I would like to apologize for the delay in posting as I have been very busy trying to figure out where to start. After several weeks of pondering, I decided a great place to start my Magical Trip Tips would be at the beginning of my so-called Obsessive Compulsive Disney Disorder (OCDD)!

It is sort of funny that I have developed such an extreme obsession for Disney in the last 5 years or so. I didn't grow up going to Disney on a regular basis, in fact, I only went to Disneyland for an afternoon once as a child when I was about 12. The only memory that stands out in my mind from that trip was that I rode Pirates of the Caribbean with my grandma to "test it out" for my parents & my then 6 month old baby brother. I can remember being so excited about the ride when I came out of it because I had never experienced anything like it in my life. I had been on rides before at Coney Island but never anything like Pirates. I was in complete awe...the sights...the smells...it was all truly amazing! I remember coming out of the ride & telling my parents, it was amazing...you'll absolutely love it. All 4 of us got in the line & boarded our boat. They absolutely loved it until we went down the first drop. I seriously thought my mom was going to lose it because she screamed that she almost dropped my brother! Then came the second drop...oh, the horror! Next, we had a wonderful, mellow, enjoyable ride on It's A Small World so it was all good in the end. Anyway, I guess you could say that I was never in a huge hurry to go back any time soon.

I very distinctly remember the feeling of euphoria I had within me when I exited Pirates for the very first time. I was so mesmerized by that ride & tucked that memory away only to be taken out at a later time in my life when I could see the joy it brought to my own children.