So, what 'bout Disney?

It coulda been a train wreck, it was not. It coulda rained, it did not. It couda been too much for a 4 year old and a 1 year old, no way Jose. My hopes were varied and hopeful. I hoped it would be dry even though the park had been drenched for periods of every day for a week or two and a recent hurricane had drenched the eastern seaboard a few days prior to our visit.I don't pretend to know much about hurricanes, but every time the southeast gets hit it rains in Peoria. So, I say we were more than lucky, we were in control. I put it out into the universe that it would not rain on our parade, and lo and behold, somebody actually listened! No rain Friday at the Magic Kingdom and no rain Saturday at the Animal Kingdom.
We rambled around the Magic Kingdom for some 12 hours, and I would have expected most 4 year olds to have melted down on spectacle overload, sugar overload or just plain walking overload long before mid afternoon, maybe slumping in an umbrella stroller designed to promote scoliosis in little kids, but Alex blew through the day fearlessly, with masterful aplomb, and with little more than an occasional whimper when standing in line for rides. Another thing- that kid rode anything he was tall enough to sneak onto. He's barely the minimum 40 inches if you include his Afro, yet he stood tall on the spooky stuff, the "In your face" scary stuff, the "real" coaster incarnated as an old coal train, and Splash Mountain, replete with a 50' drop as the finale, although he did state of this last ride "I didn't enjoy that ride at all" or something like that. Meanwhile, Isaac, just 14 months, showed no fear on the rides he could join, even getting a kick out of Buzz Lightyear (Sarah has a pic from the ride that I will post later). He even took a hit mid-afternoon, when a bee stung him on the neck. Thankfully, he shook it off and regained his composure and happy demeanor after a quick visit to first aid to make sure he wasn't going to have any problems. Tough kid.
Us oldies hit the 44" and up attractions, and we all ate quite well, surprisingly good food for an amusement park. We all stayed until they turned off the lights and gave us the boot.
Next day, we clomped around the Animal kingdom for about 8 hours and had an equally good time. I must let you know, though, that the term "we clomped" does not mean "I clomped". The previous day, I walked so far that my left calf locked up tighter than a drum , feeling like a permanent charlie horse deep inside. Amy worked on it that night, but the next day, I couldn't walk without distress. I was convinced by my family that I would never get around the Animal Kingdom on foot. So, we had to stop at the ECV center (Electric Convenience Vehicle Center) and find me a ride. It must be known that, for me, this was both humiliating and depressing. Turning this corner marked a new low on my scale of ALS lows. I hated even the thought of sitting my ass down on one of those things. Next I'll be doing my grocery shopping in one! Talk about bottoming out.............. Well, I had to do it, so I limped over to the scooter, took instructions from a cute 16 year old who spoke loudly, slowly and clearly, I assume because somewhere in her upbringing, all older, disabled people are either deaf or dumb or both. I don't blame her, I blame society for stereotyping my kind. Truth is, I heard her loud and clear, I understood every word she said and I smiled to make her aware of such. She smiled back and her job was done.
Now is the time to tell you: After I got past the embarrassment, the self pity and the sadness, I fired up that little guy and had it's operation conquered in about 10 seconds! I pegged it, nearly ran Nick down and narrowly avoided running over a walking dude old enough to be my dad. The true reason I overcame my loathing of a motorized Hoveround device is because, a) it was a rental, b) it was kinda fun, and c) I knew I had overdone it the day before; had I not, I could have walked the park, so I collected a little entitlement and saved everybody from worrying about me.
All in all, it was a great trip, and for that I thank Sarah- she put it together and made it work. It was a once in a lifetime visit that included my kids, (Tim too) and the two coolest grandsons alive. It's really great to post such a positive entry within a potentially devastating ALS blog. It shows me there is a positive in every negative scenario and I just experienced a huge one last weekend.