Disney World Day Three - Animal Kingdom

Day three started off with a bang - literally! We woke early in the morning to the all too familiar sounds of a southern thunderstorm. We are from the gulf coast and are therefore accustomed to these fascinating natural wonders. While we do not mind getting a little wet - being struck by lightning - well that is a different story!

Lucky for us the storm rolled through rather quickly, as they so often do.

We spent the entire day at Animal Kingdom and had lunch reservations at one of our favorite restaurants - The Rainforest Cafe. Of course we were too busy stuffing our faces to get any pictures of the inside. And, believe me there's a bunch of stuff to see on the inside.

Despite my overstuffedness, I did manage to snap a picture or two outside of the restaurant.

Just none of me. I didn't want you to see my distended belly.

I learned something that day - I walk slowly. Perhaps I was already aware of the fact but it especially occurred to me on this day. When, pretty much all I saw was the back of my family members' heads.

In my defense I know for a certainty that I can walk fast if I so desire!

I just didn't so desire.

I see it as a philosophical difference really. Whereas Marc likes to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible...

I prefer to take my time, stop and smell the roses, yada, yada, yada.

Plus I think it is kind of cute when he stops to wait for me.

I think he kind of likes it too.

At this point I turned the camera over to Kendal. No, the camera was not taken from me so that I would quicken my pace! You see, Kendal loves animals. Well, we all do really but for Kendal animals are kind of her "thing." So, here is a sample of the 500+ pictures she took that day (no joke.)

Mr. Elephant (or Mrs) from the Safari


Hungry, hungry hippos


Flamingos (can't go to Florida without a shot of these!)

Macaws or parrots - can't tell the difference.

The Festival of the Lion King

The REAL Lion King!


The Lion Queen (who by the way is completely exhausted since she has to do all of the hunting while the "King" lays around and waits.)

Then again, do they hunt at Disney World...surely not...right?

Edward from Twilight, lol.


The hind-end of a kangaroo - I think.

Giraffes

Monkeys


And, this guy!

Although we were a little bummed that the park closed at 7 p.m., this turned out to be another fabulous day. An early dinner, a quick swim at the resort, and a before midnight bedtime is just what we needed. After all, Epcot was coming up next and we'd need all of the energy we could get!

Disney World Day Two - The Magic Kingdom

On our second day at Disney World, we visited the Magic Kingdom. Let me just tell you that if you are planning to visit anytime this year, make sure you are celebrating something! We were celebrating Marc's birthday and as a result we had fast passes the entire day. Not just your ordinary fast passes - we walked right up and went right in! Who could ask for anything better than that?

Another great thing about day two is that it rained. I used to feel sorry for folks who went to Disney only to have it rain. Now I know that if you visit in the summer - clouds and rain are your friend. Plus, nothing shuts down. And, really, we're used to rain so we did not miss a beat. It was kind-of fun getting wet and oh so much cooler!

Unfortunately, I did a pretty bad job of taking pictures that day. I got so wrapped up in the moment and in having fun with the fam that I forgot to take pictures throughout the day. Luckily, we would spend another day at the Magic Kingdom later in the week. And, I did get a few more pictures. But, just a few...

Here's what I got:

A shot of me and the kids. This was later in the day. How do I know? We'd been wet and I'm wearing my hat!


A shot of Marc with the kids. Hmm...do you see any resemblance between Kendal and Marc - or is it just me?


A shot of main street. Check out those clouds - aren't they lovely?


A shot of Kendal on the Jungle Cruise


A shot of Marc and Justin on the Jungle Cruise (note the wet shirt - that is not sweat - that is sweet, sweet little raindrops!)


Another shot of Kendal on the Jungle Cruise (with Marc's arm apparently.) Ain't she pretty?


A shot of the night parade. I did get more of these but they didn't turn out so great. Funny, we kept feeling like these floats should throw us something...



A shot of the castle at night.


