On January 9, 2009, Tommy made his racing debut in the 200 meter dash on the track of the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. It was a beautiful day in sunny Florida, perfect for running. Tommy was anxious to get out and run. He spent the hours prior to the race running up and down the bleachers and all over the soccer fields. After waiting as patiently as a four year old possibly can, the announcers called the runners to the starting line. Tommy's mommy had to go to the 100 meter starting line with Piper, so Uncle Chris, the family running legend, accompanied Tommy to the starting line. At the last minute, though, Tommy pannicked and needed Daddy to run with him. Even after the switch, Tommy tried to back out at the last minute. Once the anouncers shouted "GO", Daddy used his motivational skills to get Tommy moving. After being passed by a few runners, Tommy began to pick up speed. He crossed the finish line with a big smile on his face. He grabbed his medal and ran off to share his triumph with Grandma and Grandpa!
Piper also made her running debut. She ran a great race - holding onto Mommy's hand the entire time!
The prize for completing the race was, of course, a trip to Disneyworld! It was a weekend of firsts for Tommy. His first park was the Magic Kingdom. He was not very willing to ride many rides at first, and he wanted nothing to do with the characters. Tommy's mommy was starting to think that trip was going to be a disaster, but after a nice lunch and a couple of "Grandma" rides (the ones that didn't make Grandma sick), Tommy started to relax and enjoy himself!
The next day started the same at Hollywood Studios. Tommy didn't want to ride the rides, and he was not very happy about seeing Woody and Buzz Lightyear. But, he was a trooper and took his picture with them. He saw the Disney animation studio, and then Playhouse Disney live on stage. Just as he was hooked, Tommy's Mommy played a very mean trick on him... she took him on the Tower of Terror! Let's just say that the rest of the trip Tommy pleaded never to take him into that "Red Building" ever again!
The rest of the trip went well... Tommy enjoyed himself more and more each day. He even warmed up to the characters. He loved the Disney Princess Storybook Dinner at Epcot. He did his best to impress each and every one of them. His pick up lines included: "we're from Ohio", "I have a dog and a cat", and the ever popular "we live in a hotel". Needless to say, he went home alone that night! He also had brunch with Mickey and the gang. His favorite was Donald!
Another highlight for Tommy was co-piloting the Monorail. One night Tommy's mommy screwed up trying to get home from the Animal Kingdom Lodge and ended up at the Ticket Center for Magic Kingdom. In order to get to the bus, we had to take the monorail. Daddy remembered that you can ask to sit up front, so he did. It was a little scary, especially since it was at night, but Tommy was so excited. He even got to help out the pilot. Before he left, he got his official copilot badge to prove that he was licensed to drive the monorail!
Tommy will not be making a trip back to Disney for a couple of years, but hopefully he will continue with his running career soon. He had a great start, and he's got plenty of energy to burn!
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