Simply Aileen: Animals, Animals....real ones-not the human kind! Animal Kingdom - Disney World

On the day we arrived in Florida, it was cloudy and rainy Our plan was to relax and sit by the pool because we knew we had a busy week ahead. Since the weather was not good to be by the pool, we decided to go to Animal Kingdom (this was not on our agenda). I'm glad we did....we had a great time. The last time we were there was 2002. They have added a lot more stuff.

The best new ride is called "Expedition Everest". It's awesome. It's roller coaster inside the mountain. At the end of the ride a Yeti appears and all you hear is screaming!! The picture you see is Jacob and I with "Expedition Everest" in the background.

The other adventure I enjoy so much is the Harambe Safari.....I love to see animals in their natural environment, not behind cages in the zoo. This is the closest I'll ever get to a "real" ride through a safari. It was great! It was raining but the animals were roaming all over the place....I saw a herd of willoby's literally running through the plains. It was awesome. The best thing that happen was two Giraffes

decided to walk across the road and in front of our guide truck. They had to stop and wait for them. I love Giraffes....they are so beautiful. As I observed them walking I was so impressed by their grace and elegance; with their long necks and taking their time walking (they were in no rush...we were in their territory). They looked so regal....I was literally awestruck. How beautiful! Of course, I had to give thanks to God who created such beautiful animals.

We also, saw; Zebras, Hippos, Willobys, Lions, Elephants, American Alligators, ect...... That last time I went I didn't see as many animals as I did this time.

We were able to do so much more stuff the rest of the day. At one point, it started pouring and we had to buy ponchos....those ponchos are our souvenirs......hahahaha. By the end of the day we were exhausted...especially Jacob.

Let's talk about Jacob a little bit.

On Saturday, the day before we left for Florida, we had a full day of last minute packing and cleaning the house before we left for Trumbull, CT to stay with my mom and dad. My dad and my brother were taking us to the airport early Sunday morning. We flew out of LaGuardia Airport which was more convenient because we wanted to leave our van at my brother's house for the week.

We didn't get to bed til 1:oo a.m. and had to get up by 4:oo am to be at the airport 2 hours before our flight departed at 8:00 a.m.

Jacob woke up saying he only got 2 hours of sleep. (I got 1 1/2 hours of sleep). We told Jacob he could rest on the way to the airport and on the airplane (Incidentally, my brother took 50 minutes to get from Stratford, CT to LaGuardia. That is a record time :-).

We landed in Florida at about 10:20 a.m. Got to the resort by 11:30 a.m. We checked in and had lunch at the resort. We took the shuttle to Animal Kingdom by 1:30 p.m. and arrived at the within 10 minutes. By 7:00 p.m, Jacob started to get cranky (as cranky as he can get without wanted to get us upset). But, I knew...he face said it all. We wanted to have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and all Jacob wanted to do is go back to the resort because he was tired. WE COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT JACOB WAS GIVING UP FOOD - GOOD FOOD BECAUSE HE WAS TIRED!!!! Boy, we were stunned, this was a first. David and I were a little upset because we all got about the same amount of sleep and

walked the park and still had energy left in us. I practically begged Jake to try and summon a little more energy in his 12 year old body so we can have dinner at the Rainforest. He didn't say no....he just stayed quiet. Again, he look said it all. (I don't know what's more annoying...whinning or intimidation looks? What do you think? Give me your comment on that one.) Boy was I steaming....I couldn't believe my 12 year was wiped out on our first day of vacation! David and I kept saying "they don't make kids like they use to". I mean, come on, here we are David and I well into our 40's and we still had plenty of steam left for the day and our 12 year old is wiped out!

After walking around the park a bit more hoping that Jacob could smell food and be re-energized, we decided to take the shuttle back to our room. Everyone rode in silence. We don't remember the last time we were so upset at Jacob. He usually is a very laid back, no problem, yes, give me food, whatever, patient, kind of kid. So we never have any reason to be really upset at him. Needless to say, David and I got something to eat at the resort.....ate quick and go Jacob to the room. By 9:30 p.m. he was out sleeping! David and I did not get to bed till 1:oo a.m. planning out the rest of our week. Jacob woke up the next day bright eyed and full of energy and we were wiped! Go firgure!
Here are a few more pix to enjoy.....

The Tree of Life: