First — speaking of pretty — I want to congratulate fellow Jaunty Kristan Higgins for bringing home the beautiful RITA statue with her from the recent RWA conference in Orlando! Huzzah, Kristan!

And also pretty were the new fireworks in the newest fireworks show in Disney World – Nightastic! in Magic Kingdom. Though first reports (from our son AKA Mr. Little Walt Disney!) were less than stellar, I was thrilled by the new show! It focuses on fairy godmothers then brings in pirates (Captain Hook AND Jerry Bruckheiser music….not bad!) and then in comes Tinkerbell to save the day! And, having stood in front of Cinderella’s Castle before, Tink is a real person who ‘flies’ down a wire to set off the fireworks.  Stunning!

I’m going to the parks with a friend who has not experienced most of them before — her last visit was more than 20 years ago — so I get to see it through her eyes. Fun! She asked me if seeing the various shows again was boring and I realized that my answer to her about returning to WDW is the same as my answer to anyone who asks why I read my favorite books again:

When I know what to expect, I can look for the unexpected!

By that I mean that once I don’t have to focus on the main story before me, I pick up on more details — little things I’d not noticed before…little bits of the story (or show) that enhances the main plot or scene, but that I’d been too busy to notice before.

For example, during the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we watch as a Harrison Ford-stunt double faces the same kind of  action scene that the ‘real’ Indiana Jones faced in his movies. But sitting there today, I noticed where all the ‘actors/cast members’ stood and moved and what they did while ‘Indie’ was facing wooden stakes and snakes and explosions and more.

When I recently re-read one of my favorite books, I noticed the way the author drew me to focus on some dialogue while all the time she was weaving the plot in a different direction that I’d expected! Like listening to a favorite song and finding a note or instrument never noticed before, I love these little surprises I discover when I no longer have to focus so closely and I let the whole picture flow before me.

So, I’m spending the next few days, picking up on all those new things — things I’ve missed while watching and listening before. Things I didn’t know were waiting for me. Things I will enjoy even more because they were completely unexpected joys…. and all in the Happiest Place on Earth and one of my favorite places — Disney World!

Terri is still celebrating the release of THE MERCENARY’S BRIDE, her July 2010 Harlequin Historical romance.Barely surviving the wonderful, busy, informative, rejuvenating RWA conference, she is enjoying a few more days of vacation before returning to her real life and more deadlines! She’ll be revealing the results of her death-defying experience (she had new author photos taken at the conference!) on her website soon! Visit it at www.terribrisbin.com