Disney or Bust 2011

Adam won a National Excellence in Construction Award for his last project on Fort Benning (APPLAUSE). The awards ceremony (think Oscars, I am, I’m banking on an Acceptance Speech in which he thanks me for all the support and tells the world how much he LOVES me) is going to be at the Waldorf and for a couple of hours we were really excited because we were going to stay at the fancy Waldorf Astoria Orlando! But when I told them we were traveling two adults, two kids and a granny they didn’t have any rooms.
Bummer. Maybe we’ll stay at one of the fun Disney Resort Hotels? Our only requirements? Indoor pool, free breakfast, happy hour and room must be a suite. Okay, well, a Disney suite starts at $1600/night. A NIGHT! Of course your veranda is overlooking the “African Savannah” aka “Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom” and maybe some giraffes will share your grapes. And we maybe would have done it but there’s no continental breakfast which in my case is always a deal breaker.

 

We headed out on Saturday when Adam got in from Birmingham – he’s a southern state jet-setter. Loaded up, left out at 5:20. We stopped for supper in Valdosta. All Adam had to do to get Charlotte on his side for dinner was say “WAFFLE HOUSE.” Charlotte sat up at the bar with her daddy and enjoyed her buttery waffle and we listened to some Jimmy Buffet on the juke box. We were hoping to make it to Valdosta, the halfway point. Ruby fussed from the time we left WaHo until she fell asleep. Charlotte’s whining a little because her "babies" are sleepy and need to nurse but we decided to bribe her with a Reese Cup and push it to maybe Gainesville, FL. A lot easier to drive when Ruby’s isn’t fussing AND we would be able to spend more time at Sea World on Sunday. Eventually I started looking up hotels and calling to find out the rate. No Vacancy. Huh. No Vacancy. Again and again, everywhere I called. I solicited the help of Expedia , Orbitz, Priceline, Kayak, “No Rooms Available for Selected Night" Charlotte’s whining, her babies are tired, I’m started to panic, Adam driving, says, ‘let me see that ipad’ because obviously I’m doing something wrong. Start calling hotels directly. Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh dear. I finally find a hotel in Alachua, FL that has a vacancy. I forget to make the reservation. I end up calling the girl back four times and still forget to ask the name of the hotel. Oh yes. I get my final directions, because GPS isn’t pulling up the hwy it’s on, two miles before the exit. We exit.

 Adam says, ‘What’s the name of the hotel?’ I just glare. He tries again.

 ADAM STOP HARASSING ME!

 The girls are both zonked out in the backseat.  I'm exhausted, stressed, tired.  We continue driving around a bit.  Noni starts laughing.  And can't stop.  Adam starts laughing.  They pull into the Comfort Inn or Quality Inn, something, I don't know, I didn't pay attention and go inside to find out if this is our hotel.  It is.  But the room isn't clean.  It's 11:00 at night and they had to call in housekeeping. 
 
40 minutes later we unload the car and the sleeping children, who never wake up.  Anyone with kids knows that it was worth all of that to not have to go through the whole bedtime rigmarole that kids require.  Adam & I cram ourselves into our little bed with our little girl and fall asleep smiling.
 

That was Day 1.
 
I'm terrified about missing breakfast because I love a free breakfast and don't want to over-sleep.  I'm wide awake at 6:15 certain the sun is behind the drapes, also certain it's at least 8:00.  It wasn't but the baby was up.  I took one for the team and left out with Ruby while everyone else got another couple of hours of sleep. 
 
Everything works out and we leave the hotel bright eyed and full of coffee and waffles.  Ruby falls asleep.  We're only about 2 hours from Orlando. 

 
I can't believe how hot it is.  It's hot.  I'm my mother's daughter - I say that but she was dressed appropriately in capris and sleeveless shirts...but I do put all of the spring/summer clothes away for fall and winter.  I'm starting to think my mom must just wear capris and sleeveless shirts year round...My tanks and shorts, the girls' shorts, are in the attic! Which is where my  mother taught me to put them...and where they are right now on Day 2 of our Orlando trip.  I'm scrounging for clothes for me and the girls the whole trip...hopefully that will explain some of our ensembles in these photos. 
 

We make it to Sea World around lunchtime.  It's packed but we're pumped.  Charlotte wants to head immediately to see Shamu.  Which his good with us, it's a very inspiring show.  I walk down to the tank with the girls while Adam & Noni try and find us a good seat.  There's whistling and waving, we finally spot each other.  I sit with Ruby and notice "SOAK ZONE" plastered across the back of the chair in front of me.  I'm the only one that wants to move.   
 
