Ashlyn's Graduation Trip - Disney World

Nate and I had the privilege of being invited to go to Disney World to celebrate Ashlyn's high school graduation.  We were supposed to celebrate at the beach, but about three and a half weeks before our trip, my mom decided to go to Disney.  I was completely shocked and very excited.  If you remember, we just went to Disney World in October.  I thought it would be YEARS before we went back.  Thanks Nan!!!

My mom, Jill, Ashlyn, Nate and I left on Monday, June 11 and returned on Saturday, June 16.  Thankfully we were there before tropical storm Debbie showed up.  It was hot and crowded, but not as bad as I anticipated.  We had a great week and got to do just about everything we wanted.

Since we were there such a short time ago, I am just going to list some of my favorite moments from our trip and include a few of my favorite pictures.

• Riding the big roller coasters with Jill and Ashlyn was so much fun.  Expedition Everest was Ashlyn's first big roller coaster ever.  It was fun to experience her nervous & excited energy as we waited to ride.  She was even more excited about The Rockin Roller Coaster.  It made Expedition Everest seem like a kiddie ride.  It was very intense from beginning to end, but we loved it and rode it three times.  It was our favorite roller coaster.
• Ashlyn and I decided to be brave and ride Tower of Terror.  Mother, Nate and Jill were watching Beauty and the Beast.  We were supposed to meet them before the show but didn't make it in time.  There was only a 20 minute wait for Tower of Terror so we decided to just go for it.  It actually wasn't that bad.  I would ride it again, but it's not a favorite.
• I loved Nate's reaction to the new Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom.  As soon as the ride stopped, he said "I will never, ever ride this again."  The ride isn't bad, but the scary Jurassic Park like dinosaurs hiding in the absolute darkness are kind of scary.

• The gorillas at Animal Kingdom were amazing.  I don't know how we missed them the first time.

• Nate was so excited to ride the "fast train" (Thunder Mountain) again.  It was his favorite in October and his favorite this time also.  We rode it five times.
• A monster told Nate's joke at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor:  What happened to the cat that ate a ball of yarn?  She had mittens!
• The five of us riding in the first two rows of Splash Mountain was priceless.

• Watching the fireworks at Magic Kingdom was truly magical.  Darren, Nate and I did not get a good view of the fireworks in October.  I had no idea that they did all of the fun, colorful stuff with the castle before the fireworks.  I understand why it is a must do.

• The parade at Hollywood Studios was so much fun.  It was fun and energetic and had a lot of Nate's favorite characters in it.  We missed it on our first trip.

• This was Ashlyn's first time at Disney and seeing her excitement everyday was so much fun.  This was also the first time just the girls (and Nate) have taken a trip.  Usually my dad and Darren are with us.  Here are a few more favorite pics from the week...