Sunday, January 11th, 2004:

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EPCOT:

Don't listen to the weather reports on the Disney Today channel! Or anywhere else! We have it on good authority (the Floridians in the Barber Shop) that no one can predict Florida weather. So just stick your head out of your door in the morning and judge for yourself! You can always bring a bag with a change of clothes in case you're wrong (and throw the bag in a locker).

Must-do list:

Marathon: we always like watching people come in.

Boardwalk: we love going through International Gateway.

Nachos at Mexico! A traditional lunch for us!

Rice cream at Norway! Part 2 of our traditional lunch!

Mission: Space - John's never seen it

See German clock strike the hour!

I jumped on that Mickey wake-up call like it was a free extra week at WDW! To be fair, John had agreed this call was for me.

We can hear people cheering the marathon runners from our balcony! (Ooo, we overslept! )

I find a double Hidden Mickey at our foodcourt!

John is the ace of our new digital camera. For some reason, I suck at getting clear pictures from it. So I use the still image feature of our digital camcorder and John uses the new camera. This allows us to both take pictures and get interesting shots.

I can't get a picture of them, but the Hidden Mickeys in Mexico's volcano smoke are wonderful!

One of the runners we see is a one armed man. In his only hand is his cellphone and he happily declares to some loved one, "I'm almost to the end. I did it! I ran the marathon!"

Beautiful weather! John, in his black football jersey, is starting to be a shade lizard. ()

A wonderful way to spend the a rest in the afternoon: we sit in the Italy courtyard to enjoy the sun, the breeze, and the Italian figures whose name I can never remember and so I call them the Biscotti troupe. () BUT! I noticed no one else knows the real name because I searched the net when I got home, so I could put the name in this report, and the websites cheat and call it the Character Masquerade!! And that is a cheat because they have a sign with the full name on it! Anyway, one of the Biscotti players, the King, holds an 8 month old baby who is fascinated by this person, touching the mask with curious fingers. Suddenly the baby leans up to kiss the mask's nose, and then, as the crowd melts with "Aaaa"s, the baby takes a nibble. Another Biscotti performs her dance for a two year old who takes her tamborine and jingles it for her dance. The jester is performing with another child. It's the first time we've seen the troupe with Guest children, and it's sweet to see how good they are with them.

When I wake up in the morning, John tells me it's a shame that I fell asleep when I did. He said "After midnight, the WDW Tour channel features ‘Krissa after Dark'".

It's a new Disney Day! Just as John announces this on the way over to Boardwalk in the morning, he celebrates it by almost hitting a car while switching lanes. I won't tell you his response when I point this out.

Proof that my husband pays no attention to me! We're walking to the International Gateway and see cranes in the sky. Take note of this conversation:

• John: Look at those cranes! I wonder what they're for.

• Me: Looks like they're up at Future World.

• John: No, I think they're up at Future World. Maybe something is under renovation.

• Me: It must be the Land! They're building Soaring over California.

• John: I bet it's the Land putting in Soaring over California!

• Me: You're not listening to me at all, are you?

• John (looking guilty): Um, what makes you say that?

A family comes into the Gateway with us. The father/husband, who is easily 270 lbs. of belly, watches the runners go by and says, "I ran the marathon. I'm done already." John turns around with a grin and says, "Me too. I got in an hour ago."

The day before, I took a bunch of napkins from the food court with us (in case of spills, messes etc. through the day). I forgot I had them. As I open my fanny pack for inspection (and get my pass) this huge folded wad of napkins falls out! Very seriously, the security man looks at me and says, "So you're the one. You know, we have a napkin counter in security, and we recorded that these napkins were taken but never thrown out. It messed up our balance for the day."

When I start to go on Mission: Space, John suggests he take Pal Mickey rather than I shove him in the compartment. Imagine: baby swapping Pal Mickey!

