After a great nights sleep from being so tired we couldnt stand it, we woke up rested and ready to lounge at POR. Yes, I had actually planned on some down time for us. I have never really done that. Lemmetellya, it was GREAT! It was so nice to wake up knowing that we didnt have to rush off anywhere. On our last trip, I was obsessed with us eating breakfast somewhere fun. We had a wake-up call every morning jolting us out of bed and we always had to wake the kids and rush to breakfast somewhere. It turned out to be very tiring. I didnt want to do that this time. I didn't plan one single wake up call and I only made one ADR for this trip and that was for Kona. Tonga Toast is worth getting up for!
We had some laundry issues going on by this point in the trip, so I took a big load to throw in the wash on our way to the food court. The laundry facilities were right by the pool that was 30 yards from our room. Sweet. We began our beautiful walk to the food court (we would have been driving to it if it werent for that glorious bike ride). We crossed the river and Mr. Frick said hello to all his duck and bird friends. The food court was hopping with activity I tell you. We separated and scoured the area for what we wanted to eat. I couldnt find one of my favorite Disney breakfast items
.the Mickey Mouse Waffle! AAHHHH! I was crushed. Shoot. No waffles in the shape of my favorite buddy. I settled for some boring ole pancakes instead. The rest of the crew got cereal and let me say, I think it is a waste to use a counter service credit on cereal & milk
but that is what they wanted. One CM said fruit or a bakery treat came with it, another CM said it didnt. I wasnt educated enough on the subject to know. I probably got jipped. Is that how you spell jipped? Pardon me if it isnt.
Moving on.
Mr. Frick had wanted to rent a boat since the first time he saw the harbor.
I ran back to the laundry place (cant think of a proper name for it) and threw the clothes in the dryer while he rented our sweet ride. On my way back to meet the family, I didnt run
I walked. I had a phone call to make. I was soooooo excited because I had big plans to meet one of my very first Dis friends, Horse Girl! I call her Horsey. I had never talked to Horsey on the phone before so I was waiting to hear her sweet voice! Horsey answered her phone, she yelled Frickles!!!! I yelled "Horsey!!!" and we got caught up on what the other was doing and we planned a time to meet. You know when I read what people write on the Dis, they all sound like me. Everyone speaks in the same southern accent as I do. Can you follow what I am trying to say? When I read the words, I hear you all in my mind in
my voice. (Now I had talked to Yak and several other Georgia Dissers -NicoleMarie, GaDisneygirl, Fsumarchief & GaAristocrat - while they were at a Georgia mini-meet without me, and I've spoken to Jamal on the phone before the trip. Yak is from Canada so now when I read her posts, I know what she sounds like - which is different from me, eh? - and I read it knowing her voice. Jamal is a southerner like me too, so I think she sounds just like me, except when she is sick! All the other Georgians talk just like me too, so I can picture the way they sound perfectly.) When Horsey and I started our excited and sweet little phone conversation, I thought wow, she doesn't sound like me at all because she has no accent! I had to get adjusted to the sweet new voice that was taking over the 'southern' Horse Girl in my mind.
Horsey was at Animal Kingdom with a lot of other Maelstromers. You may wonder what a Maelstromer is. Well, that is the name that a sweet little group took on back in March when we all came together. How we came together is a long story, but we stuck together and here we were, in our happy place about to meet! (Well, unfortunately not everyone could make it
, but a lot of us sure did) The Maelstromers were the reason we were even there. Sweet Horsey had helped me make the decision to come. I struggled right along with Yak and Jamal about whether or not I should go, but I think we all made the right decision in the end!!!!
Horsey and I made our plans to meet after our boat ride. After I hung up, I was super excited about getting to sit down and talk with her without a computer screen and a gazillion miles between us.
I found my family all life-vested up and ready to speed on out of POR in our pontoon boat. We were going on an adventure. I was so glad that Mr. Frick wanted to do this for us. And him. He likes boats. We all do. Im babbling. Sorry. Back to the ride.
I wish I could say that we sped off with Mr. Frick skiing behind the boat, but I cant. This was more of a relaxing ride you know. Our captain had rented the boat for an hour, so we had time to go to Downtown Disney and check out Old Key West. We passed Port Orleans French Quarter on our way out.
It looked lovely. I really started craving a beignet at that moment. Soon after that, we saw this building.
I was perplexed because these cottages dont look like anything I have seen on the Disney resort website. If you know what this place is, please tell me. I have wanted to know for a month now.
I think we passed a DVC resort. Here is a picture.
Again, I have no idea which resort this is. It is right by Downtown Disney. If anyone can tell me which one it is, I would love to know! There was some construction going on. It was beautiful and I was very impressed. You DVC members have got it good! You must be married to a Disney loving person to get that deal going for you. (Yak, we are never going to hear Welcome Home! are we?!?!)
