Holiday Hootennanies with Scarlett and the Fam Damily! Day Two, Part 4, Updated 4/25 About This Page:

[DrDolphin]

Wonderful update and photos!! Can't wait to hear about the CLT hoopla!!!

[Jookiba]

I just got caught up and am laughing my rear off!! Especially with the "whiskey-tango-foxtrot" remark!!

DME must always run the same routes-when we stayed at POFQ in 06 our bus stopped at OKW first, then us, then Riverside.

Can't wait to hear how your evening went after the margarita........hurry back with more!!

[mcc0313]

Great update...your room was beautiful and what a great location...

Can't wait to hear about your margarita's....

[BelmontBelle]

Oh Scarlett, you can't leave us hanging like that! You must hurry back and tell us all about your hootenannies and hijinks and such with the CLT! Now I need to get busy and read their reports, there's just not enough hours in the day.

[Grammy Grumpy]

OMG, I've spent the entire evening catching up on your TR and you leave us here!!!!

Bring on more, soon!!! (Please?)

[DELG8TOR]

Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
It won't take me a year to finish it like some other people I know.

I *hope* you're referring to Scarlett with that crack, Sharon.... She holds the record with 13.5 months to report on a week's vacation. (I only took ten months... and I stopped in the middle to do the award-winning DLR Girl's Only trip report.)



I wouldn't wait on Karen if I were you. You might want to do a search to see how many TRs she started, but never finished....
Eileen
__________________


And speaking of Scarlett.............. I think she may be planning to take another 13.5 months to finish this TR! She was all the way at the bottom of page 2 it has been so long since she has updated... Oh Scarlett, where are youooooo?

[PrincessSharon]

I'm not sure how I missed this update! I could've done all that laughing I just did right now last week! Wait, what?

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Looking forward to more from YOU, Scarlett! (Especially as you'll get to write about our Hope We Don't Get Arrested adventure before any of the rest of us could! You know, the one where the hard drinking happened! )
Eileen

And the moment I read that, I thought to my self: "Self, I don't know how much of our adventure little Scarlett remembers." I mean you did have that margarita as a head start (and I'm not totally buying the "bad cellphone connection" excuse.)

[Disney_Scarlett]

Somehow I overlooked this picture - Mackenzie and Maeve on the DME bus (the one that ended up breaking down):



So, when I last left y’all, I was waiting at OKW for a bus to Epcot. After one Disney-MGM Studios bus (it was still MGM then ) rolled by, an Epcot one approached and I boarded a completely empty shuttle to Epcot. Me likey!

I also likey the new voiceovers and music for the buses. I’m a beat-a-dead-horse kind of girl. The “repeat” options on iTunes is my BFF, as I listen to my favorite-song-of-the-week no less than 976987 times in a row. Might explain a little something about why I keep coming back to WDW, too. Anyway, I never did get tired of the friendly announcer giving me FastPass tips and whatnot for the parks, or the returning-to-OKW blurp about the resort’s “gingerbread style architecture” yadda yadda yadda. Even better, the OKW music is --- Jimmy Buffett! I’m a Parrothead to the max (fins to the left! ), so I definitely didn’t mind that.

On the way to Epcot, I rang Brian to make sure things were going smoothy in his first few hours as housesitter. The pets had not revolted as of yet and I hung up quickly, as we made it to Epcot within five minutes. I had not realized how close OKW was to Epcot, but that short bus ride is terrific.

The driver let us off at the Pop Century stop (why, I don’t know), and soon I was going through a short bag check line. I had that getting-ready-to-walk-into-a-park mojo going on, and just couldn’t wait to go through those turnstiles! I could already see Spaceship Earth, and while I didn’t mind the wand, I have to say that I like it wand-less and original-recipe better.

Soon I was activating my ticket! Meeting up with the CLT worked out fantastically, as I had ordered a 7 day Park Hopper without realizing that one day we wouldn’t be using our passes at all as we’d have an out-of-park morning and the hard-ticket MVMCP event that evening. If I had not used that extra day, I’d only be out, like, $4, but at least this way, nothing was wasted!

