Now I know that not everyone gets the opportunity to go to Disney world in their life time, but then again I know that A LOT of people do. However, I'm fairly certain that most people do not get to travel across the country with their best friend and go to Disney World with them. I on the other hand was fortunate enough to have that privilege, and it was an amazing time that I am so thankful to have the memories from and lessons learned.

When my friend Dani and I proposed the crazy idea of taking a trip to Disney in the upcoming summer, we thought it was just that, crazy. Growing up, Disney was never really an option for my family. My dad doesn't even like hot weather or large crowds to begin with, and I won't even mention the cost of the trip. So, when I met Dani and heard that her family had been on several trips to Disney, you can imagine my astonishment. I always had a fondness for all things Disney, I mean who doesn't love a good night of Cinderella and Mulan? Finding a friend who felt the same way, and who was still all about staying "young forever" was certainly one of the most awesome things that has happened so far in my life, and even more so that her entire family feels the same way (including her grandparents). As a result, her parents were totally on board with this trip and agreed that it would be a great time, so Dani and I began to save up money for the trip. Before we knew it, the school year was ending and it was getting to be super close to our trip.

When the morning for us to leave finally did arrive, we were all very anxious to get on our way, I'll save you the time of reading about the whole car ride their by saying simply that it was the most traveling that I have ever done in my life, but the end result all made it worth it. We stopped at several sites along the way including the St. Louis Arch as well as the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Everything was so beautiful and I was very happy to be going somewhere with new scenery for a change. When we finally arrived in Florida and to the Gates of Disney, we were all borderline crying tears of joy of course. We stayed in the Port Orleans resort and as soon as we were settled in, we did not hesitate to get on our way to none other than Magic Kingdom. You betcha, it was everything that I hoped it would be and SO much more than that. You are treated like royalty (literally, they call you princess), you feel like a kid again because everything and everyone surrounding you is telling you to never grow up. Over the week we of course visited all of the parks, spent way too much money and ate too much food but it was all worth it.

All this being said, I did not just get to go to Disney, go on rides, see movies and get autographs from princesses, but learned some lessons along the way and they are as follows:

1. When they say never grow up, they mean it. Stay young at heart, play in the dirt, go get Cinderellas' autograph just because you can.

2. Your friends family does not live the way you family does. Prepare for some new sleeping habits and attitude adjustments

3. Enjoy every moment. Before you know it, you're packing up to head home and soon your fun times turn to happy memories.

4. Don't be ashamed to be bold. One of my favorite things was dancing in front of a huge crowd in Animal Kingdom. I didn't want to do it at all, but I am so thankful I did.

And finally,

5. Find a best friend who takes you into their family, and lets you intrude on their family vacation for a week. I promise this kind of friend is the one that you will keep making endless memories with. (P.S. she's going to be my room mate this fall).