Disney's Animal Kingdom...Day Nine

I'm not going to lie. We drove all night, had some trouble with the GPS when we got to Orlando and had a misunderstanding about our dining plan, so when we checked-in, I was not feeling very chipper. However, I think that that the folks at Disney filter their air systems with happy juice because as soon as we really began our adventures the whole world and its problems melted away!

We chose to do Animal Kingdom first upon recommendation from my Guru. The idea was to initiate Raylen into theme parks slowly in case it was overwhelming. GREAT plan! Animal Kingdom moves slowly like a zoo, but has just as much excitement. There are a couple of "extreme" rides that wouldn't be appropriate for little ones. Jason insisted that we ride all that Ray was tall enough for which included these "extreme" rides. She lived, but I'm a little worse for wear :)

The absolute highlight of Animal Kingdom is Finding Nemo: The Musical. It is phenomenal! Like a true Broadway musical, but very kid friendly. The whole trip was worth seeing that for me. Lion King was also a wonderful performance. This is an interactive show set in theatre in the round style. My best Mommy tip of the day is to allow yourself some time to utilize the Boneyard. This is a larger than life playground full of dinosaur bones, caves, tunnels and slides. There is no waiting and plenty of places for mommies and daddies to relax. This proved to be such a good opportunity to let our over-energized "Tigger" run out her energy. Jason and I also welcomed the break!

When the park closed at seven, we headed to our dinner reservation at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Boma. This restaurant is a buffet style, but is NOT lacking in actual style. Included in the buffet are top notch meats and sides native to Africa, but delicious for this picky American eater. A dessert buffet is also provided with amazing miniature pineapple upside down cheesecakes and much more. Yum!

Before I list the photos, I must tell you that I found the Disney Celebrations to be quite wonderful. When we booked our trip I was asked if we were going to be celebrating anything. Our anniversary is in three weeks so I told them and they made note. Upon check-in, we got buttons saying Happy Anniversary to wear and our room was upgraded from standard to preferred (close to the bus!). At Boma, we were sat in preferred seating in intimate window booths as an upgrade. Literally, EVERYWHERE we have been we are greeted with "Happy Anniversary" and "Congratulations" making us feel super special. Don't be embarrassed to mention something special that you're celebrating during your stay. It's free, but well worth it!

Jason at Boma

The Smith Family meet Santa Goofy

Finding Nemo: The Musical

Mommy and Ray on the Safari

Raylen meets Turk

Our very own Tigger!

Slow Southern Sunday....Day Eight

Aunt LeAnn and Raylen cooking lunch

The Gang playing UNO

It's been another great day in Tennessee. I can't stress enough how much I love being here. I've been remembering such fond memories of our Tennessee family through the years today. I met Bud and LeAnn when I was fourteen when they came on staff at our church as youth ministers. There second son, Logan is fourteen now and that is wild to think about. The Georges were immediately more like family and my best friends as an awkward youth. The eldest, Blake, was my favorite babysitting charge then, the most precious ring bearer ever for our wedding and is still the sweetest young man at sixteen. Annalee is a beautiful seven year old that was an answer to prayer for this family. She doesn't know it, but she provided some sweet laughter for my dad in his last month with the video package she sent. Looking back, Bud and Lee have been instrumental in my life at every turn. Bud has taught me invaluable life lessons even without saying a word-lessons about integrity, forgiveness, courage and boldness. LeAnn reminded me on the day that Bud married Jason and I that she had been praying for my future husband since I was sixteen and I know she still prays today. She is the most relaxed, down to earth person I know and makes everyone else around her feel relaxed too. I want to know their secret for raising happy, fun, respectful, well rounded children and repeat that too.

I'm so grateful for positive influences in my life like the Georges. There are so many other people I count in that category as well, too. I realize that I wouldn't be anywhere today without these God given role models that have guided me along the way.

Relaxing In Murfreesboro...Day Seven

We successfully made it to Murfreesboro, TN last night around 6:30pm. It was a great trip and we were so excited to see our friends, The Georges. Even though it's been three years since we've seen them, it feels like yesterday. We always have such a great time when we visit.

