The Main Street Monthly Preview Issue - August 2015 | Page 9

From Disney Tourist to Disney Local
Having Two Places to Call Home
by Michele Atwood

If you follow TMSM, then you know our story. If you’re new to our Disney Ohana, let me give you a little refresher
course. Last Spring, my family and I made the decision to move from our lifelong home in Michigan to the Orlando area in hopes to better our business. This decision didn’t come lightly, or without a lot of prayers, tears and
worry. I’m a home type of person. I’m very close with my family.... parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
We’re that type of family, we see each other a lot, and I knew breaking away from that would be hard. I don’t like
change, I fight it at all costs, but I also knew that this type of change could be good for us. So, I decided, with the
blessing of my family, to face my fears and make the move to Florida. It’s been just over a year, and while I miss
my home and family in Michigan, so far it’s been a good transition. I’ve been lucky. Because of my job, I can travel
back home more frequently, and my parents are retired, so they’ve been to Florida to visit us too. Speaking of visits,
we just got back from a long stay in Michigan, and on the drive down, I noticed a huge change in perspective. My
vacations are reversed now, and it feels a bit odd.
It’s an 18 hour drive, give or take, between our home town in Michigan and the land of Mickey Mouse and palm
trees. I remember when we lived in Michigan, the long drive to Disney was welcomed and exciting. I couldn’t wait
to see the various welcome signs as we hit the different state lines. We’d see the “Welcome to Florida” sign on the
side of the road, and we’d all cheer, as we knew it wouldn’t be long until we started to see billboards for Walt
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