Sometimes, We Just Need To Giggle

So Sydney and I have decided to go to Florida this coming September. We will be taking our 4 year old son and doing the whole Disney thing plus taking in a couple of beaches to round out our trip. Again my mind goes go back to when I was eight years old and my parents took me to Florida for the first time. The year was 1978. Disney World was just six years old. Mom and Dad took me out of school for two weeks and I remember I had to take some of my school work with me. My teacher assigned what work I would be missing while on vacation. I remember that I did only a couple of days work of schooling and my parents said enough of this. We are on vacation and so are you. If your teacher doesn't like it I guess she will have to just get over it. Or something to that effect.
Well, most of the trip is kind of foggy, but there are many things that do stand out. Of course I remember many things about Disney World. This was before Epcot, MGM, and of course Animal Kingdom. I remember The Swiss Family Robinson Tree The Haunted Mansion, Tom Sawyers Island, and Space Mountain. I was to scared to ride Space Mountain. My love affair with roller coasters wouldn't begin for a couple of years yet.

There are also little things I remember. I remember going to a luau at some Polynesian resort. Since then I have always been fond of the Polynesian thing. The TIKI masques, Hawaiian shirts, shell rings and coral necklaces. I also remember going to a shell factory. I remember going to Sea World but the only thing about it is this girl that dove to the bottom of a lagoon and brought up an oyster and open it up and there was a pearl inside. Later my dad and I got it set in a ring for my mom.
I also remember the beach. It was cold that day and I have seen pictures of me on the beach in blue jeans and a little red windbraker. Oh the seventies were good to me.
I wasn't until 1987 that I returned to Florida over Spring Break. I went with my church youth group. I had a blast, but it just wasn't the same. The magic wasn't there. We even went to Disney, but I had more fun looking for girls than the rodent with the ears. I went back the next year as well.
I haven't been back since. I hope this time I can return to some of the magic. I need some of that old childhood magic back in my life.
There seems to be a concurrent theme to this blog. Maybe I should have titled it Longing For My Lost Childhood. But that isn't quite right either. I don't think my childhood is lost at all. Maybe just misplaced. It is inside of me. Begging to be let out and to revel in the things that all little boys enjoy. My own son has begun to bring that out. It's funny because as of late we have developed this unspoken communication of sorts where we just look at each other at the same time and begin to giggle. We giggle like two little boys who are up past bedtime and are suppose to be asleep. I am still the parent. I still lay down the law. But sometimes I just have to giggle. Sometimes, I just NEED to giggle.
I can't wait for September.