Once upon a time, Disney World was my back yard, my workplace, and my home. Two different times throughout my college career, I participated in the Disney College Program. The first program was absolutely amazing and I made some of my best friends. I can still remember crying as I held on to one of the street poles on Main Street, refusing to leave like a child. My second program was a little less magical, but amazing nonetheless. I definitely was having an identity crisis on my second program so I self-sabotaged my happiness slightly, but it has helped me grow as a person since then. Disney was always, always, always meant to be my future. After my second program, I thought that maybe it wasn't in the cards for me anymore, but the thought of not having Disney in my life ever again is definitely too depressing.

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I miss playing at the parks.

As a cast member (Disney employee), the parks are at your fingertips! You have free access to any park on pretty much every day, besides major holidays since the parks fill to capacity with paying guests rather quickly. On any regular day though, you could find me sporting my favorite ears as I frolicked through the park. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are definitely my two favorite parks!

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Your day isn't complete without a trip to Space Mountain and a Mickey ice cream bar while you watch the Festival of Fantasy parade from Main Street when you visit Magic Kingdom. While in Animal Kingdom, your day isn't complete without attending The Festival of The Lion King and taking a ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari! Of course, Epcot and Hollywood Studios are equally as fun; especially with their choices of alcohol and all the new additions coming to the parks.

The freedom to go to the parks whenever I wanted to definitely helped me come out of my shell; it was somewhere that I would go even if I was going alone. I used to be incredibly shy and never wanted to go anywhere alone. If I didn't have someone to do an activity with, I would stay home instead. But, I felt so alive and so at home at all four of the Walt Disney World parks that I never hesitated to go alone. Sometimes I even met characters by myself and the interactions were never awkward, and I was never anxious.

I miss that feeling of pure joy and genuine happiness that came with the days spent at the park. I would give anything to be able to have Disney in my backyard again.

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I miss the Starbucks at Disney.

How basic, right?

But, I actually do miss all the Starbucks establishments at Disney World because there is always an overly friendly staff and they write your name on your drink cup cuter than outside the property. If you want to be extremely basic, you will definitely pose with one of these cute cups in front of Cinderella's Castle. Plus, I am not sure if they put extra pixie dust in their drinks or what, but the drinks at a Disney Starbucks always taste better than if you get them from a Starbucks off property.

We can all agree the cups are just simply cuter as well!

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I miss Mickey ice cream bars and Dole Whip.

Do we see a snack theme?

Mickey ice cream bars are finally being sold in grocery stores so that we can have a little bit of magic at home! I have definitely purchased a few boxes here and there since they started selling them in stores. It is definitely nice to have a magical snack that is a reminder of home when you are feeling homesick.

Dole Whip is honestly even better than Mickey ice cream bars in my opinion though! The traditional pineapple flavor is what I live for. It is always cold, fresh, and a little bit sweet with a custard-like texture. It is an unbelievably refreshing snack in the Florida humidity or the California heat!

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I miss going to Castle Couture to get "pixie-dusted".

Castle Couture is not the only place in Magic Kingdom to get pixie-dusted: you can go to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique as well! However, Castle Couture is a little bit more enjoyable if you are not a little Princess getting her hair and make-up done at the boutique. Plus, at Castle Couture you get to sit in one of Cinderella's chairs while a lovely cast member sprinkles your head with pixie-dust! The pixie-dust (glitter) does take a while to get out of your hair, but you will sparkle everywhere you go for days to come. When I worked at Disney, I would get pixie-dusted on my days off at the park so often that it was more of a surprise when I didn't have glitter in my hair!

I miss riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night.

When you ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the dark, the ride definitely feels as if it goes faster than it does in the daylight. It could be because you cannot see the tracks in front of you and the turns pop up out of nowhere, or it could truly go slightly faster than it does regularly. There's just something about flying around the track, Cinderella's castle lit up in the distance, the stars twinkling overhead, and the wind whipping through your hair that makes you all warm and tingly inside.

I miss character meet and greets with Rapunzel.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore meeting every Disney character that you can possibly meet at the parks: but, Rapunzel is my all-time favorite to interact with! For my 22^nd birthday, I went to meet Rapunzel with two of my closest friends. Naturally, I was wearing a birthday button because I am a big fan of birthdays (especially my own). Anyway, I have always enjoyed talking to Rapunzel about satchels, painting, Flynn, Maximus, Pascal, and frying pans but this encounter was uniquely different. Rapunzel told me the story of the lanterns that are released every year on her birthday. Once she was done telling her story, she motioned for the three of us to join her in closing our eyes, making a special birthday wish, and then releasing our imaginary lanterns into the sky. Thankfully the Photopass cast member caught this entire interaction on camera, and it is a magical moment that I will remember forever.

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I miss visiting my friends while they worked.

Not only is it a joy to see your friends decked out in their work attire, but they tend to make extra magic when you visit them at work too. I had friends that were character performers, character attendants, custodial, attractions, and merchandise all while I worked at Disney, and they definitely made each visit a little sweeter.

Splash Mountain is one of my favorite rides – it has been since I was 10 – and I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends work at this attraction. Every time I came to visit her while she worked her incredibly long shifts, decked out in her blue plaid, she would give me a Fast Pass for the ride. No, cast members are not supposed to do this, but sometimes they do anyway. In all honesty, we make magic for everyone else so I think it is okay to make a little magic for each other every once in a while. Being able to plummet down the mountain without waiting in a ridiculously long line always put a huge smile on my face, and reminded me of the first time I came to Disney as a child and fell head over heels in love with the parks.

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I miss LeFou's Brew.

One of the sweetest, and most interesting tasting drinks in Magic Kingdom is definitely LeFou's Brew!

Naturally, Beauty and the Beast is one of my absolute favorite stories, so drinking anything themed to that story is a must. There is definitely a froth that accompanies the liquid, and if you drink it slowly then it will not be overly sweet. LeFou's Brew can definitely give you a brain freeze, but what cold drink doesn't?

The ambiance of Gaston's Tavern, where you purchase LeFou's Brew, puts you inside the movie which is also pretty wonderful.

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I miss the partner statue.

The partner statue is iconic; and let's faces it – who doesn't want to see Walt and Mickey together? It is a nice remembrance of the man who started it all, Walt Disney. Mickey Mouse was Walt's best pal! The partner statue perfectly conveys Walt's quote, "I hope we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse". There is something about seeing the statue of Walt and Mickey together, even in statue form, that puts butterflies in your stomach and brings a little extra magic to your visit.

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I miss The Walt Disney World road sign.

This is probably the cheesiest of them all, but I really miss driving underneath the Walt Disney World archway that signals you are finally at Disney! You see this sign and suddenly you know that your life is about to change. I miss driving under the sign while the song, When Will My Life Begin, pours out of the radio. I always knew Disney was home, and this is just the big welcome sign. I miss it more than anything.

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I promise you, Disney, that I will be back for a visit sooner rather than later!