A 4th Grader at Disney World

Winter is a tough time in the Miami Valley. It’s cold and depressing and seemingly endless. So, while all my friends and family shoveled snow from their driveways, my husband and I escaped – and went to Disney World!

It was my first visit and I was so excited! I called my older sister and told her about my plans. “You sound like a 4th grader!” she said with sarcasm. I took that as envy as I packed my mouse ears and prepared for our journey. Shoving shorts and t-shirts and flip flops into my suitcase was a pleasure – and I breezed past my winter coat hanging on the coat rack without a backward glance. I was going to Orlando!

During our first morning at Disney we endured a frost warning. The oranges weren’t the only ones freezing their little skins off. But as I plied myself with hot chocolate and coffee, I kept repeating, “A cold day in Florida is still warmer than a cold day in Dayton”.

It’s hard to be grumpy in the Magic Kingdom, after all. We could all take “happy lessons” from the cast and crew. Add to that a cheerleading convention, and well, we were stuck with smiling, cheery people for two whole days. I couldn’t be in a bad mood if I wanted to. While waiting in line for Thunder Mountain we were serenaded by the chant of “E-A-G-L-E-S – Eagles are the very best!” The whole time. Did I mention those lines can be lengthy?

I called my son after I got off Space Mountain. “It was awesome!” I exclaimed. “Mom, you sound like you’re in 4th grade”, he said. Hmmm, is there a theme here? It’s hard not to feel like a kid at the Magic Kingdom. Those of you that have been there know what I mean. Each place we went was better than the last. We ate our way through all of the theme parks. I drank real Coke, not diet. I screamed and laughed and smiled so long my mouth stared hurting. Being in 4th grade is a tough job.
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We ended our journey of rides on the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster at Disney Hollywood. It’s a G-force coaster. Zero to 60 in something like 3.2 seconds. Luckily Disney has restrooms on every corner. We stayed until the very last possible minute, enjoying the show Phantasmic as our grand finale. By that time, I was cold, tired and had too much sugar. As my husband dragged me to the car, he mumbled something like “You are just like a 4th grader but heavier” – I was too tired to hear exactly what he said, and that’s probably a good thing.

As I write this we are on our long trek back home to Dayton. March back home may be snowy and yucky, but in my opinion it’s still the “Happiest place on Earth” – and I mean that from the bottom of my 4th grade heart.