Chapter Five: Pop Tarts and Bike Rides
Well, its pretty late in the day, let me see what I can do.
As Helen Happytohelp disappeared into the back, I pondered the changes in fortune that brought us to the Wilderness Lodge on the sixth of September. I considered how ironic her words were. I did everything I could to be at the Lodge earlier in the day. I built my whole day around being there early. I didnt need to be reminded that it was pretty late in the day.
Im a freaking Disney Nerd! I felt like shouting.
I didnt actually shout that of course. I didnt shout anything. I hear tell its impolite to shout things in public. Unless its a well timed Roll Tide! Which rarely gets shouted anymore. Except in disdain.
I dont lose well.
But I didnt yell a thing while I was standing at the check in counter at the Lodge (weve stayed there exactly once and already its just, the Lodge.). Instead, I watched as Helen Happytohelp walked around the back and I considered how timely her words were to me. While I anticipated her return, I was unusually confident that she was going to come back with good news for us. No matter how late it was. Why? It wasnt because she was Happytohelp although she was. It was because there was nothing I could do about it. It has been my experience that when I try very hard to make sure something happens, when my plans get thwarted, almost always God provides a better way.
And even if we didnt get bunk beds, I was sure whatever room we got would be fantastic. In other words, while Helen said, Well, its pretty late in the day, let me see what I can do. What I heard was, Its under control, ZZUB. Trust me. Except God didnt call me ZZUB. He called me by my real name. Gods funny that way.
But don't tell anyone ZZUB isn't my real name. Let's keep that our little secret.
So I smiled. I walked over to the little kid tv area and talked to my wife and checked to see how she was doing. I told her what was going on. She look tired, spent. I considered again how odd this trip felt. There were moments that felt normal, like when we exited the Turnpike and when we arrived at the Lodge, but then there were moments like this when it was like I was standing a few feet away watching us. Wondering what was wrong with those people. They didnt seem as exited as they should be.
I kissed her and told her it wouldnt be too much longer. As I walked back to the check in counter, I noticed Helen was coming back out.
Well, youve been upgraded to a courtyard view with bunk beds.
I said, Thank you very much. Youve made my daughter very happy. But what I really meant was,
WOO FREAKING HOO!!! Youve made me very happy!!!
Helen then took out the Lodge map and showed us where our room was. We received an inner courtyard view which meant we were pretty close to the elevators and the main lobby. She continued clacking away on her computer (evidently more than one person is translating the Metro Orlando area yellow pages into Klingon) and I went over to the tv area to get my wife and daughter and tell them the news. My wife was feeling a little weak so she held onto my arm. At the news that she was going to have bunk beds, my daughter began bouncing up and down. The way little girls do.
We walked back to the check in counter and Helen gave us our room keys, dining plan info, a folder of stuff and she gave my daughter a bag with coloring pages, crayons and, of course, stickers.
Ive written before that my favorite time of any Disney trip is the moment between check in and when you get to your room. Its the greatest time of anticipation. Youve checked into your hotel which means youre really there. Youve received your room keys and park tickets which confirms that in a few hours youll be riding rides, laughing hysterically and eating ice cream. Your whole trip is ahead of you. And so you walk towards your room wondering what it looks like and what your view will be like and whether its a good location.
Having never stayed at the Lodge, we really didnt know what to expect.
Well thats not entirely true. Ive been to Allearsnet and Ive spent more than a few minutes on the Disboards looking at pictures of the Lodge rooms. So I had an idea. But still, having never seen it in person, I was looking forward to checking it all out.
My wife couldnt walk very fast and because of that, I was forced to do something I dont do very well. Go slow. And that was a good thing. I wasnt so preoccupied with my normal rush to get to the room. Instead, I was forced to savor the experience a bit more.
It was like eating a chocolate bunny at Easter. In our house, we dont just bite the ears off. First, you smell. Get the essence of the chocolate in your nose. See if you can actually taste it without actually tasting it.
Then you bite the ears off.
And so it was with our walk to our room at the Lodge. We stopped at the bubbling spring and I showed my daughter how the water started there and then turned into the river which ran into the pool.
Then we walked over to the elevators. Which, by the way, are fricking cool. Or we were just complete rednecks so desperate for a vacation that we were easily impressed?
