Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I never imagined something this cool in a million years.  Having a big brother who was totally into Star Wars, by extension, shaped me into a Wookiee loving, X-Wing Fighter little sister.  What I didn't realize, is that our boys were doing the same thing.
    Disney's Hollywood Studios has some of the most incredible Star Wars rides and features this side of Tatooine.  Your mind at times will have difficulty determining what is real verses make believe as you leisurely strike up conversations with random Stormtroopers. 

   It was one thing to experience this through our eyes, but a completely different realization to see it through our children's.  The boys loved every yelp from Chewbacca and every threat from Vader.  Our daughter however...not so much.  She didn't quite know what to do with it all.  
     Disney made everything so lifelike, so real, even the rides forced your brain to have to remind yourself you weren't really flying or going under attack from the Dark Side.  As fantastic as it was for us, we started to notice around the time we came face to face with Darth Vader, her six year old little self wasn't as thrilled.

    We hadn't planned on this earlier in the day when we signed the kids up to do the Jedi Knight training.  Not seeing the activity beforehand, we were surprised when after the kids learned some lightsaber moves, "the" music started, smoke billowed and through an opening door, approached Darth himself, ready to fight.  
    One kid literally took off screaming from the stage while half the others stood in awe.  The boys were excited as hope filled their eyes for the chance at Darth Vader.  Once they realized their little sister was about to bolt though, they turned to her, encouraging her to fight.
     When her time arrived, they stood behind her and watched as she took one strike, then another at the Dark Side.  She became more confident with each blow until he retreated, allowing her to take her place.  
     The boys were happy and I swear I saw a little tear well in my husband's eye. 

    There's nothing quite like sharing the love of something through generations and watching it grow in their hearts as well.  Disney has done an incredible job of bringing this world to life and generating a Force, even stronger than a galaxy far, far away. 
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   You can't imagine how long I've waited to write this blog post.  Years ago, we muddled down the center of Disney's Magic Kingdom trying to corral our two little boys, while I carried our third son in my arms.  
   Sparkles of shimmering hair and dresses danced about as mothers gracefully twirled their little girls around the crowd.
   "What is this?  Is there a pageant or something?"  I wondered aloud to my husband.  
    Being so far removed from the concept of a daughter, I had never known of a place called, "Bibbidi, Bobbidi Boutique.   
    Asking one mother, she explained it as "The most fun her daughter had ever had."
    humph.  Having three boys, I conceded I would never know that experience.  
    That was, until now.
    Six years have passed and we took our boys and little girl to Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  There's so much I'm itching to write about, from Star Wars to Harry Potter.  The first of these however, is the last I ever thought possible.
     Approaching Cinderella's castle, Lauren Elizabeth's little hand took mine.  Her heart pounded with excitement and a bit of nervousness at the grandness of it all.
     We waited until a "Fairy Godmother in Training" named, Nicole called her back.  Nicole explained how she still needed to train for one thousand years before she could become an official Fairy Godmother, but as wonderful and endearing as she was, she'll have no trouble at all.    

    Nicole and her friend, Whitney began to primp and preen Lauren Elizabeth, transforming her into a little princess Belle, with sparkles from head to toe.   

   It was amazing how well they worked with her, with constant stories and jokes.  Our little girl was mesmerized at the fun and wonder of it all.  They were even good about including Lauren's big brothers, making it more of an experience than a simple appointment.  It far outweighed any hope or expectation we'd ever thought possible.   

    When they say Disney is where dreams come true, they weren't kidding.  Lauren Elizabeth kept her hair in her sparkly bun for the car ride home to North Carolina and talked of nothing other than Nicole and Whitney.  She couldn't believe she met Fairy Godmothers and we couldn't get over how magical the experience was.  
    Thank you Nicole and Whitney.  You'll never know how much you meant to us or how you truly made dreams and wishes come true.
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   There's something about your first roller coaster ride.  The thrill, the excitement, the fear.  
    We went to Virginia, but didn't expect the trip to include the first big roller coaster for two of our boys.  
    It all began with a beautiful trip to Williamsburg.

    New this year, was an ice skating rink on the main street.  As Christmas music played in the cool air, the kids tried to see who could stay up the longest without having a fall. 

     We loved Williamsburg.  When it was time though, we made our way to Busch Gardens.  It's an amusement park that has pretty amazing rides.  Many are closed for the winter, but one roller coaster, the Verbolten, remained open.
     Two of our boys, Christian and Preston, said they'd brave their first ride.  After my husband and I took them though, we wondered if that was a mistake.
     Thinking it would be a regular coaster, we were eager to introduce them to the world of rides.  Little did we know, it was more than that. 
     Here we are, completely clueless as to what's about to happen...

    The coaster had an outdoor and indoor section.  Not just any old indoor tunnel type of thing, but like a haunted house, can't see your hand in front of your face it's so dark, in the depths of hell type of experience.  Any good parent would happily use this as the first exposure for their child to discuss during future therapy sessions.
     The roller coaster stopped in the middle of the pitch black tunnel and literally dropped, like DROPPED out from under us, totally freaking us out like we were falling from a broken track.  
    I found this video of the ride on YouTube from someone else who rode it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0zN_Hjbmqc
    After the fact, (again, we're awesome parents) we actually looked the coaster up and saw what Busch Gardens had to say about the ride.  This would've been good to know before we took our children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb4m03FrAko
    All in all, the boys seemed to enjoy it, much to our surprise.  I couldn't help but remember the first roller coaster I rode with my dad and how safe I felt with him.
    I don't know if that was possible with this one, but at least I'm sure it was a memory they'll never forget.  I know I never will.  ugh.

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    While grappling my way through the grocery store with four children wrestling down each aisle, I was stopped short when our ten and twelve year old boys ran ahead and stood in front of this...

    Pushing the cart with a new fervor, I swallowed hard while catching up to them.
    "MOM!  This is the STUFF!  This is what we've been looking for!"
    Gently moving along, I attempted to be nonchalant, "Okay guys, that's great.  We need to get going before the ice cream melts." 
    (No such luck.)
    "But Mooooooom!  EVERYONE wears this!  We really want it."
    I thought for a second about the whole, "If everyone jumped off a bridge" approach, but decided against it. 
    As much as I'd rather stab myself in the eye than have them grow up to be (gasp) teens, I realize it's inevitable.  It pains me to say it, but for some reason it hurt the depths of my soul just as much to see the boys standing in front of the array of asphyxiation, as it would to see our daughter in front of an aisle of feminine products.  I can't even go there.
     So, for now, the boys have the body wash, shampoo and gag me spray which they're excited to ritually apply like it's a right of passage. 
     We're still working on the whole, "less is more" concept for now, and I pray one day they'll get it for the sake of all that is holy...and the ozone. 
     I'm really, really not ready for this.
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    The fabulous author, Karen Kingsbury has teamed with the Hallmark Channel with her beautiful story of "The Bridge".
    When Charlie and Donna Barton (Ted McGinley and Faith Ford) endure love and loss, they turn to each other, creating a haven for themselves and others, by way of a bookstore called, "The Bridge".
    College student, Molly Callens (Katie Findlay) who comes from incredible wealth and Ryan Kelly (Wyatt Nash) a hopeful musician, find one another and learn to make "The Bridge" a place to discover new feelings of emotions and growth as well. 
     The cast does an outstanding job of connecting you to this story. McGinley and Ford couldn't be more perfect together (love them) and Findlay and Nash are fantastic.
     Be sure to watch this Sunday, December 6, 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Channel for the original movie debut of Karen Kingsbury's, "The Bridge".
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