On Test Track, the line is so short, we do that instead of single riders line. Our car is still not completely full, so instead of risking Kahlúa (more about "him" under Souveniers) and Pal Mickey on the floor, I strap them into a seat. The Cast Member, with a grin, checks their belt to make sure it's securely fastened!

As we get lunch at the Mexican Cantina, a little 3 year old boy watches the marathoners go by. Spurred on by the cheers, he tears around (as fast as his little legs will go) around the cantina area. We all cheer obligingly: Way to go, little runner!

When I'm trying to take off Kahlúa to sit down for lunch, I get stuck in his straps! John has to rescue me as I fumble around in the tangle of jacket, arms, and Disney bear.

As we go by Dream Catchers at Test Track, I want to yell to people in line, Get out of line! It's not worth it!

As we pass Japan, I want to go into the store and pick up another pad of paper from the Hello Kitty line (I'm already filling this one up!). John says, "Since when are you a Pussy Kitty fan?!"

Eyeing my ensemble of pins, Pal Mickey, and now Kahlúa, John says, "All that outfit needs is you carrying around the Monkey Nut."

As we pass Germany, I have to find a restroom right now! John tells me to go inside the restaurant, but I wonder if it'll be a problem that I'm not dining there. Deciding to be incognito, I wait around the foyer until I see a waitress going by. Acting like she's taking me to my table, I follow her across the restaurant and then duck into the alcove for the restrooms. On the way back, I walk out like I finished my meal and I'm leaving, even waiving to the hostess stand saying thanks for a wonderful meal when they look up. When I tell John, he shakes his head and says, "You are so weird."

We wait for the clock to hit the hour, and the music starts but no figures! We ask a cast member if the Hummel figures no longer come out; she said the clock must be off because the figures came out early, dancing to no music!

We head for Imagination along the rose path. Monorail Gold stops right over our heads. John says to me seriously, "Now if we just had a ladder..."

I put too much milk on my oatmeal, right next to a whole pack of guests, who watch me make a breakfast of milk with oatmeal bits floating in it.

Coffee drinkers: pull in your fangs!!! We all need our caffeine in the morning, but shoving and maiming anyone in your way to the coffee, sugar, and milk makes the rest of us, also suffering for a caffeine fix, want you dead.

While we're talking about the drink area of food courts, here's a note: clean up after yourselves. The worst messes in WDW are from guests trashing foodcourts! One day, someone broke the cold water lever on the soda area, and water kept pouring out. Rather than get a cast member, this person -- and everyone around him -- walked away! Even as the water overflowed onto the floor! John and I grabbed a cast member and offered to help clean up. Now you know if one of those ignorant guests had slipped on that water they let flow out, they'd be suing Disney fast!

Forgot to plug in pocketPC last night. Now how will I find the bathrooms? () Back to paper maps! And right off the bat, I spill something on it.

I miss my annual pass!! Something about being a passholder. I can't even get the pins anymore.

We planned to watch our team in the NFL playoff game at the ESPN club. Especially as the weather is now gorgeous. But the place is so packed that we go back to the room, stopping at the food court for a cheese, fruit, and cracker snack plate. This ended up being a good idea because people later told us that the opposing team's fans were so obnoxious, they went as far as physically assaulting people in the main room. And, here's the other big disappointment, the club personnel did nothing to prevent this or remove these people!

Walk down memory lane:

At our tenth wedding anniversary, I bought John a special gift and wanted the perfect moment to give it to him. Nonchalantly, I had asked him what was his favorite place in WDW, the place that said to him, "This is Walt Disney World." He surprised me by not giving the expected answers (the castle, driving through the main gate etc.) but saying, "Crossing the bridge into France in Epcot, and seeing the water and the World Showcase all around you." I make up my mind this is where I will give him his anniversary present. I will take him to this bridge our first day in Epcot (making sure we go there our first full day of our trip), stop him on the bridge, and have that magic moment.

