On the road again

Around this time last year I was heading to Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort for my birthday (a joint gift from my wife and my parents), as a runner-up to a trip to Walt Disney World for MouseFest, which they couldn’t afford to do for me (not that I would ever actually ask them to do that for me). It was a magical trip and I plan on returning to the island, soon, but not for this birthday. This year, I am in fact heading to MouseFest, for at least a few days of kinship. I feel extremely grateful to have this opportunity this year, in spite of all the hardships we are facing together as a world, and I plan on making the most of what has been granted to me.

So, today is my birthday and I am celebrating by leaving now, directly after a hard day’s work, to drive overnight and crash the gates in of the Magic Kingdom on Thursday morning. I miss the rides, I miss the food, I miss the atmosphere, and I miss the gardens I’m so prone to talking about, but mostly I miss the people that have come to mean so much to me over the past couple of years. I cannot wait to see them again, hang out, talk, and do nothing in the absolutely most magical place I know of. On top of all of that, I cannot wait to meet all the other wonderful Disney geeks out there, the ones I talk to through email regularly, and the ones I’ve never even heard of (yet). Like last year when I was unable to attend, I know not everyone who wishes to be there is going to be able to attend, and to those of you who cannot make it, let me just say that you will be deeply missed, but you are always at Walt Disney World with us in spirit.

I’ll return home in the extremely late hours of Sunday night, the 14th. But until then I have prepared some articles for those who are going to be left behind, or those stuck on their computer in the resort room, or those of you who just cannot get enough of the Main Street Gazette. For those of you in the latter category, I will also be sending back as many Picture Postcards from the long weekend as I can, so be on the lookout for those as well. Somewhere in the mix of all the content coming through the Main Street Gazette over the next few days are a couple of big moments. On Thursday, with all of the Picture Postcards, the Gazette will reach 500 articles. Then, on Friday, the Gazette's good friend Eric Hoffmanis going to have his first, but hopefully not his last, guest article. I think all of that should keep most of you pretty busy.

For those of you who are going to be down at MouseFest, be sure to stop me and tell me ‘hello!’ Tell me you love the Gazette, tell me you hate my writing, ask me what on earth happened to all of my hair, or just give me a friendly nod. I am a pretty fun and easy guy to talk to, I promise.