Day 1074: The Final Countdown

I remember writing this blog post down with the full intention of actually writing it as I sat at a borrowed computer...but then it somehow got to be about 1 in the morning and all I wanted to do when I finally finished enough of my work was go to bed. Regardless, this is a daily blog, so I'll try to do my best to capture the excitement that came along with the one week mark for Star Wars and the one month mark for my trip to Walt Disney World falling on the same day.

I try to motivate myself in life through a series of countdowns, and I usually have more than one. If I count down to little things regularly, like the return of Once Upon A Time, the premiere of The Force Awakens or a trip to WDW, time tends to go faster. Plus, with that daily reminder on my phone, I can get excited while also remembering just what I have to look forward to when I finish my work.

So, as you can imagine, having two big markers for two of those events fall on the same day right in the midst of a week of crazy finals was pretty spectacular. What did I do to pass the time until those events? Work, mostly. Honestly a huge portion of my life in the past month has been spent constantly working, and now I'm gallantly trying to catch up before the second marker, my trip to Disney World, comes around.

Will I make it, who knows? And let's be honest, this blog tends to get behind like the slowest horse in a race, but it's never been about keeping up...it's always been simply about realizing the impact Disney has on our everyday lives, and then sharing that magic with the rest of the world!

This is going to be a much longer rant if I don't cut myself off, especially since even now I'm getting super excited for my trip to Florida, but if I have any hope of that happening, I need to get back to work!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 796: Keeping the Secret

Once again, if you are my brother or my father, I instruct you to stop reading this post immediately. Just...stop. I promise it's nothing bad, but I'm not about to be the one to spill the beans.

The simple fact is this: keeping secrets is hard. Especially big secrets. Big secrets that definitely involve your Dad and brother and Disney World and your summer job prospects and basically your life in general because you're a Disney blogger and are excited. It's been a struggle.

You see, Mom and I have known about this extra trip for like a month now and we still have another half a month to go before the others find out, and with each passing day it's harder to keep the secret. I suppose it's pretty easy when I'm at school all the time, because I'm not around them and the people I am around already know, but when I'm at home, especially for spring break, things start to slip out. After all, I'm not used to being one of the only people in the loop on things like this. Normally we all know right away that we're going and then we're all excited and so on and so forth, but not this time. No, this time I must be quiet.

It is sort of humorous though, since basically the entire world knows we're going to WDW in June, except for two of the people who are going. As for me, I've almost slipped up majorly a few times. Yesterday I was talking to a friend from church camp about counseling for the summer (which unfortunately I can't because of another job prospect and trips such as the one in June) and I literally said "Actually we're going to Florid...I mean California over the summer." My brother questioned it momentarily but because I brushed it off as "I sometimes forget because I'm so used to saying Florida at this point," and then he dropped it.

The other night we were looking at slides, which I've gotten pretty good at wording my way around things, and it just so happened that we were looking at slides from Wilderness Lodge, which is where we're staying come June, and I'm sitting there like "Yeah, we should go over there sometime," "Maybe we should stay there in the future," and "You're right, we really should take some of these slides and see if we can do some "then and now" photos." Oh gosh are things going to come back to bite them in realization when they find out.

But perhaps the biggest, and easiest, thing to slip up on is my countdown. As you already know, I have a white boat easel that my friend from high school got me that proudly displays the amount of time left before my next Disney trip. Because it sits on my highest shelf and, let's be honest, I barely have enough time to blog every day, much less go through and update a countdown daily, I mark the number of months left, meaning I only have to update it once every month instead of every single day. Currently, the countdown looks like this:

The problem? Dad and Jonny are sometimes in my dorm room, so every time someone comes to pick me up I have to stop and think "alright, do I need to put this down so they can't see it?" It literally says flat out that we're going to Disney World, because it would make very little sense for me to put just Disneyland on there, as that trip isn't until after our Disney World trip. 

Of course, I'm not the only one who's almost slipped up. Ashley and my brother's friend Jacob both know as well and are carefully hiding and talking their way around the secret at school with him, throwing my brother further off the trail to the point where hopefully, at this point, we can keep this one in the bag for another half a month. 

