Sheri Niklewski - Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27), 2013 - Pop Century Resort

We'll be doing our normal Memorial Day Weekend trip to Disney World to shake off all the winter dust and go full swing into vacations for the rest of the year. And boy, do I need this trip.

The Formalities -

The two of us -
Sheri (51) - Accounts Analyst for a global company who "supplies technology to libraries of all sizes"
Rich (53) - Senior Buyer at a "linen management company"

Those descriptions were taken from the internet. In truth, we get up, go to work, do our jobs and come back home. We live northeast of downtown Atlanta and deal with traffic on a daily basis.

Dates - we leave our place after work on Friday, May 24th and come back on Monday, May 27th.
Travel method - my reliable (I hope) 2006 Malibu Maxx. Love this guy.
Resort - Pop Century, which is our favorite Disney resort since deluxes are way out of our range.
Accommodations - standard room.
Experience - extremely experienced. We're over 60 trips so I've stopped counting.

Introduction -

We've done a Disney May/Memorial Day trip just about every year since we moved to this area in 2001. Our last Disney visit was over Thanksgiving and it's always a long six months until I get to go back. This year was another bad year for fathers so I really needed the break. This time, my father ended up having some pretty bad medical issues and I found myself in north Florida in his hospital room (two different ones for two different happenings) two weekends in a row. Once with Rich and my sister and her family, once on my own just to give moral support to my stepmother. We still have a long way to go but I understand since I'm my father's daughter. I am stubborn and he's worse than me. Him being an 83 year old bull-headed curmudgeon has been difficult for all of us. He's home now but still being an obstinate old coot.

Resort -

Rich and I are very happy with Pop Century so when the discounts came out (not that great but good enough), I went for it. I first did the general discount and then the next week applied an annual passholder rate. I didn't bother to tell Rich the cost because he's still stuck back in the early 60s when Motel Six meant you paid $6/night for your room. But for us, it's $225.29 for the two nights. After our less than stellar experience at the offsite Ramada over Thanksgiving, I'm willing to pay more to be onsite.

Disney started to offer online check in up to 60 days in advance so I tried to do that to get everything over with way before we left. With the new website and all that, things were not working so rather than get my undies in a bundle, I just waited a few weeks and then tried again. Voila! Everything up and working so patience was a virtue for me. I was pleased to see a guest can now have up to two specific requests with the new system and I surprised myself by picking two. Normally, I wouldn't request anything but what the heck. This might backfire on Disney, though. I'm hoping people understand these are requests and they shouldn't expect perfection in their room assignment. But I chose highest floor and lake view. I was asked for my check in time which is going to be about 10:00 AM and then had the option of just getting a room at that time (if available) or needing my requests. I really want the room to be ready so that's what I chose. Yes, I can see this being problematic in the future. But for me, I don't care if my room is on a high floor and looking at the lake. I'm going to be at Disney World.

We will be leaving our house Friday after we are both home from work. We'll drive to Valdosta that night and stay at a Days Inn just off I75 at Exit 16. That cuts the drive in half and we get a good night's sleep and a little extra time at Disney World.

Dining -

As usual, no firm dining plans although I will beg for my Pressed Tuscan Deli sandwich at the Studios. Otherwise, counter service and snacks all the way.

Planning -

I didn't take very much vacation last year because of having some routine surgery. I forewent the annual Gatlinburg trip, sent Rich to see his family and go to Ocean City and then again for Christmas in Maryland (first Christmas apart after 31 years). This was done so I can get two special trips this year but I still had some time left over. I decided to take a half day on Friday the 24th for this vacation. Rich's company will let the employees leave early before a three day weekend and I'm always stuck at work fretting about things. Now I can get home, load up Maxx, get the cats all taken care of and once Rich is home, we can high tail it out of Atlanta's traffic and down to Valdosta.

Actually, that changed just a few days before the trip. I looked at my vacation time and at my work load and decided that I could easily afford to take all day Friday off. It was too late for Rich to make the same arraignments so I'll do all the errands Friday and then sit and wait for him to come home. That will be tough to do!

Star Wars Weekend will be going on and I have a feeling we'll do that Saturday since I think we'll just Fastpass one thrill attraction, do Darth's Mall and then see what else is available. The Studios are not our favorite park so we don't mind missing anything there. We'll more than likely hit Animal Kingdom on Sunday since we find more to do at that park. Both evenings will be spent at Epcot.

I'd like to slow this trip down and look at the small things. There was a good article on mouseplanet about the museums in the World Showcase and I'd like to see a couple of those this trip. I'm pretty sure it's going to be hot as it has been for the past two years so taking our time sounds good to me. We've also talked so much about just relaxing by the pool(s) and we never have so maybe this time.

And I have a personal agenda. I really don't want to dwell on negative things on the vacation. Yes, I'm going to see stupid behavior but I don't want to linger on that. I'm trying to be a more positive person so even if I see or experience something "bad", I want to turn it around. Life is too short and the past couple months have shown me that big time. I'll still chastise someone if they chase a duck but at least I'll do it nicely!

Possible Other Participants -

Sister - Sandy Beardslee (53) - in the Air Force Reserve and currently has a position in Jacksonville, FL as a government contractor. She "blows things up" (literally).
Niece - Kelsey Beardslee (22) - works at the VA hospital in Lake City, FL (the same one where my dad stayed).

Sandy and Kelsey are doing the 24 hour thing at Magic Kingdom with them starting at 8:00 PM on the 24th and they hope to last until 6:00 AM on the 25th. The Beardslees tour Disney World quite differently from Rich and me so I think the only time we will be getting together is to exchange Rich's late birthday present. Those two usually get to a park when it first opens and tour all day until it closes and that is just not going to be what Rich and I want or need. We have no plans really other than I'll text Kelsey when we arrive and go from there. Sandy and Kelsey are staying offsite so not quite sure how we will hook up.

Day One - Friday, May 24, 2013 -

Rich was up and out of the house for his day of work in his usual fashion. I had planned to sleep in but my mind was racing with what I had to do so I was up shortly after 7:00. Damn those planning genes! I relaxed for a bit on the PC and then went out for errands - taking recycling in (we have curbside but take our aluminum and newspapers to the local fire department for burn victims), hitting Wal-Mart for beer and wine, and then Kroger since they have a Bank of America ATM. Then back home for finishing laundry and packing Maxx.

