Wow! What a day. Just wow. Let me just say that I have a swirl of thoughts and feelings and bigger thoughts in my head and I will eventually share all of them with you here. But for now, I wanted to give a more abridged version of the fun and excitement of our first day at Disney before I pass out in anticipation of tomorrow.

We started off the day by arriving at the park just as they opened and we got our first look at the castle. To my dismay, there was a large crane servicing the castle which stood high behind it, ruining the view. This didn’t bother my mom though who went right to take pictures.

We started off the day with Pirates of the Carribean which was a ride that was closed on our last visit, and it did not dissapoint. It was fun and the animatronics were astounding. From there we toured many rides around he park, scaring mom with roller coasters and delighting her with It’s A Small World.

Like I said, I can’t go on long as I’m exhausted but there are two more hilights that deserve a call out. First off is the fact that I got to take a picture with a man who has become a huge inspiration to me this past year: Roy Disney. This is a man whose efforts are often unsung but his brilliance is seen all over this park. I was so happy to find him on his bench.

The nighttime show had me in tears. After all, the last time I saw it was the start of this Disney adventure I’m on. When Walt reminds us to remember that this all started with a mouse, I can’t deal. Disney reminds us that positivity and optimism are okay. The world isn’t quite as dark and awful as we think and we can persevere.

This was ten fold as it was my mom’s first trip. I recall, at a young age, my mom expressing wanting to go to Disney and that it was a dream of hers. I made up my mind then that someday I would be able to make her dream a reality and on that day, I would know that I had made it. Making her dreams come true, meant that mine already had. That’s a pretty powerful feeling.

Okay, tears away. We headed to Crystal Palace where we had a reservation and proceeded to stuff our faces. I had been sent a birthday pin for my birthday a couple weeks ago and everyone was so nice in wishing me a happy birthday but the real treat came at the end of dinner when I was gifted with a birthday card signed by Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger. Crying commenced once more. What a stellar experience and the food was amazing.

We left the park, sad to go, but ready for the adventures that tomorrow will bring. My heart is so full and my smile is as big as the Cheshire Cat.