A Daily Lesson Part II: The CampbellScot's take on Animal Kingdom Lodge*update 6/5*

[Bibbidi]

Miss Cammie, I was suffering major trip report withdrawal--thank goodness you're back and better than ever! Keep it coming

 

[figment52]

Miss Cammie - You have a gift of transporting people right to that sapce and time. Such a wonderful update!

And the best part is there is more and more to come....

I'll be waiting.

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Miss Cammie that update was amazing. It was well worth the wait. I love the part about Sally's first pin trade. Trading pins is so much fun. I can't wait to hear about her other pin trading adventures.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

Miss Cammie, I feel like your TR is like a really addictive book I can't put down...I'm just waiting and waiting for the next chapter!

It's raining here in the sunshine state tonight so your update came at the perfect time!

 

[addictedtothemouse]

Yay, an update before I leave for Disney! Another great one as usual.

 

[D&R love Disney]

Woo hoo an update! Darn those puddles.

Glad you made the best of a nasty night and a big for Sally and pin trading with the stanger CM

 

[Fluffypants]

Just popping in to tell you that I am officially unable to drink a Diet Coke without thinking of you, Miss Cammie!!!

 

[CampbellScot]

Just popping in to tell you that I am officially unable to drink a Diet Coke without thinking of you, Miss Cammie!!!

My plan for world thought domination is working!!!! Diet coke is the key to all!



thanks everyone for the incredibly kind comments. Y'all really make my day!



I hope everyone is having as lovely weather as we managed to get on the East Coast today!!!

 

[CoP Luv]

:
I hope everyone is having as lovely weather as we managed to get on the East Coast today!!!

Lovely weather here too!!!!

 

[jillyb]

Sounds like ya'll had a great night...even with the rain...which is one of the great things about WDW!

We've got a beautiful day here today too and I finally got to enjoy it after being in EOG he$$. I've been a test proctor at my SD's school for the past few days and today I was proctoring the 8th grade reading test. The kids in that class were a handful and I don't envy the teacher at all. I had to soothe my nerves by going immediately to Books-A-Million and browsing and then hitting Starbucks. I'm now drinking an ice cold Diet Coke and all is right with the world! And silly me has volunteered to be a test proctor at DD's school 3 days next week. Glutton for punishment I guess! LOL

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[triplejen]

I hope everyone is having as lovely weather as we managed to get on the East Coast today!!!

Brooklyn here, and we're loving the weather too.

You know what I like to do on a really beautiful day? I like to write new chapters on my ridiculously entertaining trip reports. Honestly, sunshine is so last season. The cool kids are inside writing . . .



-jen

 

[jillyb]

Brooklyn here, and we're loving the weather too.

You know what I like to do on a really beautiful day? I like to write new chapters on my ridiculously entertaining trip reports. Honestly, sunshine is so last season. The cool kids are inside writing . . .



-jen

 

[Fluffypants]

Honestly, sunshine is so last season. The cool kids are inside writing . . .



-jen

Now that you mention it - I could swear I have heard that before!!!!

 

[Dixielady908]

Lovin it Miss Cammie.....

Keep the installments coming....

 

[MouseFan Down Under]

Great update Miss Cammie!

But you better get cracking! Aren't there some sort of rules that say you must finish last year's trip report before you go on this year's trip?!?!? And you wouldn't want to be a rule breaker would you?

 

[DecemberBride]

I haven't commented this TR yet, but I am having a blast reading it! Can't wait to see what else is in store for the CampbellScot's this trip!

 

[LindaBabe]

Oh, Miss Cammie. Such a sweet day.

 

[CampbellScot]

This is sort of a shorty drive by chapter with zero pictures...sorry about that. The next chapter is already in the works and it will be heavily picture laden...promise!!!
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When last we met the Campbellscots had just been informed that Wishes was canceled due to yuck weather.

Oh well. We’d be back tomorrow! And I’m sure we’d back the next night…and the night after that…maybe save one night for Illuminations…but mostly we’d end our days with Wishes if possible.

Because we love it that much!

Our wait for the bus was longer than we’d anticipated. Jay was not happy. Seriously…bus after bus would pull in for all the resorts around us…but no Animal Kingdom Lodge bus to be had. The kids were tired…our feet were wet…and we REALLY wanted to get back to our room. We’d been up since 4:30am.

Dog tired were we.

Within 10 minutes, Teddy was in Jay’s arms dead asleep.

