Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

{Disney} Our Favorite Things

October 13, 2014 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Before we left the driveway Saturday morning, we turned on a promotional video to show the kids where we were going. They were speechless. Speechless. That reaction speaks volumes. My kids are talkers. Cate sometimes refers to herself as a chatterbox.

And not a word.

I’ll take it. Greg and I are terrible at gift surprises. We get excited and give them early. The night before we left felt like Christmas Eve. I was about to explode with the news of the trip they didn’t even know we were taking, but the anticipation was so fun.

Plus I wanted them to sleep before we filled Fall Break with amusement park rides, sugary treats, and all sorts of adventure.

Cate’s first real comment was about someone else she knew was going to Disney. We saw Greg’s grandma who lives next door as we pulled out of our driveway. We rolled down the window and Ben yelled with excitement, “We are going Disney World!”

That’s right. We went to Disney World. 

As we’ve settled back into our regular life, people ask us what our favorite parts where. It’s hard to say, really, but, personally, I was most pleasantly surprised with Animal Kingdom. I loved it there. Ben will tell you his favorite ride was Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios. Cate starts naming roller coasters at Magic Kingdom, but not Space Mountain, where she wasn’t a fan of the darkness. Greg liked several of the shows.

But I didn’t let our reflections start there. Before we even left Orlando, I asked each person to list their five favorites. Even that was difficult (and not everybody could even limit it to five!) because the whole week was so much fun, but we did our best.

Cate’s Favorites

  • Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom
  • Toy Story Midway Mania at Hollywood Studios
  • Frozen Sing-a-long at Hollywood Studios
  • The Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle at Magic Kingdom

Ben’s Favorites

  • “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” show at Animal Kingdom
  • Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom
  • Toy Story Midway Mania 
  • Splash Mountain

Kristin’s Favorites

  • “Festival of The Lion King” show at Animal Kingdom
  • Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
  • Splash Mountain
  • Frozen Sing-a-long
  • Space Mountain 

Greg’s Favorites

  • Frozen Sing-a-long
  • Expedition Everest
  • Splash Mountain
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • “It’s Tough to Be a Bug”
  • Toy Story Midway Mania

We also enjoyed our character meals at Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger; Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House with safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy; and Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios with Disney Jr.’s Jake, Sofia, Handy Manny, and Doc McStuffins.

What’s your favorite Disney attraction, show, or restaurant? 

________

There will be more Disney posts coming, so stay tuned! And feel free to throw questions my way. You can see all my pictures here.

I should also note my mother-in-law went with us and is one of my favorite people to travel with. I would have included her favorites, but she flew out of Orlando before us and joined another trip touring the Northeast. Perhaps she’ll join in the reflections when she returns!

Want more stories? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Ben, Cate, Disney, family, Greg, vacation

Comments

  1. Beth says

    October 14, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    I love that one of your husband's favorites is the Frozen Sing-a-long. That just makes me smile. I have not been back to Disney since I was a kid. We never did take our kids there and my husband has never been. Maybe one of these days. I do remember that I was too scared to go on Space Mountain. 🙂 So glad you all had a wonderful time together. Much love. xoxo

    Reply
  2. KristinHillTaylor says

    October 14, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    Beth, Greg knows EVERY word to the whole soundtrack. Obviously, we listened to it often for awhile. I'm guessing it'll make another appearance in the mini van soon. 🙂 It's good to see your smiling face here, sweet friend.

    Reply
  3. Mindy Whipple says

    October 15, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    What fun! I was at Disneyland as a child but my husband has never been nor did we take our daughter (who is now grown…). I saw a TV special on Animal Kingdom and was impressed – glad you had such a great time.

    Reply
  4. KristinHillTaylor says

    October 15, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    Thanks, Mindy! You should go sometime anyway. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Charity Moore-Dicker says

    October 16, 2014 at 1:51 am

    That sounds like such an amazing trip. I find it hilarious that Greg loved the frozen sing along, he is such a big kid at heart. I can't wait to be able to take my babygirl to Disney. I am so happy for you and your family and am so thankful to call you not only and friend but my family as well. I love you guys.

    Reply
  6. KristinHillTaylor says

    October 16, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    He's a big kid indeed … in the best kinds of ways! 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment, Charity.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • How to enjoy motherhood
  • How & why to travel with kids
  • From snow to sand
  • Books of 2022
  • How to enjoy winter days at home

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

I needed this weekend. The UK Wildcats didn’t I needed this weekend. 

