Ellen Cunningham - June 2006 - Animal Kingdom Lodge

Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: AKL
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Kids, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent


Ellen Cunningham -- June 2006 - Walt Disney World (AKL)

Me - Ellen

DH - Doug

DS - Matthew

Dear Best Friend - Margaret

DBF's Brother - Danny

DBF's Son - Matt

Friday June 2, 2006 - Day 1

The day has finally arrived we are leaving for Walt Disney World today. WooHoo, Is there anything better than the excitement that today is the day? We had an afternoon flight so we didn't go into Omaha early as we usually do. I can say I really liked being able to sleep in my own bed. I can actually say I was able to get some sleep,

We had the alarm set for 6:00 a.m. as we needed to be on the road by 8:30 a.m. All up and showered. Car packed with suitcases and golf clubs. Doug and Matthew flew through chores in record time. Wow it is just amazing how fast and happy things are to do when you have Disney on your mind. LOL We were out the door at 8:00 a.m. We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast sandwiches and ate on the way. We hit the interstate at 8:40 a.m. Pretty good so far. We called Mj and boys to tell them we were on our way. They were waiting for the Keys Kingdom Tour to start. I could hear MK music in the background. Oh darn we are really excited now!

We drove straight thru to Omaha and made really great time. Doug dropped Matthew and I off curbside with all of the luggage and golf clubs and went and parked the car. He joined us and we got all checked in. Now it was time for food. When you travel with my boys they can only go so long without food. The food court was it. We were about 1 1/2 hours early so we ate and just sat and relaxed for a bit. Finally made our way to the line for security and was at our gate about 1/2 early. We boarded and left early, which was great because United had changed our times and now we had only

42 minutes to catch our flight out of Dallas/Ft. Worth. We arrived at DFW at 4:15 and caught the skyway to our next gate. Of course it was a completely different terminal and the farthest gate away. Matthew and I stopped along the way for Starbuck's. Wow that tasted really good to this coffee drinker who had not had her quota for the day. As we walked up they were boarding. So we got our seats and as we were waiting I happened to see our luggage and clubs be loaded on. That was a good feeling. This flight was 2 1/2 hours so we slept some as we knew we had a long day ahead of us. We landed in MCO on time. We went down to baggage claim and there was Chris waiting for us. He remembered us as we did him. There just isn't much better than seeing a familiar face and knowing all of my worries were gone. We all walked out and loaded everything in the Van and we were off. It was raining but we didn't care we were home. We pulled up to Animal Kingdom lodge and wow is that one beautiful sight. The boys got out and I paid Chris and made sure he had our info for our return trip. I was out of the van and getting a big ol hug from Margaret and Matt. Life is Good!!! We were all together again - I felt so blessed.

We walk up to the desk and everyone is saying hello and welcome and it is about time you got here as we all know your life history. Thanks MJ LOL!!

Check in was done in 5.2 seconds and we were off. We didn't get an upgrade like MJ did (and now I am so glad we didn't - more on that later). We went and checked out our room. Mj and family had a wonderful bottle of wine waiting for us for our anniversary. That was so nice. The room is beautiful and our view of the pool is great. I wanted to go say hi to Danny and see their view. Doug stayed behind to wait for the bellman. Hugs for Danny and I was out on that balcony. What a view!! There were a few animals out and the light was very subdued. It is now about 11:00 p.m. and we decide to not go to MK and just stay and enjoy being together. We were hungry, as we hadn't eaten a thing since at the airport in Omaha. So we all went down to the Mara for a bite. We got our refillable mugs and something to eat. I hadn't sat down 10 minutes when I dumped a full cup of Coke all over Doug and Danny. Woops!

We laughed and talked until they were cleaning all around us and realized we needed to go. MJ's room is just down 2 doors and across from us. We said our goodnights and made plans to meet tomorrow. I unpacked our stuff and made it my "home" for the next 8 days. What a good feeling it is to put those suitcases out of sight. We got to be around 12:30 and we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow.

Tomorrow: Boma, golf, DTD, Epcot and a surprise

Saturday June 3, 2006 - Day 2

Happy Birthday Momma!!

We all were up at 6:30 a.m. Finished unpacking the boys. Showers and all pretty we went over to MJ's room to see the animals. They were just getting ready to feed them so there were a lot out and they each knew where they were suppose to go. They feed the giraffes in a big pot up in a tree, and threw fruits and vegs. out of the back of a pickup. It was really neat to watch. It is a beautiful day, no clouds or wind. What a way to start a vacation. We all got ready and went down to Boma. Today we were meeting LindaB and Lynner for breakfast. They were on their way so we went ahead and were seated as the Doug, Matthew and Danny had t times for 9:30 a.m. and they needed to eat before they left. Soon here come the girls, hugs around and we go to eat. I have to be truthful here - I was not that impressed with Boma. I tried a bunch of different things and liked none. I am not a picky eater at all, will eat just about anything, but besides the regular eggs, bacon etc I didn't find much to eat. I don't know if it was because I was so excited to be there with such good friends or what. I did get a pressed pot of their wonderful coffee and I thoroughly enjoyed that. The boys left for the golf course and MJ, Matt, Linda, Lynn and I just sat awhile more and talked. What fun.

We went up to MJ's room to show the girls how neat it was. We took some pictures and spent another 1/2 hour just enjoying being together. They took off for AK I think and we were going to DTD. I have a confession - I have never been to DTD before so MJ was out to remedy that. We had the van brought up and we were off. Wow, that place is great. We went in and out of each shop. I got a Mr. Potato Head for Ethan (our almost 2 grandbaby boy). MJ and I had so much fun filling the box, she was even able to get a few things for herself. We then decided it was time for ice cream. Hey, I think it is always time for ice cream. That truly became our manta for this trip. LOL So of course we went to Giradellies. We got a cable car and split it between us. That was AWSEOME!!! No lunch for us thank you!! I picked up a few things in the store for my girls. MJ wanted to go to the Christmas store. She found a really cute Minney & Mickey sleigh with numbers on it to count till Christmas. We had a ball taking pictures of each other. Matt just rolls his eyes at us, because we really are like 2 kids. But he puts up with us and I know he loves me. LOL We had a ball. Back to the Van and MJ wanted to get a gift for Danny so we went over to the Osprey Ridge and she made her purchase. Oh that is a neat place.

