And that would be why

Me: Who broke the new butterfly net?

Bode: Hadley did it.

Hadley: Why do you blame me for EVERYTHING?

Me: Well, did you break it?

Hadley: Yes.

2 very different kids, 2 sets of grandmas, 2 darling Christmas outfits for each

It’s never boring around here, that’s for sure.

Winter Park Day 3: A Family That Skis Together, Plays Forever

I truly fell in love with Winter Park Resort’s 3,081 skiable acres and thanks to its close proximity to Denver, it will become my go-to place for a quick half-day of skiing. Though it consists of four mountains (Winter Park, Mary Jane, Vasquez Ridge and Vasquez Cirque), I felt like I was skiing two different resorts. At The Village at Winter Park, there are restaurants (don’t miss Goodys’ to-die-for crepes), the new Alpenglow Massage, ice skating, an event gazebo and 200 luxurious condominium units in Fraser Crossing.

Goodys’ Good Crepes

Train playground, condo’s 30-person hot tub, winter wonderland, Polar Bear

The base of Mary Jane is dedicated to the diehards who don’t need all the pomp and circumstance. Sure, there are a few dining options but the important thing is it’s a short walk from your car to the slopes. I even spotted a camper or two in the parking lot.

Gorgeous amenities + staying connected to their roots? I’ve dubbed Winter Park the best of both worlds.

On our third and final day at the resort, we skied together as a family. I’ve dreamed of saying that for years. We have made several attempts but I can’t count hunched-over-trying-to-keep-Bode-from-falling-all-the-way-down-the-mountain as skiing. The sport has finally clicked for him and he LOVES it. When we awoke that morning, he announced he wanted to ski his first blue (intermediate run).

We tackled several difficult green-level runs (the easiest), often times splitting up so Haddie could find more challenging terrain and then meeting at the bottom of the lift. There was no pomp or circumstance when Bode decided he was ready for more difficult terrain. Like most everything in his life, he just decided he was going to do it and so did.

Hadley had some impressive moments as well.

“I want to do those,” Hadley said pointing to a run that was so bumpy it resembled a strawberry patch.

“Since when have you skied moguls?” I demanded.

“Since last year,” she breezily replied.

Bumps Girl

And skied them she did. Of course, she’s still figuring out her form but gosh darn it, I was stunned with how brazen she was. There is no way I could have set foot (or ski) on a mogul when I was her age. I have no doubt Bode and Hadley will soon surpass Jamie and me on the slopes and that Saturday at Winter Park confirmed it.

And I could not have been more proud.

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In case you missed them:

Winter Park Day 1: Tubing Cruising for a Bruisin’

Winter Park Day 2: The Mogul Queen, Kitty Cat on the Slopes & Bumper Funnies.

Winter Park Day 3: A Family That Skis Together, Plays Forever.

Bode Funnies: The King of Everything

Bode: The King of Efficiency

“Bode, why do you have a Band-Aid under your nose like that?”

“Because my nose is bleeding.”

“Did you try using a Kleenex?”

“Yes, but I got tired of holding it there so put a Band-Aid on instead.”

Bode: The King of the Insects

My little man loves to play games and we’ve spent plenty of time doing just that over the winter break. We’ve enjoyed Cranium Conga, a fun “guess what I’m thinking?” game that got our whole family acting, sculpting, guesstimating, and picking hilarious words.

And funniest of all was Bode.

One of the questions he had to answer is, “I can run faster than a ______.”

He’s a pretty athletic little dude so we threw out answers like a cat. A dog. A rabbit.

We were struck down on all accounts. His final answer? “I can run faster than an ant.”

Aim high, little one. Aim high.

Hadley Funnies: From Lip-syncer to Violin-Faker

Right before school let out for winter break, we had a humdinger of an emotional meltdown as Hadley lamented how she absolutely could not perform in her first violin concert that day and gave me an itemized list as to why. (Hating and being horrible at the violin were #1 and 2).

I don’t know how many professional violinists you know but I doubt they were very accomplished after only playing a few months.

Jamie and I tried to  console her that she was one of 50 kids performing and she would blend right in but she was irrational and it escalated into a pretty heated disagreement.

