Mickey Mouse is Cursed

About a week ago I wrote some about my troubles in finding Mickey Mouse paraphernalia for my daughter's birthday party. It was my original belief that perhaps there was a weird boycott going on that prevented the selling of any and all things Mickey Mouse.

It was so bad that all my daughter's Mickey Mouse favors were bought at the Dollar Tree.

Anyway, the day of my daughter's birthday party arrives and I have a pretty full morning schedule, but I also have a plan. Chris is going to come over and watch the girls while I go to my Doctor appointment, pick up the cake, and go to the Pizza place to decorate. I've loaded everything into the car either the night before or just prior to her arrival and I'm off.

First stop is the Doctor office, which takes a little bit longer than I had hoped for, but since I love my Doctor I was okay with that. Besides, it wouldn't take me that long to decorate, I thought. The appointment went... as to be expected... and I left with a new meter in hand. (Yea!)

Next was a stop to get a Mickey balloon (at the Dollar Tree), then I stopped to get the cake. I'm now running 10 minutes later than what I had budgeted, but still feeling optimistic.

I arrive at the Pizza place and start pulling out the first round of items to be taken inside to start the decorating process. I walk up to the door, grab the handle, and... kathunk. I shake it. Kathunk, kathunk, kathunk. O-kay...

I readjust the stuff I'm holding and walk over to the other door. Same thing. The doors seem to be locked, which is odd since, yep, yep, I look at the sign, they open at 11am.

It's now 11:10.

I had called the day before to place the order for the pizza and just make sure that someone would be there to hook up the DVD player to the big tv so that we could watch Mickey movies, so I know that they know I'm coming... with 25 of my daughter's closest friends. So, what now?
The girls are at home and the time is creeping toward the 11:20 mark. I have to drive the 15 minutes to get them and then 15 minutes back and they are not dressed in their party clothes yet. People will be there in 40 minutes and I'm starting to panic. Where is everyone?!

A lone car drives into the driveway and parks. "Oh thank goodness", I think, but the relief is short lived. She doesn't have a key. Luckily, she has a cell phone and she starts dialing, but she's not able to get ahold of anyone! It takes 5 minutes to reach anyone with a key and that person is 10 minutes, at best, from being at the building. I can't wait that long because I have to be back before the party starts at noon.

The girl offers to bring the stuff I've pulled from the car inside and start decorating for me once the building is unlocked. So, after pulling the cake from my car, because the girls wouldn't fit if it was in there (not to mention that toddlers and a cake probably don't mix well), and setting that on the bench outside, and then giving all of my trust to this lonely person outside the building, I'm off to get the girls.

Drive home. Grab girls and put in car. Request Chris stop and get me COFFEE!!! And we are OFF!

I make it back in record time, but there are already people (mainly my dad) in the parking lot. That's odd, I think. The doors should be unlocked by now.

My dad gets out of the car and tells me that he thinks they are not open yet since the doors are still locked. I'm pulling the kids from the car and preparing to go inside when the girl that was there earlier runs outside to tell me that the person that drove down with the keys did not unlock the front doors for some odd reason and asks us to come in the back door. I say okay and grab the girls' party clothes and turn around... to see the same girl from the pizza place walk around the corner and tell me that the back door locked behind her.

We're locked out again.

With no choice but to change the girls outside, I give my niece to my dad along with her clothes and hoist the short person up onto the car to change her... as three more cars for the party arrive.

And it starts to rain.

And my daughter starts sobbing.

Oui Vey.

There hits a point where you have to accept the unexpected and realize that your perfectly prepared, four weeks in the making, plans are not going to be anything near what you expected. There comes a point where you say, "Okay. Whatever happens, happens. It's all about the people and about making sure my daughter has fun." This was that moment.

At 12:05, the owners and about 20 employees they picked up along the way, drove into the parking lot and let us in. I went against my own "You are the guest, sit and enjoy yourself" rule and put people to work helping to decorate. The employees busted butt to get everything ready and...

I think the party turned out great. Chaotic. Loud. But wonderful. Definitely one for the books and for this blog.

But I swear, Mickey Mouse is cursed. I didn't even get the invitations in the mail! They are all still sitting in my briefcase at home. Thank goodness for email-- although... LMAO... even that was its own funny story since I used a font no one could read on the emailed invitation.

The Short Person Enjoying a Slice of Pizza at Her Party. Since it was a Mickey Mouse party, everyone got mouse noses and whiskers painted on and a pair of mouse ears-- which my daughter would not wear. LOL