Well hey everyone!
And yeah, you read that right. Three whole days in one post.
I know. You’re welcome.
But I know this one has dragged out for a while and I wanted to try and make it up to you.
Sorry you guys.
But look…look at these three days….
Look at them.
Our 12-Day Empty Nest Extravaganza Trip: Day 10
So Day 10. It was a Monday. And it signaled a bit of a vibe-shift in the trip. On account of today? Today was like…
Yerp. I had to make that money.
I am pretty sure I already mentioned this but I am too lazy to check so I will mention it again – our trip was ending up at Walt Disney World because I had a conference to attend at Disney’s Coronado Springs – the Disney Data Analytics Conference (DDAC).
The show itself was not really starting up in full force today but I had volunteered to come a day early to help set up my company’s booth. But that wasn’t happening for a little bit yet. So my plan was to start today off with a little gym time.
But before that, I started things off with some in-room Joffrey’s. Which is coffee – for those who aren’t Disney-familiar. Though like – what are you doing here if you’re not Disney-familiar. Honestly.
And properly caffeinated, I was off to the gym and onto the treadmill. Don’t believe me? Look here – here is a picture of said treadmill.
And like, though – it’s hard not to smile at seeing the Walt Disney World Today schedule on a treadmill.
After a terrible sweaty grueling exhilarating 3-miles, I headed back to the room. And I took the opportunity to get some photos of the resort. I don’t think I am gonna walk away from this trip saying Coronado Springs is my favorite resort or anything, but it’s still a Disney resort. And Disney resorts be pretty AF.
Back at the room, I took a quick shower and got myself ready for some booth-building. On my way over to the show floor, I also stopped off at the El Mercado de Coronado Food Court for some breakfast.
I went with the Chorizo, Egg & Cheese Empanadas, Served with Hash Browns & a Side of Pico de Gallo.
Which, oddly, I don’t see on the menu I just linked above. I say “oddly” because these things were just real good stuff. Empanadas? More like Empanad-yahs!
And with that, I was ready to head on over to the show floor.
But before we do that, I bet you’re all like, “wait, what about Nickie? Is she ok? WHERE IS NICKIE????”
First of all? Relax. My God.
And second of all? Nickie was like off living it up. She started the morning off while I was at the gym getting her own breakfast. She ALSO went to the overly long-named El Mercado de Coronado Food Court.
As you can see above there, she went with the Buttermilk Pancakes and Sausage. And I’d be understating things if I said she liked these. She literally, like nine months after this breakfast, still raves about these pancakes.
Right. Nine months. We went on this trip a human being ago.
After her breakfast, Nickie spent some time exploring the resort.
And then she hit the Coronado pools. I mean, she didn’t hit them. She swam in them. She’s totally non-violent.
Though she neglected to take ANY pictures of her in a bathing suit. Not what I would have done, but hey – everyone blogs differently, right?
So sure – Nickie was having a fun day and all but setting up booths at conferences is pretty exciting, too.
To the conference center!
The theme of the show this year was “50 Years of Data” and the main property being highlighted was Toy Story.
But like – today wasn’t really the show or anything. Like I said, I was just there to set things up. Which meant a lot of tracking down banners and laptops and what not. It ended up taking a little longer than expected on account of one hard-to-track-down package but I mean. I obviously got it done. Because I am some kind of hero.
I finished up close to 12:45 or so and headed back out into the vacation portion of our vacation. And look how pretty.
Coronado? More like Coronad-whoa. Amirite?
At this point, Nickie had already made her way over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Our friend Kayce (you guys know Kayce) was down here on vacation herself and staying at the new Island Tower at the Poly so we wanted to meet up. She took Disney transportation and left me the car so I dropped off my bag at the room, hopped in the rental, and drove over.
Oh what? You don’t believe me? Pfft, look. See?
I met up with Nickie at the Wailulu Bar & Grill, the lounge located at the Island Tower. The lounge located at the Island Tower with a frikkin view of Cinderella Castle.
Cindy. What up girl? Check ya later.
We sat down and ordered some drinks.
Nickie got a Sauvignon Blanc and I went with my favorite drink on this menu – The Banana Old Fashioned (Michter’s Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, Tempus Fugit Spirits Crème de Banane, Appleton Estate 8 yr Reserve Rum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Liqueur, Angostura Bitters).
