My Favorite Disney Memory by Belinda

Welcome to our special “Disney Memories Week and Giveaway”! This week, while I’m on vacation, we are celebrating Disney’s year long “Let the Memories Begin” theme: each day, one of our great writers will share a favorite Disney memory….and will provide you with a chance to win a $50 Disney gift card. From now until Sunday July 10, you will have up to 2 chances to enter each day by commenting on the blog post and/or our Facebook page.  The more days/times you comment, the more chances you have to win. (But please, to be fair to everyone: only ONE blog entry and ONE Facebook entry per person per day…)

Please note: ONE winner will be selected from all who enter by midnight ET, on Sunday, July 10. Good luck….and Let the Memories Begin!

My favorite Disney memory, I have so many, especially the vow renewal with my husband on Disney Cruise Line. But, looking into my heart, the one Disney memory that will forever hold a special place, is the trip my husband and I took his father on.

This is a man who lived a life of divorce, ending up with nothing, and raising a son with hardly any income. Shawn, being the child, did all he could to take care of his father, by putting everything he earned from his job to help take care of him and his Dad. As Shawn grew up and we got married, we continued to help care for his Dad by getting him places to live and ensure that he was taken care of with food and clothing. We knew there was one thing that was missing from this dear man’s life, magic. He needed a place that he could go and forget about all of his troubles and be happy. It was then, that we decided to take a trip to the most magical place on earth. Joining us, would be his Mother and his Father.

I will never forget the look on his face when he saw the Cinderella Castle for the first time. I will never forget the way he laughed until he cried on Animal Kingdom’s Prim Evil Whirl. The moments and the magic that my husband and I were able to create with his Dad were priceless and unforgettable. Today, he resides in a full care facility, where he is independent but in need of care. Every day that we see him, he proudly wears his Steelers hat sporting his Tinkerbell, Pluto and Mickey pin. It was a few months ago, that he came to Shawn and said, Son, I keep seeing that Disney commercial about families, I would really like for us to go back… My heart sank and tears started to take over. How could one journey to the most magical place on earth stay with a man whose life ended up in a way he never thought possible. The magic of Disney takes us to a place where dreams really come true, where magic makes us feel well, happy and free of all evil. Our hope is to grant my Father–in-laws wish and take him sometime next year. If that is the last and only wish he will ever have, that is truly one that I know would make all of his dreams come true. He is living proof, that the magic of Disney can change your life. Disney is all about love and there is no better place to share it.

Question 1 (answer below in the comment section): What ride made Belinda’s Father in Law laugh until he cried?

Question 2 (answer on our Facebook page): Is there a very special person that you have taken…or would like to take….on a Disney vacation?

Want help planning your Disney vacation? Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make it all simple…and save you time and money too!

Belinda is a Disney Vow Renewal Bride, and a massive Disney addict. In her words: “I am happily married to my high school sweetheart and we have two four legged kids, our cat Simba and our dog Harley. My husband and I have been to Disney 16+ times, been aboard Disney Cruise Line 5+ times and have had a vow renewal wedding aboard the Disney Magic! We have a room in our home we call our happy place. It is wall to wall Disney and nothing more. Not a day goes by that I’m not in my room basking in the happiness that only Disney can create. My hope is to share with all of you,  the love and passion that I have for Disney while embracing the magic of Walt’s dream. I am honored to be a contributor for The Affordable Mouse, and look forward to helping spread a little Disney magic.”