Rich texted at 3:00 that he was leaving work and I was relaxing and trying to get caught up on reading magazines so it wasn't that bad to be home all day. With the Atlanta traffic the day before a three day weekend, Rich was finally home around 4:15. Since I had everything ready to go, including taking care of the cats who will be partying quite hardy while we are gone, we were heading south in about fifteen minutes.

Our drive was held up by the usual congestion at Spaghetti Junction and the I675/I75 interchange (I have to find out that this one is called - all interchanges have some sort of name attached to them now) and things were bogged up until we were way south of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. So, our four hour drive (that's without any traffic problems) turned into a five hour one. Oh well, it's just to Valdosta and we were there around 9:30 or so.

Rich had a vendor lunch and wasn't interested in dinner so in the car, I munched on a fruit and cheese thing I had picked up at Wal Mart earlier. What a glorious non-stressful way to start this vacation. I should also mention that I have a very sensitive stomach and it had been bothering me all week and would come into play during the vacation. It sucked but I'm back to normal now.

We had a fairly abrupt check in at Days Inn which kind of surprised me. Usually, the front desk people are very nice at any of the places we've stayed but I guess we interrupted the girl and the guy's conversation or something. We were just handed our room keys and told the room number and which side to park. No word about the breakfast the next morning or anything. Oh well, this isn't the Grand Floridian and it's getting late so we're moving on.

We were on the second floor so we took our stuff in, got some ice, watched the Braves and read until about 10:30. I wasn't real pleased with this Days Inn compared to others in the Wyndham chain (the cheaper ones) so I think I'll be content with Super 8s which seem to be outshining Days Inns lately. One would think it would be the other way around but at least I crossed this Valdosta establishment off my list of places to stay. Trust me, there are plenty more in the area - even just at this exit - so I'll find something else next time.

Nature encounter - when Rich went to empty out our cooler to put things into the room fridge, he discovered a scorpion. Not a hugely deadly one but a small one (which still has poison in it). So my nature friendly husband takes everything out of the cooler and puts Mr. Scorpion out on the second floor ledge. And when we went out just an hour later for the ice, that scorpion was gone. Live free!

My phone has been acting up lately and I find the need to plug it in at every available opportunity. Plus, I wanted to set the phone alarm for tomorrow morning and didn't want the battery to be dead and the alarm not go off. So I grabbed the handy dandy phone adapter I have in our new "electronics case" and plugged it in. The orange light went to green and then nothing. What the? I tried again. Same thing. I tried another outlet. Same thing. Rich thinks he's better at this than me so he tries. Same thing. Another outlet. Same thing. Darn adapter died! We had a car adapter but that wasn't going to be much use unless we wanted to sleep in the car so we could hear the alarm. I had a PC adapter but didn't want to go out and bring in the laptop just for that. So we had to *gulp* use the room clock alarm. Rich got that set for 8:00 and we turned in around 10:30, both of us tired from our respective days.

Day Two - Saturday, May 25, 2013 -

We never did get to test the room alarm clock as Rich was up shortly after 7:00 so we were getting going earlier than planned but that was fine. We gassed up at the nearby BP station and were heading south again around 8:15.

We made a rest area stop and I have to laugh at my husband. He drinks the 20 ounce bottles of Diet Coke on every trip so we had a stash of the empties behind his seat. On every single trip here, he will turn to me at the Florida rest stop and ask "do they have a recycling thing here". He did it again. And just about every single trip, we will reach the first receptacles which are for glass and aluminum and he'll say "there's no plastic". But this time, the glass container had plastics so he deposited his in there and I chided him for that. Hopefully, Florida is like Disney and will eventually get the recyclables to the proper place and make our planet a little better.

After using the facilities, Rich did his normal of getting yet another bottle of Diet Coke and was dismayed to see the price had increased to $1.50 as it used to be $1.25. Like I said, he's stuck back in the 60s where it cost a dollar to see a movie. Poor man.

The rest of the drive was boring as usual and we were pulling into Pop Century at 11:30. I never know what to expect with the gate guard so was prepared with both drivers' licenses and a copy of the confirmation. This time, we just needed to show one driver's license and we were in. The Cast Member here looked at our last name and started to sing "M - I - C" and Rich quickly corrected her to the actual spelling, thinking she wouldn't find our name on the list. But she just laughed and we realized she was making a funny on how closely the pronunciation of our last name is to Mickey. We hadn't really thought about that before. Our first Cast Member encounter and it was a good one.

We parked for check in and then went in for what I hoped would be a quick encounter. Well, let's test my patience this morning. There was a woman at the online check in counter who took, seriously, about ten minutes to finally finish up her process. She kept asking questions and the Cast Member kept giving her directions with arm movements. I have no idea what the woman wanted or needed and the Cast Member was on the phone for quite some time when we were in line. The family ahead of me was annoyed as well, especially when the other online check in person finished with their person and then just turned their back to talk to a manager. I know Disney just wants to make their guests happy but I do online check in so I can breeze through the process as all I want are my room keys and that's it.

But I can't blame the guest this time as when I was finally helped, the Cast Member said our room wasn't ready (which was fine) but she picked up the phone to see if something was available now. I never asked her to do that, she just wanted to be helpful. So sorry to all the people behind me, I didn't ask for it and I took back my thoughts I had about the woman in front of me.

Alas, no room for us but that was fine as we were park ready. We had our building number (6) and I knew we were on the fourth floor (from the 4 in the second position) so that made me aware my requests were met but the one to have a room available at 10:00 was ignored. Lesson learned - since I don't care where my room is, I am not going to make requests anymore. I really wanted that room to be ready now. And it would come into play much later tonight.

This was our second Cast Member encounter and this one did more than what I expected so batting 1.000 so far.

We moved the car around to the 70's parking section with Rich trying to find as much shade as possible. That would prove to be critical. We got Maxx situated and then walked over to building six to see the general location of the room. Since I knew we had the highest floor, I figured we would be facing the lake. Things looked good and the car was in a good spot for moving things later.

Rich hadn't mentioned anything about which park to go to so I suggested my original plan of the Studios to see the Star Wars stuff and he agreed. We made our way to the bus stop and there was a line for the Studios bus but nothing major and we were able to get on without a problem. One thing I noticed was there were three open seats that were labeled for handicapped guests and no one was sitting in them until a couple of teenagers in front of us took them. I don't get it - these are handicapped accessible not exclusive so the people who were standing around the seats should have just sat down. Rich and I managed to get seats further back.