Oh man. I’ve sung the praises of this drink in the past but oof what a drink this is. It’s for sure spirit-forward but like, it’s also got a lot of spice and fruitiness and what not going on in there. It’s a lot, but it all works together really well.
I should also mention Kayce did make an appearance at some point but she was legit exhausted on account of today was a travel day and she had already visited the parks. Which is a bit of insanity. So while we did get a brief “hello” from her, she made her exit just as quickly and went right up to her room to take a nap. But don’t worry you guys. We’ll get some Kayce time later.
Don’t you worry don’t you worry child.
But in the meantime? Let’s eat.
I only got a picture of my dinner. On account of Nickie and I got the same exact thing – the Pineapple Barbecue Chicken Sliders.
This thing was basically a pulled chicken slider covered with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce, Asian Slaw, and Adobo Mayonnaise on a Sweet Bun. And we both got ours with a side of Macaroni Salad.
Look at us getting the same meal. You’re schmoopy. No, you’re schmoopy.
But besides us being couple-of-the-year, the main reason we ordered the same thing is that this is SO. GOOD. I mean, first off….calling these things sliders is kind of a misnomer given their size. And yeah, its delicious stuff too – the tender chicken, the sweet barbecue sauce, the tangy slaw, all on a super soft bun. Oh, and the macaroni salad was good stuff as well.
We ended up spending a couple drinks hours at Wailulu, leaving at around 3PM. I mentioned this when I was talking about our EPCOT tickets yesterday, but we bought some after 4PM park tickets this trip that were offered to conference attendees. And today? Today we were heading to MK!!
…
…
Oh you.
No, today we were heading to the Magic Kingdom!
We made our way over to the monorail and hopped on Monorail Teal.
MK 1 SEPTEMBER 2025 EMPTY NEST DAY 10
Monorail Teal is actually one of the newer monorails. But fun fact? It, like all the other older monorails still kind of smells like urine.
The more you know.
We were at the Magic Kingdom at around 3:45.
And even though it wasn’t quite 4PM yet, they still let us through the gates a little early. And hey, I know it’s June right now but like Happy Halloween everyone.
I hear I might be up for least timeliest blog this year. I think my biggest competition is the guy who is still releasing posts ranking R. Kelly songs. Blog and Grind, I think it’s called. Honestly? It’s just an honor to be nominated.
We were on Main Street at 3:53.
Hey, remember that castle that was so far away? Well look now. It’s the same castle. Except closer.
I’ve never seen something so jaw-droppingly breathtaking before in my life.
Oh, sorry. I wasn’t talking about the castle.
HELLO.
But yeah, ok. The castle is cool too.
Oh and just as we were coming up to it, they were starting the “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” show. Which I heard is better than Cats. So we had to check it out.
Good stuff. That Goofy. What a performer.
We were meeting Kayce over in Adventureland so we walked over there, by way of Frontierland. And as we were, I don’t know…what do you do in Frontierland? Mosey? Yeah, I guess as we were moseying through Frontierland, a short little character cavalcade made its way past us. All the big names were there.
Big Al.
Big Clarabelle.
Big Wendell.
Oh and look who I ran into as we found our way into Adventureland. Officer Tom Hanson from 21 Jump Street!
That show really was an adventure.
But I couldn’t stick around and talk old Fox television shows for long with Officer Hanson. On account of we were meeting Kayce at a new location in Adventureland (well, it was new when we went there so long ago) – The Beak and Barrel!
The Beak and Barrel is a pirates-themed bar in Magic Kingdo…
Oh wait. That was Jack Sparrow. Not Officer Tom Hanson from 21 Jump Street. Lol. My b.
But right. Pirates-themed. And since this place was new, we had to make reservations for this situation like a ways out, me hearties.
And we only had I think like 45 minutes to enjoy the experience. So like, let’s make the most of it, ya land lubbers.
We put our names in, and waited outside for our names to be called AND for Kayce to meet us, ya erm…scallywags. Kayce
We were let in at around 4:30. And yeah, this place is for sure pirate-y.
We were seated at a table in the main room, kind of near the entrance. And our waiter handed us our menus.
We were mainly here for the drinks tonight. We were also ONLY here for drinks tonight. So I went in for the Barrels Ablaze (Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, Honey, Lemon, and Chile).
Which was real good. Super spirit forward but with hints of spice and sweet. AND that chile rim was all kinds of right.
