Day 1229: Just Be Nice

If there's one thing I've noticed as a part of the Once Upon A Time fandom, it's that people can be just downright rude. Aside from my personal experiences lately, I can't help but see the constant bullying, arguing, and honest to God wars that occur via social media. It's really terrible. Which leads me to my point today, and I'll try to keep it brief. 

Just. Be. Nice. 

We're all very different people, from all over the world, with different backgrounds. We have different favorite characters, different favorite episodes, lines, ships, and story arcs, but that doesn't mean we should be arguing about it. One of the most important lessons I've ever learned was the idea of agreeing to disagree, and I think that's what the OUAT fandom really needs these days. 

I think that's what we all need these days, to agree to disagree, and understand that just because we don't share every single opinion doesn't mean we should be rude. No one is worthless because of their opinion, and while I have my own ships and favorites, I'm not about to say that anyone else is wrong because they prefer someone else. That would be ridiculous. 

So don't do that. Be nice. That's not that hard to accomplish.

Have a magical day!

Day 1161: Welcome Back

It's been a long time in coming, but we finally have an official poster for Once Upon A Time that features none other than our favorite pirate captain! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for that to happen, and while the flaming apple is a bit weird, I do suppose it fits with the underworld theme that's prominent in the second half of Season 5.

All in all, the story here is that Hook sacrificed himself for Emma and for Storybrooke, but in reality Gold just sort of screwed him over and now Emma, along with half the town apparently, is on a mission to get him back. It's funny because usually when a character dies on a show, they tend to stay dead. That's not always the case on Once, especially with all the flashbacks, but it seems that even after 300 years, Hook will still be making his way back to the world of the living, or at least that's the hope.

The first episode introduced us to the entire new arc for this second half, including a new realm: The Underworld. The red was an interesting choice, although the fact that it's literally just another Storybrooke is sort of weird. It is nice to see characters we haven't seen in a while, and to be introduced to some new ones as well. It seems many of the former inhabitants of Storybrooke have made quite the little home down there.

Oh, and I should probably say something about it being the 100th episode of the show, which is a huge milestone for something like this! While I wasn't entirely impressed with this particular episode (the writing of Regina's birthday to fit the occasion seemed a bit forced to me), I think we should definitely still be celebrating. After all, Once Upon a Time was a show that no one expected to last the first season. In fact, most expected it to be canceled early on. And yet, something worked, and now it's one of the biggest shows on TV with a huge fanbase, myself included. The fact that there's been way more than 100 Sunday nights since I watched that first episode back in 2011 is a little terrifying, but it's still a cause for some cake!

Cardboard Colin and I celebrated simply by watching with our friends, like we're so used to doing, and live tweeting the episode! You can follow our cardboard friend on Twitter if you haven't already!

Let me know what you thought of the Mid-Season Premiere of Once Upon A Time!

Have a magical day!

Day 1129: It Happened Again

Life works in funny ways sometimes...and often it's more ironic than we might expect too. There is a perfectly good explanation as to why I've started today's blog post with a giant picture of Josh Dallas, and it has everything to do with the autograph that's on it. Almost a year ago I received the above picture randomly in the mail, and it took me a while to figure out that it wasn't so random after all. Nope, it was actually a response to the letter I'd sent him about a year previous. In fact, I sent more than one letter...I sent one to all the main actors on Once Upon A Time, and following the picture from Josh, I figured it was all over.

I was wrong.

Today I was sitting at lunch with my roommates and friend Lauren and happened to tell them the story about how I sometimes get amazing mail from people like Josh Dallas. The topic actually came up because I was headed to the mail center to pick up a new wrist brace for my ever injured right wrist, and I checked my mailbox while I was there because I hadn't checked it since early January probably. I knew for sure that there was a certificate for the Dean's List in there, but when I opened the box and found a giant yellow envelope I was a bit thrown off. And then I noticed the name in the upper corner of the envelope: Robert Carlyle.