Frustrations from the big blowout were not my finest moments so–despite her crazy–I wanted to do something nice for her. She had a sleepover scheduled with her bestie with the caveat her attitude improved, she apologized and she cleaned her room. While she was at school, I did a secret service of the latter item, hoping to surprise her.

Funny No. 1

I was sitting at the kitchen table with Bode when she went to her room.

“Hey wait. My room is all clean! Did Daddy do it? My elf on the shelf?”

Bode whispered to me, “Mommy, was it you?” I responded affirmatively.

“It was Mommy,” he called back. “What do you say to her?”

(Does anyone else find it funny my first grader was trying to coax his older sister to say “thank you?”)

Her response? “I say that I don’t have to clean my room now.”

So much for that little thing called gratitude.

(She eventually did say “thank-you” when she figured out her brother wouldn’t back down until she did.  I’m totally hiring the little dude).

Funny No. 2

But back to the dreaded concert. When Jamie and I arrived at school, she was in a much better mood and all seemed forgotten.Her beloved music teacher Mr. V did a wonderful job and the little performers far exceeded expectations…earplugs weren’t even needed! Hadley was mostly hidden from my view on the second row but I listened intently for a rogue violinist and breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over.

Me: “Hadley, you did a great job!”

Her: “I didn’t play.”

Me:  “What do you mean? I saw you playing.”

Her: “I just pretended to play. I moved my bow around but didn’t touch the strings. I was too afraid of messing up.”

I LAUGHED OUT LOUD. This is not the first time she has done this.

Funny No. 3

When Hadley was two  years old, the Primary (young) kids at church were singing a couple of songs dedicated unto the dads for Father’s Day. Hadley was in what is called Nursery; kind of the preschool to the Big Primary Kahuna. The kids were singing her favorite song: “I’m so glad when Daddy comes home,” a little ditty she had been singing since she could barely talk. I hesitated, wondering if my little social butterfly would be ill-at-ease performing a song she’d never practiced in front of huge congregation. So I simply asked if she’d like to sing it with the big Primary kids. The response?

Ohhhhh yeah!

In fact, she could barely sit still leading up to her debut performance. I even tried to do a practice run as a refresher but she got mad, saying she wasn’t going to sing it now. Silly me.

When it came time, she practically skipped to the front of the chapel and plopped herself front and center. And as if expecting all eyes should naturally fall upon her, she prepared herself to perform.

The only problem was that I failed to tell her they were singing two songs, the first of which she did not know.

The music started and for a moment, Hadley faltered. She cautiously looked around as if thinking, “This was NOT in my contract.” But while the other young children either looked bored out of their minds or like a deer in headlights, the Hurricane took a different approach.

“She is…she is…she is….” Jamie laughingly faltered.
“What? What is she doing?”
“She is lip-syncing the words!” he finally spewed out.

Sure enough, my little Hurricane was faking it, evidently so as not to disappoint her publics.

But the best reaction of all was when the second song came on, her song. She immediately perked up, SHOUTED the words, and acted out the actions such as “put my arms around his neck, hug him tight like this.” The kid gave an Oscar-worthy performance.

When it came time to “give him a great, big kiss,” Jamie and I were about ready to pee our pants as she dramatically swept out her arm and blew him a smoocher.

She was so proud of herself and had no idea that she, the youngest kid up there, had left the entire ward in stitches. And had made the biggest, funniest, cutest fool of herself imaginable.

So, the  moral of the violin-faking story? There is always hope.

The Broadmoor’s White Lights Ceremony is the Christmas Spirit Exemplified! (Part II)

Read Part I here.

Though The Broadmoor’s holiday merriment extends all December long, attending the White Lights Ceremony over Thanksgiving weekend is an annual kick-off to Christmas my family will always cherish.

Upon check-in, we received a synopsis of activities so long it rivaled my children’s own list to Santa (a major undertaking, indeed). On Friday, there were two Christmas movies in the Little Theater, jewelry making and even silk scarf paining. Saturday’s holiday offerings were almost overwhelming. From Breakfast with Santa to story time with Mrs. Claus to family bingo to an entire ballroom filled with winter wonderland fun, we had a glorious, fun-filled day.

Cookies Galore

We’ve done plenty of sub-par cookie decorating but cookie painting? Colorado Springs-based Art & Style Baking headed up cookie painting with a variety of holiday-themed shapes and edible fondant, paint and glitter. They even provided each child with a “Cookie Artiste” certificate.
It should be duly noted the bar has been set WAY too high for future attempts.

