Never Underestimate the Magic of Disney

Everyone will tell you, including myself, that there is nothing like seeing the joy in a child's eyes when they first see the castle or their favorite character. It's absolute magic! This year, however, I witnessed first-hand that seeing that joy in another adult's eyes is just as heart-melting.

First, a little bit of background. I have mentioned in past posts, particularly my very first post, that my dad adores Disney and passed that love on to me. In fact, for Father's Day I got my dad a Mickey award statue from DisneyStore.com and had the plaque inscribed with "To [my Dad's first and last name] for inspiring generations of Disney lovers." ♥ My dad lives in California and I currently live overseas (close to Florida) where it can be difficult to have visitors fly in. Considering I gave birth to my daughter on island, my dad couldn't exactly be there. We tried for quite awhile to find a way to get him here that would fit with schedules and budgets. When my daughter reached 18 months old, I was determined to find any way to get her and my dad together. My very supportive husband was 100% behind that thought and we did some brainstorming. Long story short, we all met in Florida. My dad had never been to Florida (I'm not counting the few hours we spent just over the border from Alabama the day after Aaron and I got married) and, needless to say, had never been to Walt Disney World! He had always wanted to check it out, though, and we made it work. So he met his granddaughter for the first time at the happiest place on Earth!

So fast forward to our first day at the Magic Kingdom. I made sure our last 1 1/2 days were there. I can't tell you how incredible it was to see his reaction to seeing Cinderella's Castle for the first time and how different it is from Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The kid in him came right out.

He smiled and laughed and just soaked in everything which was incredible. Another little bit of background, my mother passed away 2 years ago last month. Even going to Disneyland was hard for my dad because it brought back so many memories. So to see him smile and really get caught up in the moment made me swell with happiness and, if it is possible, made me believe even more in the magic of Disney.