The mood for food, and the need for speed..

It was a few years ago that I went to Disney for the first time ever.  I was with my family for my nephews Birthday, and we were all in awe of the things to do, see and experience.  While we were there it was the time of year for the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, and I was able to get a glimpse at some of what my friends had been raving about.  I wasn’t quite yet the foodie that I have grown to be, but I knew this was something I could totally get on board with.  What’s not to like about walking around taking in culture while eating and drinking? In the time since then, I have had some thoughts about going but never really got serious about it.  The right group of people and the timing just did’t line up.  Fast forward to now, and enter my fabulous and hilarious  friend that I met thru Yelp.  Food and Wine Festival was happening!

I had talked to her about the trip months in advance and we were able to work out some dates that were good for both of us, and also put us there on weekdays, which proved to be the smart idea.  Before I knew it, it was time to start looking at tickets and hotels and locking in some details.  Luckily she is an avid Disney enthusiast, and had a ton of insider information that I had no idea about.  She picked our hotel and set us up with the magic bands so that as soon as I purchased my tickets, they were already loaded on there and good to go.  She also picked the rides we would use fast passes for, and did not disappoint with her choices!

We left in the morning, which y’all know is hard for me with my work schedule, but sacrifices sometimes need to be made.  She came to my place, we loaded up my car, and hit the road!  While driving we laughed and talked, and went over the list of all the food and drinks at the festival that I had printed out and highlighted-yeah I did that.   In no time at all we were pulling up to the Disney All Star Sports Resort, she had the insider information to know that this was the first to be picked up on the shuttles, making sure you have a seat for the ride to the parks!  Its a super nice hotel, the pool was really cute, and the grounds were super well kept.  We did’t want to waste any time so we just dropped our stuff off and headed on over to Epcot.

Arriving at a Disney park, no matter what your age is, can make you feel sort of like a little kid, and this time was no different.  My friend and I were both doing the “Road Trip Dance”  pretty much the entire time! If you aren’t familiar with this dance, I am always willing to demonstrate. We checked in, and then purchased wristbands that we loaded monies on to eliminate the need to pull out a debit card or cash at each and every booth.   We had a quick strategy meeting ,and away we went.  Traveling from booth to booth, sampling food and drinks from all sorts of different cultures, looking at all the sights, all the people and all that we were wanting to try next.  We made some friends here and there along the way, we popped into little shops, we perused menus, and walked a ton.

When I tell you we ate all of the things, and drank all of the stuff, this is an understatement to the max.  We ate so much that she said she was having trouble breathing cause her stomach was pushing on her lungs!! I can tell you that I was not pleased with the lamb from Australia and quickly said that I would like some hand sanitizer for my mouth.  I was a HUGE fan of the trio from Greece, and also the filet mignon from Canada.  I could go on and on about all the things that I loved, but you can drool over the photos for yourself, and give me a shout if you have any questions about any thing.  We needed to take a minute to let some of the food settle and figure out the rest of our plan, so we decided now would be a good time to walk around to ride some rides!  Soon after the rides, we somehow ate more food, and had more drinks, and more food..there is something to be said about the eating abilities of two food loving gals.

After we left Epcot, we caught the shuttle over to Disney Springs, which is a HUGE shopping and eating mecca.  We walked around a ton and did some window shopping, I posed for a couple pictures with mannequins, cause I think its hilarious and then what did we do ya’ll? We ate and drank some more!!! Yes, we stopped into a fun place called Paradiso 37 and had a few drinks with some chips and a dip trio.  While we were there we danced and sang along, even embarrassing the strangers at the next table over when I busted out my sweet YMCA moves. Pretty soon we were worn out, and heading back to the shuttle stop so we could get back to the hotel and rest.  We were full and tired, and soon-asleep!

In the morning we woke up somehow bright eyed and ready to take on day two, which was going to be a full day in Animal Kingdom! We had some exciting plans for a ride called Expedition Everest.  This is a ride that my sister and I had loved when we were there together, and my friend was also into it, so we had set up for fast passes to this.  If you aren’t familiar with what that is, you can skip most of the line waiting by arranging ahead of time when you will ride a specific ride.  So we walked around Animal Kingdom, we saw birds, and gorillas and tigers and reptiles and all sorts of cool stuff! Of all the Disney Parks, this is one of my favorite.  We also were able to check out the new area of the park called Pandora.  I’m not really that familiar with the story line and all but it was a beautiful place to wander around and there was also a fun scavenger hunt type game that we could play on our cell phones-gotta love technology!

Next we went to ride Expedition Everest, and the rush of that ride is like nothing I can even explain.  You speed up and down hills and through a mountain with a Yeti after you.  There is something that I really love about roller coasters.  The letting go feeling, the way your stomach drops a little each time you take another turn, the way that you scream and laugh at the same time.  Before we were ready to leave that day, the cell phone app told us that the wait for this ride was only 30 minutes..she turned to me and said-wanna do it again? I answered YES and we took off to ride it a second time, playing a funny game while waiting in line.  These moments of total spontaneity are what life is really about.

Because this was after all-Animal Kingdom, we also went on a super cool safari where we saw all sorts of different animals, I learned that a group of giraffes is called a tower, and I was able to see a Gorilla.  If you didn’t know, I am especially intrigued and interested in Gorillas.  I once watched a movie with Cuba Gooding Jr called Instinct, and it is about the terrible differences in these tremendously powerful animals when they are born and raised in captivity.  Another fun part of the full Animal Kingdom experience that my Disney pal had lined up….a petting zoo area.  Now, I’m originally from the city and only have gotten into more country like things in my later years.  I had never met a goat before.  I CLEARLY had never petted one and hung out with one.  That all changed when I came across a nice goat that we named Billy (of course) I talked to him and we made friends.  The other animals were all roaming around and it made me kinda nervous, but it was a fun experience that I will never forget.

We drove back to Jacksonville in some crap weather and a bit of traffic, had to stop for a red bull/coffee fix, talking and joking the entire time.  I later told someone, we laughed for about 40 hours-only cause we had to get a little sleep! When we rode the shuttle back to the car at the park that day, we had the same amount of excitement that we had when we arrived.  To me that is how you know you truly enjoyed something.  When its over.  If you are still happy and smiling, than you have made memories for a lifetime.  It’s not every day you can have a “first time” experience, and it isn’t often that most people stop to just take everything in.  I started living in the moment a couple years ago, and while I still plan and make lists and obsess sometimes..it really is all about eating the food, drinking the wine, and the rush you get when you just enjoy the ride.