"Disney @ 50" Makes A Comeback

A few years ago I when I was "totally obsessed" with everything Disney and going back to Disney World I determined that when it came time for my 50th birthday I would be going back to see Mickey and friends in Orlando.

I came up with a plan and started putting aside the money that would enable me to live out the plan which I called "Disney at 50". I was so "into" this plan that I even created a logo to help remind me of my goal. It was a black sillouette of a "classic Mickey Mouse head with the words "Disney @ 50" in the center of it in white.

However God's work in my life resulted in spiritual changes which led me to reprioritize everything including my finances. I had made a return to Disney World a "god" in my life and it needed to go away for a while. An 8 month stint of unemployment also contributed to the decision to scrap the "Disney @ 50" savings campaign.

Moving forward to November 2009. The idea of a 4 day weekend trip to Disney World in 2011 with my son, Michael, to celebrate his 30th birthday awakened the hope and reality of another trip to see Mickey. A few months later in March of this year, after reviewing the plans for the "Michael" trip I realized that a 4 day trip wasn't going to do it for me. I wanted to go back and do all the parks again.

I decided that it was time to plan a return trip to Walt Disney World. I sat down and evaluated what kind of trip I wanted to take researched an estimated cost. I decided that, since it would be our first time to Disney World over 6 years, to do it right would require an 8 day trip. The plan would be to fly there and stay on Disney property at a moderate resort. After calculating and estimated cost; I figured if I started saving, this year, in a way that's within our budget I would be able to return to Disney World in 2014.

It seemed like a long time to wait for something that I really was anxious to do. But I bided my time by listening to Disney podcasts and reading leisurely reading through the "Unofficial Guide to Disney World" book. My interest in Disney World had increased as the year went along. By May I was downloading and listening to, at least, about 6 different Disney World podcasts each week. Although in the overall scheme of things it wasn't that far away, the 2014 plan continued to seemed really far away. Nevertheless, I continued to stick to the plan. God had grown in me the ability to keep things in perspective, the desire, and appreciate of the quality of doing things in my life that within His guidelines. His work and the changes He's brought about in my heart was enough to help me keep my desire for Disney under control.

Last month, just before we went on vacation, my wife suggested something to me that made me smile from ear to ear. She said that since September was my 50th birthday maybe we would be able to manage being able to spend a couple of days in Walt Disney World. My heart skipped a beat and my mind began racing with just the mention of the idea.

We talked about it over the course of our vacation. Paula spoke of it only as an idea. I thought and spoke about it as a reality. When we came home I began gathering information, crunching numbers and searching my "Unofficial Guide to Disney World" book for specific information about our trip.

Over the last couple of weeks the trip has gone from 4 days, including travel time and 2 days in the Disney World parks, to 6 days with 3 days in the Disney Parks and a day at Universal Studio's newly opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
That last addition is my birthday present to my wife, a big HP fan.

So as the writing of this it is nearly certain that on my 50th birthday I will be in a theme park at Walt Disney World. I am so excited and feel blessed that my wonderful wife loves me enough to want to make my dreams come true.

The trip is only 65 days away and I can't wait. I'll make sure I update you on this blog and on Facebook before, during and after our trip. I can't wait.