To be completely honest though, Easter can't come soon enough. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 16 due to Midterms).

Day 719: Making A Count

Because I'm almost always counting down to my next Disney trip, I'm always looking for new ways to actually "count down." I have, of course, the apps on my phone, which generally works pretty well for me, and there's the little white board I keep at college with the latest month or week value until my next trip. In the past I've done paper chains and the paper countdown and beads and basically, you name it, I've done it. 

So when I saw this Disney Sponsored countdown, I had to take a look at it. I saw it on Pinterest earlier this month and immediately made a mental note to do this myself. Of course, I haven't done it yet. It seems a little bit pointless at the current moment because I only have three days left until I leave for Florida, but you can be that in the future I'll be making this countdown: 

You can find all the information on this new Countdown HERE, and I can't wait to share mine with you guys when I set it up in the new year! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 29 due to holidays and computer issues).

Day 701: 30 Days

Here we are again, at the one month mark before my next trip to Walt Disney World. It's been a really odd schedule for my family in recent years, with odd summer trips thrown in, and then that trip in March and the band trip in June. Normally we head down in November-January, but that hasn't happened for me since 2012. I guess that means I'm excited to head back in a month that I'm totally used to, even if it will be strange going so early in January. We're starting off 2015 with a bang I guess.

The funny thing is planning for this trip has been a big odd. We knew we were going in January before we even left in June, and then when we got back from the band trip, first Ashley joined on, followed by Megan, and now all six of us are headed down. It'll be a new experience for every single one of us, and I couldn't be more excited, hence the fact that I haven't stopped talking about it on the blog for months.

But it also means that waiting for this trip to get here has been a long wait. Countdowns started the second we got back in June, and with each passing day I can't decide if I get more homesick or excited. Granted, according to the order of Disney depression, right about now is when my homesickness gets pretty bad, at the six month point (we would have returned from Disney just under six months ago when I'm writing this). And editing excessive amounts of band trip video hasn't helped that homesickness either.

However, there are a few things that I'm really excited about on this trip, especially when it comes to sharing with my friends:

1. The Osborne Festival of Dancing Lights

I'm not sure why this is even here. I guess the last time we saw the lights they made a good enough impression for me to eagerly await a return trip to see them. As I blogged about over a year ago, I never really liked Hollywood Studios (even back when it was still MGM). Maybe it's because it's one of the Christmasy things we get a chance to do, even though it's the very, very end of the Christmas season (We're actually seeing them on the last day before they take them back down), or maybe it's just because it's something they had no chance at all to see in June, but it's still something I've talked endlessly about over the past few years. Who knows.

2. Dapper Day

Dapper Day usually occurs right when we're not in Florida, meaning that we don't really get a chance to participate. Oddly enough, however, it was my brother who brought the idea up to me a number of weeks ago, that we make our own Dapper Day during the trip. With a bit of careful fastpass arranging, I made it possible for us to dress a bit more dapper on a day in the middle of the trip. Have I spent a huge amount of time trying to figure out what it is that I'm going to wear on Dapper Day? Yeah, maybe I have, but it'll be worth it.

3. Food

We hit a few restaurants in June, but there are a ton that they've yet to experience, and I'm pretty excited about sharing some of them. For instance, there's still some first experiences Ashley and Megan have to have, such as their first character meal (we actually have two planned!), their first time at Garden Grill with the moving restaurant, and, of course, their first chance to experience a restaurant outside of the parks. Which leads us to the next thing...

4. Resorts

Disney World is home to so many different and completely unique resorts, of which I talk endlessly about. They've come to accept my lingo (OKW-Old Key West) as part of my language, and they make notes to remember what it is that I'm talking about when I use GF in a sentence about Disney (Grand Floridian). Luckily we have time planned in specifically to go and see some of the resorts, plus we get to stay at one that not even I've stayed at: Saratoga Springs!

