Now For Something Completely Different

Last week I took my kids to Walt Disney World. The Happiest Place on Earth (tm). We were accompanied by my mom and dad, because I might be foolish enough to take my kids to Disney but I'm not fool enough to try to do it by myself.

I used a chunk of last year's tax refund to fund this trip. I'm only sharing this information because the fact that I have struggled financially before and since my divorce is no secret, and I heartily dislike when people question my actions on the basis of "can you really afford that?" because they think they know what my situation is. The information anyone has out there in cyberland about my finances is limited and incomplete, and all you really need to know is that I am able to pay my bills these days, so no worries. I've never taken my kids on vacation before, and this was an opportunity I may not have again for a long time, so I took it. Irresponsible, a little, maybe, but worth it.


Anyway. This was Boo's first plane trip, and the first that Mimi remembers. I waited to tell them we were going until the day before, at which point Boo fell all over herself with excitement and Mimi looked shocked, didn't believe me, and then said "no thank you." She got upset, said she would miss Daddy, said she would stay home instead, and then decided after an hour or so that maybe it was an ok idea after all. By the next day when we were finishing packing, she was reconciled.

They both did wonderfully on the plane ride there. Mimi clutched my hand during take-off, but after we were in the air they were enthralled by the view and how they could see houses and cars and "everything is so tiny!" There was some turbulence during landing, which Mimi declared was "like a roller coaster!"

We took an evening flight to Orlando, which was not ideal but was the best deal we could get, and got in around 10:30 at night. The adults were far more stressed and tired than the kids and there were some issues getting to the hotel, but eventually we made it and settled in. We had a suite with two bedrooms and a kitchenette, which turned out to be the right choice for five people, believe me. The girls were geeked there was a tv in their room (we never turned it on, the entire time). My mom and I walked over to the 7-11 next door and bought wine. Well, and snacks, but the wine was the most immediately helpful item.

I will post more, and more pictures, but unfortunately the return journey was not nearly as smooth as the departure. Boo had a meltdown of entirely epic proportions in the security line at the Orlando Airport which resulted in my laptop being left behind, and I am still awaiting its return. (Thank the Mouse it IS being returned; I fully expected I would never see it again.) Nearly all the pictures, except for a few I managed to upload to facebook while battling with spotty in-room WiFi, are on the laptop, so when it turns up, there will be more.