So, I'm sure we've heard all Disney lovers say "it started when I was a kid". And, this would be true for me, too. When you grow up with something it becomes nostalgic, a memory. My memories with Disney are far and wide. When I was an itty bitty cutie pie baby, my parents would take my brother and I to the parks. They would dress us in cute little Disney outfits (which I full on plan to do to my kiddos) and spend time with us in the happiest place. We didn't live in Southern California. We actually moved around a good amount. We also didn't have much money so we never had Disney passes as kids (even though they were 10000x cheaper than they are now). However, once a year my parents would stretch their finances and take us on a magical trip. We were very frugal, always eating breakfast before we left the house, packing our lunches, splurging on dinner and one treat or souvenir each. Now, this is not to make anyone feel bad for having money but I also want to point out that it's possible to save on things and make a magical day a reality even when you don't have much. We always had what we needed, my parents always provided, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm thankful for those yearly trips because it's something I'll always remember. I'll never forget when DCA opened up (and the old entrance RIP). We had so much fun playing and exploring as a family.
Halfway into high school those yearly trips came to a halt. We were older now, prices were rising, and we all got busy. I was getting ready for college and my brother in his angsty teen phase (lol). I loved Disney still, but I let myself grow up a little (WHY DID I DO THAT?!). It wasn't until college when I reverted back to my childlike self (with a few adult tendencies, ya know). I discovered the magic of a Disneyland annual pass when I was a junior in college. I was dating my boyfriend (now husband) and two months into dating I convinced him to get a Disney pass. I was working a ton (a few hours shy of full time) and going to school full time but I was only 20 minutes from the parks when I was at my dorm room so I figured it was a good investment, especially when you have someone to share the magic with. When I got my first pass I bought the cheapest pass (the one with all the blackout dates and you can only go Monday-Thursday, and some Fridays) because it only cost me like, $12 a month and I had random days of freedom after class during the week. I convinced all my friends to get passes. I would never pass up an opportunity to spend time in the parks and it became my happy place. Wednesday afternoons after science class when Gilbert would visit me, Tuesday mornings for breakfast with my roommates, and ANY time class was cancelled. We spent every single big milestone at the parks; birthdays, anniversaries, I even went to the parks a few hours after I graduated college. I was my happiest and I felt at home whenever I got to relive those childhood memories in the parks.
Whenever I wasn't at the parks, I was usually scrolling through social media (don't act like you weren't doing the same right before you stumbled upon this post). I noticed all these cute Disney instagrammers and I remember thinking how I wished I could do that. I wanted to take fun photos in the parks and post about all my adventures. I remember telling myself, I don't think I could do that. Every insecurity popped into my mind. I told myself I wasn't cute enough, I didn't have anything to take photos with, I had no money to buy all the outfits I wanted, and no one would want to do that with me even if I could. Then, one day I just thought to myself, why can't I at least try it? If no one follows me then fine. If no one likes my posts, that's okay. I should at least give it a shot because it looked like fun. I went out and invested in a starter camera from Costco and decided to capture every moment I could. I started posting only about Disney and that's when @tomorrowlandtiff came to be. I started with my husband and my best friend. Then slowly, I started to meet more and more people who were just as into this as I was. I became part of a community and it was one of the best risks I ever took. If you're thinking of sharing your own Disney adventures I encourage you to give it a shot. If I can do it, YOU CAN TOO. And, that's my long was of describing how I became this obsessed with Disney.
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