I'm Almost There, Florida!

I feel really lucky to be going to Disney World again in less than three weeks.  It's my happy place.  It's where I ALWAYS want to be.  Just fifteen more work days and I'll be back there.

When I'm at Disney World, I have a specific thought often that I don't think I have EVER talked about publicly before in my blog writing.  Right now, I'm watching a Disney Parks show on Netflix and it made me think of it again.  There are times that I'm absolutely amazed at my surroundings and the first thing that comes into my mind are the Imagineers.  It takes just seconds for me to imagine all of the people that put time, brain power, body power, creativity, imagination, and endless research into something SO simple yet so complex.

For example, the pavement in between the Fountain of Nations and Spaceship Earth.  If you're a person who pays attention to detail, you probably already know what I'm talking about.  At night, the ground is illuminated with what looks like tiny Christmas tree lights.  It's a detail I remember from my first trip to Epcot when I was just 9 years old.  I'm sure it didn't take just one person to create this "finishing touch." Someone had to think of the idea.  Someone had to figure out how it was going to look with the overall theme.  Someone had to come up with HOW this was going to work mechanically and survive the elements.  Then, someone okays the budget on this tiny magical detail.  All of this work was put into something that isn't even an attraction.  It's simply "plussing" the ground with detail.  It's the things that no one needed to do, but they did so that way the guests could feel that much more immersed in the Disney magic.  THAT is what makes me see how different Disney is from other theme parks.  Details like that seriously bring me to tears and I'm so thankful to be there in that moment.

I appreciate so many things about the parks and I think that's why I'm able to go back so often and have it feel new every time.  It seems that there is something new to be discovered with every visit.  There's just never enough time in my book.

Wanna know some details about my upcoming trip?  Alright, so, it's starting to unfold a little bit more since my departure day is getting closer.  However, there's still no real itinerary due to the unknown of who I'm going to see and when.  Thursday, my arrival day, I know I have to pop over to Magic Kingdom at some point to meet up with a family member of a "family member."  It's my lifelong honorary big brother's older sister, Jennifer.  She's a big Disney fan and will be visiting WDW with her family at the same time I will be.  The next day is the Touring Plan's meet in Morocco.  I'm sure I'll be hanging with Touring Plan's folks for most of Friday.  Saturday, my free day with no plans to see anyone.  If I do, cool.  If not, no biggie!  On my last day, Sunday, I'll end at Magic Kingdom so I can visit with the Robbins family.  They're awesome people that I met through my love of Kelly Clarkson.  Ric was a band member of Kelly's for about three years.  Being friends on Facebook, he saw my love for Disney and connected me with his gorgeous wife, Gaby.  Throw in their three kids and you've got a huge Disney loving family.  My kind of people!

I have a feeling that this trip is going to feel really short and go by really quickly.  I wish I had an abundance of vacation days to use so I could stay a few days longer.  However, I only have 4 1/2 days left for the rest of the year and I have to use them wisely.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @Stacey87, if you don't already so you can watch me tour WDW in a few weeks!