And, a shot of the fireworks. We would see much bigger fireworks later in the week. Yet, these were spectacular in their own right. Did you know that Disney is second only to the US Military in the quantity of gun powder purchased annually? I believe it!

Again, sorry for the lack of photographs. Just know this: we had an amazing day together - just the four of us. We saw every attraction in the park that we wanted to see. And, we made memories that will last forever.

Disney World Day One - Hollywood Studios

It is a tradition with our family to visit Hollywood Studios first. And, we always ride the Star Tours ride first. Hmmm...I wonder why?


That droid in the background is not actually on fire. It is some weird thing that happened with my camera (but kinda cool too.)



The wait for Star Tours was incredibly SHORT. Actually, we didn't wait in any line more than 30 minutes the entire time we were at Disney World. Hard to believe in June/July. And, it was overcast and pleasant outside - strange but REALLY GOOD!




Okay, Star Tours is not Kendal's favorite ride. In fact it makes her nauseous. But she is a good sport. Really.



Justin's birthday is coming up and this is what he has asked for. Not sure if we should put it in the front yard or the back.


Here we are in NY City. As you can see, Marc doesn't really let us know when he is taking our picture. He did get better about it as the week progressed (and we complained.) But really, I can't blame him - none of us wanted to spend a lot of time on pictures. Too much to do and too much to see.


Kendal is waiting for Indiana Jones to start - looks like someone is watching her there in the background=)


Next, it was on to Beauty and the Beast (Kendal and Marc as Beauty and the Beast - get it?)




Here we have Justin and Kendal with the Stone Table at Prince Caspian.

Here we have all of us at the Stone Table at Prince Caspian (too bad we blocked the table, and I had on my hat cause it rained a little, and I'm not standing up strait, and I'm not sucking in my belly, and...)

We did everything we wanted to do at Hollywood that day. There is no way for me to share all of the photos I took or memories we made. But, we did meet a few famous characters including:


Beauty and the Beast...

(But, we decided we liked the Beast better with his head on)

Indiana Jones

Jedi, Sith, and Storm Troopers

And, the green Army men from Toy Story.

I snapped pictures of the kids while we waited for Fantasmic (that is Kendal with her Tinkerbell face paint.) Although we were there an hour before the show started, the crowd was a lot of fun!We even did the wave! The time flew by and believe me - the show was worth it!

(I am really bad at taking pictures at night - most of them were blurry! You'll just have to take my word for it - it was AWESOME!)

Disney World 2009

The hardest part about going to Disney World is coming back home. Not that we didn't miss our family, friends, and pets because we did and thought of them often (in a wish they were here kind of way.) Still, coming back to the "real world" is difficult.

I often hear Disney referred to as a theme park, however, it so very much more. Sure, there are rides and shows like a theme park but Disney also has something special - yes, magical!

The first thing that sets Disney apart is the fact that it is unbelieveably CLEAN. Even with the thousands of people who passed through its streets the week leading up to Independence Day, it was rare to find one scrap of paper on the ground. Spills were quickly wisked away by the countless "cast members" throughout the park dressed in white uniforms - also very clean. Even the trash cans are clean. I am not kidding. They must polish them each and every day.

Another unique thing about Disney World is that 99.9% of the people both working at and visiting the park are HAPPY. Whether they are starting the "wave" while waiting for Fantasmic, shouting hello from a passing tram, or just smiling as you walk by - their enthusiasm is contagious. You don't want it to end. You don't.

Finally, my favorite part about Disney is that you are able to escape from the distractions of every day life. Some might say that reality is what one escapes. All I know is that I spent eight days with my family - no phone calls, no emails, and no house cleaning ( I really liked that part.) Just time together building memories. We talked together, played together, and laughed together. I guess I realized how much my focus is outside my family these days. Think I'll have to do something about that. Perhaps the best part about Disney is the Magic you bring back home with you. I hope it lasts - truly I do!