Day 1171: Help Me Plan!

In an attempt to catch things up, my hope is to start with today's post and then work backwards over the next few days/week. That way, I can always do the current day's post while still adding in the month+ of posts I've missed, because let's be honest, it's been a while. School has, unfortunately, kept me plenty busy with midterms, meetings, performances, homework, traveling, conferences, and extreme twists and turns that have me and many of my friends thinking long and hard about what we're doing here at SNC. Because of all of that, I certainly don't get to writing as much as I'd always like, but as a wise old friend once reminded us, the past is in the past. After all, there are plenty of exciting adventures coming up in the next few months, including at least two Disney trips, which brings me to the actual point of this post: planning for May!

As you all know very well, I love to incorporate different elements and challenges into my Disney trips to more or less keep things interesting, but I also do it so I have a chance to explore as much of the parks as I can. Even in my 28 trips, there's still so many things I haven't experienced, and since both my trips this year are relatively different, I'm ready to try as many new things as possible, which is where YOU come into play!

Where I usually plan out everything myself, I thought that this May it might be fun to let all of you help me out with some of those decisions. I am, after all, a creature of habit and get into some serious ruts that probably prevent me from experiencing spectacular opportunities that I may not even know about! Basically, what I hope to do is sort of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of thing, only it'll be YOU choosing MY adventure instead.

To participate, just fill out THIS GOOGLE POLL, which asks questions about your favorite Disney World treats, attractions, and experiences, along with a few more specific questions here and there about what you think I should do on my trip. It's completely anonymous, and I'd love for as many people as possible to help me plan! I'll be sure to film all of it too so you can see how everything worked out in the end, although with everything there is to see at Walt Disney World, I'm sure it'll be quite the adventure.

Have a magical day!

Day 837: Trying New Things

It's obvious already that this summer is going to be filled with new adventures for me. While in June I'm traveling back to Disney World, the trip will be different for me. New resort, no dining reservations, lots to do and for the first time since last July 2013, I'm not constantly thinking about a band trip video! Then comes Disneyland in August, and I've only been there once. However, I know what to expect this time and I'm thrilled that I'll have the chance to attend D23 AND meet some of my California friends and favorite Disney people! To add onto that, I've also got a band trip in there, which I'm going on not as a student or chaperone, but as videographer...a brand new position that I'm looking forward to exploring.

And so, while thinking about these trips, I realized that maybe I should use this as a chance to explore some new things. With my OUAT Disneybounds, I'm always experimenting with new styles, new makeup, and new trends that maybe I wouldn't have thought of before. It's been an incredible education experience and a great opportunity to modify my own style. And there's been a realization somewhere in there: a lot of times, in order to find the best way to do something, you have to continuously experiment. My wardrobe on my first summer trip to Disney in 2011 was drastically different from what I'll be wearing this June, and it's all come through experimentation and experience.

Of course, I'm not an expert on a lot of things, not by any means, other than maybe Epcot, as my common signature and social media handle suggests, but I do know a thing or two about traveling to Walt Disney World. However, that doesn't mean that an old dog can't learn new tricks, especially as I close in on my last couple of years of college and the realization that, once I graduation, I'll be doing a lot more traveling that I have so far in my life.

What's my point with all of this? Well, as you know well enough, I always have some sort of challenge that goes on during my Disney trips. I don't actually remember really having one in January, but I'm fairly certain that the sheer number of characters I met and things I accomplished counts. Regardless, I'm starting to compile a list for June, a list of new things I can try, whether it be a new challenge in the parks, a new video idea, a new packing concept or the simple fact that I'll be traveling with a different bag through the airport this trip, thanks to the fact that for the first time since 2008 I'll be traveling without my laptop.

Which means I'm looking to you guys, my readers and fellow Disney fans! I've got about a month and a half left before my trip, and while I won't be able to do absolutely anything, I'm looking for a few things. First off, what are some of your favorite attractions? I know mine, but that doesn't mean everyone loves Spaceship Earth on the same level as I do. Where are some of your favorite places to eat, especially counter service locations! Are there any video ideas out there you have or something you'd like to see in my vlogs (and new ones are coming, I really do promise I'm working on them)? Let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas and opinions as I come up with a challenge for this trip! Traveling can be difficult, but I want to try out new ideas, just to mix up my routine, because who knows! There might be a better way to do things out there that I've yet to discover!

Have a magical day!

Day 707: Picking Pictures

As a Disney Instagramer, one of the more difficult things that I end up doing is going through pictures. I go through the pictures from our trips CONSTANTLY, and by that I mean roughly once every month and a half, depending on if I'm participating in any Disney Photo Challenges at the time.

However, even with thousands and thousands of pictures from Walt Disney World, it seems that I'm running out. Granted, I do have a lot of the nicer pictures on Instagram, and I can't just use the same picture of Spaceship Earth over and over again. Although...

I'm real tricky, aren't I? 

The truth is, I actually have a TON of pictures of Spaceship Earth, they're just hidden away in various files, of which are actually filed away fairly accurately thanks to my work on the band trip video, but that doesn't mean it doesn't take time to go through all the pictures and find new ones. 

Which is why I know that January is going to be great for me. In March and June I didn't have as much time to take pictures (alright, so most of my favorite Disney World pictures come from my March trip), unlike July when I did the photo challenge. 

Which just, literally as of right now, got me thinking. That photo challenge was a ton of fun. Hard, yes, but definitely fun. Of course, I'm doing multiple other challenges as of right now (I'm Disneybounding the entire trip, as I did in June and there's another secret one I can't tell you about quite yet!), but why not add on another one? That is if I can find something appropriate. 

Currently, I'm in the process of looking up ideas, and gosh there are some great Disney challenges out there. For instance, here's some of my favorites: 

- The Ever Classic Eat Around The World at Epcot (or Drink if you're old enough!): Try a food item from each country around World Showcase! (We're actually doing this one in January too!)

- The Name Tag Challenge: Sort of like the license plate game, only you're finding cast members from each of the 50 states and as many countries as possible! 

- Finding the Highest and Lowest Priced Souvenirs in Each Park. (Goodness, I know where to start at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, but not anywhere else!)

- Experience Spaceship Earth with all the languages. (Wait...I'm pretty sure I've done this). 

- Try to Uncover all the possible futures on Spaceship Earth. (Ummm...)

It looks like I've got some decisions to make in the next few days, don't I? 

If you have a suggestion for a Disney World Trip Challenge, let me know! I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22 due to finals!)