The Magic of Disney!

We visited Disney for the 1st time, March 2013. It was a true first for my 44 year old husband, my 15 year old son and 13 year old daughter. I had been to Disneyland, in Tokyo when I was 11. I think this visit kind of counts as a first for me too. It was a truly memorable experience and well worth the $$$ spent. Here are my brief recaps....

• Best time to visit Disney is when it rains!! We each got a $5.00 poncho with Disney characters at the back and it was well worth the money spent as we stayed warm and dry the entire time.
• No line ups... YES! The rain put off most of the crowds allowing us to get on all the rides with little or no waiting time. The longest we waited was 10 minutes. We visited Magic Kingdom and were able to do almost all the rides stress and line-up free.
• Hook up with someone or some people who know their way around. We met our friends who are Disney Experts (DE). They helped us navigate the entire park with ease making it a fun day.
• Listen to your DEs. When they say pin trading, is something your teenage kids will want to do don't take it lightly. My teenage kids probably enjoyed the pin trading more than the rides...lol.
• When you can't find your teenage kids at the park, they are probably at a store or cart...pin trading!!!
• If it's only a 5 minute wait to meet Mickey, meet Mickey. It may not be in your plans but it's well worth it.
• Join a parade! Your teenage kids may want to dis-own you but it's certainly worth the while watching them smile and shake their head in disbelief. YOLO people!
• Best part of Disney..... you do get to be a kid again, with your kids!    

Who said Cheerleading was easy?

My daughter is on a competitive cheer team and for the last couple of months has been struggling with completing her stunt with her group. Due to a recent knee issue she has found it hard to pull the required leg positions. It has also been a struggle with team mates being away and not being able effectively practice the stunts. Knowing all of this I wasn't quite sure what to expect at the upcoming competition. Well, she nailed her routine and her stunts. Her team did really well overall. Although they came in 2nd place, they certainly impressed me with their tenacity to push through the struggles and difficulty in completing a clean routine. Here's my recap of it all...

• It's been said over and over again yet never gets old....never, ever, ever give up. Even when the odds are against you there is always a possibility of coming through any difficulty.
• Have fun. At any time, you are living but a small moment in a long journey called life. You can make it a happy one. A FUN one. It's up to you.
• Do your best. It's all you can do. there is no point worrying or fretting or being anxious. Just do your best. You may surprise at how well you do!
• Smile. Even when you have a foot smack your face and you can't help but show it.... smile right after. Everyone will smile too.
• After an exhausting, high energy, LOUD and fun competition weekend it is always good to come back to a good home cooked meal. It's even better when it's roast beef, with stewed veggies and rice and peas!