Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Three... C 32, P 39 - The End...Or Is It?

[pooh'smate]

Just wanted to know that I am praying for you.

 

[TarzansKat]

Hope things start to turn around for you soon. I'll be thinking all kinds of good thoughts for you.

Just wanted to know that I am praying for you.

Thank you so much.

And to everyone who has been praying and pulling for me, and thinking great thoughts, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Today has been relatively good. And not because anything has changed. Well, just me, I guess. I'm taking one breath at a time, you know? And remembering to breathe, and be grateful. It's a work in progress, but so far, so good.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

I'm taking one breath at a time, you know?

Well that's good.
Because taking too many breaths at a time is called hyperventilating.

 

[TarzansKat]

to fix Figment?

And let me preface this chapter with a little disclaimer. This is not meant in a derogatory way at all! Because I realize my title reads very similar to a joke about light bulbs. But that's the duality of my writing, folks. Read it, live it, love it!

Pirate.

Anyway, by law of Murphy, since I had suggested Figment, for various reasons including but not limited to the fact that it was a "walk-on" and that I really thought DS would enjoy it, what do you think happened?

As we got our stroll on...we were in no rush, just lazily floated down the queue area, as we got to the end of the line, of which there were probably around 5-6 people in front of us, suddenly, disaster struck!

DISASTER, I SAY!!!!

The ride broke down. Or was experiencing technical difficulties. From what I could ascertain. Because at this point, they hadn't made one of those lovely announcements yet. I just stopped in the line, DH and DS waiting patiently...well, as patiently as a three year old who just ate dessert can wait...and there were people. Sitting in the ride vehicles. Just stopped. Not moving. Not going anywhere.

And therein lies the title, my friends.

Just how many cast members does it take to get Figment moving again?

Again, this is not derogatory in anyway. “Actually, I find it all fascinating.”

It was a procession. At first, we had two cast members in lab coats. Let’s call them the poor unsuspecting ride operators. The first one was trying desperately to figure out what to do by punching various keys unsuccessfully on the switchboard, and then called the second one over to commiserate at which point they discovered they were both unsuccessful at the whole getting the ride started thing.

And then they picked up the little phone on the wall. Oh, you know the on I'm talking about. The only analogy I can think about right now is when you're on your computer at work and face the blue screen of death. The oh boy, you've just messed this up so badly it's pretty much irretrievable.

But nothing is irretrievable in Disney, my friends.

So one picked up the phone and called wherever. That secret back room, you know? The one where they're all drinking coffee and laughing at our corny tourist clothes on the security cameras?

And out comes Ms. IWantToHelp. Let's just call her Ms. I. Because she was very nice, from what I could see. Ms. I is not dressed in a lab coat, she's wearing khakis and a dressy shirt. And of course, her nametag. You never see them without those! She comes over and poor Ms. I. She can't help either.

She then radios for help.

Oh, we are working our way up folks. Up that Disney chain of command.

How many cast members does it take to fix Figment?

The whole while, those poor people are stuck in those ride vehicles. Unable to get out, because the doors are shut.

Now during this whole waiting scenario, DS happened to make friends with another three year old boy in line behind us. And then we made friends with his parents. And talked about our children being totally off schedule but still having a good time. And they were from Atlanta, too! Way for the nice Southern parents on my trip, it was just lovely. As we debated leaving the line, it became apparent that DS and their son were having a rousing game of monkey see, monkey do. So we let them, and decided to stay put.

All the while, there was almost a smackdown. Which, thankfully, the kids were oblivious to. I don't know if you're all familiar with Figment, or most rides for that matter. When you exit the ride, you are aware that you're very close to where you entered right? Usually separated by some wonderfully themed partition, or not. So enter Mr. I'llDoWhatIDangWellPlease. Let's call him Mr. I.

Now Mr. I is very, very different from Ms. I. Because Mr. I does not work at Disney. As a matter of fact, Mr. I could even stand for Mr. Irate because that's what he was. A very, very irate guest. Who actually came over from the exit area into the entrance to find more cast members to complain to.

Who also used a few expletive phrases when talking to Ms. I stating that he wouldn't stand for this and he wanted his kids off this you know what ride right now. And he was going to take his kids off the ride, and she was not going to stop him.

Now at this point, the cavalry had arrived. And by that, I mean the big guns. We had men in dressy clothes, people. With radio handsets. They must have heard Ms. I's desperate plea to fix Figment. There were at least five or six of them. So let's count, eh? We had two CMs in labcoats, Ms. I, and five or six dressy men. Shirts, ties, etc. And nametags. Of course.