5. First Plane Rides

Honestly, I hate planes. I had a bad experience a number of years ago (no, not a crash or anything like that. I was sick, it didn't end well), and so I get extremely anxious whenever I fly. I suppose I'll get used to it eventually, considering I'll probably fly more often in my future than I have so far in my life. However, I do, for some reason, like airports, and anxiety aside, I'm excited that I get to take two of my best friends on their very first plane ride, and in the case of Megan, I'm excited to show her MCO, which is yet another term she's come to understand. It was one of those Proud Moments of Lizzie's Life. And Ashley? Don't worry. You'll make it through the plane ride in one piece and we'll have a wonderful time at Disney!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 19 due to finals).

Day 677: Changing the Countdown

I've been counting down to Disney Trips for almost as long as I can remember, and over the years I've had some pretty creative ways of counting. Sometimes it would be a countdown for the last ten days, other times the wait would be in the hundreds, but regardless the ending was always the same: Disney.

Now a days, I count down to a lot of things. On my phone I have a countdown app that allows me three separate countdowns, one of which is almost always set to a Disney vacation. At the moment, a second one is set for a Disney trip, which happens to be Disneyland next August in addition to my WDW trip this January. In between I have one other countdown, since I'm quite excited about the fact that in a few months I'll be meeting Alton Brown, Food Network Television Host and Creator of Good Eats, the show that actually inspired me to cook and bake. We'll get into that in February though. Actually, I'm not sure what I'm going to do in a couple of weeks when I have to recreate a countdown for Once Upon A Time because it'll go on hiatus again and I always countdown when it's on hiatus.

Either way, aside from my phone, I have other ways to countdown to my latest vacation, and this time I'm quite excited about the fact that I share the countdown with my best friends. It's definitely depressing to have a countdown just for yourself. You want to share the excitement, and that's something I can do now!

The problem? Countdowns have to be updated. The nice thing about the phone is that it updates how many days are left all by itself. I don't have to worry about it whatsoever. But if I have another countdown I have to make sure that it stays up to date. It took over a year to figure out how to do that, but I finally realized that the best day to keep it updated is to make the amount larger, or wider rather. So instead of counting specifically how many days, I've been doing months...although I was still behind until today. Once we hit the one month mark in a few weeks I'll count it down by the weeks themselves, although eventually I'll head home and make a different countdown there. The countdowns have gotten more colorful over time too. I think this is my favorite so far, and there's been countdowns for just about everything on that whiteboard!

Of course, Butterfinger the Bear is pretty darn adorable too. He keeps me company. =)

Have a magical day!

Day 523: Keeping It Alive

Day 26 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture of the way you keep Disney alive when you're not at the park. 

Blast from the Past: 

Hmm, this is another kind of difficult one. But I guess the way I do this is through my daily countdown until our next vacation. My Dad hates this, because he's always got so much work to get done before we leave, and he doesn't enjoy being reminded just how little time he has to do it, but my brother and I love it!!!

When I got my iPod touch back in January of 2011, one of the first apps (probably the first actually) I bought was my Disney countdown app. I use it all the time (and not just for Disney! I used it to count down to the band trip too!). Currently it's set for my next vacation, which at the moment is in November of 2012. 

I also very much enjoy watching old Disney vacation videos...both the official ones and the ones from my family. 

Back to the Future: 

This one is easy!

I blog!

Starting Everyday Disney a year and a half ago was a challenge to myself, but also most certainly a way to keep the Disney Magic going all year long. When I started it, I actually had no plans for a trip in 2013, meaning that the entire year of blogging would go without a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Of course, I ended up taking one anyways in July, but that's beside the point.

I'm working so hard to catch up on the blog because it IS a way for Disney to be a part of my daily life, even when I get really busy with college or have a super lack of internet. Of course, this isn't the ONLY way I keep the magic alive. My profile picture on Facebook, as well as cover photo, is only changed when I go to Disney, meaning I always have a Disney picture. It's a bit different on my other social media, but you can bet that there's plenty of Disney there too. In addition, I have Disney pictures as my lock screen and background on my phone, post Disney pictures on my Instagram all the time and, as always, am counting down to my next Disney vacation.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 21).

