Never too old for Disney?

I thought about what to post for the blog tonight for a while. Being furloughed and my plan B (just in case) has been on my mind a lot lately. So, tonight I wanted to write about something a little more playful. I've been keeping myself busy, but I can sense my hopes are starting to drift with each passing day. Weighing heavy on my mind tonight is the fact that I (as well as my family) need/deserve a vacation.

As many of you know about me, I am a Disney fanatic. I love anything and everything there is about Disney. Disney art is one of the many things that inspire my creativity. When I was 6 months pregnant, I painted beautiful murals on her wall of many different characters. I created three different portraits as well. One of Minnie Mouse, Lilo and Stitch, and Lion King. I even decked out her crib and other accessories in all things Disney. In fact, little Hannah is a Disney lover herself! (Hm, wonder where she gets that from??).I love the stories, characters, and so much more. Before I found my dream within the FBI, my goal was to eventually work for Disney as an illustrator. (I think that will always be another goal of mine.) Ironically enough, I've never actually been there.

Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of money. Vacations really didn't happen, and my mother is afraid of airplanes. I did get to go to North Carolina (we stopped in West Virginia for a little bit) once for a wedding, and a trip to Daytona with a friend, but that was pretty much the extent of my travels.  When I gained access to a computer, I would always find myself searching the Disney website. I wanted and still want so badly to go there. I love the quotes. I cherish the small details. Every time you go back and watch a Disney movie again, no matter how many times you've seen it you will see more details. 

My favorites include: 

Beauty and the Beast, The nightmare before Christmas, The Lion King, and recently the movie Coco (makes me cry everytime lol).

 I listen to others tell me stories about their experience, which always end with "you've got to go there".

As I grew up, I knew that traveling would be at the top of my list. In fact, it's acutally become a hobby. With bowling, there are a lot of different local things to travel too. When I got married, I vacationed to Reno NV, which was the absolute time of my life. I was so thankful and so happy to have traveled (on a plane) for the first time. Lake Tahoe was incredible. Also, I've now been to Boston, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas (sort of), Delaware, and New York. Most of these weren't really vacations they were all geared toward bowling, and less about leisure. However, I am extremely grateful that I've gotten to see more of the world. Still, I have yet to live my Disney dream.

I am a busy mom, and I USUALLY work an insane amount of hours. My typical daily schedule is:

Monday-Friday

8:00 a.m - 4:30 p.m. work my day job

Hang with my daughter for a little less than two hours, and have dinner...

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (sometimes 10) work my second job/give lessons

10:30 p.m. until I pass out or midnight (whichever comes first)I work on my school work.

I've done this schedule for the last five years. I've worked extremely hard, as well as my little family. We've done all of the right things in life. We've gone to school, opened a business, didn't OD/get addicted or get pregnant at 12 1/2, saved money, bought a house, purchased cars, held jobs, and support our child. We give our daughter the best of everything, and more love then you could possibly imagine. I have helped my friends and given unselfishly to many people. I take pride in the woman I've become and the household I've been able to upkeep as well. (It's by no means perfect, but I'm doing my best). As much as I give to others, I've always had a problem giving to myself. 

I hope that I can find the courage in the upcoming year or so to reward myself with the Disney dream trip I've longed for. I was hoping with the start of this new job I'd actually be able to afford it. Right now, that is in limbo but I am keeping my faith and doing my best to remain positive. I dream of it almost daily. I can't wait to see the look on Hannah's face when she finds out that Mickey and Minnie are "real". I can't wait to take in the sights and sounds of Disney. I relish in the thought of taking a family photo in front of the Cinderella castle. I'm impatiently waiting to see my favorite movie characters walking around the park. Seeing a sunset at Disney would be an absolute dream come true as well.

I know to some of you this may sound really dumb for a 28-year-old woman to "dream of Disney". It's probably not the most interesting blog post ever, either. I don't think it will get as many views as some of the others, and that's okay. Disney is so much more than a vacation to a theme park for me. To see my passion inspiration come to life would be an absolute honor for me. Sometimes, the littlest things take up the most room in your heart, I suppose. 

I would love to hear about your Disney experience and see your Disney memories! Comment below, or on any of my social media pages. 

As Always,

Artistically Yours

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