And off to the Studios. No, wait. We got out onto Lake Buena Vista Boulevard to make the left turn into the Studios. All I can say is, I will never complain about an Atlanta traffic light and making a turn ever again. We were sitting and inching forward for about ten minutes. It's not that far. Traffic here was a nightmare and I looked at Rich and said "well, maybe we're just here for Darth's Mall and one FastPass and we're done". He agreed we would do what we wanted and head out.

I think the problem with today was the 24 hours of Magic Kingdom had happened the day before so more people were here. Then add in Star Wars Weekend and all those geeks, I mean, fans (I have no problem with Star Wars, just don't get into it all that much). And the Studios parking lot entrance only has, I think, two lines for entering whereas the other parks have lots more lanes. The bus lane isn't that long either so the Disney buses have to wait a while to move out to the right most lane. I think this area could use a makeover. It was so bad, there was a Cast Member stopping the cars coming the other way and making a right into the Studios. Otherwise, we might still be sitting out there attempting a left.

But once we cleared all that garbage, it was fine. I had been texting with my niece, Kelsey, during the ride and she and Sandy were still at their hotel and we were trying to figure out how to get Rich's birthday present. We decided I would text her once we were done with the parks and then they could drop off the gift on their way out. Rich knew we needed to meet up with Sandy and Kelsey but he thought the gift was for our son, Chris. Hah - I had been planning this for months and Rich actually helped me since he thought it was for Chris.

Once at the turnstiles, I thought we'd go over to Guest Relations and exchange our Tyvek annual passes for the RFID ones but I also thought that would be a waste of time since we were only going to use them this weekend and then renew in August and would more than likely get the RFID ones at that time. Rich was smarter than me and saw the regular turnstiles while I went over to a Cast Member and asked if we *had* to exchange our tickets. She responded just as Rich was coming back to say we could keep our tickets. At least we didn't stand in that long line at Guest Relations.

I'm not sure why people were reporting long lines at the turnstiles if you are still using paper tickets. We had no problem and certainly not anything hugely major - just like before RFID.

Once inside the Studios, we headed down Sunset Boulevard so see what the FastPass times were for Rock and Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone. We knew we could single rider Rock and Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone was for 2:10 so we did that. Actually, I was behind Rich so my pass started at 2:15 and Rich chuckled and said he would see me later. Dork. Then off to Darth's Mall.

Oh my, my, my, my. We did this the same weekend last year and I don't remember all the congestion in the Mall. Things were set up a bit differently with queues for various things. I think there was a character greeting going on (there was a long line on the right as soon as you walked in). Plus the carbonite thing and then there was yet another queue for commemorative items to be reviewed and purchased. It was very confusing to me. I had asked Chris if he wanted me to pick up anything for him since he was a Star Wars junkie in his youth. He replied that he's not into that too much anymore but if we could find anything Stitch related, he'd appreciate it. I was kind of surprised as I know he's having his son (our adorable grandson, Mitchell) watch all the Star Wars movies but in the "correct" order. So Mitchell's first Star Wars movie was Episode I: The Phantom Menace and it was surprising for a six year old to find out Anakin turned into Darth Vader. Oops - I should have done a spoiler alert for that. Although you needed to be living under a rock for the past 36 years not to know that.

But we were successful in getting a Stitch as Yoda figure and also a pin of the same for Chris so that will make him happy. We will take these up to Ohio in August when my daughter-in-law graduates with her master's in counseling. There was another queue for checking out and I thought it was the same for picking up merchandise but Rich pointed us in the correct direction and this wasn't bad at all. But still confusing. I don't know how to make this all better since there were such die hard fans wanting merchandise and autographs and all. I honestly think Disney could put all this stuff all over the parks and it still would be chaos. I think I would be in awe of some fans at ComicCon and the similar conventions that go on year round. I don't have anything I believe in that fervently (well, my family, obviously).

We had the package sent back to the room even though we didn't know the room number. It was kind of funny since I asked the Cast Member if we could do that and she said "of course". Then she said the package doesn't go to the room which I knew and so did Rich. But Rich blurted out, "yeah, it goes to the front desk". Another Cast Member overheard that and said "no, to the gift shop". Rich then laughed a bit and said "yeah, that's what I meant". Later, he said he felt like an idiot because he knew that. The second Cast Member even told us the exact register to go to for the pickup (which we knew too).

The first Cast Member saw my NASCAR ball cap and asked which driver it represented. Rich responded that it was a generic (now) Nationwide hat but that my favorite driver was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. That had the Cast Member giving us a bit of TMI as she said she had a Dale, Jr. tattoo! Rich said we really didn't have to see that and I mumbled something like "no way in hell I would do that for a driver". We seem to have a NASCAR conversation with another guest at least once on a Disney World trip. Maybe there's some connection Walt never thought about?

Third encounter with a Cast Member and still batting 1.000. Haven't seen quality slip yet.

We left the Mall and Rich inquired about lunch. My stomach was still battling with me but we were at the Studios and I wasn't going to pass up my Tuscan Deli sandwich so I asked if we could share that. He was agreeable so back to the Studio Catering Company and Rich correctly predicted it would be mobbed. There was one table available out in the sun and I should have just let Rich grab that while I ordered the food but we both thought there would be available seating after we went through the line (ha!). Rich maneuvered us to the very last line on the right where we had just one party ahead of us. Meanwhile, the line to our left (which shared the same register) had about ten people in it. Not sure why some of those people didn't come over to this side but their loss was our gain.

The couple ahead of us placed their order and moved up to the window so the Cast Member turned to the next party on our left. This couple was not from this country and handed over $100 bill for payment and then tried to figure out the correct coin change so all they received back was paper money. They couldn't decipher our coins so the Cast Member did it for them. Another positive Cast Member encounter. Nope, no lack of quality I can see today.

I placed our order and got our food without problems. And then had problems. Every single table was occupied and many with people without food. I found it quite amusing that the table savers wouldn't even look at anyone wandering around with full trays. I got quite annoyed because things kept sliding around on my tray and I was trying to deal with that (Rich had a beer and my cup of water in his hands so he couldn't help) plus attempting to find any table with two extra chairs. Yes, I would have asked to share a table with another couple at that point. Rich finally found a ledge for us to sit on which would totally screw up our day in a big way.

While we were sitting on the ledge (NOT comfortable), we talked about the seating policy and how, since this was turning into an extremely busy day, there should be some common sense with people but there's not. Disney can't really do anything about it, especially at the Studio Catering Company which is entirely outdoor seating and multiple entrances and exits. We hated to admit it but if we are ever here again with such conditions, we will table save. However, we will offer any empty seats to anyone walking around with a loaded tray. It's just the two of us, we can give away two of our chairs to another family. They could pull up other chairs and we'd all be comfortable.

We enjoyed the lunch as much as we could but my back was killing me after the adventure and Rich said his butt and his leg fell asleep. My back problems would plague me for the rest of the day and my pain reliever was back in the car since I thought our room would be ready and packed light for the park. I usually will take a couple of relievers before we leave the room but that didn't happen today.

Our FastPass time was up for Twilight Zone so we hobbled our way back there. Stand by time was 65 minutes so glad for those FastPasses. (Earlier, Rock and Roller Coaster had a return time of after 5:30 and a 90 minute wait). Today was turning out to be much more crowded than either one of us anticipated so we knew we would be heading out of Dodge fairly quickly.

We were one of the last to enter our library and I couldn't get my spot right in front of the TV. I was behind two very tall guys (although everyone is tall to me at 5 feet). I could see just in between them. Until both of them started leaning towards each other. They weren't in the same traveling party but my vision space kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller. It was kind of funny. I felt like a cobra with my head going from side to side to see as much as possible.

But we were soon into the boiler room and somehow Rich and I seem to manage to enter together while others have a problem with this. Maybe it's because we're just two people? Or because we don't crowd out like others? Or we just relax and figure we'll catch up with each other later?

We did the typical thing of using the left hand side of the queue as it just seems shorter to us. I have no scientific data on that, just what we like to do. There was a large group ahead of us and I could see the current elevator still had two spots left to fill so I waited and sure enough I heard "party of two?" Rich was daydreaming so I shot my hand up and we basically walked right into an elevator. Super sweet.

Of course, I grabbed hold of the hand rails as tightly as I could. There was a party of barely teenage girls behind us and they were all giggling and getting excited about the ride. I just kept repeating under my breath that I would be fine and people survive this every day. This attraction is seriously the one that gets me every single time. Every time. Today was no different and we got one of the sequences that just blows my mind as you think you are done and darn it, you go flying back up again. Freaking Imagineers!

The girls behind us were screaming the entire time which really enhanced the whole experience. At the end, one girl had to be asked quite a few times if she was OK. She breathlessly replied she was. Totally enjoyable ride and I love when newbies are on it. And I surprised myself by not swearing or screaming. Although I still shook after like usual.

I suggested checking out the single riders line for Rock N Roller Coaster but Rich pointed out how crazily busy it's been so we decided to head for the friendly confines of Epcot. Somewhere along the line, I was texted our room number which was 6460 and I thought about suggesting we go get settled in and unpacked. In hindsight, we should have done that but Monday morning isn't the best time to be a quarterback. If only we had a crystal ball to consult.

By the way - I like the way Disney is doing the texting of the room number. You first get a message that you need to accept by texting back "yes". Then, you get your room number later. It was kind of funny since when we were getting things out of Maxx before going to the Studios, I heard my text go off so we thought it was the room. Then I realized what the Cast Member had told me about two texts. I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't accepted the first text but I guess it's a security thing so you only get texts from Disney regarding your room number and nothing else.

I was really hoping we wouldn't have a long wait for a boat to Epcot because I was not going to walk to there with the way my back was tightening up. I should have gone to First Aid and asked for a couple of pain relievers but I thought things would loosen up later. I was wrong.

Our wait for the boat was short, thank goodness. En route, Rich asked if we were going to disembark at the Yacht/Beach Club and I gave him such a glare that he realized we were in it for the long haul. It felt good to be off my feet and to give the back a rest so we rode all the way to Epcot and the International Gateway. I suggested we use that Guest Relations to exchange the Tyvek passes for RFID but we decided entering through the regular gates wasn't a hassle and we'd only be using the passes three more times so why bother.

After getting off the boat, I needed the restrooms outside the gates and Rich overheard a conversation between another couple. The man had to use the bathrooms as well and the woman with him said "I should have known, you ALWAYS have to use these." Rich quietly said, "dude, you need to meet my wife" since I like these restrooms too!

We had maybe five people in front of us to use the paper turnstiles and I asked the Cast Member here (since there was no one behind us) when the complete transformation would happen to RFID. He said "when everything is totally finished" and then followed up with "they keep moving the dates back and back". So there's the "official" word. No one knows. But since our passes come up for renewal in August, we'll probably get the RFID ones once we turn in our voucher so I'm not worried about it. Heck, maybe even the Magic Bands will be in place by then.

Once at the top of the little hill, I had Rich decide which way to go. He said a margarita was to the left and a kaki-gori to the right. He chose left and my problems really started. My back started to seize up big time and I felt very overheated. I knew this was going to be a killer walk for me so I warned Rich we'd have to take it slow and I would need to sit often. We went by Off Kilter performing but didn't stay since only one original band member was there. Rich noticed the pants wearing now and commented it just didn't seem right. But, change needs to be accepted or the world would be a very boring place.

We moved onto Mexico for Rich's margarita and found the stand to have a very long line. I said "good luck" and went to find shade but Rich said the counter service place, which also serves margaritas, didn't have any line so back we went. The wait was enough for me to realize I really needed some shade so I stood with Rich under the little roof to cool off. He took a look at me and suggested we just go back to the room but I am a stubborn girl and it wasn't even 4:00 yet. We continued on to the beer/wine cart in Norway for me.

And had another long line. At least it was in the shade and during this time, I cooled off enough that heading back to the room wasn't going to be an option. When Rich had offered this up, he said he was concerned about how our luggage was holding up in the sun. The temperatures weren't that high - mid 80s - but the sun was brutal and there was no breeze. He said he worried about his deodorant in the suitcase. I, being the fool that I am, assured him everything was fine.

We continued on to China and I insisted (more for the air conditioning than anything else) that we search for the elusive China country magnet. I've been collecting a magnet from each World Showcase country but cannot find one for China. If anyone sees one, I'll pay anything for it. The hunt proved fruitless yet again. I knew I would be getting the other two - Morocco and Italy - this trip so China needs to have some representation. I might have to find a non Disney China flag magnet for my display. Sigh. Darn China! But at least I got even more cooled off for the time being.