Now that the brigade of dressy men had arrived, Ms. I left to deal with Mr. I. Who was presumably attempting to extricate his children from the Figment ride. I never knew how that panned out. But I felt really, REALLY sorry for Ms. I. And I'm sure she gets the pleasure of dealing with people like Mr. I a lot.

Now since the arrival of Mr. I, and his departure, and the arrival of the dressy brigade, the CMs in labcoats finally started making announcements to stay in your vehicle as the ride may resume motion at any time.

And I just stood there. And watched it all.

Truthfully, I was fascinated. I mean, I've seen rides break down before, but never such a feast of humanity! You had Ms. I, Mr. I, the nice parents, the cute little boy playing with my little boy, and the line that used to be at least 15-20 people deep behind us that had just given up and left.

We refused to give up. We were going on Figment.

And finally, we did. Now when we get to our ride vehicle, I did feel the faintest sense of trepidation. I mean, honestly? How do I know it's not going to break down again? As it turned out, we got to ride with our new friends, and I didn't want to wimp out in front of them. I mean, they may not have known I was TK from the DisBoards of pirate lovin' fam, but I still have some reputation to uphold.

Now I could tell my son was a little apprehensive, and only in the sense that this was very new to him. When it went dark for the train sound, I slowly reached down and very gently held his hand. After that, I decided to make a game of finding Figment, so every room, we would try to find him, and that seemed to help.

I wish I could convey his reaction at the end. At first, it scared the pants off him, and when the huge whoosh of air came, I thought the poor kid would jump right out of his skin! Then he saw all the Figments, and his face just lit up with a smile so wide, I melted. Into a big ole mama puddle. Right there on the ride. It was messy. I guess now we know why they break down. Mommies meltin' over their little peanuts. Can you all imagine what a great moment that was after the day we'd had?

After the meltdowns and the five letter word (c-a-n-d-y) and no characters...well, for him, anyway, not that it stopped me, and just not knowing. Not knowing how this day would end, and to have a ride like that. I don't care what people say about Figment. I don't care if anyone thinks it's lame, or it used to be better, or there's a reason it's a walk on. Because it's colorful, and it's fun, and if you could have seen my little boy's face, you'd feel it. You'd feel that magic that was on that ride, that was on so many rides and in so many unexpected places.

And not because you thought they would be good, or because you read something on the boards, or because you knew you "had to" do it.

Because you made a spur of the moment decision, and were rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

With that magic only Disney can bring, and the biggest smile of your precious little boy.

Who knew you could get all that from a ride breaking down?

 

[Lady Lallie]

What a lovely, lovely, lovely chapter.

I love that DS made a friend in line. That is just too sweet.

You are right about the reward of Figment too. I think sometimes if you can fly by the seat of your pants and just go with the flow you are rewarded infinitely.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

8.

As in that's how many people it takes to fix Figment: 2 men in lab coats + 1 Ms. I can help - 1 Mr. Irate (b/c he was no help at all) + 6 dressy men = 8!

I miss the old Figment. And Dreamfinder. Sigh. And am I the only one still fascinated by the jumping fountains well into adulthood?

 

[TarzansKat]

You are right about the reward of Figment too. I think sometimes if you can fly by the seat of your pants and just go with the flow you are rewarded infinitely.

"Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get."

8.

As in that's how many people it takes to fix Figment: 2 men in lab coats + 1 Ms. I can help - 1 Mr. Irate (b/c he was no help at all) + 6 dressy men = 8!

I miss the old Figment. And Dreamfinder. Sigh. And am I the only one still fascinated by the jumping fountains well into adulthood?

I miss it, too. And no, you're not the only one fascinated by that.

 

[pooh'smate]

As always another great update. I love that I can see what is going on in my mind's eye when you write. Those are always the best trip reports.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Watching the joy on our children's faces: priceless!

 

[TarzansKat]

As always another great update. I love that I can see what is going on in my mind's eye when you write. Those are always the best trip reports.

I actually thought of you while I was writing this. I find it amazing how our readers can directly affect how we write our trip reports. Originally, in my notes, the idea of the how many cast members was such a short portion of that whole day. But I remembered it all so vividly, and DH and I were both fascinated by the chain of command.

All told, that whole process probably took less than 30 minutes.

