The happiest place on earth

The drive has been long, but my energy is refreshed. It the back of the Flex the girls are talking about every sign we see. Tinkerbell advertises Wishes. Goofy is headed to Typhoon Lagoon. We see signs for Epcot and Hollywood Studios. I think to myself, that used to be MGM. Sienna is excited to see pictures of Pluto, Minnie and of course, Mickey. Shelby races her to name their names.

At some point the signs stop looking like the rest of the world. They are purple, red and white. In the car, this is a sign we have arrived. We finish the trip to the resort looking for the landmarks. The Tower of Terror. The Swan and Dolphin. The Big White Ball (a giant 960 sided die that hold Spaceship Earth).

Check-In goes quickly. We get our keys to the world and we are on our way.

This is fun. No one is fighting. Everyone is excited. Even an overfilled bus can't dim our spirits.

I can't compete with my wife, but I love Disney. This isn't for the logo covered clothes, the Mickey stamped silverware, the Pin Trading or the fireworks shows. My like of each of these things hangs on my real reason I love Disney.

We make it through the bag check without incident. We walk by the giant mouse head of flowers, pausing long enough to decide we don't want to get pictures with Mary Poppins. It is then under the train station, through the tunnels where you can pick up a map. We don't need a map. We navigate between vending carts and more character lines. We walk far away from the bronze statue of Roy and Minnie.

Some first timer points at Roy telling his family it is Walt. I want to, but I don't correct him. The moment is coming.

We turn the corner and our pace drops to a crawl. They are all looking past the balloons, past the photographers. They don't even hear the one trying to flag us down. They don't seem to smell the fudge being cooked in the candy shop or hear the music from the speakers all around us. There is no chaos.

The castle has them. I reminds them that they are here to play and have fun. It fires their imagination into thoughts of wild rides and meeting the characters they watch on TV. They are the princesses of the world. They can feel the magic of being exactly where they want to be. It could not be more right.

This is it, my moment, too. This is why I love Disney. In that moment, while they watch the castle, I watch them. While they experience the magic of the place, I experience the magic of giving the joy.

For all of us, this really is the happiest place on earth.