Sign Up Night

It's midnight.  Kirk's leave starts now, and we are eligible to put our names on the lists for Germany, Italy, and anywhere else the military flies.

Hard to believe that we are actually doing this!  Scary and exciting and caution to the wind all at the same time.

I think the uncertainty of the whole trip is getting to me, though.  In the wee hours this morning, I dreamed that all 5 of us were at Disney World and trying to get on the last Haunted Mansion ride of the night.  We saw the cast member starting to rope off the queue line, so we started running, shouting, "Wait! Wait! We want to ride it!" and he motioned for us to come on.  We were rushing into the main chamber when my flip flop came off.  Kirk and the kids went on in, and I stopped to put it back on, but the door began to shut and the floor drop down, so I didn't make it in.  Another cast member waited with me to go in as soon as I could, and I stepped into the dark room that stretches, but it tilted sideways, and I started slipping.  All of a sudden, I had a vision of me being on the ride at night by myself and getting locked in the Haunted Mansion, and I began to panic.  So I woke myself up.

If this all works out, it will be a miracle, but with Disney in mind, here is what I'm thinking.  The first time we went to Disney World, the whole thing was an adventure.  We had never been there before.  We didn't know what was in the parks or what it was like to meet characters or what a character meal was like.  We had to let go of what we thought SHOULD happen and just enjoy the ride.  We didn't make it to Epcot the first time around.  Sure it is a cool park, but we were enjoying the Magic Kingdom.  Epcot would have to wait.  We had fun in the moment, whether it was meeting Peter Pan or waving napkins at breakfast in Chef Mickey's or watching a parade.

Same with this trip.  We may not get to Europe.  We may only see Switzerland if we do.  We will certainly experience things we've never seen before.  We are flying Space Available.  We are carrying everything we need in backpacks.  We are winging it, with no guarantees, no reservations, and no agenda.  And THAT is the trip.