I LOVE a Parade

Disney World was quite the trip. I could spend days trying to write down all the fun we had. But I won't subject you to all that. Today I will focus on parades. They are going out of fashion. No longer will people sit outside in the heat and sweat while they wait for people they don't know to drive by and wave at them. But at Disney, they do a darn fine parade. I've never considered myself a "parade lover", but they were some of my favorite parts of the Disney Week. A part that just I really appreciated.

The first parade I saw was in the Magic Kingdom. It was down Main Street and sort of snuck up on me. While the family was seeking out shade, I was pushing my son to the front of the pack to get an up close look at the spectacle that Disney produces so many times a day.

 I think it's the pulsing beat and all around happiness that drew me to the parades.

  Like a street party with my best interests at heart, sort of.

All the favorite characters with a soundtrack who are singing and dancing to make me happy.

And I really felt for the Castmates in costume with the temps topping 95 degrees with 99% humidity.

And the parades last a good long while, so it totally seems worth it to stay and enjoy.

 Disney's main goal (aside from leeching every possible dollar out of my wallet) is to make the visitor happy. I get that they are big corporate meanies who exist to make a buck. But they do it by catering to me. And my family. And they make Pinchpenny Me ok with paying for it. Because where else on earth can I have someone I don't know outrageously concerned about MY happiness?

Because the joy of Goofy giving me an air high-five (I missed it with the camera) is worth it, too.

 And Jessie is so much better life sized.

The next parade that made me squeal was the Electric Light Parade. Notoriously hard to photograph, especially when the camera batteries die from much use, this parade was magic for me. The boys were not so impressed, but I was in Glee-Land.

Dancing pixies, flashy,shiny floats, all were like magic from my childhood.

Cinerella waved at me and Alice from Wonderland wished me a very happy Unbirthday! What more is there to love??

Snow White's Dwarf friends were working overtime and added so much fun to the parade.

Pete and Eliot were super fun and got a roaring applause. Pete was talking and interacting with the crowd. And the group of about a hundred Brazilian teens loved being recognized.

And though the picture doesn't do it justice, the night view of Cinderella's Castle lit up was a view I wish I could have often.

So, maybe the simple joy of a parade will come back one day. But until then, Disney knows how to make us wish it would happen sooner rather than later!

Tru dat

Tru Dat = dumb saying asserting that a previous statement is absolutely accurate

**Took the GRE today and finished with respectable scores. I must thank my dad for being such a wordsmith. My raising with words like mealy-mouthed, erudite, and astute served me well. I also got to read several really interesting articles. One was on Souththern Unionists during the Civil War. Another was on the purpose of the fascination with Jane Austen. GRE testing company, thanks for interesting articles to analyze. It makes long hard tests easier to endure. Tru Dat!

** Today's rain produces exactly ZERO leakage from our new roof! So glad it works. Tru Dat!

** I am dreading the cleaning of the downstairs that must happen today and tomorrow. With the sheetrocker/painter coming  Thursday, it must be done. Where do I put all this stuff? Maybe I can find a box somewhere around here. Or maybe 10 boxes. Not exaggerating. Tru Dat!

**This morning The Only Child For A Week started laughing hysterically. When I asked why he said "My nose farted!" and proceeded to roll around laughing for another 2 minutes. Nose farts are funny. Tru Dat!

Vacation dreaming

We leave for Disney World in 12 days! The whole family is visibly thrumming with the energy of anticipation. We all have our reasons for being super excited. Here are some of mine:

1. The joy of getting away from it all. Going someplace that is clean and neat and where they take their job of making me happy very seriously is very appealing to a Summer Wife who spends a lot of her day taking care of others.
2. I've been there and I know what fun it is. I love experiencing the thrills of the rides and the amazing visual displays that they create. Walking through the various parks and just watching and seeing new things makes me very happy.
3. Time with my favorite people doing fun things. My family is tons of fun when we can get away, and this is the pinnacle of getting away.
4. New experiences. Lots of "new" on this trip. Traveling with the inlaws, long multiday drive, and then the destination itself. I love to try new things and this week will be chock full of it.
5. Can't wait to see the awe on my children's faces when they first walk into the parks. They've never seen anything like it and Disney is nothing if not visually stunning
6. I can't wait to see how the kids handle the long trip. They've never traveled farther than 4 hours, so crossing state lines and inventing fun car games is going to be interesting
7. Not cooking for 8 consecutive days.

