** Note - we got back from our trip this past weekend. I am under strict intructions from my more practical street-savy half not to publicize on the internetwhen we are out of the country. I feel a little deceitful that I only started the "Disney posts" after our return but there you have it...here's the one I wrote on our last night. Forgive the date discrepancy :)
It has been a whirlwind trip. Despite the fact that we have two very young kids with us who require regular meals, bottles, naps and downtime, our feet have not touched the ground since we got here. We have hit every theme park not once but at LEAST twice and yesterday, in a rare feat of enthusiasm I actually “three parked it”.
(For those not well versed in Disney-speak, it means I went to 3 theme parks all in one day.)
It is your average person’s worst nightmare, but for Disney folk it’s quite an accomplishment deserving of a very large, white, mousy high five.
The reality of it is this; there IS a certain magic of Disney that I was sometimes engulfed in, and other times not quite so much. Sharing the wonder of the “Celebrate Life” parade with my little boy who so desperately clung to his own life a a few years ago had a certain bit of magic to it. Seeing the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom surrounded by millions of screaming kids (who ALL should have been in bed) and missing most of it because we were inadequately located right behind a big obstructive tree - -not so magical.
I think the highlight for us was the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. I don’t know if this makes me a selfish parent or an indulgent person, but it was by FAR our favorite thing to do - -with and without kids. We hit Epcot everyday (it WAS only a 2 minute walk from out hotel) for an unplanned lunch or a pre-dinner drink or even as our evening’s main event. You can walk around the International Grounds with drink (S!!!) in hand and sample foods from around the world. They even gave out “passports” so you could be sure to see what every country offered. Rob took this as a personal challenge and I’m proud to say that we managed to eat and/or drink (most times BOTH) from every country represented at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Yes, that’s right- - all TWENTY NINE of them.
This was no small feat. In fact, I may just have to haul out my old pregnancy pants again as a result of it. The event SHOULD be sponsored by Lulu lemon as that is ALL I will be wearing for the next few weeks (months, maybe? Shudder…) as a result of it.
Today was our last day and to fit the mood it rained. A lot. All day.
But we didn’t let the rain deter us from our ultimate quest; we had 3 countries to go, two cranky and overtired kids and dreary weather to contend with, but a mission is a mission and NO ONE gets in the way of Rob’s gustatory determination.
We headed out, umbrella in tow, and dragged the kids around Epcot to finalize our conquest. The first thing we stumbled upon was a Parisian booth that sold champagne (yes, please) followed closely by the Gin Blossoms (the band, not the drink). Making our way back, we found ourselves leaving the last park for the last time when we heard some familiar sounds coming from “Canada.” An energetic, kilt-clad maritime band playing Celtic songs from Great Big Sea quickly brought us out of our “last-day” funk. Within minutes, both kids were in smiles. Toby emerged from the stroller, dancing and jumping around in the puddles while Mia shook her bottle to the beat. What had started as a gray day of crankiness ended with a high from the place we call our home.
I could think of no better way to end our trip. Four theme parks, 2 parades, 10 bus rides, two horrific flights, countless “magical moments”, 29 countries, and at the end of it all we concluded the trip with one simple message; There’s no place like home.
Here’s a short video of Toby getting his groove on…Canadian Styles J
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