Celebrating 10 at Disney World

Chris and I just returned from a 6 day trip to Walt Disney World. This time we didn't take the kids. Our 10 year anniversary is in July and we've been talking all year about how to celebrate. Typically for an anniversary we go away for a night and do nothing. Absolutely nothing. We both love it and find it a welcome change to the typical pace of our lives. But this year we agreed, being the big 10, it would be fun to do something, more then nothing. Having just moved we were a little strapped for cash. So my Hawaii tropical dreams were pushed aside. We did have 2 free Southwest tickets to anywhere in the US! Free flights help on a low budget :) We tossed around different states but kept coming back to how much fun we had at Disney World when we took the kids a couple years ago. One night Chris' parents watched the kids for us and we went to Magic Kingdom with Chris' brother & wife for a double date. It was a blast and we swore if we ever had the chance to return just the two of us we would! Disney was running a special for the times we were looking to go making it a low cost trip.

In the midst of all this planning we found out I was pregnant. Originally we had settled on going in the fall but God had other plans for us in the fall. So the beginning of May it was. The trip came at a perfect place in this pregnancy. I had just gotten over the morning sickness and was still not showing.

Now for some pictures... I should say that before I post these pictures that I chose not to bring my expensive camera for this trip. For the most part I think that was the right call. Occasionally I had wished otherwise but it was super hot & humid and I was grateful not to have a heavy camera around my neck. So most of these pictures are from Chris' iphone or my parents click and go camera!



One of our favorite rides was the Toy Story ride in Hollywood Studio's. Chris and I are just a little competitive so a lot was riding on who won this ride.


I knew I would lose. After 10 years I've learned :)


When we checked in they gave us some Happy Anniversary pins. The theme for Disney this year is "Celebrate". The question they pose everywhere is "What will you celebrate?" I talked Chris into wearing the pin on his black bag he was carrying with our waters and food. I wore mine on my purse. We're not to cool for pins. I also thought we'd get free stuff if we wore them. I was right. We scored a number of free fast passes from workers who saw the pins :)


One of my goals for this trip was to take a vacation away from life. Particularly for Chris. With church planting his mind is always going about church stuff, ministry ideas, philosophies ect. Disney is the perfect place to retreat away. After a day or two the parks really suck you into their worlds. The biggest stress of the day becomes what to fast pass first. Should we fast pass Soarin' then walk to Test Track or fast pass Test Track then walk to Soarin? Even those stresses we conquered. Chris went to get a fast pass to Test Track while I stood in line for Soarin. After we rode Soarin we were able to fast pass something else. So we grabbed a Soarin' fp and went and used our Test Track fp. We've got the Disney system down :) I think it brought my husband great joy to have a strategy and see it perfectly executed!

While we were in line at Soarin' Chris says... that looks like Glen up there (Glen and Chris were on the Pastoral team together in Gilbert.) A day earlier we ran into a pastor friend and his wife from Maryland while in line for a ride. It was crazy. I told Chris that he was just seeing things now that we've already seen someone we know. After riding Soarin' I went to the bathroom, I place I frequented a lot unfortunately being pregnant, and lo and behold there was Rebekah, Glen's wife!! What a small world :)


One of the coolest things at Epoct was their garden! Innovative, cutting edge ideas, all thrown into gardening!




Also going on at Epcot was a festival of flowers. They had different disney characters created with bushes & flowers all throughout the park. It was impressive.


All in all we had such a great time together celebrating our marriage! I love this man more than anything! I'm so grateful for all the people/family who took our kids making this memorable trip possible. I'd also like to thank our kids who never once said "You're going to Disney World without us?!?!" I think that speaks to their excitement over who they were staying with :)






The last day Chris talked me into trying out for the American Idol experience. I think that's better left to a post in and of itself.


Thank you Love for all your hard work in putting this trip together for us! You were the one who made sure this happened! Eager to let me know that our marriage and God's grace to us for giving us 10 beautiful years together, is something worth celebrating!