I found this post from February 2018 and realized I never posted it – not sure why – but seeing it both fills my heart with love and kinda breaks it too.  Who knew at this time last year that our lives would be so changed in only 2 months?

We spent the ENTIRE day at Animal Kingdom, so were all pretty tired at the end of it – but my Dad was down for anything, like always.  I remember that Dad, JR and I rode several of the rollercoasters together while my Mom hung out with Lizzie.  He always enjoyed a good thrill ride!

I remember this day so vividly – every ride we did, every show we saw, and every meal we ate.  Crazy how some days stick out in your mind like that, right?  I’m so glad it does because when I think of that day I can see my Dad so vividly by my side.

As I near the year anniversary of my Dad’s passing, I’m more thankful than ever for every precious moment we spent together as a family.  In that vein, I’m sharing this post to highlight a fun-filled day – when all was still right in the world.

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From Feb 2018:  Our Disney experience didn’t end after Lizzie’s bday trip.  We bought the Florida resident pass deal, so have two more trips to use by the end of June (woohoo!)  The park I’ve been most excited to visit is Animal Kingdom.  I’d never been and heard great things.

We decided to check it out towards the end of February.  This time we had a much smaller crew, with just my parents, JR, Lizzie and me.

Just getting into Animal Kingdom is much easier than Magic Kingdom – you can park and walk right into the park.  This ease translated into a much more laid back vibe throughout this park.  Magic Kingdom is so much bigger with more attractions overall – I feel like we barely scraped the surface with our visit, even though we really did a lot.  But, Animal Kingdom feels much more manageable.  There’s also something about all the greenery – beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers line and shade the park pathways.  This contributes to the more relaxed and calming atmosphere overall at Animal Kingdom.