 
Charlotte is very excited.  Ruby's excited (she was tickled when we walked past the sea animal statues on the way in).  We're all excited!  Cool show, amazing animals.  Did you know Killer Whales are the animal sea creature with no predators?  They can team up and kill a great white shark.  I don't blame the trainers for not swimming with the orcas anymore...but I have to say...it was more exciting when they did.  The show left a stronger impression when I was eight...and not only because I really was soaked from sitting in the splash zone.  This time?  Three drops and nobody rode a killer whale. 
 

The Dolphin show was amazing.  We thought it would be corny when we were settling in with our dippin' dots because of the costumes and stuff...but it was really neat.  They swam with the dolphins and had high divers and people dressed like birds on bungee cords...We all cheered and clapped and got choked up at the beauty of it all...Noni summed it all up when, at the end, she shouted 'THAT'S THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH'. 
 
Charlotte wanted to pet everything and feed everything and Ruby just wanted to "SEE".  We'd be trucking along in the stroller and Roo would point and say "see see see!"
 

We got up early for Disney.  Charlotte was very excited to finally go and see the princess castle and where all of the princesses lived.  I told Noni to relax and the pool, that we'd see her mid-afternoon, leave Ruby with her and go back with Charlotte for some roller coasters...
 
...but after parking and waiting in line and riding the shuttle to get to the gate and waiting in line to buy the ticket to wait in line to load the monorail or the ferry boat to get to the island of Magic Kingdom to wait in line to get the bags checked to wait in line to get to the GATE to walk in a line to get in line for the food, the gifts, the parade, the RIDES we knew that now that we were in, we were staying in. 
 

The Magic Kingdom is, indeed, magical.  Charlotte was thrilled and so excited and then the parade came through and all of the Disney friends danced and waved to her.  I was just overwhelmed.  Completely and totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people that were there.  The girls loved the rides, hated waiting in line and the shortest line was 30 minutes (no strollers allowed).  It was 84 degrees in February so it was hot. I got sunburned.  That was embarrassing. It was a fun day, but a long day.  Adam & I earned our drinks that night. We stayed all the way until the electrical parade (both girls were on our shoulders because we were 20 people back from the street) and the danced and wiggled and waved and shouted hey to every float that passed by, especially Ruby.  We were on the ferry boat headed back to the car when the fireworks started. 
 

Charlotte wanted nothing to do with being transformed into Cinderella at the Bippity Boppity Boutique.  She liked her own Cinderella dress and her pig tails...which we re-did right after she waited in line an hour and it was her turn to meet the princesses...Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Belle.  Adam caught most of the magical introductions on video...but at one point there is a weird, zoomed in and long-lasting cleavage shot of Belle.  See, he was wrestling with Ruby because Belle wanted a hug from her and a bite of her cheetos and somehow he was videoing and holding Ruby? I don't know...that's just what he said.  :)
 

We learned some things, how to do Disney and how not to do Disney, get there EARLY, take advantage of the Fast Pass and get your kids an ice cream before she every line. And we can't wait to go back...when Ruby is at least Charlotte's age, she's got to be at least 4 before we'll brave it again...
 
Adam and I are both running regularly now but I'm thinking we need to start cross-training or something before we go back...a triathalon might be a good way to shape up for Disney...
 
You would have thought that at the end of the day the girls would have been wiped.  Not so, of course the mom & the dad were the ones doing the pushing, carrying, toting and hiking.  They were so revved up...Charlotte was reenacting every show she saw and telling Noni all she could remember...which made it all worth it.  I'll say it again, it's exhausting and overwhelming but it's magical.
 
Tuesday we woke up and headed back to Sea World.  We pet some stingrays, rode a roller coaster or two (yes, even Charlotte), saw all the rest of the animals and had a nice, relaxing, fun time.  Ruby said, 'hey dogs!' to just about all she saw...the seals and polar bear were especially exciting...
 

Then we went swimming in the pool back at the hotel.  Both girls loved jumping in - Charlotte even insisted on doing it by herself and going under without holding her nose!  Ruby counted to three and jumped to us again and again. 
 
Noni ordered pizza and sat with the girls while Adam and I headed over to the Waldorf Astoria for his Award Reception.
 
After three days of theme parks it was fantastic to get dressed and go for more than an hour without having some sort of cheese snack smeared on my shoulder. BAck at the hotel, Charlotte rubbed Ruby's belly, and sang her to sleep.  We got home, late, because after the banquet we went out to celebrate with friends, and all three girls were snuggled up in the same bed.  Can I just throw in here that BL Harbert Int'l and one other General Contractor, were the only ones in the country to receive three 'Excellence in Construction' Awards?  And yeah, the new Auburn Arena received one as well...   
 

Accepting the award

My favorite part of the trip was when Adam received his award.  I was so proud of him.  He received an 'Excellence in Construction' National Award for his work on the ATB Barracks Project, Industrial $25-$100 million category. 
 

APPLAUSE.  APPLAUSE.  STANDING OVATION RIGHT HERE FROM YOU GIRLS.

We love you and are proud of you every day.