I don’t normally post personal experiences on the photoblog, but this one was too cute (and unknown to us) to pass up. The morning before my actual birthday I wore my birthday button to the Animal Kingdom. It was early morning Extra Magic Hours at the park so after getting our three rides in on Everest, we headed over to Pizzafari to grab some breakfast.

I was more excited for this past Christmas than I had been in years. There weren’t any special presents I thought would be under the tree for me, but I knew that we would be giving my grandfather, Papa, one of the memorable gifts we could ever give him: a trip to Walt Disney World for his 80th birthday.