PatsyAnn - April 2006

May 6th:
MK- It was our last park day and I had them out the door early. In fact my mother looked at her watch and said to Derek, "It is only 5 minutes passed 7:00!" We arrived at the Magic Kingdom and got in line for the Character meals. Mom asked what time the park opened and I responded 9:00 am. She just laughed and knew that there was another surprise in store. We walked down Main Street to the Crystal Place. - Have I mentioned how much I love an empty Main Street. - When they let us in all of the servers gathered and wished PatsyAnn a happy 70th Birthday. Our table was decorated with streamers and Mickey confetti; I reached in my bag and pulled out Tigger themed party hats and horns. We were all set for a grand birthday meal. The buffet was so tasty, I love the French Toast. Tigger arrived and presented her a cupcake and birthday card, while the servers sang. Mom was just overwhelmed. And as we were about to leave the "It's My Special Day" parade began. PatsyAnn quickly joined in and thought that we were right behind her. She truly got the giggles when she saw us sitting and laughing as the parade went by.

After the parade it was a quick bathroom stop and then she was informed that she couldn't have her pins until we finished Fantasyland. We went to Dumbo and were hit with a small line. But I wanted my mom to ride it all. And I wanted to ride it with my Mom. Afterwards we hit Peter Pan for a second time this trip. This is a favorite of mine. Next we crossed over to It's A Small World. This is mom's favorite and she cried through the end of it. Cinderella's Carousel was next. This proved to be a very disappointing ride for Mom as she couldn't get on a horse and had to ride in the elaborate bench. From there we headed to Pooh- we ate with Tigger and gang so we had to ride it for a second time. We all love the bouncy Tigger parts. Derek was getting antsy about getting to Tomorrowland. I forgot that we still had a couple of his favorites to hit there CoP and TTA. I decided that Space Mountain needed to be first. My mother has been gearing herself up to this ride all week. (Actually I think that she has been thinking about this since we invited her on this trip back in February.) She passed on it on other trips to MK and really just wanted to do it. She talked with a 9 yo on the bus all about it, her friends encouraged her to do it when we meet them at Boma, and Derek and I said you rode RRC and survived this is a breeze. Well she did it! Hip, Hip, Hooray! Afterwards we enjoyed the Carousel of Progress. This is a favorite of Derek's and my mother loved it. She walked out and said I remember all of those things! Next we took a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I made a point to do SM before this because I thought she might chicken out after seeing the glimpse of it on this ride. She was thankful that I did that. With Tomorrowland all done it was time to see Cinderellabration. This is a good show, but I wish that Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters were in it. (Yes I love my villains and these ladies are still out there in OnceUponATime World, aren't they?) After the show Derek took me aside and gave me a very special gift which I will treasure forever.

We regrouped and headed to the Haunted Mansion. The three of us crammed into one doombuggy. It was a thrill to ride this ride with my mom. We just kept laughing about that tantrum that I had when we were there last and I was 5yo. (side note: Matthew I know that you will take your Uncle Tony on a 70th Birthday trip for the same reason!) After the ride we ate at Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn. This was the first burger that my party had all week! And we loved them. But this furthers the point that WDW food isn't about eating burgers and fries. Then we went to the Hall of Presidents. All enjoyed this and marveled at Disney's ability to make them look so real. Derek and I joked about looking forward to seeing a new president up there and questioned a CM how long it took to get the new president up there. She said that it happened fairly soon after the inauguration. We had some time to kill before the parade so we rode Buzz Lightyear Spin again and mom really got the hang of the gun this time. Then we returned to the hub and watched the parade. What a great parade! Mom found some special new characters this trip. Of course Tigger will always be her favorite to her, but she had wonderful moments with Donald and the Fairy Godmother. I love seeing an adult believe in the magic of Disney. Lastly it was a ride on the Tea Cups for Derek and I and a look at Pooh's Playful Spot. We walked down Main Street and headed for Tony's for dinner. They did a great job with the table and the food was great. And the salute to Pasty Ann's 21st Birthday was a riot. Before we left I walked us over to the train Station so We could glance on last time down Main Street at the castle.

We arrived at Pop and started getting ready for our night out. Mom kept asking if we would rather go alone we refused and giggled to ourselves. As we walked through Westside of DownTown Disney I talked with Derek and Patsy Ann about the importance of ending the week with a bang. I pointed at the Cirque du Soleil tent and told them that is our bang. I don't think mom had any idea what she was in for. Well all of us were very pleased with show and PatsyAnn hasn't stopped talking about it since. The music, the costumes, the magic, it is all amazing. The flying man and the little girls are my favorites. After the show we headed to the Marketplace to get a puzzle that we had seen early in the week and to stop at Goofy's Candy Store. Then it was off to Pop for some sleep and then some major packing.

May 7th:
We were up and packing and de-decorating the room early so that we would have some time at Everything Pop before we left. Magic Express was just great and the flight home was pleasant.

Notes on extra magic:
Every day Mom awoke to find a message from a character about some event that would happen that day. Throughout the week she was given small birthday presents wrapped up in Tigger gift wrap. Most of these were pins which was good because she became quite the pin trading fiend. Every single meal was a surprise to her in regards to location and cuisine. And throughout the week Derek presented my mother with Disney birthday cards from her friends and family. It was a thrill to see all of the different messages and Disney memories that people had included. It was also a way to get others to participate in her Disney Celebration. These cards also turned into a great way to pass the time while waiting for a bus or show to begin. I also want to mention our wonderful MouseKeeper who painted a flower and birthday message on our hotel window as well as creating some really cute towel animals.

Final thoughts:
It has been a dream of mine to share Disney World with my mom again. I was too scared of everything the first time we went and I owed her this trip. All I wanted was to show her a good time and give her a break from her busy life at home. I know that I succeeded. We all learned a lot about each other and never had a bad moment. The days followed our trip were very difficult for my family. I know that spending a week feeling and knowing that she was number one, helped her, Derek and I pass from one of the best weeks to one of the worst weeks in our lives. My message to you is treasure your Disney moments, share them when you can, and ride every ride-Space Mountain and Dumbo!!!

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