Rich picked up some coins he said he had been eying for a while. I should mention that Rich is a collector and stamps and coins are some of the things he collects. He inherited his father's collections so his interest has piqued recently. I have to admit, he's learned a lot of world history just through stamps and coins so it's a hobby young kids can benefit from their entire lives.

Once we got back to America, I needed to sit down again and rest the back. Rich wanted a beer and I highly encouraged him to go inside the Liberty Inn for the suds so we could sit down and not be seat savers since we had actually bought something there. In my defense, the Fife and Drum Tavern outside had a long line so the crowds are definitely at Epcot as well as the Studios. We've been coming to Disney World during this three day weekend for over ten years and this was the worst crowd wise we've ever seen it. Whoever came up with the Monstrous 24 Hours at Magic Kingdom should be promoted. Not that I liked the crowds but it sure lined Disney pockets and hopefully my stock (10 whole shares my in-laws gave me years ago) will go up.

Once inside the blessed air conditioning, we could easily see sitting inside was not going to work. It was packed! But the lines were shorter here and Rich quickly had his beer which he paid for with some of the 22 dollar coins he brought along. We ventured outside and watched the Fife and Drum Corps do the very moving tribute to all five branches of our Armed Forces. They do this set during our American holidays and then finish with Taps. My only wish is that people would stop and pay their respects when that song is played. God Bless America was also performed and guests were invited to sing along. Before 9/11, no one sang. After that tragedy, the guests outsang the Cast Member. Unfortunately, we are back to before 9/11. I can't sing along because I always get choked up with emotion at living in this country. Sorry, patriotic sap mode off.

We sat along the planter for a while to give my back a rest. I wanted to go into the shop here so left Rich to do that. I am a bit disappointed with the direction the Heritage Manor is going. There's so much potential for this place but it seems to be losing its' colonial flavor. I'm not sure this will be a "have to go into" shop in the future. Please bring back unique American items. And the trivia.

Rich was surprised to see the construction for the new waterside Morocco restaurant but his first thought was "where's Mo Rockin'?!" I assured him they were just moved down towards France a bit. Which is where we were headed for another wine for me.

I was behind a group of three or four people in the wine line. They all wanted beer but couldn't figure out how to pronounce Kronenbourg. I am terrible about pronouncing things but I thought this one was pretty easy but the group just had a very difficult time with it. In the end, they all just said "the beer".

My back was very tight by now and I encouraged Rich to get another beer and we could sit along the lagoon in Canada on the bench I usually will occupy during Off Kilter. So Rich headed off to the Canadian beer cart and I walked over to the lagoon to my bench. And it was gone. Drat it! I had heard about the removal of benches and I can understand why these were taken away. It's a great spot for sitting and watching the lagoon which means it's a place for people to sit and wait for Illuminations. But, there's a lot of walkway in between the benches and the railing so I'm sure there were many people who mistakenly thought they could have an unobstructed view of the show just by simply sitting on the bench. Sorry but that doesn't happen and I figure Disney removed the benches so people would stop complaining about others standing in front of them. Oh well, I went back to Rich and told him I'd be down further and we ended sitting on a bench across from the Refreshment Outpost to finish our drinks and for me to rest up for the walk back to the buses.

To help with the new Monster's University movie (and the whole reason for the 24 hours at Magic Kingdom), there was a nice topiary of Mike and Sully at the entrance to World Showcase. There was also a Lion King topiary near the fountain that might have been left over from the Flower and Garden Festival. Just little things I like about Disney World.

Once done with the beverages, we made our way out of Epcot with a glance at Spaceship Earth which usually is a walk on this time of day. Nope, long line. So out to the buses we go. We hadn't done that much today but it was a good day except for the back and stomach issues.

We did the Long Mile out to the Pop Century bus queue and saw one sitting there so we picked up the pace only to see a handicapped person being loaded so we slowed down a bit. The bus driver was inside talking to the family which allowed two more wheelchair people to be boarded. All the people could transfer to other seats so when we finally boarded, there were already about fifteen people seated. We managed to get seats (thankfully because if I had to stand, I think my back would have completely seized up) and were taken back to Pop Century fairly quickly to begin our new adventure.

We walked through the gift shop and were amazed there were actually newspapers still to be had. Rich checked to ensure they were the Saturday edition instead of the early Sunday one and was pleased to be able to pick one up. Usually, these are gone by mid-morning.

We walked out to Maxx and Rich opened the hatchback and groaned. He had brought a six pack of the 20 ounce Diet Cokes and when I loaded the car, I just put them on top of the luggage. We didn't think about them being in the direct sun all day. We should have moved them to the back seat or covered them or heck, even did the most sensible thing which would have to put them into the freaking cooler. But nooooooo, we left them exposed. Well, Rich salvaged two of them - the rest had exploded. Yeah, the laptop case was Diet Coke soaked and Rich's suitcase had some on it as did mine. As it turned out, Rich's deodorant was fine but my face cream separated so the oil was apart but I used it anyway.

Now, as an aside to this lovely trip report - please think about what happened to those sodas from being in the car with upper 80 degree temperatures, being under a tree and being closed up for about seven hours. Now think about your child or your pet in the same circumstances. OK - back to the trip report.

We had the RFID room keys and I really like the technology as I didn't even have to put down things I was carrying to open up the door to the room. On our way up in the elevator, a guy asked Rich how he managed to get a six pack of Diet Coke with only two of them filled. Rich explained and the woman said they better go out to their car and check on their drinks. Warning to everyone about leaving drinks in your car in the Florida sun.

We made two trips up to the room and got settled in. We needed to do our NASCAR fantasy draft with our son so while Rich got the laptop set up (it was fine, the case handle was soaked though), I texted Kelsey and let her know we were in the room. Kelsey said they were back at their hotel so they would head over. Meanwhile, Rich had Trillian set up for the draft finally since it took a while as he's not familiar with my laptop. Just as we connected with Chris for the draft, Kelsey texted they were at Pop Century and in the check in parking lot so Rich and I held off Chris for the moment and hustled down to move Maxx around to get the present.

Rich drove us around to the front with me wishing Kelsey and Sandy had attempted to come back to where we were but I just wanted to get the gift so I was fine with this. We drove around the check in lot a bit and I saw someone who looked like my brother-in-law but I didn't think he was along for this trip. I finally called Kelsey and she and Sandy were just about to go into the lobby so they came back and we met up. And the person who I thought was my brother-in-law was him! So Rich B. enters the picture now.

