Aurora's Blog

Greetings from the Greyhound bus.

As I’m heading to my 5th city in 4 weeks, I thought I’d catch up on some odds and ends that got pushed to the side by other posts.

Remember Becky –  Marty’s absolutely lovely mother who had compliment time and everything? (Golly, she’s so sweet.) On one of the days we went to Disney, we learned that she is a hula-hooping champion! (Seriously, she won a contest, hula-hooping hooped for 40 minutes straight.) She showed us her skills in a hula-hoop area (which I didn’t know existed) in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

And don’t even get me started on how fun the Toy Story ride is. You shoot virtual things at various screens throughout the ride. I usually hate virtual stuff, but I love anything in which trying to win is involved. Marty pretty much kicked everyone’s butt at this game. I could’ve easily, literally done nothing but that ride all day until I played it like a boss.

Do you know how Wendy and Marty like to start the morning? They like to drink smoothies and watch Jeopardy!! I am obsessed with game shows. (I totally avidly read Ken Jennings’ blog…and subscribe to his weekly trivia email. I may or may not be sort of a nerd.)

Fact time: I’ve been on a game show – 1 vs 100. If you’re bored one day, feel free to play “Where’s Aurora?”, seeing if you can spot me in the crowd. Heads up: The group I was part of was the Mensa members, so the show had me wear glasses. (Funny, right?) You can watch a few episodes here. (Episode 3 is my favorite.)

[Edited to add: Later, I was also on Price is Right.]

Annnnnnyway, back to the super fun Florida rental house, we also had a great time doing fun puzzles. What I mean by that, is usually Wendy (and sometimes others) would be doing all the hard work. I’d put in about 10 pieces, as though I was really helping. Even if you put in one piece, you get to sign the back of the puzzle when it’s finished.

We left a puzzle for whoever stays there next, and now it has our secret messages for them on the back. They’ll have to put the puzzle together to read them. (Spoiler alert: The messages aren’t that secret. They basically say that Wendy did most of the work and I admit to glomming on… Or is that what they say? I guess you’ll have to put it together to find out, next rental house guests!)

I also skipped over going to the oh-so-sad Greyhound bus station. Marty and Wendy were the greatest troopers to put up with me on March 1. I refused to go to bed after leap day, because I wanted to be really, really tired going into my bus ride (and I didn’t want to miss a moment of fun in Orlando!).

Like the sweethearts they are, they went along with that plan. (I’m so glad, because I slept almost the entire 16 hours to New Orleans, which is totally the way to do that trip.)

During the time between leap day and the bus station, I’d go through phases –  I’d get my second wind and seem really awake and normal, then I’d get super tired and quiet. Wendy said I seemed like jello – if you poked me, I’d move a little, then go back to just sitting there still.

Then there was a phase where I thought I was awake and really wanted to be part of the conversation, but I’d kind of make some nonsensical, backwards sentences.

Nonetheless, they kept hanging out with me, and paying attention to me (I think. Unless I was so tired that I thought I was talking to other people, but was really only talking to myself). They just really are so lovely.

Their kindness blew me away – letting me stay in their rental house, and tag along to Disney all the time, taking me out for the best smoothies on the planet. (Obviously that means Planet Smoothie, in case you were wondering. But how could you wonder, considering that’s an established fact in this world?) They’re really, really great. (I meant Wendy and Marty, but that goes for the smoothies as well.)

Come back tomorrow to read about the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA expo.