First Magical Day!! 9/4/11

We woke up bright and early and headed to Disney's Pop Century. It was really big. I loved all the huge decor outside of the buildings. We had a room right across from the big wheel and next to the Mickey phone. We were in the 70s section of the hotel. We checked in and went to our room to put up our luggage. I packed a backpack with all the things we could possibly need plus my camera. We loaded the bus to Magic Kingdom for our first day at a Disney park! It was so nice not having to drive to the parks. We walked in the gates and the park was all decorated up for fall! It was truly magical!! The first thing we did was go get our buttons. A My 1st Visit for Mana and a Happy Birthday one for me!! Everyone was so nice and asked Mana how she liked her first visit and told me Happy Birthday. Mana told me that I could not wear my button until my actual birthday. She just did not want me to get any of the attention!! Hee Hee. I was just trying to turn it into my birthday week! What is so wrong with that? We went to the Tea cup ride. You see, Mana and I are not big ride people. I like my feet firmly planted on the ground. We got in the cup and Mana and her dad started spinning it like crazy. I had to stare at Brian's shirt not to get sick. Mana loved it. Then she met her first character - Alice. Then we rode the carousel and Its a Small World. By the end of that, Brian was getting tired. We went to dinner at Tony's Town Square. It was pretty good. Brian went back to the hotel for a nap and Mana and I stayed for awhile longer. We saw the Celebration parade.

We visited the princesses, Mickey and Minnie. Then we watched the electric parade. I loved all the lights. By the end of it, we were tired and decided to head back to the hotel. We had an early breakfast to go to in the morning. We missed the big parade at the end of the night and the big fireworks show with Tinker Bell flying out of the castle. That gives us something to look forward to the next trip!!! More to come. Here are some pictures from Mana's first day ever at Magic Kingdom!!!

Family Vacation 9/3/11

Brian and I have been married for 18 years and we have never been on a week long vacation. We have had several weekend trips but no extended ones. I have been wanting to take Mana to Disney for a long time now. She is eleven. We decided that now would be the best time to go. We left the house at 5:00 am and headed to Orlando, Florida. I had printed out a google map for directions. It took me off an exit that was a SunPass toll only. I saw that at the last second and ended up having to go through it. I could not back up the exit. There on a black and white sign, was $100 PENALTY. SunPass Only! I am sure the camera has a lovely picture of me screaming! Can't wait for that bill. We were not checking into our Disney hotel until Sunday so we stayed on International Drive. The last time I was at Disney was for Grad Night in 1990. We decided to go early so we could go to SeaWorld. We went on Saturday. I love SeaWorld. I think it is my favorite. I have always wanted to swim with the dolphins, and I still would like to. One day I will. Petting them and seeing the shows were amazing. We rode the IRide bus system to and from the park. I did not like that at all. We had to stand up and hold on to the hand straps. I was afraid I was going to fall into someone's lap when we went around the turns. I am glad we got a seat on the way back to the hotel. The hubby's wallet dropped out of his pocket while on the bus and we did not know until we were back at the hotel. I had to call the bus office and someone had turned it in. They also stole $140 out of it. This was an adventurous trip to say the least. It doesn't end there. Here are some pictures from SeaWorld. More to come in the next post!!!!

August Update

Mana prepared for two auditions. Both were in the same week. She auditioned for "Thoroughly Modern Millie" at TCT and "Willy Wonka" at BCT. She made both shows. She is in the ensemble for Modern Millie and an Oompa Loompa for Willy Wonka. She is so excited. It will be a busy schedule but a fun one!

Homeschooling is good so far. A lot more work then last year. She is adjusting to the work load. We both are not adjusting to waking up at a reasonable time.