It’s Over

I’m home! We flew home on Saturday afternoon and arrived on schedule. Glenda’s daughter Colleen picked us up. When I walked into the house, it smelled great and I knew Tami (my house-sitter) had cleaned that day. It was wonderful to come home to such a clean house. The dogs were really glad to see me, and there was a pile of mail on the counter that took me about an hour to go through.

Our final two days at WDW were fun and exhausting. We started day three at Disney/MGM and did all the fun stuff (except Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster). Being with another adult this time instead of kids allowed me to spend time on the Walt Disney exhibits, learning about his life and dreams, and coming to appreciate this brilliant and creative man even more.

We park-hopped over to Epcot that afternoon and rode Test Track, but couldn’t get on Soarin’ as the fast passes were gone and the stand-by line was 90 minutes. We spent the rest of the afternoon going through “Innoventions” and “Imaginarium” and the other exhibit attractions. We didn’t stay for “Illuminations” — we were pooped.

We got to Epcot 45 minutes before opening on Friday morning, and were about 10th and 11th in line for Soarin’. As soon as we got off, we grabbed Fast Passes for it (for 10:30), then headed over to Test Track and rode that again. At 10:30 we went back and rode Soarin’ again. It is definitely THE ride and we would have ridden it more if we’d had time. We spent the afternoon at Magic Kingdom catching all the rides we had skipped the first day we were there, plus rode a few again. At 5:30 we went back to MGM to experience “Fantasmic”. I had read in my guide book that it is the very best show at Disney, even surpassing “Illuminations” at Epcot, but the amphitheater would fill up about 90 minutes prior to showtime. We both had brought a book and went in and got seats in the front row. We weren’t sure if it was the best place to see it, but decided to risk it. Well, we found out it was NOT the best place on a cool fall evening with the wind blowing. The show consists of water fountains, laser lights, fireworks, dancers, characters, music … you name it. It truly is “fantasmic”. BUT the aforementioned water fountains spray a heavy mist on the front 4-6 rows throughout the show, and it was very uncomfortable. It would have felt great on a hot summer evening, but not that night. We were pretty disappointed that we had not enjoyed it as much as we would have back a little further, but we have a memory we can talk about for years to come.

And that about sums up our entire trip. We have memories we can bask in, talk about and remember for years to come. In spite of (or maybe BECAUSE of) our later start, the inclement weather, getting lost every day, being bone weary by trip’s end and a bit of worry over families back at home, we really had a fabulous time. We came home with a deep appreciation for our nation’s history and the great sacrifices made to bring about the freedom we have today. We saw God’s hand in the glorious beauty of New England and all the way down the east coast. We were reminded of how cozy, comfortable and convenient our homes, automobiles and communities are compared to the first settlers in this land. And we had a ton of fun each and every day. But the best thing that came from the trip was a closer relationship with Glenda and more gratefulness for her precious friendship.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m sure glad I have three more weeks before I have to go back to work. My first night home I dreamed I went back to work and worked all day before realizing I had mistakenly gone back early. What a nightmare that was! You can be assured I won’t make that mistake in real life! It will come all too soon.

I’ll post pictures in the next day or two.