My son Aidan with Minnie Mouse.

Dear Disneyland,

Happy Birthday! Congratulations on 58 years of bringing joy and inspiration to guests from all over the world. 

As a child, I loved you because you were a mystical place we visited once every couple of years or so. To me, you were the place where my Disney dreams were reality–the best place in the entire world. I would see your phone number in my mom’s phone book and would call the information line when she wasn’t looking, thrilled to just be talking to someone at Disneyland–never knowing that one day I would be a tour guide who answered the phone when other children did the same thing.

With my dad and brother at Disneyland in 1984.

On my last day at Disneyland, I shed my office attire and put on a costume for one last time to take some pics.

As a young adult, Disneyland, you have changed my life in ways I never, ever thought imaginable. I have written a number of blog posts about my time as a Disneyland Tour Guide and writer at the Resort. Those five years of my life were perhaps five of the most transformative years of my life. From the lessons and principles I learned to the life-long friendships I made, those years changed my life forever. I feel blessed and honored to have been part of the distinguished Disneyland Tour Guide tradition and to have written messages on behalf of the resort that reached hundreds, if not thousands of guests.

Blogging about Disneyland introduced me to some of the greatest women in my life, including my beloved Marcy and Suz.

When I left my job with the Disneyland Resort in 1998 to pursue other career opportunities, I could have never imagined the role you would play in my life today. I started a little travel website about you when my second child was born…then a blog…and then a book. I have met friends and fans whose relationships I treasure. You have made my life and the lives of my children so incredibly rich with fantasy, imagination, hope and joy that it is tough to put my feelings into words. When I am at media events, experiencing a show or attraction before it opens to the public, or walking through the parks before or after operating hours, I am still amazed at, honored by and appreciative of all of the opportunities you have provided me. I simply cannot believe my luck and I am incredibly grateful.

All of the times on camera have been some of the best moments of my life.

With my family in Adventureland.

To me, you are more than just a theme park, but a place where I have learned so much about myself personally and professionally.  A place where I have learned how to work along side others and about friendship and about love. The place where I learned the finer points of etiquette at Club 33 and how to handle a guest screaming at me that I’m “pumpernickel” while in City Hall. You taught me true compassion with the special tour I gave to a terminally ill boy only weeks, perhaps days, before his passing. You taught me to be a kid with my own children and to see life through their eyes. You taught me how to share the magic with others and I know that I will continue to do so for many years to come.

My relationships with other tour guides have changed my life. I know that I can count on them because of our shared experiences. My friend Lori has been an incredible mentor in how to raise my boys into successful men. This is us working at the Bank of Main Street where we once processed annual passes.

Today on your 58th birthday, I thank you for the friendships, the memories and the lessons throughout the years and all of those to come in the future! 

Love,
Lisa