The trip home was one of those trips home that you can be extra grateful the entire vacation wasn't as bad as.  We arrived at Orlando International Airport and followed the signs to Thrifty rental car return.  We unloaded the white Nissan Rogue, turned it in, and bid it a fond farewell; it was a good steed.  I wouldn't mind owning one in the future.  We hauled our luggage to the terminal, checked our bags (including the new duffel-type bag I had bought at Target) and got in the security line, which was about as insanely packed as any standby line at Disney or Universal, but without any of the positive energy (we're all going home now, after all.)  In our rush, we completely forgot to empty the water out of the spray fan bottle Jacqueline was carrying.  Our choices were to forfeit it or be escorted to a restroom to empty it and then get back in the security line.  Guess which one we chose.  But at least none of the TSA people we dealt with on this trip were as surly or impatient as the ones we had to deal with three years ago.

We rode the fake-o-rail to the airside terminal.  Then it was time to find dinner.  I noticed Jersey Mike's, a great sandwich place I had discovered in Fort Worth a few months earlier.  They had plain turkey and cheese, so the kids approved.  I spilled my drink while they were trying to hand it to me, but they politely poured me a new one.  Once we had our food, we discovered that the wait for a free table was almost as long as the wait to order the food.  When we were about 75% finished, I got a text informing me that our flight was already boarding.  We hurried up and headed to our gate.  The flight took off on time and landed just a bit ahead of schedule at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans.  This airport was much smaller and more intimate feeling than Orlando's.  

As we looked for the gate for our flight to Dallas, Julie asked me why I looked upset.  If I looked upset, it was because I had checked the flight status on my phone during the flight and found out our flight home had been delayed.  I don't remember exactly how late it was running, but I knew we would be lucky to get home by 2am.  Well, we had no choice but to get something to drink, find some seats at our gate, and get comfortable.  The Southwest agent did a good job of keeping us updated on the flight's status and even got some drinks and cups for those that wanted them.  It seems the delay was being caused by bad weather in Baltimore.  REALLY????  Baltimore AGAIN???  It was bad weather in Baltimore that delayed our flight home back in 2015.  Except this time the problem was obviously not snow and ice.  

At long last, we boarded the plane.  The kids slept most of the way.  When we landed at Love Field, we dragged our tired carcasses to baggage claim.  I was not pleased to see my brand new bag had holes in it already (I later got a refund for it; that should not happen after only one trip.)  We found the place where it looked like we were supposed to wait for the Parking Spot shuttle.  The card they had given me had a phone number to call for a ride, but there was no answer.  Fortunately, a shuttle to the correct lot showed up a while later.  We loaded the car, checked out of the lot, and made the hour's journey back to Burleson.  Our kitties and doggy were so glad to see us.

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THINGS I'M GLAD WE GOT TO DO:

See models of Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge

Let Jacqueline meet Elena and three more princesses

Ride the monorail (we seriously didn't do that last time!)

Spend more time in Tomorrowland

Ride Soarin'

Eat at Yorkshire County Fish Shop

Ride Frozen Ever After

Have grown-up time in World Showcase

Watch a fireworks show (Illuminations)

Spend a full day in Animal Kingdom

Ride Flights of Passage!!!

Have a Dole Whip

Eat at 'Ohana and meet MICKEY!!!

Ride Splash Mountain

Experience at least some of Legoland (Jordan said it was his favorite park, despite his getting sick)

Spend three days at Universal & Islands of Adventure

Ride everything at Wizarding World of Harry Potter (everything open, anyway.  Dragon Challenge is gone, and who knows when the new ride will be finished.)

Meet the Marvel superheroes

Experience Simpsons land

Ride MIB Alien Attack

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THINGS WE DIDN'T DO THAT I WISHED WE HAD

See Star Wars Launch Bay

I kinda wanted to see the Frozen Singalong (judge away haters...)

Ride Pirates of the Caribbean

Ride Na'Vi River Journey

Watch the Lego Movie 4D show at Legoland (the kids and I had seen it before at the Texas Legoland Discovery Center, but Julie hadn't)

Ride the Dragon Coaster at Legoland

Watch a full show of The Blues Brothers at Universal

Ride Jurassic Park

Spend more time in Toon Lagoon (like the Blues Brothers, no one else was interested.)

Ride The Hulk (I had chickened out of riding it while there, but right at the end I was beginning to change my mind back...)

Ride King Kong

Meet & get pics with Shaggy, the Simpsons, and/or Doc Brown.

I was kinda curious about the E.T. ride, especially since I heard it gave the first look inside his spaceship.

 

And...

 

I wish we had made time to visit Disney Springs and the Star Wars VR experience.

 

Not that I'm complaining.  I am very grateful we got to go at all.  We packed a lot into those 9 or 10 days.

Will we ever go back?  Hmmmmm...maybe.

But maybe not for another 10 years.  By then, both kids will be grown.  It will be just me and Julie, and if the kids want to come, they will have to pay their own way.  We might even stay onsite again.  An All-Star or POP would be perfect for just two of us.  I want to stay onsite at Universal too, though we will probably do Portofino Bay so we can get the free Express Passes.  On weekends, they will come in handy!

And we will go in the fall.  It will probably still be hot, but not as hot.  Plus, October 2028 will be my 60th birthday! 

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Oh, one more thing:  The next day after we got home, we finally got in touch with someone from Legoland.  They asked for our address, and a couple days later, our photo souvenir arrived!