Vacation Photos: Day 1

(Disclaimer: Prepare to be bombarded with vacation photos. If you get the sudden desire to plan your own vacation, I am not in any way, shape, or form even partially responsible for funding your escape to paradise. Or the most magical place on Earth.)

Hard to believe that it has been over two months since Libby and I embarked on our Disney vacation, the one we waited not-so-patiently for. Some days it seems like we were there just last week; some days it seems like eons have passed since we sat upon Disney's private Bahamian beach. I cannot wait to sit down and scrapbook the pictures; Libby cannot wait to go back.

I did surprisingly well, there are less than 1,000 pictures of our weeklong jaunt to climates more tropical than those we 'enjoy' here in Minnesota. At some point I realized that I wanted to be more present in the whole adventure, rather than experience it behind a lens. But that doesn't mean I didn't get some good photos. Mama gets a good one every now and then.

This is not one of those. Libby has mastered this horrible, cheesy smile every time she knows a picture is being taken. Regardless, you can still see the excitement as we prepare for take-off.

I am forever indebted to Disney for enabling me to take her on a vacation this long and this far away from home...all by myself. It was a crazy endeavor, a single mom taking a three year old out of the country, on a boat, all alone. Oh but we did good. (Thank you, thank you, thank you to Disney's transportation, Disney hotels, and Disney's exclusive on-board check in for making this possible. Ain't no way mama could have done stroller + 3 year old + LUGGAGE + transportation by herself.)

Our trip to Orlando was uneventful. Besides a few in-air beverage spills (mostly mama's fault) and an unfortunately timed bit of turbulence just as Libby sat down in the lavatory (Libby will probably NEVER pee on a plane again), there were no big travel mishaps. We didn't even forget Baby on the plane this time! Before we knew it, we were settling into our budget-friendly All-Stars Movies hotel room in preparation for a whirlwind day of Disney theme parks. Can I just say Disney: putting two girls from Minnesota in a Mighty Ducks themed room in the middle of January was not exactly appreciated...we were trying to get AWAY from the cold and ice (even if the 'ice' was a swimming pool.) Although if a grown-up Adam Banks or Charlie Conway had shown up in the room; then I might not have minded.

Our first official Disney Day started off at Disney's Animal Kingdom, as we were slated to have breakfast at Tusker House with one of Libby's most favorite Disney character: Miss Daisy Duck. Libby was so excited she couldn't eat! Inspired by Holly at Fresh Picked I threw some of the best photos into a photo collage for your enjoyment. So I hope you do...enjoy them, that is.

L-R, top to bottom: view of Mt. Everest from the entrance to Africa; our safari 'rig'; Libby's first Mickey Mouse encounter; visiting Camp Minnie-Mickey, THE place for character greetings; "Hey yook Mom! Goofy's fishing!"; uncovering Wooly Mammoth bones; the Safari Disney crew; Libby's first Mickey Bar; the Tree of Life.

Best ride at the place is hands down Kilimanjaro Safaris. Just a few of the animals we saw during our extended safari adventure: (extended because a rig in front of us broke down and we had to sit in the middle of the Savannah for a few extra minutes with an ostrich next to us and a lion nearby.)

L-R, top to bottom: a CROCODILE who just happened to be swimming by; Mr. GORILLA just hanging out; some kind of BIRD; up close with an ELEPHANT; check out that GIRAFFE's black tongue!; a HIPPO coming up for air; talking PARROT; RHINO's relaxing; African KUDU-I think!

We spent most of our time roaming through Animal Kingdom, enjoying the animals. Animal Kindgom is also home to Dino-Land, but Libby decided to boycott all rides (I literally had to coerce her onto the 4 rides we did DO) so we didn't stick around there for long. Just long enough to meet Winnie the Pooh and crew and challenge Tigger to a bouncing competition.

It was a lot to do before lunchtime. But we did it! Tune in again soon to find out about the rest of Day 1...and everything after that!

love always,
Kendra