Nickie went with the Viarae Prosecco from Italy.
And Kayce went non-alcoholic and got the Treasure Trove, which is described as a mysterious Ube, Lemon, and Coconut Concoction served with a Vanilla Cake Plank, Chocolate Cannonball, and Golden Caramel Popcorn.
Which I mean – it’s not that mysterious. You literally described the entire thing on the menu. That’s like saying the Empire Strikes Back contains a shock you’ll never guess that will keep you guessing the entire movie where Darth Vader is Luke’s father.
Oh sorry. Spoiler alert.
But yeah, I mean this is a cool little thing on account of it’s a drink but also there’s a lot of food going on there. It’s like your totally gaming the system here. Plus, this situation was like 5 dollars cheaper than my drink. And I didn’t get no cake pop with mine.
Now THAT’s mysterious.
But the place was deffo cool. Very well-themed. We had a good time. See? Look at us. Having good times.
Ha, that dude totally photo-bombed us. Or photo-canonballed? Photo-pillaged? I dunno.
I also, miraculously, found time to get a beer on top of my whiskey drink within our allotted 45 minutes. I got the Pirate’s Paradise Blonde Ale from Victory Brewing Co.
I know. Such a small serving.
Ha, kidding. I had already drank some of it, ya bozo.
Our waiter, Diaz, btw – was great. Though I will say – when they say 45 minutes, they mean it you guys. Like, I think they brought out shackles at some point.
But yeah – I would totally go back to Beak and Barrel next time I’m at Magic Kingdom.
Hey tho – arrrrrr you ready to go on a ride now?
Pirates of the Caribbean? More like Pirates of the Cari-bein’-the-perfect-ride-after-visiting-Beak-and-Barrel.
Right though?
And hey, it was a 5-minute wait.
Let’s do it.
Hey, remember when that scene used to be about human trafficking? Those were the days.
Pirates of the Caribbean, man. She is super photogenic.
In keeping with the “let’s go on a boat” theme, we then walked over to Fantasyland to take a spin on IASW.
Ha, oh sorry. For you n00bz, that’s It’s a Small World.
Oh, you don’t like Small World? Oh, the song gets stuck in your head?
What a hot, edgy take you have there. You’re the coolest.
Seriously, how can someone not like Small World? It’s like pure JoyTown.
So good.
After we exited Small World, we walked deeper into Fantasyland and noticed the 5-minute waits were a thing tonight. Because at Under the Sea – the Journey of the Little Mermaid?
Yerp, 5 minutes. Should we ride it?
Um. Floun-DURR. Of course we are gonna ride it.
Wow, yeah. Down here all the fish really is happy.
So let me get this straight. Ariel can write her name down to sign the contract with Ursula.
BUT she cannot write down anything to let Eric in on her whole “hey I was a mermaid but now I have legs and I have no voice because a sea witch took it and we have to kiss” situation?
Ah well, best not to question such things. Congratulations you guys!
At this point, it was around 7PM and we were all a little hungry so we went back over to Frontierland to see what we could find at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café. But don’t go getting too excited because this is literally the only picture I have from that experience.
That there is, I believe, my create-your-own rice bowl. The rice bowl contains Stewed Pinto Beans, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa, Queso Fresco, and Pico de Gallo. And you get to choose your protein. I am pretty sure I went with the Coca-Cola Cherry Braised Pork. I mean, I have no proof of this. But I do see this as an option on the menu and like…I know me. There is no way I would see some Cherry Coke Pork nonsense and NOT get it.
But like that’s it – no other pictures. No pictures of the restaurant. No pictures of anyone else’s food. Stellar blogging skills. I have no idea how I even got this job.
Since we were in the neighborhood, Kayce and I decided at this point to jump on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Nickie sits this one out on account of the only time she ever did ride it, it was a nightmarish hellscape for her.
So yeah, let’s go on an adventure. In the bayou. With Tiana.
I know there are still some people holding onto the silly notion that Splash Mountain was a superior attraction. But I mean, even if you look past the associations with a racist bit of old Disney, Tiana’s clears. I mean, look at this queue alone. Absolutely DESTROYS Splash Mountain.
And the ride itself is so well done – both Tiana’s and Splash Mountain benefitted from how long this actual ride is. On account of it can deliver both thrills and good storytelling. And I think Tiana’s really takes it to the next level. The animatronics are SO GOOD. And I mean…it’s Princess & the Frog.
