disney world: and so it begins...

We left home Thursday morning at an awful 4:30 am. Our flight had been pushed back to 6:15 am, and we needed to get to the airport early. Luckily, Britton was a total trooper and easily awoke for our trip out to Orlando. The hub and I had spent the night before packing, and like always we vastly underestimated not only how long packing would take, but also how much crap we would be bringing with us. We brought twice as much stuff as we took on our honeymoon five years ago, and we stayed on that trip for twice as long.

We got to the airport with more than enough time to grab some breakfast at Starbucks (the only place open that God-awful early) and wait on the plane. Britton was so excited because Memaw and PawPaw had bought her a Dora suitcase, and she had it full of coloring books, stickers, and other entertaining things.






The flight was pretty uneventful - 2 hours and some change, and then we were on the way to the rental car! We drove to the supermarket to get some supplies and snacks, then headed to the Wilderness Lodge. I've never stayed there before, but my sister did and she gave it two thumbs up. Plus, the hub stayed there years ago and really enjoyed it. So, we unloaded our bags and groceries and got some much-needed lunch. Then we all headed back to the rooms (we stayed in the villas) and waited on the crib lady. See, Disney only provides pack-and-plays, which are too small for Britton. And she doesn't sleep in a bed yet. So, the hub hunted down a crib rental service in Orlando (seriously, I think you can rent just about anything that exists) and she was scheduled to deliver it right before naptime. And seeing as how Britton was already in a deficit of sleep, naptime was a must.

The hub and I took this opportunity to get our butts on over to Magic Kingdom, by far my favorite park. In fact, I've never been to Hollywood Studios because I would rather do Magic Kingdom. The Wilderness Lodge has a boat that goes straight over to Magic Kingdom, and the hub and I jumped on and made our way over. I've never seen Disney World decorated for Halloween, but I instantly fell in love with the fall leaf garlands and mickey Mouse pumpkins. We made our way down Main Street and then on to the Thunder Mountain Railroad!





Of course we got there just as a parade was coming down Main Street! Love that timing - it would serve us well over the next couple of days, always arriving just minutes after the boat or bus had pulled away! We always go in the shops because you really can't blow enough of your money on Disney stuff, right? I think this $37,500 crystal replica of Cinderella's castle was a little over-budget though.




We all met up for dinner at the hotel, and let me tell you what - it was a raucous good time. Our waiter looked exactly like Geppetto from Pinocchio! And they did silly stuff, like if you asked for ketchup the waiter yelled for ketchup and the poor people who had asked prior to you borught every dang bottle in the restaurant to your table. Seriously, when we asked for ketchup, a family brought us at least 20 bottles! And when the hub made a wise-crack about needing refills on two iced teas, Geppetto (also known as Bob from Newark, NJ) brought him a giant mason jar of tea.





After dinner we all head over to Magic Kingdom for some rides and the Electric Light Parade. First thing Britton wanted was a balloon, and the hub got her this cool one with Mickey Mouse ears inside another balloon. Britton's first ride ever at Disney World was "It's a Small World" and I think while she didn't understand why the dolls were dancing around, she liked the colors and music. She loved the Electric Light Parade, which was a real treat for everyone considering it required us to be up way past Britton's bedtime. Britton waved at all the characters going by and yelled out what the other participants were (turtle, butterfly, etc.). Then it was back home for bed.









More on the rest of our trip to come!