The S and N's are finally shoving off. I do the last look around, to see if there is something hidden under the bed, in the corner, in the safe, (yeah, like I'm gonna forget the vikes!)
We have a choice now, do we leave right away, or try to do something else.
You know, one more Spiderman? One more Mummy? But, I'm antsy. This always happens to me. I'm always in a hurry to get to the next thing, and don't always appreciate where I'm at.
Before we left, while we were waiting for the luggage guy, she asked me if I"m hungry.
Well, yeah, I am, but I'm also hurtin. And you know the rules. I'm looking forward to getting to the new resort, check in, and THEN, I can see "my friends", but as I have said, they don't work well on a full stomach.
But I'm hungry.
I start browsing through the box.
Coffe cake, slim jims, bad cheetohs. ( these are bad cheetohs cuz of my friend Tattoe, that has posted here. She kept telling me that the "puffy ones are better then the "crackly" ones. The ones I always buy.
She is WRONG!
All puffy ones do is jam up in your molars, and then you spend 2 hours trying to dig them out with your tongue.
I never listen to a word she says anymore!
Then Diane says, "There's still a thigh and a wing left". "You can have them."
What?
The chicken we bought the night before we left, that has been sitting in the cooler for , um, how many days now?
We bought it thursday night, it's now wednsday.
"YOUR trying to kill me , aren't you?"
"You do realize that you will now be driving home, on the highways, with a corpse behind you keeping you company?"
Then I did the math for her.
"Oh, yeah, your right, time to throw it out."
Then it occured to me.
"Hey, wait, let's offer it to the guy that's in charge of the pool music, maybe he likes cold chicken."
Another 5 dollar tip later, and we were on our way.
This time we tried something totally different, we didn't get back on I-4, but took the back roads. All the times we've been here, we still don't know anything about the area, and I thought it might be a good time to learn.
We went behind Uni, found a Turkey Lake Rd. Then, ended back up on Vineland- Apopka Rd. It seems that every other street around there is named either Vineland, or Kirkman, Road.
On the way to Disney, it suddenly hit me.
"OH CRAP"
no, not the chicken, gee, I'm not very good at this sentence structuring thing,
No, oh crap applied to,
I could have just walked back into the Studios, and finally gotten my Corn dog.
And I forgot about it. Yes, I would have gone back in, it's that close.
Crap
nebo was morose
"Fine, they were probably terrible to begin with, who needs all that grease.
Nope, not me. "
Crap
I mentioned it to her, and she said , I thought about that myself, but you seemed so focused on getting over to CBR, that I didn't mention it.
"OH"
"OH"
Fine, let it go man,There will be other corn dogs, on other trips, many months, or years, from now.
Actually, the ride over there was "easy peasy, lem' stopit, stopit right now.
But we did notice one thing. The smoke was getting worse. Except for the smoke, the ride there was real nice, got to see a lot more of the area than you can see when all you do is ride I-4. We went through one area, though, that I can't explain. I don't know if it's the name of a suburb? Or a neighborhood? Or even a University area. But we kept seeing these signs for "Dr. Phillips".
Honest, don't know what it means. But there were sure plenty of signs saying "Dr. Phillips."
With all the smoke from the wildfires, Diane said, "Yeah, it's more like trying to see through Phillips Milk of Magnesia."
Our backroads trip brought us right into Downtown Disney, through the Hotel Plaza section. We have never been here before. And I always wondered what it would be like to stay in one of these hotels.
Well, now, I have the answer.
NOT!
Nothing about it seemed like being in Disneyworld. More like a strip on Miami Beach. I have often felt that way about Downtown Disney, I liked it a lot more when it was just Pleasure Island. Now, that whole area just doesn't seem like I'm in Disney anymore.
Once through DD, we just follow the road on over to CBR.
THe purple signs, that are hard to read cuz they're purple, yep, now I feel like I"m in Disney.
We pull in and follow the signs to registration.
If you've never been there, let me descibe. THis resort is kind of weird.
You regester in at the Custom House, which is totally separate from the rest of the resort. It's very pretty, good theming, well manicured, good teeth, and take a good look around because you will probably never see this place again on your trip.
I will be totally honest with you here, sincerely. I have a Major soft spot in my heart for this moment.
In '92, it was our first trip down here, with the kids. And, I know you will find this hard to believe, that trip almost didn't happen.
Why? You ask?
Because, six weeks before the trip,, (man, I just know that they are not going to believe this, no, couldn't happen,) We went to a soccer fund raising party, where they had "Games". And contests. No, not accordian contests, things like, "Hula Hoop, and biggest bubble blowing contest, and all these type of things that I am totally inadequate at."
And then they had one more contest.
To this day, still get that song stuck in my head.
"Limbo lower now"
Yep, I entered the Limbo contest, and it got down to me and ONE OTHER GUY!!!
For a bottle of Cold Duck.
I'm 6-1, he was about 5-9.
But I thought I could take him.
Everybody was on my side.
The cheering, the applause, "YEAH, NEBO!" YOU CAN DO IT!"
I was first.
Then I looked at where they set the bar for the final round.
"WHAT?"
IT would have been easier to go under a RUG!
I tried, I got halfway through it ,,,,,,
And, now, I know this is the hard part for you guys to believe,,,,,
My knee exploded!
That other ashlook,,,, scuse my french, Marita, he won by default!
So, geesh, can I get off track,,, a couple weeks later I had surgery on the knee, and was barely off of crutches by the time of the first trip.
To CBR.
There, I did it.
Ok, the thing was, on the first trip down, I had never taken a real painkiller before. I'm serious. I had some vikes with me, and they were , like, brand , spanky new on the painkiller horizon back then, and I took my first one as we came into Orlando.
I still remember pulling up in front of the custom house, and having this uniformed man come up to me, as I tried to get out of the old station wagon.
I was in a ratty tank top and cuttoffs, and just looking around with tears in my eyes, saying , "It's beautiful." "Just Beautiful".
Thought for sure he was going to call security, but he just looked at the plates, and saw Illinois, and said, "Just take your time sir, the feeling will come back."
I'm not kidding, I was on my hands and knees at that time, my back didn't want me to straighten up, but I didn't care.
It was beautiful.
So, as we pull up this time, those are the memories flashing through my brain. Only, didn't take and pills yet today, and a guy just walked over and said "welcome, you need to park in the lot out front."
"Home"
I said to myself.
It's "Welcome Home!"
I let her off, and went , slowly, to park the car.
And, of course, I take my time.
We have found, that she can "usually" get us a better room by herself than when I am also standing there.
Except sometimes in emergencies.
Then, it takes teamwork.
This morning it could not have gone better.
When I walked up to the counter where she was standing, she just handed me back my Visa, my liscense,,,,license,,,,Permit to drive,,,, man, I hate that word, handed me back the
AAA card, and said we are all set.
HUH?
Already?
Yep, and she explained to me back in the car.
We had requested a smoking room in Aruba, second floor, standard view.
We knew Aruba was a smoking building.
What they gave us?
A smoking room in Aruba, second floor, but they have upgraded us to a Water view!
WOW! I couldn't believe it.
Don't try to do the "We two pals"jumping up and down thing in the car, it doesn't work.
WOW, again. We have the room of our dreams!
(hey, dreams get altered, the older you get)
Only , one problem.
It's not ready yet.
Ok, fine with us, we'll just go down to a pool for awhile, and just keep calling till it's ready.
Then Diane told me what I missed.
Let me just get this out of the way, now, and say, "shut up , Melinda."
The check in girl told Diane, " ok, just give me your cell phone number, and as soon as the room is ready, we'll call you."
"I don't have a cell phone."
"Oh, ok, then just give me your husband's cell phone number and we'll call HIM."
"He doesn't have a cell phone , either."
"Oh, well, this is how we usually do this."
Diane; "ok, but we don't have a cell phone."
Girl: "No, really, this is how it's normally done, we'll call you."
Diane: "Ahh, I see."
Diane: "We still don't have a cell phone."
Girl: "You see, with a cell phone number, then we can call you, and tell you when your room is ready."
Diane: (reaching volcano stage) "I can't give you my husbands cell phone number, he told me that if I ever gave it out, it could jeopardize every thing he has worked on for 25 years if it fell in the wrong hands. So, can we check back in through a house phone by the pool to see if our room is ready or not?"
Girl: Um, yes, you can do that, no problem.
Now you know why I wait in the car for a while.
I love her!
and that's it for tonight,
).
Enjoyed the pics. As for the Accordian...I think we all have a vintage photo similar to that somewhere.
Mine is me running around the front yard in my Grandpa's motorcycle helmet prentending I'm Evel Kneival.
Let me start by saying I am a life long White Sox fan, born and raised in BridgePort. The Sox can't seem to figure out how to play Baseball this year so I guess from the score of that game (final 20-14) they decided to give Football a try. That didn't work either. Oh well, to quote Cubs fans "There's always next year"
we can't have that! Back from a couple days in a sick bed and just catching up. Nice accordian Nebo!