Back to AKL, we grabbed our mugs and went and got something cool to drink and wait for the boys to return. We finally called them and they had 3 more holes left and the wanted us to wait for them to go over to Epcot. Well we were a little hungry - I know, I know, we just had ice cream, but we did share. Went to the Mara and got some Mac and cheese, broiled chicken and a Chicken Pizza and just shared. MJ had some packages to pick up so up we went. We decided to wait for the boys in the lobby. About 10 minutes later here they come. I could tell that Matthew didn't win by the look on his face and more than that -- Danny was doing cartwheels, handstands and jumping around. HE BEAT MATTHEW!!! He had gotten a fortune cookie early in the week and it said that his deepest wish would come true. MJ said he looked at her and said all he really wanted was to beat Matthew in golf. And HE DID!!!! How funny. Doug said he just showed up. LOL

We went to our rooms and I showed Doug and Matthew what I had gotten and they told me about their morning. We all met up and went down to get a bus for Epcot. I had been in Disney for hours and hadn't seen a park yet. I was so anxious to go. We first did Spaceship Earth then over to Figment. When we came out, there was this lady that just about tackled Margaret telling her to please play along. She was telling her kids that this Lady (MJ) was going to take them home if they didn't behave. We all just laughed but she was serious. They were being really naughty and she was trying to scare them. I guess you really had to be there because it was very strange. As we were walking off she was still yelling that that Lady (MJ) was going to take them home with her. No thanks!! Really weird. We walked into WS and started counter clockwise. The British Invasion was just starting so we stopped and listened. Boy they are good. We strolled further. I was just amazed in Japan with the Clacker Garden. I could have stayed and just watched all day. The drummers were just starting a set so we enjoyed that. We had an ADR in Italy so we meandered over there. We checked in and sat for a bit. There was a darling young couple sitting across from us. They were dressed alike. She had a pretty maroon dress on and he had a cream suit with a maroon shirt on. I felt so underdressed with my shorts on. They were seated just before us. We sat out on the enclosed veranda and they were up and across from us. I kept watching these 2 and just felt something was going to happen. Sure enough after dinner he got down on one knee and proposed. It was darling and MJ got a few pictures for them. Our dinner was okay, not the best but ok. I think it will be awhile before we feel we need to come back. Our waiter was very standoffish and very confused. Oh well the show was great.

We got out just in time to see Illuminations. They were beautiful as usual. Wow, we are here, have more than a whole week ahead of us, with family, life is good.

We decided to walk over to the Boardwalk. It was really hopping tonight. Of course after all of that walking we needed ice cream. But I think everyone else had the same idea. We stood in line for almost a half hour. Oh well it just gave us more time to talk. Ice cream in hand we walked to the edge and watched the fireworks from MK. We then walked through the Boardwalk and had the bell stand call us a van. We had so much fun talking to the guys there they were having a great time.

Back to our rooms with plans to meet a 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. We got ready for bed and watched a ball game then lights out around 11:30 p.m.

Tomorrow: Magic Kingdom all day

Sunday June 5, 2006 - Day 3

The phone woke us up at 5:30 a.m. It was a friend of Matthews. Grrrr!! Took a bit to get back to sleep and the next thing I hear is a knock at he door. I take a quick look at the clock - it is 9:00. Oh no I am in trouble. I open the door just a crack and there stands MJ all ready to go. I say give me an hour and shut the door. She later called me a witch, but I wasn't! I hit the shower first and the boys followed. We were in their room by 10:30. We went to the bus stop and there was a MK bus waiting for us. First thing we did was dance down Main Street, MJ and I, arm in arm. The boys just played like they didn't know us. Our first ride was Haunted Mansion. We walked over to Splash Mt. and the line was way to long so we got FP's for later. We caught the train there and rode it around to the front. We had an ADR at noon for Tony's. We were early but the air condition felt wonderful. It was very hot today. I asked to be sat in the glass-enclosed veranda. MJ, Matt and Danny had never eaten here before and thought it was nice. They were pleasantly surprised. Our waiter Rafy was great. He even brought an ice cream sundae for our dessert for our Anniversary. The food was very reasonable and good. We didn't hurry and just enjoyed the day. After we were finished with lunch we went to ride Splash Mt. Man I love that ride. It has to be my favorite. MJ and I were in the back, and got totally drenched. Margaret didn't have anything that wasn't soaked. It didn't take long to dry today. What fun!! We then went and got FP's for Buzz and hopped on our Wild Women ride, the TTA. As we went by we noticed that COP was running so as soon as we got off over we went. MJ and I sang through the whole show. Doug & Danny slept and Matt & Matthew tried really hard to not know us. We didn't care we were having fun, and by the last room we had others joining us to sing. By now our FP for Buzz was open so over we went. I rode with Doug, MJ and Danny were together and Matt & Matthew were together. My score was pathetic barely 10,000. I blame it on Doug, it was his fault as he had us going every which way. Matt did so good his blaster quit working. We now had to get ice cream so over to Aunties Gravity or whatever it is called. We all got cokes and ice cream. Oh it is very good there. We played with the picture thing there and put Matthew's face on Tiger Wood's body on a cover of a magazine. It was so funny. I wished after that we had gotten it. The boys ran over to Space Mt. to get FP's and we headed to Mickey's Philharmonic they caught up to us just as we were going in. I love this show. We had great seats about 4 rows back and in the middle. We all followed Danny and he really knows how to get good seats. We went over and rode Space Mt. all of us except Margaret. I was really surprised even Doug rode with me, he usually doesn't. We walked right in and never stopped the whole way through. I LOVE FP because the stand by line was 90 minutes. We tend to criss-cross the parks a lot but it works for us and we were able to ride everything we wanted. If a line was to long we either got a FP or went to something else. We decided on the Hall of Presidents next. Margaret showed us the hidden mickey in the painting inside the rotunda. The show was getting ready to start so we had to hurry. I really enjoy this as does Margaret but all 4 of the boys slept. We were just glad Danny didn't start snoring. Naps finished we decided we were hungry so we went to Pecos Bills for dinner. It was only about 5:00 and the place was dead so we got right in and got 2 tables close together. Matthew and Matt went over to get FP's for Splash for after we ate. The fixin bar here is the best on property. As we were eating we kept seeing flashes but couldn't figure out what it was. Well pretty soon we heard what it was. It had clouded up and was lightening and thundering, and pouring - I mean sheets of rain. It didn't take long for Pecos Bill's to fill up. We had our tables and weren't in any hurry to go out in it. We sat and played trivia, at times we were laughing so hard we were crying. Everyone kept looking at us like we were crazy... HAHA...we are!! Man oh man, people can get very upset in close spaces. We saw parents upset with kids and kids upset with parents. Come on people, learn to go with the flow. We sat there for almost 1 1/2 hours. Every time we thought is was letting up it started up again. Finally we decided we wouldn't melt and headed out. It was barely sprinkling and it turned out to be a very nice night. We went into Country Bears and I sang along. Cute show, but oh it was cold in there. We all walked over to Splash Mt for our FP's. Great ride again. We got FP's for BTM then headed over to HM. Margaret rode with me and pointed out a few things she learned on the tour. Very cool. As we came out it was pouring again. We stood under the place right out of the Hall of Presidents. We wanted to see the parade but eventually it was cancelled. It let up again so off we went to ride BTM. MJ & Doug held the wall up. It was now time for Wishes, so we made our way to Main Street. All I can say is Wow!!! They just keep getting better each time I see them. From there it was time for ice cream and Dole Whips sounded good. The boys had left to ride BTM again and met us there. They took off again on their own and would just meet us back at the room. We walked over to Snow White and then rode Pooh. MJ and Danny left at this point, so it was just Doug and I. We rode Peter Pan and finished our night with It's A Small World. We walked out of the park slowly and just tried to take it all in. Main Street was almost deserted. We went to the bus stop and a bus home was waiting. We sat next to a girl with a service dog. She was a beautiful golden lab. We started talking and discovered that she was her trainer. The dog was just 9 months old and she would have her until around 18 months. It was a very interesting conversation. She rode all rides except the coasters and was welcome everywhere. So neat!! To the room and Matthew beat us back. We talked for a bit and lights out at 11:30.

