M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

I admit it. I am a slight Disney addict. The magic of the mouse totally encapsulates me, and I am a sucker for the pure, innocent joy that Disney seems to specialize in. I love the excitement, the beauty, the thrill and the promise that a Disney vacation holds.

And before we get any further- yes, we were just at Disneyland in March. And yes, we were just at Disney World when Caitlyn was 18 months old. But, Disney just happened to have a great deal going on, and like I said, I love the magic. So, off we went!

For this trip, we were lucky enough to travel with my mom, as well as part of the Broussard/Underwood clan. The Broussards have been part of my life since before I was born- Travis was my first "boyfriend" at age 2, Amanda and I worked together for a few years, and now Amanda's daughter, Rylee, is just a few months younger than Caitlyn. Not only did Amanda, Danny (her husband), and Rylee get to join us, we also got MeMe (aka Ms. Becky), too!

Disney did not disappoint! It was the first time I'd stayed at one of the resorts, and it was gorgeous. We chose Port Orleans Riverside, a tribute to the old South, and our riverfront, mansion location was superb. The Sassagoula River wound past our home away from home, with a water taxi that would transport us to the French Quarter, as well as Downtown Disney. We had our choice of 7 pools, lush landscaping, a river themed playground, really good food, and of course, a gift shop filled with every Mickey themed souvenir under the sun!

By the time we got to our resort, we'd already been on vacation for a couple of days. We got to Orlando on Saturday, played at Downtown Disney on Sunday, seen SeaWorld (where we pet dolphins and ate lunch with sharks!) on Monday, only to finally arrive in our Disney dream on Tuesday.

California Dreamin', Part Two

After seeing the sights at Disneyland for 3 days, our whole crew headed down to San Diego for the rest of our vacation. Lee and I both teared up a bit when we started to leave the magic of Disney, but we should have known that we still had lots of fun in store!

When we arrived at our beach condo, we were thrilled! First of all, we got to enjoy fabulous margaritas just steps from our room. We met Jesse and Avi in the bar at the on-site Mexican eatery, and we had a great dinner with good conversation, family and drinks. Then, we went to check out our room. Jesse and Avi were right next door, and our patios were connected so Caitlyn could run back and forth as she pleased.

Our home away from home was literally a one minute trek to the beach, so we took a family stroll on the beach on our first night there. It was gorgeous, and the sound of the ocean was so soothing. The condo was nestled in the middle of an area filled with neat little shops and restaurants, and it was fun to continue the trend of walking anywhere we needed to go.

During our stay, we spent a couple of fun-filled days at Sea World. Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by marine life, and my childhood job aspirations ranged from dolphin trainer to oceanographer. Alas, neither of those came to pass, but I still love visiting Sea World. Within 5 minutes of arriving, we were at the dolphin touch pool. One young male dolphin apparently thought it was entertaining to splash visitors, and Lorelei and I got soaked quickly after scoping out the dolphins!

Minutes later, I was lucky enough to experience a true interaction with a female dolphin. She bobbed up to my hand, splashed a bit of water from her mouth, and allowed me to rub down her smooth melon. She and I played for a couple of minutes, and that was the highlight of my day!

We saw a few shows, and Jason and I got to ride a combination flume/roller coaster that was incredible. We really relished being able to spend some time together on this trip.

Sadly, Lee had to leave after our first day at Sea World, and Caitlyn asked about her for the rest of the trip. But, both of the girls fell in love with their Grandpa. They loved Avi, too, but they just giggled and snuggled their Grandpa Jesse until we thought we may just have to leave them there! It was a lot of fun to watch.

Again, this has gotten long, so I will finish our trip in another post!