Christmas House

There are gifts galore at the Christmas House, which is a must-visit during the holidays. The themed rooms are brimming with whimsical snowmen, ornaments and elegant décor. Santa has his very own house and greets families every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (photos with Santa are $14). During the White Lights Ceremony weekend live reindeer were present.

The only thing missing from this North Pole-esque experience: snow.

Winter Wonderland Fun

New this year, the resort wisely consolidated many of their most popular holiday activities into Winter Wonderland Family Fun at the Broadmoor Hall’s ballroom. Under a big top of glistening lights and ribbons, my kids built gingerbread houses.

Don’t they look peaceful? Gingerbread houses are our annual tradition and this was the first year we didn’t argue. Or, as Jamie diplomatically stated, “had artistic differences.”

The kids also decorated Santa cupcakes, indulged in the hot chocolate station, wrote letters to Santa, did holiday crafts and made their very own magical reindeer food. jumped in the bouncy castles and built their own Broadmoor bears.

Bear stuffing

Sounds exhausting? It was. But if those few hours we spent in Winter Wonderland Family Fun didn’t ignite our Christmas spirit, nothing could.

White Lights Ceremony

The climax of the weekend was, of course, the White Lights Ceremony on the West Terrace at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. An hour prior, my family purchased s’mores kits from the West Lobby Bar to roast on the outdoor terrace’s fire pit.

This was by far our most civilized s’mores roasting experience ever because we’re usually covered in camping grime.

As a live band exuberantly belted out Christmas classics on stage, my kids joined legions of their peers to dance, sing and whirl their green and red glow-stick necklaces.

All activity froze when Santa was spotted traversing the bridge. Without hesitation, my daughter darted away like a crazed Santa groupie to follow his arrival with Mrs. Claus and their band of merry elves.

Masters of Ceremony Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted their enthusiasts and started the countdown to flip the switch. And just like that, 250,000 flashes of light set the sky and Cheyenne Lake ablaze. As we marveled at this visual spectacle of The Broadmoor’s perfectly manicured grounds coming to life, we hugged one another and relished in the delighted squeals that filled the night air. And we knew The Broadmoor was one reason this would be one Christmas season we’d never forget.

Christmas 2012: WiiU, Touch, Spoons & Sing Offs!

With both sets of grandparents far away, our past Christmases have been on the road. In fact, Bode didn’t remember ever spending Christmas in Colorado so we’ve been long overdue to just stay and spend it together as a family. And it was so lovely and low-key.

Bode snugged up with us in bed at 6 a.m. I told him we had to wait until 6:30 a.m. to wake up Hadley but when he started counting down every minute, Jamie finally broke at 6:14 a.m.: “ALRIGHT, LET’S GO WAKE HER UP.”

My favorite Christmas memories as a kid are that first glimpse of the tree literally overflowing with presents. I hold off on putting most of the presents out until Christmas morning so our tree has the same shock value.

The past few years, Jamie and I have opted out of giving each other presents (besides our stockings) because we’d rather have our discretionary income go to our travels and date nights versus materialistic stuff we can buy ourselves. We had a few presents from grandparents and family and that left 95 percent of what was under the tree was for the kids.

It sure sucked for them. ((**please ignore the boxed formatting errors the rest of this post. No idea what’s going on and have no time to fix it)).Christmas morning is LAME without little kids’ exuberance and unbridled joy. Mine are the PERFECT age where the magic is still alive and they rejoiced over every present. And as you’ll note from the pictures, it was dark when we started and we finished in broad daylight. It even snowed a few inches to make the morning idyllic and a rock-star neighbor secretly shoveled everyone’s sidewalks.

Haddie asked for dresses and got five of them. She has fallen in love with knitting at school and that was her Santa request. As we neared the end of opening our gifts, she expressed disappointment he had forgotten. But then she grabbed The Present, pulled it out and said quizzically, “he gave me chopsticks?

Knitting needles, dear blonde girl. Knitting needles.

Bode asked Santa for an interactive globe and I’m sure he’ll have the countries, ecology and populations memorized by the end of the year.