I made my way through Future World and towards the World Showcase. I passed a couple of older ladies that had handmade t-shirts on which read, “Tower of Terror Grannies!” I love it! I briefly contemplated asking those ladies if I could hang with them, but then remembered I had my own chicks to meet up with.

I took my time getting to Mexico, enjoying the park’s holiday decorations along the way. I should say that this was definitely a first for moi, being by myself at my first moments in a WDW park. I should also say how much I enjoyed this little piece of alone-time. I mean, I was super psyched to have lots of family togetherness and all, but I also need my own space, and this Scarlett-time was much appreciated. It’s nice to do something for yourself when you’re on a family vacation as well, especially if you’re like me and spend a lot of time wanting others to have fun.

Soon I was in Mexico, and found my way through the crowd to the margarita stand. I was surprised at how many people were at Epcot today – Future World had not seemed too packed, but the World Showcase was proving to be quite crowded. Luckily, there wasn’t a long line for tasty treats of the adult variety, and I stood behind one couple in line.

This couple took a little more time than usual getting their drinks, as they asked the CM which one flavor was best. She replied with, “They are all good!” and they were like, “No, really, which one is best?” “Strawberry,” she said. “Okay, we’ll get strawberry then.” “The strawberry machine is broken.” Hee! Annoyed, they didn’t ask for her second-favorite and chose mango on their own.

I wisely steered away from strawberry, and shelled out my $8 for a lime margarita and then stepped over in front of the Cantina to wait for Karen and Sharon. It was quite steamy outside, so I shed my WDW zip-up hoodie and tied it onto the strap of my purse. At this point, Karen and I had exchanged about half a dozen voicemails and calls. I say voicemails because it seemed as if every time Karen called, I’d miss her call and then I’d have to listen to the voicemail and ring her back. I had put my phone on vibrate and in the back pocket of my jeans, but I guess I’ve got too much padding back there to feel the vibrate mode on my phone. Karen was like, “Dude, are you screening me?” I responded with, “No, but my butt is.”

I got the gist that they’d be there in about fifteen, and Eileen would be meeting up with us a little later. I told Karen that I was drinking a margarita, and she responded with, “You’re going to be in trouble!” I remember thinking, “What? My ID isn’t fake…anymore…”. If only I had known what kind of trouble she meant!

Instead, I sought out a shady spot in front of the Cantina and enjoyed people watching. There was plenty to watch too, as the crowds were quite thick. I knew I was probably taking up valuable stroller-parking real estate along the cantina wall, and kept inching down whenever someone would wheel in their chariot next to me (I’ve learned my lesson about what those things can do to your ankles!). I was simultaneously slurping down my margarita at an alarming speed as well.

I should explain that really, I’m a margarita poser, as I consider myself to be almost exclusively a beer girl. It’s not just because I like (no, love) the taste of beer, but I also know my limits with beer. Beer is my friend. Liquor (or as we say down here, likker ) is not my friend. Actually, liquor is that friend who is totally two-faced – she pretends to be your BFF while you’re out at the bar by hiding her true self behind fruity/fizzy deliciousness, but then the next morning, you discover she’s actually left you lying on your back porch with a lampshade on your head, your wallet is missing and something obscene is written on your booty in permanent marker. I mean, not that that’s really happened; it’s just a metaphor….ahem, anyway, nobody needs friends like that, so I steer away from liquor most of the time. That’s not to say that I won’t order something particularly tasty/fun-looking off a drink menu – I just have to limit myself or I’ll end up being That Girl that’s incredibly surprised at how drunk she is.

I figured this was a good time to indulge in a forbidden frozen treat, though. And, I’m not going to lie, either – the alcohol helped to ease the little butterflies in my stomach about meeting new friends. Meeting folks that you feel like you already know is pretty much the closest equivalent to a blind date, so those pre-date jitters are kind of the same! You know, you want to make a good first impression, check your teeth for anything between them, and not mention your ex-boyfriend too many times. I’m probably totally lame for saying that, and should be all “oh, I’m never nervous about meeting new people,” but it’s true. So there I stood, slurpslurpslurping away at my liquor laced “friend,” waiting for Karen and Sharon to arrive.