I think of what I want to say: I love you so much. Thank you for these ten years. I want a hundred more.

The day comes, and things start to go wrong. I'm so nervous, my heart pounds and I swear he must hear it. HOW do men ever propose? I wasn't even asking John a question where he could refuse me, and I was nervous. Plus!

Someone is getting married along the water on the Boardwalk. John wants to watch, but I can't take anymore waiting.

He wants to take the Friendship boats to International Gateway, but again, I can't take the inactivity and the waiting. Walking gives me something to do! Walking gets you there faster! As we walk, I take his hand, being romantic. My romantic partner complains it's hot walking in the sun, why couldn't we take the boat?

At the entrance, my annual pass doesn't work! The cast member helps us as quickly as possible, but I'm dying here!

We finally get in and I lead my husband to "his" bridge. "Why?!" he demands. "I want to go up to Future World!" I'm ready to hit him.

At last, my moment! I take his present from my pocket where I hid it, take his hands, and looking deeply in his eyes, I start to say my lovely speech. It comes out like this: I love you so much... (voice becomes soft squeak as the moment overwhelms me.) Thank you squeak, squeak, tears.

John laughs. I hit him.

He opens his present and says, "Don't I have one of these already?" I shriek, "NO!"

Realizing my disappointment, he hugs me close and tells me how much he loves me. At last, magic.

Going past one of the play fountains: "You've heard of playgrounds? That's a Sprayground! But if you're going to play, could you put me away? See, my clothes aren't waterproof and if they shrink, I don't know what I'll do."

Favorite pictures (click thumbnail for larger photo):

It outta be a pin:

Stupid Guest series: Are these slobs this bad at home?! Or do they save this as a treat for us on vacation? For these idiots who throw toilet paper on the floors and their trash everywhere, I have the pin featuring the Walrus from "Alice in Wonderland", flinging shells from the baby oysters he eats into the faces of the Fab Five in their tourist gear.

John gets me a Disney Bear backpack!!! I hesitated to get it, thinking of our budget, even as I stroked the softness of it and yearned for it. (After all, carrying that Hidden Mickey book is awkward!) Then John says the magic phrase: "It's a Disney Bear that hugs you all day long." I'm at the register so fast, I'm a blur! I named him Kahlúa because he's sweet, brown, and he keeps me calm! In fact, as I load him up with things I'm tired of carrying, I see a helper dog go by with his backpacks, and declare Kahlúa my helper bear!

Pleasure Island:

Herb Williams is a great new band playing at the West End Stage. John likes them more than any other we've heard.

A marathon runner uses his medal as a pin lanyard. Good thinking, buddy!

We grab a quick dinner at the Missing Link eatery on Pleasure Island. A woman dances to "Freak Out" between the street tables!

In Art of Disney, we see Marie Osmand's dolls. HEY! If her stupid dolls can have miniature lanyards complete with teeny Disney pins, dammit! My Pal Mickey should get one! Talk about screwed up priorities! MICKEYS can't get Disney pin lanyards!

Adventurer's Club: The woman playing Pamelia Perkins does this long improv, building up to the next Library show. She then starts dragging Sunny the maid in with her, giving the usual dialogue of how the lucky maid is going to be in the show. Sunny looks confused: I am? but that's not an unusual response. Ten minutes into the Library show Pamelia and Sunny come out to the main salon, laughing. Pamelia calls up to Babylonia: I did the wrong spiel! I thought we had the telethon! It's the radio broadcast. Fifteen minutes of buildup out the drain!

John gets sick, poor guy. Nothing serious, just tired and a sour belly. So it's an early night.

As you know, Pleasure Island gets its name from the movie Pinocchio; the place where the boys are so decadent, they turn into jackasses. How appropos. As we wait in line for Comedy Warehouse, the guy in fronts of us smokes a joint, then fondles his girlfriend as she squeezes his rear. Right near where the kids are standing. Nice.

Read Day 3