Another year around the sun has passed. I turned (gulp) 48 years old this weekend,
and because of moving I felt all those years.
After unloading the truck, and finding the floor, I decided enough was
enough. It was time to celebrate
birthday at Disney. First was lunch at
Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant. I haven’t
had their chips and salsa since Staci was an infant. They were delicious as I remembered. Afterwards it was off to Disney’s Hollywood
Studios. For the first time, I got to
park my own car and ride the tram. It
was kind of cool to show my annual passholder band and just get told to have a
great day as they waved me through. No parking fees for me now. The tram was fun and arrived quickly. It dropped us off at the entrance.
I am used to hiking from the resort bus stops
LOL the giant tree out in front of the park was beautiful. Once through bag
check I guess I looked suspicious because of course I get randomly picked to go
through metal detectors. I seem to
always get randomly picked LOL finally I was in my element. The décor at Hollywood Studios was glamorous
of course. Star garlands and lights
lined the streets and Christmas music was heard all over the park. We only had one fast pass for the day, so we
just leisurely strolled around. My son
had not been there in years, so it was special for me to have him there with me
that night. Staci and I always go, and
he always declined. He even got into the
spirit and wore a Donald Duck shirt and got one of the lighted necklaces to
wear. We explored and window shopped
until it was time for our ride. I had
scored four fast passes for Toy Story Mania!!!
Staci and I had been on it only once a few years ago, and my son and mom
had never been on. I was so happy to get
passes for it. For those who have not
gotten to experience this treat, it is great.
For the ride guests wear 3D glasses, and ride in a 4-person car, that
spins around from game to game. The
games are reminiscent of classic carnival midway games. The ride que is filled with life size games
that take a person back to the toys of their childhood. Mr. Potato Head, View Master, Barrel of
Monkeys, and Etch-a-Sketch were a few.
Lee and I took one car side, and Staci
and my mom took the other seats. The
shooters had a string attached that you just pulled back on to shoot your
targets. The first game was a practice
round to learn what to do. In it you
threw virtual pies. Next up was Hamm
& Eggs where
Hamm
and Buttercup invite you to knock down both moving and stationary barnyard
animal targets using hardboiled eggs. Then on to Rex & Trixie’s Dino Darts to pop balloons in front of a
bubbling volcano in this game starring Rex and Trixie.
After that was the Green Army Men Shoot Camp where players tossed baseballs
to break plates at a green army men firing range. Next up was Buzz
Lightyear’s Flying Tossers where
he urged players to toss rings and make them land atop the Little Green Men.
Finally, to score major points it was time for
Woody’s Rootin’
Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery
where you shoot suction-cup-tipped darts at a variety of mine-cart targets in
this game inspired by the “Woody’s Roundup” television show. I scored 92,000 points, which I thought was
good until I saw Lee had scored over 140,000 points LOL. We all left laughing, smiling, and
happy. They all loved the game, which
made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. In
addition to the warm fuzzies my old body was aching as so were theirs so we
decided to call it an early night. We
stopped for a Frozen lollipop for Staci on the way out to the trams, and then
made it back home, only getting lost once LOL.
Ten minutes after we got back home there was a knock at the door. Not
expecting anybody, so nervously opened door, and lo and behold a gorgeous yummy
Edible Arrangement from my friends RJ and Megan. It was a perfect ending to the day. I had a great birthday.
disclaimer: I took none of these pics, all were borrowed from google LOL I was having too much fun strolling around, and did not take a single picture.
