Dave and Jennifer made the announcements about the winners of the Scavenger Hunt, and handed out really cool prizes (big -- and heavy! -- Mickey statues); then we all went over toward the Big Hat for the birthday celebration. The Walt cake, which was actually 100 sheet cakes, was pretty cool . . . there were dozens of CMs and characters parading around that Big Cake, and it was surrounded by sparklers that were supposed to ignite at exactly the right moment and . . . didn't. Big ol' dud. So the characters and CMs all left as they were supposed to, and then, when the sparkler issue had been resolved, they all paraded back in and danced around the Big Cake again for the sake of those many many cameras. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
We weren't able to see much of the whole celebration the first time, and there didn't seem to be much reason to stand there and (not) watch it again . . . so we left the immediate area and sat on the steps nearby. Before walking away completely, though, I did get to enjoy a true
Nate Moment: We stood there making a wish, and while I wasn't quite sure
why we were standing there as we were, with one hand out, as though we were actors acknowledging the conductor in the orchestra pit, I did indeed make a wish (or two), and Nate and I became fast friends. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Such good friends, in fact, that not long afterward, we were scoping out men as they passed by. But . . . I digress.
Back to those malfunctioning sparklers and Round Two of Characters Dancing Around the Big Cake: Thankfully, the sparklers worked the second time, and when they'd fulfilled their birthday party duties (again), the characters all paraded away from the Big Cake (again). Well, at this point, there's a group of 20 or so PassPorters and RADP'ers sitting there enjoying each other's company, when someone (I do believe it was Nate) said, "Let's cheer for Mickey when he goes by." So Mickey passes by and we all scream for him . . . and then, all of a sudden, it's fairly obvious that the other characters want their own ovations! They're stopping right in front of us, one by one, posing for pictures, waiting for us to cheer for them, too. The villains, of course, simply ignored us, or turned up their noses at us . . . but Dopey, Smee, Goofy, Daisy, Bashful, and so many others gave us a huge ol' magical moment. Our own private parade, right there. How cool can it get?
After that, it was time for a
Mickey Bar photo op -- a dozen or more of us bought Mickey Bars and posed, ready to chomp on an ear, while a guy there from a nearby radio station took our picture for us. He liked the picture so much that he took one with his own camera and said we should look for it on the radio's website --
www.majic1027.com , I think?
Most of the group dispersed shortly after that, so I decided to head out, too. I really wished I would have more time to spend with those folks! A really terrific group.
Back at the hotel, I watched the shuttle lift-off on TV, then ran outside to the parking lot to see it if I could. No such luck! Too cloudy, and I couldn't see a thing. How disappointing! This was the fourth attempt this week (Thursday, Saturday, Tuesday, and finally today), and when it finally does go up, we can't see anything. ::sigh::
I spent the rest of the evening packing, re-packing, watching TV, and reading.