One Week Ago Today...

we were on our way to Disney World in sunny Orlando, FL.  Now we are back in cloudy MN :).  We had an awesome trip and wished we could have stayed just a few more days.  Both T and Z kept saying over and over again that they didn't want to go home and couldn't they please just stay two more weeks - signs that the trip was a success on all accounts.  In an effort to chronicle our trip, but without making one massively huge post, for the next few days I decided to reflect on what we were doing "one week ago today".  So, here goes.

One week ago today, we were up at 3:30-4:00 AM, depending upon the family member, and in the van, with Beppe in tow, on our way to the airport at 4:30.  You know your child is excited when he wakes himself up all on his own at 4:00 AM!

Our flight was set to leave at 6:00 AM.  As it turned out, our flight was oversold and even though we did not initially volunteer to be bumped, we were called up to the desk and offered a later, but direct flight (we initially were set to fly through Houston).  Though the flight would not leave until 10:00 AM, we would only get in 30 minutes later than our initial arrival time.  To top things off, they offered us first class seating on the new flight along with $800 in travel vouchers (and some meal vouchers for breakfast).  Thank you, United!!!  We took the deal and spent the next few hours exploring our own airport, eating some breakfast, riding the moving sidewalks, and cracking into all of the activities and goodies in our backpacks and carry-on's. 

The kiddos did great and we most definitely enjoyed our roomy seats, tasty lunch and wonderful service in the front of the plane.

We arrived safe and sound in Orlando and were greeted by Pake (who had flown in from Baltimore) and Beppe (who was on a separate flight from us).  We made our way to the Disney Express Bus and headed out for the Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village.  Our room had a savannah view which meant we were greeted by giraffes, zebras, ostrich, okapi and other cool African animals right from our own balcony.  This was a definite hit with our animal loving, T!

For the remainder of the day, we explored our resort, went swimming in the pool, enjoyed some supper in one of the restaurants, visited the gift shop and then hit the hay, ready for a new adventure on Day 2!