We're home!! Disney World was an absolute blast. We were able to visit all four parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, MGM, and Magic Kingdon) while we were there. I was so amazed by the fact that we never really saw the city of Orlando. Walt Disney purchased soooo much property in Florida, that when you go to Disney World, the whole area is just Disney Resorts and the four parks. They are all very spread out with hundreds of "rainforest" looking acres of land in between. We had great weather. One day, we were under hurricane watch in the morning ( so exciting!!) and it poured the whole way to the park, but by the time we got into the park, it cleared up and ended up being a beautiful day. Epcot was awesome. Two of my favorite rides were there.. "Soarin", which is an exact replica of the ride at California Adventure in Anaheim, and "Test Track", which is a ride by GM where you are put through a bunch of road tests including braking with and without anti-lock brackes, erosion tests, and handling at speeds up to 65mph!! Epcot also allows you to tour "countries" of the world from Canada to China, Scotland to Japan, and enjoy each countries' activities, entertainment, food, and shopping. So fun! Epcot and Magic Kingdom were my favorite. Epcot because of the activities, lakes, bridges, flowers (gorgeous) and Magic Kingdom because I guess I'm just a purist at heart. (Magic Kingdom has all of the "classic" attractions that make Disneyland so special.) The kids were the perfect age for the trip, and crowds were not near as bad as I had expected. One observation.. lots of infants! Why?? I don't understand why you would try to get around any of the parks with a huge stroller (a complete nightmare in my opinion) and WHY you would bring an infant out into the hot sun all day to schlep them around in a place they will not enjoy or ever remember!! Anyway, here are some of the things our family enjoyed most:
The pools at the Hotel (We stayed at a very nice Omni Hotel on a golf course with some pretty cool pools and a "lazy river").. almost like a theme park itself!
Liv and Rod loved "Tower of Terror" and "Rocki'n Roller Coaster" at MGM. Leanna and I watched "Beauty and the Beast" instead.. (yep, we're chickens)
All of the flowers, trees, and grass in and around the parks!! Amazing! Everything was so green!
Having Leanna's birthday dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, and dessert at Ghirardelli in Downtown Disney. So delicious and fun!
The girls really loved ordering milkshakes from the pool bar and sipping them poolside!
Walking around Disney World in shorts and sandals (yes.. I wore shorts, even with my pasty white legs) when it's freezing back at home.
We really just had a great time being together, and exploring somewhere that none of us had ever been!
So today as I look out the window at the snow on the ground, I think of all of the things I need to do today.. begin to tackle the laundry, pay bills, catch up on emails, grocery shop, make the state of Nevada out of sugar cookie dough, return phone calls, practice music.. Ugh.. I guess vacation is officially over. Oh well, It was so much fun while it lasted!
