Disney Trip Report: Day 1

Hello again friends!

While I continue to upload and process photos, I figured it was time to start our trip report before I start forgetting everything! So, grab some popcorn and prepare to live vicariously as I go through the awesomeness that was our vacation to the place where dreams come true!

We left early Saturday morning. We were up by 6:00 AM or so (mostly due to excitement), took care of the dogs, changed the litter box, and made for the open road by 6:30 AM. We had rented a car- the most adorable Kia Soul- and thankfully it was a super comfortable drive. The trip itself was pretty uneventful. It certainly didn't feel close to 10 hours! Time seemed to pass quickly, and before we knew it- we were in Orlando! We arrived around 5:00 or so, and by then we were ready to stretch our legs a bit.

I kept craving the purple signs that indicated that we were on Disney World property, but I was going to have to wait awhile. We had rented a hotel off-property for the night since our Disney vacation didn't actually start until Sunday. So, we found our hotel, which happened to be right across from Downtown Disney, checked in, and took showers. I've gotta say, for $60 a night, the Clarion wasn't terrible, but boy, Disney it wasn't. The staff seemed unhappy to be there, and the room had a giant cleaner stain right in the middle of the floor. It was...uh...fine. Just, fine. Luckily, we weren't planning on staying there long, so we just went about our business and looked forward to getting together with friends.

I grew up in Florida, and one of my very best friends in the whole wide world still lives in the area. We were lucky enough to meet up with her, her mother, her sister (who is like a sister to me, too) and her nephew for dinner at Downtown Disney. I was SO excited to be able to spend some time with them! I hadn't seen N (my friend) since 2008, and I hadn't seen L (her sister) since our wedding in 2006. I hadn't seen M (their mom) since years before!

We ended up eating at T-Rex at Downtown Disney. The atmosphere was fun, but L's little boy (and omg is he the cutest!!) was pretty scared of the giant T-Rex residing right inside the entrance into the restaurant. When we FINALLY got a chance to eat (there's a story there, be prepared to read a review on this in the near future) we ate and savored our time with my second family. I was so happy to be catching up with people I love so much, but I could definiately feel my body starting to cave after 10 hours in the car. We sadly said our goodbyes for the time being, and headed back to our hotel for the night.

Luckily, I was so tired that I could've slept on the floor and gotten a good night's sleep. The bed was fine for a night, and I wasn't about to argue with a soft place to lay my head. We slept and got ready for a magical Disney experience the following day!