It was travel home day and Disney Depression was already setting in. We HATE leaving!
We got up, dressed and went down to play on the Nemo play set for awhile. We hadn't spent any time there, so that was fun.
We also wanted to shop a little bit at the store at our resort. I picked up a few more treasures and headed back to the room to finish the last of the packing.
We decided to have lunch at our resort, so we grabbed some burgers. Reagan got her fish shaped grilled cheese. She loved it!
After we were done with all that, it was time to head off to the airport. We made it with no traffic troubles at all. We had Disney check our bags and give us our boarding passes, so we didn't have to lug our luggage through the airport. We were able to go right to security which was AWESOME.
The line at security was pretty long, but was moving pretty good. When it was our turn to put everything in the bins, Reagan was putting up a fight about Mr. Fuzzy going through the scanning machine. We told her he had to go and showed her where he would come out. She had her little hands up on the edge, standing on her tip toes, waiting for him to come through. As soon as he showed his face, Jim handed him to her and popped her in the stroller.
Orlando has these cool monorail trains that take you from ticketing to the gates. We got the very front car and Reagan was enjoying looking out the window, watching where we were headed.
We got off the train and went straight to the gate.
Once we were settled, Jim asked if we needed anything. I said sure, and he went off to get a couple pops and candy for the flight. Reagan and I stayed at the gate. We were just talking and I was messing with my phone. Jim was only gone two or three minutes, but when he got back, he said, "Reagan, where is Mr. Fuzzy?" I looked around and said, "Reagan, where is Mr. Fuzzy!?" She looked startled and said she "dropped him." We both said, "WHERE!?" and she replied, "On the monorail." Jim didn't waste any time, he took off RUNNING to the train!
While he was gone, I tore our carry on bags apart, wondering if we haphazardly put him in there, not paying attention. Nothing! Jim came back a few minutes later, empty handed as well. My heart sunk and Reagan BURST into tears. She was SCREAMING, "I want Mr. Fuzzy BACK!"
By this time, the plane was starting to board. I went over to the guy at the gate and explained the situation. He said we had a few more minutes to look for him. Jim went back to the monorail to look around.
Starting to really panic, I asked him, "If my husband can't find him, what would I have to do to stay and take a later flight?" He was FABULOUS, he took my name and said, he would help me. He also said, he would contact the maintenance department to keep a look out.
When Jim got back, we were all in a total panic and heartsick. Reagan continued to cry asking for Mr. Fuzzy. I now, had tears streaming down my face. We tossed around us all staying back, but decided the best thing would be to send Jim and Reagan on that flight and I would stay behind to continue the search. We all hugged goodbye and were on our separate adventures.
Jim got on the plane with Reagan and got situated. She was still crying quite a bit about Mr. Fuzzy. Jim said, a guy sat down next to him and kinda looked. Jim explained the situation and said she would be OK. The guy went on to say, "I understand, I have kids. I've been there." Reagan eventually calmed down with some stickers and her new princess dolls we bought her at Disney. He said she was great the rest of the flight. She asked where Mr. Fuzzy and I were a couple times, but no more crying.
Once they got on the plane, I decided I would first, check every trash can between the gate and the security check point where he was last scene. I know they empty the trash quite frequently in the airport, so I wanted to make sure he didn't fall and someone just threw him away. Let me tell you, Sbarro is a HOT place to eat at the Orlando Airport. Every. Single. Trash can. Had a Sbarro box in it. I didn't even care that I was digging in the trash. I just wanted to find that scruffy little face.
After I checked all those, I went up to every gate person in our wing of the airport. I checked with groups of people at each gate, too! Everyone was so nice. Especially all the mom's, they felt our pain, that our favorite little friend was missing. When I would ask a couple of the gate people, "Have you scene a scruffy stuffed animal laying around anywhere?" they would respond with, "YES!" My heart would leap and for a second, I would feel relief. They would go on to ask, "Was it a penquin?" My heart would just sink again and I would move on to the next person.
I went up and down every gate in that terminal. I actually came up to one airport guy twice about an hour apart, at two separate gates. He just laughed and said, "Are you still looking for that toy." I simply said, "YEP" and kept on moving.
I must have rode that tram about 20 times. I would stare through the glass windows of the empty station looking to see if he had fallen through the floors. When the tram would come I would stand in the doorway looking down, trying to get a better view underneath. Nothing.....
I went and checked with security numerous times. I asked every single TSA agent. Some were SUPER helpful and some not so much. They all gave me hope that he may turn up in lost and found. They opened their lost and found bin about 4 times for me. Nothing....
I became good friends with Gayle at the main lost and found. I called her every half hour. LOL!