We pulled Maxx up behind Kelsey's little cube car and made the transfer of the gift over into Maxx. And the gift? Sandy is able to get ammunition boxes that are going to be discarded. They are a decent size and Kelsey then paints whatever scheme a person wants on them. Kelsey is a very talented artist and I wish I could put some photos of what she has done here but I'm tech ignorant. She's done lots of these boxes and the customer gets to choose what they want. For Rich (and Chris), I asked her to do half of the box with Washington Capitals and half with Baltimore Orioles. Kelsey went online and got the Hall of Famers for each team and added that info. She duplicated the logos for each extremely well. These boxes are truly a one-of-a-kind gift. There is very ample storage space inside the box and would make a great dorm room or kid's room addition. My hope is Rich puts some of his miscellaneous crap from the coffee table into the box 

Rich moved the box over and then engaged in the conversation with Rich B. My Rich barely gave the box any notice since he thought it was for Chris. I kept trying to get him to look at it but he kept talking to Rich B. I finally said, "no, really look at it". So he did with a bit of a grumble. I said "do you really like it?" He said, "yes, I do". I said, "good, because it's for you." The look on his face was priceless as was the reaction of Sandy, Kelsey, and Rich B. It's not easy for me to keep a secret from Rich so this was worth everything.

The five of us chatted in the parking lot for about a half hour and that time included a Disney security vehicle coming around. We were illegally parked right behind Kelsey's cube car and I thought for sure we would be asked to leave but all was well. We finally broke up the "party" when the group with the car next to Kelsey's wanted to leave and we felt Maxx might hinder their departure. The Beardslees were going to be going to Animal Kingdom tomorrow which is where we were headed to I said I'd text once we got there. We all knew the Beardslees would be there much earlier than Rich and me. We found out that Sandy and Kelsey lasted until 3:00 AM for the 24 hour thing at Magic Kingdom. My sister and my niece are a bit Disney obsessed these days - even more than me!

We drove Maxx back to our parking lot and he sat there until we left Monday. We tried for another tree covered spot but realized at this point, it didn't really matter. At least the car didn't overly smell like Diet Coke.

Once back in the room, we did the NASCAR fantasy draft with Chris and our daughter-in-law for the Charlotte race tomorrow. We knew the race would be boring and long so it wasn't a priority and we were going to spend our day at the parks and do what we wanted. We only had to watch the end of the race anyway. I got our phones to charge up using the laptop since that other adapter was toast but it was a long process. I found the syndicated Law & Order:SVU on USA so that provided diversion for the evening until lights out around 11 with no alarm set for the next day.

I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to see Illuminations from outside our room and at 9:00, we could hear them but not see them. Oh well, that wasn't necessary and if we had been in the other lakeside building, we would have been able to see. But I liked our room location as we were on the corner so only one neighbor and we were on the top floor so no walking noises. Nice choice for us even with the exploding Diet Cokes.

Day Three - Sunday, May 26, 2013 -

I was awake and alive (Skillet reference) at 8:00 so just got up and started working on the trip report while Rich continued to snooze or doze for a while. Around 9:00, I decided I felt grimy enough so I started to get ready for the day. Of course, by the time I got out of the shower, Rich was up and watching ESPN. Sometimes I start getting ready if it's more than an hour after I get up. Otherwise, we might not ever get going to a park.

I wanted a bit of time for myself so I "volunteered" to get Rich a newspaper for the day. He realized he only had one Sunday section in last night's paper so a fresh one was needed. Chris chides Rich on the need for something *gasp* written on paper but Rich has his quirks and this is one of them. I also took the opportunity to look around the gift shop and pick up a Stitch magnet for Chris. Chris has his quirks and this is one of them - Stitch addiction. Then I walked out to Hourglass Lake and sat for a while. I noticed the walking/jogging path seems to go the whole way around the Lake and suggested that to Rich for an evening saunter tonight. Rich takes a nightly walk and thought about bringing his togs for that but didn't know if the path at just Pop Century would be enough for him so he was delighted to know he can get in a longer walk now. Like the man doesn't walk enough at Disney World! As for me, Rich doesn't power walk but he walks much faster than I want. I'm more of a stroller so I forego all this exercise nonsense.

Rich was ready to go when I got back to the room so I took some pain relievers to ward off any back problems and we made our way out for the Animal Kingdom buses with the obligatory stop at Blizzard Beach on the way (no one debused and no one got on). Once at the second Kingdom, I checked my phone to text Kelsey and saw she had already sent one to me. I told her we just got to the park and then we headed for FastPasses for the Safari which were for 12:15. The crowds were here as well so I had a feeling we'd do what we could and then head for our safety haven of Epcot. Rich had even said "let's see what we can't do today".

On the way to the Safari, we got waylaid by "Chris' anteater". We rarely see this guy without Chris hence the nickname. Well, this guy was not only out but right close to the fence and drinking out of the little pool of water! I must have taken ten pictures of the walking carpet. It was so interesting to see him drink and to be that close.

And that's part of the magic that is Disney World to me. Chris is 31 years old, has two kids and lives 800 miles from us. But every single time at Disney World, I find something that reminds me of him, or our daughter-in-law, or our two grandkids. Every single time. I also find things that remind me of my now departed father-in-law. For me, going to Disney World is not all about riding ride and seeing shows. It truly is a place to create memories that will live on.

After getting the Safari FastPasses, we took the train out to Rafiki's Planet Watch to pet some goats, pigs, and sheep. On the walk back to Conservation Station, we saw an armadillo! And not a Disney armadillo but just a normal Florida one. He was right along the pathway so we were able to see one nice and alive and not thrown along the side of the highway after being hit by a car. Disney is a great place for seeing real wildlife like ducks, bunnies, lizards, etc. I love it being such a nature preserve.

Once we entered Conservation Station, there was a crowd over by the vet procedure area so we went to see what was going on. They had just finished up surgery on a warthog! Darn it - we missed that. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of Animal Kingdom that most people don't realize. It really is a working place for veterinarian procedures. Not only for the animals here at the park but for any animal found on Disney grounds that is injured. Since animals cannot speak for themselves, I'm very glad Disney does their part in trying to help and understand some of the magnificent creatures we are surrounded by each and every day.

Rafiki himself was out and I heard a guy ask if that was the Tasmanian Devil! WTH? His companion corrected him and said "I think that's a wise baboon". Er - dudes, maybe see some of the Disney movies before coming here?