Tomorrow: Boys to Golf, MGM, Ohana's and MK

Monday June 5, 2006 - Day 4

We got up early this morning as the boys had t times for 8:30 a.m. and they were leaving at 7:45 a.m. I got up with them and saw them off. I called home and talked to the girls. They were both fine and wishing they were with us. It sure was good hearing their voices and I also got to talk to Ethan. I so miss him as we see each other each and every day. He sounded like he had grown a foot and was saying a few more words. I just kind of lounged around a bit, took a shower and got ready. I went over to Margaret's room around 9:00 and we decided to go over to MGM. We went to the bus and waited for just a bit. As we were walking into the park Matt said he was HUNGRY NOW!!!!! So without even blinking we went right to the ABC Commissary for breakfast. This was great. We each got their breakfast platter. More food than I could eat all for $5.95, what a bargain for WDW. After we got "the" Boy feed and happy again, we went and got FP's for me and Matt for RRC. We had about an hour to wait so we went over to Millionaire. Let me just say here that Margaret and Matt are very serious players of this game. BIG TIME!!! We walked in and it started right away. We did the fastest finger and I was #2 on the board. I got really dirty looks from both of them - kind of like - what on earth are you doing Ellen, we are suppose to do that - NOT YOU!! I am not kidding they were really scared that I just might make it to the hot seat. So from here on out I didn't push my buttons near as fast as I could. It wasn't worth losing a best friend over. LOL Not really, but they DO take their Millionaire playing very seriously. I was just glad that Danny wasn't with us as he is worse than these 2. After this game we walked out and right back in for the next show. This game I didn't even get on the board. I am NOT stupid!!! What fun. By now Matt and I were a little hungry so of course we got - you guessed it - Ice Cream. I just love the tollhouse cookie sandwiches. From here we walked over to the Animation Gallery. I had never done this and it was really interesting. It was now time for our RRC time so Matt and I headed that way and Margaret went into see TBATB show. We would just meet her after the show. I just love this ride and we were lucky to get the back. After our ride we went over to wait for MJ and who do we run into but Miss Lime Green Cheri and her adorable kids, Naomi and Ethan. They had just arrived and decided to hit MGM. We chatted for a bit and they went on their way. It was soooooo hot today, Matt and I were leaking alot. No breeze and people everywhere. Pretty soon the show is over and her comes Margaret. She was lucky enough to run into Cheri also. How cool is that?! We were trying to decide what to do next when my phone rang and it was the boys. They were back at AKL and wanted to know where we were. We told them and they headed right over. We shopped our way to the front of the park and not long after, we saw them. Doug stayed back at the Lodge as he got a little over heated and wanted to stay where it was cool for awhile. So once we got Matthew and Danny we went back to Tof T. We got fast passes and got in line as it was only 20 minutes stand by. We didn't stand in line 10 minutes and were on. What a ride. I really don't like this ride but I do it and always have fun. I think the anticipation really gets to me. So when we got off we found MJ and it was time for the FP's so Matthew and Matt went back on and Danny went to Millionaire. I held the walls up with Margaret and we had so much fun just looking at the people. There are really some strange ones out there. And I am sorry but what is up with 50 - 60 year old women showing their bellies and no bras. Hello!!!! Anyway, here comes Danny, Millionaire was full. He was really bummed. The boys came off all smiles and the CM never took their FP's, could they go again? Sure - bye. We sat and talked and here they came again with FP's still in hand. Could they go again? Sure - but this time Matthew let Danny ride. Pretty soon here they come again with FP's in hand. This time we gave them away to 2 young girls. They were thrilled.

We all went and rode the Great Movie Ride. This was one strange ride tho. We were only a car of one. Usually they have 2 connected, one gets the gangster and one gets the cowboy side. Not this time, we were all alone and got the cowboy side. This ride moved s o o o o s l o w. I could have crawled faster. And at the end when they have the movie clips it was weird to be the only car in there. Really strange.

At this point we needed to get back to the Lodge, so to the front we go. We looked in the shops a bit. Got a bus back to AKL. We all rested a bit, changed clothes and looked at all of the neat animals in MJ's room. There was this Anoke (SP?) cow right out their balcony trying to eat and this little white bird was right under this animal. He would peck him on the leg and then weave in and out of his legs. We all just laughed as all this "cow" would have to do is sneeze and this little bird would be history. He was very brave.

We had the van brought up and we headed to the Poly for our dinner tonight at Ohana's. We got right in and we had a perfect view of the Castle in MK. They brought our drinks and then the food. All I can say is WOW, what a meal. I was a little hesitant about eating here as the last time was not the best and they had changed the menu some. Well it was wonderful. They asked for birthdays and anniversaries and Doug and I went up and we were introduced and then we danced as the MC played on his ukulele. We had a great time here and no one left hungry.

We decided to go to the MK for the evening. We just got on the monorail and left the car at the Poly. We got FP's for Buzz and rode the "Wild Women Ride" (TA) and then noticed that Carousel of Progress was open so we just had to ride it again. And yes, Margaret and I sang through the whole show. Our FP's were ready so away we went on Buzz. Terrible score again, I was the loser - nothing new, I usually am. LOL You aren't going to believe this, but the boys were wanting ice cream. So we went to Danny's favorite place for Citrus Swirls. It is a little stand right next to the Tiki Birds. I had never even seen this place before. As we were sitting, while they were eating, the wind came up and was pretty strong. The tiki lights were really flickering and the umbrellas were blowing. We really though a storm was brewing but it never did amount to to much. I had made the comment that I had never rode the Jungle Cruise at night so that is where we went next. We didn't have the best ride here. The CM's microphone was really tinney and we just couldn't understand a word she was saying and we went REALLY fast. As slow as the Great Movie Ride was in MGM this was as fast. We all started laughing about it and I am sure that everyone thought we were crazy. But good grief it was hilarious. We were on and off in 5 minutes flat. From here we went on Splash and walked right on. And yes again Margaret and I got soaked but not near as bad as Doug and Danny. Margaret and I laughed so hard at them and they just didn't see the humor in it at all. Next we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. I had Doug ride with Margaret so she could tell him all of the things she learned on the Keys tour. He really enjoyed hearing all about the secrets and hidden mickeys. Next time we are in WDW we are going to take this tour. I know my boys would really enjoy it. We did some shopping on our way out. Matthew wanted to make a key chain for his girlfriend so we did that and Margaret had seen a Christmas ornament in DTD a few days ago and wanted it, so we looked in the Christmas shop. I bought a few things too. We took our time leaving the park. It turned out to be a beautiful night.

