While We're Making Introductions...

Greetings,

Thanks for coming by and checking out the page. I'm Clint. Don't worry, I'm also new here. When I saw that my friend Thad had started a Disney blog, I begged to get on board and he (reluctantly I think) said yes. I've done a little blogging along the way, and I'm excited to contribute to a blog dedicated to a subject that's brought me so much happiness over the past (nearly) 30 years. My Disney story begins in 1984. As a wee lad of 3, my parents decided it was time to take me to the "Place Where Dreams Come True". We loaded up in the Cutlass and headed south for my first ever trip and after my first day, I knew it was love. Subsequent trips would follow. Many subsequent trips would follow. We were that family. Every year, around vacation time, Mom would ask my sister and I where we wanted to go and we only had one destination in mind, Walt Disney World.

Over the next 15 or so years, I spent hours of my youth exploring EPCOT Center (yes, it will always be EPCOT Center to me), the Magic Kingdom, and the MGM-Studios. My natural nerdiness was provided with a sufficient outlet as I thrilled across space, sea, and desert on Horizons, watched the future of agriculture on Listen to the Land, and I ventured into troll-infested waters on the Maelstrom. As the years went by, I grew up. The opportunities for travel decreased and, before long, I was an adult. I went several years without going to the parks and my Disney life had become an afterthought. My fandom was something that probably shouldn't be expressed in polite conversation, because I didn't want to be labeled as one of "those Disney people". All that changed in 2004. On December 18th, I married my beautiful wife Suzanne and we set out on our first trip together. Not knowing where to go on our honeymoon, I tossed out a few ideas. She didn't ski. I don't care that much for the beach. Where would we go? How about Disney World? OK, sounds good to me.

Little did we know that that trip would be the start of a whole new level of fandom. Over the next seven years, we've been able to make a good number of trips down. In the course of preparation for those trips, I was introduced to the fan community on the internet. It was then that I realized, there are a lot of people out there with the same interest (obsession) as me! Through blogs, message boards, and podcasts, I discovered that the world is full of Disney people. Maybe you're one of us. Maybe you're not, yet. Thanks for taking the time to listen as we share insights, hints, and memories from a place that we love so much. I've got more to write (I hope) and look forward to seeing what the future holds for The Happiest Blog on Earth.