Magic. Make-believe. Imagination.

Five hours to a destination is a long time. So long, in fact, that Hudson is not allowed on such excursions—he gets to stay home and spend time with his father. But five hours seems like nothing when the ending destination is none other than Disney on Ice. Yes, Elle, Jae Cee, my mom and I all had the opportunity to travel to Salt Lake and attend Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Adventure. Every hour stuck in the car was worth it, because the show, and our front row seats, were amazing. Elle absolutely loved it. Characters she loves and adores were brought to life on the rink. Magic, make-believe and imagination were in full-throttle during the duration of the event. There was so much to see, observe and take in. It was incredible. We loved it.

Our five-hour trip also gave us the opportunity to go to Temple Square and view the Salt Lake Temple. Elle has not as of yet had the opportunity to see this particular temple, and she was overjoyed at the prospect of doing so. When we walked through the gates of Temple Square, Elle was very impressed. She could not believe how big the temple is, or how beautiful. She loved it. Viewing the temple was a definite highlight of the day. And since travelers need food in order to survive their travels, we ate in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which allotted us a breathtaking view of the temple. Lastly, we went and saw the Christ statue, and explored the exhibits in the visitor’s center. It was all so very wonderful.

But sadly, at the end of the day, we had to turn around and once again travel five hours to return home. But Elle, who was exhausted from the excitement and fun of the day, slept almost the entire way—a nice bonus for all travelers involved. The rest of us talked and enjoyed ourselves immensely. So, although five hours is a long time to travel, its length doesn’t seem significant when one travels in good company and has an exciting and fun destination.