National Honor Society Conference

February 26-28, 2026

Emily had a great time at the National Honor Society Conference last year in Chicago so she was super excited to go again this year.  For 2026, the conference was in Washington D.C., a city she loves.  The kids took vans this year driven by their faculty advisors.  They left early Thursday morning and arrived in time to take in some sights and get dinner before turning in for the night.  Over the course of the next couple days the kids got to enjoy the conference, see the capitol, the Supreme Court, monuments, ride scooters down the National Mall and more!  It's hard to write too much about what happened since I wasn't there, but I can definitely tell she had a great time.

     

   

Disney Weekend - Part 2

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Today was our only full day together so we packed in the fun.  We started at Animal Kingdom.  Daniel had our lightning lanes stacked perfectly so we made the most of our time.  We started with Kilimanjaro Safari - which never disappoints.

   

   

Then we made a beeline to Lion King.  This has been such a good strategy for us.

   

Then it was time for Feathered Friends in Flight.  We have learned that going straight from Lion King to this really maximizes our time.  And we hate missing this show since it is so good.  Some of our favorites friends include the bird at the beginning who takes the bottle to the recycle bin, the great barred owl, the parrot and of course the bald eagle.  I also love the macaws and the toucan.

   

   

Then it was time for Expedition Everest - a family favorite.  The backward hill is my favorite.

   

   

Then it was time for a quick lunch at Pizzafari followed by a trip to Pandora to ride Navi'i River and Flight of Passage.  A perfect way to close out our visit.

   

   

Then it was time to rest up a bit before spending the evening at Magic Kingdom.  We wrapped up a little earlier than normal at Animal Kingdom so that gave us some extra time at Magic Kingdom.  Our first stop (after the castle) was Haunted Mansion.

   

Then we were off to Pirates of the Caribbean.  I didn't used to really like either of these rides, but they have definitely grown on me over the years.  And this time we got front row for Pirates so we got a good pic too!

   

Then it was time for Tron - another family favorite.  Getting this lightning lane is always a challenge so we love it when we can get it.

   

Next up, we made a quick run over to Tomorrowland Speedway. for a trip around the speediest circuit in the cosmos.

   

After Speedway, we headed to Space Mountain. Can't come to Magic Kingdom without a ride to space.

Then it was finally time to take a little rest, load up on desserts and wait for the fireworks at the Tomorrowland Fireworks Dessert Party.  Our favorite part of every Disney trip.  This was a great way to close another great trip to Disney - even if this one was a little short.

   

   

  

Disney Weekend

Friday, February 20, 2026

Being in Orlando for a conference really called out for a long weekend for the fam at Disney.  So we did it.  Daniel and Emily arrived Thursday evening on the direct flight on Breeze (so convenient).  They went to Hollywood Studios on Friday morning while I finished up the seminars.

   

   

Then when I finished up my day, we headed to Epcot for the evening.  Even without the Food and Wine Festival it is still fun to eat around the world.  We also had lightning lanes (I still call them fast passes.  I can't get used to lightning lane) for Test Track, Soarin, Living with the Land and Guardians of the Galaxy.  So we had a pretty full night.