Cinderella Dinner & MK @ Night

Thursday during the day we took it easy and hung around the hotel. We went to the Grand Floridian about 6 that night and had dinner with Cinderella. We then took the monorail into Magic Kingdom for the Electrical Parade and fireworks show. I don't have good pictures of the fireworks around the castle, but believe me it's something to see. I had forgotten they light up the castle with different colors at night.........so pretty.

This is Tinkerbell, who after the parade, flies from the top of the castle across the park to save the day.

Okay, here's my disclaimer about this: it was EXPENSIVE!!!! And do I think I got my money's worth??? Absolutely not, but the kids had a blast and it's not about me. Parents take 'vacations' like this for their children..........so there you go. A little sidenote.........the 'ugly' step-sisters were a hoot.

The ugly stepmother played her part to the t. Tug told her, "You're mean." She said, "No, I'm just strict."

Prince Charming didn't really look that charming in my opinion. But the kids didn't notice, so that's all that counts.

Animal Kingdom

This was our first stop at AK. This was our least favorite park of the four........it was super crowded, more so than any other park and it's a lot smaller than the other parks which makes it seem that crowded. And I think one of the other reasons we may have not liked this park as much is because I think it was the hottest day of that week.
We saw many animals on the African Safari ride. This ride was alot of fun.......gotta love the fast passes for the rides. Took a 90 minute wait down to 15 minutes. If you look closely in the above picture you can see the baby.

Another highlight of AK, was getting to see Lion King live. It was incredible. The kids were entralled. Another fun ride of a Bug's Life. Although not an attraction for the claustrophobic.

Epcot

Epcot, was by far, the favorite park of the adults on this trip. I remember going as an 18 year old, thinking how boring it was. I am so glad I was able to go at an older age to really appreciate it. Above, Tug and Nor are in Mexico. I am sure that was obvious.
This is one of the craziest things we have ever seen. We work with high school students on a daily basis so you know when we say this is crazy it is. Look closing, there are 2 girls stacked on top of one another, with the 3rd in the process. It went 4 tall in case you were wondering.

We got to see and interact with more characters at Epcot than anywhere else. And of course Tug isn't in this picture, because this is 'girl stuff.'

Posing with Marie from "The Aristocats" Tug was really hoping to see Thomas O'Malley, the alleycat. And you know if we were hot (and we were), I can't even imagine what the person was feeling in that costume.

In Canada..............

Finding Nemo ride..............

Minnie was too girly for Tug too.

A picture at the front of the 'space ball.' We rode in the Epcot ball twice........the 2nd time........very scary. It stopped for about 5 mins. at the top. Thankfully we were not on the downhill side at that point or I really would have freaked out.

Comments

I KNOW that more than one person reads this blog............so for you folks who take a look, leave a comment from time to time. Even if you don't have a blog of your own you can leave a comment. Just click on the little comment tab below each post and follow the VERY easy instructions. Happy reading to you..................keep coming back for more Disney World updates.

Magic Kingdom

Cinderella waving right at Nor-Nor. Of course I put these parade pictures up backwards. This is the 3:00 parade that happens everday at the MK.
Captain Hook took Tug's sword and walked away to fight with someone else and then brought it back. Fun times!!!!

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was a real hit. That's where we got the pirate sword. Could we have more swords around here????

Inside Cinderella's castle. Nor-nor got a little upset because she thought we were actually going to see Cinderella in the castle.

This was actually the first day of vacation. We drove half-way to Savannah and stayed at a Hampton Inn. It was nice to relax and chill by the pool. More pictures to follow soon.

Summer Soccer Camp

The Cove has summer soccer camp at an awesome indoor complex. The kids have had a blast and learned alot. I kind of wish they could do it next week..........but Disney is awaiting us. They have done alot of drills and are TIRED at the end of the night. It's been great!!!! One of the coaches used to play for the Ugandan Soccer team. They are soaking it up like a sponge. So now we know what they are both going to do this fall, since Nor has shown no interest in dance this time around.

A New Job = Excitment/Scariness

T accepted a job as principal of Lake Norman High School. This is HUGE. He has pretty much reached the pinnacle of his career with the exception of finishing his doctorate and working at a central office or teaching at the college level. This is where he has been headed since the day he stepped into the classroom in 1995. It is truly amazing to see him/us at this point. We are thanking God for answered prayers. And thank all our friends for praying too.

The kids are excited about the football field and track. We didn't have time for them to run around last night, but we will definitely be doing that in the future, since they were up at 6 A.M. What were they thinking???? T has only been on the job for 3 days and in a training for most of that time and he is already being solicited by companies, called by a local newspaper for a write-up and getting 75 emails a day. Thank goodness we are going on vacation soon.

On a different note, the kids have their last night of soccer camp. Nor-Nor decided she wanted to try it out. She was so cute with those shin-guards on. I'll have to take pictures tonight and post later. Between packing, soccer, and getting the septic system pumped we have a busy few days. Which by the way, it's never a good sight when you see water start to seep out of the bottom of your toilets. The whole system was backed up..........if it isn't one thing it's another.

Side note: I feel like I need to say this and I don't know why...........Yes we got new cars and No it has nothing to do with a new job. We could have afforded new cars long before this job ever came along. (We try to make sound financial decisions.)

You Were Awesome

In case I haven't said it recently, I hate my hair. Look at that mess. I look like I have wings. Anyway, we had such a great time at the concert. We got lost once getting there, but Buble didn't take the stage until 9:15. The opening act was a group called Naturally 7. I had never heard of them, but they were really good. Every guy in the group can imitate at least one instrument with his voice. It was incredible.
He came down into the middle of the crowd to sing a few songs. ("I'm Coming Home")
We had really good seats, but I have a not-so-great camera. Not only is Buble a musical entertainer, but he is funny too!!!!

July 4th Fun

We went to the M'ville YMCA for their big fireworks display. It gets crazier every year, but we had a good time. At least this year we didn't freeze our tails off............it was a beautiful day.

We went to the Troutman parade for the 3rd year in a row. This is the last year it will be in T-town. Next year we'll have to go to M'ville. I always love paying tribute to the veterans who go by on the floats. But this year's parade was a disappointment, no bands and only one high school ROTC group. Hope that changes next year.