Summer days flew by like ripped pages of your favorites book, swaying off a cliff. Warm breezes wafted through the house, exploring every room and corner. It was approximately ninety degrees, but that didn't stop me from moving. I shoveled through my Lego box sized suitcase in desperate search of something. Several pairs of clothes were tossed over my shoulder in every direction. What can I say? I was an ecstatic eleven year old going to every child's dream destination: Disney World.

"Mom!" I yelled in my bratty kid voice.

Seconds later, she appeared to my right, toothbrush in hand, assisted by a cheery look. My mom was never really a morning person, but I guess that depended on whether the family was on vacation or not.

"I can't find my blue shirt. You know, the one with the white polka-dots?" I whined.

Silently, my mom bent over her bag. From the contents of the spacious red carry-on, she withdrew the familiar, favorite item of mine. I hugged my shirt, gave my mom a quick peck on the cheek, and raced off to the bathroom.

The bathroom in my family’s bedroom made me feel quite glamorous. The large room was lit by a crystal chandelier hanging down in the center. Below it was a set of two sinks and a round Jacuzzi. To the left of the doorway was another door. Through that door was a separate little bathroom. It had a toilet and shower space.

After changing out of my tie-dye t shirt and pajama pants, I left the bathroom, exited the bedroom, and crossed through the living room, into the kitchen, following the scent of fried eggs. My aunts were cooking away like machines. I saw a pack of 30 eggs on the counter, nearly empty. As they cooked and dumped, I grabbed a foam plate and scraped some omelette onto it. My uncle, standing by the refrigerator, handed me a cup of orange juice.

A delicious breakfast of veggie scrambled eggs and orange juice, in the living room with my eleven cousins and three siblings later, everyone was up and ready to face the long, adventurous day that lay ahead.

My dad, mom, sister, two brothers, and I sat in our silver van. Once the rest of our relatives were seated in their cars, we were pulling out of the driveway. The yellow house we had rented for the week was soon a speck in the distance.

Never had I seen so many road tolls in one area. My van passed through at least three of them leaving the Kalah Bay community, before reaching the gates of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The sky was a robin blue, not a cloud in the sky. According to all the visitors, it was a perfect day.

There were thousands of people in line to enter the park, so the wait felt like hours to an anxious girl like me. Eventually, we all passed through security with our tickets, and were in. We walked inside a dark tunnel that was illuminated with multicolored lasers. By this point, my heart was bursting with excitement as I looked forward to the many rides that looped around in the air, and of course the main attraction, the castle. Before splitting up, everyone looked over a map of the park to create a mental route to follow throughout the day.

While my cousins grouped up, I stayed put with my parents.

“Hey hunny, you wanna come with me? I promise we’ll have so much fun!” my eldest cousin, who arranged the whole trip, offered.
I just shook my head. I didn't want to admit it, but I was scared of going on any big rides. The thought of sitting on a roller coaster made me feel nauseous, much less watching one. When he and his group left, it was just my mom, dad, sister, and me.

Let’s just say I didn't have the spectacular journey I imagined. We spent the whole of the day on kiddie rides because my sister was only seven. By the end of the day, I was exhausted of boredom. We crossed paths with our relatives several times, stopped at restaurants to eat, and kept on our way. Each time I saw my oldest cousin with his group, they were always laughing about all fun they were having. I thought of joining them, but the picturing myself upside-down and sideways, held me back.

Since it was the week of the Fourth of July, Disney had a parade with fireworks about an hour before closing for the night. That was when I realized, I wouldn't have any special memories of today worth remembering. I couldn't let that be; I was at Disney, the home of childhood dreams.

My family gathered at a corner to watch the big event, so it was no problem finding my oldest cousin. He and my other cousins planned to go on Space Mountain, an indoor roller coaster, to end their night. I grabbed his hand and told him I was coming too.