Army Mom Archives -

My First Trip to Disney World!

Traveling makes my soul happy and I have been blessed with different traveling opportunities to different countries within the past few years. How funny is it that I had never traveled to what is often referred to as the “Happiest Place on Earth” until a few weeks ago?

How We Decided On Disney: Like many people in the world today, my daughter follows many different YouTube channels and social media accounts. There are several videos that have featured Disney trips including “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.” We got word that our son was going to be able to take leave before heading to the Middle East and we wanted to give him a fantastic vacation to take his mind off of everything. It has been quite some time since we have all traveled together. It is usually just my daughter and I. My daughter was more than thrilled that we were able to book Disney during the Halloween party.

Resort and Park Tickets: It took a few different phone calls to reservations to get the best rate. Although they offer military rates they are few and far between, and when they become available they are swooped up rather quickly. I was finally able to get a military rate for the Art of Animation Resort and we stayed in the “Cars” family suite. The actual park tickets were about 50 percent off as well. My ex-husband/boyfriend (yeah, still unsure what label to use now and it is kind of weird but whatever!) went to Ft. Campbell and purchased the park tickets for the discounted rate. He is retired Army and still receives his benefits.

We Are Here!: We arrived at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on September 30th and stayed one evening at the Shades of Green. Shades of Green is a resort on Disney property, but is only for veterans, active duty, and retired military and their guests. The cost of the hotel is much less expensive than the typical Disney resort, but if you want to use the Disney Dining Plan and have access to the different resort benefits that staying on a Disney property allows, Shades of Green isn’t the best option. We departed for the Art of Animation early the following morning to begin our Disney adventure! While Shades of Green is a nice resort, it really didn’t compare to the customer service and overall Disney experience we received at the Art of Animation. We weren’t supposed to check in until 3 p.m. EST so I expected that we would have to leave our luggage with the Art of Animation staff. However, they had our room ready by the time we arrived at 8 a.m. This was a wonderful start to our vacation! After checking out our suite we filled up our mugs with waters and soda to take to the parks with us. Side Note: When you stay at a resort on property you receive a mug that can be filled up at any resort at Disney World. We would fill these up with coffee in the mornings, then water and Powerade throughout the day.

Our First Full Day: I have always felt drawn to Animal Kingdom and knew that this would be my first stop. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a wildlife reserve, and I didn’t realize this until I was researching animal reserves in the United States for a presentation I gave for my students while I was living in Spain. I adored the safari ride, and the giraffes were so close I could almost touch them.

Photo Pass: We opted to get the photo pass/memory maker package. With the military discount it was only $99 for our entire stay. This included access to all of the ride photos, and any special photos in front of different areas of the parks.

**Scarlett and her dad visiting with Minnie and Mickey in their safari outfits.**

Magic Kingdom: The next day we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. As soon as I walked through the gates every bit of child like innocence flooded my being. As an adult, those feelings come in smaller doses as the years go by so I tend to relish the feeling whenever I get it.

We stayed there until about 3:00 p.m. and then went back to the hotel to shower and change into our Halloween costumes for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Side Note #2: (When we return to Disney, we won’t do a park each day! We were only at the parks from October 1-4, and left Orlando on the 5th. We tried to squeeze as much as possible into one trip since Che only had a certain amount of leave time. We didn’t do the recommended “rest days” in between parks, and we felt it!)

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: I was completely giddy the entire time! It is always fun to dress up in costumes whether for a Halloween celebration or onstage. I decided to wear a T-Shirt with the Sanderson Sisters and the famous song title “I Put A Spell On You” (“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”) on the front. A cute pink witch hat along with the shirt and black tutu were comfortable enough for an evening of walking in the park yet again!

I love Halloween, and every detail was amazing from the carved Mickey pumpkins to the Hocus Pocus Spectacular. We saw the Hocus Pocus show twice, got a great spot for the fireworks show, and a front row seat for the parade! The parade was my favorite! It brought every character from The Magic Kingdom together into one singing and dancing celebration including the villains at the end the show! Before the parade, we hit the trick or treat sections and rode “The Pirates of the Caribbean” ride again since it had an extra twist for Halloween which included a few live actors.

The Monsters Inc. dance party was also a blast!

Before arriving to Disney, I did a bit more planning than I’m used to with a vacation. This had its pros and cons, but I will go into that in a different post. However, I did come across a wonderful vlog called Disney Food Blog, and I found the videos so addicting! They gave us so many tips on how to really use the Disney Dining Plan to our advantage, and I did just that! I highly recommend getting the dining plan if you are traveling with men and women that love to eat, or if you are like me and love to eat gourmet food. I honestly like the “all inclusive feel,” and it did take the stress off of the dining budget because it was already paid for!

