WDW Trip Reminiscing: February 2009

Trip Name: Birthday Extravaganza 2009

Where We Stayed: Savanna View at the Animal Kingdom Lodge!


What Made It Different: My husband sprang for the savanna view at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  This was also the first trip where my husband's family joined us and I brought along a good friend.  This was the year of Celebrate Today! and I got in free on my birthday, except that we already had our tickets, so I got a gift card instead!  I love my charm bracelet.

Magical Moment: On our first night I woke up to hear some strange noises coming from our window.  Several animals gathered at the watering hole and the birds were fighting over their position!  What an amazing time to sit and watch animals from our balcony!

PS: On this trip my husband got really really sick.  We spent one whole day just sitting in our hotel room.  Since there isn't a lot to watch on TV at WDW - I'm sure they'd rather we were in their parks spending money and having a good time - we watched a lot of ESPN.  That was the week that Manny Ramirez got traded.  It was the only thing happening in sports. We could recite the entire interview by the end of the trip.

6/17: This Week's Blog Preview

On our first anniversary we took a trip to Phoenix, AZ.  I love to travel and my husband loves "Great Hotels," as he says.  He found a romantic spa and hotel tucked away on the edge of Phoenix.  We could not wait to get away, celebrate our anniversary in style, and enjoy a great hotel.  Rumor has it, George W. Bush stays there when he goes to Phoenix.  This was posh hotel living at its finest.  An enormous suite, the most gleaming white bathtub I've ever seen, meticulously kept landscaping, and a gourmet restaurant on property.

In less than 24-hours we were bored out of our minds.

Sitting by the pool lasted about 4 hours, until it was so hot I couldn't sit there and I had already read every single book I brought with me.

The nearby mall was fine, but nothing spectacular.

We needed more to do. 

Eventually we stumbled upon a 12-hour driving tour of Arizona that included stops at the Grand Canyon and Sedona.  It was amazing.  We flew in a helicopter.  Rick saw the Grand Canyon for the first time; I hadn't been in years.  It was the best day.  Full of adventure and interesting food stops.  We were in awe.

Side Note: It's hard to be "in awe" of something in everyday life.  I am sometimes amazed, transfixed, or surprised, but not "in awe."  Only one place on earth has regularly delivered that feeling of reverential wonder.  You'll only need one guess to know where.

Back to my story: The trip turned out just fine, but for the same price - and staying in the same time zone - we could have been at Disney.  We would never make that mistake again.  We vowed to always go to the Mouse for our vacations for the rest of our life.

What resulted are some amazing trips, with incredible memories, that only get better every time.

So, this week, on the cusp of our latest vacation, that will involve what promises to be the most fabulous rehearsal dinner in Epcot's Italy Pavilion, a Walt Disney World Wedding, and a first time visit for our littlest girl, I can't help but think back over our last few trips and the memories we made.

This week, I'm going to share them with you!