Monday, July 29, 2013

Why I Love Disney... and why we have been 6 times in 7 years!



Why we return to Disney…

     I am starting this post as I sit in the airport, waiting to return home from Disney trip #6 since 2006. Many people share my joy in planning and going to Disney, and others shake their heads and can’t understand why we would return time after time…well, here’s my reasoning for those who are interested :

     I’ve loved Disney “stuff” forever, with Mary Poppins and Tinkerbell being my favorite, but the first family trip that we took back in 2006 with a 6 year old and a 4 year old sealed the deal.

Our Disney princesses in 2006 on our first trip to WDW!
      Those who know me, know that I love history and with my love for history comes my fascination in Walt Disney (the man) and his vision of life and creation of happiness and joy for others. Though, Don will counter that with his vision being to figure out a way to “suck” money out of innocent families. I know Walt Disney is not true “history,” but the history of Disney and the creation of the movies, theme parks, animation studios, etc. truly fascinates me.  My first and only trip as a child was in the mid 1970’s with my family, prior to returning in 2006 as a mom and wife. 

     I’m a planner, but I also believe in trying to achieve the impossible.  I live by Walt Disney’s quote, “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!” 


     I apply it to my career choices, my classroom teaching, inspiring my students, our family life, and our family adventures. I don’t give up on a project or a vacation idea until I have exhausted all possibilities and know that it is realistically (or financially) impossible.  Walt Disney lived by that and his quotes and philosophies (for those that care), really are inspiring…yes, it sounds corny, but ….. :) 




      Also, Walt Disney World (when done with advance planning and appropriate expectations) really can be the happiest place on earth. It would be another whole blog post, on how to have that “perfect Disney vacation” – especially during the summer months, but we have pretty much achieved it on each of our trips. Yes, we sweat non-stop, and have our little disagreements about who wants to do what. But, in 6 trips (a cumulative 36 days spent in the World), we have never had that complete and utter meltdown or family “discussion” that resulted in tears or not speaking to each other for extended periods of time.  

     Don has come to the point that he could take it or leave it. His philosophy being that there’s a big, big world out there that is left to explore, and we’ve done Disney – let’s do something else. I agree with him and don’t “Need” to return to Disney, but it is still a fascination for me, and if given the opportunity to return, I’ll find a way to sneak in a quick trip to WDW.  

     Probably surprising for many though, honestly…if given the choice of returning to Disney World for a week or exploring out west or a new National Park – I’d choose the National Park!  Though Don isn’t as excited about WDW as I am, he is the ultimate “good sport,” with our trips here.  Many of you know that his wit and sense of humor are contagious, and he definitely brings that to our WDW trips – whether he is excited or not. 

Here's a photo comparison from our first and sixth trip to Disney - it's fun to compare heights of the girls to key parts of the pictures.....
2006
2013
  
2006






2013
 
2006
2013 - notice the bear's nose that they are rubbing for good luck.


2006
2013




2006
2013
 So...will we return to Disney World again? Yes...but probably not for another 2-3 years. We've got lots of other exploring to do around the world and country. Will Walt Disney continue to inspire me to do the impossible? Most Definitely Yes!!!

Stay tuned for "Don Does Disney!" - his approach to making a trip to see the mouse amusing and entertaining...or at least bearable for all!

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