Neither kids were expecting their main gifts. At an event earlier this month, I received a FREE iPod Touch (amazing, right?) but I hesitated to give it to Hadley. She has zero interest in technology and pop culture and I certainly don’t want to push her into growing up before she’s ready. But ultimately Jamie and I decided it was time and she was out-of-her gourd excited and kept squealing, “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS FOR ME!”

Aunt Tammy gave her an iTunes card so we set her up with her first email address and iTunes account that we will closely monitor (talk about an out-of-body experience.) We downloaded her first-ever album: Taylor Swift’s Red, she grabbed her headphones and headed up to her room.

“We just lost our daughter,” Jamie joked.

Hopefully we won’t live to regret it.

As for Bode, his first love is his beloved Wii. I’ve been a “Brand Ambassador” for a few years (or rather, he has) and Nintendo will occasionally send us video games to check out. Of course, their big news is the release of the WiiU, a cutting-edge console with a GamePad controller that enables multiple viewing options, letting users view a movie or TV show streaming from Netflix on the TV while browsing for something to watch next on the GamePad. Their new online network Miiverse, features an activity feed that will eventually be accessed through web-enabled devices such as smartphones.

Pretty amazing technology.

Due to high demand, I didn’t think we’d receive one before Christmas but a few days prior, Nintendo delivered! We kept it a surprise and had the kids buy each other two of their favorite games: Super Mario Bros. U and Just Dance 4.  Jamie built up the suspense. As Bode FREAKED out re: Super Mario (his “favorite game ever”) Jamie deflated him. “But Bode, look at this. It is for the WiiU and we don’t have a WiiU!”

And then we presented him with his final gift.And spent some of the day playing it and karaoking to Sing Party.

We had a day full of food, fun, games, balloon animals with Uncle Chris, movies (Brave, Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story) and the capstone was when I introduced them to the Borowski family’s favorite tradition: Spoons. I don’t want to boast but I was the world champion with my lightning-fast reflexes but I found myself doing something I’ve never done in Spoons: I let the kids win. On purpose.  Oblivious of my efforts to keep the kids happy, I gave Jamie The Look across the table and to his credit, he ended up throwing the last game, thus cementing my kids’ love of Spoons for many years to come.

However, unlike my family’s Spoons marathons, there was no blood or broken tables.

Better luck next time.

Loveland Ski Area: Santa Sightings and a Boy Converted

Jamie is a pretty low-maintenance guy so when he requests something, I really try and do it. And that request was to hit Loveland Ski Area on Christmas Eve day. Though I was crazy-busy trying to pull everything together for our party that evening, I loathe procrastination. I had shopped and wrapped presents weeks ago so had no problem doing my final food prep work the day prior. I rubbed it in just a little bit with this tweet:
And I’m so glad we did it. This is the second time we’ve skied Loveland on Christmas Eve and we have vowed to make it an annual tradition when we’re in Colorado. Not only is it a mere 40-minute drive from our house but the slopes are gloriously devoid of crowds.

This was our first ski day of the season so a half-day trip was perfect as we attempt to get our legs in shape. Bode was the big question mark. While Hadley has taken to skiing like a fish in water, Bode only decided he liked skiing on our final few days on the slopes last year. Our fingers were crossed he would maintain that same level of enthusiasm.

After getting their equipment in Loveland Valley (the beginner/intermediate area), we were about 20 minutes early for their lesson. I suggested  they take a quick run off Chair 7. Both kids were game but then Hadley realized the tech had set her bindings too small for her skis. Uncle Chris took her back inside and I looked dubiously at Bode.

“Do you want to wait for Sissy?”

“No, I can handle it.”

Stunned by his bravado (was this the same tepid kid from last season?) I ignored my doubts and let him go for it. He confidently waved at us from the lift and then bravely made his way down the slope by himself.He was hooked and we knew we were home-free. Jamie, Chris and I left them with their fabulous, fun and helpful instructors April and Rachel (seriously request them if you are there).And had a blast! Jamie and I recently bought ourselves new ski equipment from Powder7, which offers killer deals on all-things skiing and riding. We were excited to try them out for the first time and relieved we made some great choices.

Brothers

My favorite gift: skiing with this dude

Of course, a trip to Loveland on Christmas Eve is not complete without a visit from the Man in Red.On Bode’s first ski day ever on Christmas Eve three years ago at Loveland, I snapped this picture and had to put them side-by-side.
My, how they’ve grown.

And here’s to many more years of spending our Christmas Eve at Loveland.

Johnson Family Newsletter 2012!

After a two-year hiatus due to busyness, poverty and/or plain ol’ laziness, the infamous Johnson family newsletter is back. We love to play together and have had some epic trips in 2012. From going to Disneyland and Disney World to spending almost a month in Canada to skiing and hiking all over Colorado and Utah, we have been extremely blessed.

Magical Night at Fish Creek Provincial Park, Canada

Jamie

The Pumpkin Man had a pretty good year. With Denver’s record-breaking heat, the pumpkin season was long and slow but he still grew an 837-pound giant. His fourth-place finish cemented his status as a local celebrity and our city’s newspaper reported he was (horrors) “signing autographs” at the weigh-off. His web development business Pixo Web Design & Strategy continues to grow and he is juggling more clients than he can remember (we choose to attribute this to a burgeoning company vs. early-onset dementia). Jamie’s big news is after 41 long years, he went to Disneyland for the first time and has promised to drop his pending lawsuit against his parents for their negligence. Amber

Amber turned The Big 4-0 in February and celebrated by convincing her friends it is fun to go skating on a lake! In the mountains! In the winter! With the kids finally in school full-time, Amber is busier than ever and loves her almost-daily mountain adventures and freelancing from home. In addition to blogging about their family at TheMileHighMama.com, she still oversees the Denver Post’s social media efforts for moms and had a dream come true: she is writing a family humor column in the newspaper. She regularly appears on 9News as the resident “expert” on all-things motherhood–evidence the world really is coming to an end. Oh, and her memory is worse than Jamie’s. Pray for them.Hadley (8)

Hadley is a spitfire-of-a-third grader who loves swim team, skiing, crafts, piano and Fat Kitty. She is becoming a great cook, loves fine food and has a particular affinity for black truffle oil (heaven help her first date who ignorantly takes her out for fast food). She has had the biggest changes of anyone this year: she was baptized and then switched to a new Waldorf charter school. She enjoys her new arts-based academic setting and loves learning the violin in orchestra, the recorder, Spanish and even knitting. She had the time of her life with her class on a recent 3-day camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park which Amber generously offered to chaperone (read: vicarious living). Though thriving in the arts Hadley struggles in math, thereby solidifying she will never have a career as an accountant.Bode (6)

We are convinced it doesn’t get any better than first grade and Bode is illustrating this. He’s an easy-going, sweet dude who is beloved by everyone. He just finished off his third year in soccer, loves rocking the skate park on his bike, all-things Wii, is learning to play basketball, is obsessed with tennis and figured out how to swim without drowning (it was touch-and-go for a while). Bode and Hadley were models in a back-to-school fashion show on 9News and though they both did a great job, Bode’s cute and funny moves stole the show. He is smart as a whip and at the top of his first grade class. During a recent dinnertime prayer, he even thanked the good Lord for homework. Quite appropriately, Hadley later gave him a brown-noser hazing. Then made him do her math.

Gratitudes

In 2011, we joked we had a punch card at the hospital with two heart surgeries for Jamie, a broken wrist for Bode and ER visits for Amber. Thankfully, 2012 has been much more peaceful. At church, Jamie is still in our ward’s Bishopric while Amber works with the 12-13-year-old Young Women. This holiday season, we had the opportunity to help at our local food bank and were delighted to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless women’s shelter for the second year in a row (a definite tradition!) Truly, we feel blessed and we wish you peace, joy and love of our Savior. One of my favorite quotes serves as an annual reminder of what it’s all about. Love,

The Johnsons

P.S. Fat Kitty is annoyed he was not included in our annual newsletter and wanted everyone to know he’s still alive.

Kind of.

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

I was prepared to love Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland and seeing all four parks dressed up in their Christmas best. What I was not prepared for was falling in love with Disney World’s 500-acre Animal Kingdom, the largest of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks. I only enjoy the zoo on occasion and I figured this would be one, oversized sanctuary.

I’m so glad I was wrong. Not only does the park lead the way in animal care, education and research (with 1,700 animals), but it has the perfect blend of education and family fun in some of my most coveted bucket-list destinations. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is divided into seven areas and we started with the most important one: where the food was.

In our defense, it was 11 a.m. when we arrived at the park and had not yet eaten.

We opted for Flame Tree Barbecue, a surprisingly affordable quick-service restaurant with house-smoked barbecue chicken and rib meals. While I waited for our order, Jamie and Co. found seating in one of the tropical outdoor pavilions overlooking Mount Everest.Just your average day at Disney World.

Poor Bode had thrown up at 2 a.m. so we were walking on eggshells to ensure he’d be OK. We rented him a stroller (best $30 we spent on the trip) and let him take the lead and our little guide told us Dinoland, U.S.A.® was the place.

What a fantastic way to start and he was in his element!

Asia

From there, it was onto Asia and something within me was triggered. For as long as I can remember, I’ve yearned for this region of the world–particularly Nepal and Tibet–and have been obsessed with REI Adventures’ Everest Lodge to Lodge Trek (anyone have $5,000 to spare who wants to go?) I could have sworn I’d been transported to the streets of Kathmandu (though they named it Anandapur, which means “place of delight” in Sanskrit).

The township breathed its traditions, architecture, culture and people—from crumbling ruins to mysterious temples to rickshaws to lush vegetation to castoff backpacking gear to prayer flags to the Tiger Tree decorated with scarves and bells as a tribute to the spirits for wishes that have been granted.
I was in my paradise when I boarded Expedition Everest and didn’t come down from my high—it was by far my favorite attraction EVER as it raced around the “Roof of the World” with an ephemeral Yeti sighting (didn’t see it), a broken track and roller-coaster that careened backward into darkness (couldn’t miss ‘em—AHHHHHH!)
“I cried because I was so happy!” I exclaimed at the end.
“I cried because I thought I was going to throw up!” Hadley countered.

Following Jamie’s birthday dinner at Yak and Yeti (delicious Pan-Asian dishes such as maple tamarind chicken and mango pie), we were able to bribe Hadley to go again, with the reward of her very own Lion King Nala souvenir.

Money speaks louder than fear in our family.

Africa

Bucket List Item No. 2: Go on a safari and that is just what we did on the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition. Riding in open-aired safari vehicles, we were thrust into the 100-acre savanna as we spotted giraffes, lions, hippopotamus, crocodiles, zebras and so many more.

We traversed rickety bridges, rocky hills and even forged through rivers in the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. At one turn, our vehicle came to a standstill because of (what else) exotic animal crossings.

I was amazed how, just the day before, we had been waging the war in the concrete jungle and now were transported into an entirely different, unexpected and magnificent oasis.

And an Animal Kingdom I hope to visit again and again.

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My Disney World coverage:

Disney World’s New Fantasyland: A Dream Come True!

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon, our Orlando TV Debut and Jamie’s Famous Body Part

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad..and Then Good

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

The day We Lost Our Daughter at the Airport

 

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

One of the highlights of Walt Disney World’s Epcot was checking out their newly re-imagined Test Track. Disney’s Imagineers teamed up with Chevrolet to introduce this multi-sensory experience that literally blew us away.

We started in the Chevrolet Design Center where we designed our own virtual custom vehicles on kiosks that even the most technologically-inept can figure out. I teamed up with Bode to virtually draw, stretch and shape our vehicle for everything from engine size to tailored wheels to front grills.

We produced a vehicle that was a cross between a truck and grandma’s station wagon that Bode assured me was a winner. It wasn’t. How do I know? When our vehicle was complete, we swiped a card that encoded our personal specs and measured how it performed aboard a 6-person “SimCar.” Our design for our dream wheels was put to the test as we raced over challenging hills, on bumpy roads and tight curves.

Photo Credit: Walt Disney World.

Amazing technology, no?

According to capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power, we came up short but it didn’t matter. Following our real thrill ride, we raced our virtual custom-concept vehicles against other people’s designs at a digital driving table. Then, we created our own TV commercial starring our own vehicle and selected our location, narration and music, which we then emailed home. (See our Test Track video).Our car may not have been a winning design but this ultra-cool and fun attraction will make anyone feel like a champion.

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My Disney World coverage:

Disney World’s New Fantasyland: A Dream Come True!

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon, our Orlando TV Debut and Jamie’s Famous Body Part

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad..and Then Good

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

The day We Lost Our Daughter at the Airport