Day 1290: The Scavenger

If you're looking at the above picture and wondering "Lizzie, where the hell did you find sand in Colorado?" then you'd be asking the same question I had a few months ago when I first discovered Great Sand Dunes National Park. That's right, you no longer have to set your sights on Egypt if you want to find some sand dunes for that Star Wars parody you've been working on! Look no further than central Colorado! 

Great Sand Dunes National Park is about 45 minutes away from Alamosa, Colorado, and is basically a giant pile of sand amidst mountains and grassland. Even now, having been there, I still sort of question its existence, so it's definitely something you kind of just have to see for yourself. There's over 30 square miles of dune field, and 300 square miles of sand in the San Luis Valley where the park is located, and you can literally see these dunes for miles. We saw them on all sides, other than the portion up against the mountains, and even from a distance they are impressive. 

The Dunes, as we learned, were formed hundreds of years ago when a volcano erupted and sand formed in the San Luis Valley. Strong winds then moved the sand, but the mountains blocked it from going further, therefore forcing the sand to pile up along the base of the mountains. With further winds, which are definitely still there today, the dunes were formed. There isn't much new sand forming in the dunes, but they continue to be a crucial part of a very unique ecosystem that consists of snow, rivers, grassland, mountains, and, of course, sand. 

Oh, and since I'm sure you were wondering, you can sled down it, just like Rey does in The Force Awakens. For months we've been anticipating our trip down the dunes, since we grew up sledding on snow, and this just seemed too good to be true. However, unless Rey had some wax for that board of hers on Jakku, I doubt it would have worked as well as it did. Sand is much more finicky than snow, and you do have to rent specialized boards for it to work, but it's well worth it! 

We spent about two and a half hours pretending to be on Jakku and Tatooine before the day was through, and my only other comment is that I have no idea how Finn ever survived. I barely walked a mile in the intense heat over the Dunes and had to stop multiple times...and almost ran out of water. I don't blame him for drinking out of the watering trough. I don't blame him one bit. 

I also want to emphasize once more (and you'll hear this again later on) the importance of visiting our National Parks here in America. They're celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and it's a spectacular time to visit some of the most stunning and inspiring sights anywhere in the world. Previous to a few months ago I couldn't have dreamed about ever setting foot on a sand dune, and now I've done that, seen trees millions of years old, and hiking to the top of a Mesa. Go Find Your Park on the official website of the National Park Service, because after all, the wilderness must be explored! 

Have a magical day!

Day 754: Little Things: College Edition

I've done posts under the idea of "Little Things" before, but now just felt like the right time to do another volume of it, especially since there have been multiple little things in my life that have reminded me of Disney over the past couple of days since returning to SNC! And after all...

Pine Trees

We all know and love the orange scent that's pumped into Soarin', but I feel like sometimes we forget about the wonderful Pine Tree that's also part of that attraction. When I returned to SNC, I was the first one back in the dorm room, meaning that everything was pulled away from the heaters, a vacuum was sitting in the middle of the floor, and everything was unplugged. In the midst of plugging everything back in, I happened to find our wallflower airfreshener that had been unplugged before we left. Of course, after a while you don't really notice the smell anymore, but there was a significant amount left in the thing, so I just plugged it back in. I knew exactly what scent it was, but when the pine tree wafted into my back room a few minutes later, I could only think of one thing: Soarin'.

Melvin 

He's got a new look for a new semester! That's right, Melvin has changed out of his holiday attire and travel clothes in favor of an Up inspired outfit, complete with bow tie and balloons. Originally he was going to have glasses too, but it just wasn't working out well, and he looks adorable enough with his current outfit.

Keurig 

"Shovell sure brought life to this home!"

And that's what I said the other day, which immediately reminded me of one Carousel of Progress. After all, "Thomas Edison sure brought life to this home!" You see, my wonderful best friend, for her birthday, got a Keurig, which she brought back to SNC. It provides us with endless entertainment, hot water, tea, and coffee, so it's definitely the new life of this dorm room.


I have this distinct feeling that there was something else that should be going on this post, but I guess it'll just end up on the next one now. Unless I'm thinking of my SNC-Caf made Butterfinger Cupcake. That's entirely possible. Those cupcakes are amazing.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 27 due to a busy schedule). 

Day 278: A Few of my Favorite Things V3

Phew, it's been a while since we did this series post, hasn't it? Well previously we've looked at my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World and my favorite attractions at Disneyland, so I figured that this time we'd talk a bit about some of my favorite Disney movies.

Being at college, this seems to be a popular question. Which is your favorite Disney movie? It is a great question, after all, and it's something that I suppose I ask people a lot, but honestly, I never have a true answer because, in reality, I don't have just ONE favorite movie. Ok...so maybe it's a really close race and in reality I do have a favorite, but that doesn't mean that I don't love so many others.

Favorite Classic Disney Movie: TIE : Beauty and the Beast & Lady and the Tramp

When it comes to this one, I can't pick a favorite. I just love them both so much. Basically the criteria for this category is "before I was born," or before 1994-95. Somewhere in there. I guess I really do just cut it off at The Lion King because that's next. But I watched these a bunch when I was little, especially Lady and the Tramp. Actually, I brought both of them with me to college just because I do love them so much. Also, my lucky number is 15, and Lady and the Tramp was the 15th animated Disney movie. Beauty and the Beast was the 30th. What are the chances? 

Favorite Modern Disney Movie: The Lion King

Honestly, I'm not sure how you can hate the Lion King. It's one of the greatest Disney films of all time if you ask me, and it's another that I watched a TON as a kid. I always wanted to be Simba. Of course, then Lion King II came out and we loved it even more than the first one (ok, I loved them both pretty equally).

Favorite Disney Princess Movie: Tangled

Honestly this may just be my favorite Disney movie of all time, but we make a separate category for it because I do love it so much. Before Tangled this spot was taken by Princess and the Frog, but you will NEVER EVER EVER make me leave my Flynn Rider. NEVER. 

Favorite Non-Animated Disney Movie Series: Pirates of the Caribbean

This one wasn't hard to pick at all. I just adore the Pirates movies, my favorite of which is the third: At World's End. Why? Because there's audio from the actual original attraction in it, and who doesn't love Pirates of the Caribbean? I know I certainly do, and it's seriously awesome that there's this whole set of movies based on an attraction! And that the movies then inspired the attraction further. Awesomeness. 

Favorite Pixar Movie: Cars

Yes, I know, there are two Cars movies, and you'll see why this makes no sense in a minute, but I love love LOVE Cars. I remember when it came out I was in 7th grade, or 6th grade? 6th grade I think actually, and it was like the best movie I have ever seen in my life. Just kidding, there are plenty of other movies, but this one has been on my favorites list ever since. I don't know why either. It's just a great movie. 

Favorite Pixar Series: Toy Story

I remember watching the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 all the time as a kid, and as you know from a previous post, I adore Toy Story 3 as well. It just gives me such fond memories of my childhood. It really, really does. Like I can't even describe how much I love these movies. 

Favorite Lucasfilm Movie (Because that counts now): TIE : The Empire Strikes Back & Raiders of the Lost Ark

Since this obviously counts now, I have to mention that my favorite Star Wars film is The Empire Strikes Back. I mean, would I have a poster of it on my wall if I didn't? And my favorite of the Indy movies is 100% Raiders of the Lost Art, although I do love the Last Crusade as well. But I don't think I could truly pick if I love one of these two more than the other. They're both such wonderful films!

Favorite Music: TIE: Princess and the Frog & The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This one is certainly a tie too, and I almost just put them in honorable mentions, but decided to instead add an entirely new category to my list of favorite movies: favorite music! It's honestly difficult to have a movie without brilliant music to go with it, and although just about every movie above this has BRILLIANT music, there are two that really stand out for me as being my favorites. I am in love with the Jazz of Princess and the Frog, and Tiana is one of my favorite Disney Princesses for sure, but I grew up with Hunchback and the music in that is simply spectacular. Not much can beat it. 

Honorable Mentions: 

  

Yeah, I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I could think about. I've been blogging for a really long time today and I'm still not done, so pity me! Just kidding, this is way more fun than homework. 