We took the monorail over to the Poly and got the Van. We got back to AKL and laughed all the way to the room. I am sure there were a few people in their rooms that did NOT appreciate all of our fun. Opps!!

Lights out at midnight.

Tomorrow: Lazy morning, Epcot, Turtles and LeCelliar

Tuesday June 6, 2006 - Day 5

Margaret called at 8:30 a.m. and we were still in bed. Her and Danny were going to Epcot and Matt was still sleeping. I got up and showered and left my boys sleeping. Grabbed the complimentary paper and headed for the Mara and much needed coffee. Pretty soon here come my guys. We got breakfast and just enjoyed vacation. We read the paper and just hung out. We finally went back to the room and got ready to leave for Epcot. We made a few phone calls first. I talked to Janet to see if we could come over to the Contemporary to see her and Margaret wanted to see the new remodeled rooms. We also call Dottie at home to see when she would be working, so we could go have tea with her at the Grand Floridian. That finished we left to go grab a bus for Epcot. Matthew went down and banged on Matt's door. We still found no sign of life out of Matt so we headed out. An Epcot bus had just left so we waited about 20 minutes and I am so glad we did, as about 10 minutes later here came Matt. He was a little grumpy as he was HUNGRY. Man oh man, these boys can get pretty nasty when hungry. As soon as we got to Epcot we called Margaret and Danny, no answer, so we went to Soarin to get FP's and as we were Doug said come on and pulled us into the stand by line. It had broke down and was just now up and running. So away we went. As we were walking thru we see MJ and Danny getting off so we would meet them when we were finished. We got perfect seats - row 1 and dead center. We just love this ride. What fun. Met up with MJ and Danny and heard all about their morning. Matt was hungry and was going to self-destruct if we didn't feed him NOW!! We went over to the Electric Umbrella for lunch. Cheeseburgers, salads and pizza around and now that our stomachs were full everyone was in a much better mood. LOL I really wanted to go see the House of the Future so we went there next. It was pretty cool, but not something we would need to do each trip. I think everyone but me was pretty board but they did it for me anyway. After this we sort of broke up. Danny, Matt and Matthew went for a ride on Mission Space, Doug went to Test Track to look at the cars in the showroom at the end and Margaret and I went to the Living Seas. We had a ball watching the Manatees eat and play. We watched the line for Crush and decided we were glad we weren't standing in that line. Doug called while we were there and met up with us. I was able to get a few things for Ethan, as he really loves Nemo right now. We all met back up for a ride on Ellen's Energy. We all took one row and kind of spread out. Half way through the ride Matthew nudges me and we look at Danny. He was on the end and sound, I mean sound asleep. Mouth open and almost falling out. We all laughed so hard. He didn't wake up for most of the ride. After Danny's naptime we walked to World Showcase. On the way over Elizabeth called saying that Ethan wanted to talk to NaNa and Popi. We talked most of the over. He just jabbers and jabbers it really is cute and we all got to "talk" to him. I stopped in Mexico for a Fiesta Margarita (these are so good) and walked to Norway. Doug was craving a Rice cream and I got a sweet pretzel. MJ and the boys found a table and we all shared, as we didn't want to eat too much and spoil our dinner at LeCelliar. Matthew decided he wanted to start a shot glass collection so he bought one from each country. We shopped in China. I got some green tea for the girls and me. Doug and I bought a tea set. We love Chinese food and get it as take out about 2 or 3 times a month so we thought this would be fun to have. Purchases bought and sent back to the room. Next was Germany and Matthew purchased his shot glass and MJ bought a few things also. I bought a beautiful crystal necklace for Stephanie in Italy and later in the week went back and got one for Elizabeth. I have no idea why I didn't get one for me but I didn't. As we came out of the stores the line was already forming for the Turtles concert, so we decided to stand in line also. The boys left us at this point. They didn't want to stand in line but were going to meet us later as Bookwood (Pam) and her girls were going to meet us at the concert. We didn't wait long and in we went. We got pretty decent seats, close to the front and on the right side. Pam joined us and it was so good to see and talk to her again. The girls Bethany and Emily are cuties and soon they met the boys and off they went. They would meet us later for dinner. The concert was great, we all really enjoyed it. As soon as it was over we walked around to Canada for our Dinner at Le Celliar. Margaret had a reservation for 6:15 p.m. and ours was as 7:00 p.m. We couldn't get them together but we really hoped they would be able to once we got there. Danny went up to plead our case and nope they couldn't do it. FINE!!! So we all got our beepers and waited and enjoyed talking to Pam and the girls. Pretty soon they called Margaret and her boys. So we just kept talking and sure enough a 1/2 hour later we get called. Goodbyes to Pam and the girls with plans to meet later. In we go, and would you believe it, we were seated separated by a table of 4. So we were happy campers as we were able to still somewhat be together. But the funniest part was that the table of 4 in between us was empty and stayed that way until right before we left. It kind of made us mad as we could have very easily been sat together. Oh well. The boys left and Danny and Margaret joined us for dessert. We all love this place and tonight was no exception. After dinner we went in to Great Britain. I got a Beatles shirt for Jay and then we went out and listened to the British Invasion. This group is awesome and we were able to listen to them a couple of times during the week.

Here is where we really messed up. Instead of going to get our armbands for EMH we used our FP's for Soaring. There was NO line at all and walked on. In hindsight we should have gotten our armbands first and saved our FP's for later. As when we got off the line was huge and posted at 90 minutes. Stupid Judy, Stupid Judy moment!! So instead we went over to The Land and rode this. I am always amazed at how they can grow things with no soil. From there we went and used our FP's for Test Track. We were only a few hours late but they never said a word to us. We waited about 15 minutes to board but the stand by line was way over an hour. We got up to 68 MPH outside. WEEEEEEE!! We had a ball looking at all of the cars and dreaming. It was almost midnight by this time and we were getting tired so we shopped our way out and got a bus back to AKL. We made plans for tomorrow and said goodnight. We waited up for Matthew. He got back around 1:00, they had gone over to MGM and closed it down, then came back to Epcot and closed it down. They had, had a great time. What fun!! We finally settled down and lights out about 1:30 a.m.

