SMH

If you are unaware "SMH" is an internetty abbreviation for "shaking my head".  I find myself sitting here blogging about a vacation that I will have much difficulty proving because of the abominable lack of photos I took.  Thus, SMH.   We traveled to Florida, saw family we haven't seen in a decade, visited the beach, celebrated a matriarch, and spent a day at Disney World and the following paltry images are all I have.  I hate to sound negative, but I am seriously annoyed with myself!!!  BUT the memories I have are numerous and humorous and wonderful.  

 Here's a little "keepin' it real" shot out on the lawn.

 Here we are waiting to board the ferry (fairy?) that takes you from the ticket booths and parking lots to the Magic Kingdom.

 Finally* in the park and eating some lunch.

 The Beauties of 2005.  Here's Bradie with second cousins Deyanna and Anastasia.  They are holding a map of Disney World... we were there, I swear!!!  These sweet gals just turned seven and were encouraging to Bradie's recent tooth loss... they had been there, done that  and bought the t-shirt already. So fun and precious to have these girls get to know one another.

 Uncle Herb and Aunt Kris have a lovely pool at their lovely home in Tampa.  We were abundantly blessed by their hospitality. We stayed in their motorhome (not a trailer or a camper, Uncle Herb insists :) ) and this pool was literally right outside the door.  We had plenty of laughs and good times.  I learned to play darts.  I learned that to excel at karaoke at any given time, one must "own" the song in order to "sell" the song.  If you're in doubt, just ask Uncle Herb to sing the song you want to hear :)

Here's a sweet shot of Brooks' first swim.  He loved it.  Florida is the perfect place to let a baby have his first dip in the pool since the air and the pool water are the exact same temperature.

*I put an asterisk here because of the high drama of the day.  First thing that morning, Bradie proceeding to throw up several times.  It was SO sad! I am confident still that it was due to overconsumption of pool water, but it was little dicey there for awhile whether or not we'd be able to go at all that day.  Beau rode along ahead with grandma and papa, and that gave my heart so much mama anxiety. Not that they couldn't care for my boy but I wanted us all to be together when we went into the  Magic Kingdom :(  Well they waited for us there (what an example of grace!)  and eventually we were able to load Bradie up and make the hour or so drive to Orlando. Phew! We made it... and then the rain began.  And it didn't stop.   See those happy people waiting for the ferry? A few minutes after that photo was taken we were in one of the worst thunder storms I have ever seen and those happy people were soaking wet.  Literally soaking wet.  We had an umbrella that we used to shield Brooks in the stroller but that didn't matter in the 60 FOOT walk to the bus stop after we got off the ferry!  The water was running over our feet.  Thunder rumbled crashed ONE second after the lightning flashed! Once it was so close that you could smell the lightning! Crazy doesn't begin to describe that storm.

So we waited it out in the covered bus stop. And eventually the rain slowed down... a little.  We still weren't even through the gates! After getting through we decided to purchase some ponchos.  After that  highway robbery was complete, we strolled down main street, hungry and bewildered.  By now it was already 2:30 pm.  Things got better after lunch and me ducking into the nursing room for a spell... oh yeah, did I mention that we were toting a two month old and all his paraphernalia, all nicely dampened by the deluge?  Blech.

But even after all that, I must say that Disney knows how to get it done.  It is a wonderful place and I can appreciate the excellence with which things are done.  It reminds me a bit of Malibu and that makes me smile and feel nostalgic :)

My goals for another Disney trip are to spend at least two days in the park and to utilize the Fast Pass option at the very beginning of the day.  To use Fast Pass, you zip your ticket through a machine near a ride and spits out a receipt that tells you to return later at an assigned time (often it is much much later) and wait only a few minutes before riding the ride. After waiting to ride Big Thunder Mountain, the coaster malfunctioned and we were given a Fast Pass for any ride at any time. It was frustrating (and hard to explain to a four and six year old) BUT we used our passes to zip through the Space Mountain line! It would also be nice to stay on site at a resort to minimize travel and parking time.  So so much fun.

We stayed for the fireworks. A hassle in a way (the two month old still hanging on!), but also totally worth it.  Felt like a kid again.  Maybe all this explains my lack of pictures? ;)