A "Where's Mickey?" Weekend

Chris and I always love to get away from the busy day-to-day happenings of home to focus on our family. The kids love the undivided attention: no work, no cell phones, all play. Okay, so we all love that. We hadn't vacationed to the beach in awhile, probably because we live so close to one. We decided to give it a try. It was a great weekend for the fam. We spent a lot of time together at Disney's Vero Beach resort. It was cozy, quiet, beautiful, and relaxing. The best part... we were together.

Where are the pictures? Sadly, our camera has died. Yes, died, and in d e a d. Sad, I know. so you will have to enjoy some stock photos and use your vivid imagination.

We told the kids we were going to Disney's Vero Beach ... Avery and Mary Hannah were quite confused. Where were the rides? Where's Mickey??? They really enjoyed the beach, the "water shooter" (Avery's name for the water slide), the kid's pirate ship water play area, the playground, the mini golf, and even the sing along campfire with ooey gooey smores... But, according to the two smallest travelers in our party, something was missing.

So on Sunday, we checked out of our hotel and decided to forego the beach to go find the missing piece of the puzzle. We drove a short hour and 45 minutes to Walt Disney World... and, yes, Mickey. We spent the day hopping from park to park, starting at the favorite Hollywood Studios. After riding many rides and greeting characters, we took a boat on over to Epcot where we had a delightfully surprising lunch at our fav. restaurant, Le Cellier, in Canada. We were fortunate to get a last minute reservation. Okay, okay ... so the kids weren't as pumped as Chris and me. In fact, Hannah was so wiped out that she fell asleep in her highchair. I wish I had a picture of that. It was priceless.

Avery said, as we were walking through Hollywood Studios, after riding his new favorite ride, Toy Story Mania, "Mom and Dad, Can I just never leave?" We laughed. I think that he caught the spirit of us all. We love to be together. Wouldn't it be great if we could live life on vacation?

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In other news...
It was the weekend of the Disney marathon. Talk about an in-your-face challenge! There were all kinds of people running through the parks. That's right, the marathons snake through the parks! People line the streets, cheer, hoot and holler, ring cow bells, wave banners and signs, and encourage the 22, 000 runners to finish their race. Young and old, thin and not-so-thin. I am totally intimidated, but I am considering it. Chris is all about it. He was wanting to jump right in. But that would've been awkward. Maybe next year, maybe next year. I really don't love running. But I do think the whole concept is a good one: its not about the run, its about the discipline.

3 of my cousins ran in the half marathon. Kudos to Rob, Kim, and Jaimie for completing the 13.1 mile run. You are impressive!