Happy Wednesday Main Streeters! I hope you’re all doing well and ready to get to chatting! Last week, I promised I’d finish talking about my families visit here to Central Florida, and we have a lot to catch up on! Let’s get to it!
As I previously stated, not only was my family here with me, but last week my mom was also celebrating her birthday. Giving her a Disney day with her family was on the top of the list, but the night before, we took the boat from the Magic Kingdom over to Trails End at the campgrounds to have dinner. The last time we tried Trails End with them, it was storming and they didn’t get to enjoy the boat ride, but my dad really enjoyed the food so we gave it another shot. The trip over was lovely, and my brother and sister in law had never done that before, so everyone was game for a fun evening. The food was good, and we all had fun. I didn’t want to stay out too late though, because the next day was my mom’s birthday, and we were all spending the day at the Magic Kingdom!
I think I was looking forward to my mom’s birthday even more than she was. I was so happy to have my parents, brother and sister in law here, and I couldn’t wait to show them all a fun day at the park. I got my mom a Birthday button, and my bro and sis First Visit buttons, and we made a plan for the day. It was a rough start. The lines for the monorail and ferry were ridiculously long, as was security. Once we finally got up to the turnstiles, we had another obsticle. We all scanned our bands (or cards) but my mom’s card wouldn’t go through. The CM tried three times and ended up calling over a plaid shirt CM who was supposed to fix it. Well….. to my shock, this girl didn’t fix it, quite the contrary. She was very rude to my mom (on her birthday mind you), told my mother to go buy another ticket, and that Disney was “a privilege not a right.” No, I’m not even kidding, I was so angry and upset for my mom. I was on the verge of tears, because I didn’t want her day to be bad. We went over to Guest Services, and come to find out, my mom used the wrong finger when scanning in and it knocked her account offline. So, her card wasn’t invalid, and no she didn’t have to buy another. That’s never happened before, as I love Disney CM’s, they are awesome. Not sure what happened with this gal, but it really was upsetting. I guess people have off days, and I still have nothing but good to say about CM’s over all, they help bring the magic! Once we finally got everyone inside the park, the day turned for the better, thank God! I take it upon myself when we have family and friends in town, to be sure they have a magical Disney time, no matter what. I just wanted them all to have a good day.
My mom and dad were at the Magic Kingdom in the Fall of 2014, but my brother and sister in law hadn’t been in over 20 years, and neither really remembered their MK visit. We had a goal to show them a fun day, get them on some rides, and show them what Disney was all about. I was a little worried that my brother might not get the whole Disney experience, but he truly, truly did. They both did. My brother and sister in law have an affection for scary movies and haunted houses, so of COURSE the Haunted Mansion was on the to do list, and they loved it. They thought Space Mountain was a hoot too of course. Seeing my entire family together in my favorite place did my heart good. Seeing my mom’s face, having her kids together for her birthday, was just the best. We all had an amazing day, I wish it could have lasted longer, and I can’t wait to do that again!
The following day, was the last full day my family was to be in town, and my brother had one request….. a water park! We spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon, which was another first, not just for my brother and sister in law, but my parents too! It’s so cool to see people experience facets of Disney for the first time. My dad is always so impressed with how elaborate Disney does things, and he thought the water park was great. We hadn’t been since last year, so it was another great day for all of us. After a fun day in the sun, we went home and got cleaned up, and had one more family dinner before they had to leave the next day.
Truthfully, I was dreading that last dinner. Not because I didn’t want to have more family time, but because I knew it was almost over. Having them all in a house just around the corner from me was awesome. For a little while, it felt like they lived here, and I didn’t want to give that up. When it was time to leave, I cried, I didn’t want them to go. We all had such a great time together, all of us, and it was sad that it went by so fast. Like I’ve said before, when you’re away from the people you love most, you really do realize what’s most important. Family. No matter where they live, they’re always close at heart, but my gosh, I miss them all. It’s all about perspective I suppose, and my eyes are really open to that. It was a blessing though, to be able to share my (Disney) world with them, to show them why I do what I do and why I love it so much. I’m seriously looking forward to a time when we can all do this again, it was such a great week, I can’t even express how well it went and how greatly needed it was. I miss them already.
Once my family went back to Michigan, it was time to get back to business and get back on our routine. On Monday, it was our wedding anniversary, so we went back to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours, you know…. gotta wear those anniversary buttons! But since then, it’s crunch time for the magazine, so we’re buried in work. But all in all…. it’s a good thing. Sure, things pop up, life has obstacles, but when it comes down to it, we know what’s important. Faith, family and friends. Life has ups and downs, but when it’s tough, I know that at the end of the day, the people in our lives, all of you included, are truly a blessing, and I’m thankful. So, that’s the latest and greatest from down here in Florida. As always, I thank you for keeping up with us each week, it’s appreciated! Until next Wednesday, wishing you all hugs, love and pixie dust! See ya real soon! ~M
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
- EPCOT Food & Wine Fest Dates, Details Announced - April 23, 2024
- Daydream Believing! - April 19, 2024
- Disney Adventure World: Disneyland Paris Reimagines 2nd Park - April 12, 2024
Awww! It was a GREAT time! Time together as a family. I feel very blessed to be a part of it all! Love to all! Xo