I couldn't write a Blog post this week about anything else other than the USA opening the boarders from November!! Wow, we really were not expecting this news until next year. Firstly, I want to say how amazing it is for people who can be reunited with family members after all this time, I am sure there will be hugs all round. I can't imagine what a long wait this has been for you all.
Secondly, for us the USA is a Happy Place of ours we LOVE it (the people, the food, the beauty and just the country in general!). I think growing up watching all those Disney and American teen films just made me fall in love with the USA I knew they were just films, of course, but I just feel at home when I visit. I've been visiting since I was 18months old and it is definitely the country I have travelled to most. I love how different states have a different feel to them such as NYC being so different to Orlando and Dallas was completely different to them both. I would love to explore more places in the USA but of course the first stop for us will be Orlando.
We last went to Orlando back in 2017 we had been every year since we married in 2012 so had clearly been a firm favourite of ours. We got our fair share of the eye rolling "Oh you are going to Disney...again". We had plans to be back in August 2020 and August 2021 but we obviously had these trips cancelled. I will never forget on our last day back in August 2017 we had spent the day in Magic Kingdom and before we were due to head to the airport I did my usual tradition of making a wish by the castle. So I wished that we could have a baby by the time we came back. As we were leaving I said to Dan "I wonder how our lives will have changed by the time we are back again?". It was like I knew that this would be our last trip as a couple...or I guess that was what I was hoping for.
So when we had our gorgeous baby boy Noah in 2019 I was already excited to take him right back to the spot where I made that wish. The song 'Happily Every After' and 'Show yourself' will always be 'our songs' and I was excited to book a trip to show him one of our favourite places in the world and for him to see the 'Happily Ever After' firework show (we know this can't happen now but at least we can show him on YouTube one day when I'm telling him about this song he used to love as a baby haha). We are very grateful and fortunate to have Noah I know that, and we are truly thankful for him every day.
Now the boarders are open there is hope that we can take Noah for his first ever trip. We do have a trip already planned but we don't want to mention dates just yet as we want to be sure it is going ahead (I am one of those people who just thinks you never know). It feels like it could happen now though and that is so exciting. We already talk about the things we are looking forward to such as...we want his first ride to be Peter Pan's Flight and we want to get him a little hat with the ears and his name on the back and we want him to meet Mickey and eat a Mickey's premium bar and get the chocolate all round his face with a big smile and then fall asleep in the pushchair after the fireworks and we have to carry him to bed because he has had the best day ever. Phew can you tell I've been thinking about this?!? Haha.
I know that we both feel that this next trip (whenever it may be) will be extra special we are just going to stop and be so grateful and thankful to be there. Too often in the past we were rushing around and not truly stopping and soaking it all in. If these past years have taught us anything it is to hold on to the memories and live in the moment because you don't get those moments back. I am really looking forward to going back and seeing it through Noah's eyes and find out what he loves about it. I hope he actually likes it...
So no wonder a big part of Happy Place Print are our photos from Orlando! For anyone with trips booked, or planned we hope you enjoy every moment who knows we might even see you there!
Thanks for reading, speak soon x