Weekly Column: How will you celebrate?

©Stephenie Freeman

Next year will be my tenth wedding anniversary. I guess I shouldn’t say “my” anniversary since it takes two people to actually have an anniversary, but I often refer it as “my” wedding since I did all of the planning. The Golfer, like most grooms, didn’t do much in the way of planning our big day. All he did was show up and look cute which was enough.

And much like ten years ago, I now find myself once again doing all of the planning. To mark this special occasion, we have decided to reward ourselves with a trip somewhere fun and fabulous. It’s been ten years and we still like each other. That’s something definitely worth celebrating.

I think I have spent as much time planning our anniversary vacation as I did our wedding. Just like our wedding, I want this trip to be perfect, memorable, and special with no expense being spared. Unlike our wedding, this time it’s on our dime, not my father’s.

(He’s reading this and smiling right about now.)

It was a tough call at first—to take the children or not to take the children. There were lots of great travel ideas discussed that involved leaving the children at home with the dogs to fend for themselves. In the end, we decided we better include them. Our anniversary is about the two of us, but celebrating our marriage also meant celebrating the family that we’ve created.

After a little research, we decided to take a cruise, specifically a Disney Cruise. You might think I chose this for the children, but in all honesty, I chose this for me. The kids just lucked out.

We are Disney people; always have been. I was blessed to have grandparents who took me to Disneyland almost every summer growing up. My grandfather, a stoic and serious man, was never happier than when he was sitting in the little boast on the ride “It’s a Small World.”

I was with the Golfer the first time he ever visited Disneyland. We were in our early twenties at the time, but the way his face lit up the first time he saw Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto, you’d swear he was still a 5-year-old little boy.

We see the movies, visit the theme parks, and buy the merchandise— our love affair with the Mouse runs deep. There seems to be an indescribable force that draws me to anything Disney. I guess they don’t call it “Disney Magic” for nothing.

The first time I saw each of my boys in a pair of Mickey ears, I cried. I cried the first time I watched my 1-year-old kiss Goofy on the nose. There is no doubt that I will cry as we sail away on our Disney Cruise. A large box of Kleenex is on the top of my “to-pack” list.

I realize that behind all of the magic lies a huge corporate conglomerate. I know that Mickey is all about making money. Goodness knows I have given him plenty of mine. But for whatever reason, for me the magic seems to overshadow the money. Mickey tugs on my heart strings just as much as my purse strings.

So the planning continues. I want to ensure that we don’t miss one moment of the magic. We’re waiting to surprise the boys with the news of our special trip on Christmas morning. There’s no question that my children will jump up and down and scream and yell with excitement. They’ll be copying off of me.