The UK Wildcats didn’t win this afternoon like I had hoped. But following our house full of people on Friday night, I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch, under a soft blanket, with a book, while I watch #MarchMadness. 

Yesterday I pulled “When We Left Cuba” by @chanelcleeton from my to-be-read stack and then realized it was the second in a series about the Perez family. Thanks to @libby.app, I was able to get “Next Year in Havana” immediately. 

I finished it today during commercials and timeouts. And now I’m going to start “When We Left Cuba” as another basketball game also gets going. 

#KHTreads #basketballseason #weekending #bookstagram #reallife #booklover #librarybooks #KindleOasis #Kindlebooks #favoritethings
What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends and food. So thankful for all these provisions and others in my life. Oh and a Cats win is icing on the cake. 

#MarchMadness #weekending #basketballseason #bettertogether #choosingJOY #BigBlueNation
You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor pos You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor posts on Facebook — and a picture at that! — and puts his radio/TV degree to work figuring out how to improve the viewing setup. 

#reallife #basketballseason #wifelife #choosingJOY
I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected while studying Genesis 1-2. Going back to the beginning and seeing how God created, ordered, and filled the earth has been exactly what I didn’t know I needed, especially as a mom. 

For quite a while now, I feel like I’ve been living a day at a time. I used to be able to see my life in larger chunks of time and anticipate and prepare accordingly. Now, I slap things on the calendar and then deal with them as they come. Navigating life with two teenagers and a first-grader is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Honestly, this moment-to-moment living has been good for me and helped me rely on the God who created the stars and rivers that still exist in our world. Focusing on where I am helps me take slower steps, trust God to provide, and remember I’m not in control. I’ve felt an internal shift with my relationships — with my husband, kids, and friends. I’ve felt behind on laundry and dishes and piles of papers. But I’ve also felt a refreshed nearness to God. 

I’m going to rest here while believing God created life and light when there was only darkness and continues to order my days. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #faithlife #preceptstudy #genesisstudy #genesis #beginnings #reallife #PorchStories
My friend @ashleelyoung told me about this memoir, My friend @ashleelyoung told me about this memoir, but I knew nothing about Sutton Foster or her story beforehand. She’s a TV actress and Broadway singer and dancer who processes her life — complicated family life, love, loss, spotlight, infertility, adoption, motherhood — by creating. She creates in the kitchen, on stages, with yarn, with paint, with her hands, and with her mind. But her story really is all the experiences and emotions that inspire her creative work. I enjoyed this one. 

#KHTreads #memoirs #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #audible #bookreview
Also from the weekend: Shout out to @lifehousemurr Also from the weekend: Shout out to @lifehousemurray for putting on the fabulous @beautiful.you.conference with @meggpam from @shelivespurposefully. My girl and her friends had a great time together and my momma heart is thankful this is how they chose to spend a Saturday morning. 

#momlife #girlmom #teenagers #weekending #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #latergram
Yesterday was one of my favorite kids of days with Yesterday was one of my favorite kids of days with some of my favorite friends. Kids played inside and out, the TV was never on, and new memories were made with old friends. Plus we ended the night with our ninth year of Little Hands Trivia Night. It was our worst finish ever, but we still had such a fun time! 

#bettertogether #weekending #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY
I’ve told you about Cate’s basketball season, I’ve told you about Cate’s basketball season, but we celebrated it (and the other middle and high school players) last night. What a joy, truly! She was surprise with the Lions Award for her overall approach to the game and her teammates. 

This context is basketball, but the bigger community and broader learning that happens are ultimately even more important. And, hey, middle school boys, you were also so much fun to watch! I’m so thankful Ben was part of that team. 

Shout out to the Schroeders for Tim being the coach of four teams and all the family time sacrificed as well as the other coaches and families who made it all possible. 

Give me a little break, and then I will be ready for more Lions and Lady Lions basketball to come! Scheduling for the fall and winter will start soon. 

I’m so proud to be part of New Covenant Christian Academy! 💛 @ncca.lions #momlife #girlmom #boymom #basketballseason #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY
Once again, I stayed up too late finishing a book. Once again, I stayed up too late finishing a book. 

“Half Way to You” by @jennifergoldauthor was my #FirstReads choice from Amazon this month and I dived right in. I loved it! This is a multi-generational story full of love, heartbreak, friendships that span decades, and travel. The story is told as a reclusive author shares her real story with a young podcaster who has personal and professional interest. The way the lives is woven together is brutal and beautiful. 

#KHTreads #AmazonFirstReads #bookstagram #booklover #KindleOasis #kindlebooks #readersofinstagram
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM