2009: Lost

Who can forget the day Tom Hanks, as a Fedex employee, was riding a jet when it crashed at sea and let him abandoned on a small deserted island. When the storm settled, Tom realized he was all by himself... And lost.

We arrived in the Disney hotel parking lot just moments in front of the plumb of gasoline vapor the trailed behind us. I swung the van into the lot going too fast because I was afraid to slow down and then need to hit the gas again. With a jolt, I hit the breaks to come to an abrupt stop in the van's final resting place.

Everyone in the van shot forward until their seat belts yanked them back into their seats. "We made it!" I cheered.

I looked around the van and rather than celebration, I saw fear on my family's face. So, to lighten the mood I jumped out of the van, dropped to my knees, and kissed the ground. "Dad!" My daughter protested.

Our hotel room at the resort was exactly one quarter of a mile away from the parking lot. This made the room very quiet and peaceful. But with 37 pieces of luggage, it meant a World Gym work-out for me as I made twenty runs to the van carrying giant suitcases, bags, rubber made tubs, coolers, and everything else a modern family of 5 needs to survive for a week. Why did we pack a bicycle?

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom late, but that was OK because it was open until 3am for resort guests, and we had a whole day to catch-up on!

As the evening turned to night, the long drive took its toll and I started to get tired. The family loaded onto the Dumbo Ride, a ride I can't do and keep my super. So, I wandered off to Airil's Cove where I found a comfortable chair. Too comfortable. I fell asleep.

When I woke, the scene looked very different. My family was no longer in line! How long had I been sleeping? What time was it? Was the park still open? Where the busses still running? My family didn't know where I had went and now I didn't know where they were. I was.... Lost! Oh no! I don't like where this is going....

"Holiday Ro oh oh oh oh oh ad.
Holiday Ro oh oh oh oh oh oad."