Thursday, February 26, 2009

The (not so) happiest place on earth



So, tomorrow I’m leaving for Florida. My husband and I are taking our kids to Disney World with some other friends of ours. The kids and my husband are so excited that they cannot stand it. So are our friends. I’m not so excited. I know it makes me sound like a spoiled brat to not be excited for a vacation, but I cannot help myself. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

• I have a deep-rooted hatred of all things Disney – even as a kid I hated Disney. Just the thought of having to spend a week surrounded by Mickey Mouse and all his friends makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

• My idea of a vacation is somewhere with incredible scenery that I can hike, play in the water, snorkel, etc. I’m not a big fan of paying for someone to entertain me – I prefer to entertain myself.

• Along with that, I don’t love crowds.

• The economy right now really scares me, and I think I’d prefer to take a cheaper vacation and save money instead.

• In the 7+ years I’ve been married, this will be my 5th trip to a Disney location. (Prior to that, I’d only been to Disney once). I want to go somewhere else.

But, I’m going. And I’m planning on being a good sport. I will do whatever the group wants, and I’ll try to do it with a smile. I’m sure seeing my kids enjoy it will be fun too. I am also going to try really hard to make it to the beach for one day. I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be doing the next week, but I will be updating Facebook, so you can check in there if you’re interested. And if you want to be my Facebook friend, email me and I’ll send you a friend request.

16 comments:

Megan said...

Despite your lack of excitement, I hope you enjoy the trip & make some fun memories.

I will also add that I am a little envious! Taking Hannah to Disneyland was so fun. I just love watching my kids experience new things for the first time!

author said...

I hope you have fun - be sure to check out Epcot. It's my favorite-est place ever, and there are no Disney characters. It's almost like Multicultural 101.

tiburon said...

Oooo have fun!! I am jealous. I love Disney :)

Ruhiyyih Rose said...

I know you will have fun no matter what - you won't be working :) I'll keep up with your FB status updates!

LisserB said...

Seeing it through your kids eyes will make a huge difference. I second the Epcot suggestion.

Try to have fun!

carrie said...

I hope you have fun. :o) I can't wait to see all the fun pics you'll have, too. I miss Florida. I can't wait to go back.

Kristin said...

I can so relate. After a trip to Disney, I always feel like I need a vacation after my vacation. I'm sure your girls will love it and it shouldn't be too crowded or hot right now. My daughter cannot wait to see Cinderella's castle much to my dismay. Have fun!

Oceanchild said...

Ha!!! only five times in seven years? Sorry my friend, but we go like 4 times a YEAR..so that's about 1000 million times in the last seven years.

i've decided to be okay with it. I love churros. I like Tom Sawyer Island (although they changed the name) There are mint juleps somewhere by the soup bowl place (that helps i promise)

Oh wait you are DW...we are DL ppl I think you can get a lot more than a julep in DW....

G said...

I hate Disney too. What’s all the hype about? We were there about 2 years ago with some friends. We had three day passes and Kari and I were done after day one...or half of day one.

I’m sure you’ll have some great moments and create good memories during the trip. Hey, it’s the happiest place on earth.

Anonymous said...

I can appreciate that, just live vicariously through the kids and it'll be worth it, I promise!

Anonymous said...

My favorite part about the Disney locales is waiting in line for 3 hours, so when you factor in eating, going to the bathroom, walking around and whatever else, you're lucky to do two or three 'fun' things like rides all day.

Camellia said...

Five times? For something you hate? I understand the things we do for our kids, but have you ever tried introducing your family to some of the things you enjoy? I think it would be cool to introduce your kids to snorkeling and hiking and all the other fun stuff you mentioned. They may outgrow Disney, but hiking, camping, snorkeling, and the chance to learn how to entertain themselves instead of paying to have someone else entertain them would be priceless.

Omgirl said...

I am not a fan of the commercialism of Disney. But I LOVE Disneyland/Disneyworld rides. Perhaps I remember them in the magical way I saw them as a child--Flying above the town on the Peter Pan ride, coasting through the misty swamps on Pirates of the Caribbean....and going there with kids again makes it even more magical. Sorry you won't be having much fun. :(

Chelsea said...

I am not a big fan of rides, or crowds, or waiting in line, so I can understand where you're coming from. But I hope you're able to have fun anyway!

Christi said...

I hope you had a good time at Disney but I totally understand wanting to do something else. I went before epcot center was finished and that was that.
This is BabyLove from TLOL and I'm Christi Keener on facebook.
Have a great day.

Chillygator said...

Disney's always creeped me out a little, too. The big-haired princesses, the talking mice, the Tower of Terror? All of it.

At least eat some caramel apples to ease the pain (o: