Kip’s Comments - November 9-13

Making Memories!

Since my last post our family (kids, their spouses, and grandkids) traveled to Orlando, Florida to celebrate a special birthday at Disney World. Before we left several in our group and a friend made T-shirts stating “Making Memories” and that is what we did. Wow, what a fun-filled trip that went far too fast.

We flew from Minneapolis to Orlando on Wednesday. Our plan was to visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom on Thursday, but Hurricane Nicole shut everything down. I have to be honest about Hurricane Nicole. By the time the storm reached us it was probably Tropical Storm Nicole and was much less exciting than some of our Iowa summer thunderstorms. Still, the area shut down meaning our plans changed.

On Friday we enjoyed hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There were plenty of wildlife exhibits and rides for the kids, but oh the people! We had to wait for everything. Crowds or not, it was fun.

Saturday was our day to visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Watching the thrill of Disney through the eyes of our 9-year old granddaughter was so much fun. She marveled at the rides, the lights, the fireworks, the activities. The other grandkids did too, but probably not to the extent our oldest did. And if we thought there were a lot of people at Animal Kingdom, you probably double the number at Magic Kingdom. A niece and her son joined us and their experience with the park really helped us navigate to get the most out of the day. Thank you!

Today we flew back from Orlando to Minneapolis. Our family went from 80-degree temps to mid-20’s and not one of us liked that.

I want to thank a friend who helped us arrange housing for the days we were in Florida. You know who you are. Thank you so much!!!!

I almost forgot... “Christmas at Disney” was being recorded while we were there. The program will air on Christmas morning. Don't look for us if you watch it. We were too busy exploring the park to be TV stars!

Following is a sampling of photos from the trip. My efforts were much less on photography and more on experiencing the magic of Disney with the family. It worked!

Regarding the photos - All of the following pictures were shot using my cellphone.

I forgot to mention - On our flight into Orlando, we had a medical emergency on the plane. When the call was made for doctors, nurses, or EMTs - many moved toward the downed fellow. He was alright, but let me tell you - the plane landed smooth and came to a prompt halt. Your plane moves to the front of the line with a medical emergency.

Disney's Magic Kingdom - Image 3183

Giraffes at Animal Kingdom - Image 3071

White Ibis - Image 3096

Pink Flamingos - Image 3098