So there you have it, the long long long list of my favorite Disney films. I suppose next time we'll talk about something a bit more...delicious? Yeah, that's probably the right word. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1949: Disney's 11th animated feature film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is released. The film features the voices of Bing Crosby, who narrates Washinton Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Basil Rathbone, who narrates Kenneth Grahame's tale "The Wind in the Willows." The film will inspire the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride theme park attraction, first at Disneyland and then at Walt Disney World.

Have a magical day!

Day 268: My Disney Collection V5

Hello all! It's time for another edition of My Disney Collection. Again, as I said last time, you should have this down, but if you're just joining us, here's the basics: I write a blog called Everyday Disney, and I try to write everyday. If I can't write I go back and make it up, but in reality I have one blog post for every day of the year. Either way, I have several series of posts going on, one about my favorite Youtube Videos, one on my favorite Disney things and then this one. The My Disney Collection Series, which now has FIVE parts, and if you haven't seen the others or want a refresher, here's the previous ones!  (V1 V2 V3 V4). Just click one of links right there.

This volume of the My Disney Collection series focuses around something that all of us Disney Parks fans seem to have: a pin collection. Like everyone else I have a whole bunch of pins, and I won't be able to talk about every single one, but I will show you them all and mention a few of my favorites.

We'll start with a transition set from the last Disney Collection Volume, Epcot pins. Now back when I went to the D23 Expo in 2011 I was able to get my hands on some awesome pins, including these two beauties right here. The one on the left if a Walt Disney Imagineering pin. I have no clue if there's any importance otherwise to it, but it's beautiful and I like to think it's special. The other is a 1980's pin that I picked up. Equally beautiful, and certainly one of my more treasured pieces.

Speaking of the D23 Expo, that's where I got these next couple of pins. You can see my Disney Geek pin right there, which I actually used as a part of my FBLA speech my senior year. And below you can see my D23 Expo pin as well as my treasured 1st visit to Disneyland pin. I've always wanted one of those, and now I have one!

Back to Epcot pins, since I have a lot of those. Of course, as you could tell from the last post, I got just about all I could from the 30th anniversary merchandise, and that certainly includes pins. They had a mystery set of 30th anniversary pins with Figment, so I have the Living Seas pin and the Horizons pin from that. Below is a special one I picked up back in July 2013 when there was still a bit of stuff left from the celebration. It's one of my favorite pins because it opens and on the inside you have the characters standing looking at the globe from Illuminations and the saying "To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship, Welcome" from the dedication of Epcot. 

Next is another set of pins I got at D23, which was put out by Walt Disney Imagineering. My brother has the entire set of Epcot Symbol pins but I just got this one, which I really do adore. I mean, I do love Spaceship Earth, after all.

Finally getting out of some of the Epcot stuff, I have a collection of Holiday pins. My family often times would go to Disney for Thanksgiving, and that means that Holiday pins are out, and sometimes they have pins specifically for thanksgiving as well. I almost always get the pin from Old Key West, because doing anything else would just seem wrong. 

Then we move on to the next shadow box, which is also pretty much completely filled with pins. Below you can see a few of my favorites as well, including my Mickey Aviator Pin, the Elle Badge from Up (Honestly my favorite pin of all time) and my I Mickey New York pin that I got from the Disney Store in New York when I went in 2012. 

And then we come to our last specific set I'll talk about, although there are tons of other pins that I have. Back in November 2012 I was searching for one set of pins (actually I had been searching in January as well), and I just wasn't finding them. After searching all of January I just figured they weren't made anymore and gave up. But then my parents went on Tower of Terror. Now my brother and I generally just sit that one out and instead go around taking pictures or go on Star Tours or something. Well it just so happened that we headed into the store at the end of ToT that time and we were over by the pins when he goes "Hey Lizzie, it's Han Solo!" and I was like "WHAT" and he was like "Look" and he pointed right at that pin down below this. He had found the sole Han Solo pin (lol...no pun intended). Of course I bought the entire set right away and have loved them ever since. Can't get much better than Han and Leia and Chewie on Pirates! 

