A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

It was definitely warmer today and we all enjoyed the sunshine.  It doesn't have to be hot for all of us to have a great time at Disney World, but it was an added bonus.  We started the morning at Animal Kingdom.  The first stop was Dinoland and the Dinosaur ride.  Cam and I watched Jurassic Park Thursday night which made the Dinosaur ride even better.  After that Cam picked out a great shirt.  It had a T-Rex on it and it said, "If you're happy and you know it, clap your . . . oh!"

They rode Primeval Whirl before heading over to Expedition Everest.  Everyone had a great time on that.  We used our second fast pass to ride the Safari.  We saw a lot of animals including one of my favorites - the Okapi.  The four of them rode the Kali River Rapids ride.  Cam even talked Doug into going a second time.  From there we headed back to the Boardwalk so everyone could change.  The snacks in the lounge were delicious and we enjoyed them before heading to Hollywood Studios.

One of the big highlights of the day was running into King Louie and Baloo while we were in Animal Kingdom.  Cameron and my Dad play with his King Louie all of the time, so we had to get pictures.  Brett and Meg even joined Cam.  Meg said she was scarred for life as she had never been hugged so much.  Dad enjoyed the picture we sent back and Cam and I could talk of nothing else.

Since we did not get to ride everything we wanted yesterday we thought we would try this afternoon.  Rock N Roller Coaster was closed, but we make it on the Great Movie Ride, Star Tours and Muppet 3-D Vision.  Everyone wanted to check out the shops including the Villains in Vogue store.  Brett found an awesome Villains frame and a print to fit inside.  Cam was happy with his bell from the Tower of Terror.

We walked back to the hotel once again to drop off our purchases and then went to EPCOT.  Meg and Brett wanted a pretzel from Germany once again and Cam was in the mood for a funnel cake.  We enjoyed the treats while we walked to the other end of the park to catch the monorail to Magic Kingdom  We had decided yesterday that we wanted to make it to all four parks in one day.  I am not sure that we have ever accomplished that feat.

Magic Kingdom was crowded when we arrived, but we were able to get on Splash Mountain as it was a cool evening.  By the end of the night Brett, Meg and Cam were also able to ride Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain as well.  I enjoyed the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan.  We tortured Brett by making him ride Small World.  Before we left we rode Winnie the Pooh and Aladdin's Magic Carpets as well.  Cam was happy about that as Triceratops Spin shut down when we got on it this morning.

We left close to the end of the night at Magic Kingdom and were back in our room at 1:45 a.m.  We were proud of the fact that we made it to all four parks in one day.  We are also glad to be able to sleep in a little bit tomorrow.

Even with a Delay . . . A Great First Day

We had breakfast in the hotel and then caught the 7:00 a.m. shuttle to the airport.  Brett had already left on his shuttle from Bloomington.  The trip was easy for both of us, although longer for Brett.  We made it to the terminal without any problems.  Unfortunately, our 10:10 a.m flight was delayed.  It was stuck in Providence.  At first we were told that we would be leaving at 12:10, but that was pushed back to 1:10.  Doug tried to get us on an earlier flight, but that was completely booked.  He and I were both very concerned as a winter storm warning was reported for Indianapolis and there were only two flights after ours.  The Heinisch children handled it wonderfully.  They played games on the iPad and the iPhones.  They challenged Grandpa and each other to trivia crack.  They ate lunch and checked out the airport shops.  When it was finally announced that our plane had left Providence and was on the way everyone cheered.

I was extremely nervous about flying.  Even though we flew almost annually when I was a child, I had developed a fear of flying several years ago.  I wasn't sure how I would handle the turbulence or the takeoff and landing.  I sat with Meg and Cam and overall did very well.  I hoped I would sleep, but I wasn't able to.  I think waiting that long in the airport really helped.  Instead of being anxious I was ready to get out of the airport and on our way.  Cameron really enjoyed flying.  He said it felt like a ride from Disney World.  Meg liked flying as well, but it bothered her ears.  She found a trick to finally unplug them and that helped immensely.

The flight landed early, so we only lost a little over 2 hours of our day in Disney.  We caught the Magic Express and headed straight to the Boardwalk.  Much to our surprise they were waiting for us and had upgraded us to the same room we had last year.  Instead of the standard club level we received the deluxe club level.  It was a $1500 bonus and much appreciated by our family as we loved the balcony and the extra room.

