26 on the 26th

26th marked my 26th Birthday...a milestone with the dates and age being the same! I remember being much younger and always anticipating turning 26 on the 26th of February, but as it drew nearer it wasn't quite as entertaining of a thought haha.

Because Patrick and I were at the PAO Conference the weekend of my Birthday we decided to stay in Orlando and hit up Disney World! This was just what I needed since it's very hard to feel old in a place like that! I loved this slogan they had around the park...fitting!

We first visited Magic Kingdom...a staple! 

The park was chilly and overcast so not many people were there (well, for Disney World) The longest we waited in line for a ride there was 20 minutes which was awesome! We got through the park in no time since a good bit of it was shut down due to the rebuilding of Fantasyland...this included the flying Dumbo ride, which made me so sad! The new Fantasyland looks very cook though! They are building areas dedicated to Beauty & The Beast, The Little Mermaid in addition to Storybook Circus (Where Dumbo will go!) Below are some pictures from our day at Magic Kingdom :-) 

We spent the rest of the day and night at Epcot. 

This was my first visit to Epcot and it was quite fascinating! I wish we could have spent more time there. If you are ever there, wait in line for 'Soarin'...we had to wait 40 minutes, but it was really worth the wait! 

One of the most exciting parts of the day happened at Epcot...I had a moment with Minnie Mouse! There was a 40 minute line to meet her so I went to snap a photo through the window and she noticed, waved and posed! I felt so special - haha! 

I loved all the Epcot Countries! I wish we had seen them in the daylight...it would have been like touring the world in a day :-) We had to rush through them to get to our dinner reservations in "Japan" - lol 

I was more than a little mortified when the waitress brought out the chef hat I had to wear while the restaurant sang me "Happy Birthday" - lol! But when in Rome...

Patrick bet me I wouldn't keep the hat on for the rest of the night...I won :-) The fireworks at Epcot were out of this world amazing! The parade and fireworks show at Magic Kingdom is something to see, but so are the fireworks at Epcot! Much more mature, but very wonderful! We were able to capture some great fireworks photos!

The next day we flew out late so we were able to fit a half day in at Animal Kingdom...another park I had not been to prior. 

If you are ever here, definitely do the safari...best way to see lots of the animals like...

I love monkeys and could watch them play all day every day! They were so active that day!

Is this not the most beautiful animal you've ever seen?! Gorgeous! 

We got some great action shots of the tigers as well! 

Disney was awesome, but in my opinion wayyyyy over priced. I get it, they do it because they can, but it's just ridiculous! The parks are all something to see, so much detail and beauty. Really, no other amusement park compares visually. My only complaint was our room...we stayed in the Disney Port Orleans Resort, which isn't the creme de la creme, but wasn't the bottom of the totem pole either. Here's the deal, if you're going to put "Resort" at the end, it better live up to the expectations of a resort, and quite frankly, it didn't. The towels and linens were so rough and mattress and pillows were unbelievably hard. Plus it had no closet! What hotel room doesn't have a closet?! It was decorated cute and very quaint plus it was in a nice quiet area...but that is about all the good I can say about it. I just can't believe for the money you shell out how bad those accommodations were. I feel like it should have been called Disney Port Orleans Motel...just my opinion though. Y'all know I keep it real and honest on my blog! 

My Birthday was a very very special day! A big, huge thank you to my hubby who did such a good job of making it such a magical day! My big gift was a professional grade camera (it just came yesterday!) and a book on "How To Photograph Anything"...so be on the lookout for a possible photography business in the near future :-) Maggie Bailey Photography has a nice ring to it doesn't it?! We shall see...! 

Until next time...

Maggie