FINALLY after FOREVER…the bus arrived. We weren't able to hop right on to the bus though. We had a bit of a wait to go b/c there was a lady on a scooter that had to be loaded first. She kept apologizing for causing a hold up. Poor lady. She looked embarrassed. We were just glad the bus had arrived. We weren’t complaining.

Other people sure did.

Loudly enough for Sally to hear…

There was a guy behind us with his girlfriend. They were yapping away about how annoying it is to have to wait for…and I quote…"lazy people who don't want to walk” to get loaded on the bus.

I had a very serious urge to turn around and knock their inconsiderate heads together. I mean REALLY. This poor lady was wearing a very complicated brace on her leg. I hardly think she was faking it b/c she didn't feel like walking.

But let me tell y’all…MY outrage was nothing compared to Sally’s!

The fact that she was tired and soggy and at her limit for rude people only added to her fire. Before I could say one word Sally whipped around and said,

“You aren’t supposed to make fun of people with special needs and you don’t have ANY MANNERS!!!”

That’s exactly what she said.

sheesh...ask Sally to trade a pin with a stranger and she's dragging her feet...say something ugly about someone who is sick, injured, or in need of special assistance...Sally will kill you dead with a look! She's so like Jay.

Oh my goodness Sally was a sight to behold. Her eyes were bulged out of her head and her hands were clenched into fists of righteousness. I have absolutely NO doubt whatsoever that she’d have attempted major bodily harm had I not put my arm around her and held her back.

I’m not kidding y’all. Sally was ready to kill.

The rude guy rolled his eyes and the snotty girl he was with went a little valley girl and said,

“Omigawd…whatever. It’s not like she heard us…”

Oh good. That makes it okay. You are the kind of people fond of saying inconsiderate things about others as long as they can’t hear you. That’s class.

So I slapped them around with an eyebrow arch and said, “Well, we did hear you.”

Then I punched the guy in the gut and pulled the snotty rude girl’s hair.

Hard.

Not really…but I wanted to.

(we must NOT embrace violence…but it’s okay to envision it sometimes…)

Before Sally had the chance to spring into attack mode, I turned her around and reminded her…perhaps for the 84,000th time, that we can’t control what other people say and how they behave. All we can do is control ourselves and the way we behave.

Sally’s response to that was, “I think they are the rudest people at DISNEY…except for smokers…”



Jay was having a bit of a laugh. With his arms full of a sleeping Teddy he couldn’t do much else.

His comment was “Did my wild warrior girls take care of business?”



Yes indeed we did!

Seriously...I have been after Sally to understand that being the "morality police" is never going to change the behaviors that vex her so. In fact, preaching at people tends to have the opposite effect...and it can be obnoxious. She's working on it...but sometimes a girl just has to speak up.

I was proud of her!

it's tough to have such deep convictions at the age of nine!



FINALLY we got on the bus. Oddly enough, the rudest couple at Disney did not get on the bus with us.



perhaps they were afraid of being in a small space with Super Sally.

I'd have been...



Sally made a point to smile very sweetly at the lady on the scooter and say to her "We weren't mad for waiting. I hope your leg feels better."

OH that Sally and her need to right the wrongs of the world.

Love her for it.

This sweet lady told us that she'd had knee replacement surgery on both knees a while back and had planned the surgeries so that she'd be healed up in time for the Disney trip with her family. Unfortunately she developed an infection in one of her knees and had to have surgery again. This did not stop her from coming on this trip even though she wasn't healed enough to walk. Since she didn't want anyone to have to push her in a wheel chair she was braving a scooter so she could be in charge of herself.

Now that is my kind of lady!

We wished her a good trip and went to find our seats.

We were able to grab a seat near the back. I sat down and Sally plunked herself down on my lap, even though there was an open seat next to me. She’s done this as long as I’ve known her. I may have something else in my lap, or I’m working on the computer or just sitting reading a book, and Sally will come along and plop into my lap with no preamble whatsoever. Just “Here I am, make room for me!” I’ve learned to work around her for the most part. Of course the bigger she gets, the more difficult that becomes. She’s not trying to stop what I’m doing; she just wants to be on my lap while I’m doing it. Sometimes she’ll bring a book and read to herself quietly while I’m doing whatever. Sometimes she’ll sit for 5 minutes, sometimes for an hour if I let her. It’s a Sally thing. She just needs to connect with someone. In this particular instance she not only sat on my lap but attempted to curl up on it and go to sleep! As I’ve been accused of having “uncomfortable shoulders” I was surprised she wanted to try and use me as a pillow. She solved my bony shoulder problem by balling up her sweatshirt to pad her head. Always has a plan that girl.

