Over the summer I decided I was going to surprise my roommate and take her to Disney over fall break. So doing what I do best when I make up my mind about something, I put the plan right into action. I got the tickets and told my roommate that we had fall break plans. She found out the plans the other day on her birthday when I revealed the plan to her by placing Minnie Mouse ears on her as we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cake. This whole week we have both been giddy with excitement. We are ready to get away from school and be surrounded by our childhood cares like what ride to ride next or what type of ice cream we should get.

One thing that I am really looking forward to is that I grew up going to Disney World in Florida pretty often since we lived in Florida. My roommate, on the other hand, has only been to Disney Land in California since she is from the west coast. I want to show her the Disney I grew up loving. Between school trips and family trips, it felt like I was there all the time when I lived in Florida. I have my favorite rides, and she has hers (or at least the Californian equivalent).

I want to share my memories of growing up with her, but also make new, lasting memories. Last time I was in Disney, the trip was cut short due to an emergency back home. Because of the timeline of the emergency and the trip I have a hard time separating the set of memories because they are so interwoven together. I can't think about my last trip to Disney without thinking about the entire situation, which does make sense. The entire trip seems like a blur. The day in the park, the choir competition, the long ride home early. My roommate has been so patient with me and encouraging to me as I have continued to work through the memories over the years. She's listened to countless stories, probably some of them multiple times, but she always lends me a listening ear.

I've never wanted to forget any of my experiences or memories because I know they are important in forming the person I have become. If I could go back in time I would let everything play out exactly the way that it did and I wouldn't change any of the actions that I made.

I think one of the best parts about moving to college is meeting people that you know you can share those things with, but also form new and different memories with. People that will take the time to learn your past because they want to understand you better as a person and as their friend. I couldn't be more excited to see what kind of new adventures and memories come from my fall break adventure this year!