Never Too Old ~ Exile From Conformity

It's been a while in posting, we've been doing way too much traveling it seems. We're finally stationary for a few days though, which is good. As much as I desperately love to travel, sometimes it can be a little too much.

I can't help but share some photos from our family trip to Disney World though. We went with my parents and I have to say that no matter how old we get, the lot of us still love this place. Even lil bro who has worked there as part of the college internship program still thinks there's magic.

At times the trip was exhausting, but I think that was mostly old age setting in. Not that we're entirely that old, but between the 'rents and champ and I no longer being spring chickens? We got worn out pretty easy. That didn't deteriorate from fun of course, but it was interesting.

There are probably plenty of stories to share, as there were lots of laughs and giggles to be had over the course of the trip. We did a lot of our favorite activities, which included things like eating at our favorite restaurants (don't judge, but the Pizza Planet in Holywood Studios is easily my favorite place) and riding our favorite rides.

The weather did seemed entirely against us here and there. It was Orlando in June, so the afternoon/evening rainstorm that felt like the gods crashing their anger down at the city were expected, but they still seemed to come out of nowhere. The first really bad one was at night in EPCOT, just before the evening Illuminations show started. We were on lake, in prime watching location and about fifteen minutes before it was supposed to start the rain started. It wasn't too bad, just simply falling at first. Then it started to come down more and we wound up under an umbrella near the water at a beer cart (good call right?). As we stood there the wind started and eventually it just started blowing water sideways. Finally when it was horrible we made a run for it, piling soaked with a bunch of English people into an all-day-chilled-in-air-conditioning store, which left us freezing. When the rain finally let up we waded home. (The only complaint I've ever had with EPCOT is the overwhelming ability for that place to flood. I've experienced it more than once.)

(champ in blue with the hat on the left, lil bro in gray on the right)

Of course there was the inevitable "really really bad moment." This year's for me I think was on the Tower of Terror. I've ridden this ride twice before, once with lil bro when we came just the two of us while he was working in the parks. I hated it then. I swore I'd never get on it again.

The next time I go is with Champ and it's the first time he's been to Disney since high school. Being the great girlfriend I was at the time, I went with him. I was terrified, but I went because, I was just remembering it worse than it was right?

No. Totally wrong.

Flash forward to this trip. The boys had been bugging me about going for weeks prior to leaving. I was against it, but the day of I sucked it up and didn't complain. Right up until the ride started. By the time we started falling I was crying (with lil bro and champ on either side of me hooting and hollering). They realized when I got off and were instantly very understanding. And they promised to never make me ride it again. I assume this will hold up for about another month.

My favorite story though comes from our last night. We were having dinner at another favorite spot, the 50's Prime Time Cafe. It's fun because it's done up like 50's style kitchens, and all the staff acts like parents, lecturing moms and dads for not eating vegetables or wearing hats at the table and etc.

The waitress at the table next to ours looked really, really familiar. Like eerie familiar. I was asking Josh if he knew her, one of his friends, which she wasn't but he thought she looked familiar as well. After a few moments we realized that she'd been our waitress before. Years before. We stopped her and asked and she was like "oh yes probably." It took a little more discussion before we figured out why she stood out so. Her first night at work? Her last table on her first night? Was our table. She was still training back then. Talk about nuts. We told her and she sat with us for a bit, talking about it, and she did remember us. Though when she commented that she didn't recognize champ we pointed out that he was new to the family.

In honor of that she grabbed my dessert (an ooey gooey s'mores dish) and scooped up two helpful chunks handing each of us a spoon. Then in front of the restaurant she re-did our marriage vow of sorts, and had us feed each other. I normally hate these sort of public displays, but it was actually really fun. Maybe because champ was there.

Really love this one of mom and dad.