Tomorrow: Early golf, MK, Contemporary with Janet, Tea with Dottie, Jiko and Pleasure Island.

Wednesday June 7, 2006 - Day 6

We got up early, as the boys had a very early t time at 7:45 a.m. I saw them off and got in the shower and got ready. I went over to Margaret's room and they were ready to go. I suggested we eat at the bakery at MK. We went and a MK bus was waiting for us and we were off. This morning was as close to perfect as you could get. We walked down Main Street and it wasn't very busy. The morning was cool, crisp, bright and new. We had the whole day ahead of us, but right at that moment life was at it's best. We got our breakfast and went and sat under an umbrella outside the Plaza restaurant. We didn't talk much at first, I think we all felt pretty much the same way. ***Being on vacation - $$$$, being in WDW - $$$$$$, the view and the company - priceless!!! There was a family of ducks that were just adorable. Daddy kept wanting us to feed him, which we did. After breakfast we went and got FP's for Buzz and then took a ride on the TA (Wild Women Ride). We tend to do the same rides over and over but they are our favorites and love them. As we were getting on I notice MJ really starring at this VERY Good looking younger man. I almost had to slap her, she was actually drooling. LOL When we get in our car she asked me if I recognized him. "Nope, never ever have seen him before. But he is way to young for you sweetie". She slapped me, but just on the leg. LOL She thought he was a guy from Trading Spaces. We enjoyed our ride and as we got off she went up to him and asked him if he was who she thought he was. And Yes, sure enough he was. What a cutie!! I found a really cute pair of PJ's with the new "Cars" on them for Ethan. Then as we were walking over to Adventure Land, MJ finally found a cart that sold the little fans. I had one and while standing in lines it really helped when you were very hot and MJ was on a mission to find one. The CM was so nice and I had made a remark that somehow mine had gotten chipped and I needed to tape the battery in. I had, had mine for 2 or 3 years. She asked if she could see it, and as I gave it to her she dropped it in the trash and gave me a brand new one. Now, how nice was that? It blew me away, she didn't have to do that. Wow, only in Disney. I had made some Appreciation Cards and MJ whipped one out real fast and gave it to her. She was impressed as she had never seen them before. So tit for tat!

We went over to the Tiki Birds and Matt let me sing the whole song. My Matthew would have been mortified. But Matt just laughed at me. Next up was the Haunted Mansion. Great as always. As we were coming out the boys called and they were finished and would meet us over at the Contemporary with the Van. We needed to find a restroom and as I came out I had a paper towel and as I threw it in the trash can it started to talk to me. FREAKED me out. I screamed and jumped a foot. Everyone got a good laugh. Matt and Margaret were still in the restroom so they didn't get to enjoy that moment. LOL But when they came out I told them and we sat for a bit and watched it interact with some kids. I have read about these but never had ever seen one myself.

We went to Buzz to use our FP's. We each got our own car and somehow Matt hit something really big and got 999,999 and his blaster shut down. I did awful as usual, Margaret even beat me. Drat.

We walked out and down Main Street to catch a monorail to the Contemporary. As the monorail doors opened to the Landing I knew I was "Home". Oh how I love this place. We went down to the shops and waited for the boys to arrive. Pretty soon we all were there so I went over to a house phone and called the 14th floor to talk to Janet. She came right down and got us. It was so good to see her. We are more than just acquaintances we are friends. Up we went to the 10th floor as the 12th floor which is the club floor where we always stay was being worked on. We were able to see the new rooms and they are beautiful. I wasn't too keen on them at first but they are growing on me. I really missed the wild, upbeat spreads, carpet and furniture, as now it is just very elegant. But I don't see my Momma there at all and that is a good thing and she would have hated the way they are now. It just didn't feel like "our" Contemporary. Janet also took us up to the 14th floor. Al was working so we got hugs from him as well. He couldn't believe how Matthew had grown in just the year he hadn't seen him. Last year when we took Elizabeth, Jay and Ethan, it was such a hard but healing trip for us. I truly believe if it hadn't been for the love of Janet, Al, LouAnn and the staff at the Contemporary and of course Margaret, Danny and Matt our WDW days would probably have been over. As it was just to hard to go without Momma. But...life goes on and I made a promise to Doug and Matthew that we will be back at the Contemporary from now on. I will stay at Pop for Mousefest and the Marathon tho. But for the big trips we will be coming "home" again. We went down to the Outer Rim and just sat and talked for about 1/2 hour. It was so good to see Janet again.

We then got on the monorail and rode to the Grand Floridian for tea. We checked in and again got the best hugs from our good friend Dotty. We have been having tea with her for 10 years. Last year Margaret joined Doug, Matthew and I. This year Danny and Matt joined us also. We had such a great time. She is such a great lady. She loved my Momma as she did her. This is a wonderful way to relax and spend a couple of hours. We all had a great time. Even Matt enjoyed himself but did say it isn't something he would need to repeat. At least for me he tried it tho. Danny was very pleasantly surprised and I think would go again. We love it and it is something we do EVERY trip.

We looked around in the shops for a bit and monorailed over to the Contemporary and shopped there a bit and got the car from valet and went back to AKL.

We rested and took showers. We got all dressed up as we were going to Jiko tonight. Doug and I got ready and went over and got Margaret and Danny as we were going to go early and have a drink in the bar before dinner. This was very nice. Just us big kids!! The boys met us at the desk and we went right in. Margaret and I had already decided we would split a filet and it was just perfect for us. We had wine and appetizers before our entrees. We all thought our meals were the best so far. The boys were anxious to go as they were meeting Brittany and Emily. They were going to MGM for EMH tonight. After they left we ordered dessert and took our time enjoying the evening. We all decided that we really didn't want to call it a night but didn't want to go to a park either so we decided to go to Pleasure Island. So back to the room we went and changed into more casual clothes and we were off. We walked around for a bit then went and got our tickets. We got in line for Comedy Warehouse. We were sat in the front row, not the chairs on the floor but the first row of chairs behind. None of us had ever been here before and we laughed until our sides hurt. When the show was over we went over to the Adventures Club. It was kind of busy and we all got chairs but not together and the longer I sat there the more tired I got. I didn't have anyone to talk to and I really didn't get what was happening. So we only stayed for about 45 minutes as the rest felt the same way. As we left we realized that the last Comedy Warehouse show was about ready to start so we walked right in. We had to sit at the back and again we had a blast. After the show we walked around a bit and then left. We got the van and we're back at AKL in no time at all. Said our goodnights and made plans for tomorrow. We got home at 1:30 and Matthew was home soon after. We talked about our nights and lights out around 2 a.m.