That's right, after almost two years, I got an autograph back from Robert Carlyle. Funny how that same paper, which I wrote them about for my fairy tales course, is now headed to a national convention, and while that weekend will mean a lot of traveling and logistic problems, getting this autograph in the mail seems like a sign that maybe, somehow, everything is going to work out just fine.

Have a magical day everyone!

Day 1098: No Reprises

Move aside Television, Galavant's back!

In a surprise that no one saw coming, the fairy tale musical extravaganza was renewed for a second season, and this time around things are better than ever...unless you're one of the main characters. Everyone seems to be in a sticky situation as the series picks up where it left off: Galavant and Richard are on a pirate ship traveling to Richard's kingdom, Isabella is trapped by her family and their insistence that she marries her much younger cousin, Sid is stuck with the Queen and new [King], who just can't get along, and everyone else simply avoids singing the same old song over and over again.

Galavant is one of those rare gems on television. It's completely ridiculous, but it's basically a Renaissance Fairy Tale parody of our lives today, and that's great. In fact, the plotline moves quickly, but at a speed just right to keep things funny and lighthearted. And now that the show has said "Suck It, Cancellation Bear," things are even funnier.

End up in the Enchanted Forest? Perfect [say fans of OUAT]. Evil Queen? No problem. Oh wait...the "evil queen" owns a gay bar called "The Enchanted Forest?" Well then. Time for a raging musical number that will get stuck in your head for basically the rest of your life.

Prime time television will never be the same. 

And that was just the beginning. From there, some of my favorite moments including jokes about pirates, cell phone reception, King Richard in general, boredom, and this line that perfectly describes my entire life: 

Long story short, Galavant is back and it's better than ever. It kills me that, while I'm gonna be happy to be in Florida, I'll miss the next two weeks of Galavant. At least I'll be back for the finale though! YOU can watch Galavant Sunday nights at 7 on ABC, and I highly recommend you do! You won't regret it! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1094: 2015

Usually on this blog post I go back and count all the words and the top searches for the year, but that sounds like entirely too much work at this point. After all, I can probably tell you flat out what some of the top things I talked about this year, and since GIFs were such a huge part of the year too, I figured we might as well share those topics through GIFs! It's like killing two birds with one stone!

Star Wars

I think it's safe to say that Star Wars was a HUGE topic this year, what with The Force Awakens premiering on December 18. With that premiere, the entire world exploded with Star Wars, and I couldn't have been happier. After all, I'm an avid Star Wars fan, and this new film gave me the perfect opportunity to get right back into the series at hyperspeed! 

Spaceship Earth

I talk about Spaceship Earth a ridiculous amount, but that's to be expected when it's your favorite Disney attraction. Honestly, I have no idea how many times I've been on it, although I definitely estimate it at over 150 times. Regardless, I'm pretty sure I could just sit and watch this GIF all day long. 

Disneyland

With my trip to Disneyland in August, I definitely talked about the original park more than usual. Plus, on top of my trip, there was also the 60th Anniversary, which certainly accounts for something too. And you know what, while I love Walt Disney World, I really love Disneyland too, and I can't wait to plan a trip back.

Colin O'Donoghue

Considering the fact that I love Colin enough to drive four and a half hours to go to the premiere of his new movie, I doubt it's any surprise that he ends up on this life. In addition to his spectacular acting on Once Upon A Time, you have to also account for the fact that he one upped his 2014 Happy Birthday tweet with a phone call. I may have forgotten my own name, but that's not what matters here. 

Once Upon A Time

And speaking of Once Upon A Time, that probably continues to be one of my most talked about things as well. After all, it accounts for a good half of the Sundays in the year, and the other half I just spend waiting for OUAT to come back. 

College

I don't have an actual GIF for this, but I think this one will do rather nicely. After all, Han here perfectly demonstrates what most of the college experience is like! From final exams, back to studying, classes, long hours, homework, multiple meetings per day, concerts, computer problems, and a lack of sleep, by the time you finish each semester you definitely feel like you can take on a whole galaxy. 

