The Christensen Family: Family Vacation to Orlando, FL

We have recently returned from a wonderful week in Orlando, FL! Jared was attending a national radiology meeting and we all tagged along for some fun in the Florida sun! Needless to say Jared spent little time at the conference--in fact his presentation was selected out of 640 entries to receive an award and he wasn't there on the final day of the conference to accept it! Instead he was spending time with his family enjoying some much deserved relaxation together.

Elizabeth's father and stepmother (Grandad and Nana) drove from Tallahassee, FL to spend a couple days with us and the grandkids. They were a big help! In order to get the most out of our time together we stayed at a wonderful resort in a 3 bedroom suite. It was within minutes of Jared's conference and major attractions.

Our first day was spent at Sea World. The highlight was feeding and petting the dolphins, although some of the performances were excellent. Paige was thrilled to see the "mama whale" and was brave enough to sit in the Splash Zone during the Shamu show--Brock, Layne, and Paige were soaked!

Day two was spent at Cocoa Beach, approximately an hour away from Orlando. It was a somewhat overcast day, but the water was warm and the kids had a blast! Brock, Layne, Morgan, and Paige especially enjoyed collecting seashells and Taylor took her first dip in an ocean.

Days three and four were spent at Walt Disney World. We started at the Animal Kingdom. Elizabeth, Morgan, Paige, Taylor, and the grandparents enjoyed seeing a live performance of Finding Nemo, while Jared, Brock, and Layne had fun on the roller coasters--they especially enjoyed Expedition Everest. We all then went on a Safari which was a lot of fun.

Epcot was one of the more restful parts of the vacation. Of course there were several fun rides, including Soarin', Mission Space, and Test Track; but it was nice to walk around the lagoon visiting the World Showcase. One of the best parts of the day was brunch with Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, and Princess Aurora. Our girls were all dressed up as princesses (as were most of the other little girls in the castle) and they were as happy as could be to meet Cinderella and the other characters! Definitely take a look through the photo gallery!

The Magic Kingdom was a wonderful experience. Right as we arrived off the ferry and through the gates, we came upon the "Dreams Come True" parade which happened to contain most of the Disney Princesses. Layne, Morgan, and Paige could hardly contain themselves. Other highlights included dinner with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore; Brock driving all by himself on the Indy Speedway; Paige riding in Dumbo and the Teacups; and, of course, the evening fireworks display over Cinderella's castle.

It was a wonderful vacation and we look forward to many more!