Welcome to Orlando: The City Beautiful

Who says dreams can’t come true? This is the story of how a trip to Walt Disney World sparked my move to Orlando.

I remember the day I decided to move to Orlando: January 5, 2018.

Well, give or take a day. I just remember I was on a Disney World trip with Zach, my then-boyfriend (now fiancé), and after watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks, we sought out my high school friend in a Fantasyland gift shop, where she worked. 

We found her walking the floor, dressed adorably in the fluffy sleeved dress that was her uniform. We met just outside the shop, huddled beneath a small awning to protect ourselves from a steady drizzle of cold rain. Even in Florida, it can get pretty chilly. 

“So, what’s new with you guys?” she asked us. 

I told her about my job as a TV digital journalist, and Zach told her about his teaching. We were both not even a year into our careers and were still living with our parents in our hometown. “I’d love to move here!” I remember exclaiming, not really thinking about it, merely expressing a wish, a dream. 

My friend pondered my exclamation, nonetheless. “You could get into the media here,” she said. “D23 hires journalists.” 

“Could I be Kylo Ren?” Zach joked. 

“Actually, you could. How tall are you?”

“5’10.”

“That’s about the height of the one at Hollywood Studios. The one who gets force pushed by the kids.” 

We knew all about the Kylo Ren who gets force pushed by the kids. We’d watched the character fall through a curtain after “Padawans” defeated him, and we bemoaned the fact that we were too old to participate in the show. 

“Think about it.” My friend shrugged. “This is a great place.” 

And I did think about it. For the last three years, the thought of moving to The City Beautiful has circulated in my brain, passing my awareness at intervals, always accompanied by a gut-clenching desire to be there, to be an Orlando local. But the job I had in 2018 required at least a three-year commitment, and there was no way to break that easily. 

So for a long time moving to Orlando remained just a wish. I was just a dreamer. 

As I neared the end of my commitment at work, though, Zach (who at that point I lived with) and I began seriously considering it. We talked about the jobs we might find there, of course, but we also fantasized about going to Disney Springs for dinner whenever we wanted. We thought about all the new rides at Universal Studios we could get in line for on the day they opened. We talked about all that Orlando had to offer besides Disney and Universal, and how much of the city we could enjoy if we were there full-time. 

But still, we stayed in the dreaming stage. There was a global pandemic in the works, for one thing, and for another we knew the move was a long leap. From our hometown to Orlando. A lot of people doubted our ability to make the jump, and that doubt helped in keeping our aspirations low. 

Then, it happened: on a summer afternoon, Zach got an email. He’d applied to a few teaching jobs around Orlando, and one took immediate interest. He interviewed for it the next day, and by that evening, they’d offered him the job. 

Dreamers, I could barely contain myself. 

All at once, a years-long dream became a real, tangible plan in action. And it didn’t matter that we had three weeks to get to Orlando. It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t have a job when we arrived, or that finding an apartment in a hot real estate market would be a nightmare. 

All that mattered was that we were going. We were living out a dream we’d had for so long, when so many people never get that chance. 

But that’s what I’ve always been: a dreamer. Even when I’ve tried to be realistic, even when I’ve tried to halt the brakes on my life and smell the roses, I’ve wanted the big wide world, and I’ve wanted it now. Zach is the patient one; he does his best to keep us grounded (hence, asking that we not move during a literal global pandemic). 

But such is life. And although I know our life in Orlando will not always be glamorous and exciting, I do believe it will be an amazing adventure. 

Which brings me to my point in writing: I don’t want to forget a second of this adventure. I don’t want time to slip undocumented, so I’m writing about it here. 

Stay tuned for posts galore as Zach and I discover our new home, both the parts we love (Disney, Universal) and the areas we’ve yet to explore. I’ll be shopping, eating, finding entertainment, and, you know, planning a wedding in this beautiful city. 

It’ll be no easy feat, starting a new life. But I’m ready for it. I’ve been ready for a very long time.

Until next time, Dreamers!