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I Always Get Asked This Question2/12/2025 ![]() That question is..."Why do you always go to Disney parks?" The answer is quite simple, it is just a part of my life. I know you are like, well that was cheesy answer to that question. It really doesn't explain a lot. How can it be a part of your life? Of course, as a youth you see television ads for either Disney World or Disneyland. Also if you are in the same generation that I was in, the weekly Disney television programs and specials that featured things in the parks also drew your interest. The child in you kept bugging your parents to take you there. I remember my parents looking into the idea of driving down there and visiting the parks, but the budget just wasn't there to do it. In high school, I was in the choir and they announced the upcoming band/choir tour in 1988 was to Disney World. The band was going to march down Main Street USA and the choir would perform a half hour show on a stage in the Magic Kingdom. Through many fund raising efforts, I was able to pay my way to go on the trip and finally get to experience Walt Disney World. It was unique to go backstage and then perform on a stage behind Cinderella's Castle. The stage is gone today as Ariel's Grotto has taken its place. We did a half hour show, and guess what, we pre-recorded our voices so we basically lip synced on stage. The adults at that time were concerned that the three microphones at the front of the stage wouldn't pick up our voices that well. On our last night, we were on the ferry boat heading back to the Ticket & Transportation Center, standing at the back of the boat looking over the nighttime skyline of the Magic Kingdom, and kept saying...I am coming back here. Side note from that trip...we stopped in Springfield, Illinois for the band to march in the Lincoln Fest parade. We were checking out the festivities and actually saw Chuck Berry perform live, that was a treat. After high school, I went to Madison College and joined their Marketing Club, which was part of Collegiate DECA. The national conference in 1992 was held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. The trip was a week after the Rodney King riots. That was the first of four visits during a national conference. In 2005, we were lucky enough to be at Disneyland when they kicked off their 50th Anniversary celebration. What a memorable experience as my sister Kelli and I were the last two people on the first monorail into the park and got a prime spot to see the opening ceremonies that featured Art Linkletter, Michael Eisner, Bob Iger (he took over as the big dog of Disney a few months later), LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilara, and Julie Andrews. When Ms. Andrews walked out, we had tears in our eyes. Disney just didn't become part of my life, but my entire family. Around 2001-02, my sister and I each worked part-time at different Disney Stores while my parents worked in the gift shops in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Yes, they were working in the castle on 9/11/01. A couple of years later, my parents worked at Disney Hollywood Studios. Walt Disney World became the family meeting spots when my parents lived in Florida until a few years ago. Many times, it was less expensive to fly into Orlando than Tampa, plus there was always something to do rather than just sit around. Mom and dad would have annual passes and would meet up with us in the parks. It is easy to say that many family memories were made on Walt Disney World property. Those memories is what keeps taking me back to either Walt Disney World or Disneyland. It's like having a photo album, but I will have many empty sleeves waiting for new photos to into their place in the book. Yes, the locations are still the same, but each trip is like a fingerprint or a snowflake. It's unique and different from the previous trips. It is true that when you go into the Disney bubble, it's an escape from the daily things in your life. Somehow...some way Walt Disney figured out how to create a park that is living and breathing and ever changing, not just a location or a simple landmark. Off to Disneyland in May to be a part of the 70th Anniversary celebration.
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I am not afraid to admit that I have been doing some online therapy chats with a therapist lately, and I am not ashamed of it. I think we all get those "Winter Blues" and to be honest I spent most of the winter fighting it off, meaning I was fighting not to fall into it.
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February 2025
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