Live, Laugh, Love...

Well, Disney World was fun, one last chance for a vacation before a baby comes our way, and an opportunity to learn and confirm a few things about myself...

1. Family is important to me.



2. I can be a little "goofy" from time to time... :-)

On the way from the airport to our hotel
aboard the "Magical Express,"
my sister and I had fun taking pictures
of each other taking pictures.

DoubleT was not amused. I think he was wondering
what in the world he got himself into,
and if the two of us were going to do
this the WHOLE time.

He was happy to arrive at the hotel...

while Jennifer and I were still taking pictures.

Notice, DoubleT is walking away from the two of us... lol! :-)

Our first afternoon at the park,
I dragged DoubleT into being "goofy" with me.
It didn't take long.

We even got some great hats!

And had a caricaturist draw our "portrait!"
I think she did an amazing job!!

3. There is a bit more of an adventurous spirit in me than I previously realized, as evidenced by my (only somewhat reluctant) willingness to go on rides such as Space Mountain (which I refused to go on as a child), Test Track, and the Tower of Terror with my sister. In the 2nd and 3rd pictures, notice how I am the one totally freaked out and holding on for dear life, while my sister is the one smiling and/or laughing at me! In fact, the whole time we were on Space Mountain, the only thing I could hear was the sound of her laughter behind me while I screamed...

outside the Tower of Terror

inside the Tower of Terror...
do you see her laughing at me?
do you feel the love?

on Test Track...
you know, I think the ride in the next picture
from when I was little is much more my speed! :-)

4. I can be rather nostalgic. One of the things I looked forward to the most on this trip was the chance to do the things my sister and I did together when I was little...

Riding the Haunted Mansion...

Floating on a boat through "It's A Small World"...

Traveling from park to park on the monorail...

Getting wet in the "leap frogs" at Epcot...

Traveling with Figment through the Journey into Imagination...

Swimming in the Waterfall pool at the Polynesian...

And, we had to take another picture
just like the one when we were younger!

5. In general, I'm a pretty flexible person. While I had a good time on the more intense rides with my sister, (poor DoubleT would have liked to participate in the excitement, but he knew his back would not appreciate it later...) I also loved doing the things that DoubleT enjoyed most...

Playing at the arcades and such...


Exploring the different countries in Epcot...


Especially Germany and the all-you-could-eat buffet...


Watching Mickey's Philharmagic in 3D and listening to the music...


Shopping... we did find a few items that
described DoubleT's demeanor
when he gets too hot and tired
from the nasty Florida heat and humidity...
The only one we actually purchased very appropriately
featured the Disney character "Grumpy."

6. Like DoubleT, I hate hot weather! If there was ever any doubt in my mind, this trip confirmed for me that I can definitely never live someplace like Florida. Unless God makes it clear to me that that is where He wants me to be, it just won't happen. Fortunately, we were able to find a few creative ways to help us all cope...

Yummy Dole Whip with pineapple juice!

One shaved head!

Tropical slushees that changed the color of our tongues!

7. I like free things! The Disney Dining plan which was free during the month of September was a very tasty and money-saving thing! We had some incredible food, all included...

Breakfast with Chef Mickey!



and dinner at Ohana's!

Enough to make even
Mr. "Grumpy"-from-waiting-so-long
turn "Happy!"


We also had a great view to see
the fireworks across the lagoon from our table!

8. I love peace. The best, I mean absolutely the BEST ride we ALL enjoyed was the new attraction, Soarin' at Epcot. I can't even begin to describe to you the incredible sense of freedom, peace, and relaxation while seemingly "flying" through some of the most beautiful scenes across America. They even used scents to make you feel like you were really in the orange groves of California. If you ever have the chance to go to Epcot, do NOT miss this ride. I could have stayed on it all day long. I do not have any pictures, but fortunately, YouTube has a pretty good video. The only thing missing is the feeling of actually being in the ride itself...

Well, there was much more than I could include, even in such a long post as this! We were glad to go, yet also glad to come home and return to the next chapter of our lives. The dogs even seemed glad to have their respective owners home, and even more happy to play with their new Disney toys!

Jen's Bertie girl!

Ben & Goldie with their new Mickey Mouse chew tire!

I guess that's about it for now.

Thanks for sharing in our memories, and as they say in Walt Disney World,
"Have a magical evening!"

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...