At 10:25 a.m. Memorial Day, Mr. Garmin (Jack) finally got his act together giving us the highlighted route to Disney. After Beth realized we weren’t moving because the car wasn’t turned on, she started the engine and we were on our way. We’d already had our day’s worth of drama when Andrew spilled RED juice on his WHITE “Disney Road Trip” shirt at breakfast. Half of a Tide stain stick, a hairdryer, and ten minutes later, we were all posing next to the van for the picture with our Mickey Ears and personalized trip shirts Beth had given us all to wear that morning.
In the car, Brad chewed on his toes while Mary sang to the songs on her MP3 player. Andrew and Christopher watched a DVD, and Beth was focused on her driving since we left Indianapolis in the pouring rain. Bev read a magazine, and I began writing the day’s blog posting I assumed I would upload later that night.
Throughout the trip as we crossed over the border of each state, the kids had a geography lesson reviewing the states and their respective capitals starting with Beth’s home state of Colorado and adding each state as we entered into it.
Around 5 p.m., Bev spotted a Mayfield Dairy billboard and we decided to check it out as we entered Athens, Tennessee. Four miles off the beaten path, we found the dairy, but it had just closed. So we drove back to a gas station we had passed and filled up and grabbed some snacks. The station’s convenience store carried the Mayfield brand ice cream so we bought some to sample. Unfortunately, they didn’t have spoons, so we ate the ice cream using cup lids and straws. Baby Brad doesn’t care how his ice cream is fed to him as long as he gets some.
About 7p.m. just an hour or so north of Atlanta, Georgia, we stopped for supper at a Cracker Barrel. We stretch our legs while walking around the gift shop, and I beat Christopher in a game of checkers. As we’re paying the bill to leave, I hear Beth indicate to the cashier that we will drive a little further to get south of Atlanta before pulling over for the night. Unbeknownst to us, Beth had other plans.
The skyscrapers of Atlanta lit up the night sky as we made our way through the heart of downtown. I knew we had driven out of Atlanta and gotten far enough south to be out of the way of Tuesday’s morning traffic, but we kept going…passing each exit indicating lodging AND passing the point of the wee hours of the morning. Long after the kids had all drifted off to sleep, I wondered just how crazy my cousin Beth was to keep pushing down the road. I found out she was just crazy enough to get us to Disney World in Orlando, FL at 4:51 a.m. on Tuesday the 26th—one day earlier than expected. She had wanted to surprise us with our first destination—one night’s stay at Saratoga Springs Spa & Resort.
Mary is now awake and asking me to pinch her as neither one of us can believe we’re actually here already. “I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so happy!” Mary exclaims. Beth checks with the front desk to see when we can pre-register and comes back declaring, “It smells and sounds like Disney.” Christopher decides it tastes like Disney, too. We all get a second wind with the adrenaline rush and walk around the grounds of the resort as the sun begins to rise.
Some of us get a little catnap on the lobby couches waiting for breakfast to be served. Mary and I indulge in pastry and a hearty breakfast plate. Our room won’t be ready until at least 12:30, so we get back in the car to make a trip to Wal-Mart and to meet with Beth’s ticket connection for her Disney guide. Back at the resort, we eventually find the recreation room for the morning pin trading event and Beth finally realizes she may be a little tired. The kids exchange some pins and Mary and I try our hand at ping pong. The sun is already combining with the moist Florida air making for a steamy day so the pool begins to fill up with resort guests looking for a way to cool off.
We make our way down to the waterfront to take the boat over to Downtown Disney. Earl of Sandwich is, of course, where we have to go. This is a favorite stop of our group of seven seasoned Disney travelers, and we are not disappointed with the wonderful cuisine. The kids stop to play in Lego land and then it’s back to the resort to carry our luggage into our now ready rooms.
Some unpacking and reorganizing, a shower, and we don our swimwear and are ready to head to the pool. Unfortunately, the typical afternoon thunderstorm is looming overhead and a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder send us back to our rooms. I think it was God’s way of telling us that we needed some rest before the sunning and swimming commences. Mary ended up taking a good two-hour nap and got up just in time for us to drive back over to Downtown Disney for supper. This time we try an Earl Cobb Salad from Earl of Sandwich and a Meatball and Parmesan pizza from Wolfgang Puck Express. After some shopping and more Lego play in the downpour, we head back over to the resort to prepare for our actual first Disney day. Today was a bonus day!
