20th Food and Wine Festival for our 20th

This year Jim and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and we decided it would be fun to celebrate by going to Disney's Epcot Food and Wine Festival which was also having its 20th Anniversary. Jim was really enjoying checking things out and looking at all of our options but I was finding the research exhausting and I asked that as a gift to me, he handle the details. It indeed was a gift. I felt like for the first time in a long time I just got to show up and enjoy something. I looked at special events with Jim and we booked a special Italian wine and food pairing, but the rest of the details I was happy to leave in Jim's capable hands.

Again it was Jim's parents generosity that made this trip possible. Grandma Kate and PawPaw were in town and were taking on the daily craziness of the fruits of our marriage. Jim and I made sure everyone got off to Wednesday's regularly scheduled schooling and then PawPaw drove us to the airport. Traveling with Jim was really easy, we could chat or head to the bathroom without any coordination. We didn't have to explain much or negotiate. We also both got a chance to put in our earbuds and relax. It felt pretty luxurious.

Orlando was hot and sunny and after we got settled into the Caribbean Beach Resort, we headed over to Disney springs to walk around and get dinner. The shuttles from the resorts were easy and we had no schedules to keep in mind. Jim and I decided to go to the Raglan Road Irish Pub for dinner, where we sat at the bar and enjoyed both singing and Irish dance. We checked out the shops enjoying the Lego store Disney Creations. I did have the goal of finding a hat, I needed a brimmed hat to give me some shade but that wasn't too big. They had a hat shop with plenty of options and I found one I really like. And without any rush we headed back to the resort. Jim took a morning walk and returned with a big breakfast that we shared before grabbing a shuttle to Epcot.

Jim had booked a few fast passes for us and we enjoyed FastTrack together. It had been closed when we came in 2012 so we decided to prioritize that. We also rode Soarin' and Spaceship Earth. We felt like we oddly accomplished something as we headed to the World Showcase for the Food and Wine Festival. We had picked up a Tasting Sampler pass which gave us coupons for food and drink as well as a special pin and seating at the Concert that night. The thing with the coupon though is that if you use them on food items under @$7 you waste a lot of money. We made very specific choices as to when we should use the coupons and when we should pay cash. and we got a great value out of the Sampler Pass.  Especially since, on our first transaction where the crew member rang everything up together and our one coupon covered 4 things instead of one. The crew member smiled and told us to enjoy our magical moment. We did. We tried lots of good food and sampled lots of yummy drinks. Jim started with a beer flight while I had shrimp cocktail. My favorite was Africa's buttered chicken on nan bread, and Jim's was probably the filet mignon from Canada. It was really hot out so we made sure to drink a lot of water and stop into the showcases to enjoy the exhibits and AC. My hat was perfect. That evening we decided to sit down to listen to the flashback inducing Christopher Cross concert. It  was fun to discuss favorite bites with Jim and soak in all that is Disney. We watched the fireworks that evening from a crowded spot and then joined the lines back to the resort. Despite being tired after a long day of walking around, it was a peaceful wait. It is a luxury to only have to deal with my own tiredness and not the tangle of my children's.

The next morning Jim and I headed back to Epoct and this time focused on a little souvenir shopping for the girls, before heading into the World Showcase. We think of our children everyday and we wanted to bring something back for each of them.  The big highlight of Friday was our Italian Food and Wine Pairing. It is thrilling to approach an elegantly set table with 6 glasses and a personal menu at each place. Jim and I shared the table with another couple who were conversational and really added to the enjoyment of the meal. We had 5 courses each with a glass of wine and 3 tastings of food. It was all so good. We ate and drink and enjoyed. The rest of the day we strolled around the world showcase. We stopped in England to listen to a British Rock and Roll band who ended their set with Bohemian Rhapsody, I may have sung along at the top of my lungs. We were winding down and decided to head over to Germany for an Oktoberfest beer for Jim when it started to downpour. We waited it out inside the German showcase and I tried a German wine flight as we shared soft pretzels. The park crowd thinned out considerably but we just put on our rain ponchos and got great spots for viewing the fireworks that night. As we headed back to the shuttles we savored our time and let the joy of our trip soak in.

 

It had been a relaxing and enjoyable trip, full of the luxury of only needing to consider each other.We laughed at my need to stop at the bathroom constantly and we grinned for pictures together. We didn't rush but instead savored and were grateful to be together. I think so much of our time and attention is pulled and directed at the day to day level that our original bond is over shadowed. It was wonderful to celebrate our commitment to each other and the 20 years we have put in so far.