She was asleep inside of five minutes.

It was at this moment that I thought of the lovely boat to Wilderness Lodge.

*sniffle*

Change is good.

*sigh*

When we finally arrived at Animal Kingdom Lodge I had the unfortunate task of waking the sleeping Sally. Thankfully Jay stopped me before I did. We swapped kids. I can’t lift Sally at ALL. She is a tall girl and solid. Jay put Teddy down beside me and lifted Sally into his arms. I picked up Teddy…who is also very tall for his age…and carefully made my way off the bus. We must have been a sight…Jay with his big girl and me with long limbs Teddy with his feet nearly down to my knees. The kids were so tired. Jay and I were exhausted as well and we both knew that it would be a lot faster to carry them to our room as opposed to trying to steer half sleeping kids through the hotel, down stairs, wait for elevators and trek down corridors. Better to heft them ourselves!!

I think too that Jay is realizing how little time he has left to lift a sleeping Sally. She isn’t a little girl any more. Jay and Sally have always been very close. When Sally was very little she spent more time with her daddy than anyone else. In light of Sally’s fast approaching young lady-hood, Jay is taking every last moment he can. It always chokes me up.

Like right now.

I am SUCH a sap.

Heading up the incline towards the doors was tricky. I don’t know how I managed it. Teddy was dead weight, totally passed out and making balance a difficult thing to achieve. I had to lean back to find the balance I needed to stay on my feet. Somehow I made it into the lodge. Jay kept calling back to me to be sure I was still in an upright position. We made it all the way to our room without dropping anybody. My arms ached like CRAZY the next day let me tell y’all what!

Jay put a very sleepy Sally down on the bed and I laid Teddy down next to her. Both kids had hit the wall. They were down for the count. Unfortunately for Teddy, he was having a bath before getting into his clean bed. With the falling in the puddle incident just a few hours before, a bath was in order. So while I was getting Sally into her PJ’s, getting her to brush her teeth with her eyes half closed and coaxing her up the ladder to her bed, Jay was giving Teddy a bath. That child didn’t wake up ONCE. Sleeping like a log.

Oh to be a child and capable of true and complete rest.

FINALLY everyone was clean and tucked into their beds.

WHEW.

Jay hopped in the shower first and I turned on the news to see Olympics coverage! I was glad that swimming and gymnastics was over before we came to Disney. I’m a bit of a fanatic about both. I really like Track and Field events…but they’re not as “must see” as gymnastics and swimming! Mostly b/c I've participated in both sports throughout my life. I can live vicariously!

When Jay was done it was my turn to get clean and hop into my pj’s and get myself into BED. We didn’t have an ADR in the morning, but we, meaning mostly me, wanted to be up and out by 9am!

I set out clothes for the kids, checked the park bag, added some things. Then I washed my face, brushed my teeth, obsessed about getting the counter top clean b/c I have a *thing* about toothpaste spit splatter that tends to happen with kids around...Teddy in particular...and I figured a good wipe down of the counter top with the clorox wipes wouldn't hurt!

is that weird?

what?

doesn't everybody do this?

*ahem*

After Jay hollered at me to quit obsessing...which is funny coming from him...hello Pot I'm Kettle...



I got into bed.

It was the end of our very first day of our 10 day vacation that we had been dreaming about for two years. I was a little bit teary as I drifted off to sleep...I was so happy to be here finally. It didn't matter that our room started off gross and smoke filled, or that we lost our Savannah view or that Wishes was canceled or that it was raining. We had actually made it through a year of happenings...of life...and here we were...safe and sound and healthy, all together.

I felt happy...and tired...and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!

up next: A full day at MK and a Pixie Dust Storm!!

 

[AshleyMWC]

Miss Cammie, you had totally made my day with an update! And way to go Sally for putting those mean people in their place. I guess they were afraid to be on the bus with her, indeed! I can't wait to hear about your pixie dust storm in the next chapter!

And wow, look at that ticker of yours count down!!!

 

[jenb1023]

An update!

I am taking a break from work and decided to click on the DIS and there is a Miss Cammie update!

Sorry you had to wait for an AKL bus! Hope transportation got better. We actually had great bus service when we stayed at AKL - we thought it was quicker than WL transportation in most cases.

Good for Sally - how rude those people were! How sweet of Sally to say something nice to the lady. My DD is very empathetic too and I hope she stays that way.

I can't believe Teddy slept through being carried, bathed and put to bed. That is impressive!

What great perspective you guys have to appreciate just being together at WDW and not letting the little bumps in the road get you down.

Looking forward to the next update!