In the car, Brad chewed on his toes while Mary sang to the songs on her MP3 player. Andrew and Christopher watched a DVD, and Beth was focused on her driving since we left Indianapolis in the pouring rain. Bev read a magazine, and I began writing the day’s blog posting I assumed I would upload later that night.
Throughout the trip as we crossed over the border of each state, the kids had a geography lesson reviewing the states and their respective capitals starting with Beth’s home state of Colorado and adding each state as we entered into it.
Around 5 p.m., Bev spotted a Mayfield Dairy billboard and we decided to check it out as we entered Athens, Tennessee. Four miles off the beaten path, we found the dairy, but it had just closed. So we drove back to a gas station we had passed and filled up and grabbed some snacks. The station’s convenience store carried the Mayfield brand ice cream so we bought some to sample. Unfortunately, they didn’t have spoons, so we ate the ice cream using cup lids and straws. Baby Brad doesn’t care how his ice cream is fed to him as long as he gets some.
About 7p.m. just an hour or so north of Atlanta, Georgia, we stopped for supper at a Cracker Barrel. We stretch our legs while walking around the gift shop, and I beat Christopher in a game of checkers. As we’re paying the bill to leave, I hear Beth indicate to the cashier that we will drive a little further to get south of Atlanta before pulling over for the night. Unbeknownst to us, Beth had other plans.
The skyscrapers of Atlanta lit up the night sky as we made our way through the heart of downtown. I knew we had driven out of Atlanta and gotten far enough south to be out of the way of Tuesday’s morning traffic, but we kept going…passing each exit indicating lodging AND passing the point of the wee hours of the morning. Long after the kids had all drifted off to sleep, I wondered just how crazy my cousin Beth was to keep pushing down the road. I found out she was just crazy enough to get us to Disney World in Orlando, FL at 4:51 a.m. on Tuesday the 26th—one day earlier than expected. She had wanted to surprise us with our first destination—one night’s stay at Saratoga Springs Spa & Resort.
Mary is now awake and asking me to pinch her as neither one of us can believe we’re actually here already. “I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so happy!” Mary exclaims. Beth checks with the front desk to see when we can pre-register and comes back declaring, “It smells and sounds like Disney.” Christopher decides it tastes like Disney, too. We all get a second wind with the adrenaline rush and walk around the grounds of the resort as the sun begins to rise.
Some of us get a little catnap on the lobby couches waiting for breakfast to be served. Mary and I indulge in pastry and a hearty breakfast plate. Our room won’t be ready until at least 12:30, so we get back in the car to make a trip to Wal-Mart and to meet with Beth’s ticket connection for her Disney guide. Back at the resort, we eventually find the recreation room for the morning pin trading event and Beth finally realizes she may be a little tired. The kids exchange some pins and Mary and I try our hand at ping pong. The sun is already combining with the moist Florida air making for a steamy day so the pool begins to fill up with resort guests looking for a way to cool off.
We make our way down to the waterfront to take the boat over to Downtown Disney. Earl of Sandwich is, of course, where we have to go. This is a favorite stop of our group of seven seasoned Disney travelers, and we are not disappointed with the wonderful cuisine. The kids stop to play in Lego land and then it’s back to the resort to carry our luggage into our now ready rooms.
Some unpacking and reorganizing, a shower, and we don our swimwear and are ready to head to the pool. Unfortunately, the typical afternoon thunderstorm is looming overhead and a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder send us back to our rooms. I think it was God’s way of telling us that we needed some rest before the sunning and swimming commences. Mary ended up taking a good two-hour nap and got up just in time for us to drive back over to Downtown Disney for supper. This time we try an Earl Cobb Salad from Earl of Sandwich and a Meatball and Parmesan pizza from Wolfgang Puck Express. After some shopping and more Lego play in the downpour, we head back over to the resort to prepare for our actual first Disney day. Today was a bonus day!
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