a magical moment.

a song to set the scene // almost there by anika noni rose

They say that if you’re lucky, your relationship with your siblings can be one of the longest relationships of your life.

Shared history from birth to death, siblings offer one of the more unique roles in one’s life.

Lucky for me, I have two of them. And years ago, for my brother’s thirtieth birthday, unbeknownst to us, we started a traditon that would lead us back to Disney, for the rest of our thirtieth birthdays.

And guess whose birthday was up next?

*points to self

So, on an unassuming week in April, me, my brother and my sister, dressed in our Disney finest, flew off to the happiest place on earth to experience the Disney magic.

For us, growing up in the ‘90’s exposed us to a golden age of Disney: the Disney Renaissance. Classics we grew up on came out during this peak: Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, and of course, my favorite: Winnie the Pooh (who’s 100 year anniversary happens to be 2026).

So going back to the park, just the three of us, is particularly special because of this shared nostalgia we have from our childhoods.

Plus, as adults, you get to indulge in having a credit card and therefore unlimited funds, access to Lightning Lanes, alcohol at Oga’s Cantina, and the endurance of being able to wake up and rope drop at 6:30am, walk 30,000 steps, and retire when the park closes at 11pm.

It’s great, almost better as an adult to visit the park.

And so, for four consecutive days, we ate, drank, walked, screamed, napped, laughed, cried, and hustled our way through Disneyland and California Adventure.

It was incredible. It never disappoints. And this year, we even got to enjoy “Disney Channel Night”, which celebrated the nostalgia of early Disney Channel shows, like High School Musical, The Cheetah Girls, and Lizzie Miguire.

Talk about a hit in the childhood!

But what really stuck with me was the magic. Because somehow, at 30 years old, I can’t imagine any other way to honor one’s growth in life than to celebrate and recognize the things, shows, movies, and experiences that shaped us as children, and continue to shape us as adults.

At one point, we were watching Fantasmic, and through the tears, I closed my eyes. Having what I like to call a “moment”, I felt my brother and sister next to me, just the three of us, and settled into this rare feeling of unbridled joy.

As we grow, our priorities change. We start families, we make new friends, and our focuses shift. But there we were, the three of us, choosing to celebrate a monumental birthday with each other, a relationship not most people prioritize.

I’m grateful that I get to share in this little tradition with my siblings. I’m lucky that I get to participate in such things with my brother and sister, who each have their own lives. Because we won’t always get to have these moments, like the ones where we’re crying to Fantasmic at thirty years old.

And that’s what the Disney magic is all about: those you get to share it with.