And it took me a whole chapter to describe it.

This is going to be a long trip report!

Watching the joy on our children's faces: priceless!

I so agree. It is just priceless.

 

[MegansMom]

TK--I think this is DEFINITELY my favorite chapter so far!!!! From one "Puddle of Mom" to another----I SO understand that overwhelming emotion---and it is the BEST!!! It is the sole reason that Tom and I are always so propelled to keep going back!!! Thanks for this wonderful start to my day!

 

[Sarilas]

I have a feeling I'll be melting into a puddle of Mom plenty of times soon!

 

[pooh'smate]

I actually thought of you while I was writing this. I find it amazing how our readers can directly affect how we write our trip reports. Originally, in my notes, the idea of the how many cast members was such a short portion of that whole day. But I remembered it all so vividly, and DH and I were both fascinated by the chain of command.

All told, that whole process probably took less than 30 minutes.

And it took me a whole chapter to describe it.

This is going to be a long trip report!

Aw, thanks for thinking of me. I do that too as I'm going through my day. I will see something and it will remind me of my Dis friends.

 

[MRYPPNS]

I'll keep my reply brief......


....I love Figment!

 

[pooh'smate]

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
- Charles R. Swindoll

I am at this point in your tr. I love this quote. It is just what I needed today.

 

[Mrs. The King]

TK---First of all, SO LOVE the Chip story---there are no words to accurately assess how I laughed when I read that story!! Thanks for sharing with us! Maybe we should do a Youtube search for "Chip gets his trunks stuffed" video, or maybe "There is a little more than just nuts in Chip's trunks." Hee hee ;o) It is bound to be out there somewhere!!!!!!

Secondly, I have said it before, but will say it again, I so hope for you that things begin to turn in the right direction for you!!! I think and pray for you and all my DISfriends---and for you I pray that you find answers for your dilemmas, peace for your mind and soul, and happiness abounding around you VERY VERY SOON!!!!!

That there is a very brave youtube search. God knows what you will come up with.

That secret back room, you know? The one where they're all drinking coffee and laughing at our corny tourist clothes on the security cameras?

I hope that is all they are doing back there.

All the while, there was almost a smackdown.

Now that the brigade of dressy men had arrived, Ms. I left to deal with Mr. I. Who was presumably attempting to extricate his children from the Figment ride.

The little used "Figment Jaws of Life"

Into a big ole mama puddle.

Much sweeter than the puddles left by mama.



Great chapter

 

[maroo]

We interrupt the regularly scheduled trip report programming to bring a little sadness, and a little fun.
Because I promised a little something to a certain Mrs. The King.

So here it is...

from the as yet unpublished TK Trip Reports - Volume One.

A flashback-

One of the Best Character Dining Experiences Ever

This dining experience is brought to you from a trip we took to the World in January of 2003. DH and I were married, but no nugget on the horizon. We went to the World with my parents, and all stayed at the Yacht Club, most likely on our annual passholder discount. Ah, the days when I renewed my annual pass and went to the World no less than two-three times a year. How I reflect upon them fondly.

I just want to give you a little background before we get to the meat of this story. It is RARE that my father goes to the World. Let's just say it's not his cup of tea, but he's willing to go every now and again because it's fun to have a family trip, and he makes me and mom happy. My DH? He's just happy wherever he is.

I can't begin to describe how absolutely perfect this trip was.

We never fought.

Not once.

We walked onto rides, walked up to characters. There were no lines. I don't even think truthfully there were ADRs. Well maybe one. Other than that, we were flying by the seat of our pants. Happy to do so. Before the inception of many marketing tools that make that almost virtually impossible.

Ah, Disney in January.

How I love thee.

So, suffice it to say, this was shaping up to be an AWESOME trip.


I was happy to be there. Happy to have my dad there. Enjoying some quality time with him was fantastic. And on our last day, we all decided to have breakfast at Cape May Cafe.

Now, it started off normally enough. We made our way to the buffet, noshed on the yummy food, and saw all the characters in due course. We were visited by Chip, Dale, Goofy, and Minnie. They looked adorable in their bathing suits, let me tell you. I asked Minnie if she was going swimming, and she told me no, she planned to lounge on the beach and read.

Yes, I speak character.

It all seems innocent enough, right? But remember, this is January, and the restaurant wasn't that busy. Put two and two together, and maybe you'll figure out that the characters had a little time on their hands. Paws. You get the idea.

