| "Everything in red is mandatory" | "As long as this is flashing, I'm the boss!" |
"There will be a test!" |
| "Now take all the papers out of the left pocket of your packets" "Put those papers back into the right pocket -- we're not there yet!" |
 |
"You weren't paying attention" "Now let me see... it's going to be at Goofy's Kitchen, now what character might that be?" |
| "There are RULES you know!" | "I hope everyone has read their book!" |
"Ruthie, don't lose your pass." |
As the planner/coordinator/boss/goddess, Shirley's unofficial title among the ranks kept changing throughout the trip:
The Mouse Representative
The Mouse Captain
The Mouse Master
The Mouse Queen
The Mouse Tsar
Basically, the rest of us just did what we were told, and no one got hurt!
Everyone enjoyed the mandatory breakfast at the Storytellers Cafe
(even if we did have to get up early....)
Joanne and Ruthie have a visitor during the mandatory dinner at Goofy's Kitchen
Of course, Minnie had to pose with the birthday girl, too!
Dave, Joanne and Jon try to be "practically perfect" by keeping
their pinkys in the air during the mandatory Mary Poppins tea
The whole gang played dress-up with Mary Poppins, too!
Another requirement was mandatory participation in Shirley's haiku contest.
We were allowed to write on three topics: Birthday, Christmas, or Disney.
Here are a few of our better samples:
| Birthday vacation Disneyland -- get up early! Why can't we sleep in? |
Birthdays, years, aches, pains Bodies must show their aging But not our spirits |
| (This one is titled "Autopia") My sweet Lord, oh my Oh, hurry Shirley, hurry fix the seatbelt now |
Hippos we arrived Rode them all and left reborn As Tigers we leave |
| You are old, so old Not a baby anymore But still a whiner |
Happy merry fun Twisting, turning, screaming rides Stomach rolling 'round |
Poor Mary Ann lost her voice during the trip!
Unfortunately, er, thankfully she was the only Ulrey so afflicted...
But it was all worth it.
The dazzling Christmastime facade at
it's a small world made us all feel like kids again!
Thanks for including us, Shirley.
We had a great time!