Downtown Disney was gorgeous from the water! The river opened up into a lake and we did a little hot-dogging in our pontoon boat. If you arent sure what hot-dogging is, that is red-neck for goofing off. Now you know. I saw lots of shoppers checking out our ride and I just know they were wishing they were us. That is what I do. When I am on land and I see someone having fun in a boat, by golly I want to trade places. Even if it is a pontoon boat! I said a little nana nana boo boo in my mind and then I focused on not getting sea sick because Big Frickles had taken the wheel.
Let me just say that I got a flash forward preview of what it is going to be like 8 years from now when we are trying to teach him how to drive a car. Yikes. Lil Frick's expression is so funny to me because he is looking a little concerned.
We took it on over to Old Key West to see the land of luxury.
Wow, it was so pretty and peaceful. I saw a sweet family out on their deck watching us drive by. We waved to them, but I couldnt do the nana nana boo boo to them. I think they were probably doing it to us! They had the most awesome location and they were kicking back and relaxing in their sweet pad.
Lil Frick decided he wanted to become a tourist nerd like his momma. He grabbed my camera and attempted to take some shots.
Hey its a rail.
Hey its a rail. Again.
Hey I made it in the picture!
All in all, renting the boat was a wonderful idea. Thank you Mr. Frick! It was a great way to see more of Disney and relax your feet and legs at the same time! Two thumbs up for this ride!
We returned the boat, walked back to our Mansion and changed in to our swim suits. I knew my little Horsey friend was going to be there soon and I was all excited. We headed over to the main pool and I called Horseys cell and got her voice mail. I told her that I had seen a cute girl laying out by the pool in a thong, and I wondered if it was her. I crack myself up sometimes. But shoot, what if she really did bring a thong swimsuit and here I was cracking a joke?!?! Oh, surely she wouldnt.
Finally, she called me back and told me she would be there soon! I told her I would come to the lobby to meet her and that I was wearing a black swimsuit. I made my way over to the lobby and totally forgot to put my flip-flops back on. Here I was, heading in the gorgeous POR lobby in my bikini with a short swim skirt pulled on to cover up my bottom half and no shoes. I should have thought about my attire before I told Horse Girl where I would meet her! To make it worse, the lobby was slam packed with people! I think that 7 Magical Express busses had just unloaded. The line to check in was almost into the gift shop. Now that is a long line. I made a quick mental note to never ever check in on a Saturday.
I was horrified that I was in a huge room full of people and I was the only one in a swim suit. Eeeeekkk! I was horrified that I was in my swimsuit and barefoot in a hotel lobby! Double Eeeekkkk! I felt like a true red-neck breaking the law. Oh well. It was all worth it though to be there when my friend got out of her cab. I saw her before she saw me and I yelled out to her. We hugged and right when I saw her, it felt like I had known her forever.
Horsey and I started talking and we never stopped until she had to go. We made our way back to the pool, parked it at a table and had a wonderful time talking without the whole Dis listening!!! I will not give you the skinny on what we talked about, but it was all giggly and good. Mr. Frick sat with us for a while and he got to see that my friends with the goofy names that I talk about a lot are not imaginary!! I got to introduce my boys to Horsey too. Thankfully they were so involved with swimming and drinking smoothies that I got to have a decent conversation! The time flew by. I had plans to meet Horsey and several other Maelstromers at the Poly bar later that night. Mr Frick felt more comfortable with me going since he got to meet Horsey. She is beautiful, sweet as can be, a genuine girl who is exactly the same in person as she is here on the Dis, shes fun and she even wears Polo. Tee hee hee! LY/MI Horse Girl!!! I was so glad that I got to spend that much time with her. Those who have met her can surely agree with me that she truly is a gem.
I walked Horsey back to the lobby and returned to the pool. We had plans to go to MGM & have dinner at 50s Prime Time. Since we were now parade and fireworks people, we decided that we wanted to catch the Stars and Motor Cars parade. We realized that time was ticking, so we needed to leave quickly in order to make it. On our way back to our room, I grabbed up our clean clothes from dryer and we changed out of our swimsuits and made a mad dash out the door!!
Up next: A loud mouth at the parade, Ariels mother, a mega stressful situation and a huge load of pixie dust. (It is finally getting good! Stick with me, the answer will be here soon!)
Click here for Ch 10!
Well I say we are going at Spring Break---I go on the 30th for an MRI to see if I tore my rotator cuff 
if I did we will probably have to cancel our cruise and disney trip in March 
well maybe just the cruise portion. We are waiting to see about surgery. Anyway those are some great pictures. Thanks for sharing with us--it is like I am there 
and yes, the shirt was Old Navy! 
I don't know if I ever told you, but when you called me on my way to the GA Mini-meet I had a real hard time with your accent.... 
And I lived in GA!
Can I be adopted?!?