We were excited to smell bacon and pancakes from our room this morning and Raylen got a special treat from Uncle Bud on her plate...

Today, we went to Miller's Grocery Store to eat lunch, which is a sweet and yummy cafe in an antique grocery store. There is a little drygoods store across the street from Miller's that has an assortment of handmade things. Raylen and Annalee picked out matching Dorothy dresses for their American Girl Dolls. There felt pretty grown up buying them all by themselves! Tonight, our friends, The Herndons came over for chili and game night. Fun! I need to brush up on my Catch Phrase though. Now we are relaxing around the beautiful Christmas tree and wishing we could visit longer. Here are some other shots from the day.

On The Road Again ..Day Five and Six

I'm trying a new thing: blogging from my phone. I hope it works!
Yeasterday was a great day! We woke up to yummy blueberry muffins made by my Mama and got ready to go to my Aunt Lynn's while watching the Macy's parade. I had a great time with my cousins, as usual. After retrieving a new Christmas tree for my mom, we crawled in bed early for our six am wake up call.
Today has been a great day of travel. It's been beautiful weather and I love all the wonderful fall scenery. We are about two hours outside of Nashville right now and we are anxious to get there. Ray is watching a movie, Jason is belting out (loudly) Bon Jovi and I'm blogging. Oh wait, gotta go. Total Eclipse Of The Heart just came on. It's my turn to sing!

Over The River And Through The Woods....Day Four

This morning started bright and early at 6am for me. I got up, iced the cake that I baked last night, finished packing all things under heading "toiletries" and tried to think of anything I may have forgotten. My dear friend, Russellann is in town (Abilene) for the holidays and I was overjoyed to see her for coffee this morning. Russellann has truly been instrumental and irreplaceable in my life the last two years. Her wisdom, soft and loving instruction and her constant belief in God's destiny for my life are things that I wish every woman could experience. Because of the countless prayers she has prayed for me and my family, I was thrilled to show her around the home that God has so graciously provided to us. It was such a sweet visit!

After Russellann left, we packed ourselves in the car and headed East on I-20. I had to take a pic of Ray tucked in her little "cockpit" in the backseat. She's got a new cup holder, trash can, dvd player, old school headphones, a lap tray and a very special new Nemo Webkin from "Aunt" Janna and the boys.

After our two hour journey, Raylen was overjoyed to see my mom, "G-Da". Mom graciously allowed me to go take a nap, while she and Raylen cooked for the Tidwell Thanksgiving party tonight. This will be the first family holiday without my PaPa and he will be missed. I am truly thankful for his life and legacy this year and that he is celebrating with my dad forever.Tomorrow, round two for Turkeyville. Yummy. We're going to put up the Christmas Tree at Mom's tonight or tomorrow, so look for stunning pics to come!

When You Wish Upon A Star...Day Three

I am frightened that I'm really prepared. I have packed, repacked, shopped, re-shopped and I am certain that I have everything that we will need and not need on this trip. I am frightened because I know that there will be something, probably important, that I will remember that I didn't pack about 400 miles into the trip. It's inevitable.

Tonight, as we prepare to leave the house tomorrow, I am remembering how our true countdown began. Late in July, I made a call to secure our reservation and there was something truly magical in just talking to the uber friendly Disney agent. Maybe it was the sound byte of Cinderella's wand on the line, but something made me giddy with excitement and after I hung up, Raylen and I literally danced around the room for twenty minutes. We rushed out to the dollar store and bought poster board and Disney stickers to make a countdown calendar. Here's where we started...

And here's where we are today...

I highly recommend doing a countdown. It was something that we looked forward to doing everyday and seemed to make the days go by just a little faster.

Tomorrow's post will be coming to you from my mom's house while we have full bellies from the first Thanksgiving meal of the week. Mmm...I can already taste it!

Disney Dreaming Day Two

I have been a busy little bee all day which is why this post is coming so late. It has been a day full of laundry and rolling the laundry to fit in our limited suitcase space. I think that I have successfully planned for a total of twelve outfits for each of us. This is tricky considering the unpredictable weather in the three states we'll frequent. I've got jackets, rain ponchos and mittens to accommodate all of these surprises...I hope!