You're all familiar with the antics of Chip and Dale, right? Fun lovin' duo of the chipmunk variety who love to have a good time?

I'm not sure who started it.

Well, if we're being honest, most likely, my husband. I don't remember what he said to Chip. I don't remember how exactly it started. I just remember that Chip...and DH...decided they were going to have some fun.

So after whatever DH had said, he left and went to get some more food. Chip came back, and seeing DH missing, decided it was time to have a little fun.

So he took all the crayons (yes we were coloring kiddie menus, and?), lemon wedges, and sugar packets, and dumped them all over DH's place. So that mess would just be waiting for him when he got back to his seat.

And then Chip proceeded to get scared, and hide behind my chair, peeking out to look for DH, and holding my hand.

If Chip thought he was safe...

well, let's just say my DH is creative. Crafty. Almost diabolical, if you will.

And he saw Chip hiding behind me, and saw the mess, and knew that little chipmunk was up to no good. And as Chip stood up, to give DH a hard time, and they were "talking," my DH did something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

See the swimsuit Chip had on was a separate piece of clothing, savvy?

So my DH took all the crayons, and the lemons, and the sugar packets, and dumped them all down the front inside of Chip's swimsuit.

Yup. You read that right. At first, I was mortified.

And then, I was hysterical, as were my parents. There may have even been some snort-laughing involved as poor Chip proceeded to look embarrassed, putting one paw up to his face in shame. He then started (and this is where I really lost it) to jump up and down to get the crayon/lemon/sugar mixture out of his swimsuit.

And it all fell out on the floor.

That was one of the best character interactions ever.

What we later discovered was that another CM, in plain clothes, had been filming the whole thing for "training" purposes. We gave him our name and address, but we've never seen a copy of that film.

We have long joked about how they show that to poor unsuspecting characters as an example of how to handle unruly guests. My DH. Who can always, always make me laugh. One of the reasons I married him, folks. You have to appreciate a man who can make you laugh when you're at your worst.

It doesn't hurt that he bears resemblance to a certain pirate, either.

I still look, to this day, for a copy of that video on the internet. Most likely, it is locked in a vault somewhere. But the memory lives on.

oh my gosh!!!! I am sure that there is some rule against quoting THAT much of another post... but that was SOOOOOOOOOOOO funny. So funny in fact that I think I just got busted at work looking at "jokes" on the internet. I could NOT stop laughing...out loud!
I mean, no one said anything to me...but I was laughing SO hard...they had to wonder what on earth was so funny on my accounts recievable reports over here!
(And for those people at work reading this...I just needed a BREAK...from these AR reports!) I digress...


Anyway, on a more serious note...I will pray for clarity for you for your recent struggles. I trust that God will show you exactly what to do (or not do)...and give you peace about it!

And I am enjoying your TR! You write so well and it is very entertaining!

Especially Chip and Dale!

I do have some good video of Chip and Dale on our trip dancing with my friends. I will have to post that on the TR when I get to that day...I have to figure out how to post videos, I guess! But they may kill me for posting it...hmm...fun!!!!!

Ok, back to work...I know...

 

[TarzansKat]

TK--I think this is DEFINITELY my favorite chapter so far!!!! From one "Puddle of Mom" to another----I SO understand that overwhelming emotion---and it is the BEST!!! It is the sole reason that Tom and I are always so propelled to keep going back!!! Thanks for this wonderful start to my day!

And, honestly, I have had some great moments in the World, certainly. But few are so profound as to watch your child just have that look of awe. It's amazing. And wonderful. And, well you know!

I have a feeling I'll be melting into a puddle of Mom plenty of times soon!

I bet you will!

Aw, thanks for thinking of me. I do that too as I'm going through my day. I will see something and it will remind me of my Dis friends.

I do the same thing.

And every time I see Indiana Jones, I always think of CP.

I'll keep my reply brief......


....I love Figment!

I'm with you, sister!

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
- Charles R. Swindoll

I am at this point in your tr. I love this quote. It is just what I needed today.

I totally forgot about that quote. Thank you so much for posting it. Perhaps I need to re-read my ptr!!!

The little used "Figment Jaws of Life"

Much sweeter than the puddles left by mama.

I don't want to ask. I'm very, very afraid.

