The title of this trip report comes from a collection of essays written by the very talented late writer, David Foster Wallace. He is best-known for his book Infinite Jest which is as well-known for its length and complexity as its genius (I haven't read it). The collection of essays (which I have read) is named A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. The title essay is about his experience on a cruise ship and, as someone who isn't 100% sure I'm sold on cruising, made me laugh out loud. In the case of my trip report, the "supposedly fun thing" in question refers to our experiences on the Auto Train. But more on that later....
Let me first introduce the Cast of Characters on this trip. There were 7 of us and we left our home in the suburbs of New York City early on Saturday, August 24th. We had t-shirts made - one with each of the 7 dwarves - and tried to match personality with the dwarf.
Doc - That's me. Amanda. I just turned 42 years old and I am, in fact, a practicing physician. I'm a huge Disney fan and a dedicated runner (and runDisney fan). I am chief trip planner and organizer.
Sleepy - My husband, Tom. He likes his naps. He's a 44 year old physician who likes to pretend that I'm the Disney fan in the family but we all know the truth....
Dopey - Nathaniel, age 9. He's not Dopey at all but decided that he wanted that dwarf. He's an aspiring black belt in tae kwon do and a gifted artist and musician. He can be a tortured artist at times and is probably the biggest "unknown factor" in any family occasion.
Sneezy - Jessica, age 7. She has the worst seasonal allergies of anyone I know so this seemed appropriate for her. Unless Jessica is overtired, she's an easy-going child who is fun to take anywhere. She does everything - flute, ballet, soccer, lacrosse, tae kwon do, basketball, softball, Brownies, hip hop, etc.
Happy - Zachary, age 5. Zachary is generally a happy child. He wakes up (early!) with a big smile on his face. He's a huge Disney fan and always wants to know when we are returning. He has mild Cerebral Palsy which affects his motor skills. He walks and runs and jumps but tires quickly. We have used stroller = wheelchair to help him enjoy Disney.
Grumpy - Popsie, my step-dad. Steve (or Popsie to the kids) joined us on this trip. He's been struggling a bit since we lost my mom suddenly over Christmas and my siblings and I have been getting him to travel to help him. He's a very pleasant travel companion, most of the time.
Bashful - Karin, our nanny. She isn't really shy at all but we were down to our last dwarf. Karin is our wonderful Brazilian nanny who had never been to Disney. She's super hard working and very good with the kids.
Amanda
Let me first introduce the Cast of Characters on this trip. There were 7 of us and we left our home in the suburbs of New York City early on Saturday, August 24th. We had t-shirts made - one with each of the 7 dwarves - and tried to match personality with the dwarf.
Doc - That's me. Amanda. I just turned 42 years old and I am, in fact, a practicing physician. I'm a huge Disney fan and a dedicated runner (and runDisney fan). I am chief trip planner and organizer.
Sleepy - My husband, Tom. He likes his naps. He's a 44 year old physician who likes to pretend that I'm the Disney fan in the family but we all know the truth....
Dopey - Nathaniel, age 9. He's not Dopey at all but decided that he wanted that dwarf. He's an aspiring black belt in tae kwon do and a gifted artist and musician. He can be a tortured artist at times and is probably the biggest "unknown factor" in any family occasion.
Sneezy - Jessica, age 7. She has the worst seasonal allergies of anyone I know so this seemed appropriate for her. Unless Jessica is overtired, she's an easy-going child who is fun to take anywhere. She does everything - flute, ballet, soccer, lacrosse, tae kwon do, basketball, softball, Brownies, hip hop, etc.
Happy - Zachary, age 5. Zachary is generally a happy child. He wakes up (early!) with a big smile on his face. He's a huge Disney fan and always wants to know when we are returning. He has mild Cerebral Palsy which affects his motor skills. He walks and runs and jumps but tires quickly. We have used stroller = wheelchair to help him enjoy Disney.
Grumpy - Popsie, my step-dad. Steve (or Popsie to the kids) joined us on this trip. He's been struggling a bit since we lost my mom suddenly over Christmas and my siblings and I have been getting him to travel to help him. He's a very pleasant travel companion, most of the time.
Bashful - Karin, our nanny. She isn't really shy at all but we were down to our last dwarf. Karin is our wonderful Brazilian nanny who had never been to Disney. She's super hard working and very good with the kids.
Amanda