Our trip to disney

"Where dreams come true"

Leading up to our trip I was feeling the farthest from dreamy.

I was somewhere between worried and uncomfortable, if I'm being totally honest.

I knew there was going to be uncharted waters there, both with the number of things our girls would see and possibly want and with the poor kid that still stakes it's place in my heart screaming, "What about the families that CAN'T go?! WHAT ABOUT THEIR DREAMS!?"

Needless to say, it was super hard for me. I know that seems silly to some and it could even seem a small bit "dramatic" to not just live in the "Go, already! You deserve it!" mentality, but I just could not find peace about it as the days grew closer to leave.

and then we arrived.

There is really no way to describe the feelings someone will experience in their heart, moments before they walk into something new they've never experienced before. You can put all the sites, smells and sounds of a new baby or first home or big trip into whatever words you'd like, but they "just have to BE there" to know exactly what they will FEEL and what they will personally experience in their heart.

So many people told us as much as they could to prepare our and mostly the girls' hearts for what we'd experience. The looks on their faces when they saw new things, the giant smiles and the reflection of the most amazing fireworks in their eyes could NOT have been put into words to fill my heart in the ways that being there and seeing it first hand did.

Between the sites, novelty, and consistent 75 and sunny experiences, the girls and papa loved our time.

For me, Disney was a beautiful experience for different reasons. Getting to officially let go of a message (lie) I had received as a little girl that weighed like identity over me.

You see, I'm a literal thinker. I was an only child with a single mother and my mom shot it straight. There was really no guessing what was on her heart because if she felt it, she said it. For the longest (and even now, but getting better thanks to grace) I have been the gal who expects people to be true to their word and ONLY say what they mean.

So as a child, when people would say Disney is "where dreams true", I believed them.

We lived in poverty throughout my childhood, moving from house to house and government assistance to government assistance. Dreams for me most days were having mom come home sober or having a home cooked meal and having mom feel happy, loved or like she had a friend. In the thick of my childhood "dreams", Disney really wasn't even on my radar. Not because it wasn't a dream, but because it was legit IMPOSSIBLE for that to be MY dream. So, if that's where dreams are coming true, I was counted out.

but MAN AM I THANKFUL dreams are SO MUCH bigger

Believing what others have to say about our dreams bears NO WEIGHT in what our realities will be once we reach them.

But more importantly, "where dreams come true" is wherever you say it is. If you can't attend that "dreamy" event, or have that "dreamy" guy or that "dreamy life, or dare I say Disney, "where dreams come true", YOU ARE NOT COUNTED OUT!!!

My dreams came true when I found out my mother wanted to make right with God literally WEEKS before she died. My dreams came true when I saw in color (aka. what really matters in life) and was wrecked for the first time, on my precious grandmother's couch, one random Monday afternoon. My dreams came true when I looked at both of my healthy babies for the first time, saw them grow, they took their first steps, said "mama" for the first time and my dreams can continue to come true in the mundane days of motherhood when they look at me with fondness and friendship and seek my advice with their deepest secrets. My dreams come true when my husband encourages me with his words and kisses me on my forehead.

Dreams are what WE make them. And they come true when we choose to SEE them as a literal gift and #dreamcometrue.

So, Disney?

Is it an experience? Yes.

Is it a lot of fun and fantasy and filled with characters from childhood classics? Yes.

Did I get to meet Minnie and nearly lose my junk when she was adorable and wanted to take a selfie with me? YES!

But is it where my (or my family's) dreams came true? No, friend.

In the midst of being there and taking it all in, I found myself somewhere between so blessed and thankful that we were able to be there and sad that THIS was where I had believed my dreams would come true as a little girl.

I love the thought of so many children (and adults) finding joy as they scan their bands and meet Minnie, Peter Pan or Mary Poppins, but I want to hold up a giant sign in my own 8 year old, Disney dreaming heart that says, "YOUR DREAMS ARE SO MUCH BIGGER THAN DISNEY, DARLING!" To visit a park for a few days and see the sites and smell the smells is SO AMAZING, but then like most, we go back home. And then what? Is the dream over?

I want to be the gal that looks at the children and families waiting on their dreams and say, "THIS IS POSSIBLE" and if it's Disney, "YOUR DREAMS ARE SO MUCH BIGGER THAN DISNEY, DARLING!" Because when you get home and the days roll forward, you need to know your dreams can STILL come true.

Right where you are, with whatever you having going... THAT'S where dreams come true!

So what is it, friend? What keeps you up at night?

What have you been dreaming of? What do you feel called to that you've been waiting to step into bc (fill in the blank)? What feels scary and exciting and gives you butterflies?

THAT THING... You should do that. THAT IS WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE!

And don't stop there. If you feel counted out, press in. Dream bigger. Jump further.

YOUR DREAMS ARE SO MUCH BIGGER, DARLING!

ps.

If you are seeking a Disney trip, but feel like it's impossible, I have a friend that can get you a trip at a fraction of the cost. She will do whatever she can to get your family there. 

BUT REMEMBER... 

Even if you get to go, it's not the end all, be all. And, if you feel counted out because all of these people get all of these amazing experiences and you don't, find YOUR gifts and dreams in your days (they're there, I promise) and know this: you are counted as FAR MORE valuable than a Disney trip, bank account full of money or a white picket fence.

To contact our Disney agent email Kelley at kelleyj34@gmail.com.