A couple of pictures I took while waiting (I think - my tequila soaked memory ain't so hot). I can say for certain they were taken this afternoon, at least:



After a moment, an over-zealous stroller-parking mom got a little too close to my ankles, so I side-stepped over. However, my side-step turned into line dancing, when I lost my balance a bit and did a little cross-left-cross-right-step-stomp. Maybe I should slow down on the slurping. When I overheard a family that just had to be from either New York or New Jersey exclaim, “Hey, there are the Three Wise Guys!” with all seriousness whilst pointing to the Three Kings at the Mexico storyteller stage, I giggled a little too loud. Yeah, I should definitely slow down.

Finally, I spotted Karen and Sharon coming around the curve towards the Cantina. They spotted me about the same time as well, and we bee-lined to each other for hugs. No need for introductions, we dove right into discussing how crowded the World Showcase was looking and catching up in a few details of each others trips so far (since I was just getting started and they were winding down, I had a lot less to say than they did at this point).

Can I just say how fabulous these ladies are? Do I even need to? Well, since Karen’s check has already cleared, I will. Seriously, they are just as great in person as they are on the boards – even better! Karen is totally ruthless in the hilarity department, and as someone who spends a fortune trying to add oomph to her stick straight hair, I am of her awesome curly hair. And Sharon is so sweet, at least, 99% of the time, before she shocks you with a dead-pan zinger. And one thing that I never knew before meeting her – her nails are fabulous! No, they are fierce (Project Runway and ANTM fans, say it like: fee-yahs ). Makes me want to walk around with my hands in my pockets.

Anywho, Karen took note of my more-than-half-empty margarita and waggled her finger at me with a “You’re gonna be sorrr-reee.” What? I mean, so what if we’re going to have another drink or two. It’s not like it’s a competition…

After Karen had traded calls with Dawn and Tiff (our Wacky Hijinks counterparts), we agreed to meet them over near the big Epcot tree and headed that way. I noticed on our walk over that Karen had a suspicious-looking bag with her…hmmm.

While we were waiting for Dawn and Tiff, we enjoyed chatting some more and whatnot, and I worked on finishing my margarita. Karen had to give me a hard time about my “Happy Heel-o-Days” shirt (has a picture of a Christmas tree decorated with little Tar Heels, my alma mater’s logo), as apparently they knocked Stanford out of the Elite Eight back in the ‘93 or something, not that she’s bitter or anything.

It wasn’t long before we found Dawn and Tiff, with introductions all around. I didn’t “know” Dawn and Tiff like I knew Sharon, Karen and Eileen (i.e. we had not been exchanging crazed PM’s for the last few months), but what the heck was I waiting for? As I would soon find out, these girls are fantastic! I say that in truth, not just because Dawn has a really fancy camera that I’m scared of and have no idea which one(s) of my unflattering angles she captured.

Karen communicated with Eileen, who was on her way from the WL to Epcot, and with Karen being the Head Nacho (what my niece Maeve says when she’s trying to say Head Honcho ) she decided that we could go ahead and read our “mission” and begin to form a “plan of attack.” Huh? She produced an piece of paper and asked who would like to read the mission. I volunteered (I know, what a brown noser), opened it up and started reading. To myself. After a moment of silence, Karen dead-panned, “Would you like to share with the class?” Oops! I blame the al-kee-hol and the blonde. Ahem. I began to read aloud, and as the pieces started to fit together, I felt something like a cross between impending doom and uncontrollable giggles take over me. I was indeedy in trouble.


Up next: Eileen Arrives, and Did Someone say Beer?

[goofysdtr]

Great update! PLEASE keep it coming. I can't wait to hear what happens next!

[jpod523]

noo!!! you can't leave us hanging like that! not fair! i can't wait to hear about what it said!!!

