The first time I ever stepped foot onto a Disney property was with my Dad. I was spending the summer in California doing an internship for school, and most of my family came to visit. It was the last summer we had with Dad, and he was in remission from his pancreatic cancer that took him less than a year after this picture.
As we walked through the gates, he had tears in his eyes as he said, "I always wanted to bring you here." It was a magical day, and for me, Disney took on a whole new significance. I had already felt weirdly connected to the Princesses, but after visiting one of the Disney motherships and experiencing the pixie dust first hand, I wanted to BE a Disney Princess.
I did the research. I learned that it was a long shot, because it would be helpful to have some kind of acting/singing background. But - I fit within the height/weight dimensions perfectly, and I really loved smiling. Also, I was (am) absurdly confident, so I thought I might stand a small chance at being cast as a Disney Princess.
In a bizarro turn of events, my first official non-date with John included a "Future Career Night" theme where he dressed as Prince Charming since I was destined to become a Princess. (Pics at link😜) The craziness of this premise is not lost on me 16 years later.
Obviously, that did not come to fruition in my life. Instead, my father died, and I began dating John all within the same month. I wanted to be near to John and not in Orlando after graduation, and I got offered a job at CFA with a dear family friend. This was God's plan for my life, and I'm glad he saw fit to take me to Chick-fil-A.
And I'm thankful that Chick-fil-A sees fit to take me near a Disney park every other year or so. I've had the opportunity to go a lot more than I otherwise would have, and I love it. This year, our convention was in Anaheim, and we could literally see the backside of the parks from the building we had our meetings in.
On Tuesday when our main session finished up, we headed over to Disneyland to sneak in some fun. It was one of the rare sunny moments of the week, and we soaked it up.
In the middle of the day, we had a regional award ceremony, so we raced back and changed clothes to attend that. We then did another wardrobe change, picked up some friends and headed back for an evening of fun. This was my first ever visit to Disney's California Adventure, and I loved getting to experience it!
John and I wrapped up our evening by heading back to Disneyland for one last ride on Space Mountain, apparently with a Disney Villain in the back of our car.
Being at a Disney park makes me giddy - like over-the-top high-on-life kind of giddy. It didn't hurt that I was well-rested and kid-free and well-caffeinated. I love that story is woven into everything, and I love that at the heart of fairy tales is transformation. I love how clean and cute everything is. I love the themed food everywhere. I was predisposed to be a Disney fan, and I'm sure it didn't hurt that my first parks experience was at a tender time with my dad. John is so gracious to indulge (and pay for) this slight obsession.
We certainly made the most of it, and my heart was full from the Disney fun and spending the day with John and friends. ✌🏻 out until next time. Which I already have scheduled. 😳😍👊🏻🎉
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