Friday, May 11, 2007

Disney, SeaWorld, and the Return of My Green Thumbs

What can I say? We had a great vacation! It was a little tiring, but overall a terrific time and would do it again. I had read this book about Disney and how to have a plan when you get there and stick to it. I'm telling you this made a huge difference, we were way ahead of the game as far as figuring it all out and I am so glad I had read the book. Oh, the book is "The Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld".

The condo we stayed at was pretty nice. It was a huge 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, w/d, dvd player, huge bathrooms, screened in porch, lots of pools and playgrounds on site. So, for $300, it was worth it. the furniture was a little outdated, but it wasn't uncomfortable, just not our taste. But for $300 - who cares!!!

We spent our first full day at the Animal Kingdom in Disney World. We loved the safari - saw tons of animals, walked right on with a short wait, and the kids could see a lot. The rest of the park was just okay. It got congested quickly, it was hard to see the animals in the 'zoo' parts of the park, there were only a few rides that our kids could ride, the rest were too scary. Then there was this Dino playland area, but it was impossible to keep up with and supervise your own children, so we weren't very comfortable with that. There was a lot to look at, including a woman dressed in vines and walked on stilts. She blended in with the plant life and seemed to just walk out of the jungle - it was pretty cool. I did ride the new coaster - Everest. It was fun, not the greatest coaster, but not the worst either. If we go back, I don't think we would go back to the Animal Kingdom.

The second day we went to Epcot and it was really fantastic. Rachel could ride pretty much all the rides, so that made it more fun for her too. Epcot just so much to do and see, you could easily spend 2 days there. We enjoyed all the rides and seeing the World Showcase areas. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Epcot. We managed the crowds perfectly - we didn't wait for anything, but as we were leaving each ride, we saw the lines building - that book was so right on!

The third day was on the the Magic Kingdom (a version of Disneyland, if you will, but pretty different also). We could have done 2 days here also. Again, the book did not lead us wrong. We hit all the rides just right, no waiting. We did use FastPass on a couple of rides, so we'd get our pass, go ride a different ride and then it would be time to use our pass. The kids enjoyed so many rides - Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Pirates (with Jack Sparrow recently added!), and Buzz LightYear. Russ LOVED Splash Mountain. He rode it twice. He liked it b/c it was 'splashy'. Rachel was pretty funny on Pirates. She kept her eyes covered, but peeked thru her fingers until she saw a candle and then it was all good! She looked for all the candles and had to tell me whenever she found one. They liked the Haunted Mansion too, Russ more than Rachel, but that is expected. We didn't make into ToonTown, but that was okay. It was surprising how crowded it got towards the end of the day, it just seems like common sense to get there early before the heat and the crowds.

Speaking of the heat. It got hotter as the week went on, so we timed that just right as far as going to Disney first thing. Weds. was a break day - pool and some shopping. Thursday we went to SeaWorld and it was hot and muggy and crowded - a lot of field trips being taken that day. We enjoyed it, but Rachel was not one to sit for the shows. So, we looked at all we could see, fed all that we could feed (sea lions, sharks, sting rays) and were outta there by lunch time. Our tickets were free (Busch's Salute to Military Heroes) and we appreciated those free tix, but would have disappointed if we paid to go.

We came home a day early. We spent Friday morning at a science museum and then left for home after that. As we were driving home and the kids were watching Peter pan for the 300th time, I just started thinking about the yard. I really have been discouraged about the backyard especially. I never work out there and I don't ever want to and I love to garden. Why is that????? The answer is I dislike how it is landscaped. So, I have decided to seize the yard. I need to make it mine. Which means I have to take out a lot, but change can be good and I need a change! My green thumbs are back, baby. Watch out Martha!

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