Walt Disney World

Aside from Spaceship Earth and Disneyland, my home of Walt Disney World is always a popular topic around here, especially with two trips in 2015 and one coming up super soon in 2016. 

And you know what, as we approach a new year, everyone is going to ask you one question: 

To which you reply:

But actually, 2016 might just be the best year yet. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31).

Day 1092: 101 Smiles, The Sequel

I was started to get worried that there wouldn't be a 101 Smiles 2016, but Jennifer Morrison has never let us down before, and she certainly hasn't now either! I was absolutely thrilled to find out that she was running a second year of the challenge, which I did last year as well and really enjoyed. In fact, I wrote a whole blog post about it HERE!

Last year, I really made an effort to allow those smiles to run my life. It made me a more positive person overall, and I was in a really good place. After all, just look at all the things I had to smile about last year:

This year, however, was a little bit harder. For some reason, life overall was rough this fall, and while it was sometimes a bit harder to smile, that doesn't mean I didn't smile, and I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life who got a smile on my face even on the most difficult of days. And you know what, I've got another 101 Smiles to show for it: 

If you want to see all of the pictures close up, you can head over to my Instagram, as they're all posted there! I want to give a quick shoutout to Jennifer Morrison for running this crazy escapade again this year, and I can't wait for a third round in 2016!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31).

Day 1091: Binge Watching

In an attempt to figure out what else to round out 2015 with, Megan suggested that I talk about the different shows I binge watched this year, and when I got to thinking about it, I have watched several of them...In addition to Once Upon A Time, which I just watch all year every year, I also caught up on shows such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Orange is the New Black, but when it came to binge watching whole shows, 2015 was the year of Parks and Recreation, Friends, and Psych.

Honestly, I'm not totally sure how any of these shows directly relate to Disney. After all, with things like Full House, there are actually episodes that go to Disney World, but with these, they pretty much take place in one location.

However...it seems the Pscyh was filmed in a location very similar to another show I happen to love. In fact, they use many of the same on-set locations. I had picture evidence of this at one point, but I've since lost it and while I may be able to find the episode in OUAT, I definitely won't be able to find the correct spot in Psych as quickly. Either way, you can see one of the locations in a music video that I've also watched time and time again this year:

Yep, Zelena's house is used in the music video for Christina Perri's "The Words," and also in an earlier episode of Psych. The other one happens to be the boathouse in Steveston, which I thought was pretty funny, because they would have filmed there around the same time considering when the episodes aired! 

What shows did you binge watch this year? 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31).

Day 1070: Killian, Killian Jones

I take some comfort in the fact that I'm writing this so long after the initial mid-season finale of Once Upon A Time that I no longer have to worry about spoilers getting out. I mean, after all, I'm pretty sure we all know by now who dies. 

But just in case you don't, you probably shouldn't read any more. 

Regardless, the end of another half season of my favorite show calls for a roundup of the DisneyBounds that helped make Season 5 so interesting! I went back to a few old favorite characters here, but for the most part it was all about the new and original characters that were brought into the storyline this season! 

Since #DarkSwan seemed to be the theme this season, we had to begin with a DisneyBound inspired by our favorite hero turned dark! I actually LOVED putting this one together, and the shoes are to die for. I still call them my "Dark Swan Heels," and ironically enough, that's just about all I bought to put this outfit together! Everything else was already in my closet! 

King Arthur, oh King Arthur. To be honest, I love Liam, but I could do without this supposedly "noble" king. Either way, this DisneyBound brought some interesting additions into my closet, like the cardigan that I now wear all the time or a pair of bright silver shoes!

Lancelot has been one of my favorite characters since we saw him in Season Two, and I was thrilled to see him back on the screen again (and not dead)! For this one I reused those shoes I found for Arthur and added a bright blue shirt and red belt to go along with his crest and colors, as well as my grey leather jacket to symbolize his armor!

