Our Epic Disney World in a Pandemic Vacation

Early on in our quarantine (Aprilish), Brielle began making Mickey ears and subsequently asking if we could go to DisneyWorld.  I hadn't yet planned our summer vacation and with Covid 19 looming large there was a lot up in the air.  DisneyWorld was at the time closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and no one knew when that would change.  Well out of boredom and hopeful desperation I went ahead and booked a DisneyWorld vacation- choosing to stay on Disney property and booking the middle of July in hopes that those factors would increase my chances of this actually working out.  Well miracle of miracles, Disney announced they were opening just a couple of days before our trip was planned.  We were super lucky.  Our resort announced opening just in the nick of time too so we were good to go.  We didn't know what to expect- I thought it would be either horrible or awesome.  We loved spending our bored summer days watching youtube videos about Disney and getting excited about our trip.  It was a beacon of hope in a kind of bleak time.

Well the day came and we loaded up on masks (I sewed about 40 just for the trip) and off we went.  (Sadly Brayden opted to stay behind since he had midterms in his BYU summer online classes- we missed him but it was for the best).  We had to wear masks on the plane and EVERYWHERE at Disney including the hotel.  But that didn't stop the fun.  It ended up being an AMAZING trip because there were no crowds.  Lines were minimal and we got to do everything we wanted.  We spent one day at each park.  The hours were reduced but we still had enough time to do everything because the lines were so minimal.  We didn't have to worry about rushing to get there early or even following a strict touring schedule because we didn't have to avoid crowds.  We got pretty used to the masks and the heat and we just carried on.  Disney had some nice rest stations where you could cool off and take your mask off.  Those were nice.

This is at the Magic Kingdom- we could hardly believe we were here.  The park was open, our park reservations worked, we passed the temperature checks- we made it!!!

We enjoyed a special lunch inside Beasts castle.  It was a fun experience.

After a while we just forgot we even had masks on.

This was taken at our resort.  We stayed at Pop Century resort.  It was super convenient.  We took a bus or the skyline to each of the parks.  It worked out great!

Emmitts vacation highlight was riding expedition Everest approximately 32 times.  He lost count but each run took 7 minutes to walk through the queue and then ride the roller coaster and he did that for a couple hours straight- a bit in the morning and then again back at the end of the day.  Brielle was his main riding buddy so she's a record setter too.  The rest of us couldn't keep up.  But seriously -When can you ever do that?!?!  There were a few times that him and Brielle were the only ones on the coaster.

Our day at Disneys Hollywood Studios was the most crowded by far.  It was that parks official first day opening and the reservations were all full.  We still were able to do everything and most rides had minimal wait but we did wait a ridiculously long time for tower of terror (because we got in line just as they closed for cleaning- a new Corona thing) and we also waited an hour for Rise of the Resistance- which is the epic new ride that you have to make reservations for when you get in the park.  We were super lucky to get reservations but then did have to wait a long time to ride but it was so WORTH IT.  That ride is awesome. And another corona benefit is the groups they take through are small so the experience was a lot cooler that way.  These pics are outside the Millenium Falcon ride which is also super cool.  We did that several times without much of a wait.  

And here the kids are enjoying the famous "blue milk" sold in Galaxys Edge.

As you can see the trip turned out fabulous.  We only wish we had Brayden along.  It will always be a fun unique memory of the time we went to Disney World in a pandemic.

Summer Outings

 Heres some pictures from some of our favorite summer day trips.  Turner Falls we visited with Taeya and Makennas friend Ashley.  And then Arbor Hills which we took Joel and Alice along.

Graduation

Graduation this year was a little different.  I give tremendous credit to our school district to overcoming the odds to make this event possible, and it was run flawlessly.  A few days before graduation, Brayden was contacted by his principal and asked to do a special speech at the beginning fo the ceremony.  With his friend Maya, they introduced a moment of silence before the graduation began.  (Recently there was a terrible incident of police brutality in the country and ever since that protests have been raging so this was a nod to that movement).  Brayden did a great job with that and it was fun to see him play that honored role in the graduation.  The principal told me that he could think of no one better to unite the school at this difficult time (and I may have shed a proud mama tear at that kind compliment). 

What a year for these kids to graduate- amid a pandemic and a lot of turmoil- it is truly a tough and historic time.  While many high schools were just having drive thru graduations our district was able to hold graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020 in our new football stadium.  Tickets were limited to five per graduate (perfect for us) and assigned seats so that everyone was spread apart.  Grads were spaced 6ft apart on the football field and everyone got a chance to walk the stage.  There were masks for the graduates but they didnt have to wear them when they crossed the stage.  And there were some extra surprises- including a phenomenal fireworks show at the end.  It was the best graduation I have ever attended! Way to go Brayden- you did it!

After graduation, he and his friends came to our house for Prosper cookie cake, waffles and swimming.  The boys wore cut off white shirts under their graduation robes and then jumped in the pool with their clothes on afterwards.  Silly boys!

Graduation photo shoot

 The high school set up some fun photo ops outside the School for the seniors to come and take pictures. Brayden was not happy about him but we went and took some fun pictures to celebrate his graduation!

A visit from the Thomases

Because of covid we had a break from school and the Thomases had a break from work, so they came down and spent some time with us.  We had a great visit.  We did a lot of boating and swimming and the kids created a masterpiece movie entitled "The Harry Games". It was a great visit.

ALL GROWN UP/ HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAYDEN

Brayden is 18.  It's official.  For his birthday we surprised him by flying out his friend Nolan.  It was a pretty great surprise.

Birthday dinner at Torchys

Tis is the adorable card that Emmitt made for Brayden.