Thursday, May 27

Its not officially summer yet, but it sure feels that way with the heat and humidity this week, the rain, the bugs and the amount of flesh exposed at the check-out counter of the grocery store. Summer has always ranked top among the seasons for me. It is the season of my birth, of lounging, of comfortable disarray, of nudity and fun.

Around my place the thermostat is set at 83 so work clothes are quickly replaced by shorts and t-shirts that read "Relax" and "Exceedingly Cool" the moment I walk through the door. Alex is onto it. She's slipped into kick-back mode and lingers outside a little longer each day. There have been requests for watermelon and popsicles, campfires and smores and of course swimming. Alex's Aunt Bea, who is just two years older than her and slowly moving into our house one long weekend at a time, pulled out the water guns last Sunday that still smell of chlorine and sunscreen.

After Memorial Day there will be 2 more school days left and I will be done with my old elementary school for the second time in my life. Summer is near, and I can't help but reveal in the long, hot, sticky days. Days that stretch passed 8:00 before they end in the blink of an eye. Days that are filled with lemonade and fresh air and long lazy walks in the park. But there are things to be done. I'm not wasting time.

***************************************************************

So I wrote all of that last night in between throwing last minute books into our summer reading piles and obsessively checking my email in anticipation of the arrival of my Walt Disney World Itinerary. This is the first time we have gone to Disney in the summer in over five years so while I'm excited to be going, I'm also nervous about crowds and heat and our advanced reservations. If you don't make reservations to eat at a sit down restaurant 180 day in advance of your trip, all the available tables at not hamburger serving establishments will magically disappear. Its a fact. That is why we sat down six months ago and fought over where to eat when and with what. That is why I emailed our travel agent before Christmas with our list of restaurants, and then called to verify they had received the request. And then called again to double triple check, and then emailed just to be sure. I know the list we sent in. I know our agent received said list. So I am REALLY trying not to freak out about the fact that not only was one of our requested restaurants not on our itinerary, but it is one of the hardest to get places. It is the place my mom wanted to go. Its the place she has been talking about all year. That place, the Brown Derby, is not a restaurant you can just walk into.

I have emailed our travel agent with an..."um... I'm assuming you just forgot to type this one in your email, but it is really and truly sitting there somewhere on your system..." toned note because that is what I'm really and truly trying to believe. I'm going with that idea for now, and if its false, I really hope she reads that and then spends her day on the phone with the Mouse trying to squeeze us in somehow. I really hope she does that before she emails me back because I would rather have her lie and say.. oops just kidding!... than have her be up front and put me through the agony of uncertain reservation hell. But now, as I'm writing this, I'm thinking I should also call because its been a good 5 minutes and I haven't heard back.


UPDATE: CRISES AVOIDED. She did have the reservations or by some miracle got them today. I didn't ask for details. And I'm leaving in a week... not sure if I will post again before that though...

*** Yes, we use a Disney certified travel agent because I have been to the World so many times that the magic of dealing with Central Reservations and WDW-DINE has warn off. ***

2 comments:

The Bug said...

83??? I would be a raving lunatic! We keep it on 77 for day & then turn it down to 72 or so for night. It's the hot flashes :)

Hope your reservation works out!

Amy said...

Katy, I share your love of Summer - I call it going into "the Summer mode" which means being active in the morning (walking, gardening, cleaning, errands) and then doing basically nothing in the hot afternoons. Sitting by the pool reading or watering the garden with a dip here and there - heaven!

It's good to know about Disney World and the need for reservations. I can see us going there one day with our grandson (he's only 15 mo old). Have a wonderful trip and be sure to share when you return.