DopeyGirl Goes to Disneyland!!! --- DAY 3 PART 1 updated 8/3!!!!! About This Page:

[DopeyGirl]

<font color="green">Woo-hoo!!! I finally finished with the first installment!!! Now . . . it'll probably take me about 2 weeks (maybe less) to finish the second installment, since I will be out of town again, but I PROMISE that once I get back . . . it'll get updated a lot quicker!!! </font>

DAY 1 – June 22, 2005 -- “Everyone neat and pretty? Then on with the show!”

<font color="blue">After a sleepless night . . . OK, so I really got an hour and a half of sleep . . . I was up and sort of at ‘em at about 7:30am. I actually woke up before the alarm but lay there until it went off, then said a couple of curse words at the clock

I ran downstairs to start getting some breakfast . . . only to find Emilie already down there . . . and she’d unpacked about half of my suitcase!!! So, I quickly repacked, got her some breakfast and took a quick shower. All this before 8am!!! For some odd reason, I decided to weigh my big suitcase . . . and it is probably a good thing I did!!! The weight limit for luggage on domestic flights is 50 lbs. . . . my behemoth of a case weighed 58 So, I had to move some things over to Emilie’s already packed full bag, downsize some of our wardrobe and sacrifice my extra duffel bag (for “just in case”). I weighed it again after the reconfiguration . . . exactly 50 pounds!!! WHEW!!!

Emilie was very nice (considering her grouchy start that morning) and helped me clean up the house a little bit (no one likes to come home to a messy house . . . but we did anyways! Stay tuned!) and she helped take out the trash. I told her that for being such a big help that she could have $7 “for something special on our trip”. She still had no idea where we were going so for all she knew, she could have been getting $7 for candy or something!!! &lt;insert evil laugh here&gt;

At about 10:15am, our friend (and kitty sitter) Bill arrived . . . we loaded up his truck with our stuff and headed on our 15 minute ride to the Pensacola airport. Bill parked curbside and unloaded us, then we headed inside to check our baggage and Emilie’s car seat/booster seat in (I had checked us in the day before). I was fearing that TSA would want to hand search the giant suitcase, but thankfully, they only “wanded” our bags and we were sent on our way. If they HAD tried to hand search that case, let me tell you . . . they’d have had a HECK of a time repacking it!!! Once clear of TSA and our bags were fully checked in, we headed up the escalator and into security. I had to take my (no metal included) sneakers off, but Emilie didn’t have to take off hers . . . and she had metal buckles on her sandals. The lady said kids under 12 are not required/allowed to take off their shoes or be physically searched. I had not heard that before!!! Well, whatever . .. we got through without a beep, gathered our stuff, I put my shoes back on and we headed to our gate.

The plane had yet to arrive (with 20 minutes until scheduled boarding time) so we took a seat and waited. The plane was there within about 10 minutes and as soon as it was emptied of the previous flight’s passengers, we were let onboard. We were in row 14, just behind the right wing . . . Emilie was mad because she “can’t see nothin’ through the wing” We took off about 2 minutes late and arrived in Charlotte about 10 minutes early.

As we started to land in Charlotte, I waved at the window . . . Melissa, I told you I would wave from the airport, didn’t I? Our layover was only 56 minutes, so we had just long enough to hit the restroom, grab a bite to eat and get to our gate to scarf it down. We took off right on time and landed in Pittsburgh just a few minutes early.

First thing we did was head to one of those newsstand shops to pay way too much for a couple of Aleve and some Dramamine. I couldn’t find the Aleve I had packed in my carry on bag and I had MAJOR nausea and a huge headache . . . NO FUN!!! I called my mom while we were waiting to board to let her know that we were halfway there and were about to get on our flight to San Diego . . . they were at the USS Midway ship/museum at the time (and I was jealous, since I would have liked to have gone there too! )

We were held at the gate in Pittsburgh for about 10-15 minutes past our take-off time . . . they ha to change out a tire and finish the paperwork on it. Emilie fell asleep before we were even pushed back from the gate!!! That was FINE with me . . . that just meant that I could also get some sleep . . . and maybe get rid of the headache!!!</font>


I have NO idea how that girl can sleep like that!!!

<font color="blue">We had a LONG 4 hour 15 minute flight across the country . . . we slept some, watched “The Incredibles” . . . </font>


From the plane, getting ready to land in San Diego . . . the top is two of the intersecting Interstates and the bottom is part of Balboa Park (the Aerospace museum is at the bottom right corner)

<font color="blue">. . . and finally landed in San Diego at 8pm!!! I was SO excited I could hardly wait to get off the plane!!!

Mom and Dad were standing just outside of security waiting for us and Emilie literally dropped everything she had and ran when she saw them!!! I picked up her stuff and we made our way down to baggage claim. We waited for about 15 minutes for the bags to start coming out . . . and about another 15-20 until ours finally came out!!! Ours were among the VERY last to come out . . . figures!!!

Bags in hand, we made the trek out to what seemed like the furthest parking lot from the terminal . . . and started on our way to the Holiday Inn Express San Diego-Sea World Area. But . . . we did make a slight side trip along the way, to . . . yep, you guessed it . . . In-N-Out Burger!!! (Did I not tell you guys that I would demand that stop be made before we got back to the hotel? We’d been in town less than an hour and I was already at In-N-Out!!!)



After inhaling a cheeseburger, fries and diet coke (as well as about ¾ of Emilie’s burger), we watched the fireworks coming from Sea World from our window.



Our hotel was only about a mile from Sea World! Once the fireworks were over, Emilie had a bath, we all changed into our PJ’s and passed out!</font>


COMING UP NEXT: Animals &amp; Memories