When I was trying to think of a title for the blog accounting our family vacation to the happiest place on earth ...I decided on a song lyric ..... a magical one to boot. Let me explain and please know although being a lifelong Disney fan...I did not drink the Mouse-Ade...I admit to getting a bit teary eyed when I saw Cinderellas castle and I wore mouse ears and shirts with Mickey, horribly distorted by my Bobbitt Bobbitt Boobs! But I guarantee you...I get it....it's a real cool place, but something happens to people when they step office that monorail! More about that later!
The dream or wish referred to in the title is the one where I go to Disney with my little family! Back about 25+ years ago when my oldest started school, my little bubble of normalcy burst...EVERYONE went to Disney!! They went on break...they went on non breaks, pulling their kids out of school...they went three/four times a year!! What the fuck??? How is everyone affording these trips??? I mean, we just had our third child and I was babysitting other kids from my home and my husband's job in the printing business was already starting to feel the effect of the digital future...so what gives???
Whatever...we took our kids to the ocean...rented cottages, saw broadway shows and yes, we even summered with friends/family in the Hamptons (it was only a couple days but it was in the summer!!). We were more than okay with that...after a while, we prided ourselves on the fact that we didn't become THOSE people. But alas, the thought of Dumbo's mom cuddling baby Dumbo with her trunk( hang on...I need a moment...that scene gets me everytime) I mean she was chained up and still put her needs last...she was a good mom despite whatever those other jealous elephant moms thought.... was I as good a mom as Dumbo's mom ???? Um...ANYway...I'm trying to say we vacstioned the best way we could and as years went on....summer musicals took up the bulk of our summers and sports, the rest. This year was no different... after our very successful and awesome production of Footloose...(the show which I didn't want to really do but turned out to be my favorite and the one where we all felt..."hey we are pretty good at this") we took off...literally. Now I am not a great flyer....I used to have to get all "Judy Garland-ed" up (that's an outdated reference but who would it be now ... Lindsay Lohan ? ....at least Judy was sort of classy about her addictions) Not this time...this I did it sober AND I got a few ideas Mr. Big Ol Jet Airliners. FIRST..Lower your damn prices and maybe offer for some complimentary deodorant along with those funky blue potato chips (I get it...JetBLUE) Also...the rule should be if you don't have stuff in the overhead bins....you get to go first... This way all you overhead bin users can fight it out with out us and spare us the hunched over wait. (I noticed others hunched....I stand up with no problem in that little seat compartment!!). Unless of course you have a kid or two with you....then you go before everyone! I wasn't traveling with my babies, but I have and people are rude and ridiculous when traveling (see a blog about 6 years ago when Cooper and I went to NY by train....same shit...different transport) Relax everyone, except for the young girl who was afraid she was going to miss her flight because of a delay...I hear you talking, you're all going on vacation like me...so chill. I was super anxious and claustrophobic....plus I flew over the east coast with a full bladder....C'mon folk...."Look around look around ...how lucky we are to be alive right now" Yeah so, I listened to Hamilton the whole time.... Actually that lyric could've been my blog title. At one point during the week..I did just that ....I looked around! I saw my whole little family all grown up with lives and dreams of their own all together, celebrating the engagement of my baby girl (many blogs to come on that subject)Amazing.... I got to see Disney through the eyes of not just my children, but my grandchildren...how lucky I am to be alive right now! We have had a few scary, sad, cancer and surgery filled years. ("No matter how your heart is grieving.... if you keep on believing...) I don't say I earned it, people go through TONS more than us... but I can say it was that much sweeter because of it all. My Goombadi told me "I was a very rich woman"....I do believe that's true.(save the $100+ spent on family mouse ears. C'mon...the bride and groom ones though) You know I have always felt rich..."lucky" (if you are Lin-Manuel Miranda) "blessed" ( if you area hashtagger on social media) or just plain fortunate!!! Sure, I slip up now and then, mostly because of work shit..which is shit right now...but I don't need to find ZuZus pedals ala George Bailey (Merry Christmas Bedford Falls) to realize it.
So we made it to Disney....Final!y....and I got a few ideas about that too....how about some complimenatery phone charging stations...and that deodarant thing again!! . Oh my goodness the lines ....the waits.....the horror....it wasn't even that crowded I was told...being the middle of August.-but holy shit!!! How about tthe whole fast pass thing...my husband could not grasp the concept of it until I said it's like when you call ahead at Red Lobster. Ahhhh !!! It was like Tinker Bell hit his head with her magic wand! Actually, we really never waited for more than 45 minutes which is a life time to a six and almost two year old and I have to admit that when we did get a fastpass...I was all "Suck it Losers". Also, what's with all the scooters...I walked my 56 year old fat ass around the Magic Kingdom and Epcot where I also drank my weight in beers from around the world (plus a shot of limoncello from my homeland of Italy) I must say,too if you are with child in a wheelchair...automatic fastpass...unless you are paying people with disabilities to get your healthy self through, which I heard is sometimes done...then you can take the fastpass straight to hell with Creuella DeVil, Captain Hook and all the other villians. Finally....get your own Disney GPS system...because the regular one doesn't work in your parks Walt....I mean you have a "world" & a "land" you egomaniacal, rumored Nazi sympathizer....sorry, sorry. Hakuna Matata everyone....But we were lost and recalculated and u-turned enough to make us late for breakfasdt with Chef Fucking Mickey... Our poor GPS girl! (not what I was calling her during our driving debacle.. It was "c u next toodles"...for you Mickey Mouse clubhouse fans). We are driving though Georgia and she is still trying to get us to West Buena Vista Drive ! "I can still get you there guys...honest...just one more turn...guys???" But she got us to Charleston's to stay at my aunt and uncle's place for the relaxation part if our vacation!! Now we are back and we will be planning a wedding and you are all welcomed to come along on that journey!!! That brings us back full circle to my blog title...to see your children's dream come true is almost too much for this old girl's heart to handle. You see, I always felt my career was motherhood ...sorry Hillary... I support you to the end, but I was never that ambitious. But I wanted to raise the kind of people that let people ahead of them in Disney crazed lines. They do good and meaningful things on a daily basis! I couldn't be prouder of them. When all the chicks are back in their nests (which are all pretty close to then hen house)we will go on to our lives and hi ho hi ho...back to work we go (ugh..in my case, my job has been messed with yet again....retirement I hear you a callin') until the next adventure that is....We will all move on to have other dreams and wishes....but for me, a dream came true... it took few years but... Zipadee do dah Zipadee ay..everybody paid their own way....just sayin'
And great way to wind down the summer and begin a new advventure...Disney will happen again with the next sets of grand kids too!!!
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