Anticipation....

“We can never know about the days to come

But we think about them anyway, yay”

-Carly Simon “Anticipation”

Waiting for a flight to Disney at the Buffalo-Niagara Airport, May 2005

 The planning is done, all that’s left is the anticipation.  What will this trip bring?  What new things will we discover and what old stand byes we will relax into?  And the food, can’t wait to Visit Via Napoli again and try some new things as well.  Can’t we just leave already and find out?

Anticipating your trip is the last step before departure, yet it seems like it’s the longest one.  For the obsessive planner (like me), there are no more crowd calendars to go over, dining reservations to make or flight prices to double check.  The hotel is booked and waiting, and now so are you.

It’s an anxious time.  Will it be too hot?  Too crowded?  How much will it rain?  Will the bus be on time at the airport?  What if my flight is delayed? 

Then, you think of seeing the welcome arch over World Drive and the anxiety melts away to excitement.  You can’t wait to grab the Mickey Bar or Dole Whip (or both!) and hop on Space Mountain, different now, but still very reminiscent of the first time you rode it with your brother over 25 years ago.  You want to see what towel animals the mousekeeping staff leaves for you each day.  You look forward to what you know and love and to new adventures you haven’t yet tried.  You can’t wait to share with your kids this place and watch their smiles and laughs fill your vacation.

That mix of looking forward and looking back, excitement and nervousness gets you going through the day.  Then the alarm goes off.

You are ready.  Grab your bags, it’s time to go.

“These are the good old days”