Back from vacation

Oh my gosh, it has taken me 4 days to recover from vacation. I've especially felt crappy the past 3 days. Things are looking up though!

So we headed out of town just fine. Our flight was at 7AM, so no delays or traffic. That was nice. I'm such a geek because I LOVE the window seat. Matt and the girls made fun of me because the whole flight I just looked out the window. I insisted that we flew north and then circled south over Cleveland (because I could see Jacobs Field and Browns Stadium) and then I picked out Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte NC. But those guys thought I was crazy! Then on our flight home, the pilot announced we'd be flying over Cleveland and Matt & I just glanced at each other and cracked up! Oh, and because I HAVE to sit by the window and Matt is so tall he prefers the aisle we always have someone between us we don't know. I kind of feel bad, but I lean into the window to give the middle person room.

So we land, Matt & the girls head for the luggage and I go to get the car. Get to the Polynesian, check in and actually have a room available at 10:30AM.

Polynesian Beach
Originally uploaded by JNad

So we drop our stuff off and head for EPCOT.

Nadine & Lindsay @ EPCOT
Originally uploaded by bblack3

It was our plan to eat in Mexico as soon as we got to the park. Food was awesome and we were all refreshed and ready to explore. The girls took off but called a few minutes later to tell us it was raining like crazy. So we rode the ride in Mexico and then stood outside under a shelter waiting for the rain to pass. EPCOT had Extra Magic Hours that night, so we just walked around looking at stuff knowing we'd probably come back later.

The girls and I headed out to Walgreen's to buy snacks and drinks. I was trying to be smart and at least use "The Drugstore Game" to save some cash. It would have been better if not for being in a stupor when we got back and I submitted for the Easy Saver Rebates without realizing I didn't have all of them on there. UGH! Rookie mistake!

The girls slept in late the next morning so while Matt & I were down at the pool, our ceiling fell in! I think the staff expected us to be bitchy, but hey things happen. They moved us to a room that had a beautiful view of the Magic Kingdom, so it wasn't so bad!

We hung around the resort waiting for the other Black family to arrive. They were using the Magical Express to get to the resort. First thing I realized was the length of time this takes as compared to a rental car. Their plane landed around 12:30 and they didn't pull into the resort until 2PM. For us, that would be a long time to wait. Also, for the ride home, you have to be out waiting for the bus 3 hours before your flight. For them, that meant being out there at 6:30AM. I understand the reasoning behind it, but that's too much for me!

So the next couple days we all ran around doing things. Here are some shots of us...

The Black Family
Originally uploaded by bblack3

Wyatt in the air
Originally uploaded by bblack3

Trying on hats
Originally uploaded by bblack3

Emily acting like a monkey
Originally uploaded by bblack3

That picture of me with Emily was so funny! I told them that Spectro Magic was one of my favorite things, so we all lined up and waited for the parade. When it started, Emily started going OH, OH, OH like a monkey and would say "What's happening" the whole time. It was so funny, I wish we'd had a camcorder!

You can click over on my Flickr badge to see more of the pictures we took while down there.

So my advice if you're going down there...relax! Sometimes it is impossible to do everything! You may have to split up for everyone to enjoy what they want to do. Those EMH are helpful if you want to ride the popular rides. With kids, take sandwiches and drinks in a small cooler. Take a water bottle and just keep refilling it at the water fountain. With ours being 17, food and drinks weren't as much of an issue, so we're kind of lucky at this point! The same with buying stuff. We used to tell the kids to wait until we've seen everything and then we'll decide what we want the most. Every park has so many things, so you could drop a lot of cash each time! What I've found is that by making them wait, they usually forget about most of the stuff and then usually only want one thing. My nieces and nephews all seemed to love those squirt bottles with fans. My SIL bought them at the Dollar Store and brought them down. I think they were $15 at the park. During the summer months, you HAVE to head back to your room and take a break. We usually go swimming for a while to relax. Although we didn't stay there this time, I think the villas and the cabins are a good choice for families. They include a kitchen and laundry which are very helpful. We stayed at the Boardwalk villas one year and I really liked it.

Overall it was nice getting away and having time to just sit around watching boats on the "lagoon". I wish I could do it all the time!