Lucky Kid!

For all intents and purposes I was a very lucky kid!  I was one of those kids who always got picked to do stuff and participate.  But getting hand-picked at Disney World was a dream come true!

I was also lucky that I had a family who supported me from the get-go.  I was only four going on five at the time I was asked to perform.  I was quite young but being around all adults had given me a maturity at a very young age.  My first cousin didn't come along until I was seven.  So, for most of the time, I was around only adults.  I was poised and very polite!  My family wasn't the "stage mom" type of family.  They made sure that even though I was backstage, underground and onstage doing a job that the Disney magic didn't ever fade in my eyes.  I knew that Mickey and Minnie were people in costumes but I still believed in the story of them, kind of like Santa.  You know he isn't real (Oops!  Sorry!) but believing in the story makes the season that much more special!  I always was treated like a kid, which I think was a good thing for me!  I was never forced to do things that I didn't want to do.  Yes, if I threw a tantrum and didn't want to go on I was told I had to but that held me accountable for the commitments that I have made!  I think that was a very important lesson that I was taught from the beginning!

On the days when I wasn't singing and smiling, we would spend the day in the park, enjoying the rides and the food, enjoying the shows and parades, just like anyone else.  That was very important!



The above photo is one of my personal favorites.  I am in the last row in the first section and I am riding with my grandfather!  Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road was his favorite ride!!!  Him riding with me is one of my most focal memories over the years!

I guess what I am trying to get across is that I was a normal kid who did normal things with normal friends.  I just got to do something really fun a few times a year but my family never let that go to my head.  I had chores, received an allowance, and was grounded a whole lot as a teenager.  "Normal" was the only way I could describe my life - lucky and normal!!

SIDE  NOTE:  My poor mother is in New Hampshire preparing for winter and trying to find all my pictures to mail to me so I am so sorry for the quality and lack of pictures!  Because she is 1200 miles away, I can't really stay on her to make finding my pictures her number one priority but I promise I will have some soon!! Thanks for hanging in there with me!!!