Disney World!

Jerry has been needing a vacation recently, so we planned a trip to Orlando Florida over Will's long weekend in January.  It was a little last-minute (as are many things we do!), so we planned to drive down rather than fly.  We have driven down twice before and each time I say I will never do that again!  Recognizing my reluctance to drive, Jerry did plan a nice overnight stop for us in Savannah, Georgia.  : )

Grandad really loves Disney so we invited him to join us.  After giving it some thought and prayer(since he was still trying to recover his strength from his last bought of pneumonia) he decided to go along.  Sadly, the morning we were leaving he discovered his furnace had gone out.  As cold as it has been, he couldn't leave the house with no heat, so he acknowledged it as a sign that he really wasn't supposed to go.  We really missed having him with us, but even while we were there I thought several times that it really would have been to cold for him to be outside - especially the day we went to Epcot.

During our stop in Savannah we enjoyed dinner at the Lady & Sons restaurant and then spent some time walking through Forsyth Park the next morning before finishing our drive to Orlando.

 

 

Will actually did better on the drive than I thought he would despite the fact that he didn't sleep at all on the way down or back!  Our first day we went to Magic Kingdom.  By the end of the day, Will said his favorite ride was Space Mountain, even though after he got off he was scared to death and admitted to closing his eyes! 

 



 

 

 

The next day we went to Epcot.  It was FREEZING that day because of the wind, particularly in the morning.  That was when I felt most like it was a blessing that Grandad wasn't there trying to fight the cold.  Will was impressed by the ball and was excited about the ride that takes you inside it.  Looking back through the pictures at the look on Will's face, I think he was nervous that the ride would be like Space Mountain!  Of course, his favorite thing at Epcot was the Test Track ride, which we all really enjoyed, despite the incredibly long line we waited through (even WITH a Speed Pass).

 

 

Looking a little nervous!!

 

So cute with his cheeks full of cherries!



 

Will enjoyed a few of the "extra" rides in the parks:  the tram and monorail from the
parking lots, free rides on Daddy's shoulders, and a lift on the "Mama-rail"
when he was worn out by the end of the day. 
Actually, he used the gift card we had given him for Christmas to buy a
toy tram and a set of Disney buses as his souvenir!

After two full days at Disney parks, Will was getting a little worn down and we didn't feel like he could enjoy another park enough to justify the ticket price.  Instead on the third day we opted for something a little more low key.  I looked online hoping to find a nearby park or hiking trail so we could pack a picnic lunch and enjoy some of Florida's natural beauty that is so different from what we see everyday.  I ended up finding Blue Springs State Park just north of Orlando.  It's a natural spring that produces over a million gallons of crystal clear 72 degree water every day.  The warm water makes the area a perfect winter refuge for the West Indian Manatee.  We got great up-close views of them through the clear water - and there must have been over 40 in just one spot!  They really were amazing to see!  The spring is a protected area, but where it flows into the St. John's river, you can rent a canoe and paddle through the river near the spring.  The river water is black so you can't see the manatees as well there but we could see them as they swam close to the surface and right under our canoe.  : )

 

 

 

Too bad I blocked Will with my thumb as a result of trying to turn around and take pictures
while I was scared to death of flipping that canoe in that black water!!

 

 

The house we rented had a heated pool and hot tub, but it was too chilly for the pool to ever heat up enough to really enjoy.  We were able to get the hot tub nice and warm though, so Will enjoyed swimming in that.

Will also enjoyed quite a few rounds of "polar bear plunge" into the pool
then back to the hot tub to warm up!  : )