My Disney Story:
The Evolution of a Disney Addict
Hello. My name is Kathleen and I am a Disney addict.
Wow, that was easy.
Now that you know my dirty little secret I have nothing left to hide!
So I would like to share my Disney story with you…
I was born in Pennsylvania in 1972, just six months after the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. My parents first took my two sisters and me to Disney World in 1975. At the tender age of three years old, I was totally and irreversible corrupted! And so my love affair with Disney began. I still have my beloved stuffed Pluto from that very first trip all those years ago!
Even though I was only three at the time, I do remember certain things about my first trip to the Magic Kingdom. I remember riding It’s a Small World about seven or eight times in a row with my mom. And also meeting Mickey Mouse! It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Our family was able to visit again in 1980 when I was eight. I have vivid memories of sitting in our family car staring up at the construction of what looked like a gigantic silver golf ball. I recall watching a crane lift large gleaming triangular metal pieces up to the frame of what is now Spaceship Earth in Epcot.
Let’s fast forward now to 1992 – a week before yet another Disney World trip. While on a river-tubing outing with some college friends (I went to Drexel University for Mechanical Engineering), my tube was mysteriously flipped over! The culprit was this crazy guy Mike. He was the cousin of a friend of mine and also a Villanova engineering student. That deliberate tube-flippage marked the beginning of a very fun and exciting time for both of us.
One thing that I couldn’t quite understand was Mike’s lack of total love for all things Disney. So, slowly over the next couple of years, I vowed to “Disney-fy” poor unsuspecting Mike! In 1994, Mike was out in California for a Navy school. So, I went out to see him and together we visited Disneyland!
And so my Disney story continues….
We were married on a sweltering hot day in the summer of 1995. Of course we had a lovely cake – complete with a Mickey and Minnie cake-topper.
Mike was very handsome in his Navy dress uniform as were the rest of the guys in the wedding party. But all the guys were sporting Mickey Mouse socks under those fancy duds! My goodness! my mission was complete. He was officially "Disneyfied".
So anyway, can you guess where we went for part of our honeymoon? You got it – Disney World! We had a fantastic time and we stayed at the fairly new Wilderness Lodge. We even purchased a Walk Around the World brick to commemorate our trip.
In 1996, way back before we had kids, we took a trip to Japan to visit friends. We explored the beautiful countryside and area around Mt. Fuji and also the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. But if I was going to be in Japan, there was one place that I knew I had to see. That’s right – we spent a wonderful day in Tokyo Disneyland. Just goes to show you that Disney is a universal language – one that I am very glad to speak!
Back home in the states, life chugged along merrily for a few years. We lived in Virginia for a while and then moved back to Pennsylvania in 1999. We were triple-blessed with three sons in a span of three years!!
We finally were able to get back to Disney World in 2002. A long time to be away for sure! The boys, like both of their parents now, were completely enamored with Disney. We visited again in 2003 and 2005.
In 2007 we welcomed our fourth son. We are all anxiously awaiting his first visit to Disney World in 2008. He already recognizes Mickey and some of the other characters. We just can’t wait to share this special place with him.
With each trip we build more and more special Disney memories that will last a lifetime. Mike and I hope to pass our love of Disney World on someday to many grandchildren and future generations.
Best regards,
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