The Journey Begins With One Step: January 2008

Hey Readers! I've been hankering for a more informal blog so that I can post just any old thing (like the many blogs that never get past the first paragraph or so because I decide it doesn't "fit" with my idea of the theme). But this new year is about doing what I REALLY WANT to do, so I'm going to post anything I feel like posting. No expectations other than communications from myself. It's not a diary or a journal, but this one is going to just be full of whatever. And really, anything is a "step," so I've really just opened myself up a bit more. Yeah, that's the secret. I'm just going to say whatever and stop trying to say just the right thing in just the right way.

Yay me!

So here's what I'm happy about today--our family vacation to DisneyWorld. We didn't get to bring all the kids, but my hubby loved it so much and regretted waiting so long that he vowed to go again when the grandbaby is a little bit older.

In a word, we LOVED it. I was the experienced tour guide, but even I got to do new things since it's changed a whole lot in the 19 years since I last visited! We didn't see EVERYTHING, but it was pretty close.

My TOP TEN LIST of attractions would go something like this:

1. The Broadway musical style NEMO show. (I cried. It was soooooo beautiful!)

2. Expedition Everest Rollercoaster

3. The Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror Elevator ride

4. "Soarin'" (yet another Disney feat in 4-dimensional entertainment!)

5. Mission: SPACE (Wanna feel a sliver of what the astronauts do? Be sure to pick the "more intense" Orange Team option: "Mom, look what happens when I try to touch my cheeks!")

6. The EPCOT Illuminations: Reflections of Earth laser lightshow fireworks extravaganza, Christmas holiday version with TWICE as many fireworks as any other time of the year! WOW!!!

7. The Rockin' Rollercoaster with Aerosmith (it's like cookies and milk, speedin' and rockin' in a Cadillac limo!)

8. Any of the 3-D (really 4-D) shows we saw: "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" in the Imagination Pavillion at EPCOT, "Muppet Vision 3-D" at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park, or It's Tough to be a Bug" under the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.

9. "DINOSAUR" the ride, at Animal Kingdom. Think Jurrasic Park in a roving Time Machine. Wow. Kinda scary, but lots of FUN!

10. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom. An interactive comedy cartoon. We lucked out and had some great "characters" in the audience and everyone laughed until the tears ran and the sides hurt. A surprise winner for sure!

And, of course, it wouldn't have been OUR vacation if there weren't lots great food involved. My favorite was: The Hawaiian all-you-care-to-eat sit down buffet (they bring more of everything...even the jumbo boiled shrimp!) at O'Hana Restaurant in Disney's Polynesian Resort Hotel. (Great meal-side entertainment too, especially if you have little ones!) Runner up this time was Les Chefs de Paris. C'est magnifique!

And hey, those were just our FAVORITES! Everything else was exceptional. Oh, and hey, the Johnny Depp animatronic manequins were dead on...sigh. All the girls love a handsome pirate, no?

We all still get stars in our eyes when we mention Disney. It was just what we needed and more than we hoped for!

So here are a few of my favorite pictures to go with the list of favorites:

Nemo and friends, and family: