When Bryan and I were first married, he vowed that he’d never go on a family vacation to Disneyanything. This was a little disconcerting because, growing up in Southern California, I had many fond memories of going to Disneyland with my family.
Well . . . it’s funny how two little girls (and one big (aka medium-sized) girl) can change the heart and mind of even the most stubborn tough guy! (Having free AirTran vouchers and a pre-paid, use-it-or-lose-it timeshare week didn’t hurt, either.) So, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving 2006, the Tolbert clan headed to Florida for a Walt Disney World adventure.
Even though the highlight of the trip for Bryan may have been spending a little time doing family history work at the Polk County Library and at a cemetery look for family headstones, even HE admitted that he had FUN at Disney World–especially Epcot where he took a behind-the-scenes tour of their greenhouse operations.
Ariana was a trooper–riding all the ’scary’ rides with Mom (Space Mountain) and Dad (Fast Track, Thunder Mountain, Soarin’). On the quest for the perfect souvenir, Ariana used her own money and bought a Mr. Potato Head toy with COOL accessories that you can only get at a Disney resort. Only 10 minutes after her purchase, I could tell that something was really bothering her. “Mom, I think I made an unwise choice. I don’t want to spend my money.” Nothing Bryan or I said could change her mind. So, Ariana and I navigated our way back to the gift shop where she presented her receipt and the toy and asked for a refund. She’s such a thrifty little kid–so funny!
Vivian held up remarkably well through the vacation, despite an infected earlobe that sent Mom and Vivi to the Disney first aid station and then on a shuttle to an Orlando area clinic where there was a 3+ hour wait to see a doctor. Thankfully, we were able to withdraw our name from the clinic wait list because our wonderful Texas pediatrician (Dr. Susan Sickler) returned our call and told us what to do to treat the infection.
The highlight of the trip to the Magic Kingdom for me was simply being with my Magic Family–my wonderful prince of a husband and our two precious princesses. May the choices we make in our lives enable us to always live happily ever after!
Click to view photo album: http://www.tolberts.org/lori/photo-albums/album/72157594508475264/Walt_Disney_World_Album.html
