jaysaint Getting it all down on paper…

We have done Disney and lived to tell the tale. As I was largely unplugged for the full week, my stories are all jumbled in my head. I’ll tell a few of them now, and then scatter the rest through my next posts as they occur to me.

The Cast

The short story is that theme parks are a hit with the St. Boggess family. It made a good experiment to take Alden at this time in his life. He had never laid eyes on a Disney character in any context. He’s too little for the movies. He doesn’t have any representative toys. I was particularly curious to know what he’d make of the live characters roaming around. Turns out he LOVES them. Loves them. Would be living with the Country Bears right now if I had given him his way. We saw them first at a dinner where the Winnie the Pooh guys were circulating from table to table. I thought he might find them a little scary, so I’d tucked him in close to me. But as soon as he saw Tigger he started yelling, “Gog! Gog! (dog)” with much flailing. We met Tigger, Pooh, and Piglet (the favorite) that night, but the best photo I got was of Eeyore.

We also met Goofy, Chip and Dale, and maybe a couple of others. Basically, we met whoever had a short line. Without a doubt, Daisy Duck captured Alden’s heart totally. We had to get back in line for a total of three visits in one afternoon so he could go back and kiss her beak again and again.

The Weather

It was cold there, y’all. What I learned from that: Go to Disney World when it’s cold. We rode everything at all four parks, and I think the longest we waited for anything was 10 minutes. We walked right on to most things. I will gladly wear a sweater and hat while breezing through lines rather than wilting in 90 degree heat for an hour to get on a two-minute ride.

An Unintended Adventure

I love going to theme parks with a toddler, because he’s the perfect excuse to avoid all the rides that scare me. Which is anything that plummets or spins. So, lots of rides. Damon went off to ride a spinny contraption and Alden and I headed for the Transit Authority. That’s the old-lady-approved raised track that runs around Tomorrow Land in the Magic Kingdom. As we’re gliding over a breezeway, our car stops. We’re the only ones out on the breezeway. So, Alden and I sit and watch the little car ride running beneath us. And sit. And sit. It’s chilly up on that breezeway. Finally the cars hypnotize Alden and he falls asleep. I’m hanging out, listening to the announcement play on a loop, “Please remain sitting in your vehicle. The ride has temporarily stopped, but could begin moving again at any moment.” At some point it became clear that wasn’t going to happen and Disney workers came out and opened my little car door, explaining that we were going to walk off the ride. I don’t contend that we were in any danger. But I was rattled to have to carry my sleeping baby down the ride track with a waist-high railing at our side. Once we got inside, though, it was super cool. They wound us down some stairs and through some offices, so I got a short backstage tour.

$200 Is a Lot of Money

Part of the vacation package we bought was a $200 Disney gift card. I didn’t even notice it in the list at first, but was delighted to get it just the same. And then I discovered, hard as it is to believe, Disney doesn’t sell anything I want. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but we found ourselves on our last day saying, “We have to got to go spend this gift card!” The day before we’d made our best effort and still only knocked off $70. We bought Alden a stuffed Daisy. He also got a t-shirt and some Winnie the Pooh tub toys. We bought our niece a stuffed Piglet. So the next, and final, day we buckled down and reported to Downtown Disney to buy buy buy. After a lot of store prowling, we came up with two t-shirts for Damon, a Nemo sippy cup selected by Alden, a light up piece of junk necklace also selected by Alden, a yellow ball, some sour candy for the flight, and then finally Mary Poppins and The Muppet Movie on DVD. Lord, it was not easy.

There’s more to tell, but it’s my bedtime. So I’ll leave you with one of my favorite photos from the trip:

The Mouse Claims Another Victim

My work email is winnowed down to a respectable 20 or so. Those left over required more than a quick decision/response, so they will have to wait until I get back. This is more of a triumph than it appears unless you know that I was up to >700 a week or so ago. A brutal week of meetingsmeetingsmeetings left me with little time for sitting at my desk and working. Back under control now, although I’m sure there are a few people feeling disgruntled about how long it took to hear from me.

This time tomorrow we’ll probably be watching cable in our hotel room. I’ll be making notes by the bathroom light so that I don’t wake up Alden, but I will want to have a plan for the next day. We’ll also be reminiscing about our first few hours at Epcot and our dinner at the Mexico pavilion. We’re already set with reservations at every restaurant I wanted to hit. The one thing I’ve learned most emphatically in the planning of this trip is that if you are going to Disney, you need dinner reservations. It all books up, my friends, and it books up fast.

I would like to say I’ve been as on the spot with packing as I have with work and with planning. But my suitcase is still sitting open in the closet and I haven’t put aside one thing for Alden yet. I did pack up a computer and some books, so we may go naked but we won’t be bored at night.

Today is Damon’s birthday. Huzzah! We’ll go to his favorite Japanese restaurant on Friday night, but today to mark the occasion and headed to the Golden Corral for dinner. His love for the GC is kind of a joke and kind of not. It isn’t as though he’s under the illusion that the food is particularly good. But the huge selection and never-ending stack of plates can be hypnotic. And the mashed potatoes are definitely tasty.

I spent some time shopping online two weeks ago for a gift. One of the ways that life is nicer in Knoxville is that Damon was able to join a really nice gym. So his birthday request was for exercise clothing. As I was poking around I found a sale on some high-quality stuff that also looked hip-ish. It was all from the same manufacturer, one that displays a script logo prominently on the thigh. Couldn’t do it. It was the oddest thing.

When I was in high school I had an abusive boyfriend. It was ages ago and I am well and truly over it. It was, in some ways, a crash course in the relationship lessons I watched my peers learn all through their 20s (and some, heaven help them, into their 30s). So while I wouldn’t wish the chaos on me or anyone else, I did walk out of it with a strong sense of self, what I was willing to tolerate, and what I felt prepared to demand. My point being: I’ve been fine with the whole story for, literally, decades. And yet, something I hadn’t thought about probably since those high school days: He always wore those track pants. I saw that logo all the time. My reaction to it more than 20 years later was visceral, and I knew right away that I couldn’t tolerate seeing it on Damon. I guess it’s like a leftover from an injury, a trick knee or a scar. The original hurt is healed, but there’s always going to be residual evidence that it was there.

I haven’t been here for a few days, so first and most important: Belated best birthday wishes to TravelLight. I hope the day was everything lovely.

We had a fab dinner tonight, so let me share:

Make a pot of jasmine rice. While it’s cooking, mix in a bowl:
— fish sauce
— a little canola oil
— sugar
— cayenne
— cilantro
— chopped cucumber
— shredded carrot
— green onion
When the rice is done, dump that in too and mix it all up. It should all be coated but not soaked. I don’t put down particular amounts because I am generally not measuring. If you love it, add more. If you hate it, skip it.

While that was marinating a bit, we broiled some salmon in a coating of oil, salt and pepper. When that was done I cut it into tiny filets, removed the skin, and laid it on top of the rice salad.

On the side I threw in some fresh tomato slices and lightly sauteed snow peas.

We seriously could not stop stuffing our faces. Zoe even got to indulge since I gave her salmon skin and trimmings.

The guacamole from yesterday turned out really well too. Thanks so much for all the good advice!

Tomorrow we drive to Lexington for my SIL’s baby shower on Sunday. We’ll spend the day with my dad and aunt (who live nearby in Louisville), swim in the hotel pool, grab dinner, etc. Then Sunday morning we’ll hit the shower and drive home. Lots of family is due to be there, which is exciting to me. I have never met a member of Damon’s extended family — just siblings and his mom. What will I wear?

Anyone got a killer guacamole recipe?