reliving the magic

last week we went on vacation with my husband's family to disney world. it was amazing. definitely one of the best vacations i've ever been on. i guess the best part of going to disney world as an adult with no children (yet) is all the nostalgia. i had not been back since i was 13 to the magic kingdom and probably since i was 10 to epcot. it was my first visit to the animal kingdom and hollywood studios. visually i couldn't get enough of "it's a small world", the colors and the art design had me captivated. i loved going to the carousel of progress and being instantly transported to being there as a child. i love every detail i could find anywhere that they have kept the same all these years and enjoyed the new rides while lamenting the loss of "mr toad's wild ride" and "if you had wings". the place is truly magical. it's unbelievable the pains they go through to take care of every last detail. even the quick service food was really good. epcot is probably my favorite, where you can go globetrotting in a day and then travel to the future. i loved shopping in the stores and bought my first presents for our little girl in japan and the united kingdom. nathan stole my heart when he came back with a toy he found for her on his own. we had so much fun together remembering so many things we enjoyed as children there. it was so sweet to dream together of the day we can take our little girl there. for a lover of mid century modern - there are many treasures to be found in the magic kingdom, epcot and hollywood studios. we ate at a diner that was decorated like a 50's kitchen with all the kitschy decor to match. the fried chicken was good but mostly i loved just looking at the decor and pretending to be transported in time. going to florida always makes me nostalgic as well, since i lived there three times as a kid. it makes me homesick every time. swimming, sunshine, great food, rides (even ones for expectant mommies), bits of mid century modern design, childhood memories, hanging out with the love of my life, laughter...it doesn't get much better than this.

say, say, say

i almost forgot about this one. it takes me right back to being a kid.

summertime....i wish it were mine

it's summertime. i have had that revelation that most people who work a 9-5 must have at some time or another......where is summer? it just seems that when june 21st rolls around that i should be able to sleep in delicously crisp, cool sheets to wake up just in time to throw on a swimsuit that was drying somewhere and grab a towel and some sandals, shorts and a tshirt and be driven to the pool in the early morning mist. friends would be there. cold, cold water and swimming lessons. then as the sun worked it's way overhead more people would arrive, swimming lessons were over and free swim begins. perhaps some soda and some sticky sweet treat bought in the copa cabana (otherwise known as the snack bar at the callaway pool). we would swim all day, as long as we could.

there were fireflies, homemade ice cream with fresh georgia peaches, fireworks, parades, bicycle rides, swimming in the lake, fishing, hours upon hours to watch this new channel called mtv or endless movies, barbie houses to decorate and their stories to be told, a bowl of fresh blueberries or strawberries for breakfast. and the trips.....oh the trips.....trips to see my dad full of excitement and day trips to hanna barbera land, astroworld or galveston where we caught fresh crabs in white nets....trips to the beach to spend hours riding the waves while my grandaddy stood there with his hand holding my raft to keep it from drifting away then miles of sand to play in and make believe i was hosting my own cooking show with my sandy concoctions, fresh oysters fried crispy, delicious shrimp......trips to the mountains with endless lines of souvenir stores, outlet malls, water slides and swimming pools i could never spend enough time in...spontaneous trips with my mother to go see my grandmother in her cute little apartment in alabama with no air conditioning but that she managed to keep us cool in and where she made us neat little sandwich lunches served on pretty trays and never tired (every single time) of pulling out every single item in her cedar chest and pouring over the memories with me of my mother's wedding dress, my parents wedding pictures, my mom's little girl photographs and her old pictures and flapper dress she wore in the 20's.

cold cold air conditioning after being out in the hot southern sun. eating as much french toast as my grandmother would let me. lemon sours at hillside pharmacy with my mom hearing stories about how she went there as a little girl after dancing lessons. spending the night....or a week at my friend carmin's house...walking to pizza hut to play miss pacman....listening to the fat boys, cyndi lauper and duran duran..dancing around to "lucky star" ...watching carmin in awe as she daringly painted her walls with polka dots and splatter paint, not sure if her mom would laugh, cry, appluade or both...the tape that we recorded messages and songs on and sent back and forth to each other until it wore out. the butterflies in my stomach and not being able to sleep in excitement the night before going to six flags. convinincing my friend lynn we should play beauty shop with her dolls and really wash and cut their hair. hide and go seek in the dark. trying to sleep in the jackson's camper and getting so scared i had to go inside. wishing with all my heart we could go camping for real with a tent in the woods. watching my dad build my barbie doll house from scraps of lumber in his garage. flying on a plane through the fluffy white clouds and endless blue skies. making coke floats and sunshine zap! smoothies with my mom in the kitchen on vernon rd with the yellow chairs.

oh summertime......

a little something for ya...

don't look any further