Growing up, my family was a go to the beach on vacation kinda family. Every year, we'd pack up and head to Hilton Head, SC or another similar location for a week during the summer. Every once in a while, we'd go somewhere different. Once we took a cruise, once we did a really cool England / Scotland / Ireland trip (where my mother learned that there is a really famous bread sharing her maiden name, but that's a story for another day), and a couple of times we made the trek to Orlando to visit Disney World.
In 2000, my husband (fiance at the time) and I went to Universal Studios and Disney World. I was much younger (I was going to put my age here, but then came to my senses!) and couldn't find the magic that everyone talked about when they referred to Disney. I mean, Universal has awesome thrill rides! Disney just didn't seem to have that thrill factor for me.
In May of 2004, my daughter was born. This child seemed to be the most perfect child in the world (except for the occasional spit up). I am sure every mother feels the same way. My mother happened to be at a conference in Orlando in November that year, and she asked us to come down. At the time, Independence Air was offering $49 flights to Orlando, so why not. So, we made the trip to Orlando with a 6 month old.
If truth be told, I really had mixed feelings about bringing a 6 month old to Disney. What if it was miserable? What if I had to nurse her or change her? What if she was scared to death of the characters? Those are all pretty valid concerns, but we packed up the stroller and said that either way, we'd find out for ourselves.
We took her to the Magic Kingdom for her 6 month "birthday". She was so taken by all the sights and sounds of Disney that all of a sudden, something really strange happened.... I saw the MAGIC! I saw the magic in the subtle music that set the scene around us. I saw the magic in the awe of a child seeing Mickey Mouse for the first time. I saw the magic in the way the characters interacted with her and made me feel like no one in the world was more important at that moment. Something changed in me that trip. I felt a lot like the Grinch on Christmas morning. Maybe my heart for Disney grew three times that day. I can tell you this... I became a fan. A big fan, in fact.
Since that trip, we have been to Disney more than most people go in a lifetime. Every time, I see and feel that magic. I am thankful for a lot of things in my life, but I am especially thankful that my daughter taught me how to see, feel and experience the Disney magic for myself.
What a cool story. I grew up going to Disney pretty much annually and have always felt the magic. It is such an amazing place!
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