Jennifer_and_Chris
11-17-2009, 09:33 PM
After what feels like a 10 minute nap, I wake up to my cell phone alarm going off at 5am. We stayed at the Hampton Inn as we always do whenever we can. We like the free breakfast. So, I’m sleepwalking and dreaming of some hot coffee. I get up without disturbing anyone and get in the shower.
And then I go blind. I can’t see my hand in front of my face. I can’t see the walls. I can’t see the shower curtain. As my heart is pounding so fast that it might just stop, I realize that the bathroom fan has turned off. The power is out. OH MY GOSH!!!! I THOUGHT I WENT BLIND!!! Yes, the power went out. It went out as far as the eye can see.
I finish my shower in the dark and come out to darkness. All I have is the snoring and deep breathing of my family to guide me. I look out the window and it’s total darkness. By this time, there are a few people walking around as I can see their flashlights. I nudge Chris awake and tell him that there is no power. BUT WE HAVE LANTERNS!! Thank goodness Mickey gave the girls some lanterns for the trip! They were really for the Treehouse villas but, hey, we had the laps on the side table in case they got scared during the night. Boy did those come in handy. Chris took one into the bathroom to shower and the kids waking up now, take one and they think this adventure in roughing it is a planned part of the trip. Boy, that Mickey knows everything!
I call next door to wake that room up and my parents are up getting ready by keychain flashlight. I get the kids dressed and ready to go next door to “Lola’s house” and they are over there with their lanterns. As I walk back to our room, I remember in those 10 steps that the surprise bags in the car have a flashlight in each. So, I write a message from Minnie that says:
“Natalie and Isabel-
Mickey told me you’re coming to our place today! I heard that your hotel has no power so, here are some flashlights to help you find your way to us. Its’ sunny here, so you’ll also need these sunglasses too. See you real soon, Minnie Mouse.”
I pack the room up for Chris to put back in the car when he’s ready and grab the surprise bags from the car seats and the card from Minnie. Then I bring them over to Lola’s house and they go crazy!!! Natalie can’t figure out how Minnie knew that the power was out. But, they lead everyone to their destination with the flashlights.
The 4 of us are ready to leave by 6:30am but, wait and wait and wait for my parents and sisters. Our family is very used to getting up and getting out of the house early as that is our routine every day. But, while we are waiting (and I’m pulling my hair out), Isabel disappears. She reappears from behind the bedside table and she has done “her business!!” Every parent knows, a regular child is a happy child.
We drive up to the front lobby and they are doing their best to feed everyone without power. Great service under the circumstances. We get some cereal, yogurt, fruit and finally get back on the road at 7:50am.
I really hope that we make it to our dining reservations! We’ve just got to! Our ADR’s are for Ohana at 6:45pm. From the yahoo map, we have 7 hours and 50 minutes until we pull into the Carriage House. But, with kids, that’s about 9 hours… at least! By my calculations, that’s like 5pm. PLEASE MAKE IT THERE!!! RIDE LIKE THE WIND BULLSEYE!
10am – First rest area – this was gross, smelly like the zoo, dirty and crowded.
11:30am – Stopped at McD’s (we have the allergen chart for McD’s for Isabel) and get gas. We’re back on the road by noon.
60 miles north of Florida we have hit construction!!!
1:33 – We cross the FL state line
1:36 – We stop at the Florida welcome center, get some juice let the kids play and 1:54 back on the road.
2:02 – We get a call from my aunt who has already checked into the SSR. There were 5 of them that flew. They left Detroit around 10ish and they are there. I can’t wait until the kids are old enough to fly. Anyways, they are there and checked in but, they stop to eat at Artists Palette using their first meal on the meal plan.
3:15 – we’re making great time! We should be there in about 1.5 hours…. AND THEN STOPPED…. EVERYTHING IS STOPPED. We can’t move. We call everyone we know back at home that can look online to see if there is anything about an accident. We are not moving.
4:10 – we finally make it passed the accident. It took us an hour to go 7 miles. This is a 4 car accident. It looked like everyone was ok as they were sitting up on the shoulder away from the cars. There was no EMS but, they probably left already. There was one pickup truck that had no more bed to it.
At this point I am so mad that we probably won’t make it to our ADR’s. DH, bless him, says that a bad day on vacation is still better than being at work.
4:15 – I announce that I have to go potty but, I’m going to wait. We’re only about an hour away.
4:17 – Okay, I can’t wait and we see a sign for a rest area. We stop for 10 minutes. I admit my faults – I am very militant when it comes to schedules. So, I bark at everyone to potty quickly, no excuses. We will NOT miss Ohana… not on my watch.
4:30 – we’re on the road and my phone alarm goes off for a 4:30 check-in time.
4:52pm – we make it to the Florida turnpike
5:35 – We pass the Walt Disney World signs by downtown Disney. When we pull up to the Carriage house, I truly am home! I run in to check-in for all of us and start taking pictures all the way there.
