Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Happy Birthday, Disneyland!

Have I ever mentioned that I grew up on a farm in the Central Valley? You'd think living in the middle of nowhere might get lonely, but it never was. My Mom and Dad wanted to encourage creativity in our home, so instead of watching television-we'd spend our days putting on circus shows, opening pretend restaurants, and making family newspapers. Our favorite thing to do though, was set up "rides" in our backyard and pretend we were at Disneyland.

Every year we'd pack up the van and road trip to Disneyland. It was the kind of vacation that made us so excited, we couldn't sleep the night before. It really was our "happiest place on earth". We loved it so much, that as we'd head home, we'd fill a notebook with ideas about what we'd do next year. The funny thing though, is that Disneyland was never really about the characters for me. Sure, I carried around my Eeyore doll everywhere I went. But as much as I loved these characters, I didn't love Disneyland because of Mickey Mouse. I loved it because it was a home for dreamers like myself. It was a happy reminder that anything is possible, if you dare to dream big enough. It gave me hope that someday, our family newspapers, circus shows, and pretend restaurants, could very well be a reality. If someone could create Disneyland, anything was possible. 

Happy birthday, Disneyland. Thank you for all the memories, and for the memories that are yet to come. 


My son and I, waiting for the parade by Small World.



3 comments:

  1. I loved this post! I agree, Disneyland is our happy place too and full of so many wonderful memories. I'm glad we're able to go as often as we can and I'm grateful that we don't take that for granted. Happy birthday Disneyland! :)

    P.S. Your family and childhood sounds so cool. I hope you continue the family papers and circus acts with your son.

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  2. I agree it isn't just about the "cartoon characters" that people think it is. Its about the magic and wonder. It creates more hope for happier days and dreams to come true.


    p.s. Mindy sent me---but I really do agree with you, not just because she sent me over LOL :)

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    1. I totally agree, and I'm glad you found me over here. :)

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