FROM: Amber Earns Her Ears Published Mondays

Amber Drives to Disney World

With the Mouse awaiting her arrival, Amber hits the road

- by Amber Sewell, March 7, 2011

"I hope you're gonna be able to stay awake for the entire drive down," Dad told me smugly, staring at the bulky cardboard box containing my bedding shoved behind the driver's seat, "because there is no way that I'm going to be able to fit in your car."

It was true. The day before I set out for Florida, my car (nicknamed 'Dinosaur') had been crammed full of supplies (quite literally - I was lucky any of the doors shut), and it was time to get some rest before starting the lovely eleven hour drive to Florida.

Despite my excitement, my experience with just how long that drive can be made it clear that any sleep would be better than none. So we all went to bed early, alarms set for the ungodly hour of 1:30 A.M.

Quickly, the alarms went off.

Amber Leaves Tennessee

In a stupor, we stumbled about the house, changing into our comfortable driving clothes and triple-checking that we had everything we needed before stepping out into the chilly Tennessee morning, pairing up into our cars, and starting down the driveway.

That first hour was full of tense excitement. My playlist of favorite Disney songs filled Dinosaur with an appropriate, optimistic Disney vibe. My sister Hayley was awake, the stars were out, and I was on my way.

I have always loved driving at night. There's a silence to the landscape that the sun manages to burnish away, and it seemed fitting to start my journey in that peaceful manner. It also helped that in my chosen song, 'Go the Distance', Hercules flew out on Pegasus into the night, beginning his own journey.

It was this peaceful atmosphere, however, that lulled my assistant driver to sleep.

The entire purpose of Hayley coming with us (my brothers were staying with relatives) was to keep me awake on the drive. As the night progressed, and as I turned up the volume of the radio higher and higher (my strategy was to sing the entire way down - who can fall asleep when singing?), she lay back in the seat, mouth half open, utterly useless.

I think I listened to every type of music on the way to Florida. I started with Disney music, then moved to Norah Jones and Michael Buble. After that came Paramore and Coldplay, the soundtrack for Spring Awakening and The Last Five Years. Whatever had the potential to keep me awake, I played.

On our many previous trips to Disney, I usually was the most likely to awaken at any given moment. What I hadn't counted on, however, was my inability to change positions. I envied Hayley in the seat beside me - not only because she was asleep but because she was able to curl up in the seat, stretch out, contort her body to relieve herself of the discomfort caused by being in a small space for an extended amount of time.

I didn't have that luxury. As a band kid, I knew the discomfort of maintaining a single position: forty minutes standing at attention at seven in the morning because the saxophones couldn't keep still? Not fun. Sitting in a car unable to change positions for eleven hours? Even less fun.

I don't remember if we stopped for breakfast. No one in my family really considers it a meal - a cup of coffee is usually enough at such an early hour. Besides, we had stocked each car with a few snacks that we could eat throughout the day.

The less stops we made, the quicker we would get to Florida - and be able to move.

Amber Hits Atlanta

Atlanta. If someone ever, ever, tries to persuade you that driving through Atlanta isn't that bad, scoff. I am not the best of drivers even under good circumstances. I get incredibly nervous when driving somewhere new. And cities? Well, let's just say I had little to no experience driving through those.

When we reached Atlanta, a massive thunderstorm was underway. I like the rain. I'm usually not opposed to driving in it. But that night, I would have given anything for it to stop. I remember reaching over to punch Hayley awake, because there was no way I was going to be the only one in that car panicking.

Mom was driving the car in front of us, which I thought was a good thing. Of my parents, she is the most... cautious, I suppose.

I was wrong.

Seventy miles an hour. In the rain. I hydroplaned at least thirty-five times; I kept count. It was the one time in the trip when the music was barely audible - my nerves were frayed enough, and I didn't need any extraneous noise to snap them.

Any time an exit ramp came up, I panicked. Atlanta was the one place on previous trips where I'd usually take a nap, and so I didn't know the route. And at some points, I was lucky just to be able to see my mother's car in front of me.

Maybe that's everyone's experience driving through Atlanta. Maybe hydroplaning really isn't that big a deal. But for uncomfortable, out-of-her-element me? I was not enjoying it.

Eventually, we made it out.

The music came back on, Hayley fell back asleep, and drained of energy, I struggled to stay awake. We stopped to get some caffeine - which doesn't really help my mother or me stay awake, but sometimes just seems like a good idea - and then drove on.

Around Perry, Georgia, we stopped at Chic-Fil-A for lunch, a respite for which I was desperately grateful. I love my Dinosaur, but I really did not want to climb back in for another few hours.

Amber Crosses the Florida State Line

But I did. The closer we got to Florida, the more exhausted I became. We ran into patches of rain, and other times the sun would shine down on us. We crossed the Florida state line, rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof.

Dad was driving in the lead, and he didn't like that I tended to get distracted, not always maintaining an equal distance from the lines on either side of me. My state of exhaustion probably didn't help, either.

An hour, two hours away, and I was nodding. I was trying every trick in the book to stay awake - loud music, windows down, constantly shifting positions. Hayley, as she had the entire trip, was negligent of her duty. Eventually, the bouts of drowsiness passed, the last of the rain clouds evaporated, and signs for Orlando began to appear.

A few minutes from Disney World, Hayley finally woke up. She broke out the camera to document the last few miles of the journey, taking pictures of the Orlando exit ramp, the sign telling us the short distance to Disney World.

And finally, the gates.

Amber Arrives in Orlando

I followed Mom and Dad to Old Key West, where we would be staying for a few nights before my CareerStart check-in. As we pulled up to the security gate and the guard welcomed us home, an enormous smile broke out on my face. I was here.

A nap was the first order of the day. Afterward, we got up and hit the parks. It was just like any other vacation for a few days, minus my brothers.

On February 7, I got texts from a few people who had also just arrived. The meet-n-greet dinner was going on at Downtown Disney: was I coming?

The idea of going to Downtown Disney by myself to meet a bunch of strangers didn't sound all that appealing. I'm not a social person; I prefer the company of a good book to a large group of people I have never met. So rather than go meet my potential roommates, friends, and co-workers, I stayed in the hotel room and double-checked that I had everything ready for the morning.

I had the address of Vista Way (where I would be checking in), my folder, my car insurance information, passport, driver's license, etc. I ironed my clothes for the next day, and then fell into bed to read myself to sleep.

Tomorrow was the big day: check-in.

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