As I write this, I sit at my newly-installed desk in my newly-minted office that my lovely wife set up for me as an anniversary present. One year ago today we were married in Las Vegas, Nevada before heading back to our apartment in Glendale, California. A week before that we packed up four years worth of possessions into her compact car as she moved out of her home in Orlando, Florida to join me out in Los Angeles.
I tell you this because this is where the idea for this blog came from. See, I realized that it’s because of my love of Disney that I moved to California in the first place and through a series of Disneyfied events it’s how I met my wife. Of course these are only two of literally hundreds of ways Disney has affected my life for the better and this blog will seek to tell some of those other tales.
Some entries will be funny or unique experiences I’ve had in the eight Disney parks I’ve been to worldwide. Others will be essays reflecting my thoughts on a particular Disney subject or otherwise. And yet others will tell larger stories about my life and how Disney or my love of it played a role in what unfolded.
I decided the title this blog “The E-Ticket Life” for several reasons, not the least of which is the implication that life is exciting. And while I do love the Disney allusion in the blog title, it is important to remember that Disney does not make up our lives nor does it define it. Instead, it influences us from the company we keep and places we visit to the morals we instill in ourselves and our children. Disney is not life, but a way of life.
I hope this blog will make you laugh, make you think and make you feel. Some of the things I share will be hilarious, others heartbreaking. Just remember that in all the times I share a time in my life where there were hardships, I’ve since overcome them. This isn’t to say that there won’t be others, but I’ll overcome those too and so will you. I’ve chosen to share several aspects of my life on this blog so that others can relate. After all I’ve always found that the best way to relate to others is to truly expose yourself. This is what one of my favorite authors and influences, David Sedaris, does to such great results. I’m not saying I’m any David Sedaris, but I’d like to try.
If you do like the stories and thoughts I share here, please spread the word and feel free to interact with me here or on my Twitter: @kyleburbank. We have a lot of big plans for this blog in the future but they all depend on you. So thanks for checking in and thanks for taking this ride with me — and you might want to hold on to your hats and glasses.
Drawing by Ashley O’Neill