A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Believe it or not...Harry Potter wasn't the only thing I did in Orlando.

I know... I know... it's hard to believe but there are other things to enjoy in Orlando beyond Harry Potter. It was a shock to me too. ;-)

For our second full day in Florida, Lor, Kirstie, and I had no idea what we wanted to do, but decided on Downtown Disney

The day mainly consisted of us taking pictures at the Lego Store - cause these Lego sculptures are awesome.

We did have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe... bar. (We were going to sit at a table, but the bar didn't have a wait and we could order anything off the menu. So... yay daytime drinking!) 

Then we watched Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters... which did it's job of entertaining us for two hours and looking at Jeremy Renner. And that's about it. Interspersed through the day was us walking in and out of shops and snarking at silly souvenirs.

I stole this from Kirstie's Facebook.

That night Alice had us over for dinner and she made the most AMAZING meal for us. I love having friends who can actually cook. It's a nice change of pace for me since I usually just heat things up in the microwave.

It was an awesome evening overall. I loved being able to hang out with the girls, put pieces together of what we've talked about on our blogs, and talk about how we just need to find a way to get rich off of the internet. If John and Hank Green can do it - so can we!

But onto the next day - DISNEY!

I'm sorry the crane ruins the effect of Cinderella's Castle. I believe they were working on more additions to Fantasyland. Just try to imagine this picture without it, and you'll appreciate the awesome castle much more.

For someone who's living is all about kids... I actually don't really enjoy kids in public places unless I'm the one in charge of them. That sounds weird, I know, but It's true. However, I learned that Disney World is the exception.I feel like Lor and Kirstie probably don't believe me that I'm not usually a girl who is all "OMG LOOK AT THE ADORABLE CHILDREN" because almost everywhere I turned my heart was melting over kids dressed up as their favorite characters.

My favorites were kids who dressed as pirates. So cute! Although I did see a Prince Charming at the parade that night. ADORBS.

I think what it was though was what came over me while we were exploring Hogwarts. My outrageous willingness to jump headfirst into the world of imagination and stories. Which is probably why Peter Pan is my favorite ride there - even with the awful long wait.

It's the one place where you can pretend to be a princess, or a mermaid, or a pirate, or whoever you want to be, and no one cares. In fact - it's better if you do act this way! It's the one place where it's okay to be a kid and live in worlds that only exist in your dreams.

It's where you can see Gaston and totally fan-girl and he laughs at you but you don't care because OMG GASTON.

That may or may not have actually happened, and I may or may not have then been to shy to take a picture with him and settled for a picture of his awesome statue. Hypothetically speaking of course. ;-)

It was the fireworks though that night. By the end of the day our group had split into two so we could do a bit more of what we wanted and decided to meet up for the fireworks show. After some exploring, Alice and I found the perfect spot to watch and perched ourselves there for awhile and watched the "pre-show" which consisted of clips and music from various Disney movies being displayed on Cinderella's Castle. We admitted to each other that we might just cry a bit.

I had flashbacks to when I was a senior in high school and we took a band trip to Disney over spring break. The Magic Kingdom fireworks show had been my favorite, and I remembered listening to them talk and sing about dreams and wishes. Being me, I totally bought into it, and even made a wish when asked. I don't remember what the wish was... it was probably about a silly boy. Because I was seventeen and that's what seventeen year old girls wish for. But maybe I was smart and wished for something about my future since I was getting ready to graduate and go to college. I remember wanting to cry watching everything and thinking about wishes and dreams.

Does this picture remind anyone else of the battle of Hogwarts? Anyone? Just me?

Nine years later... I may not have been wishing about boys or what college I was going to in a few months, but the fireworks show still made me want to cry.

It reminded me again of why I love Harry Potter, Disney (and yes I know people's complaints about Disney BUT I DON'T CARE), fairy tales, and other stories. Being able to dive into some imaginary land and think about how the world is, and what we wish it to be. It reminded me of how important dreams and wishes are.

Making me wonder about what my dreams and wishes are. When we're younger they are so much clearer. You want that boy to like you. You want that college to send your acceptance letter. You want that thing for Christmas. You want to make the team.

As we get older, those wishes are still in our hearts, but we can't define them the way we used to. It's not as clear and gets a bit blurry. That doesn't mean they aren't as strong though.

The next day I proceeded to watch four Disney movies in a row. All of them about princesses and their dreams. What I love about these stories is that the characters went for their dreams. While I know some say they all just waited for their princes to come save them... I don't see it that way.

Cinderella may have needed help to get to the ball, but she also could have been prideful and turned down the Fairy Godmother's help, or gotten scared about getting in trouble later, and never gone at all. But she was brave and went anyway.

Ariel wanted a different life, and while she didn't go about it the most intelligent way, she made it happen.

Aurora fell in love when she wasn't supposed to. Although it did very conveniently work out for her. However, I like to believe that if Phillip hadn't been a prince, they would have found a way to be together.

Belle was different from everyone else and went back for her guy even though she would probably be shunned by her town.

Again... making me wonder what my dreams are and how far I am willing to go for them.

So tell me... what are your thoughts on dreams and wishes?

And for those of you wondering - NO. I did not meet Snow White. AGAIN.