05/31/2026
I spend my days planning trips to some of the most beautiful corners of the world. Beaches you save as your screensaver. Resorts people plan a whole year around. Itโs genuinely one of my favorite things on earth to do for people. ๐
And if Iโm being honest, itโs easy to get so carried away with the adventures far away that you forget about the ones sitting right by your house.
This weekend reminded me.
One of the most magical things Iโve watched all year didnโt happen on a far-off beach. Or at Disney World - because his last Disney trip was December of last year, and his next one is later this year. It happened at SEA LIFE Aquarium at American Dream, 20 minutes from our front door, with my 18-month-oldโs hands pressed flat against the aquarium glass.
He pointed at every single fish like he was the first person to ever discover them. Diligently watched the jellyfish swim around. He stared down a shark and didnโt even flinch. The stingrays glided by and he gasped, that real, full-body, canโt-contain-it kind of gasp that only a toddler has. Tom Nook and Isabelle got the same wide-eyed wonder (yes, itโs an Animal Crossing aquarium tour, his people ๐ฆ). And then he sat at a grand piano with his grandma and โplayedโ a song like he owned the building. ๐น
I watched him the whole time more than I watched the fish. Because that face, the one where the whole world is brand new and impossibly exciting, thatโs the thing Iโm actually chasing when I plan anyoneโs trip. The awe. The moments of โwowโ.
And standing there it hit me all over again.
You donโt always have to fly over an ocean to find it.
Funny enough, this was technically his second aquarium. The first was Coral Reef at Epcot, but at barely 1 he was mostly there for the snacks. This time he could run. And he ran for every tank.
Sorry to everyone we cut off ๐
So yes, when youโre ready for the big one, the bucket-list, fly-across-the-world trip, Iโm your guy and I will pour my whole heart into it. โค๏ธ
But this week?
Donโt wait for the plane ticket.
Take your kid to the aquarium down the road.
The little museum.
The trail behind your house.
The wonder is exactly the same.
The passport is optional.
I promise youโll remember their face. And so will they. ๐