Bekki asked Kamiko what he wanted to do to celebrate his 30th birthday and he said he wanted to go to DisneyWorld with his family, so we all went. It's not difficult to talk me into a Disney trip. Kamiko and Bekki, Allie, Melia, and I all went. Bekki found a package deal with on-site hotel and park passes for about $1,000 per person.
A few weeks before going, Bekki texted all of us and asked what we thought about getting a t-shirt for the trip. I asked if she wanted us to all get matching shirts at Disney and she suggested we make one. I further asked if she wanted me to find a picture of little Kamiko at Disneyland. YES! was her reply. So, I went to my trusty photo albums and found a picture of Kamiko from our first trip to Disneyland in September 2001. It was just a couple of weeks after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, hence the American flag pin. I did some snooping around to find where to get tshirts printed. Allie decided that it needed to say something about Kamiko's favorite ride, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. I was casually mentioning the idea to Derek and he said to send him the photo and what we wanted on the tshirt and he would make it look good. It took him only about 30 minutes to email me back the most fun design. I was very pleased when I got the tshirts in the mail from Vistaprint. They did a great job.
 |
| Sometimes you just sit on the floor and wait for the Hall of Presidents show to start |
 |
| Girls on the "late" shuttle |
 |
| Walking in! |
 |
| The Buzz Lightyear ride stopped so we all got the highest score possible |
 |
| Big Thunder Mountain is my favorite |
 |
| These kids are my favorite |
 |
| It was Allie's idea to have decorations and a gift for Kamiko |
 |
| Two for one |
 |
| My bag was half full of snacks |
 |
| The "early" shuttle |
We surprised Kamiko with them the first day at the parks. We all put our shirts on and had him come into the living area of our hotel room. He laughed and asked if he got one. Of course he did.
We stayed at the All-Star Music Resort, one of DisneyWorld's bottom tier properties, but it was good enough for us. In fact, it was great. It had a free shuttle to the parks and to Disney Springs, the shopping and eating area. It had a huge guitar-shaped pool, a restaurant, an arcade, and a laundry facility. Our family suite had a bedroom with a king bed and bathroom, a small kitchen, and a living area with 2 murphy beds and a bathroom.
Allie arrived in Orlando at 7:30 am and had the hotel watch her bags while she enjoyed the pool until check-in. She got checked in before I got there. I was next, arriving around 1:30 pm. I got the rental car and drove to pick up Allie before heading grocery shopping. Allie and I bought food for breakfasts, snacks, lunches, etc. We also bought a Star Wars birthday banner and balloons. I had also brought some snacks that I got at Costco before heading to Florida. Soon after getting back to the hotel with the snacks, we had to leave to pick up Kamiko and Bekki. We got them, then went to Sonny's BBQ for dinner and Target to kill time until Melia arrived. Her flight was delayed, but we made the best of our time.
 |
| The girls spent a lot of time at the pool. How do they have the energy for that? |
 |
| Giant maracas for the All-Star Music Resort |
 |
| Me and Allie at Disney Springs |
Thursday was day 1 and we went to Magic Kingdom. Kamiko and Allie were ready early and took a shuttle before Mel, Bekki, and I. We all got in line and went straight to Space Mountain. The weather was HOT, but that's to be expected in August in Florida. We drank a lot of ice water and enjoyed every indoor show - some even twice. Because it was so hot, we got tired and looked tired and sweaty all the time, so we didn't get many pictures. Magic Kingdom had the first bits of Halloween decor, which made us very happy. I scored the spot in line for TRON, the new ride. It was fine, but we didn't love it. We decided we were glad we didn't pay $20 to ride it. We enjoyed dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern, an all you can eat family style dinner of Thanksgiving dinner served by people dressed as colonialists. The kids discovered it a couple of years ago and they LOVE it. Our server was really nice. He has plans to visit Utah soon. He noticed Kamiko's shirt as we were leaving and asked "is that you?" We also went to the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor, where Kamiko and Bekki were the butt of a joke. We love that show because they do improv involving the audience and it's air conditioned.
What do you get when you cross a human with a lampshade? Show Kamiko on screen
Then they panned out to him and Bekki and talked about a 2 for 1 deal.
Friday we went to Hollywood Studios. Bekki was running a bit late, so me and my kids went straight to Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster. We had a blast. I went with Kamiko to the spot to build his light saber. He could take one guest with him in to do it. If Bekki didn't make it in time, I would go with him. She ran to the shuttle, through security, and to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge to make it in time. She said it was so fun to watch Kamiko's dream come true. I did get to help him decide upon the handle. There were samples to look at before Bekki got there. We then rode on a bunch of other rides, including Smuggler's Run. Kamiko had read some details on how to get Chewbacca to join the crew (basically how to get Chewbacca's squeal during the "flight.") We did it and we were so excited. Some of my favorite rides are there: Tower of Terror, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad (I can't get that song out of my head), Midway Mania, Slinky Dog roller coaster. That ride was down, so the line was short. Allie, Mel, and I went to stand in line. We were ready to ride when the line opened back up again. We also watched the Muppet's 3D show. It's air conditioned. We had done everything I wanted to do by about 2:00 pm, so I took the shuttle back to the hotel for a nap, emails, rest, cool off, etc. I went back around 7:00 pm because we had an 8:00 reservation for dinner at the new Woody Roundup BBQ restaurant. It was a cute place with good food. When someone yells "Andy is coming," everyone freezes as if we were toys and can't let Andy know that we are real. Our server was a bit sassy. We debated whether or not her personality was "a bit" or if she was just cranky. We never figured it out. Whatever it was, I didn't love it. The meal was about $300. I would expect friendly service for that.