We exited on the 4th floor and walked around the corner and down a ways to our room. I put the key in the door and swung it open. Wow! What an amazing room. My daughter ran past me and checked out the bunk beds and my wife and I surveyed the place. Because they just renovated the Lodge, everything still looked and smelled new. The flat screen tv is very cool, a big improvement over those miniscule 27 deals they have at PORiverside. We walked around the room looking at every detail and touching every thing.
Look it. Were not complete rubes. My wife and I have been fortunate to stay in some very nice places, so its not like were unaccustomed to indoor plumbing and carpet. We were just a bit shell shocked from the last 16 hours and maybe even the last eight months. Even now, thinking back on this day, its amusing to me the way we walked around the room at first, opening drawers, calling each other over to look at this, or come check this out. We were impressed by the big things like the tv , the bunkbeds and the cool as all get out carved headboard. We were impressed by the smaller things like the bathroom set up and the curved shower curtain bar.
Mostly, however, I think we were impressed that we were actually there. 16 hours earlier, we didnt expect to be here at all.
That wasnt the only reason we were impressed with the room, however. At least I dont think it was. Look at how cool the place is:
It was also hugely functional. There was plenty of space to store our stuff. And this little area was perfect for the ZZUBsnacks.
Its not a vacation if you dont have Yoo Hoo and Pop Tarts. And Im not on vacation until the Pop Tarts appear. There are two drawers over the cabinet which housed the fridge. We filled the top drawer with good stuff: Pop Tarts, cookies, goldfish. The bottom drawer had the crappy snacks: trail mix, Nutragrain bars, fruit snacks. In other words, garbage. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures before we moved in and trashed the place.
We went out onto the balcony and checked out the view. It was amazing.
For reasons that only Rainman can appreciate or explain, I walked back and forth between our room and the balcony several times. This is so amazing! I kept saying over and over. I looked at my wife, and asked, isnt this amazing?
It is, she said, and I could tell she was feeling overwhelmed too. I put my arm around her and kissed the top of her head and squeezed her close to me. Im a squeezer.
The bellman knocked on our door and I went to let him in. He started unloading the 800 bags of stuff we brought with us. I told my wife to lay down and I would unpack our stuff.
What was I thinking?
But as my daughter went up and down and up and down and up and down the ladder on her bunk beds, I scurried around moving our stuff in. Every so often, I would move over to my wife, now laying down on the bed and give her a kiss and say, isnt this amazing?
I also turned the air down to 65.
I go to Florida in summer because its hot. And then I run the air so cold my wife wears sweats.
Then I called downstairs and asked for extra towels. Because you can never have enough towels.
And its never too early to ask for them.
And although my wife was resting so nice, I jumped on the bed. And did a victory dance.
Daddys acting crazy! my daughter said.
Yep, my wife said. Daddys on vacation now.
I hopped off the bed and walked back out to the balcony. I considered what she said. She was right of course. We were on vacation now. I looked out past the pool at the lake and I just started thanking God that my wife was ok, that the baby was ok, for allowing us to be on vacation, to be in this place that we love,. And I thanked Him for the amazing room He set aside for us. Even if it was pretty late in the day.
Faith isnt like riding a bike for me. Sometimes I forget. Im not saying I forget God. I dont. Im saying that sometimes I get so enamored of my ability to make things happen that I think Im making things happen. I forget that despite all my plans, Im not in control. He is. And He really will provide for us. Big things and little things. Things which mean everything and things He does just to remind us that He loves us.
Like letting us know our child is ok. And letting us come to Disney World. Letting us stay in the Wilderness Lodge. In a bunk bed room with an amazing view. None of my plans made this happen. From time to time, I need to be reminded that God is God. I am not. Sometimes I forget to trust Him. I forget that He loves my children more than I do. He loves
me more than I do. And He loves to bless us. Even with things which, in eternity seem trivial. Like a bunk bed room with a courtyard view at the Wilderness Lodge.
I stood on the balcony for as long as Ive ever stood still in Disney World. I stood still.
And I was reminded how to keep my balance.
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Click Here for Chapter Six
with the WL when on our very 1st trip to the "world" we were granted an upgrade to a bear faced courtyard view. Loved every single second of that stay and can't wait to go back 
