My Dad.
My Hero.
This year has been very busy for many reasons. Getting downtime with my family hasn't been as easy as it usually is. I miss vacations at the beach with my family. So I soak in the moments we do have and cherish them.
We lived in Chicago for nearly 20 years. One thing Chi-town is known for is it's deep dish pizza. YUM!
(note: Save yourself the anxiety and do not look up the fat content & calorie count if you eat deep dish!!!)
Per dad's request, we headed down towards Disney to Giordanos for some Chicago flavor!
After dinner we headed to Downtown Disney to walk off some of the 20 lbs we had just ate in cheese!!! HAHA! The weather was threatening the typical Florida afternoon/evening storms. We were afraid we'd get water logged, but instead, the clouds just made from some neat pics without the rain drops!
The Lego store had new creations on display. Last time they had a bunch of cool Transformer Lego sculptures. This time it was TOY STORY! Oh how I love Disney's Toy Story movies!!!
Buzz Lightyear is taking Woody to INFINITY AND BEYOND!!! These sculptures are AMAZING!!! All Legos!
And this Dragon Fighter...wow!!!
The fam checking out Michael's new phone's photos of the Lego sculptures.
AND FINALLY!!!
Ghiradelli Ice Cream!!! Dad's FAVORITE!!! Quite frankly, it's one of mine too! I find this kind of funny because my dad and I are A LOT alike. One of our "things" is that we don't typically like fancy ice cream. Get us the cheap vanilla flavors at the grocery or lets run out for good 'ol Dairy Queen soft serve and we're happy as can be! So for us to love fancy ice cream...highly unusual. LOL
Ice cream on the patio watching the sun set over the lake, but if you looked the opposite direction it was dark as night with thunder clouds.
After ice cream we found a HUGE toy store. Disney has this way of making you turn into a kid again. Tim IMMEDIATELY found the Star Wars section. Earlier in the parking lot he had seen this little boy with a light saber (sp?!?!), turned to me, and said, "Is it wrong that I wish I had one of those?" HILARIOUS! Note to self....Christmas idea! haha!
"ELF" taking a pic with the Pooh Elf
Then the last place we found was this store loaded with JUST Christmas!!! Dad found this Winnie the Pooh dressed up as an ELF!!! Gotta love my dad...HE'S THE BEST! This may just seem like a stuffed animal to most, but it's significant to me as it relates to me as my parent's daughter. My whole life among our family, my nickname has been "Erika Pooh". Then, on the day I was born, one of dad's coworkers was skipping down the hospital halls chanting, "Mike had an ELF today! Mike had an ELF today!" See, my name first name is Erika, middle name Lynn, and last name started with a "F"...E.L.F. So there-in-lies my other nickname...ELF. As much as I love my married last name, sometimes I miss my maiden name.
We had a wonderful evening with my family celebrating my dad! I think my dad is an amazing man! He has taught me so much. One of the most significant life lessons dad has taught me is to be a servant leader. Do the jobs people refuse and do them well. Never delegate a task you do not know how to do yourself and be willing to help those who are assigned. Always give credit and not take the credit. Be the leader whom inspires you.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, seek God first in all decisions at work and at home.
My Father.
My Hero.
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