Today was our day at Disney, and let me just say that it was awesome. I haven’t been to the “Magic Kingdom” since graduating high school (it was our school-endorsed “sober” celebration), but have fond memories of the handful of times I’d been as a kid and young adult. Disney is a theme park done right: It’s clean, it runs like a well-oiled machine, and whatever you decide you may need or want never seems more than a short walk away.
The day was just about as hot as I believe physically possible. I was covered in a sheen of sweat from the moment we parked until the moment we un-parked, and, at times, the sweat poured off me in round droplets, plopping to the ground. My shirt clung moist to my back, and I sucked down water at each passing fountain. However, defying the many potential frustration factors: The stroller, the extra gear, and walking around in the ninth canto of Hell, we both actually sailed through the day with permanent smiles. We worked as a team, handing-off and taking turns and sharing, and the entire day was stress-free and enjoyable (a rarity for me, if you know how I can sometimes react to “doing things”).
Anyway, I got to thinking that I should really start learning to stomach walking around under the blazing sun – as I’ll be doing a week-solid of it come Monday when Anthony and I hit the Muir Trail.
Back to the story… Originally, I was unsure what, if any, enjoyment Keaton would be able to get out of the trip – still being a baby and all. Turns out, though, that she had a great time. Although we only stayed for little more than half the day, we were able to get on almost all my favorite rides. We hit Pirates, the Jungle Cruise, the Dumbo thing, Small World, and Peter Pan. Keaton absolutely loved It’s A Small World (yeah, I know it’s technically not supposed to be capitalized). In fact, her reaction was so awesome that I started tearing up watching her smile and clap and sing along nonsense words as she sat on my lap. She got a little scared on Pirates and the Dumbo ride, and seemed relatively indifferent on Peter Pan and the Jungle Cruise. By the end of the day, she was plum tuckered out – and wilted away into her stroller for our final walk down mainstreet to the monorail home.
Leaving, Sharaun said, “I feel like we had such a great ‘family day’ today, right?” And we did; it was awesome.
Tomorrow we fly home. I don’t look forward to the flight, but I am ready to get back to the homestead – even if briefly before the big hike.
Goodnight.
Also written on this day...
- professor me - 2018
- photos from football saturday - 2009
- a windows-open weekend - 2006
- off to work on aesthetics - 2003
- frank leaves for the army - 2003