What a "Magical" Vacation

We had such a great time in Disney World over the Christmas Holiday and we packed as much as we possibly could do in seven day and we are still feeling the effects from it. We left Christmas day, trying to beat the storm that was coming but boy did it snow in Utah. They were pounded with about eight to ten inches over night and we were nervous that our flight would be delayed but the airport in Salt Lake knows how to handel snow. We left right on time.
DISNEY WORLD HERE WE COME!!!




Our kids thought that flying was one of the funnest things of our trip. I think flying was one of the best things invented after driving as much as we have over the last couple of months.

We arrived in Orlando about 5:30 p.m. and went to get our van that we had rented and the place was nuts. There were people that had waited in line for hours and were just getting help. It was then our turn and they say that they have no more vans so they rent us two cars. Try following someone in Orlando Florida. It is not easy but Torrey did an amazing job getting us to the Resort. I only got honked at once by this astro van and then I met up with the same van on the other side of the airport and almost took him out again. CRAZY!!! We made it safely and this was our only hang up the entire trip. We organized ourself the rest of the night and got groceries for the week and relaxed. I was surprised that no on was sick from the flight but we were all ready to play. We started out early the next morning to Magic Kingdom and it is Magic. We rode all the rides possible and seen 3D movies,Monster Inc. Laugh Floor which Torrey and Graci were part of the show. Torrey was holding Graci on his lap so he was called the man with two heads and they were shown on the big screen. I laughed so hard. There was a big hush that went over the audience when he said that we were from Wyoming. Yes we were far from home. We watched the Christmas Parade, Fireworks over Cinderella's castle and ate dinner with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eyhor. It was an amazing day and boy were we spent. Sunday we were planning on driving to the Ocean to experience all of the beauty and visit the grounds of the Orlando Temple but with having to travel with two cars and the fact that we were all exhausted, we decided to just relax around the Resort and rest for the day. I wish that we would have had one of these days between each park but nope, Monday thru Thursday we were playing. Monday we went to Animal Kingdom which we all loved. Lion King- Live show, the Safari, It's Tough to be a bug 3Dmovie, Mount Everest Adventure, what a great ride, more parades, and much much more. They do an amazing job at entertainment. What an incredible day we had. Tuesday was spent at the Epcot Center. Honey I shrunk the Audience 3D was so much fun, Finding Nemo, Talking with Crush,Fast Track, Mission to Space. This is about the only ride that made us all a little sick but it was worth it. Circle of life Movie, We took a boat voyage around part of Epcot and experienced all that is happening around the world to help preserve it, and the different ways of growing vegitation around the world to ensure food. It was all incredible to experience. We were going from sun up to sun down and barely touched the surface as to what you can see and experience at all the parks. Also my most favorite ride of Epcot was "Soarin" over California. Graci was so wanting to grow taller so she could ride on this ride. She kept running over to the height marker and asking if she was tall enough yet but each time she got the answer, "almost". We tried stretching her, watering her, feeding her carrots, but each time she just wasn't quite tall enough and boy was she ticked but she was such a good sport about it. There was so much for her to do that she didn't feel to bad when occasionally she was not able to experience something. We did not want to leave but at 10:00, we thought that we should save a little energy for Hollywood Studios. Wednesday, we were not disappointed. Beauty and the Beast Live show was amazing, Rockin Rollercoaster was a blast, Tower of Terror was just that, TERROR!!! Journey into Narnia,Little Mermaid 3D Life Show and movie, High School Musical Live Show, Toy story Mania, Indiana Jones stunt show, Star Wars, Play House Disney. What a fun day!!! We brought in the New year with hats and horns, furnished by Hollywood Studios and finished the night with Fantasmic Firworks show. It was all very Magical. It was so exciting to have all of the movies that we all grew up with brought to life. Pocahontas, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Hunch Back of Notre Dam, and so many more, with Mickey Mouse. It was just incredible. We all loved it. Thursday we slept in a bit and then went back to Magic Kingdom to see what we had missed the first day. We rode the Ferry acrossed from where our shuttle dropped us off to the park and that was very fun. We went to adventure land and Pirates of the Carribean, Space Mountain, and yes the Mad Tea Party. This was Graci's favorite ride. Also Dumbo was right up at the top. Mickey's 3D movie, Snow white's Scarey Adventure, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan. WOW!!! We did so much in just a few days and we definately got our money's worth but the sad thing is is that there is so much more that we did not experience. I can see why people continue to go back because you can not possibly experience it all in one day. What an incredible vacation. We were all so exhausted by this time that we made an early departure and went back to the Resort and had Subway Sandwhiches and I washed all the clothes up so I didn't have to when we got home and we got into bed. We had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning to get our cars back to the rental place and then to the airport to catch our 5:30 a.m. flight and then back to Utah with the drive home to Wyoming. It makes me tired just typing all fo this but an incredible Journey. The kids were troopers with smiles on their faces even at 2:30 in the morning. We all had the time of our lives! I am unable to take my tree down because I just haven't got enough of it yet and the feelings of this special season. I am so grateful for the blessings that we have had this year and for my Family. The main reason we took this trip was just to capture their youthfulness. It is not easy making this transition and watching your children grow up and start to experience life on there own and I know that it is the Circle of Life but I am just not quite ready for it. Thank You Torrey, Riley, Layton, Hattie, Hannah, and Graci for giving me this vacation with just you. There is no other place I would like to be then with You, my Family. I know that you had other plans for your Christmas Break with friends and a little sleep but it was incredible for me and I hope that you had the time of your lives. I love you all! Here are a few pictures of our trip.