Thursday, September 28, 2006

Day 6: I don't want to go home!

I awake before sunrise and immediately think: I don't want to go home!

I hop in the shower since everyone else is asleep and then wait until 7AM so I can call and cancel our ADR for The Beach Club in a few hours. It would have been out of pocket anyway, and we decided to not be rushed this last day here.

DH jumps in the shower next and I do more packing. The kids each rise and stretch and then get dressed and have breakfast, trying to use up all the "Stuff" That can't be taken home with us. I reiterate that I do not want to go home and while we are all in agreement, there is nothing to be done except pack and get back home to the reality that there will be no paycheck next week. I mope in my corn pops.

We find a friendly family to give our left over water and fruit to and then try to pack everything we will not need in the checked bags, then try to get the "park bag" packed with the stuff we NEED, but nothing that can't be taken in our checked bags, while keeping enough room in our carry ons for the items that are currently in the park bag. We foolishly decide to pack ALL the rain gear in a checked bag since it only rains in the late afternoon here, and we will be on ME when the inevitable rain occurs. We are trying to travel as unencumbered as possible so that we can do and see all we want before our 3PM pick up time for the Magical express.

Bell services comes to take our Checked bags to advance check in for us, and we pack the last of our room up. I take one last look at the past week's home and sigh. Have I mentioned that I don't want to go home?

We head for the front desk. We had "Express check out" and so that is one less line we need to wait ofr. I get in line to precheck in for the airline and DH located the line for bag holding for our cary ons. The girls wisely opt to watch a movie while they wait!

We are finally on our way, but failed to make it to MK in time for Rope drop. Next vacation I promise we will make it! We get in, head straight for Exposition Hall to get our Photopass. There is a bit of a line, but we are #3. This has to be the slowest line!! DH nearly misses Goffy sauntering directly beind him, but he does get a Hi-5. We finally purchase out Photo pass, then head for ToonTown Via train when it starts to cloud up. We chat with a nice family on the way. We get out and the girls want to play in toon park which was closed on an earlier visit. Just as they get in there, and I have taken all of 2 shots, the rain starts. We gather them back up and head...where? This was not in the plan! We walk QUICKLY and end up in the small farmer's market before blankets and buckets of rain start to fall. Then the wind kicks up so the rain is now sideways. We decide to have a snack and huddle with about 30 other people in the tiny shop, which the workers close 2 sides on in an attempt to keep at least a few things dry. ONE HOUR AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES later, it is finally raining light enough for us to leave the haven. Well, DH and I also BUY ponchos. (Wow, good thing I picked up a few at home LOL!) I even figure out a way to wear the baby and the poncho at the same time! Now you may be asking why we didn't head for the character greeting area instead? Well, I foolishly packed all the autograph books in teh checked bags. I guess we could have went and gotten pictures at least, but in my "Don't want to go home" mind didn't think of that.

C and M really want to ride Barnstormer again, but there is still lightening in the area, so it is closed. We promise next trip we will ride it and head to Fantasyland to ride Snow White's scary adventure, The Many adventure of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan's flight. On the way over there C and M both notice that the tea cups are open. Darn. DH and I do not do spinny rides well (Dumbo was almost too much for me!). Oh look at the line! We will have ot ride it next trip. (And Hopefully next trip the girls are tall enough to ride it themselves!)

It is now time. The time we are all dreading. We need to head back to the resort for the last time this trip.

I don't even look back at the castle. I WANT do, but I don't. We are trying to get off main street since they are already setting up for the 3PM parade.

We are quiet on the bus ride back and we head straight to the shop to "spend" the last of our snack credits and the lest of the girls' DIsney Dollars. I used our last 10 snack credits on boxes of cookies, bags, of crackers and peanut brittle. I "splurge" and buy myself a $10 sparkly Mickey Head anklet. The girls spend every last dollar they have then they go with DH to get the bags and I hit the food court to spend the last of our counter service credits. We get plenty of food, and the nice CM reminds me that I "need" to get desserts, too, so I opt for Mickey head Rice Krispy treats. Darn. I wish I had remembered about them earlier. I would have bought more of these and less boxes of cookies LOL!

I meet up with my family and we wolf down our food. It tastes way better than it should, but I think we are all just trying to savor every last bit of Disney.

We board ME which arrives 10 minutes later than it should have. Darn that is 10 more minutes we could have had in the park! Ok, not really, the rain was mostly to blame for our short park time this AM, but I'm dreading the inevitable.

Actually, since we are already checked in, we are leaving rediculously early. ME picks you up 3 hours before your flight leaves. Even with the bit of traffic we run into, we still have over 2 hours before our flight leaves, and no bags to check! We hang out by the fountain just outside of the Disney store at the airport. I then fill out the post cards I promised a few people, even calling one of them for her address.

About an hour beffore our lflight, we finally go through security, which is a bit backed up, but not terribly so. We get through security without incident, gather everyone once again and head to the train to our terminal. Once we arrive, I drop the post cards at the newsstand and then we head to our gate and discover...delayed. NP, we have just over an hour layover in Atlanta. We play a few games, color another picture and otherwise pass the time before heading to Atlanta FINALLY.

We make it to Atlanta, sprint to the next terminal (OK, sprint to the train, that takes us to the next terminal) and discover..delayed. MAJORLY! We setteloursoves once again with various games and C breaks out the bubbles. Um...bubbles? Where did she have those? In her bag. Appearanly the "Contraban" made it through security! We snicker a bit about her "illegal" bubbles, but they help keep her and her sister and brother in good spirits. We FINALLY leave Atlanta almost 2 hours late! We are all tired, cranky (DH most since he hasn't had a cigarette) but now we are looking forward to just getting home.

My Wonderful IL's had picked up our van Sunday morning, and took it home for us, then picked it up for us and dropepd it at the airport around 10 at night. (We live about 3 miles from the airport!) We were supposed to get home just after midnight, but we don't arrive until almost 2 AM. We are so tired when we arrive that we don't even notice that part of our stroller is missing.

We gather all our bags from baggage claim, then we decide to send DH to get the van (So he could smoke) and then he would pick us up in front. That leaves me with 3 sleeping kids, one still strapped in his seat and the other 2 sleeping in the stroller, plus most of our carry on bags AND SEVEN checked bags! Somehow, I manage to get all of it and us to the curb by the time DH arrives! I'm not sure who is more surprised, him or me!

We make it home, tired, and already planning on when we will go back!

Have I mentioned its good to be home?

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