"May the Force be with you."

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here between you, me, the tree, everywhere, yes. - Yoda, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Sock Monkey met his mentor. Unfortunately when we were there, Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios was closed for "reimagining," but Sock Monkey got to meet Yoda when we stopped into the D Street shop at the Downtown Disney West Side.

Windmill construction.

As you walk into the Marketplace in Downtonw Disney, a giant sized Tinkertoy construcation set is displayed in the area between the Earl of Sandwich, Pin Traders, and Trends shops. Sock Monkey likes to create things with the classic builder set. He wished he had this jumbo version back home to play with.

Caricature time.

Back at the Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Sock Monkey posed as if someone was going to draw a caricature of him. A family friend held him up in an attempt for one of us to draw him, but no one was creative enough. He hoped to have had it posted inside the restaurant along with the other famous celebrities. Oh well, maybe next time.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Who wants to hang around??? I do, I do! Sock Monkey wanted to climb the side of the building like the other monkeys. We're at the Hey Howdy Hey Takeaway snack cart across from Toy Story Mania. Can you spot the Army man? And anyone for some Cowboy Sugar Crunchies from Pixar Farms? Sounds delicious to me! Love Pixar Studios at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Helloooo Kitttttty!

Sock Monkey kicked it back a little. He decided he wanted to hang for the day with the ladies on a shelf full of Hello Kitty and friends at Mitsukoshi in the Japan Pavilion. He had a great time catching up with the kitties. If you're a Hello Kitty fan this is a place to stop by when you're in Epcot. It's the cat's meow.

So much to do.

Decisions, decisions. Do we climb a fruit tree or take a dive into the waterfall. Alright, it's just a miniature waterfall in the Land Pavilion, but tree climbing is more fun and natural. Sock Monkey was ready to hit dry land. After his encounter with Nemo & Friends, he was beyond happy to resurface to trees and vegetation.

"In the big blue world."

"We're gonna go explore. In the big blue world. Things we've never seen before." Sock Monkey made it underwater at The Seas with Nemo & Friends Attraction in Epcot. And you thought you'd never see a monkey under the sea. Speaking of "Under the sea", the clam-mobile looks very similar to Disneyland's newest attraction, The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure...but back to Nemo in Disney World. Our favorite moments are going through the jellyfish invasion, spiraling through the EAC with Crush (our favorite dude!) and singing this song at the end of the ride while looking at the dolphins jump in and out of the water. Sock Monkey undoubtedly wanted to swim with the dolphins, he can't help himself, he's part SeaMonkey.

Casablanca.

"Abu, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Sock Monkey felt that way when he walked into the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot. With magic carpets, fez hats, and brass plates, he knew it'd be an adventure in here. Morocco's handmade intricate tiles around the pavilion are a sight to see! What we love most is the courtyard and the fountain in the center, pass the Koutoubia Minaret and between the alleyways and the Medina. It makes Sock Monkey want a courtyard like this back home so he can jump between the buildings like his new friends Aladdin and Abu do in Agrahbah.

Christmas in July.

Less than 158 days till Christmas! It's never too early to start shopping for the holidays. Disney's Days of Christmas is always a fun stop at the Market Place in Downtown Disney. Inside it smells of evergreen and feels as if you're home sitting in front of the fireplace. The shop is a nice treat for those who love the holiday, there's a vast selection of stockings and ornaments. Sock Monkey picked up a few personalized ornaments for himself, like an engraved glass ball that reads "Sock Monkey & Abu BFF".

Whale of a time!

Sock Monkey is really savoring his time in Disney World. Can you guess where he is now? Someone is chiming a bell to let you know it's time to eat. He's having such a great time that he's getting a "sweet tooth" from it all. Sock Monkey is in Liberty Square at Columbia Harbour House inside Magic Kingdom.

A showcase of diversity.

Not only does the "It's a small world" ride showcase diversity inside, but also outside with the crowd at Disney World. As we wait on line, you can look around and feel like it's a small world because you're surrounded by people of different cultures. Sock Monkey is of course in a class of his own. He contributes his stuffed animalism to the World.

Star Command.

Calling all Junior Space Rangers. Space Rangers needed to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg before he takes all the batteries out of the toys. We love this ride and it's a must do. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin promotes fun and friendly family competition. Our family always enjoys this attraction and tries to outscore each other. Sock Monkey put in a good effort in trying to stop Zurg's robot from seizing the battery. I think he was promoted to Space Cadet when he was done. "To infinity and beyond!"

Knock knock.

Who's there? Olive. Olive who? Olive Disney World! Sock Monkey is at a doorway in Cinderella's castle. He's by the entranceway to Fantasyland where your childhood stories come to life. As you walk through, there's a giant beanstalk, a carrousel, and a world of imagination waiting for you. You can clearly see Sock Monkey has let his imagination go wild.

"A state of becoming."

Epcot is a place Walt Disney saw as a state of becoming. Looking into the future and concerned about the environment, a monorail system was ecologically friendly to him. Sock Monkey's silhouette is seen here during his travel on the monorail while passing the Epcot ball. Today though, it looks as if the longstanding sturdy monorail system we love may be in need of an overhaul. Sure hope Disney the company continues Walt's dream of a futuristic Epcot and other upgrades in the parks.

A Disney cruise.

Sock Monkey did it all. He traveled by plane. He traveled by train. He traveled by bus and monorail too. Last but not least, he traveled by boat, and took a cruise around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. Here he is on a Sea Raycer docked at the Polynesian resort getting ready to drive out and explore the waters. This is definitely a favorite activity of ours to do when we aren't in the parks. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a little speed in their life.

On the road again.

Sock Monkey is taking a bus ride across the world, across Disney World.  Here he is as a straphanger hanging on while he takes a bus ride from the Contemporary Resort to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Or is he trying out for a part in Cirque du Soleil?  Let's just say Sock Monkey shouldn't quit his day job.

Choo-choo.

The Walt Disney World Railroad system is another fun way to get around Disney World, and of course specifically in Magic Kingdom. We took a nighttime ride on one of the four steam engine trains. It could've been the Lilly Belle, Roy O. Disney, Roger E. Broggie, or Walt E. Disney locomotives.  Sock Monkey stuck his head out to catch a cool breeze during the entire trip, from getting on at Main Street, USA to our final stop at Frontierland.

Jet setting to Orlando.

This doesn't exactly take place in Disney World, but it's a part of our trip to Disney.  The start of our vacation was Sock Monkey's first plane ride heading down to Orlando, FL. He was so excited to finaly meet Mickey and friends.

Planes, trains, and automobiles...

When going on vacation, there are different ways of traveling, and it's usually by car or plane.  In our case, we had planes, trains, and automobiles, and boat, and monorail.  Sock Monkey had the chance to get on all five modes of transportation.  I think his favorite might have been the monorail.  He's been pictured in it several times throughout our trip.  Here he is waiting for it at the TTC.

Vacation time.

If this scene looks familiar to you, then you're probably like a lot of families that have spent one too many days in a row together on vacation, or like as if one too many fellow tourists have encroached into your vacation. Donald Duck looks as if he's had enough of this place. He's packed and ready to go home. Sock Monkey managed to squeeze in a picture with Daisy while Donald wasn't looking. Sock Monkey wanted this moment "pinned" in his mind forever.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day! As best said by Sam the Eagle during his patriotic grand finale, "A salute to all nations, but mostly America."

"This Land is your land."

"This land is my land. From Califronia to the New York Island. From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters. This land was made for you and me." At the Land pavilion in Epcot, Sock Monkey is already donning his red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July weekend.