I dunno. I love it, you guys.
We were off Tiana’s at around 8:15 and we quickly ran over to where Nickie was holding a spot in Frontierland for us to catch the new Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away nighttime parade. Which we were REAL excited to see. On account of it was our first time seeing it.
And well…I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.
PARADE PHOTO DUMP!!
Such a good parade. The Magic Kingdom has been in need of a new nighttime parade for a while now and Starlight definitely delivers. When it ended, we all described it pretty much the same way – “magical.”
But hey, the night wasn’t over just yet. As the parade rolled away from us, it was around 9:00 so we quickly wandered back over to Fantasyland to take a nighttime ride on Peter Pan’s Flight. And since we weren’t using a Lightning Lane tonight, we could enjoy the full queue experience.
We were through the queue and off the ride within like 20 minutes, which like – is real good for Peter Pan’s Flight. And the reason for this hella-short wait was that a lot of our fellow park-goers were getting their spots for the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular.
So like pro tip – if the fireworks aren’t a priority, you can find some short lines during the show for some otherwise long-line attractions. And hey, as we were walking back out into Fantasyland, we had a nice view of the show!
Since seeing the fireworks wasn’t a priority tonight, we kept on walking but it was cool having the fireworks light our way as we walked on.
And we continued to take advantage of the short lines. As we were walking by, we noticed pretty much no wait at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so I mean…you kind of have to at that point, no? Unforch, I only got one picture but just know – it was fun. Especially with the fireworks going off in the distance.
But I mean this picture sums it all up.
And by “sums it all up,” I obviously mean “captures nothing at all about the experience.”
Let’s keep that ride-a-palooza going, huh? Although. Well. The next attraction we visited was filthy. In fact, there was pooh like everywhere.
Bahahahahaha. That joke tho. Obvs squad we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Annnnd to close the night out, the three of us walked over to Tomorrowland for a spin on the banger of all bangers – The Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover!
Look how excited I was. I couldn’t even keep the camera straight.
And then? Well then we had to call it a night. Since we had parked over at the Polynesian, we jumped on a ferry to head back to the resort. And I mean – the ferry? It’s still the best way to travel at Walt Disney World.
Goodnight, Magic Kingdom.
But yeah, that was our Day 10. Pretty sweet, eh? And hey – we ain’t done yet. Let’s roll right into Day 11. This is the blog that never ends. Yes it goes on and on my friends.
Our 12-Day Empty Nest Extravaganza Trip: Day 11
Day 11 was my first “real” day at the DDAC conference, which meant (boo!) I was gonna be spending way too much time away from Nickie. But (yayyy!!) free breakfast. And while I am always ALWAYS here for free conference breakfast, I am even more here for it when it includes MICKEY WAFFLES!!!
Also, I just realized I said “the DDAC conference,” which like…DDAC stands for Disney Data and Analytics Conference. So, I essentially said this was my first real day at the Disney Data and Analytics Conference conference. What a complete idiot I am.
Heads up too – Days 11 and 12 are gonna be like sort of all over the place since I was at the conference and Nickie was doing her thing. So like, these days may be kind of short in terms of post length and not really follow a normal type flow. But like, deal with it.
I don’t work for you.
While I was enjoying my free conference breakfast, Nickie went back to the El Mercado de Coronado Food Court for those pancakes she can’t stop crushing on.
The bulk of my morning was spent at the booth telling people how incredible I am my company is, but I was able to catch a few presentations and breakouts, like the opening presentation, Pixar by the Numbers: Toys, Tech and Tools with Chief Technology Officer, led by Steve May, CTO of Pixar.
Oh wait – and I should also mention the emcee of the event was Mark Davis of Disney Parks Blog fame. Pfft starstruck much?
It was a really good show opener focused on innovation at Pixar that have happened since the company’s inception. PLUS we got a sneak peek at a scene from Toy Story 5. A scene no one else outside of Disney had seen.
So I liked that. Because it made me feel like I was better than everyone else.
There was also business-type stuff happening too. I think it was about data. And analytics I wanna say?
And the time at the booth was well-spent too. My colleagues and I had a lot of good conversations with some folks and what not. Talking up the platform, generating interest. You know, earning and burning. Snappin’ necks and cashing checks.
So yeah, I was feeling pretty good about MY day. Then I saw what Nickie was doing over at the Polynesian.