As I mentioned yesterday, another great tip I received months ago that I will be including as daily surprises are themed tutu outfits. I went a step further and planned a tutu for each day we will be in Disney and planned the theme with the park we will be attending. Animal Kingdom day=Tigger; Magic Kingdom days=Minnie Mouse and Pirate of the Caribbean; Hollywood Studios day=Belle (She has her own Broadway style musical there that is quite impressive). I decided to do without an outfit for our day at Epcot because we will be having dinner with all of the Disney princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall that evening and Raylen will be wearing a princess dress. My Disney guru forwarded me this Disney Tutu Link that showed me step by step how-to for these ultra cute costumes. Here are a few photos I took while making them-shown is the pirate costume and Tigger front and back, with tail.

You may be wondering, "Why is she doing all of this?" That's a valid question. My only response is that I LOVE fun. I adore it, in fact. I was brought up with the philosophy that fun is everywhere, even if you have to dig it up yourself. If you asked my mom right now what drew her to my dad she would say that he always looked for fun in any situation. We don't go to Disney often, but whether we're at Disney or at the park or visiting Santa Claus or our family, chances are I have thought ahead, planned a special outfit, packed a backpack or written a little song to make the day even more fun. I'm well aware that way sooner than I would like, we are going to trade our freckled face five year old for a young vibrant woman with a family of her own. When that day comes, I will daydream and laugh at the memories we made getting there and all the fun that we had.

Tomorrow is last minute store run as well as last minute chore to do's. Raylen needs her bangs cut, I need my nails trimmed and we need a vat of batteries. So as Pooh would say, TTFN.

Packing for Disney Day One

I am freaking out because we leave our house this Wednesday for eleven days! This time will include two Thanksgiving meals in Ft. Worth, a weekend trip to Murfreesboro, TN, and FIVE DAYS at Disneyworld in Orlando, FL. I can't tell you how excited we are and in shock that we are actually going!!! As the Mama to our clan, I am in charge of nearly everything for our trip. Daddy is making sure that all the tires, brakes and oil things are in good use and repair, while I focus on the more fun side of the trip. I will be posting a blog a day as we lead up to and during our vacation. I know that grandma's, aunts and other loved ones will appreciate this. I also hope to help and inspire anyone that is or might be planning a trip to a Disney resort in the future. I have been MUCH inspired and helped by the memories of my mom's fun surprises for us when we went as children and the deep well of wisdom from my own Disney Fairy Godmother, Janna Briggs.

And now, Disney Packing Day One: When we went to Disney as kids, we flew (we are driving) and my mom packed each of us a carry on with games, crayons, snacks, etc. It was an exciting beginning to the adventure. Janna inspired me to avoid the normal tourist trappings of a lot of souvenir purchasing and pack a backpack each day for Raylen with goodies I found here at home before the trip. These items have been purchased at the dollar store, thrift stores, clearance racks, and the ever wonderful Disney Outlet store. All have been packed in Ziploc bags with the themes of the parks we will visit each day in mind, ie. Animal Kingdom, Day One, Lion King, Pooh and Tigger, Bug's Life Themes because these are the main themes inside that park. I've included small toys that she can play on the transportation or in longer lines as well as practical things like sunglasses, sippy cups and chapstick, all with Disney themes. The best tip I got was to include character PEZ dispensers and candy in each day's backpack. These are fun to collect for the child, but also provide a small sweet boost while not being messy or hard to contain. Here's what the packs look like today...The plan is to pack up Raylen's backpack each night after she goes to sleep in the hotel room and then have it waiting for her the next morning when she wakes up. (Check back tomorrow for another surprise that will be with her backpack each morning) I have also purchased Disney jammies, dry erase board, autograph book and slippers that will be waiting in the room for us when she arrives. How am I going to do that, you may be asking. When we arrive at the hotel, there will be an enormous amount of sites to be seen just upon checking in. Jason has agreed to take Ray around the hotel to explore while I get the room set up for her. Then, I'll get them, we'll all go in together and we'll get ready to go to Animal Kingdom.

I'm off now, to finish day one packing...tune in tomorrow!