Irish Does Not Equal Gaudy

Whilst gazing across the hotel’s dining area this morning, Willem remarked, “You know, ‘gaudy’ is not a word I think of very often.  Until I see it in action.”  The specific specimen he was beholding at the time was, indeed, in an outfit I can only refer to as kind – as in, the kind of thing I wouldn’t be caught dead in – but she was only one instance of a statewide epidemic today.  I get it, it’s St. Patrick’s Day.  Wear green, eat something Irish, drink beer.  But there is no law that says you have to overdo it, wearing flashy, unattractive, or, yes, gaudy accessories while doing so.

We spent the day at Kennedy Space Center, with video presentations detailing every aspect of the space experience from conception to delivery.  No, wait, that’s the Nova Miracle of Life documentary.  NASA doesn’t content itself with a few months.  It crams several lifetimes’ worth of details into slick media presentations until the facts simply slide out your ears and onto your shoulders.

I understand their predicament; it’s one I’ve fallen into, myself, in times past.  They found a good idea (in their case, finding someone who enunciates clearly and with some enthusiasm to narrate several-minute videos on various topics in the general realm of space exploration) and overused it.  Turns out, there can be too much of a good thing.  But on the flip side, it’s impressive and real, so we can pretend we threw a bit of education in the children’s general direction.

Since dinner entailed an outdoor meal at a simulated Irish pub in Downtown Disney and allowing them to eat sugar directly out of the packets while we finished our alcohol, it provided some balance in our parenting karma.

It was a much lower-key day than the prior days at the Magic Kingdom and Sea World, which we all needed.  So low-key, in fact, that it’s almost difficult to recall.  There were no major incidents, no embarrassing or hilarious stories to tell.  True, I forgot to bring the camera, but we grabbed a few grainy snapshots on my phone and spent too much on a cheesy backdrop-tourist shot of the four of us just before the first of several bus tours.  Emily spent the day tallying animals she noticed out of the bus window (5 alligators, 4 turtles, dozens of hawks, 1 eagle’s nest and 1 dead bird) instead of obsessing over the concept of space travel, which is both completely shocking (she’s very prone to latching onto an idea and not letting go, at least until the next obsession comes along) and completely in character for her (serves me right for imagining that I could predict her next fad).  Jacob was more delighted by the playground than anything else, though the Saturn rocket overhead in the second tour stop caught his attention pretty effectively, too.

Overall, just a nice day on what has been a wildly successful family vacation.  My only complaints are the normal ones – spending too much money and aching feet.  But the first will be dealt with over time, and the second can be paid on the Advil-and-hot-bath installment plan.  I think we’re still coming out ahead.