Dear Kid Mickey,

Thank you for a lovely day at EPCOT. We had several skeptics in our family, all of whom were converted to fans by the end of the day.

Of course, we ate our way from one end of the world to the other. We enjoyed Bouche de Noel, grapefruit beer, apple strudel, chocolate mousse (not to be confused with you, oh Round Eared One), crepes, many choices of Chinese food, gelato, and probably more that I’ve forgotten. Yes, a bit heavy on the dessert side, but we made up for it at dinner at the Nine Dragons. It’s not obvious that the 900 miles we walked will be sufficient to burn off the calories. It’s not obvious that dieting for the next 30 months will be sufficient, but it was all really good. Especially the mousse. Yum!

The night-ending Illumination was spectacular. As The Kid said, “They really figured out how to use the smoke from the fireworks to their best advantage.” Tal said it was the best fireworks and light display she’s ever seen. I’m rather inclined to agree.

Somehow we managed to avoid the worst of the rain (so clever of us, don’t you think?) by being at dinner during what we were assured by other guests was an absolute deluge and then running between a few raindrops for the rest of the evening. Thanks for turning off the rain during the Illumination, because I’m not sure I’d have been happy to stand and watch it during a monsoon, and it was definitely worth staying for.

We didn’t get to see Figment during our visit; please tell him we said hi.

FACT: It is true that teenagers can go an entire day without TV during vacation.

UNPROVEN: We have not yet established that teenagers can go an entire day without their cell phones, although they were judicious in their use of their communication devices.

Again, thanks for inviting us to come and visit. We had a great time and hope you’ll visit us in a Ohio soon.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Thanks for your help planning an outstanding field trip.

Love, Mom