Day 508: Proud Alumni

I am very proud of where my High School Band has come from, and excited to see where they're going. But one of the things I'm most proud of is the fact that I've been able to be a part of all of that. I watched the band go from disoriented to going to Disney World, and to be completely honest, that is something I never thought I would see. But this group continues to surprise me, and this time, it gets a blog post, which means that it really makes me proud.

Two years ago we weren't gearing up for Disney, but instead for our trip to the East Coast, Boston and New York. We were all very excited, and back in those days I was the Vice President of the band, meaning that I, at the time, ran the band facebook page that still continues to this day. Before that Band trip, I decided that we needed a fun way to count down each day, and since that was not long after the addition of cover photos to the facebook pages, I decided that a great way to do that would be through those cover photos!

I'm no stranger to graphics, so it wasn't all that difficult to do. Just a little bit of editing and some fun fonts and I was done with the countdown. I handed over the band page this last year to the current band council, surrendering total ownership of the page I had started, but I'm very happy with those running it now. Since I don't run the page anymore, and I only update my own cover photo and profile picture when I head to Disney (it's a thing I've been doing haha), it never even crossed my mind that there might be a similar countdown for this trip, especially since we didn't do one last year. 

But like I said, they keep surprising me! 

Yep, they're doing a similar countdown for the Disney trip. Can I just say PROUD ALUMNI!?! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 24 due to finals).

Day 186: Before You Leave

Now, nothing is more exciting than right before you leave on a Disney vacation. In fact, there are numerous things that we all seem to do right before we jump on that plane or in that car and head off to the most magical place on earth (or happiest, if you're headed to Disneyland!). People always think it's just a joke, but it really happens. The night before, for instance, you better not plan on getting any sleep, because you won't get any!

When I was a kid, there are plenty of things that come to mind when I think of the night before. For instance, I remember how we used to have this old house tent thing, and my brother would sleep inside while I sleep outside in a "Dog house" because I always loved pretending to be the family pet. So I had this little shelf thing that my mom now uses for yarn put up against the wall, and a sleeping bag on the floor between that and the tent. There was a light kind of above my head, which I could turn on and off easily, but there was this one year that I remember staying there right before one of our famous trips to Disney World. All I really remember about it is being super excited, and the fact that I had a dog bowl that I filled the last ten days before the trip. The basis was this. I had a bunch of beads that I used to pretend were "dog food," so the last week before my trip, each night before bed I would add ten similar beads to the dish. By the end there were a hundred beads, and the last day was like stars or something. Honestly, thinking back, it makes absolutely no sense, but hey, I was excited! I was also probably about ten.

But just because I'm not ten anymore doesn't mean I don't get excited. In fact, recently I've been doing countdowns (that make more sense), for my whole family to see. Last trip (November 2012) I put Mickey Mouse heads with numbers on the fridge. It was funny because right after I finished putting them back up our fridge broke and we had to get a new one...so I had to move them all. Everyday we'd pull one off. And this trip I've been doing a paper chain, although I keep forgetting to take them off so I guess you could say it isn't going well.

And everytime I think about an upcoming trip, I get this like super excited feeling in me, and then I do this flail thing. It probably looks kind of funny, but that's why I only do it right before bed...unless I really can't contain my excitement. It's been that way ever since I was a kid, in which I had the pleasure of growing up with the adorable Disney Parks promotional ads with the kids too excited to sleep. Like this one!

This one, called Voice of Experience, is my personal favorite. It's on one of the old Disney VHS tapes that I have (or hopefully still have!) It's just absolutely adorable!!

It can't get much cuter than that? I mean, ok, and really, honestly, how many of us pack three weeks ahead of time (this is where I would raise my hand. If I could, I would!). 

In other words, the night before you leave for Disney is just...interesting! I mean, you spend most of it with Disney Sleep Apnea, or the official name for not being able to sleep because of excitement about your upcoming Disney trip. You don't have to worry about being packed because you have been for weeks, and your countdown is at 0. It's a great time, it really is. 

