Since then, I never went to the park that I didn’t cry when Tinker Bell flew down from the Matterhorn, in fact, I still cry when she takes her flight.  And, ever since that moment when I learned to love fireworks, I wished that I would make it to Disneyland for the Fourth of July.  When Disney was in the height of its glory celebrating its 50th anniversary, my wish came true… and what a wish it was.  Following on the heels of celebrating my mom’s birthday in the park, we braved monumental crowds and entered Disneyland early in the morning of the Fourth of July.

Perhaps more amazing than even the fireworks themselves was the spectacular Imagination to Celebration tour that took us on a chronological trip through Disneyland’s 50 years.  After a truly magical day… and hours before the fireworks were set to start… we took our place on Main Street with the throngs of other people and waited for the moment when the sky would erupt with both traditional Disney fireworks and an unbelievable patriotic display.  If you’ve ever imagined that Disney fireworks would beat all other Fourth of July displays, you were right.  These fireworks were unlike anything I had ever seen before and still stand as the bar by which I measure any other fireworks display.  We settled in for a 35+ minute show and, yes, more than a few tears trickled down my face as Tinker Bell took flight and sparkled through the night sky.