“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.”
– Leigh Hunt
In celebration of Easter and March Madness, we made our way down to Orlando to visit family – Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents and Great Grandparents were there. It’s a guaranteed good time when we get together. We stayed with our Aunt Malaika (Meeka), Uncle Colin, Little Cousins Ace and Kingston in their beautiful luxury resort style home. It’s actually one of their many vacation rentals throughout the U.S. – Check them out here at Holiday Rising.
Meeka, Kingston and Colin 
Marian and Ace 
Drew 
Darwyn and Dallas 
My Mom, Aunt Marian, Aunt Malaika and Grandma Florence hosted one of the best Easter Egg hunts I’ve ever been apart of. Eggs were filled with $1/$5 bills, every kind of candy you can think of and toys. The kids woke up acting like it was Christmas morning – excited to see what the bunny dropped off. With this being the first time the kids celebrated Easter – I was sure to explain to Dallas (4 yr old) and Drew (2 yr old) that the holiday wasn’t about the Easter Bunny but that it was in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. What the bunny brought was a bonus 🥳. Drew didn’t quite get it but to my surprise Dallas did.
We spent most of our time at the resort (Covid) – taking advantage of all the great amenities (this is a list of amenities we used but there are many more).
- Onsite Waterpark
- Basketball Courts
- Swimming Pool + Jacuzzi (in the backyard of the home)
Our initial plan was to go to Clearwater Beach but the weather that weekend had a high of 70-73 degrees. Also, we were slatted to visit Universal Studios but it was completely sold out (limited capacity). So, we went with plan B – Visit Disney Springs. Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort. Over recent years they’ve done a huge renovation and expansion. We felt comfortable visiting due to
- Limited parking and reduced entrances
- Temperature screenings prior to entry
- Face coverings required for Guests ages 2 and up
- Physical distancing practices including physically-distanced queues and physical barriers
- Temporary operation modifications, including reduced hours at select locations and no scheduled entertainment offerings or high-touch interactive areas
- An increased focus on disinfecting and sanitation, including the addition of hand-washing stations and hand sanitizers in key areas
Any who, they have one of the largest Zara’s I’ve seen so you know I had to check it out. I was good and only grabbed a couple of things. Also, we stopped by Everglazed Donuts and grabbed a dozen of the biggest donuts I’ve ever seen (Yum!). We could literally divide one donut into 4 pieces – enough to supply everyone in the house.
Oh. I completely forgot (at home) my huge suitcase loaded with all of my clothes (swimsuits, new outfits, undergarments, jammies, etc.) and shoes. Thank goodness my husband grabbed my toiletry bag off the bed when he loaded the car up – I had all my necessities. Once I realized I forgot my suitcase (when bedtime rolled around) I hurried up and placed a Target Drive-up order. I was able to pick everything up first thing the next morning.
Below I will link everything I purchased.
Dallas (4 yr old son) randomly asked to take off his floaters while at the pool, jumped in and proceeded to swim! Amazing! Our cousin Cortney is a great swimmer so she showed him how to use better form. He was so proud of himself and we were too!
All in all – we had a great time hanging out with family – creating more great memories! <3
Michael and Drew 
Darwyn and Dallas 
Drew knocked out after the waterpark w Aunt Marian 
Meeka, Marian and Grandma 
Mom/Grandma 
