Some days do not go as planned and yesterday was one of those days. A Sunday, in August, with a planned destination of the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort.
I checked the weather in the morning--a slight chance of rain around 4:00 pm. No worries, we'll be home by then.
The husband made egg, sausage, cheese on English muffins sandwiches and wrapped them in foil along with a baggie of sliced apples while I showered and dressed. We'll eat in the car. Off we went around 11:00 am as the sky loomed dark in the distance. On our way, the rain started and by the time we were rounding the last bit of roadway to the Magic Kingdom, torrential rains were straining the windshield wipers.
Scanned our MagicBand to at the parking toll booth and made our way to the parking lot. Interestingly, the parking lot was missing the team of parking guides in their yellow vests, and we snagged a spot one space away from the tram lane. We weren't the only ones holed up in our cars waiting for the rain to subside. And, it gave me more time to finish breakfast.
In the 30 minutes we waited, the cars around us began to empty as guests decided to brave the elements and give it a go. Children wailed as they were put into strollers and covered with plastic tarps. Since we had not prepared for rain, we decided to head back home, but by way of the gas station to fill up the car. Alas, I needed to cancel our park reservation for the day. After finagling with the MyDisneyExperience app and checking an email, I realized I had made the park reservation for the day prior! And, I didn't cancel it! I can just hear Disney saying "tsk tsk" while wagging a finger like the cap peddler in the children's book, Caps for Sale.
Using another app, Upside, that earns cash back for gas, I claimed a deal at a nearby gas station and off we went. Tip: The gas station right outside Magic Kingdom is on Upside!
With a full tank of gas and full bellies, we headed home and set into household chores. There is always laundry and the husband brought out the stepstool and cleaned the lanai's ceiling fan blades. The afternoon whirred on with activity and conversation.
By evening, we settled on the lanai to play cards, a favorite setting with a favorite activity. Our lanai is on a corner and ground level. Trees, bushes, various wheeled machines, water, walkers, other lanais, and animals are within our purview. A family that lives across the street and uses their screened door as their main entrance waves and says hello often. Their son graduated from high school this last spring and is off to college in Gainsville. Yes, I know all of this from across the street waves, activity, and conversations. The mom had gone out for a jog and came back to find the door locked. I hollered, "Do you need to use my phone?" She replied thank you but no--someone was coming to let her in. A few moments later, the young son came across the street with a bag of Guatemalan coffee to give as a gift. How sweet! We had another visitor, too. A raccoon limped across the street, back leg injured and walked right by our lanai door. Add this to other animals that have visited us right outside our door--rabbits, a turtle, a possum, and squirrels. I would say all the birds and lizards, too, but they are more like homesteaders.
Pivoting and perspective are great tools for a day that doesn't go as planned!
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