Full of Pixie Dust
Come on, you didn’t expect me to have a blog without at least one post about my Disney obsession, did you? Well, here is my first… and I promise it won’t be my last.
Disney freak, Disney-a-holic, Disney obsessed, Dizzie, Mouseketeer, Peter Pans. Those are my people.
What is it about the Disney brand that has some people (ah hem – ME!) in its grasps while others are dismissive and even vehemently against the mouse? Seriously, you are either one way or the other – there is no in between.
In my family – the one I grew up in… not the one I am raising; I am the one and only mouseketeer. Sure, the others like going to the parks and possess a mug or 2 baring the ears (probably a gift from me) but it is just that. A trip to the park and a sip of coffee from a mug. They all seem to have skipped the gene I acquired that allows pixie dust to flow freely through my veins. To me, a trip to the parks is pure joy and wonder. A mug of coffee is that much warmer when it is attached to a memory from a vacation to Walt Disney World. The Disney brand holds the ideals of pursuing your dreams, holding on to your childhood, bringing magic to the mundane and living life to the fullest. All this to a beautifully written song and a firework display beyond your imagination.
It all started in 1979, a young Tom and Carol (aka. Dad and Mom) planned their first family trip to the place where dreams come true. They only brought their oldest daughter (me), leaving their 1 year old twins (take that, Wendy and Heather!) with Grandma. This was a consolation prize for rocking my world with not one attention-stealing younger sibling…. but 2 (not bitter. Love you girls. Mean it)! Carol in her flowing sundress, Tom sporting his Magnum PI mustache and little blonde Erika adorned with her first set of mouse ears. Okay, truth. I don’t REALLY remember that trip as a 3 year old, but look at that adorable face! I was feeling some freakin’ magic right there!
The feeling of hope and magic and Disney stuck with me through my childhood. Although, never a cartoon kid (Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Bugs… they did nothing for me), I loved anything and everything Disney from that first trip to my favorite pooh stuffed animal. Now remember, my adoration for Disney began long before Alexa could play anything on demand. This was before home movies were a household item. Before digital copies. Before DVDs. Heck, it was even before VHS. I still remember my dad lugging out an actual projector and bulky pull-down screen for family viewing nights of the one movie we owned. And yes, that movie was Disney’s version of Robin Hood. The one with the cute fox and lovable bear. I heart Disney.
As luck would have it, I found a best friend who shared my love for Disney. I can still recall admitting to her that I secretly watched The New Mickey Mouse Club (sorry Dana, I am about to expose our 25 year old secret). Dana shrilled and confided that she did the same. From that day forward, we would have our weekly Saturday morning hangouts. They would consist of Ramen, cookie dough straight from the tube, and the latest Mickey Mouse Club episode. Yes, we fell in love with Justin, Ryan, Brittany and Cristina long before any of you did! I cherish those mornings when I was 15, sitting on her bedroom floor, sharing that tube of sweet yumminess and indulging in immaturity. She was the first person I found that I could consider “one of my kind” but little did I know, I was about to be introduced to a whole lot more.
Onto college and one of the best decisions I ever made. After 3 years of plunging through snow drifts, balancing on ice patches and enduring frigid New England temperatures at UMass Amherst, I took an internship at Walt Disney World in sunny Orlando.
It took those first three years of sideways glances at campus posters before I finally took the leap and attended the information session for the WDW College Program in 1996. The campus recruiter spoke of a land of opportunity for carefully selected students. These students must fit the Disney image of cleanliness and professionalism. They had to possess an upbeat and customer service driven idealism. The representative described jobs within the 3 (soon to be 4) Disney parks. Opportunities from driving the monorail to working in janitorial. Each job was described with so much dreamy enthusiasm – I was hooked and could not imagine NOT participating. I would totally scrape gum off the pavement if it meant experiencing what was described as “a chance of a lifetime”. It sounded like a dream come true and something I had been preparing for since that first trip with my parents.
My time as a WDWCP gave me insight to the other side of Disney. Not only did my weekly seminars teach me in detail the philosophy behind the Disney brand and the mastermind who was Walt himself but I came to love the people who continue his legacy. These people, my people, hold true to Walt Disney’s vision of creating a world of opportunity, magic and community. The experiences I had within the parameters of the internship itself – seminars, department shadowing, customer service practices, work ethics and volunteer work with affiliated organizations taught me how to be a loyal employee, a true leader and a contributor to my community. The unofficial experiences with my coworkers (now lifelong friends) – the parties, love stories and bonding as only 20-something year old friends can, made me more resilient, appreciative to other’s differences and self-confident in my own abilities. These life lessons have stuck with me and only fed my Disney obsession. I will save the details of my experience with the WDW college program for another time because it truly is a post in itself.
