I will be the first to admit that I can be a bit dramatic.  When asked the question “if you could be anything in the world, what would you be?” I respond, “Easy.  An actress in Hollywood.”  Some of my favorite memories as a kid were from being in plays and musicals.  And although I was an Accounting major at Drake (boring), I almost always had a “fun class” in the theater building to help keep the stress levels down.  Today, at Hollywood Studios, I got to pretend that my dream came true.  And it would appear as though my son inherited some of my mad acting skills.  Read on, friends.

We got to the park extra early so that we could try to get Ty signed up to train to be a Jedi.  Like for real.  So we ran into the park, dropped off the boys, and the girls went off on our own.  We went on the Great Movie Ride, and our ride luck jinxed us again.  We had a temporary delay when a door didn’t automatically open, but maintenance fixed it right away and we were off.  We had a little time to steal a hug from Pluto!

Meanwhile, the boys were able to get Ty a spot in the 4:40 Jedi Training show, and they went through a Star Wars ride twice. Then they met up with us to watch The Little Mermaid.  We decided to have an early lunch and got right into the Sci-Fi Dine In.  We sat in a table that looked like a car and watched old movies while we ate.  

With full bellies, we headed out and did a Fast Pass to the Toy Story ride.  I thought my 72,000 points was pretty good but of course Jay won with something like 135,000 points.  We made our way over to get a seat at Beauty and the Beast.  It was nice to sit down and relax for a while.  The kids were on the edge of their seats.  Completely wrapped up in the magic on stage in front of them.  Love.

Random Storm Troopers were everywhere.  

Next up, Muppets 3D.  Cool tricks – cooler shades!

We had a little afternoon tea – Olaf cupcakes, Chewbacca steins, chocolate mousse.  No calories in Disney World desserts!  Then we went to get a seat in the giant Indiana Jones amphitheater, which holds 2,150 people.  At the start of the show, they asked for volunteers to participate in the show.  I raised my hand, but the lady went to the other side of the audience.  Nuts.  And then she started walking toward our side, asking for more volunteers.  I put my hand up, and sure enough, she looked right at me in my bright orange Shearer Vacation 2016 shirt and SHE PICKED ME! SHE PICKED ME! SHE PICKED ME!!!!!!  I ran down to the stage and had to “audition”.  Ok Nicole, channel your inner Aunt Eller and knock this out of the theater.  I had to giggle like a princess.  No problem.  I was in!  Back up the steps to costumes, waivers, and a brief overview of what we had to do.  Then it was show time.  Nailed it.  I am actually surprised that they didn’t have me sign a contract for their next huge blockbuster right on the spot.  The best part of the whole deal was when I got back to my seat, Lily gave me the biggest high five, best hug, and told me I did awesome.  Love.  

That’s me in the red costume.  Oscar-worthy performance…

Once my 15 minutes of fame were up, it was Ty’s turn.  He went to check in at Jedi training, get his costume, and learn the rules.  There were about 20 kids in his Jedi class, and even though they didn’t give out awards, my completely unbiased opinion is that he was the best Jedi.  He had some pretty spectacular light saber moves.  As soon as the kids learned how to use the light saber, Darth Vader showed up for a fight.  Ty got to fight Darth Vader.  On stage.  For real.  In Disney World.  Doesn’t get much cooler than that (for him anyway – I don’t get Star Wars).  

Once he finished his training, the boys wanted to walk through the Star Wars museum and meet some characters.  I sat on a comfy bench and started writing my blog while the boys nerded out.  Jay might have hinted that he would like a $3,000 Darth Vader costume for Christmas.  Sorry mate, that dream isn’t coming true this year.

The kids were exhausted, and tomorrow is going to be a long day at Magic Kingdom, so we skipped the evening show and came home a bit early.  Lily went straight to bed. Memaw and Papa had a quiet dinner in the hotel restaurant, and we ordered pizza delivery.  The boys went out for a night swim.  Off to bed we go, with thoughts of castles and princesses and pixie dust filling our dreams.

More Epic-ot photos from yesterday.