{Guest Post} Leave your angst at the door, grown up lady.

Lindsay from Adventures of a Book Thief has been one of my favourite blogs to read since I found her this past winter. Her writing always draws me in, her blog design is exceptionally cute (always gets me!) and she’s just gone back to school full time! She’s just as brave as she is dreamy to read about. Please thank her for holding down the fort until I’m back!

When Kyla told me she was going on a Disney Cruise, I got so excited for my Canadian Prairie friend.  As a Southern California girl, Disneyland has always held a special place in my heart.  One day every summer, my family would wake up at the crack of dawn to conquer the Magic Kingdom.  We’d get there so early that the park wasn’t even open.  We’d wait behind a velvet rope on Main Street until we were given permission to rush into the world of magic and wonder.

Our routine was always the same: Peter Pan’s Flight was our first stop.  The feeling of soaring over London and Neverland is still one of my favorites.  My dad is the king of organization and routine, so it’s no surprise that he would check every ride we went on off of the little paper maps they give you at the entrance (yes, we are those people: the ones with a tendency toward OCD and structure).  We’d stay all day, until absolutely every ride was covered.  Between the sugar rush from oodles of churros and giant lollipops and hours of roller coasters and storybook adventures, my parents would carry my sister and I to the car in big tired bundles.

I have so many Disney memories.  Dressing up as Alice in Wonderland when I was seven years old and thinking I had everyone in the park convinced that I was the real Alice.  Running through the park with my best girls, fireworks dancing across the sky.  Sharing kisses with a special someone in the spooky glow of Haunted Mansion ghosts.  I keep these little gems close to my chest and peek at them every now and then.  They are like old friends.

There is something comforting to me about the opportunity to leave your worries behind for a day in a world that is all about fantasy.  I can be just as snarky and cynical as the next gal, with a healthy skepticism of those with smiles plastered on their faces at all hours.  Happiness is something I treasure, but I’m not someone who believes I’m entitled to it 24-7.  I know that there are lessons learned from the other hundreds of emotions that have made me stronger and more compassionate.  But there is really nothing like leaving your angst at the door and just floating on a bubble of giggly excitement.  I love that I can still experience that joy as an almost-grown-up lady.

Kyla, I hope you and Mister have an amazing time with adventures you’ll whisper about under the covers for years to come.