Holiday

I have recently  read a really boring blog.  I remember thinking that generally people don't give a shit about your day to day life.  No one cares  of every day events in your lives that you think extraordinary.  No one really cares about the "great" things that are happening in your life especially when it comes across as bragging.  That type of blog doesn't interest me, however, I think I am about to do the same.  So for all intents and purposes this blog is more for me than for you so I apologise in advance if it bores the pants off you.  But my holiday....

 

 

I tried to enter through customs with a knife.  I had no idea it was in my bag and thought that the customs officer who confiscated it from me was very sour when I explained that it had "obviously" been left there after a picnic and I didn't, in fact, intend to hijack the plan with a butter knife and a pack of baby wipes.   No sense of humour?

 

On arrival in the US again a very sour customs officer decided to cart Jurgen to a holding room when asked about any arrests of convictions I  joked that he had a criminal record as long as your arm.....

 

What I meant was he got into a lot of stupid trouble when he was young and his last "problem" occurred in 2002.  The Customs officer said I had lied on his ESTA and for 45 long, long minutes, they interviewed him.  He had to go through every conviction he could remember and then be interviewed by a good cop/ bad cop couple who interrogated him some more.  They repeatedly asked if he was gang affiliated.  I don't think they were referring to the Red Hand Gang either.

 

By this point I had lost half a stone in sweat and worry, my hair was starting to fall out and I was on the verge of a coronary.  They finally "did him a favour" and let him in the country.  He cannot , however, return until he has had an interview with the American Embassy in London. 

 

So far so good,  right?

Actually the holiday was a roaring success despite the rocky start. 

 

So,  I finally picked up my Chevy and we hit the road to our hotel. 

 

 

 

Just for the record, my Chevy was awesome.  A beast of a vehicle.  And here she is. 

 

We stayed in the cheapest hotel/ apartment that I could find.  We had a huge room with a kitchen and 2 bedrooms.  An adequate pool was also thrown in.   We were right in the middle of all the restaurants and shops too. 

 

We hit all the parks on our 14 day Disney ticket.  Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom. Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Hollywood Studio's, Epcot.  We hit designer shopping malls and bought designer tees for the boys, sunglasses and purse for me and my oldest boy bought a whole new wardrobe of Nike trainers.  Skye shops like no one I have ever known.  She is a true professional shopper and ALWAYS buys something for everyone in our family before she spends a small fortune on herself.   

 

Shopping is such hard work and in 95 degree heat a beer stop is necessary.

 



 

 

Magic Kingdom is the Disney World iconic park and it was brilliant.  The Americans really know how to do it and there was nothing we didn't enjoy.  Except maybe the heat, and the crowds, and the price of drinks and the queues..... August in Florida is hot.  And busy.   The Fireworks and the Parade though,  rocked my world. 

 

 



 

 

My Baby Arlo who is now a massive fan of Mickey House.  (And I mean Mickey House)

 

 

 

 

Me and The Husband by the castle in Magic Kingdom.  

 

 

 

 

We went to Typhoon Lagoon and had a funny old day.  They have a wave machine that produces this wave...

 



 

I sat with Baby Arlo in the shallow end and Jurgen took Mattias and Roman to go deeper.  The wave hit me at a million miles an hour knocking me and Arlo down.  I realised quite quickly that I was in trouble and Jurgen had also spotted this and was running back to help me.  I managed to keep Arlo above the water whilst I bounced, half drowning, along the rough bottom of the pool.  All the while being bombarded with gushing water from all angles.  I lost half the skin on my arm in the process but Baby Arlo escaped unaware and unharmed.    Bloody wave and its bloody dangerousness.   But once I had gotten over my fall we went on to have loads of fun.  Its ridiculously dangerous and I saw lots of blood that day.   Seriously,  people must have lost limbs......and I am sure children. 

 





 

Epcot was really good too and probably the most educational aspect of our trip.  Because you have to add a bit of education for the kids, don't you?

 



 

My favourite ride of the whole trip.  The Aerosmith effort.  A rollercoaster that went upside down.  I kinda thought that although the rides at Disney are awesome they do lack that something that leaves your stomach behind on the ride when you exit.  This slightly made up for the feeling of loss.  

 

 

 

My brother joined us with his children for this holiday.  He hired a Mustang convertible.  I wasn't jealous at all.    

 

 

 

My boys swam late into the night every night.  Baby Arlo was anxious about the water at the start of the holiday but by the end of it had ditched the rubber ring and was happily plunging under water shouting "look at me,  mummy".....   Mattias was swimming widths and nearly had to have his goggles surgically removed to come home. 

 

 

 

 



This trip we discovered  Roman has no fear.  None at all.  He is 8.  He went on the Tower of Terror and the photo they took had everyone around him screaming with mouths open and Roman was just looking dead pan and almost bored.   He then attempted the Vomatron which is a 200 feet high spinning effort that was invented by NASA or some such like and goes fast, around and around, and then goes backwards, fast, around and around.  I felt sick watching him get on, but it didn't faze him in the slightest and when I asked what he thought he said "It was alright...."

 

We are attempting to find a ride to "thrill" him. 

 

We had a ball.  Two weeks of hot sunshine, awesome theme parks,  brilliant water parks, superb electric storms, food like you wouldn't believe, cold beer, swimming, shopping and good old fashioned family time.

 

I really do appreciate how lucky I am to have been able to experience this with my family.  I haven't been on holiday with my brother since we were children and it was really good to have him there too.   I booked the holiday in August last year and waited patiently for it to arrive and it was over in a flash.  I am definitely suffering from the post holiday blues and am already looking to book for next year.  I couldn't do Florida every year.  I need a holiday to get over this holiday - it's hard work and exhausting.  But worth every minute.

 

 

 

 

Jurgen and I thought long and hard before booking this holiday as we knew it would cost a fortune and we will be paying for it for a couple of months yet.    We worked hard and saved like Trojans and it worked.  We really did have the holiday of a lifetime. 

 

Next year, however,  I am back to the typical Egge holiday of beach, cocktails and chill out time.

Now I have to get over the jet lag and return to work.  The downside of every single holiday....

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