Great chapter

Thanks!

oh my gosh!!!! I am sure that there is some rule against quoting THAT much of another post... but that was SOOOOOOOOOOOO funny. So funny in fact that I think I just got busted at work looking at "jokes" on the internet. I could NOT stop laughing...out loud!
I mean, no one said anything to me...but I was laughing SO hard...they had to wonder what on earth was so funny on my accounts recievable reports over here!
(And for those people at work reading this...I just needed a BREAK...from these AR reports!) I digress...

WELCOME!!!!

And thank you so much for posting. I don't know that I've ever made anyone laugh that hard! I hate to think I'm affecting your job security!

Anyway, on a more serious note...I will pray for clarity for you for your recent struggles. I trust that God will show you exactly what to do (or not do)...and give you peace about it!

Well, thank you very much. I appreciate all the good will I've received in the past few days, it's just heartwarming.

And I am enjoying your TR! You write so well and it is very entertaining!

Especially Chip and Dale!

Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for signing on for some more of the crazy pirate trio.

Ok, back to work...I know...

Awww...do you have to?

 

[TarzansKat]

After I was done melting into a complete puddle of how wonderful my little boy is, I re-assembled myself and we moved onward! We ended up playing for a little while in the Imagination Lab. DS really liked the part where you could step on the floor and the different music would play. It was a lot of fun to just watch him running around.

And I was a little smarter. A little wiser, if you will. I knew at the end of that nice little area we were playing in, there was a Figment dump shop. And I knew that dump shop would have the five letter word in it. And we were avoiding it like the plague. So as we left, we used all the distracting tactics we had as parents (I think we may have even covered his eyes at one point lmao: ) and completely avoided another meltdown.

We were getting good, my friends. We were on to his game.

We headed for Spaceship Earth with the hopes that it would also be a walk-on. NoFigment. Fortunately for us, it was. This was getting to be the end of our evening. We'd been out in Epcot all day long, and DS had a fantastic nap, but neither DH or I did since I don't sleep in public places. I mean, who does that?

So DH and DS loaded up in the front of the ride vehicle, and I got the roomy back all to my onesie savvy. And if any of you read LegoMom's trip report, you'll know just how long I've been holding this in. I swear, it must be a boy thing.

Now, DH didn't realize that you had to select your own language, since we'd never been on the new enhanced Spaceship Earth, and before he knew it, our son selected Japenese. And then DH and DS got the pleasure of listening to the whole ride in...Japanese. NoDameJudyDench. I, however, was not hindered by toddler language choosing, and I selected English.

I'll be honest. I loved the new scenery, but there's always been one particular part of the ride that bothers me as an artist because it's not historically accurate. If you want to know what it is, PM me.

Now, I did love the new scenery, as I said, but I MOURNED the loss of Jeremy Irons. I mean, MOURNED. Her narration was...nice. And that's about all I can say about it. And I really love her as an actress. But she just was not the embodiment of that ride for me. Which is a pretty tall order, I realize. But when you've got Jeremy Irons to live up to...well, let's just say I was a mite disappointed. The narration had changed to include some things and left some things out as well. Overall? Meh. But it's still one of my favorite rides, and something I really like to do.

And what is with the go go boots in the lab???? Are we trying to prove we can be stylish and smart? Come on, people, we already know that. At least color coordinate her outfit better. Yellow tights???

Since DH kept asking me during the ride what they were saying, I did explain some of it to him after. We headed over to the racing games, and the boys had fun with that for a while. We then did the one where you have to help give the cities power. It was just funny to watch the three of us doing that, I'm sure. Truthfully? I had a good time! It's rare that we actually stop for that kind of stuff, and we were letting DS just have a good time and blow off some steam, you know? Grateful that he was having a good time and not melting down...into a different kind of puddle...not so much filled with love but three year old toddler angst.

It was getting late, so DH and DS went to retrieve our stroller, and I went along to get our free 5 x 7. Why did I go alone, folks? There's c-a-n-d-y in that there shop. IT'S EVERYWHERE!!!!

I ended up selecting a really nice photo of myself, DH, Mickey, and Pluto. No DS. He was sleeping, remember? And I have to be honest. I can't remember the last time I had a really nice photo of myself and my husband with the characters along like that. Certainly before DS was born, and not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was just really nice. It's a testimony to our strength that day. Well, mostly DH' strength. And my margarita. Suffice it to say, I love that photo.

As we headed out, I asked DH to humor me with a photo in front of Spaceship Earth. And as I'm writing this, it just occured to me. I ordered my photopass CD last night, and I don't remember these pictures being in there. Dang. Now I'm going to have to contact customer service. Oy vey. Well, now that's going to make this a little bittersweet. Ah well.

