for the love of disney, volume three.

some people have vices like cigarettes or alcohol. watching my dad try to quit smoking for the past 25 years made me not want to do or try anything potentially addicting. i rarely drink "lemonade" and even try not to drink soda, most of the time.

my only vices are sunshine and chocolate. as far as vices go i pretty much feel like a winner.

lately it has become glaringly obvious that i have a third vice. can you guess? DISNEY.

i'm not too sure how great a vice this is. yes it's pretty damn magical. i have some really sweet memories there. i've eaten some of my most favorite meals, fallen in love, danced with stich and goofy, and faced fears there. but i've also spent a serioulsy large sum of money on annual passes, hotels, and aforementioned food.

and now i'm going through withdrawal. somedays i think of just getting in the car, driving north and just standing in the middle of magic kingdom and soaking it in like a smoker savors that first drag. sometimes just thinking of it makes me feel better. other times i feel worse.

last night there was a new commercial for the verizon disney app. the evil queen asks a vacationing family where she might find snow white and the dad checks his phone and sees she is at the castle. pretty generic, silly stuff right? well I CRIED.

i realize this is not a normal reaction. videos of parents suprising their kids with a trip to disney also make me cry and i usually tear up during that disney commercial with the "its a good life song," because yes...it is a GREAT life in disney. you get to be a total kid. for one day you can escape reality and live in a fantasy world. for only $89.

seriously though, it's hard not to be happy in disney. when you see kids meet a character and in all their heart they truly believe it is a real princess or mickey mouse. when you see the wonder in their eyes because they are just AMAZED that they are flying in a pirate ship with peter pan. when cast members write "have a magical day" at the bottom of your beer glass so you see it everytime you take a drink. how nothing tastes better on a hot day than a pinapple float. even better when you get a free float and a "happy birthday princess" because of your nerdy button.

it makes my heart swell.

and something that gives me that much joy can't be that bad a vice afterall. even though thinking about my inability to go anytime soon makes me break out in hives, i know i'll get my turn again.

and it will be magical.