The Countdown Is On: Disney 2011!!

I am giddy with excitement! Disney World just extended their free dining deal to include dates over a year away. We love taking annual trips to Disney World when they have a deal as amazing as free dining. This year we chose not to go to one of our favorite places on earth, and for a very good reason. Mike and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a trip to New York City and have no regrets. As a matter of fact, I have another “favorite place on earth” to add to my list. NYC was wonderfully exciting and loads of fun.

But my current giddiness is over the fact that we will be taking a trip back to the World, complete with free dining, snacks, and a souvenir mug for each person. Admittedly, our trip is over a year away. Perhaps my excitement is arriving prematurely, but I can’t help but smile when I think about it.

Funny thing, as we have been deciding which resort we will stay at this time, I am also getting a little sentimental. We have chosen to stay at All Star Sports Resort, perfect for boys who will be ages 13, 10, and 8. As a sports mom, even I am joyfully anticipating lodging at this place we have never stayed at before.

But in all my eagerness, I am also reflecting on our first Disney trip, when our boys were just 1, 3, and 6, and I’m realizing how quickly they are growing up. We took little boys who loved Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, and Winnie the Pooh on our first Disney trip in 2004.


Oh, they still like these characters, but they are growing up and they don’t mean what they once did. The boys, like their parents, are now more nostalgic about these figures rather than in awe of them. They are more likely now to ooh and aah over giant football helmets, a pool with a dugout, and the number of times they will ride Tower of Terror. Brandon is currently at 66!


I remember a time just a few years ago when Disney was not just about rollercoasters, stunt shows, and yummy desserts, but more about the enchantment of a surreal and magical place.


Here are some of my favorite quotes from years past that I’ll never forget:

Brandon, age 6: “Mom, when we get to Disney World, are all the things I’ve ever dreamed really going to come true?”

Nicholas, age 5: “It feels like we’re in another world. I forgot what our world looks like!”

Zachary, age 3, waking up at an incredibly early hour before sunrise on our first morning one year, cheerfully stated, “It’s fun to be at Disney World!” before falling back to sleep.

I am excited about taking my almost pre-teen and teenage sons to Disney. I have no doubt that, while this trip will be different, it will still be a blast. After all, Disney brings out the child in all of us, even 13 year-old boys, especially when they come from a line of men who seem to carry a Disney gene. (Did I mention Mike’s parents are going again with us for the third time in a row?)


I guess they get it from their mama, too, who thinks Disney World with her family is one of the happiest places on earth!

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance…” Proverbs 15:13