I was looking forward to trying some of the specialty Halloween food items that are only available at the party and the pumpkin cheesecake was one of those items I wanted to try. I was able to use one of my snack credits for the cheesecake!

Tip: Use your snack credits for the more expensive items like cheesecake and items at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival vs. a bottle of water or bag of chips. This is how you really make the dining plan work for you! Also, use those sit down meals for that five star French or Italian restaurant that you may not go to on your regular night out. I have read that some people end up having several snacks left over, but we didn’t! The dining plan was a great choice for us.

Epcot and Hollywood Studios:Our last two days consisted of going to Epcot Center where the Food and Wine Festival was happening as well! I was able to hit two special events during my first trip to Disney World! Two friends of mine who work at Disney met us at Epcot and we had a blast!

Stay tuned for part two of our Disney trip! There is just too much to add in one post! I’ll talk more about the dining plan and how we made it work, and discuss some of our favorite rides. Disney can be a wonderful bonding experience for family and friends, but I can see how it can easily turn into a nightmare if you don’t just go with the flow. Our next trip to Disney will be less “planned.” 😉

Mr. Walt Disney sure knew what he was doing though. There must be something in the water because I can barely remember the stressful situations. I’m kind of addicted now!

Re-Evaluating Life

It has been awhile since I have written. I have been so consumed with my son’s well-being and dealing with so many changes in my life (most have been positive changes), but I have still allowed this to consume me.

I’m not sure if I would call it a rut, but so many things have been going on in my life that I put my writing on the back burner.

I have so many creative outlets that are at my disposal, but I have chosen not to write for the past six months. In the back of my mind I would say, “I need to blog about this,” and “I really need to start writing again.” Why do we choose to alienate the things that can often assist with our thought processes, especially if those things fulfill us in some way? I am fulfilled whenever I am writing, singing or acting, yet I haven’t been doing any of those things lately.

My last blog post was about how I decided to return the United States since my oldest son was headed to basic training. I don’t regret this decision at all. If I had stayed in Madrid, he wouldn’t have been able to write me as freely and vise versa. The mail in Spain wasn’t as fast or cost effective when it was coming and going from the United States. There is some sort of customs rate or something, and I just decided to not deal with it for the most part while I was living there. With that being said, had I stayed in Madrid, I wouldn’t have been able to see my son before he left for basic training, nor would I have been able to communicate with him as much as I was able to in the United States.

Basic Training Graduation: As I mentioned earlier, I have been consumed with my son’s well-being. We went to his graduation for basic training, and I was so completely proud of him. I could already tell that his maturity level had elevated as I read his many letters while he was in basic. When I saw him marching on the stage during the ceremony, my heart swelled with emotion.

The feeling of being a proud mother coupled with the worry that he could very well deploy within the next couple of years was enough to bring a few tears to my eyes. There has also been the internal struggle of finding space to support my son and his new career choice, while still holding onto my left wing values. This has become much easier as I have sought counsel from several friends who have served and have the same political views as myself.

Graduation and family day was on July 5th and 6th. Che is a Fourth of July baby, but we wouldn’t be able to see him until the following day. We did a road trip to Ft. Leonard Wood and saw the fireworks on post.

Family Day was fun, and he showed us the bowling skills he had acquired during his weekend passes he had earned during his training.

I soon found out that the deployment concern is very valid. As soon as he got to his permanent duty station they informed him that his new unit is deploying to the Middle East. He is leaving very soon, and I have been really struggling with this. My ex-husband was in the Army, and was gone the majority of the time we were married before he retired. I always worried about him, but it is different when it is your child. It is a different worry. Luckily, we have been able to see him a few times before he leaves, and I have faith that everything will be well.

Re-Evaluating Things: There have been a few lifestyle changes in my family that have prompted deep thought. Most of the changes are of a positive nature, but even positive changes can often seem stressful.

One of the biggest changes is my living situation and relationship status.

When my daughter and I came back from Madrid, my ex-husband was a lot calmer than he used to be, and I could tell that there were significant changes. To make a long story short, after a couple of months of being home, he and I decided to go to counseling and work things out. Neither of us have ever re-married, and I have to wonder if there is a reason for this.

My ex-husband and I have been separated for ten years, and divorced for eight years. Before the separation we were married for 13 years. I assume that both of us lived a lot of life in that time apart. I know I have. I have been VERY independent and I am completely happy being single. In fact, this has been a struggle for me. It is hard to learn how to be in a relationship again when I am so used to do virtually EVERYTHING on my own. I can be very stubborn, and I admit this.

My daughter and I are now living in the house, and things have been pretty good for the most part. We have been getting a lot of updates done on the home, and since this was the house that we had before we got divorced, it is nice to have that “cleansing” so to speak.