And that concludes the pins. Down below you can see my entire three shadowboxes. The third one is new, since I officially ran out of room in the first two after my trip in July, so now I have a third. It's kind of interesting trying to get them all to fit, both in the boxes and then on my shelves, but I make it work. Pins are never a bad thing, after all.

If there's a pin you'd like to see more closely, just let me know and I'd be happy to share a picture with you! 

In the next volume of my Disney Collection I'll share the Disney in my closet, which honestly has gone from zero to tons in the last year or so. It's actually kind of ridiculous. And then after that I honestly don't know what I'll do, but it will be December, so most likely it will be a holiday edition! You don't know me at all if you don't think I don't have Disney Christmas Decorations! 

The month isn't over, so here's today's Frumpstagram post with the title "Regal." Honestly nothing is more grand than Club 33!

Here's today's Disney History: 2009: The final performance at the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island, Florida takes place as part of Congaloosh 2009 (a weekend long convention to celebrate the popular Adventurers Club). 

Have a magical day!

Day 256: They've Got Character

One thing I really really regret not having the ability to do is have a so called "Princess Phase." Granted, when I was a kid there really wasn't much of a Princess thing going on. Growing up I had Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Ariel. That was pretty much it. I guess Pocahontas and Mulan were there too, but it wasn't as big of a deal as it is now. I didn't have either of my favorite Princesses (I ADORE Rapunzel and Tiana...Belle is a close third and then Ariel), and while there were some of the little dresses, it's not like I remember it being a huge thing. I just wasn't a kid that constantly wanted to meet characters. I have autograph books, and I'm sure my parents remember me wanting to meet characters much more than I do, but it's just something that my family in general never really did a lot of.

That's me...and Goofy, obviously. It's actually one of my favorite pictures from my childhood!

But now I'm going to Walt Disney World with some of my best friends, two of which, if they both go, have never EVER been to Disney. I know that our time there is short and that our real trip won't be for many years, since we really want to plan another one when the last of us turn either 18 or 21, but still, I want to make this trip as magical as possible, and for me, one of those things is making sure they get to meet some of their favorite characters.

I was going through the common character list tonight to send it to one of my friends and honestly, I had no idea that there were so many characters in the Disney Parks. Like the list is much longer than I initially expected. So that leaves the question, who are the must see characters, who do I want to meet and who should they meet?

For starters, I know my best friend Megan, if she goes, absolutely HAS to meet Marie. Her favorite Disney movie is the Aristocats, so that would have to happen. My other friend, Ashely, loves the Pixar movies Up and Finding Nemo. Of course Nemo is a bit hard to meet, but I fully plan on spending time in the Seas with Nemo and Friends and trying to take her to meet Dug, Mr. Fredrickson and Russell. Those are more specific to them I guess. I think my list includes the Princesses because I honestly have never met my favorite one (RAPUNZEL!) and I really can't wait to see Princess Fairytale Hall! And Gaston is probably on that list too because well...it's Gaston.

And me and Marie a couple of years ago!

Aside from that, everyone needs to meet Mickey and Minnie and Goofy and Donald and Pluto and all those guys. Mickey and Minnie for sure. It just needs to happen. When I went to Disneyland Mickey and Minnie walked out and I was right there and I will forever regret not going by them right away. I could have met Mickey and Minnie AT DISNEYLAND, and I didn't. Sigh...regrets in life.

Also on my list? Indiana Jones and Marian! It's not necessarily a secret but if you stick around after the show you generally can meet the actors and I personally think it would be awesome to do that with a group of people from my HS Band, if not everyone! First we need to go to Hollywood Studios, but if we do I promise I will work my hardest for us to get to meet Indy!

Today's Frumpstagram was, surprisingly, easier than the past few days. The topic? Transportation. I couldn't find the Millennium Falcon so I guess a Speeder Bike will just have to do for now! It's kind of interesting though, and I think I'll make that tomorrow's post maybe, about how I used to hate Hollywood Studios and knew very little about it until Star Wars changed my life forever.

And here's today's Disney History: 1941: Walt Disney's father Elias passes away in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82. Walt is currently in South America in the middle of a 10-week trip.

Have a magical day!