Tomorrow: Lazy morning, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Herman Hermits

Thursday June 8, 2006 - Day 7

After our late night last night, we slept in. We had a wake up call for 9:00 a.m. I got up and got ready, when I got out of the shower, Matthew was up and ready also. So we left Doug sleeping and we went down and got some coffee. We went back to Margaret's room and we all went back down for breakfast. I went and picked up our packages in the gift shop and dropped them off in the room. Doug was still in bed. He just didn't feel like a park today, so we left him and will catch up with him later. We left and got to the bus stop and an Animal Kingdom bus was waiting. So we were off. First thing we did was go and get FP's for Everest. Wow that ride looks AWESOME!! I can't wait. We rode Kali River Rapids next. The standby was 40 minutes but we were on in about 20. I knew better than to sit next to MJ so I was across from her. I had taken my shoes off and put on flip flops as I hate wet shoes. Everything fit in the center so it stayed dry. This is such a neat ride and sure enough MJ got soaked as did the little boy who was sitting next to her. We all got wet and on this hot day it felt wonderful. We now could get another FP so we got them for the Safari. As we were walking back I made the remark that I had never seen the Flights of Wonder show, they hadn't either so in we go. We got great seats to the left down front. We all really enjoyed this. The birds were beautiful and when they swooped down just over MJ's and my head we were impressed. We were getting a bit hungry and I suggested we go to Flame Tree BBQ. My family loves this place and MJ and boys had never eaten here before. So Danny and I get in line, Matthew and Matt went for our 3rd FP, this time for ITTBAB and Margaret went down by the water and got us a table. Danny and I waited and waited and waited some more. The boys came back and went to find Margaret. These people in front of were on the Dining Plan and had no idea how to use it. The wait was crazy. We must have stood in that line for at least 20 minutes. Matthew came back to find us, as Margaret thought we lost her. LOL Lunch was great, and we enjoyed getting out of the heat and crowds. As we were finishing up I suggested if we hurry we could make the next FOTLK. So we hurried and was able to get in. We were clear in the back but it was still good. We were finally able to use our FP for the Safari so off we went. When we started out there weren't too many animals but the more we drove the more we saw. They were everywhere. What a great ride we had. At this point we could finally use our Everest FP. Margaret left us at this point as she needed to do some wash. Silly Margaret, this is one aspect of vacation that we do NOT agree on. There is no way I will spend a minute of my time doing wash on vacation. She doesn't like to go home with dirty clothes, but I would rather do it at home than to waste an afternoon in WDW. Anyway Danny, Matt, Matthew and I head to Everest for our first ride. Matt and Danny had ridden it before but Matthew and I had not. Wow is all I can say. That is one GREAT ride. I would have loved to ride it again but the wait times were crazy. Maybe in Dec. when we come for MF we can ride it again. As we were walking towards ITTBAB we stopped for ice cream and frozen lemonades. We then used our last FP for ITTBAB. We all really enjoyed this, and half the fun is watching the first timers. LOL At this point we were finished with Animal Kingdom. On the way out I wanted to get my girls a few things in the Rainforest Cafe. We all looked around and Danny and I made our purchases and sent them back to AKL. We walked out and waited a bit for a bus to Epcot. A bus finally showed up and only about 10 people were able to get on. So we had to wait for another one and it took forever. We got to Epcot and just took our time looking around. We stopped at Ice Station Cool and had our fill of cool drinks. We stopped and watched the fountain, I love to just sit and watch this little show. The boys left Danny and I for Mission Space and Test Track. We walked over to WS and started clockwise at Mexico. We strolled and stopped when we wanted to. As we were walking we saw the Fife and Drum doing a show. We stopped to watch and it was so neat. We even said the Pledge of Allegiance and they had us sing the National Anthem. Wow, it sure makes you proud to be an American. We both really enjoyed this. We walked to Japan and we were really hot, probably over hot. We went into the shop and shopped until all of the rest of the family joined us. We had an ADR for 6:15 p.m. at Teppanayki but ended up waiting for about 30 minutes. Dinner was great as usual. Our chef wasn't real fun but the food made up for it. They even brought out a little ginger cake for Doug and I. It was very good and really nice of them to think of us. After dinner we went to see the "Herman Hermits" and the boys left to go meet up again with the girls. This show was awesome and we all had a great time. Margaret and I both bought his CD. They were autographed and had all of the songs that they sang on it. We lost Danny after the show as he was going to go back and put the wash, that MJ didn't have time to finish, in the dryer. What a guy!! We found a great spot to watch Illuminations. I don't care how many time I see this I always get tears. We just love it. We went and got our EMH bands on and headed for Soaring. The standby time was stated as 50 minutes but it didn't look that long so we decided we really didn't have anything else to do so we got in line. Margaret needed to use the bathroom and didn't want to stand in line so she left us. We got in, in about 30 minutes, but we had fun with the trivia questions on the wall. Doug and I decided to go back into WS for a ride in Mexico and Norway. The crowds had thinned out by this time and it was a beautiful night. We love being in EPCOT at night. The lights are so pretty. After our rides we decided it was time to head for home. We played with the lights in the sidewalk, those still just fascinate me. We remembered last year when Ethan had seen them and he was so cute trying to pick them up. We decided to ride Spaceship Earth for our last ride of the night. We went over to our Leave a Legacy tile and said goodnight to Momma. We still remember the day we had those done. It was such a fun day.

Good Memories!!!!

We got a bus for home and we're in bed fast asleep in 5 minutes. We didn't even hear Matthew come in, but he said we BOTH were out cold, flat on our backs and snoring. I don't think so son!!! LOL

