One Lifelong Dream {thursday thoughts}

I started this {Thursday Thoughts} blog series three and a half years ago. And the latest entry? Yeah... I wrote that over a year ago. Mostly because I really don't write much anymore. Another big reason is because this last blog is so daunting. Name a lifelong dream. How do I begin to breathe life into something so big when so much of myself has been carved out when I became a mom. Gutted. To make room for the wants and needs of the others I helped bring into this world. I'm aware that it doesn't have to be this way but for me, it's just my reality. And I feel ashamed of it. Which is why I've put off this last one. BUT. I don't like to leave things unfinished... so here we go.

Here are the first nine of them:

ten nine eight seven six five four three two

Two of the biggest dreams I had for my life for as long as I can remember were to get married to someone I loved so deeply and to have babies. I don't really remember how many kids I envisioned for my life but three makes sense. I came from a family of three kids and several families in my extended family had three babies as well. As some of you may know I've got a bucket list on my blog as well that I chip away at every so often. Things like visit Times Square for New Years Eve, plant a flower & veggie garden, get tickets to a live taping of the Ellen show, etc. Many of them are "little" things. Or things that were important to me a long time ago that almost just feel like they don't fit me anymore.

I feel like this one lifelong dream has to be something big and sentimental or else it will seem superficial. (That I would feel superficial.) I could easily say one of the bigger things from my list like writing my own book series or going back to college for an additional degree. And while those are dreams of mine I wouldn't necessarily say they're something I feel super passionately for at this point in my life. But there is something I have felt ultra passionate about for as long as I can remember and continue to this day. I'll give you one guess.







Did you say DISNEY? Because if you did... you probably know me in real life or we've been friends for a while.

The first Disney Park we visited on our honeymoon in 2011 -- Magic Kingdom

I think the dream of working for Disney or visiting ALL of the Disney Parks would qualify as a lifelong dream of mine. I'd like to visit the parts of the world where each Disney Park is, too, so it really works out well.

Disneyland Resort -- Anaheim, California
Walt Disney World Resort -- Orlando, Florida
Tokyo Disney Resort -- Tokyo, Japan
Disneyland Paris -- Paris, France
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort -- Hong Kong, China
Shanghai Disney Resort -- Shanghai, China

So far I'm 1/6 and looking at my life now, both dreams feel a little impossible.

The second Disney Park we visited on our honeymoon in 2011 -- Animal Kingdom

I'm so grateful my husband is crazy in the same way that I am -- we both love all things Disney. I'm so happy I got to be with him when he experienced his first Disney Park and I hope we get to experience the rest of them together. And now we are raising some next generation Disney addicts... our kids have the same love for all things Disney that we do! I know that this lifelong dream seems really surface-level to a great many people. And perhaps it is. But it's something that brings us so much joy. It's the going on adventures and making memories. It's the having so much fun being kids together with each other and with our own children. (And our in-laws on our last two trips!) 

Hollywood Studios on our honeymoon in 2011

We've talked about moving to Florida near Walt Disney World. Or at least closer. It would be extremely hard leaving our family here but it's something we would love to try out someday.

Tony and I at EPCOT on our honeymoon in 2011

While writing today it really brought to the forefront of my mind how it's not okay to put myself on the back burner the way that I do. I can be a better me and I feel like it'll help make me a better mom and wife and household manager. I hope to cross off some bucket list items this year and add some more to the bucket list, too. I think we're our best selves when we keep dreaming. It's been a while since Tony and I did some dreaming together so I think that'll be something I try to address with him this month. Put the kids to bed at a decent time and just write out some dreams for ourselves. It's something I used to prioritize on New Years Eve. We would write dreams and goals for ourself, for our marriage, and for our family for the new year. The last several years I've planned to do this and we just get too busy. Just because it's not the eve of a new year doesn't mean it's too late to start again for this year.