18 years. 18 years is how long I have been going to Disney with my parents and the occasional trip with friends. 18 years is also my age which mean I have been going to Disney my entire life. It has been the place to celebrate birthdays, holidays, summer breaks, days off, and random ‘Let’s go to Disney tonight’ days. I know how fortunate I am to live an hour away from the most magical place in the world and probably take it for granted more often then I should. Disney World might just be a place to visit, but what makes it so magical are the memories you take away and the joy it brings to those who are fortunate enough to visit.

I am a Disney girl through and through. My bedtime routine when I was younger included a beautifully sung rendition of “Its a Small World” by my parents and then a snow globe playing “When you Wish Upon a Star.” My mom would wake me up singing “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (a pretty awesome way to start my day!!). Of course Disney Channel was always on in our house, from Rolly Polly Olly, to Hannah Montana and any and all Disney movies were an automatic must see. We had a dachshund named Cindy, short for Cinderella and eventually got a hamster and named her Belle. You could truly see Disney in almost every aspect of my life, but the real magic came from spending time in the parks with my family.

One of the first memories I have is when I lost my two front teeth eating a chicken leg at Crystal Palace and the next morning waking up to surprises from not the Tooth Fairy, but Tinker Bell!! I have celebrated all of my big birthdays (10, 13, 16, and 18) at Disney and they were the most magical of days.

My family and I were one of the last families to ride in the front cabin of the monorail with the pilot, were there on the last night ever of the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and saw one of the last showings of the firework show “Wishes.” All of those things were incredible and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have had those experiences, but the best memories were created on the nights we would ride the People Mover and people watch, sitting in Gaston’s Tavern while I drank a LeFou’s Brew the very first time we had seen the new Fantasyland expansion, the time we road Rockn’ Roller Coaster and all of the popcorn fell out of the bucket, and simply the conversations we would have as we strolled around the world at Epcot.

There isn't a time that we go visit the princesses and I don't get giddy with excitement waiting to see Rapunzel and Cinderella.

The magic of Disney isn’t in just the thrill of riding a ride or the feeling when we get a hug from Miss Minnie. The magic of Disney is that we can go back over and over again find new things to appreciate and experience. The magic is seeing every aspect of all of the parks through new eyes every time we step through the gates. As we grow and change, Disney, for the most part, stays the same, but we learn to see the beauty in everything that it is all over again each visit.

I am still growing up Disney, because I refuse to grow up in the sense of losing my childlike sense of wonder and amazement. Disney, you are my childhood, my teenage years, and my adulthood and I can’t wait to see ya real soon.