If only it would come around more often!

Here's today's Disney History: 1988: Epcot's Maelstrom, at the recently opened Norway Pavilion, opens to guests. Visitors ride boats that are patterned after Viking ships and pass through various scenes with audio-animatronic figures. 

Have a magical day!

Day 180: Last Days

Today was my last day of camp, ever. I mean, forever. Unless I come back to be a counselor at some point, I am officially graduated from the camp I go to, and I'm not really allowed to go back anymore as a student or camper. I mean, I could go back for adult camps, but I can't go back to MADD camp, which is just super duper sad. I have so many friends that will probably go back and I can't. I am very much going to miss all of them, but I do hope they keep in touch.

But that wasn't all going on today. It may have been my last day of camp, but it's also the last marker in my countdown to Disney! That's right, today marks SINGLE DIGITS!!!!!!!! I only have 9 days left until Disney, although my brain is having a hard time wrapping around that fact. Normally my family goes to Disney in the winter. In fact, I've only ever been to Disney World once in the summer, which was exactly two years ago (to the day actually). I went to Disneyland that summer too, but I think Disneyland is more of a summer thing for us while Disney World is still a winter thing. We always go in November, December, January or Early February, so going in July is just weird.

But that doesn't mean I'm any less excited! I've got so much planned for this trip, and still so much to do before I leave. So that means get ready for a bunch of posts about my excitement and my last minute projects before I leave! I have to make three videos this week before I leave, and I've got to finish up planning for my Disney challenge for this trip as well as what is all going in the vlogs for this one as well! Plus my room is still a huge mess because of all the trips I've been going on recently. Everything is kind of a big mess in my bedroom right now, and honestly I don't know where half my stuff is. Maybe my cat does, but I doubt she'll be much of a help since she hates it when I leave and purposefully tries to interrupt my packing.

Here's just a brief look of what I have planned:

- Packing Video!
- Daily Vlogs while in Florida
- A Disney Must-Take Photo Challenge
- A Graduation Party with Plenty of Disney mixed in
- And hopefully a blog post a day if I keep up!

I am honestly super excited for Disney and I can't wait to leave. It's a shorter trip than I normally take too, but then again, how many people can say they celebrated their 18th birthday at Disney World? Ok, a bunch probably, but I get to say that!

Here's today's Disney History: 1901: Singer-actor Nelson Eddy, who can be heard in Disney's 1946 film Make Mine Music, is born in Providence, Rhode Island. He provided all the singing and speaking voices for the film's final segment.

Have a magical day!

Day 160: Almost There

I honestly didn't intend for this title to work or anything, but it kind of does work and reminds me of a lot of different things.

Well, today is officially less than a month until my trip to Disney World. Of course, I'm super excited, but I have to comment that it feels like I just went, which I kind of did, but I kind of didn't. It just means that the last number of months have gone by really really fast.

Anyway, I realized that the last time I went to Disney I took a lot of selfies before I went and put them on Instagram. Like everyday counting down from about 30. I was thinking about what I should do this year and I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. Doing something does sound fun though. I have an idea, but I'm not going to say what it is, but it will probably start within the next few days, especially if you follow my Instagram.

Either way, it's really exciting to say that my Disney trip is that close, and that means plenty of stuff is going on for me. I was going to make a video to practice editing using my new software today, but it just was not working for me today. But sometime in the future I may have videos on my Youtube channel. Well, I know I will at some point because of my Disney vlogs, but that's beside the point.

I'm honestly pretty tired so I guess that's about it for today, I do know that I have a pretty good post for tomorrow though! =)

Here's today's Disney History: 1934: Donald Duck makes his very first film  appearance in The Wise Little Hen, a Silly Symphony short y Walt Disney. Donald's appearance in this cartoon, as created by animator Dick Lundy, is similar to his modern look except his features are more elongated, his body plumper and his feet bigger.

Have a magical day!