Tomorrow: MGM, Anniversary Dinner in Castle, MK

Friday June 9, 2006 - Day 8

I slept till 8:30 a.m. then got up and showered. As I was getting ready Margaret called and told me of her problems that she had the night before. Somehow they had made a mistake about her room. The upgrade to Savanna view wasn't an upgrade after all - she had paid dearly for it. She had tried to use her room key last night for some purchases and it had been denied. Well, YEA, after you put a couple more thousand on her card. She had spent most of the morning trying to figure it out. It took a while but all was ok. I went to the gift shop and picked all of our packages up and brought them back to the room. My guys were still sleeping very soundly. So I grabbed my mug and the paper and went for coffee in the Myra. I spent a nice hour reading the paper and watching the families getting ready for another day in WDW. Pretty soon here comes Matthew and Doug was not far behind. We ate breakfast and read the paper. Danny went and played golf again this morning but Doug and Matthew wanted to stay behind. Matt was still sleeping and Margaret was chilling by the pool. She had, had a rough morning. After our breakfast I went to the pool and we sat and talked about our day for awhile and I tried to calm her down. I went back to the room and started the dreaded job of packing. Pretty soon here comes Matt and Margaret and we all decided to head to MGM so off we go. Doug stayed behind and was watching a golf game but would join us in a few hours. The boys were of course HUNGRY so we went to the Back Lot express to get them fed and happy. We went and got in line for the 2:45 p.m. Millionaire show and as we were waiting Doug called and met us before we got in. Matthew did great here and was on the board. At one time we all were on the board. After the show we got right back in line and tried again. Margaret and Matt and Matthew were on the board but Doug and I were nowhere close. In fact this game Doug didn't even play. He would be mortified if he got into the hot seat. He would deny it if by chance he ever got it. We had or fill so we went and took a ride on The Great Movie Ride. This ride was back to normal and nothing like our ride a few days ago. That was so strange. Danny called and joined us. He tried to get a game of Millionaire in but it was on a long break so he couldn't. After our ride we decided to head to MK by the way of Epcot. This takes a bit longer but we love it, so off to the boats we go. We love looking at the different Resorts as we go by. There was a wedding taking place at the Boardwalk gazebo. We got to Epcot and entered through the International Gateway. As we got to the UK it was almost time for another set of the British Invasion and Danny really wanted to see it. We had a bit of time before they started so we went into the perfume shop and the 6 of us had a ball trying on all of the different scents. We had perfume all up and down our arms and hands. One of us would come up to the other and say, "Smell here, do you like it?" It was so funny to see your boys having so much fun. We laughed so hard, we even had other people in on it and having a ball. The British Invasion started and we enjoyed a few songs then Doug and I decided we needed to get going as we were having dinner with Cinderella in her Castle at 6:00 p.m. We said goodbye to Matthew and made plans to meet after we were finished. We walked to the front and got on the MK monorail to the TTC. We changed monorails and got on the express one that took us through the Contemporary. We were running a bit late so we walked kind of fast up Main Street and checked in at the Castle. We were shown right in and had our picture taken with Cinderella. She was beautiful and said she was expecting us. We took the winding stairs up to the dining room and we're shown to our table. We sat on the first tier as you look out the window to Fantasyland. We were able to see the carousel. What a neat view. I had so looked forward to tonight. As soon as we knew we were going I booked this for Doug and I. We were so excited. Our waiter Ferenando was wonderful. I started with a BLT Salad - a mixture of frisee, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, with applewood bacon, tomato, eggs, red onion and roasted shallot vinaigrette. It was fantastic, and Doug had the Corn and Crab Soup with sour cream and chives. We also had hard crusty bread with different butters. For our main course we both had the
Roast Prime Rib of Beef with gratin potatoes and a cabernet sauce. This was very good also. During dinner Perela and Suzie came around for pictures then the Fairy God Mother came in. She sang a song and we all were to make wishes. She asked for birthdays and sang them all a song. Then she asked for Anniversaries and of course Doug and I raised our hands. There were 3 couples celebrating tonight, she asked how many years and there was one celebrating 7 years, us celebrating 25 years and another couple celebrating 35 years. She sang a song to us and it was magical. For dessert Doug had the Blueberry Buckle served warm with fresh lemon ice cream and I had the Chocolate Mousse Cake with chocolate and raspberry drizzle. This was to die for. Oh my they both were very good. During dessert Fernando came and presented Doug and I with 2 wine glasses with the Royal Table emblem on them. Completely blew us away. What a nice thing for him to do. He said we were a cute couple and he wished us another 25 years of marriage. We also got our picture in a darling frame along with some wallets. They also gave us a Litho of the castle and Cinderella. We have had it framed and it hangs in our bedroom. Doug noticed that none of the other Anniversary couples got the glasses. So I think we were given a big dose of magic by Fernando. This was a night that neither one of us will ever forget - EVER!

It was such a magical night that neither one of us was in any hurry to leave. I just didn't want it to end. But end it did - and as we left Doug tipped him very good even though it was already included and we told him we would be back for our 50th - God Willing.

As we left the castle we called Margaret and the boys. They were just heading up Main Street and we would meet them in front of the castle. We were all together again and we told of our nights. They had gone to eat at the ESPN on the Boardwalk. We started off with a ride on the Haunted Mansion. Next was Splash Mountain and of course Margaret and I got wet but not near as bad as Danny and Doug, they were drenched. Margaret wanted to go and get a special something for someone so we split up for a bit. The boys went and met the girls again so Doug and I wanted to see Wishes from Main Street so off we go. They were extra special tonight and both Doug and I got a bit emotional. We were just so thankful to be together in our Happy place with such good friends and family and we were also missing Momma a bit. After all, our love for Disney was her doing. We kissed at the end and had a long hug. Life is good. Met back up with Margaret and Danny and we were off for a marathon of rides. But first we needed - yep you guessed it - ice cream. Ok, ice cream eaten and Peter Pan was first, IASW next and we all sang. Mickey's Philharmonic was a walk on and Danny got us 6 rows back and center. The best seats I have ever had. We stopped at Cosmic Rays for some water and cokes. We rode the People Mover then we started our Buzz Marathon. We each got our own car. Danny won the first ride, Doug the second and Danny the next 3. We just kept getting off and right back on. We had a ball. Margaret and I didn't do to good but we had fun watching the competition between Doug and Danny. As soon as we got off they would say - "What'd you get?" and back on we went. LOL

We walked by Stitch and decided we would try it. Margaret and I had done it at Mousefest but Doug and Danny hadn't so in we go. I would never stand in line for this but it was sort of cute. The guys thought it was ok, but not something they would have to do again soon. On our way out we decided that we were hungry so we stopped in to Cosmic Ray's. The boys found us and joined us for a snack. We had ice cream - of course- French fries and chicken tenders. Matt and Matthew were going to close the MK down and we were ready to head back to AKL. We walked out and got a bus back. We got home around 2:30 and hit the bed right away. It wasn't 15 minutes later, we were still awake talking when we heard the door open, we pretended to be asleep and really snoring very loudly. Matthew stopped at our bed and said, "Are you kidding me?" We couldn't stop from laughing so we all got a chuckle out of it. We talked for a bit and lights out at 2:45 a.m. What a wonderful day from start to finish.

