One Man's Dream...a PTR

[DisGirlAllie]

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We all know that feeling. That horrible, awful feeling that you get when you return from a trip to Walt Disney World. That feeling where it consumes all of you and you want to hop on the next airplane to Orlando just so that you can feel a little bit better. Some call this PDSD (Post-Disney Stress Disorder), some call this PDD (Post-Disney Depression). This is exactly how I felt last August as I got off of the Southwest flight that flew us back from Orlando to Baltimore International Airport. Granted, I felt pretty crappy already since it was midnight and we had a two hour drive ahead of us back to our home in Northern Virginia (curse you Southwest for making it cheaper to fly from Baltimore than Dulles!) But I was also feeling blue because we had just gotten back from Disney. Fast forward a few months; we were trying to plan our Summer 2011 vacations. It was going to be a busy summer for me (two church camps, a family trip with my mum, and a medical internship) so finding any time for a family vacation would be tough. But, my dad found a small window of time in August for us to take a vacation; sure, I would have to miss orientation for my junior year of high school but I'd survive. There were a few choices of where to go: London, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney? Eventually, through a great deal, we decided on Southern California. LA, San Diego, Disneyland, Sea World, and Universal. Great trip, right? Not for these WDW addicts. At first, we were excited. Stoked even. But, there was always a person on each of our shoulders saying "you should be at Disney World". We ignored it. Well, we tried to anyway. I thought I was the only one who felt this way until one day, while driving to Outback of all places, my dad said "I'm tempted to just say screw it and go to Florida."
For awhile, it looked like I would be spending my summer vacation in California. Until, I came home from church today to find my dad on his phone. My stepmum, looking giddy, peaked my interest.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We’re going to Disney World!”
And so began a flurry of quick planning.
Having been to Disney World 37 times (we’ve never lived in Florida and I’m only 16) I am a bit of an expert on planning. Particularly, dining planning. So after a long and painful conversation on the phone with a machine and then eventually a person who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I booked our dining plans. Everything is coming together and now all I have to do is count down the days until I will be back in the place I consider to be the home of my childhood. The place that is the result of one man’s dream.

Table of Contents
Introduction