About a week before we went to DisneyWorld, we were having dinner at my parents’ house. “Mom, where’s that old photo album full of the photos from our trip when I was a kid?”  She told me to go digging in one of the closets, and sure enough, there was the fantastic treasure trove of old photos. We have not stopped cracking up. I think this was roughly 1986 or 1987, putting me at a year or two older than Jude.  It really blows me away how much Jude resembles me when I was little.

Allow me to present a rough comparison of our trips. I give you “Disney World: 1986 vs 2012”.

For the record, please note that for my traveling ensemble, I was carrying a single red rose, a My Little Pony, and was wearing that awesome pink polka dot frock. Dramatic much?  We also howled with laughter at my fantastic pose in the photo below left. I think I counted no less than 3 separate Mickey Mouse sweatshirts that make an appearance in these photos. So of course on our first day when we arrived with Jude, it was 40 degrees. For the high. And I had packed only warm weather clothes. So it was off to the nearest sweatshirt emporium where both Jude & I acquired the least-heinous Disney sweatshirts I could find.

I really love that photo album that I got from Mom. The photos of us 3 together – me, Mom, and Dad – are utterly priceless. I see a happy little girl with crazy 80s outfits having the time of her life with her folks. And someday I know Jude will see the same thing when he looks at our photos.

Except without the puff paint and tiedye. And the mullet.