Catch Up. Not Ketchup.

Image via WikipediaIt's been awhile since I've written here (obviously), but I've been meaning to so that should at least count for something. The holidays are over, the decorations put away (except for the wreath I keep forgetting to take down), and life is back to normal. Well, sort of.

The big surprise that I couldn't tell you before the holidays was that we surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World. We left a few days after Christmas and returned shortly after the new year began. It was a great trip! Exhausting beyond belief, but very, very fun. Unfortunately, the kids were sick from Christmas morning through about New Year's Eve....which, of course, included three out of our five days at Disney. No worries; we did the best we could and took things at a much slower pace to accommodate them (and Daddy!) not feeling well.

My mom also went with us which was a huge blessing. It was great having a one-to-one ratio with children and adults, especially since the youngest was a tad bit too small to go on some of the rides yet. The kids are already talking about going back to Disney with Mommom and, I have to admit, I'm thinking about our return trip too.

We saw a ton of parades, most of which I had never seen before, and went on almost every ride that we had hoped to go on. My suggestion if you're planning to go, is go AFTER New Year's Eve. It was incredibly crowded the first three days, but by Saturday and Sunday the crowds had dramatically thinned. So many fun memories and so many bus rides later, I found that it took me a week to recover....and even then I was dragging.

Our best night, by far, was the night before New Year's Eve. Hubs and I went out to dinner with one of my WWF partners, his wife and their daughter to a Japanese Steakhouse. It may seem odd to those who have never met anyone online to actually think about going out to dinner with people you don't know while on your vacation....but actually, I felt like I knew them a lot better than some of the people we know in person. We got along smashingly and conversation was light and easy.

Anyway, after I got over the blazing fire in the center of the table (hello, fire phobia!), it was great fun. The food was enough to feed our entire family and then some....and that was just my portion. I was teased about not eating, but I did....you just couldn't really tell because there was SO MUCH food. Also, I was a bit terrified about what we were going to do after dinner, so I wasn't as hungry as usual.

You see, after dinner we went back to Disney Studios (MGM) and had Fast Passes for the Rock n Roll Roller Coaster that we had secured earlier in the day. Have I ever mentioned that, like fire, roller coasters are terrifying?! Yes, well, I was determined to go on said roller coaster despite my terror. Why? Because I knew I'd never hear the end of it, and secretly, I wanted to conquer my fear of dying at high speeds while hurling around a metal track upside down. That's not too much to ask, is it?

So, with eyes darting around for the exit, and feet moving like molasses towards the gates to hell, er, to board, I managed to actually get in the roller coaster car....wearing healed boots and a skirt....without flashing too many people....I hope. The countdown began, the music started to play, and old WWF pal was yelling "Keep Your Eyes Open!" I didn't think yelling back, "Bite me!" would be very ladylike, or very Disney-like for that matter, so I bit my tongue and silently prayed for a quick death. And then we took off.

Obviously, since I'm writing this, I didn't die. In fact, I had SO much fun that we actually went on it AGAIN later....after dropping 13 stories in the Tower of Terror (where my skirt DID fly up...hello, Brazilian man next to me, welcome to the States!)....and I went on every roller coaster available for the rest of the trip. Conquering fear of roller coasters? Check!

Were there more great moments than just that night? Absolutely! Like Cinderella in the parade waving and pointing and blowing a kiss to Little Miss who was sitting on the curb wearing her Cinderella dress too. And hearing the boys laughter and squeals as we got soaked on Splash Mountain. And watching my mom dance with the kids during the Street Dance Party Parade. And snuggling on the bus back to the resort with a child on my lap who whispered, "I love you, Mom."

No matter where you go, it's not the location that matters as much as the memories you make, the chances you take, and the fears you conquer while you're there. In the meantime, we're already planning our next trip. Complete with lots of roller coaster rides...and maybe some more fire.