After looking at the displays, we went out to the Affection Station and talked with the animals there. I got a very cute photo of a sheep laying with his head on top of a pig. Also one of a goat with his head on a stair step. And we heard the pigs here being called wild boars (reminded me of Lord of the Flies at some point) and even warthogs. Are we that citified we don't recognize a simple pig? I half expected someone to point to a sheep and say "nice doggy".

With our visit with nature, we headed back to Africa but our FastPass still wasn't in the window so wise old Rich suggested a beer and we made our way to our normal beer cart and a sit down at Flame Tree BBQ. My stomach issues were behind me thank goodness, so we enjoyed the brews and a break. Kelsey had texted and asked about meeting for lunch at Restaurantosaurus which was fine with us but we had the FastPass so we set it up for 2:00.
While we were sitting there, I noticed a statue of something odd. Well, most of the statues in the Flame Tree BBQ sitting area are strange. This one was of something that looked like a cat but with beetles for arms and what appeared to be a rabbit sitting on the cat's head. I'm sure there's a back story to this and just one thing Disney does to make everything look authentic. The statue was tucked way back into a corner most people would never even see.

We headed back to the Safari and saw a 90 minute stand by wait so we knew the crowds were high. But we basically walked onto our jeep and had a very enjoyable ride. I still don't agree with people who say you don't see that many animals at this time of day (it was somewhere in between 12:15 and 1:15 since that was our FastPass return time). We saw just about every single animal out there. We even had to sit in our jeep while we waited for an animal up ahead to cross the road. So I would suggest going on the Safari whenever it fits your schedule because as we all know, we can't predict animals.

There was an amusing comment made by our jeep driver. We got the usual spiel about the termite mounds and how the animals use them. When we stopped for a while for probably an animal to cross the road up ahead (we couldn't see what caused the delay), a guest asked the driver if the termite mounds were real. The guide paused for a moment and then repeated "those mounds are as hard as concrete". He never said they weren't real but he made a correct comment. Loved it!

Also, the guest in front of me was just getting into all the animals and was snapping pictures left and right of everything. He really enjoyed the Safari.

As I had been texting with Kelsey on meeting for lunch, Rich was disappointed to realize we wouldn't be able to catch Flights of Wonder since the 1:00 show was out because we were on the Safari and the 2:00 show was out because of the lunch and we wouldn't be done in time for the 3:00 show. But once off the Safari, Kelsey texted that they were hungry so they would be eating lunch then. Oh well, we tried to hook up but didn't. But that meant we could do Flights of Wonder but we still had plenty of time for the 2:00 show. What to do? Rich to the rescue! We hadn't had anything to eat so our famous beer and pretzel combo was coming up. I love my husband, I really do.

Back over to the Flame Tree BBQ area for the now Mickey pretzel which Rich does not like as much as the regular pretzels. He claims these are smaller. I dunno, I kinda like the Mickey head. I like saying "I'll take his nose if you want the ear". Call me morbid. Then over to the beer cart where I stood to the side while Rich got the drinks. I was standing there looking at the nice carvings on the side of the kiosk and thought how neat those chipmunks or whatever they were looked. And then I realized said chipmunks were being eaten by snakes! Then I glanced down and saw those flying insects on the carving below were being devoured by a frog! I know all the pavilions at the Flame Tree seating area depict the circle of life (I call the pavilions Death Houses) but I hadn't realized that theme carried over even to the beer kiosk. Attention to detail. Or attention to death, I guess.

We finished our simple lunch and then headed over to Flights of Wonder. At least this would make Rich happy as he had to see this show every chance he gets. Others can keep Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo:The Musical. This show suits us just fine. Of course, I had to mumble for the first ten minutes since Disney finds the need to keep letting people into the show well after it starts. But I tried to forget that and enjoy the show (at least after the first ten minutes). Our favorite Guano Joe was back after not seeing him for the past couple of times so that was good.

SPOILER ALERT - When we got to the part where Joe was going to let the baby bird fly onto his finger, Rich and I were prepared for the normal baby vulture (which is huge) named Elvis. Instead, Joe was directed to call for Audrey. OK, something different. We've seen this show so many times we have the script memorized so it was amazing to us when this huge freaking condor came flying down! We both loudly gasped. And this wasn't even a California condor but a "smaller" variety. That bird's wingspan was HUGE!

After the show, we decided to check out the single rider's line at Expedition Everest but upon finding it was a 40 minute wait, we knew the park was much too crowded for us so we swung by Dinoland just to say we made a complete walk around the park today. Primevel Whirl has a 80 minute stand by line! We also checked out Restaurantosaurus since we had never eaten there before and wanted to know what we missed. I'm kind of glad the Beardslees ate earlier because there wasn't that much I would have been interested in. My stomach was back to almost normal and I didn't really want to slam a burger in there this close to the issues I had been having. I told Rich I would be hungry at Epcot but I didn't want a burger. Remember that.

We trudged out to the bus area and took the Swan/Dolphin/Yacht Club/Beach Club/Boardwalk option. While on the bus, Rich asked if we were going to get off at "Beach". I said that was fine, remembering his walking regiment. So imagine my surprise when we stopped at the Dolphin and the man stood up to leave. I blurted out "this is the Dolphin" and Rich looked confused. I have no idea what planet Rich was on at the moment but we got off at the Yacht Club and walked from there. Rich later said he wasn't paying attention. Right.

After entering at the International Gateway, we headed left where Rich got a beer at the Promenade Refreshments (long line) and then I got my wine in Norway (medium size line). I thought about suggesting China for dinner since I love their pot stickers but when we entered Epcot I told Rich to decide about food. Since I hadn't heard anything from him, I didn't say anything. Silly me. In Italy, we stopped so I could get the magnet from here. Nice one with Goofy and the Italian word for pizza on it.

At the check out, I was behind the Chocolate Family. Each person had picked out about six or seven pieces of chocolate and each had to check out separately. And each had to turn to the others and ask if they wanted something else. I guess they each had their own personal budget but it was slow going through the line. I thought it was just one person but it rapidly multiplied by about five.

As we were walking along the path, Rich suggests going to the Liberty Inn for dinner. WTH? I said I didn't want a burger! He said "well, they have hot dogs". I swear, we have more disagreements about food while at Disney World. Then he got a bit defensive and asked what I wanted so I said pot stickers which led him to say we could go back and get those. Grr. I gave in and just got a fruit salad at the Liberty Inn. I was still a bit miffed and told Rich to get in line and I'd table save but then I realized there were enough tables available inside so I went up to join him in line. He didn't realize that and backed up just a bit which caused my wine to spill all over my hand. Not a great way to end the disagreement but we managed.

