This image popped up on my TimeHop this morning. Looking at this image, a zillion flashes went through my head. It’s amazing how many memories went through my mind at this one image. This picture was taken at Epcot at Walt Disney World on 13 July 2020. This was the Cast Preview as they let cast members into the parks first during our phased reopening of the parks after the closure for the pandemic. Cast previews, while they are a chance to let cast members experience anything first, before guests, they are also a way to test everything before guests experience the final product.

My daughter Isabella was 6 and a half months old in this picture. The rules to reopen the parks were very strict, and my husband and I discussed all the risks before we decided to take our baby out in public. Masks were required. Distancing was required in queues, on the rides, throughout the parks. There was no indoor dining. The rides were sanitized on a regular basis. Hand sanitizer was provided at the beginning and the end of every attraction and throughout the park. We carried our own hand sanitizer, and made sure we had disposable pads to place down so we never had to put Isabella on the diaper changing stations directly. She was bottle fed, but eating some solids at this time, though all food at the parks was provided by us, not them. And as it was a cast preview, attendance was extremely limited and restricted only to cast members and their families. No vaccines existed yet. Temperature taking was required at security. Everyone was very strict. We felt very safe.

What I remember from this day is that we actually had to wait twice while they sanitized rides we were waiting in line for. We did not mind the extra wait; it meant they were taking the safety precautions seriously. Masks in July in Florida were hot, but we were definitely more afraid to take them off. The one criticism we had at the time was that we noticed some people were walking around with drinks or food and no mask, getting around the rule that way. As I mentioned before, cast member previews are usually used as test and adjust periods. I think it was a week or so after this that they announced that eating and drinking must happen while stationary; if walking a mask must be in place. So they were paying attention. We were cognizant of this and we stayed in one place while we ate and drank, even though it wasn’t a rule. We did NOT want to risk getting sick.

I also remember taking Isabella on her first rides. She was terrified on Frozen Ever After and Living with the Land because of the dark. I didn’t think about the fact that we were wearing masks and she could not see our smiles and calm expressions. This was unchartered territory. She was terrified and didn’t know how to respond. Over the course of the pandemic, she got really good at reading our eyes, a skill pandemic babies will have an advantage of that other babies will not have.

Another memory I have is having an alcoholic drink this day. One of my favorite drinks is a cider and black from the pub in the UK. I forgot to ask for a half pint and they gave me a full pint. It was my first taste of alcohol since April 2019. I had been unsuccessful in nursing Isabella, so since I was not pregnant and I was not nursing, I figured I would celebrate. I was a little tipsy after so long without any alcohol and I am definitely not a drinker to begin with. In normal times, I have a one beer limit anyway. In hindsight, I found out about 3 and a half weeks later that I was 4 weeks pregnant with Keilani. So in this picture, I may have JUST gotten pregnant and had no idea. So there went alcohol for another……..2 and a half years? I stopped nursing Keilani in October. I think I’ve had maybe 3 drinks since then. Like I said, I’m not a drinker. I’ve always hated that question at the doctor. My choices are never or once a week. Neither fits me. It’s more like 3-4 times a year.

I actually very much miss the markers in the queues that made people stand 6 feet away from me. Please stay out of my bubble. If you accidentally bump into me multiple times while waiting for an attraction, you are too close, and are not going to get on any faster. It’s rude.

But we had a lot of fun that day. Isabella was really good in the parks all day. She still is now that she is older. We have some fussiness around nap time when we cannot take a traditional nap. It is harder with the increased crowds and lack of physical distancing. But I’m glad the characters are back and the kids have a lot more fun now that they actually understand where we are and are not just along for the ride. Also and that I am not pregnant.

But I am still amazed at the amount of memories in one single photo.