"Mom....Mom....Mom....Happy Birthday!!!"

One evening, my little sister's calling for my mom cracked me up.  All I can say is it resembled this:


(Except minus the laughing and running away once she answered!)

This past weekend we had plenty of opportunities to recreate the scene, as we spent the weekend together celebrating Mom's birthday!  I'm the kind of person who LOVES to celebrate birthdays.  To me, birthdays aren't just about getting older, they're about celebrating the joy that the birthday person brings to the world.  I love to do things that helps the birthday person feel as wonderful and special as they are.  So, what better way to do that then at Disney World! 

Mom wanted to have a special lunch and visit the parks, and we were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL day.  We parked at the Magic Kingdom, then traveled to the Grand Floridian for lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

So fancy, they don't have bottles of condiments on the table

Mom's salad with strawberries and cashews

Gina's Grand Sandwich (ham, turkey, bacon and a boursin cheese sauce on foccacia).

Mom and I both had the Grand Floridian Burger (topped with asparagus, lobster and hollandaise sauce) - for some reason I couldn't get the picture rotated....

 After lunch, we went to play at the Magic Kingdom - first stopping off to get a birthday button for Mom!

Mom with her birthday button!


We had so much fun!  And the birthday gods must have been smiling on us that day, 'cause we hardly had to wait in any lines.  We practically walked on Cinderella's Golden Carousel - which Mom had never been on. (how is that possible?)

Birthday Princess on the carousel!

Me and Gina

We went to Mickey's
Philharmagic next.  It was a good crowd - they clapped and everything.  (Have I mentioned yet in this post how much I love Disney?)

"Roads?  Where we're going we don't need roads!"

We were feeling pretty brave, so we headed over to the Teacups.....

Luckily, we didn't lose our lunches....but we got some great pictures!

(Gina took this shot of me just as the ride was coming to a stop.  I thought it was hilarious.  And hilariously unflattering.  But I think it captures the essence of what a spin on the teacups is like!)

We were ready for a little break, so we went to a little cafe Gina knew about at the Polynesian for some Dole Whip.  And while there, a little family of ducks waddled by.






Then, it was on to Disney's Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror, just in time before the park closed.

If only I'd bought the picture - Gina's face was uber-cool.

It had been a long day....

And yet, Mom still had the energy to go dancing!  She's amazing!

I pretty much have the greatest mother in the world. :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

We all scream....

....for ice cream, of course.

On rare occasions, I discover things that are cool on my own.  But most of the time, I'm introduced to it by my sisters.  That's how I found out about this video, which became one of the most enjoyable aspects of my Friday night (don't judge).
                   

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Ice Cream Fight With Jimmy Fallon
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

    Once I stopped laughing, it made think: if I ever had an ice cream flavor named after *me* what would it be called?  Maybe "Sparkleberry" - a pink (of course) cotton candy-flavored ice cream with edible sparkles and berries mixed in.  Or "Legendairy Swirl" - a lactose-free chocolate with marshmallow and caramel.  Or "Theatrical - licious" - a dramatic dark chocolate with nuts and chocolate flakes.  Maybe I don't have a future in development at Ben & Jerry's, but it's fun it's kind of fun to think up ice cream flavors that express a little bit about yourself.  What would yours be?