DisneyFreak

I recently joined a group of bloggers who on Wednesdays all take a trip down memory lane. If you would like to join in, or just read other peoples memories, click on the link and follow the directions!

Most of my friends and family know what a Disney freak I am. When I found out that we were moving to Georgia in 2005 the only good thing I could find about it was that I would be that much closer to Disney World.

We actually ended up going twice in the 3 years we were there. I feel so lucky and the memories of those trips always make me smile.

Now don't get me wrong, I still love the original West coast version. (Disneyland) In fact, I have been to DisneyLAND about 7 times. We have taken the kids there twice as well.

When you're at the Disney parks it's like you just forget reality...you're in a fantasy world and EVERYONE feels like a little kid again. It's WONDERFUL! The downside is when you go back home and reality sets in again:(

I treasure our vacations no matter where we go, but the Disney trips will always be my favorites.

The kids with Tigger. Disneyland 2001

Our first trip to Disneyland was in June of 2001. Andi was 9 years old and the twins were 6. We were living in Fort Lewis, WA at the time so we decided to make a full fledged vacation out of it. We drove down the Oregon coast and made a stop at the Sea Lion caves near Florence. Then a stop at the aquarium in Cresent City, CA and that night we camped in The Redwoods. The next morning we made a quick stop to visit Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox at the Trees of Mystery park. We also took a tram ride up to the top of the mountain there and were able to see whales breaching in the ocean. It was beautiful. We then traveled further south and visited Great Grandma and Grandpa Allen who were serving a mission in San Leandro, CA. Finally we made it to Disneyland and it was wonderful!

The kids with Mickey. Disneyland 2005

Our second trip to Disneyland was in February of 2005. It was during California's monsoon season or something, but we still had fun. Even if we were wet most of the time;) The things I remember the most about this trip is it was the kids' first time on an airplane (we flew down from Seattle) and it was our first character breakfast. Since then, we haven't been able to take a trip to Disney without at least one character meal. They are always the hightlight for me:)

Dave and the kids with Mickey. Disney World 2006

Our first trip to Disney WORLD was in July of 2006. We were new to the south at that time and we foolishly chose to camp at Fort Wilderness to save some money. Don't EVER camp in the south in the summer...especially if you're not accustom to the humidity! We took Cosmo (our dog) with us and just trying to sleep at night was a chore! We were miserable when we weren't at the parks. Thankfully, we were only at our campsite in the evenings and we were too excited to sleep at night anyway:)

Amy and the kids at Epcot. Disney World 2007

Our last trip to Disney World was in March of 2007. It was just before mine and Dave's 16th anniversary, so we got to wear buttons saying we were celebrating our anniversary and got a couple cute "perks" as well as lots of cast members giving us their best wishes and congratulations. It was a lot of fun. Plus, this time we stayed in a hotel on property. (the Port Orleans Riverside) and we knew what we really wanted to see and what things we could skip. It made for a much more relaxing trip. Oh yeah, we also left the dog in the kennel at home this time;)

I keep hoping we can go back again sometime. Maybe in a few years when we leave Hawaii we can stop by while we're in CA;) Or maybe I'll win the lottery and we can go anytime we want! Hey, I can dream, right? :D