Why yes, I did, indeed, just use a hashtag in the title of my blog post, but only because: Dubya Did FL!! (And yes, that was the Insta hashtag that I used to document our trip!)
Remember the fabulous 11th birthday tradition my parents have with their grandchildren? Well, guess who just turned 11? Yup...my sweet, big hearted, non-stop talking, thrill ride loving middle child turned the big ONE-ONE.
So, without further ado, let me bring you up to speed on the whirlwind trip that is our 11th birthday FL tradition...(oh, and I "get" to go along, but I pay my own way!)
First up...Dubya's first airplane ride.
Gosh dang is it cute to watch a first time airplane rider. At least...I think it was cute. Maybe it was cute? I dunno...I was chillin' with a little Valium coursing through my veins, so who knows, really, how "cute" his first plane ride was. :)
(Actually, I don't get that zonked from the drugs...it just leaves me a little chill...a little "meh"...a little sleepy...and a lot less panicky.)
As we're soaring higher and higher into the sky he kept remarking about the cars..."Look how little they are!!!"...and thought it was the coolest thing in the whole wide world that we ALL, each and every single passenger, got our own TV screen to look at AND could choose a movie to watch! I chose "Divergent". His choice? "Willy Wonka"...you know, 'cuz he hasn't already seen THAT movie 87 times.
Somewhere over, oh, I dunno, Nebraska maybe? I took a nice long nap and missed the middle chunk of "Divergent" (thankfully, I read the book, so no worries) and woke up as the plane began to descend. We landed, got our car and took off to the hotel...the first night we were there? Downtown Disney, baby!
Day #1 in FL: Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. He loved the Yeti ride at Animal Kingdom...I nearly lost my delicious jalapeno cheese filled pretzel after we careened backwards for far longer than my brain could handle. My dad told me I looked a little green coming off that ride. Dubya though? Coulda stayed on it all dang day! Hollywood Studios brought the Tower of Terror (yay!!!) and Rockin' Rollercoaster (fun!!) and dinner at the Prime Time 50's cafe...which Dubya thought was the best thing since sliced bread. And then? the Osbourne Christmas Lights!! Wow.
Day #2: Seaworld. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blackfish. Bad stuff. Evil company. But still TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY fascinating to me. I nearly got my hand bitten off by a dolphin (true story...I think she liked the ring on my hand...thankfully my lightening fast reflexes kicked in and I was able to spare my hand) and the second time she came around, I sacrificed myself for my boy so that he could touch the dolphin. They are such amazing creatures. Ride highlights? Manta. A strap-you-in-so-tight you can't move ride that hurtles you, head first, through the park at the speed of sound. Or light. Or something. It was a thrill!! (And, I didn't get green afterward!!)
Day #3: HIGHLIGHT DAY!!! Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I could've stayed at these two parks ALL day and JUST done the Harry Potter stuff. It was absolutely amazing...Diagon Alley? I was awestruck!! I think I rattled my brain loose on one of the rollercoasters at Universal...but, to make up for it? Mannheim Steamroller was there for a concert!! I mean. I can't even. :) Dubya's fave ride of the day? The Hulk rollercoaster.
Day #4: Final day...Epcot and Magic Kingdom. And the weather was AWFUL. Cold, constant drizzle, cool wind. Gross. We spent a lot of time in the "countries" of Epcot (mostly because they had a lot of shops and we could be sheltered from the yuck outside). We headed over to Magic Kingdom where I had one goal: Dole Whip (and it did not disappoint!!). I think at this point in the trip, we were all exhausted. And cold. And damp. But, at the end of the night, they had a projection show on the castle that was absolutely jaw dropping. And fascinating...I mean, HOW do they do that??? It looked like the castle was on fire, then Wreck-it-Ralph wrecked it, then it was striped like a candy cane, then all different colors, all interspersed with a variety of Disney characters??? I was in awe. The rest of my party? Not so much...I mean, they thought it was cool and all, but I was riveted by it!
Day #5: Fly home day. And boy was I ready. I missed my husband. I missed my other babies. I missed my bed. So, we repeated the valium/nap/movie scenario and we were home before supper!
Now, we're nursing a multi-day Disney hangover. I'm still pooped. All I want is a day in my jammies at home and it doesn't look like its coming anytime soon.
Next up: Finish getting ready for Christmas!!
Eeeeek.
Remember the fabulous 11th birthday tradition my parents have with their grandchildren? Well, guess who just turned 11? Yup...my sweet, big hearted, non-stop talking, thrill ride loving middle child turned the big ONE-ONE.
So, without further ado, let me bring you up to speed on the whirlwind trip that is our 11th birthday FL tradition...(oh, and I "get" to go along, but I pay my own way!)
First up...Dubya's first airplane ride.
Gosh dang is it cute to watch a first time airplane rider. At least...I think it was cute. Maybe it was cute? I dunno...I was chillin' with a little Valium coursing through my veins, so who knows, really, how "cute" his first plane ride was. :)
(Actually, I don't get that zonked from the drugs...it just leaves me a little chill...a little "meh"...a little sleepy...and a lot less panicky.)
As we're soaring higher and higher into the sky he kept remarking about the cars..."Look how little they are!!!"...and thought it was the coolest thing in the whole wide world that we ALL, each and every single passenger, got our own TV screen to look at AND could choose a movie to watch! I chose "Divergent". His choice? "Willy Wonka"...you know, 'cuz he hasn't already seen THAT movie 87 times.
Somewhere over, oh, I dunno, Nebraska maybe? I took a nice long nap and missed the middle chunk of "Divergent" (thankfully, I read the book, so no worries) and woke up as the plane began to descend. We landed, got our car and took off to the hotel...the first night we were there? Downtown Disney, baby!
Day #1 in FL: Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. He loved the Yeti ride at Animal Kingdom...I nearly lost my delicious jalapeno cheese filled pretzel after we careened backwards for far longer than my brain could handle. My dad told me I looked a little green coming off that ride. Dubya though? Coulda stayed on it all dang day! Hollywood Studios brought the Tower of Terror (yay!!!) and Rockin' Rollercoaster (fun!!) and dinner at the Prime Time 50's cafe...which Dubya thought was the best thing since sliced bread. And then? the Osbourne Christmas Lights!! Wow.
Day #2: Seaworld. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blackfish. Bad stuff. Evil company. But still TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY fascinating to me. I nearly got my hand bitten off by a dolphin (true story...I think she liked the ring on my hand...thankfully my lightening fast reflexes kicked in and I was able to spare my hand) and the second time she came around, I sacrificed myself for my boy so that he could touch the dolphin. They are such amazing creatures. Ride highlights? Manta. A strap-you-in-so-tight you can't move ride that hurtles you, head first, through the park at the speed of sound. Or light. Or something. It was a thrill!! (And, I didn't get green afterward!!)
Day #3: HIGHLIGHT DAY!!! Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I could've stayed at these two parks ALL day and JUST done the Harry Potter stuff. It was absolutely amazing...Diagon Alley? I was awestruck!! I think I rattled my brain loose on one of the rollercoasters at Universal...but, to make up for it? Mannheim Steamroller was there for a concert!! I mean. I can't even. :) Dubya's fave ride of the day? The Hulk rollercoaster.
Day #4: Final day...Epcot and Magic Kingdom. And the weather was AWFUL. Cold, constant drizzle, cool wind. Gross. We spent a lot of time in the "countries" of Epcot (mostly because they had a lot of shops and we could be sheltered from the yuck outside). We headed over to Magic Kingdom where I had one goal: Dole Whip (and it did not disappoint!!). I think at this point in the trip, we were all exhausted. And cold. And damp. But, at the end of the night, they had a projection show on the castle that was absolutely jaw dropping. And fascinating...I mean, HOW do they do that??? It looked like the castle was on fire, then Wreck-it-Ralph wrecked it, then it was striped like a candy cane, then all different colors, all interspersed with a variety of Disney characters??? I was in awe. The rest of my party? Not so much...I mean, they thought it was cool and all, but I was riveted by it!
Day #5: Fly home day. And boy was I ready. I missed my husband. I missed my other babies. I missed my bed. So, we repeated the valium/nap/movie scenario and we were home before supper!
Now, we're nursing a multi-day Disney hangover. I'm still pooped. All I want is a day in my jammies at home and it doesn't look like its coming anytime soon.
Next up: Finish getting ready for Christmas!!
Eeeeek.
So much fun! I don't remember you writing about this tradition before, but seriously an awesome grandparent thing to do. My parents have 8 more years before their first grandchild turns 11...and that will make my mom 76. Hrm, thinking they may have to do something a little smaller scale. By the way, you look very much like your mom (who looks incredibly young!).
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