To Market, To Market To See A...MOUSE?

Twice a year, our company goes to Market.  Last fall, the Market was in Atlanta and this past spring it was in New Orleans.  However, this fall, it will be held in one of the most FUN and FEEL GOOD places I can think of...Orlando!

Whenever I found out that Market would be held in Orlando, I knew just what I wanted to do.  Feeling that I already had my vendor contacts for my end of the business (Kitchen and Giftwares), I decided that I would go back to Disney World.  OK now...who out there could actually go to Orlando without visiting the Mouse's House?  Disney is such a MAGICAL place...why, no one could have a bad day there!  So, I quickly put my thinking cap on and decided that it would be twice as fun in Disney if I could find a young child to take with me.  That light bulb went off in my head again.  I knew exactly who I would invite; my 6 year old niece, Rylee.

Rylee is actually my great-niece, with her father being my nephew (my sister's child).  My mother only had two children...15 years apart.  Aha...now you see?  My nephew is only 4 years younger than I; he's more like a brother.  Rylee is his late in life child.  She is a very sweet, smart child whom we all adore AND she has never been to Disney World...the "PERFECT" person to take along with me.  Upon hearing the news that we would be traveling to Disney, my own baby girl, Caitlin also decided to skip a day of classes and join us there.

As time neared for our departure, I instructed Rylee to find a calendar and begin marking the days off until we left...she did just that.  In fact, the calendar was almost the same size as she is and her mother sent me a picture of her holding it with a huge smile plastered on her face.  Not only was she excited about visiting Disney, but she had also never flown on an airplane before.  When I talked to her about making her first plane trip, she quickly corrected me by stating that it would be her first AND second plane trips...her first would be going and her second would be coming back; I told you she was a smart girl!  So, for the past week, I have been busy making reservations and plans for all of the fun things we will do while in Disney World.

I became excited, myself, when I found out that during the week of Halloween, Mickey has a big party with Trick-or-Treating, a Halloween parade and a fireworks show!  THAT'S when I decided that we should go all out too.  I would head down to the nail salon and have my nails done up Ala Halloween and then thoughts of costumes began to dance in my head (OK...remember, I was a 2nd grade teacher, after all).  I had seen an awesome witch's hat somewhere in town...how GREAT would that be to wear to Mickey's Halloween Party?!  I would let Rylee choose a costume once we arrived.  She is a great fan of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid", so I strongly suspect that will be her costume of choice.

I spoke with Rylee's mother a couple of days before leaving and she said that Rylee told her that she was just going to have a smile on her face all day long at school.  So, as you are reading this, we are most likely half way to the Magic Kingdom.  And MAGICAL it shall be...for, how lucky am I to have the opportunity to experience Disney through the twinkling blue eyes of a child!