Two Worlds

(l. to r.) Francesca, Alex, Rosaria, and Mamma Regina are soaked from a wet and wild ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. © Photo courtesy of Di Meglio family

My mom Regina, my friend Alex, and I spent last weekend at my sister’s place in Florida livin’ it up. (To view photos from the weekend, click on the “Girls Weekend 2010” photo album.) We did the girlie girl thing with pedicures, soaked up sun in the baby pool (yes, a baby pool), went on rides at Disney World, did some shopping, and ate anything we wanted. The weekend, which was a much-needed distraction and lots of fun did include two men – my brother John and my sister’s dog Shilo, both of whom provided ample entertainment (from brother John giving his three-month-old daughter a bath to Shilo jumping onto the table to eat a zucchini pancake). There was girl’s night out with all of us, my sister-in-law Jaci, and baby Maria for dinner at Kouzzina. And there was many a World Cup disappointment. Let’s not even talk about that. Besides, delicious clams and pretzel bread made everything all better. Love and miss you all now!

Maria takes a nap on her papa's chest. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Maria Regina, the daughter of my brother John and his wife Jaci (and more importantly my parents’ first granddaughter), finally met her father’s side of the family last week. The family was overjoyed at her presence — and no one was more excited to meet six-week-old Maria than her little cousins, who held her and loved her as much as they could in the short time she visited. (To check out the images from Maria’s visit, you can click on the “Maria Meets the Family” photo album.) We still can’t get the sweet new baby smell out of my parent’s house. Who doesn’t love that?

Maria Regina is sticking her tongue out at you. © Photo by Nonna Regina

Yesterday was a long and wonderful day. Finally, after months and months of waiting, Maria Regina joined our family. The daughter of my brother John and his wife Jaci, Maria was born at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 21 in. long. I haven’t met her in person yet. (Antonio, papa’, and I just arrived in Florida last night and spent two hours driving around trying to find the hospital only to keep ending up back at the airport. We cursed like sailors at each other until we just went to our home in Kissimmee and gave up. We’ll meet Maria in just a little while.) I did, however, speak with my new niece on the phone last night, and she yelled at me, too. Apparently, she was hoping we would get to the hospital, but she proved that she already fits right into the family. Seriously, she’s a bundle of joy — and she’ll be a great addition to our crew. To see more pictures, visit, “Maria Regina” photo album.

(From l. to r.) Francesca, Antonio, Rosaria, Mr. John, and Jaci at the entrance of EPCOT in Florida. © Photo courtesy of Disney's PhotoPass

Anyone who reads my blog — or knows me — is aware that Disney World in Orlando, Fla. is one of my favorite places on Earth. My brother used to work there and my sister and sister-in-law still work there. But for me Disney is still one of the best tourist spots. You feel like a kid again — and it brings back delicious memories of the annual vacations my family took there when I was younger. I grab every opportunity to return. Now, when I visit Mickey, I get to visit my siblings, too. (For pictures from this latest trip to Disney, visit the “Disney World 2009” photo album.)

In 2009, Disney was all about celebrations. People got in for free on their birthdays, and you could wear buttons indicating what you were celebrating — from anniversaries to honeymoons. Some of the restaurants would offer you special surprises for your anniversary, such as cupcakes or chocolate-covered strawberries. Disney also offered exceptional vacation packages that included 40 percent off meals if you purchased the dining package. I jumped at the chance to go on this vacation with the deluxe dining plan for our first anniversary. We headed there in mid December, and it was a dream, except for two days of bad weather and Antonio’s cold. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort, which was romantic and lovely but out of the way. It required a 20- to 30-minute bus ride to get to the parks. Our favorite restaurant was California Grill, which is atop the Contemporary Resort. We were able to see the “Wishes” fireworks show at Magic Kingdom from the California Grill’s terrace. Spectacular!