I've only ever done a Rumpelstiltskin bound one other time, and this time I had the perfect pants to go along with it! Reusing the Dark Swan Heels and pairing it with a black vest and golden shirt really made this one work out pretty well!

When I saw Emma in her dress in Camelot I knew immediately that a DisneyBound had to be in the works. All it took was locating a flower crown to make this one work, and it offered the perfect contrast between Light and Dark Swan for this season!

Merida was actually my first ever DisneyBound way back in the day, so to be able to revisit her character for a DisneyBound for the show was an opportunity I was certainly excited about! The only problem is her color scheme is pretty hard to be creative with, but at the same time, I love her hair, and I already had the accessories pulled together to make this one work!

Merlin quickly became a favorite character, and ironically enough, I bought the perfect shirt for his DisneyBound years ago. It's been in my closet ever since, and I actually almost got rid of it once. Still, something told me to keep it, and now I'm really glad I did!

An entire episode dedicated to Brave definitely called for another DisneyBound from the characters! After a bit of debating, I just knew it had to be her mother, especially since I already had the perfect green dress to make it work!

It's kind of hard to pick favorites when you love DisneyBounding OUAT so much, but this one may just be my favorite of all time. I may or may not have picked my glasses a few months ago so they'd match Emma's from the show, and when I came across the plaid dress at the store a few months ago, I knew it had to come home. Pretty sure I'll be wearing this one again, preferably to a fan event of some sort! 

And to round out this half of the season, it just had to be Papa Hook! We've been waiting for so long to meet Killian's father, and when we found out we'd be meeting him in the midseason finale I had to make the decision between a Dark Hook DisneyBound and Papa Hook. As you can see, the later won, allowing for me to reuse the shirt from Rumple as well as an old pair of pants I also got for OUAT DisneyBounds! 

But honestly, DisneyBounds aside, I cried a lot, and I'm definitely ready to head to the underworld so we can get Killian back. In the meantime, I'll just be over here eagerly awaiting his return, because really, how long can any of us live without a bit of Hook in our lives? 

Have a magical day! 

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

Day 1063: We Put Him In the Corner

As I'm sure you're aware, we love Cardboard Colin dearly. He's a great roommate actually, always quiet and he never moves. In fact, the most he does is scare you a little bit if you forget that he's there! But when his alter ego Captain Hook on Once Upon A Time does something that he probably shouldn't have done, we have no choice but to put our wonderful roommate in the corner.

Actually, Cardboard Colin has all sorts of adventures with us at college, and you can keep up with him on his own personal twitter, @CardboardColin! Since the episode of OUAT that forced us to put him in a time out, he's turned back around and has become a part of our everyday lives again, but that could change at any time! To find out if he behaves, give him a follow on Twitter! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 25).

Day 1060: Thankful, Thankful, Thankful

Per usual, it's time to relate what I'm thankful for this year, and like last year, I'm writing it late, so you're going to get a bit of an altered list from what it probably would have been on Thanksgiving Day. Regardless, if you want to go back to 2013 and 2014, you can do so to see what's changed on my list and what's remained constant! It's sure to be interesting! 

And so, here's my 2015 list: 

My Friends & Family

Of course, this one kind of goes without saying! 

Walt Disney World (And Disneyland!) 

I've been lucky enough to head on not one, not two, but three Disney trips this year, with two to WDW and one to Disneyland. I absolutely love both coasts for different reasons, and while I'm thrilled to be heading back to WDW in a few weeks, I do know that a part of me will miss Disneyland too. 

Starbucks

And coffee in general really. It's gotten me through this semester. 

LillyBelle

Because she is my cat and I love her to death. 

Star Wars

It's not every year that a new Star Wars film premieres, and it's not every time I get to go see it on opening night right alongside many of my fellow Star Wars fans. Looking back, surprisingly enough, Star Wars isn't on either of the previous lists...but I'm definitely thankful for it this year. 

