Jim Goings

I was just sitting here at work and started thinking about how blessed I am to have to you. You are everything that I so often fail to be… selfless, caring, never failing to go out of your way to do simple things for our family.

Married as teenagers, we have shared everything for nearly half our lives. We learned to become adults together, learned to love together, and learned how to live through hard times together. You are the only person in the world that really understands me. You never judge me, even when you should. Your faith in me astounds me.

You gave me four wonderful children that remind me of how great you are. You are the true maker of our home, the example, the shaper, and the quiet driving force behind our family. You are my best friend, my lover, my therapist, my life. My love for you is a pale torch against the lighthouse beacon that your heart is.

You are a dependable rock that I lean on and sometimes I dwell on dark thoughts about what life would be like without you. I am thankful that you are there everyday when I come home, thankful you are next to me each night, and thankful that our children have you as a teacher and mother. You are a gift and I am thanking God right now for you. I love you now and forever.

On day 7, we went to Epcot World Showcase. We had an amazing lunch at Le Cellier where our server, Nitsa, gave us an endless supply of soft pretzel sticks. Yum. As is Epcot tradition, Kevin and I had a drink in every country. It was a blast, if a bit blurry.

Epcot, formerly known as the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, is divided into two major sections: Future World and the World Showcase. Our plan for day 6 was to tour Future World. The highlight of the day was Turtle Talk with Crush who singled out Hannah and Chase for an extremely funny conversation. We also went to Club Cool where free Coca-Cola fountain drinks live, as well as Test Track, Mission Space, and a few other fun attractions.

Update: This video is now available on YouTube in two parts. Part one and part two.

Next on our destination list was Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s basically a well populated zoo mixed with over-the-top plants and thrill rides. Every inch of it was beautiful and well crafted. The Mt. Everest roller coaster was awesome, and the first one I’ve seen where you have to actually back up since the track ahead has been ripped apart by the yeti living there. The kids loved it. Chase got lost and was eventually found half way across the park just chatting with some folks. The safari really looks like an African plain, complete with animals that don’t (seemingly) have a barrier between you and them.

Update: This video is now available on YouTube in two parts. Part one and part two.

On one of our days off from touring the theme parks, we went to Disney’s Polynesian Resort to eat dinner at Ohana. It was absolutely wonderful. The food was perfect, the service was perfect, and we had a blast. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I am pretty sure that the whole group will agree that this was the best dinining experience they’ve ever had. It was that good.

Update: This video is now available on YouTube.