visiting the four kingdoms: day 1

I left my heart in Disney World. I am not saying this to be poetic or sweet or anything. It is just the truth! I was spoiled getting to spend every moment of every day with Tison. This morning I threw a pillow over my alarm clock to stifle the radio so I could keep sleeping. I have done more morning grumpy-grumbling than ever since our return. Who would have thought that coming back from an amazing vacation would have such negative effects on my work ethic! Don't get me wrong, I am extremely thankful to have a job, but I just want to play all day! Anyone else experiencing a bad case of senioritis this summer?

In an effort to relive the experience, I am going to walk you through our days spent at the four kingdoms at Walt Disney World, park by park. It is truly the happiest place on earth! Leaving bright and early (4:00 am) we drove from Shreveport, Louisiana to Sandestin Beach Resort, Florida - then left Sandestin the next morning for Orlando. We arrived around 3:00 pm, just as it was beginning to rain. A quick stop in a gift shop for ponchos began our first evening which we spent at Downtown Disney. I highly recommend Downtown Disney for adults as an evening activity. There are tons of restaurants and live outdoor music to choose from.

This is how we spent our first full day at Walt Disney World:

{Hitting the ground running, Tison and I started the day at the educational ride, Spaceship Earth. This is the ride in the Epcot dome. It cracked me up when the computer screen in front of us displayed our future if we keep recycling. I didn't even know they had snapped our picture- Tison's face so hilarious.}

 {I thought I was going to pass out after this ride. The G-force from this ride creates a pressure in your head that made me feel like my head might explode if it didn't release "into space." Why I thought I could handle the "More Intense" version of the ride is beyond me! It literally took us about 4 hours afterwards to feel normal again.}

{Tequila shots in Mexico are a must do!}

 {We enjoyed Bratwurst and Oktoberfest beer for lunch in Germany.}

{I absolutely loved visiting all of the countries! Everything was done with so much attention to detail. Norway, Canada, and the United Kingdom were also visited, but I guess I was still feeling the effects of the Mission: Space ride and didn't take any pictures!}

{Captain EO aka Michael Jackson was amazing. It is a 1986 3D film that follows Captain EO and his crew on a mission to rescue the planet through the gift of music, dance, and light. Need I say more?}

{I was more than impressed with the way Disney grows their own vegetables and distributes it to the resort restaurants. That Tomato "tree" right there produces 36,000 tomatoes a year!}

{After our fun at Epcot, Tison and I rode the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We really squeezed every minute out of this day!}

{We walked around the Magic Kingdom beginning in the area called Adventureland where I wanted to ride The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Ali, Matt, Mrs. Chris and Mr. Tim met up with us there for the Disney classics, It's a Small World and Mad Tea Party; as well as riding Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and race cars! The fireworks display began while we were on the racetrack and it gave us a perfect view of the show. What a happy accident!}

{My favorite things from day 1: The World Showcase at Epcot, seeing Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom for the first time since I was 9, the Space Mountain ride, and the fireworks of course!}