Once Upon A Time

Star Wars may have been my first real fandom other than Disney, but OUAT has still brought me so many wonderful things, especially this year. Cardboard Colin came into my life, and I've met even more wonderful fellow Oncers...oh, and one more thing...

The Dust Storm

I can't help but put this one on the list. After all, the premiere of the film (and the film itself!) was wonderful, and it allowed me the once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to Colin O'Donoghue on the phone! Definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life...and then probably a few lives after that. 

New Friends

Over the past year I've grown much closer to a real bunch of random people in my life, and I'm so thankful for that. Whether it's someone I know from college or someone I met through Twitter, there are absolutely amazing people in my world that keep me going through the good times and the bad. 

YouTube

One of the biggest blessings this year was my ability to work on my YouTube channel, and I'm absolutely thankful to those who follow my videos. I've certainly learned that it's not about how many views, but about making the videos because I love to make videos. And honestly, I've got a lot of video editing ahead of me, but I'm super excited about some of the stuff coming after my January trip to WDW. 

Everyday Disney

As always, I'm so thankful for the success of this blog, even if I'm really far behind at the moment and am fighting valiantly to catch up. It's always a lot of work, but I love this blog and every second of the work that it takes to make it a reality. I don't think 2012 Lizzie could have ever imagined any of this. 

And honestly, that's about all that I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm certain that there's about a million other things that I'm thankful for. Just take a look at my Instagram and I'm sure you'll see most of them at some point or another! 

Let me know what you're most thankful for in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 25).

Day 1055: The Pied Piper

For my Literary Theory and Writing class we worked on a New Historical Essay, which just happens to be my favorite theory to work with. I love history, and I've always loved history, so having the opportunity to go in depth with the history of a particular story is pretty amazing. This time around, I decided on the tale of The Pied Piper of Hameln, and I actually found a couple of really awesome Disney references!

First, let's head back to 1933, September 16 to be exact, when Walt Disney released "The Pied Piper" as a part of his Silly Symphonies. From 1929 to 1939, Walt Disney Productions created a series of animated short films. These 75 Silly Symphonies were used to experiment with different processes, techniques, and other technologies in the world of animation, which would eventually lead to the first feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1937. You can watch Disney's 1933 version of "The Pied Piper" right here!

As you can probably tell, the story of the Pied Piper is the tale of a man who comes to the town of Hameln to rid the residents of rats. He does so, but the town refuses to give him the debt he is owed, so he takes their children instead. When I first came across this story, I actually made the connection to Once Upon A Time right away, and that's how I came to connect the story with fairy tales long before I realized the many other connections it has. In Season 3 of OUAT, the creators mix and matched two stories to created their own version of "The Pied Piper." Robbie Kay portrays the series' Peter Pan, who collects boys to bring with him back to Neverland by playing a tune on musical pipes. However, the twist is that only boys who feel unloved are able to to hear and are drawn to the sound. Of course, Pan never helps the town in the first place, only arriving to steal the children, but regardless, he is indeed The Pied Piper of Once Upon A Time. 

This story, of course, has many different versions as well, and I'm certain that there are several other references out there in pop culture and maybe even in the Disney universe. Plus, who knows if the story actually had an influence on J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 26).

Day 1047: Little Hook, Little Emma

My Once Upon A Time collection continues to grow, and this time, I actually made the addition myself! So much of my OUAT Merchandise has been gifted to me, but when I saw the Once Upon A Time Funko Pops, I knew I had to have the Little Hook, and when there's Little Hook there has to be Little Emma!

Actually, there are a lot of really great Funko Pops out there, and in a short span of time, I've gathered a few of my own. In addition to Little Hook, I also now have the Little Killian Jones special order Funko, which looks exactly the same aside from a hand instead of a hook. I also have the little BB-8 Funko, which I love to death, and I've gifted a few this holiday season as well! 