And I remembered, oh right I’m working. Womp.
I will say though. The DDAC was KILLING IT with the mid-afternoon snacks. I mean, check this shizz out.
I’m ruined for all other conferences.
At around 4PM, I left the show floor and went up to the room to get ready for the night.
While I was doing that, Kayce was showing Nickie around the new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. And place? Pretty schwank. She sent me these pics thinking maybe we could catch the Hallowishes Magic Kingdom fireworks tonight from this spot (on account of there was a Halloween Party there tonight).
We were thinking we might watch the fireworks, but will we?
Foreshadowing.
Wait. I think that’s foreshadowing.
Is it foreshadowing?
Eventually, I did finish getting ready (this takes work you guys) and drove over to the Polynesian to meet up with Nickie and Kayce to, once again, have dinner at the Wailulu Bar & Grill. I know. You must be saying, “You’re having dinner there again when you just ate there the night before? Why?”
But I mean, you say, “why?”
I say, “Why-lulu.”
And whatevz you guys. Any excuse to get back to the Poly. I love the Poly.
Some people might say I am totally Poly-amorous.
Right? Did I use that right?
We also took this opportunity to open up the bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee we bought at Vero Beach.
That Fairy Tale Cuvee is pretty tasty. I kind of love that stuff.
In fact, some people might say I am Fairy Tale-amorous.
Right? There we go.
For dinner, we ordered the Sticky Pork Ribs (with Salt-cured Green Cabbage, Furikake, Jicama Slaw, and Pineapple Chips).
And the Crispy Chicken Wings (with Adobo-marinated, Soy Glaze, and Tomato-Fresno Pepper Relish).
Aw man, these were SOOOO good, both of ‘em. The wings were just the right amount of crispy with a whole bunch o’ flavor. And the sauce on those ribs was like whoa.
For my main, I went with the Wayfinder Burger (Two Pressed Patties, American Cheese, Onion Jam, and Volcano Sauce on a Sweet Bun) with a side of Mac Salad.
And guys? This burger is maybe my second-favorite burger on Walt Disney World property. The beef just felt like high-quality and I LOVED that volcano sauce. Def a bit of spice there, but it kind of kicked the whole thing up a notch.
…
…
Oh sorry. My favorite burger on Walt Disney World property? The Stack Burger at Steakhouse 71. I mean. Come on.
But still, this Wayfinder burger is ALL KINDS of good, y’all.
REALLY good dinner at Wailulu all-around. And oh hey, remember back in the blog where I foreshadowed that whole thing about Hallowishes, the fireworks show at Magic Kingdom?
That right there? That’s a callback.
Right?
Is it?
Sorry – I’m really trying here, you guys.
But yeah, we didn’t make the fireworks. After a quick run-up to do a Kayce room tour, we decided to call it a night on account of being tired. Well, if we are being honest? It was on account of me being tired, if I recall correctly. So we said our goodbyes to Kayce and made our way back to Coronado Springs.
Goodbyes are obvs squad womp town but it was so fun getting a chance to do some Disneyin’ with Kayce though. All the laughs, all the vibes. And I feel like we deffo crammed a lot into such a short amount of time. Thanks Kayce for hanging out with us. #friends.
And yeah, that was kind of it for Day 11. Pretty fun day even though I had to quote/unquote work.
Let’s get Day 12 going!! You’re kind of just stuck here now forever.
Our 12-Day Empty Nest Extravaganza Trip: Day 12
Last day y’all.
I can’t believe we made it.
And to be completely fair, there is not a whole lot to Day 12. I still have kind of a full day at the conference and then we head home. So like, I am not sure how this day is gonna play out blog-wise. But eh…let’s give it a go.
Like I said, full day at the conference today. Which meant I was up and ready at around 7AM. And when I say “ready,” I mean READY. Like I was full-on Company Man today.
I walked on over to the conference center, checked in at my booth, and walked into the main room to catch the Day 2 Keynote by Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President of Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN.
Oh and hey – THIS is how you take notes at a Walt Disney World conference. On a trash can.
IYKYK.
But yeah, I basically spent the whole morning popping in and out of presentations or manning the booth. So like. Womp. Work.
Meanwhile, Nickie was doing all this.
But I mean, was she learning?
So.
Oh but hey – we didn’t spend the entire day apart today. I did end up meeting Nickie for lunch at Rix Sports Bar & Grill, which deffo made my day a little brighter.
