Disney World (Part 1)

I have a feeling that there will be several posts about our Disney vacation, so I titled this "Part 1."

First, here is some background info...

The week before Christmas in 2010, we went on a family vacation to Disney World. The boys had fun and we learned a lot about what we would do differently next time. Unfortunately, the trip was VERY stressful for me and Jarrod. I thought it would be great for our family to get away from our daily stress...but I was wrong. Jarrod had been unemployed for about 9 months at this point and even though we were given money for this trip as a Christmas gift, it was still stressful to go and spend money knowing the tight financial situation that we were facing back at home. I also didn't realize that from mid-December to New Year's is the busiest time of year at Disney. The rides had LONG waits and the crowds were INSANE. Jarrod doesn't always do well with big crowds like that, especially when he's already under a lot of stress.

When I brought up the idea of going back to Disney, Jarrod was a little hesitant...but after we talked about it we knew that it would be different this time and...

It was amazing!!!

There are several reasons that this trip was so successful...

• Jarrod has a job so we are in a more stable financial situation (however, everything started to break down the week before we left! Ugh!)
• We decided to go during fall break which is not an extremely crowded time. This is another reason that I love year-round schools...our fall break is my favorite!
• Free Dining Plan! All of our meals were covered...we were able to eat at some really cool restaurants!
• Staying at a Disney resort costs more, but the convenience of using their transportation and taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours makes it worth it.
• We decided to stay at a resort with an AWESOME pool and it was within walking distance to Epcot. 

Jarrod and I are thankful that we were able to take this trip as a family...especially since we don't get to spend a lot of time together since Jarrod is still working in Maryland. I promise that I will write more details about our trip...with pictures!! :)