hey, that's my last name too!

Okay, my apologies for the delay, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. And by life, I mean a combination of work, play, the Red Sox, illness, and general malaise in front of a keyboard. But now I shall give a somewhat brief recap of our amazing adventures in Florida (with pictures).

With Kenny's GG's 95th birthday approaching, my father and his cousins decided that the time was ripe to hold the First Annual(?) Rolnick Family Reunion in Orlando. Bringing together GG and his two brothers, Carl and Leon, and their family to mix, mingle, and go visit the Mouse.

Since the onset of the Internet, I've discovered that there are a lot more Rolnicks out there than I had previously thought. Heck, in addition to something like seven Michael Rolnicks, I know of another Greg, and even a Kenneth. But before I tracked down those I wasn't directly related to, I thought it best to meet some of the ones who were a few branches closer on the family tree.

So we did what any good Jew who wanted to get in touch with his family would do...we went to Florida.

Before we met up with the clan, however, we stopped in for lunch with our friends Karen, Lawrence, and their daughter Dina. Overboard and Karen used to work together in Atlanta, and Karen and Lawrence moved down to Orlando a few years ago, because they missed dealing with hurricanes and excessive flooding.


You'd never be able to tell they were related, right?

Later that night was the first of two big family dinners, as well as a birthday party of sorts for GG. We got to meet a number of family members, but I think my nephew Adam was the happiest of us all, since there was another four year old boy, Kraig, who was not only family, but armed with toy cars and ready to play.

While Kenny had brought a car of his own to roll around, he entertained by giving rousing responses to "What does a cow say?" as well as "How big is Kenny" and "Did any of that food go in your mouth, or did all of it hit the floor where you thought the dog would be, even though she's hanging out at a friend's house back in Chicago?" The last one is a real mouthful. Mouthful. Hello? Anyone? C'mon...room full of Rolnicks and this is the response I get.


This way no one could say they hadn't been warned.

Leon, GG and Carl

The next day, Overboard, Kenny, GG, Unkie Mike, Aunt Carol, Cousin Hannah, Cousin Eric, Cousin Roberta and I all went to Epcot. While I hadn't been since 1991, Overboard (and Kenny and Hannah) had never been at all. I am proud to say that it is still impressive, remarkably clean, unbelievably organized, and full of chances to stock up on Disney merchandise. But mostly it was fun.


We bought a two day pass and saved $3. Outstanding.

Hannah is dubious that the wait to see Figment is actually zero minutes.

We went to lunch in Morocco. This is not a camera trick. The belly dancer's arms were really moving this quickly. Amazing.

GG and his niece (and my dad's cousin) Roberta.

The wine and food festival was going on throughout the countries of the world exhibition, so we couldn't resist getting a glass of rosé. Notice the giant golf ball in the background. This is why so many golfers are lured to South Florida.

That night, we had the second of our two family dinners. This one was at a local seafood restaurant, where I loaded up on a ginormous platter of fried shrimp while GG lamented that Americans were becoming morbidly obese because they were being over served. He might be right, but those shrimp were delicious.


Many Rolnicks gathering to feast.

On Sunday, we went to the Magic Kingdom en masse (the Glenview and Oakland Rolnicks, as well as Grandma Jackie, Grandpa Alan and GG). I am happy to report that it is, in fact, the happiest place on Earth. No really, the giant mouse told me so.


Evenkeel and Kenny prepare for a long day of fun in the sun.

Kenny made sure to properly pay his respects to the Mouse.

Four generations of Rolnick men (minus mouse ears).

The group shot in front of the summer home Grandpa Alan plans to buy when his software sales finally kick in.

At one point, while everyone else watched one of the many character parades from a VIP viewing stand, Mike and I slipped off to slam down a squishee and ride Space Mountain (in that order). After getting our necks popped around a few times in the dark, we hustled to the other side of the park to try and ride the other roller coaster (something with a runaway train). Unfortunately, the coaster was shut down for repairs and wouldn't be open.

Disappointed, but not down for the count, we tried to check the map for any other ride that posted warning signs, height restrictions, or other signs of trouble. We came up empty. However, I did remember from my last trip to Frontier Land, that there was a shooting gallery nearby. Hell, if we couldn't ride roller coasters, we might as well shoot fake air guns, right? Right. So we did. And it was entertaining.

In the midst of our revelry, Mike and I noted that there were a distinct lack of (non-costumed) insects in Disney World, which is unusual, as you're smack dab in the middle of Florida swampland. We also noted that, while the hotel had a plethora of tiny lizards running around, there were none to be seen inside any of the parks. We concluded that the good folks at Disney must be doing some unholy pesticide spraying at night, after everyone has gone home. But, you know, in the name of happiness.

Then we went and met up with everyone for ice cream.

We once again went to a seafood place for dinner (when in Florida, right?), but this time Kenny and Overboard stayed behind to catch up on some sleep. Apparently, vacationing can wreak havoc with nap times. This is not fun. Trust me on this.


Hannanh got into her jammies at dinner and then went to the high ground for a better view. According to Miss Xia Pao Pao, Table 8 could use more water.

On Monday, the Oakland and Glenview Rolnicks took GG to Sea World to go see some marine life and yell invective at Shamu ("You call that swimming? I've seen better form on a can of tuna!" And so on.).

My favorite part was when we went to see the Manatees and Overboard explained to Kenny that they were "sea cows." He nodded his head and uttered, "Moo."


Shamu action shot.

Kenny inaction shot. Vacations are exhausting, n'est-ce pas?

Back at the hotel, there was much rough-housing to be done.


"Hey Dad, Unkie Mike says I'd make a good battering ram. Is this true? Can I try?"

Grandpa Alan did not react kindly to the photographer who snapped this picture of him nursing a fat lip, courtesy of a head butt from his grandson Kenny. I tried to tell GA that's why we call him, "Iron Head," but he was nonplussed.

That night, Grandpa Alan and Grandma Jackie took Cousin Adam and the Glenview Rolnicks out for some Mexican food. The boys loved the woman who came by and made balloon animals (and hats) for them, and things were going swimmingly until Kenny tried to grab Grandma Jackie's hot fajitas plate. More stunned than burned, he was, shall we say, upset. And while he didn't resort to obscene hand gestures like his Grandpa, he took a little while to calm back down. Other than that, we had a great time. Really.


Kenny's new hat (pre-plate grabbing incident).

Finally, on Tuesday, it was time to go home. Kenny was an excellent traveler, and was very cute, carrying around his new Mickey Mouse (pronounced: "mih mow") so everyone would know where he had been.


Kenny and the Mouse look forward to a night back in their own crib and dream of the next time they 'll get to run amok at Disney World.

We had a lot of fun meeting everyone, but I do regret not spending more time chatting it up with the family members I had never met before. Instead, I found myself chasing after Kenny and kibitzing with the family that I know, but don't get to see often enough. I guess there's always next year.

There are A LOT more pictures than the ones posted above. You can see all of them by clicking here, or here.