I went in for the Croissant Turkey Club (Roasted Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Sliced Tomatoes, and Mayonnaise served on a Baked Croissant) with Waffle Fries.
Which was pretty delicious stuff actually. I mean, yeah, it was a turkey club and what not. But guys? It was on a croissant.
So like, it was more like a fancy club.
Like Dave and Buster’s!
And eh, that was my only picture from lunch. Which is disappointing. On account of I was with a real pretty girl.
After lunch, Nickie went back to living her best life while I went back to the booth. Butttt. We did get more snacks. Look at these situations.
At first when I saw these were Vegetarian, I was like…ehhh those are probably not for me. But then I said they were “friendly for nuts.” I don’t know if I’d call myself a nut. I’m probably more of a silly goose. But I figured that was close enough.
Speaking of nuts.
Yah man. While hanging out in the Coronado lobby, Nickie got some visitors. Yeah, visitorS. Like, plural. Because not only did she get to snap a selfie with Dale but she also received a visit from Daisy!
Are you ducking kidding me?
While Nickie was chatting with Daisy, Myles FaceTimed her. And Daisy wanted to say hi. And like, no one refuses Daisy.
No one.
Love.
At around 4:30, my coworkers and I broke down the booth, got everything shipped back, and then headed out. And thus ended the work portion of the trip. I will say though – I really thought the DDAC was a good show. Had a lot of strong conversations, attended some real interesting presentations (interesting both from a professional and a Disney sense), and ate some fun snacks. Well done, Disney.
Done with all that, I went out front to meet up with Nickie. She had driven the car around so we could head straight to the airport for the flight home. We drove to the airport, dropped off the rental, and were on our last ride of the trip by 5:45.
We still had a little bit of time before our flight so we grabbed a couple seats at the bar at the Bahama Breeze Island Grille.
To start.
I mean, of course I got a Grey Goose Martini, Dirty. While we were waiting for our drinks, I also reached out to one of my coworkers, Noah, who I ran into while we were walking over, to see if he wanted to join us. And guess what? He did.
See? I told you guys – people do like me sometimes.
Sometimes.
For dinner, both Nickie and I went with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (with Lettuce and Tomato on a Toasted Brioche Bun) and Fries.
Which was. I mean. It was fine. I was kind of hungry before I ate it. And afterwards? I was less hungry.
We finished up our meals, said our goodbyes to Noah, and went over to our gate. We boarded at just-before 8PM.
Now – while we weren’t first-class for this flight back, we were Comfort+. Which comes with not only comfort (plus!) but also comes with free drinks. Which are my favorite kind of drinks.
Nickie ordered a Chardonnay and I went with a little baby Woodford Reserve.
Also? This picture makes it feel like I watched this movie – Black Bag – and I think I did. But I honestly have no recollection of any part of this movie at all.
Seriously. It’s like that part of my life is missing now. Like, I know Magneto and Galadriel are in it. And I know it’s a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife, Kathryn.
But the rest is a black hole.
Or more like a…
…
Black bag.
And welp, that’s all I got you guys. I assume we got off the plane. And we got an Uber. And we got home. And we went to bed.
But woof, what a trip. I know it took me so long to finish this blog series, but maybe it’s because finishing it meant this trip was completely and totally over. Maybe I was holding onto this one a little bit longer. Because this was just such an amazing trip. Being able to spend 12 days with my wonderful wife, exploring new places, returning to familiar ones, and kicking off this new phase of our lives with a sense of wonder and excitement.
It’s a weird time, this time as a parent. We love our boys so so much. And it’s hard putting their childhood in the rearview. Being their parents has been a true pleasure and the memories we’ve made, the adventures we have been on, the family we built. It’s almost too incredible for me to take.
Yet, Nickie and I are excited, too. It’s like we get to date again. Except we actually have money to do cool stuff now. And it’s like dating but you know, with a whole life together behind you. So dating but dating someone you are already completely in love with.
I’m so looking forward to the life Nickie and I have in front of us.
Thanks y’all for following along and sorry again for taking so long to finish this one. The good news is we have another trip coming up like next month and it’s kind of an epic situation. So the blog posts should be starting soon again. And then they should take years to finish.
Cuz that’s how I roll….
See y’all then.
Last post – Day 9!
WeHeartDisney 