Here's How A Family Reunion To Disney World Turned A Really, Really Sad Truth Into An Unforgettable Adventure

One of the last times I was in Orlando, Florida was for a family reunion. A large fraction of my relatives are from Florida, specifically Mount Dora, so the sunshine state has always played a big role in my life.

In fact, when I was younger, my family and I would drive from New Jersey to Florida every year to spend time with kin. The roadtrips became a tradition we looked forward to — probably because we weren't the ones driving, LOL. And on a few special occasions, we'd even venture off to Disney World.

Sadly, that 2015 family reunion was also the last time my twin brother Matthew and the rest of my siblings were all together. Matt tragically died the following year. This was a pain like no other. Matt, who I affectionately called Matty, was not only my womb-mate, but also my very first best friend.

My nephew in the red shirt is the son of my middle brother and my then-toddler nephew is the son of my oldest brother, who's standing to the right of my twin brother.

As we got older, trips to Florida became pretty rare. We became adults, schedules got busy, some of us moved, and prices increased. If one of us did venture off to Florida, it was individually versus as a unit.

Since 2025 marked 10 years since our family reunion, I thought it would be fun to have a mini-reunion of my own with my nephews. Two of my nephews attended the initial reunion, but one was too young to remember, and my youngest nephew wasn't even born yet. My youngest also reminds me a lot of my twin brother, so it meant a lot to have them with me. And what better place to celebrate soulfully with some of my favorite people than the Most Magical Place on Earth?

So, we headed to Disney World! Even though the reality of the trip conjured up a few sad memories, I couldn't help but smile around them and the adventure we were about to embark on. Now, I was used to traveling to Florida during the summer in the scorching heat, but it turns out that February was actually a perfect month to visit.

Just like my initial family reunion, we had really cute T-shirts made to commemorate our time there. I made sure to get as many pictures as I could in them, so if you notice their smiles getting smaller and smaller throughout my photos, it's because I asked, "Guys, let's take a pic" about 278 times throughout our vacation. Photography and videos are my favorite way to capture moments and stop time. Oftentimes, memories are all we have of a person, and physical reminders are a beautiful way to keep memories alive. I'm thankful we got this really cute one in front of Cinderella's Castle.

When I think of Disney World, I automatically think of kids, so I knew my 10 and 8-year-old nephews would be excited. Then I remembered my 22-year-old nephew loves thrill rides just as much as my brothers and I, so there'd be something for all of us to do. And listen, I've seen plenty of TikToks about Disney Adults living their best lives over there, so I don't know why I even doubted it.

I learned a lot about my nephews during this trip. I take pride in being an aunt, or as they refer to me, Yaya, so any chance I can encourage them to be their best, fearless selves, I take it. It was really cool to get them out of their comfort zones, whether it was one of them going on their first big-boy roller coaster with Tron...

...or diving into my youngest nephew's love for acrobatics with a Festival of the Lion King performance, I was cheesing from ear-to-ear just admiring the various expressions of joy on their faces. Quality time is my personal love language and the way I like to express it is through acts of service, so their happiness truly made me happy.

Now, baby, clearly it's been a while since the last time I was here because I do not remember walking so much, but we got our steps in on this trip! We tried to hop on as many rides and attractions as we could, so we rode on the Disney Skyliner (a scenic gondola lift system that takes you from your resort to various places) to EPCOT. Each gondola had a Disney character decorated on the outside; it was so adorable.

While I drank my way around the world (responsibly, of course), they got to explore different cultures, like playing the drums in Morocco.

And then it was back to more rides. Even rides that might appear to be childish were tons of fun. The Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land was a pleasant surprise.

Yeah, remember that comfort zone I was talking about earlier? It was basically nonexistent at this point. We had the time of our lives!

This trip reminded me just how much quality time matters to younger children. From simple walks to the playground to big trips like Disney World, they cherish them all. I'm grateful we were able to create these new core memories at a place that held very precious core memories for my family.

I arrived with sentimental memories connected to Orlando and my twin brother and left with belly-aching stories of my nephews. And now, the two can coexist.

Grief can be a fickle, complex emotion. While most of us will experience it at least once in our lives, the way we process it, the intensity with which we feel it, and how we express it are all unique to the individual. I have my good days and my bad days, and even with my good days, there are still pockets of sadness embedded in me that don't always make it to the surface.

The 2015 trip with my brothers and nephews was filled with night swims in the pool as I tossed coins in there to see who could find the most, minor sunshowers that crept through as we ran to different rides throughout the park, stopping the car to take goofy pictures near the Walt Disney World sign as we entered the resort, and inside jokes that will stay with me for a lifetime.

The rain: I could've never dreamed that would be the last time I'd have all three of my brothers with me.

The sun: But my heart is full knowing that won't be the only thing I associate Orlando with anymore; instead, new memories blossomed from the darkness.