Thinking about it like this makes the preparation process virtually painless. Almost.

The ball is rolling

I did it! I registered for Master's classes today. Yay!

And um, wow, how am I gonna pay for that? And when am I going to have time to study and do assignments? And who will take care of the house while I am pursuing higher education? Who will feed the kids? And will I ever get to use this degree?

Do you see that ball? It's rolling right for me and it's a very large ball! AHHHH!

4003!

This blog has been viewed 4003 times! Wow!

Wait.. been working on it for 3 or 4 years. But I only have 5 followers and I'm pretty sure 2 of them are internet robot machines sent to find out my email address so they can send me penile enlargement advertisements. That means between my 3 readers and myself, we've accumulated 4003 views.  I'm pretty sure I can account for at least half of that. But it's nice to know someone else is reading what I write. Thanks, Mom! I'm sure my grandma, who was a writer of sorts, would be thrilled. And if not thrilled, because she was never, to my knowledge, "thrilled" with anything, mildly pleased that I was happy.

So yay for me and the mostly true tales of Willingham's World!

The Summer Wife has been busy busy. After camp, we had VBS/VBX week. Nonstop fun! And this week I have embraced the Chill Technique made famous by college students and lazy folk everywhere. And it feels good. Chill Technique is basically just doing nothing except what is low key. Food gets cooked, clothes get washed (kinda), and books get read (a lot). No one fusses or hollers.  If you want to go do something, you do it. And no projects get worked on. That's for later. When the world stops spinning. The world is spinning mostly do to a clogged ear, soon to become infection if history is any indicator.

And in honor of my 4,000 page view, coming really soon, here is a pic of the boys and me at the VBS carnival.

Back from youth camp. No major scars to speak of. On my person anyway. My house got scarred by the storm that ran through town. I am now managing an insurance claim. Adjustor comes on Thursday. And I'm tired. And I have an earache. I turn into whiny baby with a plugged up, achy ear. Cuz it HURTS! So I find myself managing pain and an insurance claim. And children. I manage the spit out of those boys. It sometimes sounds like this:"Mommy has an earache and is about to start pacing like a mental patient so the invisible man will stop stabbing an ice pick into my eardrum, so you'll need to ask your father to help you open the bowl of fruit."

But I know this too shall pass. The house will get fixed. Eventually. The truck will get tires. Sooner rather than later. The ear pain will cease. I have medications. And skies will be blue once again. Birds will sing. Children will laugh. The Sun will shine. So tonight, I am  focusing on hiding from my current reality and will try again tomorrow.

PS. In case you think I am overly dramatic (and you could make a great case), this is a brief synopsis of the last few days.
Sat - return from week long youth camp culminating in 18 hr bus ride
Sun - celebrate Father's Day by picking up the kids and starting VBS/VBX week (one son goes morning, one goes evening)
Mon - get first good look at my house with half ripped up floors and tarped roof. Stay inside all day with sore throat and sinus headache. Run 2 loads of laundry
Tues - grocery shopping, pick up from VBS, afternoon nap during thunderstorm, mop up still leaking wall, dinner with friends, fast acting earache renders me worthless to humanity

Captain's Log
Summer 2012 - Day 1

In a curious and disturbing turn of events I awoke with a start at 0530 and smiled because I knew I could go back to sleep. At 05:45 I was silently cursing my internal alarm as I flipped and flopped attempting to regain sleeping status. At 0630, I was again awakened by the husband's alarm and happily fell back asleep. At 0740ish my husband wished me goodbye and happy first day of summer as he headed to The Job. I believe I detected a bit of envy in his tone, but the sleepies overtook me before I could determine the reality of that feeling. When I awoke again at 0900 it was time to face the world. I have already received one communication from The Workplace requesting that I come by to finish something that they had not had ready last week. I have a list of things to accomplish this day and hope that the list will get done so I can start reading a new book I have. I am off to conquer the list!