The Animal Kingdom - Disney Day Three

After a great night sleep, we awoke at the crack (of dawn) to get ready for another big day. We were hanging out at Animal Kingdom in the morning and heading over to Epcot in the afternoon. I will go ahead and let you know that I will probably only get Animal Kingdom covered in this post - not because I'm lazy but because a LOT of "fun-ness" happened this day... and by "fun--ness" I mean LOTS of laughter, fiestas, experiences and just plain ole fashioned FUN.


For those of you who have visited DisneyWorld you know that there is SO much to do... so much so that it is impossible to do everything unless you are there for a couple of weeks! I'm not even joking! I have been many times and still have not done everything...and there are some things that I will NEVER do - like dancing in the streets in front of thousands of people at a parade because my sister thinks that no one will pay attention to me but secretly they will all be watching and will make fun of me for the rest of the day! The point that I'm trying to make here is about Animal Kingdom and how we never seem to have time to fit it in to the trip... unless we are visiting for at least a week. Long story short..... I was SO looking forward to this day because I really wanted to go to Animal Kingdom because I hadn't been in years!!!! Geez... it shouldn't take me an entire paragraph to get that point across.... but it does. I get my long, detailed, over-explaining story telling from my Mom and my Gran..... except for I write mine. If you were TALKING to me right now... I would have just told you that I had a good time and was glad I got to go....end of story.


Speaking of story - Let's get on with it.....





We met at 9am. Every one helped pump coffee in to my veins... and then we took off in to the park. We had a mission... to ride my new favorite ride... EXPEDITION EVEREST! Now I didn't know it was my favorite ride when I entered the park. I had ridden it once before and thought it was fun... but I think eating cheese is fun... so it didn't stand out to me as a favorite.. except for my favorite food is cheese so I don't think I explained that very well. Anyway, we had a mission to get there and ride it twice before the line got too long. Before I tell you if we completed our mission... I have to show you the most incredible tree. The centerpiece of the park. The Tree of Life.

It is glorious and I am in awe of it every time I see it. There are carvings of animals all over the tree. This picture doesn't not even begin to show the enormous size and detail of the tree... it does however show the enormous size and detail of me... but that's another story. Ok - so we got our traditional picture and now off to the ride...

But before we could get there... we had another detour and NOT a good one. Let me just warn you that if you ever visit - do NOT and I repeat DO NOT ride the ride named DINOSAUR. This is a ride that I hate.... and I usually don't hate a ride unless it is the Grand Prix Speedway. It is dark, scary, loud, and full of the scariest dinosaurs that I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot) and did I mention that it is SO scary. From the minute it starts, I close my eyes and put my head down and scream my head off. For some strange reason... it is Elijah's favorite ride. Apparently he loves for dinosaurs to chase him and yell in his face and jump out of nowhere. I don't know where he gets it from. Anyway, being the good aunt that I am, I tried to be brave and ride this ride with a smile on my face. And here is a pic to prove it....

Yes, that is me and Bethany in the front row... screaming and ducking our heads. Elijah is sitting between us holding both of our hands. I don't even think he could see the ride. Once it was over, he told us that all he could hear during the ride was girls screaming. It is pretty pitiful that I expect a 7 year old to protect me on a Disney ride.... but I do -don't judge me!



And then we finally made it to our mission - my new favorite ride. It is a roller coaster. It goes forwards, backwards, sideways... you name it and it does it. It has twists and turns and tons of surprises. There is even a mysterious Yeti ( abdominal snowman or abominable snowman if you've been schooled) that jumps out and tries to grab you. Yes, I screamed at the top of my lungs but screaming at Yetis is fun ... unlike dinosaurs. And now I will reveal how much fun I had on this ride......

If you remember I posted this picture and asked for guesses as to where I was and what I was doing. The prize for guessing correctly was a tree planted in your honor in our yard. I only got one guess - from Angela (my cousin). She guessed Tower of Terror which is my other favorite ride. Regardless, a guess equals a win... so a tree has been planted for you! I'm sure that you cannot even believe someone could have so much fun.... but it is true.. someone can. We got off the ride and rode it again. Expedition Everest = Good times!!

Meanwhile...... there was plenty of shenanigans going on back home. I'm sure you are all wondering what Kev was up to during this trip... and I'm about to tell you. I spoke with my secret contact (Catbird) who sent me some pics.

A row of trees was planted across the front of our yard. To keep out hobos, clowns, and snakes. Actually, I wouldn't mind a hobo stopping by.. they are usually pretty nice and have good stories to tell. Kev planted all of these trees by himself. He is quite the landscaper/gardener which is another quality about him that I love... because as you know plants and trees have become my new obsession. These trees are going to grow to be at least 20 ft tall. I picture gnomes marching back and forth protecting our "tree fence". Bethany is worried that our neighbors will assume they are Christmas trees and will chop them down and throw money in yard. Either scenario would be delightful.

He also planted some cherry blossom trees and dogwoods. Both are my favorites. He planted those throughout the yard.

And then I received a picture of him walking across the yard.....

Actually this is a picture of DeVine. I am telling you now that she is officially one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It is a woman with stilts on her hands and feet. She is completely covered in vines. DeVine shows up randomly around the Animal Kingdom park and literally blends in with the trees. She moves so gracefully and gets in positions I could only dream about. Actually I have never dreamed about getting in positions like that... but it is really so cool. Here is another pic of her laying up against a tree. Can you see her face?

My learnings for the morning....

1. Seeing an elephant as HE is waking up first thing in the morning is probably not the best thing to see while on a safari. It is scary and unbelievable. Try to figure that one out.

2. A jalapeno cream cheese stuffed pretzel is honestly the best treat I have ever had. A definite "must-do" again.

3. The Finding Nemo show is Broadway quality - INCREDIBLE! Everyone knows how much I love Broadway shows... right? I could watch them all day.

4. Playing Double Dog Dare with your nephew is delightful. He dared me to act like a dog. I was told to jump in the air for my treat and take a bath. I did everything I was dared to do -IN PUBLIC. For some reason... that didn't embarrass me but dancing in the street at a parade does. Go figure. I dared Elijah to crab walk across the path and back. He did -even with tons of people walking by.

5. Getting to go to Animal Kingdom on this trip.... priceless! Thanks B!

Up next.... Epcot - the flower and garden festival, a party in our mouths, trolls, and shenanigans.