I checked with all the custodial workers as well, none of which spoke English. I would start talking and they would just shake their head, signaling they didn't understand me. I would pull my phone out, point to my eyes, then point to Mr. Fuzzy's picture on my phone. All of them, just shook their head no. I got physically ill, when I saw one custodian lady with about 8 HUGE bags of garbage hanging from it. I actually stopped her and felt around every bag of garbage. I could not stand the thought of him ending up in the land fill. I just started bawling. I just knew if he wasn't found, Reagan's heart would just be broken. Every night at bedtime would just be a mess for who knows how long.
Mr. Fuzzy had rode every ride in Disney World with her - from flying carpets to roller coasters. He met every single character and they all gave him a kiss. It was heartbreaking to think he wasn't coming home.
Meanwhile, Jim and Reagan were getting close to home. He bought the WiFi, so he was able to send me messages to check on the search. He was trying to cheer me up because he knew I was starting to give up hope and felt like I was failing Reagan. I told him I was going to try on the other side of security, just to see if someone going the other way on the tram took him that way to an airport person. I went to all the stores and baggage claim, nothing.
I called home to talk to my mom and here, she had gone to the Shrine to light a candle for Mr. Fuzzy. How amazing was that!?
A few family members and lots of Facebook friends were sending messages and texts asking how things were going. All the support meant so much to us.
By this time, I had to go back to the Southwest Customer Service desk to be officially put on stand-by for the 6:30pm flight to Pittsburgh. I got to the desk, looking beat. There was a young girl who could tell I was sad, she asked, "What's wrong? How can I help?" I told her our story and she said, I will do everything I can to get you on that flight. She was typing and typing, when my phone beeped. Jim had sent a text that they landed safe and were ready to get off the plane. A few minutes later, I get another beep. I looked at my phone when I get a text saying,
"Ok, checked the stroller again, and....."
A few seconds later, a picture of Reagan holding up Mr. Fuzzy came through!!!!
I practically yelled, "OH MY GOD!" Everyone at the counter looked at me. The girl helping me, smiled, knowing we found him. At the same time she handed me my new boarding pass, and didn't charge me the change fee! I was unbelievable grateful for everything!
I immediately called Jim and got the whole story. Here, there is a zipper where the cushion fastens to the stroller itself. She had been playing with the zipper a bit in Disney, but nothing where we would have thought to look there. She had stuffed him down in the side of the stroller and re-zipped the zipper to, "keep him safe." We could not believe it! She must have not even realized she did it herself in the crowded airport. She was genuinely worried about him when she left Orlando. Usually at home, if you ask where he is, she will tell you EXACTLY where he is. It was amazing!
Now that we had that relief, I still needed to get home. The weather was starting to look really bad for home. The whole state of Ohio was under severe thunderstorm watches/warnings, wind advisories and even tornado watches. I was sure I would be delayed.
Jim had the chore of handling all three big suitcases, two carry-on bags, stroller and Reagan, by himself. He got a cart for the luggage and drove both until he reached the Hyatt doorway, in the tunnel to the parking lot. He said it was a complete downpour and he was going so slow trying to push it all, he had to stop at the hotel. He asked them if he could leave the bags with them, get Reagan to the car, then pull the car around to load the luggage. They were really great about it and put our bags in the back while he did all that.
Meanwhile, I was getting ready to board the plane in Orlando, when they came on and said, they had to check some seat belts and it would be a few minutes. I thought, "Great! It's gonna be a bumpy ride with this weather." Finally, we were on the plane, when one of the pilots got off with his bags. Everyone looked worried, when the main pilot came on and said, they have to get a new co-pilot, because ours would have been over his hours and that it's illegal. "We're going to try to find a new one." UGH, really!? Where can you find a co-pilot? Do they have a pilot storage room? About 15 minutes later, a new one gets on and everyone cheered. He took a bow and we were on our way. The flight was pretty good, much better than I thought. We had a bit of side to side swaying. No up and down turbulence, which was good. I hate up and down turbulence. Side to side, I just pretend they are turning. LOL!
Finally we were on the ground and I was off to the Hyatt to meet, Jim, Reagan and Mr. Fuzzy! They were nice enough to just wait for me. They had some dinner and played on the people movers in the tunnel. LOL! I was so happy to see all of them!
I immediatly asked Reagan why she told us Mr. Fuzzy was on the monorail. She replied, quite frankly, "Mama, he was in the side pocket!" Of course he was! Ay, yi, yi!!!
I can't help but think after spending a week in the "Finding Nemo" section of the Art of Animation Resort, that she was trying to create her own movie, "Finding Fuzzy!" With her playing the role of Dory, forgetting two seconds later, what she did with Mr. Fuzzy! LOL!
We are all just beyond grateful for a happy ending!
We LOVE you MR. FUZZY!
The photo of the day is the photo Jim texted me at the airport.
The phone number of my new friend, Gayle.
Finally, a reenactment of where Mr. Fuzzy was found. Imagine his head stuffed down in the side and the zipper above his head zipped all the way down. He was all tucked away.
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