What a Trip - Walt Disney World

Note to self: midnight arrivals are not fun after a week-long trip. We got in late last night and everyone was so tired, but we earned that tired!

We had the BEST time in Florida and on the cruise. I had forgotten how fun it is to be part of the Disney Magic. I have been to Disneyland a million times (slight exaggeration) and to the Magic Kingdom in Florida several times; I don't care how old you are, it's still a fun place to be.

Last Saturday the boys (all four of them) and I left for Florida. Grandma and Grandpa came with us--thank heavens! We stayed in Orlando and spent several days at Walt Disney World. We saw the animals at the Animal Kingdom and followed that up with several days at the Magic Kingdom with the last day at Epcot.

The boys enjoyed the Magic Kingdom the most--big surprise. But you'll never guess their favorite ride: HAUNTED MANSION!

I think we toured the mansion 4 times one day and 5 times the next! The best was on the third time through when JJ said,

"I love this ride, and this time I'm going to keep my eyes open!"

The Eldest and I found a new way to meet people. We decided to do a little pin trading as a competition. We bought the cheapest pins we could find and then he had to trade for a Jack Skellington pin before I could trade for a specific Tinkerbell. We worked really hard and met lots of people, but in the end, we both had to buy our pins of choice. We had a really great time trying though, and the little boys joined in the fun, too!



Although we did make one unexpected stop on our trip (to the ER--JJ got a 103* fever and sore throat) and one unplanned stopover (overnight in Atlanta due to a missed connection) this trip was a success. And there are more details to come! Wait until you hear about the cruise!!!

Trip or Vacation

My definition of a vacation is completely different from my definition of a trip.

A vacation is when you go away (usually without the kids) and do nothing but relax. Relaxing may somtimes include sleeping late, breakfast in bed, lounging on the beach, dinners out, but it must always include arriving back at home rested, relaxed, and ready for life.

Let me clearly state that I am about to embark on a trip--not a vacation. Now, that's not to say that I don't expect to have a fabulous time--because I do! But peaceful and relaxing? No, I'm not counting on it.

We (which includes my husband, myself, our 5 kids, grandma, and grandpa) are going on a cruise. I fully anticipate that we will come home overstimulated, weary, sunburned, sleepy, crabby, tired, anxious, and exhausted. (Best case scenario--of course!)

But we are excited!!! This will be the kids' first cruise and we will be sailing on the Disney Wonder. If anyone has any tips for cruising with kids, send them over quick! We leave on Saturday!

The Arrival of Fall

I won't pretend that I'm disappointed that the warm weather is on the way out. Fall has always been my favorite season. I love it when the temperature starts to drop--that crisp feeling in the air. . . . I love the apples that come into season--that sweet tartness that begs for caramel. I love the way the colors fade from vibrant green to flames of orange, red, and yellow. . . .

It snowed in the mountains last night. I awoke to see the clouds drifting along the canyons and filling the valleys. All at once, the clouds broke apart just enough to expose the majestic, snow capped peaks of the mountains beyond the foothills.

This photo was taken this morning from my back deck--can you believe the scenery that I enjoy on a daily basis? I am so lucky!

Weight for Me!

OK--so I haven't made any changes to my SkinnyR graph because my weight hasn't changed. What's up with that?! I have been eating less and getting more exercise.

My neighbor has been taking me on the death march in the mornings. I really think she might be trying to kill me! She marches me down a gravely hill, then straight up the other side. I try to stop and catch my breath, but I am pretty sure she'll leave me to the coyotes if I don't keep up!

Anyway--exercise is good--right? And it probably won't kill me, right??? So, I guess I'll just have to keep at it. oh well...

But on a happier note, tonight was really fun! Some of the neighbors came over for an impromptu party. We set up the projector and (supposedly) watched a movie out in the back yard. I'm not sure how much of the movie actually got watched, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I just wish we had started doing this earlier in the season--we're expecting snow this weekend, so that will put an end to outdoor parties for a while.

Thanks everyone! It was fun while it lasted! We'll do it again next year!