July 28, 2011 by Amanda Robertson

Thinking about Disney and all the treasures I have, the first one that comes to mind is my wonderful year and a half long experience with the Disney Cruise Line. But it is IMPOSSIBLE to pick just one treasure from that, so I kept thinking'

I have had tons of amazing Disney treasures throughout my life from vacations with family, getting to meet and become friends with Brent, being grand marshal of the Magic Kingdom parade, living in California and visiting Disneyland on a regular basis' the list could go on forever. So I kept thinking and then I thought about my very first Disney memory. A plush Minnie Mouse. But this was no ordinary Minnie. It was the BIGGEST one. I was 5 so she and I were the same size. Now let me start at the beginning of this story.

My parents lived in Southern California about an hour away from the park. Every year my Grandma would fly out from Chicago to visit her one and only granddaughter. And every year all I would want to do with my Grandma is go to Disneyland. Is there anything better to even do with a Grandma?

So my mom would load up the car and the 3 of us would take a day trip down to Disneyland. We did all the normal stuff; parades, food galore, and every attraction my little legs could get to. By then end of the day I was exhausted. But what is visiting Disneyland without getting a little souvenir? So as every child in the world wants, I wanted a giant Minnie. That however was not going to fly with my mom. Minnie is expensive, and we couldn't afford her. So I ended up getting (I believe) my first pair of ears, and left the store. My mom and I were sitting outside the store waiting for my Grandma to finish her shopping for the rest of the grandkids, and as she walked out, all I saw her carry was a giant black fuzzy thing with a red dress. Could it be? It was! It was a big Minnie Mouse plush just for me! This is one of my favorite Disney memories of all time not just because I got the toy I wanted, but I spent an amazing day at an amazing place with my mom and my Grandma. The Minnie Mouse is long gone, but the picture of me with my Minnie mouse I will treasure forever.