So DS was having none of it, until a nice a couple with their little girl helped to distract him by smiling and making faces at him while the pp was trying to take our picture. Thank you, random family! I have no idea who they were, but they were so sweet making faces and everything just so we could have a nice family photo. What is it about Disney that brings it out in all of us?

As I retrieved our photopass, the photographer looked at me, and said good naturedly, "Wow, it's like night and day! He's going to be an actor!" He chuckled. I smiled, and laughed, thinking to myself, you have no idea, buddy. No. Idea.

As we headed out, I remember feeling really satisfied. Perhaps it was a roller coaster of a day, but it had some really high points. We lucked out heading to the bus stop, as a bus was just pulling in as we got there. Now let me tell you, not having to wait at the end of the day was soooooooooooo nice. On the way back, DS snuggled his head into my lap and laid down. Ah, I thought...there's my baby boy. A rocky start, but a great finish.

On the way back to the room, I stopped to get some drinks and snacks for the morning. This was pretty much my routine every night on the trip. Load up for the morning so we wouldn't have to leave the room in our unmentionables. Now I'd remarked on the bus that I thought we'd missed the MK fireworks, but apparently the park was open later than I realized, so I watched them from our comfy room. In my jammies. Seriously, what's better than that?

And that, my friends, is the great way to end a day.























But you know what's even better?

How I forgot to mention that we stopped in the art gallery on the way out and saw this...

Pirate.

 

[LegoMom3]

.... I knew at the end of that nice little area we were playing in, there was a Figment dump shop. And I knew that dump shop would have the five letter word in it. And we were avoiding it like the plague. So as we left, we used all the distracting tactics we had as parents (I think we may have even covered his eyes at one point lmao: ) and completely avoided another meltdown.

We were getting good, my friends. We were on to his game.

Score one for the parents! Seriously, isn't the dump shop itself enough?....I mean other than something like Mouse Gears where you choose to go in, just leave it alone already!

So DH and DS loaded up in the front of the ride vehicle, and I got the roomy back all to my onesie savvy. And if any of you read LegoMom's trip report, you'll know just how long I've been holding this in. I swear, it must be a boy thing.

Now, DH didn't realize that you had to select your own language, since we'd never been on the new enhanced Spaceship Earth, and before he knew it, our son selected Japenese. And then DH and DS got the pleasure of listening to the whole ride in...Japanese. NoDameJudyDench. I, however, was not hindered by toddler language choosing, and I selected English.

Now, herein lies the blessing that the audio wasn't working for us!! There were some random Japanese characters on the screen a few times (well, I'm sure they weren't actually "random" but since I don't read Japanese, it seemed that way to me... ) but we escaped an entire ride-through narration in a language we didn't understand!

Now, I did love the new scenery, as I said, but I MOURNED the loss of Jeremy Irons. I mean, MOURNED. Her narration was...nice. And that's about all I can say about it. And I really love her as an actress. But she just was not the embodiment of that ride for me. Which is a pretty tall order, I realize. But when you've got Jeremy Irons to live up to...well, let's just say I was a mite disappointed. ....

Dude....

....We headed over to the racing games, and the boys had fun with that for a while. We then did the one where you have to help give the cities power. It was just funny to watch the three of us doing that, I'm sure. Truthfully? I had a good time! It's rare that we actually stop for that kind of stuff, and we were letting DS just have a good time and blow off some steam, you know? Grateful that he was having a good time and not melting down...

We really enjoyed the interactive area after the SE ride! Normally I'm one to take a quick look around and then move on to the next big thing, but here I slowed down and didn't rush my kids through it. They were in computer-heaven! DS6 and I did that 3-D Build-a-Body thing more than once! And he did a pretty good job himself of racing to save the city. Lots of fun in there!

....Now I'd remarked on the bus that I thought we'd missed the MK fireworks, but apparently the park was open later than I realized, so I watched them from our comfy room. In my jammies. Seriously, what's better than that?

Well, yeesh, not much I guess!! Maybe watching them from your comfy room in your jammies while sipping a LapuLapu?!!

But you know what's even better?

How I forgot to mention that we stopped in the art gallery on the way out and saw this...

Pirate.

Ohhh, DUDE! How much can I not wait for the 4th POTC??!!!


Ok, srsly, you are lapping me in this TR writing business and you were there after me!!! I think I need to block off some time tonight and get writin'!


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