 |
| In line for Toy Story Midway Mania |
 |
| I love this picture of me and Bekki |
 |
| Kamiko about to enter to get his lightsaber |
 |
| This was a porcelain plate at the Woody restaurant, but it looked like a cheap BBQ paper plate |
 |
| Cute bathroom |
Saturday was Animal Kingdom day. We love the Safari, Expedition Everest, and all the nature walks and chances to see animals. We went on the River ride and on the Dinosaur ride. I don't care to ride the Avatar ride, so I didn't wait in that long line. Kamiko and Mel did. While they were in line, we interacted via text playing a draft game. The kids started it earlier in the trip. They do a draft, like in sports, of various themes. They drafted aunts and uncles. They drafted families from our AF neighborhood. So, it was funny to get a text that said:
Ok who would win in a candy bar fight:
Team A:
Snickers, Reese’s, butterfinger, Twix, & Kit Kat
Vs.
Team B:
Reese’s fast break, M&Ms, baby Ruth, symphony toffee & almond, & 100 grand
I picked team B
Then we got:
K cereal now:
Team A:
Frosted Flakes, Reese’s puffs, Froot Loops, Honey Nut Cheerios, lucky charms
Team B:
Honey bunches of Oats, honey nut Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, waffle crisp, Cap’n Crunch with berries
Definitely team A
Salty snacks:
Team A:
French fries, beef jerky, munchies, chips & salsa, soft pretzel
vs.
Team B:
White cheddar cheez it’s, mozzarella sticks, chicken nuggets, bagel bites, buttered popcorn
Team A!
Mel would text us the lists and Bekki, Allie, and I would weigh in. There was always a winner because there were 3 of us voting. It was a blast.
We were supposed to go to Epcot on Sunday, but it was soooo hot and we were soooo tired. I asked a cast member if we could switch our Sunday for a Monday. She looked at the schedule and made the change for us. We were so excited to have a rest day on Sunday.
I left Animal Kingdom before the kids did. I took the shuttle back to the hotel and showered and got ready for bed. It was glorious. I did get a picture of myself in front of the sign commemorating 100 years of the Walt Disney company.
 |
| Walking along a fun trail where we saw lots of animals, including bats. |
 |
| My girls love to see the animals |
 |
| We took our new favorite game, Biscuits, to DisneyWorld |
Sunday we rested and spent time together at the pool and staying cool. It wasn't a churchy Sunday, but it was a spend time together Sunday and it was great. We rested, ate ice cream, played games, and hung out. We slept in and got to bed early to prep for Monday.
Monday was our last day at the parks. We went to Epcot. We all love Epcot - mostly for Expedition Everest and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. They are easily the BEST rides in Florida. Once again, I scored the virtual que for the ride of the day - Guardians. Boy, that park requires a TON of walking. There is a lake in the middle, so you can't walk the short way to any ride. You have to walk around and around. Still, it was a great day with some great food. I got a ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette. The kids spend way more money on and are more interested in park food than I am. I take in my own snacks most of the time. I'm happy with that. I also spent a lot of money on dinners. I paid for the Liberty Tree and Woody's Roundup dinners. Melia joked about riding Expedition Everest 7 times and she DID IT! She and Allie both did. I left the park at 8:00 pm, an hour before closing. I had done everything I wanted to do and I didn't want to be stuck waiting for the shuttle at 9:00 with everyone else.
 |
| "France" |
 |
| We LOVE Cosmic Rewind |
 |
| We loved the acquarium |
 |
| My ham and cheese on baguette |
 |
| This lady knows how to do a scooter - shade and all |
 |
| Cute cast member sweeping leaves into a Mickey |
 |
| All smiles after leaving Cosmic Rewind |
 |
| Frozen ride in "Norway" |
 |
| Bekki and I are melting, but smiling |
Honestly, it was a great trip. Us girls got up early to get to the airport. Kamiko had a later flight, so he slept in and took an Uber to the airport. Allie, Mel, Bekki, and I were to leave at 5:45 to have Bekki at the airport for a 7:30 flight. At 5:15 am, Mel said that she misread her flight information and that her flight left at 6:45. I was ready. I knocked on Bekki's door and told her we needed to leave ASAP. She came out quickly. We all got in the car quickly. Bekki had enough change to pay the toll and get to the airport the fastest way. We left at 5:35. Got to the airport at 6:00. Mel said she was led to the short lines by everyone and made it to the gate at 6:25, 5 minutes before they closed the door. Allie and I filled the car with gas and I went with Allie to wait for her flight. She left and I went to my gate and did some work.
 |
| Midway Mania Line |
 |
| Just getting started at Hollywood Studios |
 |
| Small World |
 |
| We saw this guy when we entered the park and kept seeing him |
 |
| Space Mountain |
 |
| Mel loves animals |
All of us but Kamiko had pretty bad turbulence. We all made it home. I'm glad Allie has explained to me that pilots can fly through turbulence just fine. It's just that they don't like to because it makes passengers nervous. Knowing that really helped. It's nice to be home.
Time to gear up for work...a little at a time.
