A Second Honeymoon

Last week was BIG for me!  James and I, for the first time since having kids over 25 years ago, went away for the week.  Just the 2 of us.  It was a second honeymoon and where did we go?  Disney World of course!

Yes, just me, James and thousands of couples with small children.

We had a wonderful time together.  We flew to Florida early last Sunday morning and had the entire day to wander around the different resorts and see what they are each like.  It was something I have always wondered about….those fancy places that I’ll never be able to afford.  We texted pictures to the kids because I was feeling pretty awkward being there without them.

I did get over that after the first day.  They were having a great time at home watching all of the movies they wanted and eating pizza.  They kept telling me to go enjoy myself.  So I did.

That first step into Magic Kingdom gave me such a thrill.  It’s so clean and cheerful, like walking into a dream.  We ran around all day and unwound amidst the crowd and lines.  I kept looking at the castle and thinking, “I can’t believe I’m here!”

On day 2 we went to Hollywood Studios (my favorite park!) and I decided to do my hair in honor of the starlets of past eras.

It was fun to go glam for a day!  So much fun that I went all animal kingdom the next day.

I made a crown with my hair…..It was a lot bigger in person than it looks in the photo.  I plan to mess around with more if I ever go back to Disney so I can really make a BIG hair crown!

By my last day I was in the mood to really play, so of course I did it total Disney style.  Minnie Mouse ears!!!!

The whole week we ran around like youngsters, riding rides and eating snacks and really had a grand time!

One of the things I enjoyed the most was watching the young families.  There was plenty of time while we waited in lines or on buses to just people watch.  The men especially interested me.  Young guys, in their late 20s/early 30s who were there with their wives, a few young kids and their in-laws.  I kept looking at their faces and imagining these guys who only a few years ago were in college working toward their dreams.  I thought that they must have never pictured themselves walking around Disney World lugging a stroller and wearing a t-shirt with a Mickey Mouse silhouette that said “Daddy” on it (matching the “Mommy” t-shirt his wife wore, of course!).  At first I thought these guys seemed a little defeated, as if he would rather be doing pretty much anything else.  But then I’d see it….the twinkle.  Every time he looked at his kids.  Every man.  On every bus and in every line, lit up when he looked at his little princess or pirate.

And it just warmed me inside.  I know that James and I twinkle when we look at our kids, but to see so many families really enjoying their children was such a delight.  I didn’t notice that on my last trip, probably because I was too busy staring at my own adorable crew.

On Friday night as we drove home from the airport I said to James, “Hey, I don’t think we talked about kids or money or the house falling apart even once while we were gone!”  It was like a teeny tiny miracle.  Total relaxation mixed with eating too much sugar and watching a lot of 3D shows = heaven.

And now we are planning our NEXT Mom and Dad only getaway.  Only next time we think we might want to do something a little less….um…..tiring.  Like maybe a beach somewhere that has cabana boys bringing you drinks and the waves just come to you.

I mean, it was great, but I was so worn out when we got home that I wasn’t sure if I would recover.  I’m still exhausted.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!