AK / SW

AK = Animal Kingdom.

SW = Swimming.

AK was done in a.m. hours. SW was completed in p.m. hours.

I have decided that I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided to train for a triathlon in the middle of going on a Disney vacation. By 2:00pm, when we left the park, my feet were so sore there was no way I could go for a run. And I had done a run the day before. So, instead, a swim it was. There also is no bike at the workout center here so I am thinking I am going to be doing a good bit of swimming. Not sure I feel like running and sweating after walking all day.

I swam 50 laps in Katie and Eddie's community pool. A lap was down and back. I have no idea how far this was as I have no idea how many meters their pool is. But it was a lot. And it felt great. Very refreshing ... especially after I got over the initial shock of the cool water. I'm definitely still a native Floridian at heart. April is still a bit early to be in a pool for me!

The only thing that annoyed me about my swim was that there were a bunch of people smoking around the pool. Nothing like working on your breathing and getting a whiff of smoke. I've realized that I definitely grew up in the right decade -- a basically smoke-free decade. I am definitely thankful for the smoke-free theme parks and restaurants and airplanes and the like. I really dislike cigarette smoke. I know some of you reading this are smokers. Don't worry. I still love you. I just don't love smoke.

As far as Animal Kingdom goes, it was a wonderful day. Other than getting there an hour before the Park opened because the Disney website had it listed incorrectly (hundreds of people did the same thing so we knew it wasn't our mistake), we had a wonderful day. We met Josh and Sarah and their three kiddos (Tyler 6, Jordan 4, and Mary Beth 10 months) at the gate and were then greeted by Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto who drove in on a truck and opened the Park for the day. Isaac was delighted. Elijah just wanted more to snack on in the stroller.

Throughout the day we were greeted by beautiful weather -- a slight breeze and not enough warmth to make you sweat or drench the kiddos when they fell asleep on Mommy (Elijah) or Daddy (Isaac). Both boys seemed to enjoy seeing all the sights, sounds, and animals. We also took them on their first little ride -- a Dinosaur Dumbo type of ride. Neither of them cried although they looked a little unsure of what was going on.

We knew that Isaac loves to read books with us and loves to learn the names of animals prior to today. But I don't think we realized how far this fascination had gone until he pointed to a Swan today and said, "Cygnet!" (Did anyone even know that a Cygnet is a baby swan?) Another time he walked up to the picture of a red-faced monkey and gleefully exclaimed: "Uakari!" I guess the kid has really learned his animals! I think he knows more of them than me now.

We came back in the early afternoon, I swam, and my three guys hung out at "KatieEddie's" as Isaac calls them. Afterwards, we met Josh and Sarah and their kids at their hotel in the Disney Resort and had dinner and let our boys swim in the little kiddo pool.

It is amazing to me how different our two little guys are. Elijah jumped right into the water, splashing and yelling and grunting. Isaac stood back, put a toe in, walked away, put two toes in, walked away, and after about fifteen minutes, finally had worked his whole self into the pool. Throughout our day at Animal Kingdom, the differences were also prominent. Isaac wants to get down and walk as long as there aren't too many people around to intimidate him. Elijah wants you to carry him or he wants to go up to strangers and talk to them. He will actually squat down if you want him to walk and lift his arms, waiting for you to pick him up.

We were only asked if the boys were twins about, um, forty-seven times today. Sometimes we just said no, sometimes when asked their age we just said "under a year" and sometimes I told their story. I am impressed how easily I talk about the Lord and how He blessed us when I go into the story. It really is a witnessing tool. I look forward to watching how He uses these two blessings in the lives of others throughout the years.

Tomorrow is the Magic Kingdom. We will also bring Jessie to the Orlando airport in the late afternoon for her return to Nashville, TN and her home. It was incredibly wonderful to get to have her with us. The boys will really miss having her around, as will I. I am hoping I can get her to come spend some time with us again in the future -- even if we are in Turkey!

As for seeing Josh and Sarah? How wonderful to reconnect with our "Fred and Ethel". During our years in Franklin, Kentucky (2000-2003), we lived right across the street from Josh (my first cousin) and his wife Sarah. We were the best of friends and spent nearly every evening at one of our houses. We so enjoyed these years of our life and have since continued a fabulous friendship. Sarah is one of the few people that I talk to regularly on the phone and can really share my heart with. We are so blessed to spend a few days with them before we move so far away.

All right. This post is way too long. Need to go to bed in preparation for another big day tomorrow.