With the first day of kindergarten fast approaching Rayma and I decided that Alison deserves a vacation. We contemplated Galveston, Padre Island, Sea World and/or Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels … and finally decided to spend a week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Yes, it is expensive, yes it will be hot, yes we know it is peak season and the place will be crowded. But it’s a week of no responsibilities for any of us and that will be quite literally priceless.

Since this was kind of a last-minute decision we are paying more for airfare than I would have liked (flying Southwest), but on the other hand we got a great deal on our lodgings and will be staying in a much nicer resort than we originally planned.

We waited to tell Alison until Friday morning since we were afraid that she would be too excited to sleep, and that was pretty accurate. We’ve read the guide books, made advance reservations for meals with Disney characters, and tried to plan our strategy for the time we will have there to get the most from our visit.

But in reality we know that travelling with a 5 year old means that you have to be ready to abandon plans and go with the flow when the time calls for it, and I expect that will not be infrequently.

I’ve let this blog sit dormant since February, but will try to keep it updated with news about our visit to the “House of Mouse” so those interested can find out our progress, and so I can look back upon the trip later and “remember when …”