The next post will describe our check-in, first impressions of the Treehouse Villas and our Ohana ADR’s… did we make it??????
And then I go blind. I can’t see my hand in front of my face. I can’t see the walls. I can’t see the shower curtain. As my heart is pounding so fast that it might just stop, I realize that the bathroom fan has turned off. The power is out. OH MY GOSH!!!! I THOUGHT I WENT BLIND!!! Yes, the power went out. It went out as far as the eye can see.
I finish my shower in the dark and come out to darkness. All I have is the snoring and deep breathing of my family to guide me. I look out the window and it’s total darkness. By this time, there are a few people walking around as I can see their flashlights. I nudge Chris awake and tell him that there is no power. BUT WE HAVE LANTERNS!! Thank goodness Mickey gave the girls some lanterns for the trip! They were really for the Treehouse villas but, hey, we had the laps on the side table in case they got scared during the night. Boy did those come in handy. Chris took one into the bathroom to shower and the kids waking up now, take one and they think this adventure in roughing it is a planned part of the trip. Boy, that Mickey knows everything!
I call next door to wake that room up and my parents are up getting ready by keychain flashlight. I get the kids dressed and ready to go next door to “Lola’s house” and they are over there with their lanterns. As I walk back to our room, I remember in those 10 steps that the surprise bags in the car have a flashlight in each. So, I write a message from Minnie that says:
“Natalie and Isabel-
Mickey told me you’re coming to our place today! I heard that your hotel has no power so, here are some flashlights to help you find your way to us. Its’ sunny here, so you’ll also need these sunglasses too. See you real soon, Minnie Mouse.”
I pack the room up for Chris to put back in the car when he’s ready and grab the surprise bags from the car seats and the card from Minnie. Then I bring them over to Lola’s house and they go crazy!!! Natalie can’t figure out how Minnie knew that the power was out. But, they lead everyone to their destination with the flashlights.
The 4 of us are ready to leave by 6:30am but, wait and wait and wait for my parents and sisters. Our family is very used to getting up and getting out of the house early as that is our routine every day. But, while we are waiting (and I’m pulling my hair out), Isabel disappears. She reappears from behind the bedside table and she has done “her business!!” Every parent knows, a regular child is a happy child.
We drive up to the front lobby and they are doing their best to feed everyone without power. Great service under the circumstances. We get some cereal, yogurt, fruit and finally get back on the road at 7:50am.
I really hope that we make it to our dining reservations! We’ve just got to! Our ADR’s are for Ohana at 6:45pm. From the yahoo map, we have 7 hours and 50 minutes until we pull into the Carriage House. But, with kids, that’s about 9 hours… at least! By my calculations, that’s like 5pm. PLEASE MAKE IT THERE!!! RIDE LIKE THE WIND BULLSEYE!
10am – First rest area – this was gross, smelly like the zoo, dirty and crowded.
11:30am – Stopped at McD’s (we have the allergen chart for McD’s for Isabel) and get gas. We’re back on the road by noon.
60 miles north of Florida we have hit construction!!!
1:33 – We cross the FL state line
1:36 – We stop at the Florida welcome center, get some juice let the kids play and 1:54 back on the road.
2:02 – We get a call from my aunt who has already checked into the SSR. There were 5 of them that flew. They left Detroit around 10ish and they are there. I can’t wait until the kids are old enough to fly. Anyways, they are there and checked in but, they stop to eat at Artists Palette using their first meal on the meal plan.
3:15 – we’re making great time! We should be there in about 1.5 hours…. AND THEN STOPPED…. EVERYTHING IS STOPPED. We can’t move. We call everyone we know back at home that can look online to see if there is anything about an accident. We are not moving.
4:10 – we finally make it passed the accident. It took us an hour to go 7 miles. This is a 4 car accident. It looked like everyone was ok as they were sitting up on the shoulder away from the cars. There was no EMS but, they probably left already. There was one pickup truck that had no more bed to it.
At this point I am so mad that we probably won’t make it to our ADR’s. DH, bless him, says that a bad day on vacation is still better than being at work.
4:15 – I announce that I have to go potty but, I’m going to wait. We’re only about an hour away.
4:17 – Okay, I can’t wait and we see a sign for a rest area. We stop for 10 minutes. I admit my faults – I am very militant when it comes to schedules. So, I bark at everyone to potty quickly, no excuses. We will NOT miss Ohana… not on my watch.
4:30 – we’re on the road and my phone alarm goes off for a 4:30 check-in time.
4:52pm – we make it to the Florida turnpike
5:35 – We pass the Walt Disney World signs by downtown Disney. When we pull up to the Carriage house, I truly am home! I run in to check-in for all of us and start taking pictures all the way there.
The next post will describe our check-in, first impressions of the Treehouse Villas and our Ohana ADR’s… did we make it??????