Tomorrow: last day, check out, MGM, Epcot, MK and goodbyes

Saturday June 10, 2006 - Day 9

We got up around 9:00 a.m. We all got showers and ready. We spent the next hour packing. YUCK!! We were going to check out and leave our suitcases in Margaret?s room. When we started out we had a very early flight out on Sunday morning (6a.m.) so we got a room for tonight at the Hyatt at the airport. About 3 weeks ago our flights were changed and we now don't leave till 9:30 a.m. but we still kept our room and we have Quick Silver picking us up tonight at 12:00 a.m. so we can go to the park and play all day today. The boys were finishing up and I went down to the gift shop to get a few last minute things. All suitcases ready and in MJ's room and we decided we were now hungry so we all grabbed or mugs and went down to eat. Danny had left early this morning to see if he could get to Millionaire for a few games at MGM. As we were eating Margaret started not feeling well. Matt's phone was on the fritz and wouldn't let him call or receive calls. He messed with it for a bit and realized it really wasn't working. He was going to a school trip for the next week and they knew they were going to have to go get it fixed. After breakfast they decided to go to the mall to get the phone fixed and we decided to go to MGM. I was a little worried about Margaret as she was starting to feel worse. They left and we went to the bus stop. We waited a bit and to pass the time we called the girls. First I called Elizabeth and Matthew called Stephanie, then Doug called Elizabeth and I called Stephanie, then Matthew called Elizabeth and Doug called Stephanie...well you get the drift, we were all laughing so hard by this time. Wow, it doesn't take much to entertain us Huh?? LOL

We got FP right away for TofT and walked into 4 for a Dollar playing before Beauty and the Beast. I love this show and we all enjoyed it. We then used our FP for TofT. We then stopped for some cokes as it was very hot out today. We tried to catch up with Danny but he didn't have his phone on. Matthew and I really wanted one more ride on RRC so we decided to stand in the stand by line as FP times were way past when we wanted to be at Epcot. We only had to wait for 30 minutes which wasn't to bad. A great way to end our time in MGM. Doug met us in the gift shop and we got a hoot out of our picture. My eyes were slammed shut. While we were on the ride Danny met up with us. Matt had also called and was going to meet us at Epcot. So we headed out to the boats. There was another wedding at the Boardwalk Gazebo. This must be a popular place to get married. All I know is, I was glad it wasn't me, as it was VERY hot and just sitting I was a puddle. I can't imagine being in a tux and wedding dress. We met Matt at the International Gateway and he said that Margaret was still not feeling well and would maybe meet us later for dinner at Marrakesh. I sure hoped so as we really missed her with us today. We had a few hours before dinner so we just walked around WS. We went to Mexico and rode and looked around. We got a cold beer in Germany and sat and people watched for a bit. We walked around to Morocco and we were all hungry so we checked if we could go early. They seated us right away. What a neat place. We had never eaten here before and it is now on our to eat at list from now on. Doug and I started with Beef Brewat Rolls - layers of thin pastry stuffed with seasoned minced beef, fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. I know that sounds like a weird combination but it was delicious. Matthew had Shish Kebab - grilled tenderloin of beef marinated in Moroccan herbs and spices. Doug and I both had the Roast Lamb Meshoui - roasted lamb in natural juices which was perfect and wonderful. For dessert Doug had the Marrakesh Delight - fresh fruit salad topped with mint ice cream, toasted almonds and orange blossom water. He said is was wonderful. And Danny had the Bastilla - crispy leaves of pastry topped with vanilla cream and sprinkled with toasted almonds. He must have enjoyed because he ate it with his fingers and we were afraid he was going to pick it up and lick the plate. LOL We all enjoyed the belly dancer especially the younger boys, oh who am I kidding, the BIG boys enjoyed her also. I really missed Margaret tonight as this is one of her favorite places to eat. After dinner the boys took off by themselves with strict orders to be back at AKL by 11:30 p.m. Danny and Doug took off for their last British Invasion show. And I did something I have never done in WDW before - I walked the WS by myself. I stopped in Japan and watch the Klacker Garden for a bit. Did a little shopping in the store. Walked to Italy and bought a beautiful necklace for Elizabeth. I just strolled and it started to rain very softly so I just kept walking. I enjoyed it, but yet I didn't. I would see something but had no one to share it with. I realized I could never go to Disney by myself, as for me, half the fun of doing or seeing something is to share it. Met back up with Doug and Danny and we decided to go watch the last show of the "Herman Hermits". Peter Noone is a great entertainer. We really missed Margaret with us, as she just loved his shows. I couldn't help but remember how much fun we had, had just a few days ago here. After the show Danny wanted to go back to the room to see how Margaret was. We had called her before dinner and she sounded awful. Bless her heart.

So Doug and I continued around and stopped by Canada and watched Illuminations. When it was over Doug turned to me and said, "Let's try to get to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes." I told him there was no way we could do it, but off we went. We power walked to the front, but not without turning around to say goodbye to Epcot until next time. We got to the monorail and had just missed one. And it took forever for another one to come. It probably wasn't that long but the seconds were ticking away. We got on the gold monorail to the TTC. We walked very fast down the ramp and up the ramp to the Express monorail to MK. We had to wait a bit and when it finally came it was packed, standing room only. As we were going through the Contemporary it was 10 till 10:00 p.m. I didn't feel there was any way we could make it, but Doug was determined. As we pulled into the station Doug grabbed my hand and off we went. I got through security and for the first time I KNEW we had pulled it off. Down Main Street weaving in and out of the crowd so we could get to our favorite place to watch. Maybe 5 minutes later we saw Tink fly and Wishes started. We DID it!!!! What a wonderful way to end a perfect vacation. We both got tears as we watched and we didn't even care. After it was over we joined the masses leaving MK. At the end of Main Street we stopped and made our wishes and blew them to the Castle.

Went to the bus stop for ALK and it was packed. We finally got on the 3rd bus and soon we were pulling up to the Lodge for the last time. We went to Margaret's room and sat and talked for a bit. Margaret was really feeling awful. I felt so sorry for her. The boys showed up a bit later and way to soon we had to say goodbye. I gave my best buddy a kiss and a hug (I could have cared less if she was contagious or not) and told her we would call when we got home. Danny and Matt helped us carry our luggage out to the front to wait for Quick Silver. Matt and Matthew went over and sat by themselves and every time I would look over at them they were talking very quietly but the way good friends do. These are 2 great kids and I so love them both. The van pulled up and they got everything loaded. We said our goodbyes and hugs for all and we were off for the airport. We got checked in and finally in bed around 1:30 a.m. with a wake up call just 3 1/2 hours later.

We were up and out the door by 7:00 a.m. and to the gate in 5 minutes. We got checked in and through security with no problem. We went and got breakfast, then went to the gate. Flight home was on time and we got into Chicago early, thank goodness, as we only had 35 minutes between flights. Flight again was great and we were landing in Omaha at 1:30 p.m. Doug went and got the car and we loaded up and headed west to Lincoln. Elizabeth & Ethan, Stephanie and Allison (Matthew's girlfriend) met us for dinner. Matthew had no idea that Ali would be there and he was thrilled to see her. We had a nice dinner. And 2 1/2 hours later we pulled into our driveway tired but happy.

I kept thinking all of the way home - a quote from a good friend, Joe----

-----Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

I would like to thank my good friends Margaret, Matt and Danny for one of the best vacations to Walt Disney World we have ever had. We were together for 10 days and not once was it anything less than perfect.

Ellen Cunningham