haven't even LEFT yet for our trip. Let alone gotten to the very end of it. And, yet, I can feel it all the same. Geez La La.

But... you STILL make we want to la la. In the kitchen and on the floor...

I laughed, too, 'cause I collect the cutlery. You know the Disney red forks, aqua-blue spoons and purple forks. I have a buttload in the cupboard as we speak. I know. It makes no sense to me, either.

Anyway, thanks for the memories. Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for a little bit of your family and of you. I'm eagerly awaiting the finale.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

Meeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!

So glad to see you back over here, Girl. I missed you, you crazy Canadian. And I mean that in a good way. Can't wait for your next t/r. I know it will be lots of laughs.

Lala beautifully written. This is the part that brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you for sharing in the wonderful way you do. You have a gift my friend.

Now
[[[[[[[[[[[[[SLAP]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
Get yourself signed up and join us! Down there, you know where, in October. I cannot hold a slapfest by myself!

Horsey, thanks Girl. Love ya. Really mean it.

(((((((((((((((slapittyslapslap))))))))))))))))))))))

Wow. A bittersweet installment. I liked the shoutout to the Mary Katherine Gallagher-like bus driver. Superstar! But, as others have mentioned, I was struck by how easy it was to lose track, OVER THE SEVERAL MONTHS IT HAS TAKEN YOU TO WRITE THIS THING (sorry, excuse me -- who is that rude person who is shouting at you?), of what you left behind when you started on this adventure. Life sometimes deals you a glancing blow, and sometimes it smacks you right on the dang nose. But you know what? As I read your trip report, it occurred to me that life only really clobbers you when you let it. You, my friend, seem to possess the ability, whether through your wry outlook on life (that's code for twisted sense of humor, in case you didn't know), your addiction to all things 80s, or just your boundless optimism, to deflect the sharpest punches that life has to offer, so that none of them truly catches you flush. You bring new meaning to the phrase "wax on, wax off". In short, you inspire me. And, there it is. Let me leave you with one further thought -- you have clearly mastered all that Mr. Miyagi has to teach:

Daniel-san: Don't you know anything you can tell me?
Miyagi: Hai. No get hit.

I think that pretty well sums it up (although, I'll admit that "if do right, no can defense" works pretty gosh darn well too). Cheers!

Wow. I'm at a loss for words. You have just worked your way off the Slap Happy List. You rock, Chappie. You really do.

And Grammy,stop sniiffn' your fingers. LY/MI

 

[pongoperdigirl]

LALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you!!!!!

You are a great writer and I have enjoyed reading every bit of what you have to say.

I can't wait until you get to go back and we can do this all over again!

Maelstrom my sista!

 

[horsegirl]

Wow. I'm at a loss for words. You have just worked your way off the Slap Happy List. You rock, Chappie. You really do.

I am sorry, but I have to chime in here, just hours before I leave, in between my sessions, to say I had the same reaction, Lala. My heart literally stopped at the beauty in Chap's words. How is it possible that so many gifted people have found themselves posting on your trip report? The answer is blatantly obvious. You do have all that is required to make the most humorous, insightful and poignant reading one could happen upon. Rarely do I get to know the person behind the words of all the novels I have read in my life. What an honor and true pleasure it is to be able to do so with lala and people as fine as Chap and Zzub. I hear there is a certain bankrupcty boy heading to the World in December, and I am banking that if we cheer him on enough, we'll get another masterful report up on this board. Lala. Look what you inspired!

 

[ZZUB]

ZZUB, every time you post, I smile. Or laugh. Or cry. Or all three at once. There are no exceptions. You know that, right?

Back at you, in spades. Of course, sometimes I puke but that's just a conditioned response at this point.

And by the way, '86 kicks!

I just threw up a little in my mouth. I feel better now.

 

[coachyo]

WOW, I finally finished. What a fantastic TR. I wanted to finish reading 1st, before I posted and then it took me so long to finish, that
oh nooooooooooooo you're finished. I have enjoyed reading your report and I truly did get another trip from you! Your writting has been so enjoyable to read, just like ZZUB! He got me here! I am looking forward to reading some of the other reports you have mentioned. I printed most of this off so I could enjoy it outside in the back yard with a nice cold one ! or 2 ! Or 3 Is there a pattern there? I am heading off to the world and POR in June. I hope we can survive the matrix and get some viddles before we head out to Epicot & the other parks in the mornings.

Just a quick question though about the wasps, did you ever see any others? Was it a big problem only in the morning when they were grooming the grounds? I am deathly allergic and need to prepare.
I do have my MUGMAN duties to perform each morning while the girls are doing their girlie thing.

Hope your road to recovery after Katrina is going well and I can't wait till your next report!

Thanks,
CoachYO

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Well, it looks like it's all over except for the epilogue. And I'm sure it'll be a doozy...just like the rest of your wonderful, funny, touching, completely REAL report. I'm sad to see it end, but I have hopes of Overdue and Overpacked: Part Deux in the not too distant future.

I just want to add that like for so many others, WDW is the place that takes me and my family away from a sometimes harsh reality. We weren't hit by Katrina; but life's storms come in many shapes and sizes, and there's nothing like a dose of magic to chase away the cobwebs and fears for a few days.

There's something about seeing the sun glint off the ol' geodesic sphere at Epicot, walking through the gates of a fairytale castle, or standing in the shadow of the Tree of Life that makes us stronger and more able to battle whatever is waiting on the other side of The Happiest Place on Earth. Maybe that's why we all keep going back.

Thank you for reminding me that the Magic Kingdom is a place that is just as vibrant in memories as it is in person.