But can we just talk for a minute about how adorable these two are? Definitely a great reward for getting through a couple of hard weeks at college, and now I have them to keep me company over J-Term! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30).

Day 1027: Talking to a Hero

It seems like it's been forever since the events I am about to describe took place...and in complete honesty, it has been a while...over a month in fact. That doesn't diminish the fact that a significant portion of me still doesn't believe that any of this actually happened...and in fact just today I made a comment that was ridiculous because of the story I am about to tell you.

And so...here I am, telling you about what happened at the Twin Cities Film Festival. 

First off, if you haven't watched my video on the topic, maybe you should do that first: 

Kind of a long story short, Colin O'Donoghue, the actor who plays Captain Hook on Once Upon A Time, has quickly worked his way into the list of my favorite actors, and in fact, he's now up at the top right with Harrison Ford. At first, I think it was the accent, but over time, I've really come to just appreciate Colin as a real person. That sounds weird, but honestly there's no "not-weird" way to say any of this. He's just a person I genuinely admire and look up to, whether it be for his humor, for his focus on family and keeping what's private, well, private, his excellent acting, or his love of music. 

So you can imagine what happened when I talked to him on the phone. 

The Twin Cities Film Festival was beyond anything I could have ever hoped for. I remember sitting in our campus library with my best friend, presenting the idea of attending as a joke (after all, my parents would never let me go, and it was crazy, right?)...only she took it a little more seriously than I thought...and then one by one my roommates found out that Colin's new film was premiereing four and a half hours away. 

Of course, that means we had to get tickets...and we did. And that was just the beginning. 

I can't quite praise the work that is The Dust Storm enough, because the cast and crew did spectacular things with the time and budget they had. The acting is supurb, both from Colin and Kristin, and I would honestly give just about anything to see it again...or at least hear a couple of the songs.

But to get to talk to Colin on the phone...honestly I'm still not sure how it all happened, and I can't thank everyone enough for making it possible. I still have to kind of pinch myself as a reminder that it actually happened. Every time I watch a new episode of OUAT, the thought kind of occurs to me...even now, I can't help but smile thinking about it. Because honestly, how many times in your life do you get to talk to one of your heroes on the phone? 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 1...because college).

Day 1026: Pumpkin Carving

Believe it or not, I'm 20 years old and I've never carved a pumpkin.

My roommates seems to find this an abomination, so when they decided we were going to carve pumpkins this year, I couldn't really say no. Lucky for you, I filmed the carving of my pumpkin...which sort of set the theme for the whole weekend.

To be honest, I started out really debating what design I would do...the fact that it was Hook just had to happen though, because this wonderful night of pumpkins was the evening before we headed out to see Colin O'Donoghue's new film, The Dust Storm, which you can read all about in the following two blog posts. Trust me, you'll want to read it.

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 1...because college).

Day 1013: Regina Hall

Visiting new places always means new opportunities to find Disney, and this time it was on a trip to visit Frank at college! Since we'd never been to her school before, it was all completely new to us, but that didn't stop me from finding a new Disney references along the way!

First and foremost, finding a Regina Hall was pretty awesome, especially when it was at Marian University. What a place to be a Oncer!

For the Disney fan who tends to spend a lot of time playing Ping Pong at Old Key West, getting to play Ping Pong at Frank's college was pretty great. We learned she's not very good at Ping Pong. We'll have to practice before January I guess. 

And to round out our day we headed to this awesome lighthouse that just so happened to remind us of Tom Sawyer Island. I didn't take a picture of the inside, but it just felt like walking through the windmill on the Island or something! And bonus, it was definitely beautiful!

All in all, Marian was a pretty Disney filled place, and these are just the things with picture evidence that I have. Overall there were plenty of moments where I got some Disney Deja Vu, like walking into the chapel and it smelling like the Alien secion of the Great Movie Ride (don't even ask how those connect...just think about the smell) or Frank's collection of Olafs in her dorm room! 

Have a magical day!