I’ve had many blogs – and, cringe, vlogs – in my life, but hopefully this one will stick because this one, unlike all of the others, will have a theme. A kind of generalized-enough-so-I-can-keep-writing theme. But before I get into that, I think it’s best if I introduce myself.
That’s okay, right? This isn’t a recipe blog. I’m not here to trick you or waste your time. What I’m here to write about for you will be aided better if you know a little about me.
My name’s Sara. I like to write, watch movies, play games, and go on walks through nature (seriously.) I have two cats and a husband. A friend once told me that I was an ALL-CAPS person living in a lowercase world. It was a sweet compliment at the time, but now that I’m in my mid-thirties, I don’t really feel like I’m that special. I mostly want to get through each day being and helping others be as happy as possible.
I was born in Montana but I have not been back since I was three years old. I live in Maryland now, but I grew up in many states because my dad was in the military. Well, I grew up in three states. I didn’t have to be uprooted as often as my sister, probably mostly because I’m quite a bit younger than her.
And that’s the perfect segue.
When I was six years old, my parents took me and my sister to Walt Disney World in Florida. As you can imagine, I was very excited and I loved being there. Two major memories stand out to me – one of them not very important, but the other one life-changing: I rode on Snow White’s Scary Adventures and hated every minute of it, and my parents made my sister ride with me on The Haunted Mansion.
As I said, I’m in my mid-thirties, so I can’t properly convey with clarity how I felt when I rode The Haunted Mansion for the first time, but I know for a fact that I screamed and cried the whole time. My sister, on the other hand, laughed at me the whole time. I wish there was a photo of little me freaking out when the Hitchhiking Ghost replaced me in the reflection at the end. Imagine it, though. It’s funny. I’ll help you out: I had long blonde hair and bangs.
Little Me vowed that I hated that ride and I never, ever wanted to go on it again. It was too scary and it wasn’t funny. No!
Not long after returning from Disney, I noticed my parents’ lace wedding cake topper sitting in their room. I guess the glowing bride at the end of the ride really got to me, because Little Me took one look at the bride on the wedding cake topper and ran from the doorway. I made it a ritual for a bit. Rush past their bedroom doorway. Don’t let the tiny bride see me. I remember even avoiding going past their room, having to be carried instead lest my child soul be – eaten? – by the decoration.
And that, dear readers, is how I first became obsessed with The Haunted Mansion.
after the laughter 