Once we checked in we headed straight to Disney Hollywood Studios.  We decided to take the boat, but may try walking the next time as the trip one way was 30 minutes.  We had fast passes for Star Tours that we were unable to use because of our delay, but made it to Toy Story Mania with a few minutes to spare.  Cam and Brett then headed to Twilight Tower of Terror and we enjoyed Disney's "One Man, One Dream."  After a quick bite to eat we all then secured our seats for Fantasmic.  We were rained out last year and wanted to make sure we caught it this year.  It was a little chilly waiting, but well worth it.  Everyone enjoyed it, especially Brett as this is one of his favorites.

We walked back to the Boardwalk and decided that was the way to go in the future as it only took us 15 minutes.  We enjoyed the desserts in the lounge and then spent the rest of the evening at EPCOT as they had extra magic hours.  We were able to watch Illuminations plus ride Test Track, Soarin', Figment and the Mexican boat ride.  We were also able to walk the countries, eat German pretzels and check off several of the top ten drinks at Disney World for Doug.  It was a wonderful evening and well worth the three hour delay this morning.

On Our Way

Today was a hurried and rushed day.  I was up early even though we had a delay to get the rest of our toiletries packed and the last minute necessities in the bags.  Doug decided last night that he wanted to spend the night in Indy so we did not have to worry about the cold and driving early in the morning.  We found a hotel near the airport that provided shuttle service for only $5 extra dollars, so we reserved a room.

We planned to leave at 7 tonight, but Cameron's practice was cancelled again for cold weather and blowing snow.  Meg still had hers, but we were able to make it home and be on the road by 6.  I was concerned about the wind, but overall it was an easy drive.  It was about five degrees warmer once we got to Kokomo.  The hotel was easy to find and had a restaurant nearby.  Everyone was excited to be on the first leg of our journey.

And the Cold Continues

This has to be the coldest February that I can ever remember.  Tonight all after school activities were cancelled and a delay was already called for tomorrow because of the cold and wind.  Thus, we could not have practice and Cam's first fourth grade practice was cancelled as well.  Once we got home Cyndi texted and said that she was going to postpone the library board meeting as well.

I know a lot of people have been complaining about the weather, but I haven't found it as depressing as last year.  The cold is a challenge, but the snow made us all homebound last year.  This year we can get out and about.  Tonight the students were disappointed that their practice was cancelled and several of the library board members wanted to still meet.  I decided, however, to use the bonus time to get ready for Florida.  We had packed a lot over the weekend, but still had some incidentals to get together.  Cam and Meg enjoyed packing as well and we were able to finish well before bedtime.  We are all excited for Florida.  It will be hard to sleep tonight.

A Fortunate Break

Brett left DC just in time on Sunday.  The blizzard that hit us dumped snow on the city and closed almost all of it today.  Even the Smithsonian was not able to open.  I am so glad that Brett made it home safely and that he had such a wonderful time.  At one of the last events he attended he met Vincente Fox, a former President of Mexico.  He took a picture with him and talked of his speech to the youth attending the conference.

I could not believe it when he posted the picture.  I was just talking to his Spanish teacher from high school about Brett's knowledge of Mexican history and the Mexican presidents.  I sent the picture to Frank right away.  What an awesome experience for Brett.  I know it is one he will never forget.

President's Day

For the last two years Wawasee has given us President's Day off.  Meg, Cam and I made the most of it.  I hadn't felt like doing much yesterday, so it was nice to get out of the house today.  We started at piano and then headed to Target.  We were able to buy all of the supplies we need for Disney and then made it to the 1 p.m. Spongebob 3-D movie.  It wasn't quite as good as we expected, but we had fun.

On the way home we stopped at Wal-Mart for Cam's Pokemon cards.  He was able to buy the two tins that he had saved up for.  He was pretty happy with his purchase.  I bought the food for this week's FACS classes and made it home by the time Doug got here.

Cal spent a lot of his afternoon at Mom's and playing basketball.  He, Jayce and Harry ate at Buffalo Wild Wings tonight.  Meg went to the girls sectional final with Dad and Doug and I went to dinner.  It was great to have a three day weekend.  I believe we made the most of it.

Valentine's Day of a Different Sorts

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.  In years past we would have gone out for dinner, but had decided even before the blizzard that we would stay in last night.  We gave all of the Heinisch children their favorite candy and money to spend.  Doug surprised me with flowers and Fannie Mae.  He also bought me a purple teapot.  I have wanted one for quite awhile and it is the perfect size.  I decided last week to buy him new pots and pans for Valentine's Day.  He has talked about getting ones for awhile, so I thought this would be the perfect time.

I spent a lot of time researching different brands and colors before I finally settle on a Food Network copper set.  The reviews were very good and the price was right.  Doug used them last night and tonight and so far so good.  I know this probably wasn't the most romantic Valentine's we have ever spent, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Hanging out with the Heinisch children playing Wii and watching the dunk contest was the perfect night for us.