Orlando: Part One

This week Dad’s annual AAO meeting is taking place in Orlando. On occasion I like to tag along for his meetings, especially when they are taking place near the happiest place on Earth.

In typical Dad style we did not fly a very direct route to MCO but rather a route that maximized miles. We went from Eugene to Portland to Washington Dulles to Orlando. Needless to say this took the better part of day Wednesday. Thursday Dad wanted to rest up before the start of his meetings. And as we all know, I never mind sleeping in. When I woke up around noon I was told my tech support skills were needed. Unfortunately the Grand Lakes Marriott Viista does not allow anyone to print anything on a USB anywhere its grounds, and its grounds are HUGE. I eventually was able to secure what I needed with Jason’s help through a few emails and six dollars of computer usage fees.

After finishing the necessary paperwork for Dad and Mom, Dad wanted to go to the conference center to register and pick up his supplies. By the time we finished this task it was after 5 PM. Our next stop was FINALLY the happiest place on Earth aka Disney World and more specifically Mickey’s Not So Spooky Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom.

Mickey’s party is an evening at the Magic Kingdom requiring a special admission ticket that gives extended hours and the ability to trick-or-treat around the park. Party goers are also are encouraged to dress in costume. It was amazing how many people did. One of my favorite ladies dressed as Miss Piggy in scrubs. The best part was that she was pushing Kermit in a wheelchair. The funny part is that there was no one in the Kermit costume. He was just a VERY large doll. We decided this was a brilliant way for this woman to cut all the lines. There was also a family dressed as The Incredibles. The picture of them below is blurry but you get the idea of who cool this family seemed to be. Finally the last picture below shows our haul of candy for the evening.







Mom, Dad and I didn’t end up getting home from Mickey’s party until 1:30 AM. This was less than ideal since I had to leave for the airport at 5:30 AM to catch a flight and I hadn’t yet packed a bag. Regardless the evening was boat loads of fun and well worth the fatigue that was likely to bite.