The last of the 22 dollar coins were used on this transaction and Rich jokingly told the Cast Member that since we received the coins from this pavilion over the years, they were now getting them back. The Cast Member had to break the news that the coins are a thing of the past. We were disappointed but since dollar coins are not the norm in America, we understood. And Americans are extremely resistant to change (no pun intended) so the dollar coins will never make it in this country. We can be so backwards sometimes.

Rich got the chili cheese dog and had to use a knife and fork to eat it so not a bad value at all. My fruit salad was bigger than I thought it would be (I thought maybe a cup) and Rich finished for it for me. After our meal, we moved onto Japan and I finally remembered to check out a museum so we did this one. The exhibit is called Spirited Beasts: From Ancient Stories to Anime Stars and it was quite interesting to see how the ancient characters in Japan are being carried forward in anime. It was a small exhibit but something I didn't know but glad I took the time to find out. Still have to stop in the Stave Church in Norway sometime and just go into the American pavilion to do nothing but look at their exhibits.

We stopped in the Morocco pavilion (which Rich still calls Ethiopia) for a magnet. I guess the shoe magnet is gone and replaced by a rectangular one with pictures of the country. Same price though but without the uniqueness. At almost $10, this is the most expensive one.

France was up next and I was ready for another wine. The outdoor place was mobbed just like everything else and I was just going to bag the idea but I wanted to see the new bakery. That had Rich chuckling because the line was insane to buy pastries. Yes, Epcot was showing a very large crowd this evening. We ducked into the wine shop (OK, I admit it, I led us there) and I was able to get a glass of wine from there without having to wait in the long line at the kiosk.

Rich got another beer at Promenade Refreshments and we enjoyed with a sit nearby before heading out. It had been a nice trip but we were ready to go home. The short trips seem to zap the strength out of me and this one was no exception. But it was nice to get away from things for a while. We were back in the room around 8:00 after a quick stop in the gift shop to pick up our package from yesterday.

We turned on the TV to watch the end of the race and got a surprise. There was a red flag on the track which meant something happened to cause the race to be completely stopped. Usually, NASCAR will not allow any work done on the cars during a red flag but repairs were being made. I texted Chris about it and then we found out about the Fox Camera Fiasco of 2013. An overhead camera, which was a new thing on the track, had snapped its cable which caused the camera not only to fall but the cable whipped around on the track and, unfortunately, into the stands where spectators were injured. A couple of cars were also damaged. In the end, the spectators were treated and released from the local hospital but I can't image going through something like that. Very unusual.

The race was extremely boring, especially since my driver (Dale, Jr.) was taken out early and ended up not finishing the race. At 9:00, we each took a drink and went towards the bridge over to Art of Animation and sat to see what we could of Illuminations. It was nice but nothing I would go out of my way for in the future. You can't hear any of the music so it was difficult to know when it was over. But, a nice diversion. After that, we went back to the room and I turned in for a nap, only waking up towards the end of the race.

Day Four - Monday, May 27, 2013 -

We had the alarm set for 8:00 this morning although we weren't in any hurry to rush back home. I even had Rich get up first but I was up right after that to start the evil packing chore. Since we were on the fourth floor, I couldn't do my usual of taking things out to the car while Rich was still getting ready so I figured I could take my time.

We were ready to go around 9:00 or so and did the long walk out to Maxx. On the way, Rich spotted a slug on the walkway so we stopped to make sure he was placed on the grass so he wouldn't get trampled. On the way back, Rich spotted a snail on the walkway so we did the same with that guy. On our second trip, we saw the same damn slug as before so Rich had to repeat the moving to the grass! That slug was a fast mover. The Niklewski Insect Save Move of May, 2013 was finally complete.

After a quick stop at the onsite Hess station, which was the cheapest price we saw, we were heading north fairly quickly. Nothing much to say about the drive and we were home without incident somewhere around 5:00. Our next trip will be over Labor Day weekend and I managed to get a nice rate at Coronado Springs so that's going to be a bit of a different visit as it's been years since we've stayed at a moderate. It's only two nights and we might finally just do more resort time than being in the parks.

Final Thoughts -

We had a lot of nature encounters this trip with the scorpion; slugs; a snail; a bunny on the Pop Century lawn, the pigs, sheep, and goats at the Affection Station' the wild armadillo on the walk to Conservation Station, and the freaking huge condor at Flights of Wonder. Since we both are nature lovers and animal well-being is our charity of choice, it's always nice to see all this at Disney World.

I saw absolutely no decline in the friendliness of the Cast Members. Even on our walks to and from the bus stop or my walk to get Rich his newspaper, every single Cast Member said hello or waved or did something. I'm not an outgoing person but I find myself being a lot nicer at Disney World. Kind of like how people get around the holiday season. Too bad most humans don't do that in every day life.

The crowds were very high compared to the same time in the past ten years. I think the 24 hours at Magic Kingdom had a lot to do with that. But, we managed to do what we wanted and were content. I do think Darth's Mall could be organized better or maybe by dilemma with it was it was too organized. It felt like the Atlanta road system - you had to know what you wanted and where you were going before you got there.

We now know to make sure our Diet Coke supply is out of the direct sun! But that was easily handled even though Maxx got an expected inside bath. And rest assured, Rich didn't suffer from the four bursting. He just got new ones on the way home.

But the thing that keeps me going back is the little things. Yes, it was crowded and we took a couple of breaks at Flame Tree BBQ to fill in some time. But if we hadn't, I wouldn't have ever seen that strange looking statue all the way in the back. I wouldn't have taken the time to really look at the carvings on the side of the beer kiosk and realized the Death House theme was really followed through. And what theme park is going to have a museum in a pavilion so you can learn something? That's the Disney World I love. I've been to the place so many times but I'm still discovering new things each and every time. I hope I never lose that. And I wish others could see the beauty of it all instead of the negatives. On Saturday, I was hot, tired, my back ached, my stomach hurt but I was at Disney World so all was right. I wanted to spread that feeling to all the cranky people I saw but just ignored their moods.

Next is Labor Day at Coronado Springs and then a week for the Food and Wine Festival at, I think, Pop Century.