T-shirts, nike shorts, and sunglasses- although this attire is not what I expected to wear over winter break, it was perfectly suitable for a Christmas vacation to the happiest place on earth. While my friends in McKinney, Texas were bundled up for the cold back home, I was dressed comfortably for the beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather that greeted me in Orlando, Florida.
This year, instead of the typical road trip to Houston to visit family, my wonderful parents surprised me and my sister with a trip to… DISNEY WORLD! Now, I am no stranger to Disney World (I’ve been 6 times), yet it somehow never gets old and always succeeds in making me feel like a little kid again.
The many wonderful memories I have from Disney are what make it such a special place to me. Amongst some of them are being carried around on my dad’s shoulders at Magic Kingdom when I was a toddler, watching fireworks at Epcot with my whole family, aunts, uncles, and cousins included, and performing at Downtown Disney with my drill team. Now, another fond memory I can add to that list is going to Disney as a UT student (even better- a UT Zeta! Woo!) and having strangers throw up their horns and yelling “hook ‘em” everywhere we went, a simple act that was a constant reminder of how proud and lucky I am to be a Longhorn.
Thanks Disney for the memories, and you better believe that this is not my last hurrah here. I will be pushing 100 years old, covered in wrinkles, riding a motorized scooter, but that won’t stop me from being at Disney World- Minnie Mouse ears and all.
ZLAM!
Tori Smith
