Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney on Wheels and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the
Final stop on our Magical
Blogorail.
Final stop on our Magical
Blogorail.
When I learned that this month’s topic was what Disney Magic means to me and my family, I immediately knew that this would be a wonderful piece to write. There are so many things that I love about our trips to Walt Disney World: the planning, the anticipation, the giddyness, and on and on and on! Oh, and Sophie loves Disney World too! :)
I have written about the Disney Magic many times over the sixteen months that I’ve had My Dreams of Disney, but I think this might sum it all up the best, and it’s part of what I wrote for the 40 Days to 40 Years project:
As you pass under the railroad tracks, somehow, Walt Disney has
magically taken you out of the here and now, and transported you back to
a different time, a different place, where small town Americana is
alive and well; where Main Street isn’t just the name of a street, but
it is a place to hang out with your friends, where you can eat, shop,
and even catch a movie.
But please don’t stop reading just because I’ve put it all together in that one paragraph! I have so much more to share with you. Disney Magic is a wonderful thing, and it lives on with every trip that we take, with every surprise that waits for us, whether it be in North Carolina or Florida. Here are some of the wonderful moments that I’ve had since my family started going to Walt Disney World:
In 2009 we weren’t sure that we were going to be able to make it to Disney World that year due to the economic uncertainty. But as the summer progressed, and we thought about vacation options, we decided we could make a trip to Disney World, but we decided not to tell Sophie! So while she was at ballet class with Cindy, I loaded up the car, and when they got home, we said, let’s go! She had no idea where we were going until I turned on the Mickey Mouse music on the iPod, which she had given me orders not to play until we were going to Disney World! Here is her reaction, one that I’ve shared with you a hundred times if I’ve shared it once:
In June, 2010, Cindy and I talked it over, and decided that we would invite my niece Stephanie to come with us to Disney World. She was able to make it work for her schedule (like that was ever in doubt!) and we decided that she would show up on the Sunday night before we were going to leave. I’ll never forget the reaction when Stephanie got here, rang the doorbell, and Sophie answered it. She was like “Stephanie?” Then she gave her a bear hug, but then whispered to me “Daddy, why is she here?” That was when she found out her cousin was coming with us!
In June, 2011, Sophie knew that her cousin Stephanie was coming with us, and that her cousin Anna Jane and her family were too, but what she didn’t know was that we had a special birthday present planned for her and Anna Jane. June 19, 2011 was the day that Sophie became a “Disney Adult” by turning 10 years old, and Cindy and I decided that any child in “double-digits” (as Sophie called it) deserved to have a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique with her cousin!
My last memory that I want to share with you is from our most recent trip to Walt Disney World, when we went down for the 40th Anniversary celebration. Cindy and I had arranged for Stephanie to come down, and Sophie saw her, but she didn’t expect us to take her out of school after lunch for a trip to Disney World! When she saw me wearing my Safari Mickey Mouse hat, she said, “Daddy, we’re going to Disney World?!” It was a great surprise, and trust me, Sophie loves surprises!
So what new memories will we create on our next trip to Walt Disney World? Our next trip is scheduled for June 8-15, 2012, and we will be taking our close friends Kerry (Sophie’s Godmother) and her husband Neal, their children River and Izaiah, and our Church friends Monica and her daughter Madelyne-Lois (her husband may also be going.) We have been planning this trip since October, and we are all looking forward to that memorable vacation, but so far there are no surprises in store for Sophie — or are there?
Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Red this
month. We will be back February 17th with an all new theme. Keep checking in
with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info,
photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make
your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to
see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous
loops.
month. We will be back February 17th with an all new theme. Keep checking in
with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info,
photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make
your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to
see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous
loops.
Here is
the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along
the way and want to reboard:
1st
Stop ~ A World View
the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along
the way and want to reboard:
1st
Stop ~ A World View
2nd Stop ~
Growing Up Disney
Growing Up Disney
3rd Stop ~
Disney Donna Kay
Disney Donna Kay
4th Stop ~
Disney on Wheels
Final Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
Disney on Wheels
Final Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
What an awesome post, Mike! You've shared a TON of Disney Magic right here! Sophie is just too cute! :)
Mike I love all the surprises for Sophie!! Would you consider adopting a 48 year old???
Thanks everyone for the comments! I love surprising Sophie at Disney! Donna, best answer I can give you right now is a maybe, I've got to check with Cindy first! :)
These are just wonderful stories. And particularly the opportunity to bring along friends to join you on your trip. The surprise visits are the most special, since they will be the ones talked about for years to come.
You are one awesome Dad. I loved reading about all of Sophie's surprises. I can't wait to hear about whatever you come up with next. :)
Thanks! I'm having some trouble coming up with surprises for this trip, we've all been so excited about it all we keep doing it talking about it! :) That's okay, though!
What wonderful memories! And cute girls!! Hey, I'm not too far away in NC. Feel free to give me a surprise WDW vacation any time! :D
A couple years ago, at Disneyland at the Crystal Palace, they had a batdhriy party. Each person got their own Mickey Cake to decorate, drink and one on one time with Mickey and Minnie. It was a big batdhriy party and was awesome!!!