After what seemed like hours, but was only about 30 minutes, I received a text from Tee telling me she was at the gate. We rounded up our stuff and headed over to her baggage carousel. We left grumpy DH with our bags, and Hoot & I headed over to the bottom of the escalator. It had been since November since we'd see Tee, but we have pictures and he talks to her on the phone, so I was interested to see if he could pick her out of a line up, or escalator down, if you will.
It took Hoot a little bit to spot her, but he did and he was very excited. Only Tee was talking like a madwoman to no one inparticular. This is when we devised the no Bluetooth rule. It turned out that Bryan had just called her from Africa and they had the best connection that they'd had for his entire trip! Soon, the call was over and Hoot was able to get his hug. Hoot & Tee, together again.
We loaded into the rental car (an Impala with New York plates that proved to help with identification) and we were on our way! Lunch was our first order of business and we'd picked out Steak N Shake because we don't have one at home. We went right to the one on Orange Blossom Trail and it wasn't busy at all. That was a good thing.
Hoot was an absolute nightmare at Steak N Shake. He refused to sit down, refused even a milkshake, and did something he's never done in public before: HE BOLTED! The bubblegum machines near the entrance had really struck his fancy and after the first time he bolted to it, it was all I could do not to strike his fanny! So, we walked outside and sat on a bench and had a long talk about manners and what was expected behavior. He was calm and collected when we got back to the table, but it didn't last five minutes. Not even Tee could entice him into decent behavior. I guess my steakburger was good. I'm not sure. It was a blur. Maybe I chewed.
Back in the rental car, we set off in search of a Target. I had $110 in gift cards so I could purchase the McLaren Volo that we would use on the trip. Of course, I was supposed to search the product on line before we left so I would know which store had them in stock and have directions, but again, that whole panic shut down thing scores another run. Eventually, we realize that we aren't finding a Target on Orange Blossom Trail, so we head over to one across from the Holy Land. Just before we arrive, we notice that Hoot has nodded off in his booster seat! Can I get an AMEN! So, I quietly sneak out of the car to get the stroller while Tee circles the parking lot. Alas, that Target was sold out.
Our next order of business was to stop at the Character Warehouse Outlet for all the marked down Disney merchandise, but you gotta let sleepin' Hoots lie. So, we headed down to the one nighter hotel, the Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort and Convention Center.
I had won this hotel on a Priceline bid of $30 for each room. I wouldn't exactly say this was a great resort, but it was fine for one night. Ramada recently acquired it, and it is an older property. I doubt that Ramada leaves it as is for very long. The land and location has to be worth much more than the revenue this place can generate as is. It was a ghost town, and I didn't even drag out the camera for a single shot.
After dumping our luggage and leaving the boys behind to swim, Tee & I set off again on the great stroller hunt. We found a Super Target, and even though they didn't have the stroller, we went ahead and bought water, breakfast foods, and snacks for the week. It was a quick but enjoyable shopping experience, and I really miss having a Super Target back home.
I snagged the stroller at the next Target down the road, and we headed back to pick up the boys for dinner. When I entered the hotel room, (we were on the ground floor) Hoot was all atwitter. They'd had a good swim, and when they returned to shower, there was a fat frog behind our toilet. I asked to see the frog, but it had already been released into the wild.
After checking Tee's bathroom, at Hoot's insistence, for fat frogs, we all loaded up to cross that magic line onto Disney property! Downtown Disney was our destination, and we couldn't wait! I was super excited. We would eat at the Earl of Sandwich, let Hoot ride the little train and carousel, and do some shopping. Or that was the plan, anyway...
Up next: In the battle of Boy vs Man, Momma wins!
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