[mattnkatsmum]

1. I SWEAR I have already commented on this TR several times with uber-witty, incisive comments which have now escaped me. Where are they? Where are they? WHERE ARE THEY?

2. I am mightily miffed that we were at WDW at the same time and didn't hook up. In fact, when the CLT filled me in about your Epcot Escapades (I know the story, but I'm not for telling ), I was like 'Scarlett's here??!!' 'And I didn't get to meet her?? .

3. BTW, I too am now a Parrothead. And I had never even heard of Jimmy Buffett until I stayed at OKW, but now his 'Songs You Know By Heart' is my iPod treadmill music (praise indeed, as once I start running there's no way to hit the fast forward button). Steve and Matt have yet to join in the love and make sounds, not unlike wailing banshees, whenever I play Cheeseburger in Paradise.

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Scarlett I think it's going to be a crazy night

[MickeyMAC]

Great update-----------------------come on tell the mission

[Caldercup]

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

This couple took a little more time than usual getting their drinks, as they asked the CM which one flavor was best. She replied with, “They are all good!” and they were like, “No, really, which one is best?” “Strawberry,” she said. “Okay, we’ll get strawberry then.” “The strawberry machine is broken.” Hee! Annoyed, they didn’t ask for her second-favorite and chose mango on their own.

That sounds like Margarita karma!

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

I had put my phone on vibrate and in the back pocket of my jeans, but I guess I’ve got too much padding back there to feel the vibrate mode on my phone. Karen was like, “Dude, are you screening me?” I responded with, “No, but my butt is.”

Double heeee!

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

Liquor (or as we say down here, likker ) is not my friend. Actually, liquor is that friend who is totally two-faced – she pretends to be your BFF while you’re out at the bar by hiding her true self behind fruity/fizzy deliciousness, but then the next morning, you discover she’s actually left you lying on your back porch with a lampshade on your head, your wallet is missing and something obscene is written on your booty in permanent marker. I mean, not that that’s really happened; it’s just a metaphor….ahem, anyway, ...

Yeah, right. That metaphor has "personal experience" written AAAAALL over it. And it's written on your booty... in permanent marker!

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

Can I just say how fabulous these ladies are? Do I even need to? Well, since Karen’s check has already cleared, I will.

Hope my check cleared too!

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

Karen is totally ruthless in the hilarity department

Oh, I think that's the best description I've ever read! Although, to be ruthlessly truthful (), she's ruthless in *many* departments, n'est ce pas? Oh... you don't believe me? Well, I've got a few Buzz Lightyear scars from last March that haven't faded yet.

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

And Sharon is so sweet, at least, 99% of the time, before she shocks you with a dead-pan zinger.

No, wait... THAT's the best description I've ever read! So true -- I can't tell you the number of times that Sharon has lured me into complacency with her sweetness and then made me let out one of my patented shotgun laughs by surprising me with the sharpest, most barbed, snarkiest comment!

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

And one thing that I never knew before meeting her – her nails are fabulous! No, they are fierce (Project Runway and ANTM fans, say it like: fee-yahs ). Makes me want to walk around with my hands in my pockets.

Note that I never showed my hands...

Originally Posted by Disney_Scarlett

Karen had to give me a hard time about my “Happy Heel-o-Days” shirt (has a picture of a Christmas tree decorated with little Tar Heels, my alma mater’s logo), as apparently they knocked Stanford out of the Elite Eight back in the ‘93 or something, not that she’s bitter or anything.

Or competitive. Or a rabid sports fan.

Well, now, Miss Scarlett. It seems that I'll probably have to piggy-back on *your* TR re-telling of this event, as neither Karen nor Sharon have gotten to this point yet -- and your memories of events are probably not to be trusted. (Not that I've got a clear memory of much other than going all Dixie Carter on that man in Morroco.) And nobody should view any pictures Dawn took of this adventure because I KNOW she took horrendous pictures of *all* of us doing alchohol-soaked things.

Hey, BTW... who has the paperwork that explains the "mission?"
Eileen