Day 967: I'll Stay

It's been a long process for me in decided whether I'll head to the East or West coast after finishing my undergrad schooling in only a couple of years. In fact, in just about a year and a half I'll be applying for the Disney College Program, and that alone is a terrifying, but exciting, thought. I've spent so much of my life at Walt Disney World that it seems almost natural to apply there. I know the ins and outs of pretty much everything On-Stage, and I'd be delighted to learn the same backstage. Over the past few years, I've compiled a list of locations on property I can just see myself working, right up to the possibility of walking that ever-moving walkway on Spaceship Earth (Yes, I know I need to watch my step. I've probably heard it almost as many times as you've said it).

However, as I've grown and made my way through schooling, I've also realized that I definitely don't want to spend the rest of my life in Florida. It's hot, it's sticky, and it's far away from the disciplines within the Disney company that I'm actually going to school for. So instead I've set my sights on California, and that means Disneyland. I've thought about this trip for a long time as a way to sort of "feel-out" the West Coast and if I can see myself there for what very well could be the rest of my life. It's a big commitment, and with all the talk you hear around here about California, it doesn't exactly sound like the nicest place to live. No offense to my California friends, but with the way one of my Professors went on this morning about the cost of living out there you'd never want to go there either. