Disney-Day 1

we had a fabulous time at disney world!
chris and mckinlee had never been and the last time i went i think i was 15 or 16.
so there was so many new and exciting things to see.
mckinlee was at a great age to go--she could walk everywhere (with only a little bit of complaining), she was tall enough for everything (and would ride every roller coaster chris would go on with her!) and she will remember everything.

here are some of the things i noticed at disney.
i was absolutely amazed at the number of people:

a) with tiny (i'm talking 5-6 week old) babies
b) women obviously about to give birth
(usually with 3-5 small children trailing behind them)
c) dressed in all sorts of odd things

whether you wanted it or not, here are my thoughts on the above three observations:

a) maybe it's just me (apparently it is because i was there with my 11 year old) but i have no desire whatsoever to take a little child, much less an infant, to disney world, especially in july. it was desperately hot, humid, crowded and so many little children were crying and miserable--i really felt terrible for them!

b) what would possess a woman about to birth a baby to go on a trip to disney world? the thought just made me cringe--i know how exhausted i was walking all day long, i can't imagine how some of the women i saw felt at the end of the day!

c) i just don't get it--cute girls/women dressed in darling strapless dresses, coordinating jewelry and tall wedge shoes.
what are you thinking?
i was so miserable in the little clothing i wore. everytime i walked by a drink cart, i would grab a handful of ice and rub it all over me in an attempt to cool off! and i can't even begin to imagine the blisters after those adorable shoes came off their feet.
or people dressed like it was a crisp fall day in long jeans, jackets, etc. i don't know if they didn't realize what the weather would be in florida or if it wasn't bothering them!? and i'm even used to the extreme heat!

anyway, enough about my people watching skills...

here we are right before we left.
we have started taking a picture here in the breakfast room before we leave on a big trip.

mckinlee in the airport--waiting for us to "aboard" as she called it!
(i have found that i absolutely love airports! i love to see people from all over the world, i love the bustle of people catching flights--i could just sit and people watch at an airport all day long! chris thinks i am insane--ha!)

speaking of insane...ha ha! (i'm only kidding, honey.) here is a shot of chris on the plane already organizing and keeping track of the money we're spending on our trip.
my little accountant--i just love him!

i can never take self-portraits very good. i finally figured out it's because my arms are so short.

a couple shots out the window

chris checking in the hotel. the lobby was so beautiful.

mck "touching" the fountain.
(each day my camera would get so hazy--coming from the cold hotel into the humidity. it took 30 minutes or so each time for it to adapt.)

a view of the back of our hotel-the dolphin.

chris & mck on the boardwalk. we walked down here and found a restaurant to eat at as soon as we arrived.

i loved the storefronts--so old-timey looking!

a nice family took our picture on the way back to our room.

we went back to the room and changed and headed straight for magic kingdom since tour guide mike said this was a good day for it. (if you ever go to disney, spend the $21.95 before and plan your trip using tour guide mike's plans--it really works!) the parade and light show was tonight and we wanted to be sure we saw that.

we got there at least 2 hours before the parade was going to start and people were already lining the sidewalks to get a good spot.

there's something so thrilling about seeing that castle!

as you walk through the castle, there are gorgeous mosaics of movies on the walls. this one is of sleeping beauty, i think.

our very first ride...it's a small world.

how can you not love this?

this was my favorite part--all the blues, purples & crystal-y stuff!

after we rode that, it was time to get our spot for the parade. we followed tour guide mike's suggestions and found a spot near the president's hall.
you can't go to disney and not see the parade. but let me tell you, it was so stifling hot (not a leaf was moving on the trees) and i had such horrible cramps and a backache, that i wasn't too terribly excited about the parade. and i knew i couldn't even stand up, much less leave--so i was feeling a tiny bit claustrophobic. so i just focused on taking pictures and eventually it was over!

i think this one is from alice and wonderland

cinderella

pete's dragon

when the parade was over we went back over near the castle so we could see the fireworks. if you ever go to disney, you HAVE to stay for the fireworks. this was our favorite thing and it was absolutely magical. these measly pictures do not do it justice at all! it was incredible--the sky was lit up like it was day and everyone was gasping and clapping at how beautiful it was.

this picture made chris and i laugh. it looks like 'armageddon at disney' or something! ha!

as we were leaving i took these of the castle and i just love them.

the castle at night is so much more thrilling than during the day!

so that was day 1.
(hope you weren't bored to tears.)
come back tomorrow for day 2 :)