Disney Vacation 2008

Julie and I just got back from six days in Disney- a quick but refreshing vacation. Every summer we make it a point to get away to "the happiest place on earth," and this year may have topped them all.

We spent the whole day Wednesday at Epcot and never once felt tired. In fact, after the fireworks we were disappointed to leave. Normally standing in 100 degrees with 4 million other people is enough to knock us out cold after only 5 hours; in the past, we've always left after lunch and come back later for the fireworks. So it's sort of amazing that this is the first year when we were there from 9:00am to 9:30pm, riding all the rides, seeing all the countries, shopping in all the stores, eating like pigs (I speak for myself)... and still wanted more when the day was over.

Epcot wasn't all we did in Orlando; one of our favorite hang-outs is Downtown Disney. It's a way we can get more Disney "magic" (as Julie would put it) without the price tag of park admission. If you've never been, you should check it out next time you're in Orlando. There's a huge Virgin Records store I look forward to visiting every summer. Most years I'm lucky to escape with less than $80 in new music, but this time I only bought Jon Foreman's Fall and WinterEP's and a gift for my brother's birthday (P.S. You must get Jon Foreman's EP's... more on that another time). There's also an AMC movie theater, which we visited three times during our short trip: Wall-E (Excellent), Hancock (Very Fun), and Wanted (not suitable for you kids, but adults who liked the twists of Fight Club and the special effects of The Matrix will probably enjoy this one too).

Another of our favorite haunts is Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk at Disney's Beach & Yacht Club Resort. Jellyrolls is a dueling pianos hall that has become a hot spot of annual tradition. Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane" is always our one and only request. (See video clip here)


(We weren't allowed to use video cameras, so I was only able to sneak a few seconds, but you kinda' get the idea)

I could go on and on (there was also pool-side tanning, movies in bed, lots of sleeping in,
shopping, eating out, fireworks every night, the hotel arcade, and other sites and attractions like City Walk and Celebration).

I had to at least give a brief report of the trip and upload a couple pictures before I felt like I could sleep tonight. If you happen to be interested in more photos from our trip, I've added a new album on facebook titled "Disney Vacation 2008."

See you real soon,
Ryan