When the program ended, the plan was to go back to Massachusetts, finish my degree and work a menial job in marketing to gain experience. Then, I would move to Central Florida and live happily ever after. The end.
Then I met Rich and my happily ever after took a whole new direction. Rich and I worked together for over a year and had become really good friends long before we started dating. Although we were friends, we had never been to each other’s apartments. Seeing how someone else lives for the first time is so revealing as to who they are. I don’t know what I expected when I entered Rich’s Lowell apartment for the first time but I certainly did not picture discovering what I did. I clearly remember this date, rounding the corner into his living room and finding it entirely decorated in beautifully framed Disney cells from feature films. Not cheesy, every day Disney posters. These were high-end pieces of art. Simba, Pongo, Jasmine, Buzz, and Mickey were all represented right there in this man’s living room. I spent the rest of the date trying to figure out how he did this.
Is he psycho? Surely, he is just trying to impress me. Seems to be a little over the top to win over a girl. Where did he get these? When did he hang them? Did he really go through this much trouble just for me?
The man I thought I knew from our years of friendship shared something with me that I hadn’t anticipated. Looking back at what I appreciated and loved most about Rich, this realization really should not have been such a surprise to me. The first thing that attracted me to Rich was the kindness behind his eyes and his over the top generosity. I had found my person long before I realized and when I least expected. Entering that living room over 20 years ago confirmed it all. Somehow these pieces of art validated what I already knew about who I was falling in love with. To me, they exposed that he had more than just kind eyes and a generous heart. The purchase and display of these Disney pieces revealed he possessed a spirit of youthful fun that matched my own. And he still does.
We never moved to Florida and I have never worked for Disney’s marketing department. However, I can assure you, I am always planning my next Walt Disney World vacation. I spend countless hours anticipating my kids ages and the experiences they will have while we are there. Each child has been introduced to everything Disney (in all honesty, it has been shoved down their throats since birth). They all have found their own connections within the Disney brand. Jacob is Star Wars, Malia is everything princess, Jackson is Marvel and Carolyn associates with all the animals – Nemo, Lion King, Pluto. Each kid has found their place among the various facets of Disney and I couldn’t be prouder.
Yesterday I booked a vacation for 2021 to the Walt Disney World Resort. It will be our 5th Disney family vacation but the first as a complete set of 6. I look to this vacation with cautious anticipation. This has been a trip we have taken before. As a couple, as a family of three, then four, then five. As we plan for our family of six… it feels like an ending. A bitter sweet ending. Jake will be heading to college in 2 years. The dynamic of “us” is about to change. Although, Jake and Malia are considered adults by Disney’s rate standards – they are still very much my babies. Trips down the line will always include them but I know too well the obligations that come along with growing up. I am looking forward to this trip more than any other. Hoping it will Peter Pan them into “never growing up”. Even if that only lasts 6 nights, 7 days and 5 park hoppers.
Whether it is pixie dust infused beverages, the thrill of the rides, the good memories I associate with the mouse or just the joy and youthfulness the brand represents, Disney has and always will be my guilty pleasure. The admiration for all that it represents will continue to drive me towards my own dreams.
That first trip in 1979 was simply an attempt by my parents to provide some one-on-one time with their oldest child. It resulted in the first step into a lifelong love affair with Disney for me. One that continues to effect how I live my life and the values I am passionate about.
Writing this blog, taking my family on vacation, having a loving relationship with my husband, reaching for more, standing up for what I believe in – these are my dreams. Experiences that drive me to see the wonder in childhood, acknowledge endless possibilities, and work hard for what I want turns those dreams into reality. To me, Walt Disney World is all of this wrapped up in one great big shiny package. To me Disney has been and always will be… magic.
In the words of Walt Disney himself “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” That courage is new to me but the dreams have always been there. And if I find that courage through examples of animated characters, so be it. You do you. I’ll do me. As any true Disney-a-holic, I am proud of my admiration of the mouse and what it represents to me. I love the memories I have associated with the movies, shows and park visits. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had that are associated with my experience with the college program and the people from that time in my life who remain my dearest friends. Not everyone understands this, but there are many who do. The people who do – those are my people.
From this diehard Disney Girl to you – See you real soon!
