We started the year with a party. Our friends hosted New Year’s Eve and it was delightful. Good music, good drinks, good food, good dancing. The children counting down from 30 was joy.
The party-start to the year continued and quickly turned to magic. We got on a plane and headed for Disney World. We’re focusing Christmas gifting on experiences rather than stuff, and Disney feels like an ease-in transition from materialism to presence. We spent five days total across the four parks. Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios emerged as contenders for favorites. Sorry Animal Kingdom—you’re still good, just not the favorite.
We rode Star Tours five times. Star Tours was the first ride I ever rode at any Disney park, so it felt special to share it with all my kids.
We achieved maximum spin on the tea cups.
And a whole bunch of other stuff.
We avoided the winter storm at home by extending our stay in Orlando for a day. It gave us space to visit the Lego store at Disney Springs, dine at T.REX, and grab some Gideon’s cookies.
Lexington welcomed us back to a winter wonderland. A layer of ice on everything. We went sledding with a few other families. I bruised my bottom on a giant ramp. I tried to achieve teacup level spins on a saucer. It mostly worked. I was way dizzier without family faces to focus on.
After a week of eating on the go we craved a home cooked meal. Emily made a chili, roasted a whole chicken that became a soup, and I carmelized a boatload of onions that turned into French onion soup. Soup season is upon us.
We celebrated my birthday with a Pizza party. I experimented with one giant sheet pan pizza for the kids. It turned out well, and was mostly gone. Beyond that was 12 custom pies. I didn’t snag any pictures, but I feel confident saying they were some of the best cooks to date. Replicating some local favorites like Pearl’s Hellbabe and Rolling Oven’s potato-chorizo went well. The garbage pizza to use up ingredients at the end was excellent.
My kids gave me thoughtful gifts. Emily made dirt pudding, which I find superior to cake. Being surrounded by friends and family was all I wanted, and I got it.
This weekend concludes my four week vacation from the responsibilities of the workplace. I think I’m ready to return.
Published: 2025-01-11