my favorite childhood memory

My Favorite Childhood Memory I can fondly remember that special summer, at the age of ten, as one of my best childhood memories. When I think back to the anticipation and excitement of my first trip to Disney World, it feels as if it happened yesterday. My parents planned the trip for several months. As a child, it seemed as if the time would never come. When it was finally time to pack and leave, I felt excited. The night before our departure, I could not sleep at all. My most interesting childhood memory is of going to Walt Disney world with my family and having lots of fun. Vacations with the family were always joyous. Back on that bright summer day, my siblings and I climbed into the van with my parents and grandmother to begin the road trip. My mom sat in the front as my dad drove us all to the magical destination. Meanwhile, Grandma sat in the back with the kids and told us stories while she fed us snacks from her bag. Then she played many games and sang numerous songs with us to help past the time. On the way down to Florida, we stopped at every Chick-Fil-A restaurant for a meal, and for dessert we all ate ice cream cones. When dad was tired, he would occasionally stop at a rest stop so the family could all pile out and stretch our legs. Thinking back to the drive to Florida, it took a really long time to get there from Indiana. We planned on visiting and staying the night with family before our big park adventure. After a couple of hours, we arrived to Lakeland, Florida. My Aunt Shirley was nice enough to let us stay at her house until the next day. I was so happy to finally get out the car and run around. At my aunt’s house, the adults sat around talking and having a good time. A big dinner was prepared, consisting of fish, grits, crabs, and frog legs, for us to enjoy. The dinner was very delicious. However, when it was time for bed I fought my sleep until I finally drifted off dreaming of all the fun I would have the following day. We all piled in the van and headed for the highway the next morning. It took an hour to get to Orlando from Lakeland. As the van rolled along the hills, rocking and swaying back and forth, I was elated with thoughts of all the things we would do. I remember jumping around in the back seat with joy as we started to see signs for the park. When we arrived at the park, pure bliss and amazement showed on our faces. We took a ferry boat from the parking lot to the entrance of the park. Once inside the park, we headed for the rides. Some of my favorite rides were The Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. My siblings and I were very thrilled and cheerful. Next, we visited Magic Kingdom to watch a parade of all the Disney characters. We were elated to find out we would get to take pictures with Goofy, Mickey Mouse, and Donald the Duck. My parents purchased chicken tender meals. Also, we ate snacks such as elephant ears and cotton candy. Grandma had given us money to buy extra junk that my parents would not buy. As the day began to end, we started to get tired. Lastly we watched the fireworks and took last minute photos before heading to the car. I was very sad it was time to go home the next morning. Visiting Disney World with my family was the best day of my childhood. My parents had taken us to visit family members and we also went to the park. In addition we were able to have a long, fun filled day in the park riding rides, watching parades, and filling our stomachs with lots of food. Being with family and having the bonding experience was wonderful. I will never forget. As a result, I would like to be able to make this a memorable event for my child to enjoy as well.