I have a lot of different things to talk about, and my goal is to go back to posting at least once a week! Our House Hunters International experience, visits to see my son, and our Disney World trip are most likely up next. 🙂

A Mother’s Tough Decision

The Decision: I received a phone call in Madrid from my oldest son Che telling me that he decided to join the United States Army.

My first reaction wasn’t extreme panic since I figured he wouldn’t be leaving until after my return from Madrid in June. Who knows? He might even change his mind between now and then. A couple of weeks later he called me to let me know that he had picked his job (MOS) for the Army and would be leaving for basic training on March 19th. What? That was only a week and half away! A slight panic started to set in as I realized my son was going into the armed forces and I had not even SEEN him for seven months! If I was going to see him, I basically had a week to figure everything out.

Not only had I not seen my son in seven months, but the realization that I might not be able to see him before he departed for basic training left a tightening in the pit of my stomach. I struggled with the thought that perhaps I was selfish for wanting to create some sort of existence for both myself and my daughter that is typically considered outside of the norm. Was my free-spirited nature and prideful independence catching up with me? If I had never moved to Spain, I wouldn’t even be struggling with these thoughts.

I was thinking about every possible way to make this work, and I decided to reach out to a few friends and family members to ask for their advice. Most of them basically stated what I already knew. Although I would be able to see Che graduate basic training, I didn’t know how long I would have with him, or where he would end up being stationed. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to see him before he departed.

I was scheduled to teach in Madrid until June , and as much as I pride myself on being independent and trying my best to enjoy life, I admittedly hate disappointing people. As I wrote a heart felt email to the administration of my program, I explained the details of Che’s departure. The BEDA program has been very organized and helpful our entire time in Madrid. After a few emails back and forth, we thought about the possibility of my returning after Spring Break. That way I could finish out the year with the children and finish out the school year. After a couple of sleepless nights, I found out the school where I was teaching said that it wouldn’t be a possibility. I either had to stay or go. That made my decision right there. I had made a valiant effort to accommodate everyone, but I never want to stay someplace where my children won’t take priority. With that being said, my last day at the school was very sad. So many of the children were crying and sad to see me go. I had always thought that I was doing a good job with the children, but this confirmed it. Knowing that I made a positive difference in their lives was an amazing feeling.

The children gave me loads of pictures and notes to take with me!

No Regrets: I’ve been back from Madrid for two weeks now, and although I don’t regret my decision to come back at all, these past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Not only was I able to see my son before his departure to basic training, but I’ve also had to get re-acclimated to America. In a way it feels as if I’ve been gone forever, but then there is also the sense that nothing much has changed.

Finding A Connection: As our children get older and become adults, there is often a sort of disconnect that happens when they are finding out who they are, and who they are striving to become. Che is my oldest son, and he has always had a wonderful spirit. Well, to be perfectly honest, there was a year between the age of 18 and 19 when he had a bit of a disrespectful streak, but he came around. Even though he came around, I found that I wasn’t always clicking with him. Our conversations would become stale and repetitive due to him not really sharing anything going on in his life. “I told you mom, I’m just working, and spending time with friends,” was his basic reply. When a parent can find a connection to open up the lines of communication, that is a glorious thing!

Who knew that “Game of Thrones” would give us that connection? While I was still in Madrid, I finally purchased the entire series via Amazon, and binged seven seasons in the span of two weeks. Yeah, don’t judge. Che and I would text each other and even talk about it verbally via WhatsApp during those two weeks! He was already caught up with the show, and was among the several people that kept telling me how much I would love watching it.

During one of our conversations, Che asked me what I thought about Jon Snow. I told him that I thought he was a great character with a good spirit. I said,”He actually reminds me a little of you.” Che replied, “I knew you were going to say that!” We both laughed. When Scarlett and I were souvenir shopping in Madrid, I spotted a dagger sized replica of the wolf sword that the character Jon Snow uses in the show. This was the perfect gift for Che.

There is a quote from the the fifth season that gave me chills when I heard it. As Jon Snow is getting ready for a huge battle, Maester Aemon says, “Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born.” You better believe that when I presented my son with his gift, I chose to quote this, but changed Jon Snow to his name and left out “winter is almost upon us.” As I said it, we were aware that as cheesy at it may seem to some, it did mean something. He would soon be changing his life path. When I see him again at his graduation from basic training, he won’t be a boy any longer.

After Che took his oath of enlistment the day he left.

I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to teach in Europe, and even more grateful that I was able to have some much needed quality time with my first born son.

Video of Che taking his oath of enlistment. Yes, I asked the MEPS personnel if it was okay to post this video before posting. Che loved the fact that he was going into basic with his long hair. 🙂