Girl-tastic Magic Kingdom Day! (Part 2)

We had a little lunch picnic after our visit with Belle. Jessie and I had some organic chicken salad from the deli where she works. Riley had an Uncrustable, some honeydew melon, goldfish crackers and fruit snacks for desert. We all stayed hydrated throughout the day thanks to our filtered water bottles, complementary cups of ice throughout the park and water fountains. After lunch it was time for our final pre-booked fast pass: visiting with Rapunzel and Cinderella!

A wonderfully enthusiastic young man greeted us as we approached the fast pass entrance. He confirmed that we did have a fast pass for Rapunzel and Cinderella. They have different princesses on the other side. He was so excited for us it was adorable and he told us to be sure and look for Pascal. We loved that idea! Then we hopped in the deceptively short line(did I say that right? The line looked super long, but it was actually kind of ridiculous how short it was).

Riley got one passing glance at the glass slipper in the case before we were in the room! So excited!! The young lady in the room was sweet too. She asked if we were having a girls day. Which of course we were. When I laughed about leaving the boys at home so we could have some princess time she asked where the boys were today. I answered with a Cheshire Cat grin, "work and school!" Then she asked where we were from and guessed that it was a day trip. Then we discussed how good Pascal is at hide and seek. Prepare yourself for heart bursting adorable-ness:

Riley took Blondie's hand and exclaimed "You're my FAVORITE princess!" to which she replied "Oh! Best. Day. Ever." it was amazing. They compared hair and discussed hair treatments. Rapunzel noticed every detail of Riley's outfit and was very flattered. It was hands down our best character interaction of the day. Once everybody had let their hair down we were ready to see Cinderella!

At some point Cinderella invited Riley to the castle to visit which thrilled her. They chatted so much, so intimately I heard very little, but as we were leaving Roo stopped in her tracks and called back over her shoulder that Cinderella could "come play at my house anytime, it's no problem!"

After the princesses we grabbed a fast pass for Buzz and popped into to Phil-Har-magic! After that we were informed that a storm was rolling in and the parade was canceled so we hopped a boat around the small, small world!

After Small World we posed for some pictures and headed off to see our favorite red headed part time sea dweller.

After a perfectly lovely visit with Ariel (including Riley singing her "Part of Your World") we were off to Tomorrow Land to use our Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin Fast passes. Watch out evil alien minions of Zurg!

I used the wheelchair car and rolled right in which was cool because I'd never done that before. It was raining pretty hard at this point so they let us go a second time! It was awesome. After we shot up those aliens we ducked in next door at the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. It was fun, but more something the boys would be into then Riley. Then we ran across to Stitch's Great Escape in the cold, cold rain. It was a good call! No wait at all. Both my kids LOVE Stitch! I knew however "scary" this deal was Roo would love it anyway because she's not afraid of Stitch. When Stitch started causing trouble Roo piped up "Oh! Stitch is gonna be in big trouble!" It was hilarious. Plus when he sneezed on us she exclaimed "Eww!" and then laughed her little head off. Good stuff!

After that we marched our soggy selves around looking for something sweet. I got a White Rabbit White Chocolate Cake Cup! After which we cowered under the tiny awning as the rain became torrential. Finally, we made a (limping on one good tire) run across to the teacups. It was quite the ordeal and we looked as if we'd jumped in a pool with our clothes on. Every one of us drenched. Once we made it into a tea cup they let us ride 3 times in a row (because everyone who wasn't insane was inside somewhere). They probably would have let us do a 4th time, but I was too dizzy. That made me feel super old. I have to say the teacups during a storm are AWESOME.

That my friends was the end of our Disney day. We hopped from covering to covering back to the car and changed into dry clothes. Miss Roo was out before we got out of the parking lot. Despite the weather we had an awesome day! I will cherish every moment. If you have to end up living back where you grew up, close proximity to theme parks is certainly a plus!

Passed out in dry Disney clothes with Pascal in one hand and a little golden book of Cinderella face down on her lap.

Drip, Drip, Drop Little April Showers

Let's talk in-climate weather logistics. Honestly, since I rarely used a mobility device unless I was post surgery growing up, I guess it wasn't an issue. The first time I remember rain being an issue was in college when I was suddenly had to traverse a vast, hilly campus on wheels. Obviously, holding an umbrella was not an option while pushing my wheelchair up hills slick with rain so mostly I'd bundle up in my winter coat with my hood up.

Later, I suffered the standard how-do-I-get-the-baby-and-groceries-inside-the-house conundrum. I wasn't still using mobility devices on a regular basis. I just wished I had more hands (don't we all). When I had to carry a baby and an umbrella I was ok, but getting her and I into the car dry was always tricky. I started arranging the umbrella between the door and car roof so I had both hands free to get her situated. It meant a dry baby and mostly dry mommy. Usually, I'd get rain trickling down my back a bit before I could get in.

I'm not complaining. I don't mind being a little damp. I just wanted to give you a frame of reference. Now several years after the baby and a few major surgeries later I'm on crutches outside the house. Aside from not easily being able to manage an umbrella there's the crutches on a wet surface issue. I can't count the number of times I've had my crutches go out from under me in opposite directions on wet ladies room floor, or on a puddle-ly sidewalk. A crutch on water is like stepping on a banana peel. I've never (knock on wood) been injured seriously, but it always scares me to pieces. One-a these days Alice, broken hip!

The other issue is that anyone with bad joints or any inclination towards inflammation isn't a fan of what rain does to their body. It never used to bother me much, but I grew up and got hit by a bus. Ever since the bus, rains hurts. It doesn't always take me out of circulation, but I always feel it to some degree.

These days, I ditch one of my crutches if I can because lopsided-ness is worth umbrella coverage. I really don't care about getting wet at all, except that it makes the joint pain worse. Wet equals cold, cold equals muscle tension. I try to keep my joints warm and keep my physical activity mid-level to minimum. I take fish oil twice a day to help my joints and minimize the need for anti-inflammatories. I try to get in for regular messages and stretch often, but it doesn't always work. Best case scenario is obviously to stay in, but let's get real kids have to get to school and errands must be run even on a rainy day. I keep an eye out for puddles so I don't slip, but things happen. Mostly, I try not to be too rough on myself if the rain throws a wrench in my to do list. Luckily, I know a little girl with pink kitty rain boots who's usually up for cuddle when the rain wins.