1990. 2026. The same little spark.

The original caption

1990 and 2026. 🎈❤️

It’s hard for me to look at these two pictures side by side without getting emotional.

In 1990, on my very first trip to Walt Disney World, I got my first Disney balloon. I absolutely loved that balloon. But one of the things I remembered most was that I didn’t get to bring it home.

My parents told me that when our vacation was over, we left it behind in the room. Back then, we simply didn’t know there was a way to bring it home.

For years, that little part of the memory always made me sad.

Now, 36 years later, I finally bought another Disney balloon.

And somehow, something so simple brought all of those feelings right back.

What makes it even more special is that I bought this one in the same place where that original picture of me holding my balloon was taken all those years ago.

Looking at these two pictures side by side is incredibly emotional for me. Even writing this is hard without tearing up.

That little boy had no idea what Disney would come to mean to him. He didn’t know that 36 years later he’d still be coming back, still making memories, and still feeling that same excitement over something as simple as a Disney balloon.

I wish I could tell him that someday he’d come back to this same place and buy another one.

And this time, buddy, we’re bringing it home. 🎈❤️

#WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyMemories #DisneyMagic #RefillingMyPixieDust #DisneyParks

Original Instagram caption, preserved as posted. References to “today,” dates, plans, prices or events belong to this post’s publication context, not a current recommendation.