Oy, what a day

This is Jim and me with Sons #2 & #3 at Disney Land two years ago.

What a difference two years make.

I.  Am.  Pooped.  

I.  Am.  Too.  Old.  For.  This.  Stuff.

I think that today may take up two posts.  I learned quite a bit.

But first let me just say, "Thank God for boot casts (& wheel chairs) and the HOV lane!!

We left at 7:00 a.m. today.  I got up at 6:00 but was really not fully awake at 7:00.  Not to worry, the drive to Disney made me wake up -- fully and totally.  I may never sleep again.

Let me just say this, some of the people who drive in this state are NUTS.  Totally and completely nuts.  Crazy.  Suicidal.  Not the brightest crayons in the box.  The attic light's on but nobody's home.  Not playing with a full deck.  Are you getting it?

And I need to point out that I am NOT saying that ALL California drivers are like this (?).  That would make me a state-ist, and though I may live in Texas, I am not that ...... well, not yet.

Again, thank God for the HOV lane because if it weren't for that I'm sure I'd still be sitting on "the 5" heading north.  If you've never heard of "the 5" I bet you could google it and recoil at how horrible it can be!

     Anyway, that was the first thing I learned today.  Out-of-state drivers, beware.

     The second thing I learned is this:  the speed limit of 65 out here is merely a suggestion, not a limit at all.  It took me about 2 minutes (yes, 120 seconds) to figure out that if I drove 65 miles an hour ...... I would be killed.  And I'm not kidding.  I have found the American Autobahn.

I had to drive at least 80 miles an hour just to keep up.  And that was the slow lane!!!!

I knew that if I didn't keep up I'd either be shot or run right over.  These people are serious.

     And the motorcycle drivers --- OH MY GOSH!!!  They do NOT know the rules of the road (I'm really giving them the benefit of the doubt here).  They come up out of nowhere .... really, somewhere out of the twilight zone, where they evidently want to return relatively soon ...... and pass you in YOUR lane!!  They don't use the lanes themselves, they just pass people in theirs.  I don't know how there are not more dead motorcycle riders in this state.  One small swerve of your car and they'd be singing in the choir eternal.

     But, in spite of the terror on the freeway, we made it.  And the boot cast was a great help .... at least, in Disney Land.  Though, if you have to use a wheel chair don't expect to get right on the rides.  You do get to go to the front of the line (mostly through the ride exits, which is pretty much like go upstream against the traffic), but then they make you pay for it a bit by making you wait to get on the ride from there.  So there is a bit of a wait, but it's definitely shorter and it's at least mostly in the shade or air conditioning.  

     Now, when you venture off to California Adventure (the relatively new park next to Disney Land) you will be in for quite a shock.  They don't give two figs if you're in a wheel chair or not.  You have to wait in line with everyone else.  Not only did we wait in line for the biggest roller coaster but then we had to wait an extra amount of time just to get on the ride because of the wheel chair.  Seriously, while we waited in the hot sun to get on in the "wheel chair" section, which was totally after the general line (25 minutes) 4 cars came and went that were full of people who were BEHIND us in the line (and who spent the last part of their wait in the shade).  Of course, I did not take this lying down.  Right before we got on I did pull a "cast member" teenager aside (?!) and told her that it seemed as if my daughter was being punished for being in a wheel chair because we had to wait an extra 25 minutes longer than the people behind us.  She was sympathetic, but she was, after all, a teenager.

But when we got off of the ride she did give us a pass to bypass the line on any ride we chose.

So that was nice.

     The rides were fun.  The day was warm but not as hot as in Houston so no problem.  Although Daughter #2 did get totally fried.  Because none of my children (OK, I can't say none, Daughter #1 would take great umbrage to that comment) use sun screen unless I hold them down and put it on them.  She said that she did put some on this morning, but she must've put it on under her clothes.  I may have to sneak a picture of her to add tomorrow.

I missed Jim a lot today since he was with us the last (and first) time we were here.  Another bittersweet day.

     But I did learn something else today.  There is a couple in our church who take their grandchildren to Disney World when they turn 5 (the grandchildren, not them!).  So each grandchild gets a one-on-one trip with Grandma and Grandpa.  Jim and I thought this was the neatest idea ever.  We thought this would be something we'd like to do.  This was "before".  I did not treasure the idea of doing this on my own now.  Not in the "after" but I thought, "Hey, I probably won't have grandchildren for a while so I guess we'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

     Well, let me just say that there's no stinking way I'm taking a 5 year old to Disney World!  My feet, back, hips, etc. are killing me after only ONE day.  Granted, it was a full day, but I am too old for this.

     So I have decided that when my grandchildren turn 5 ....... I will take them to a movie.

What????!!  I'll let them pick!!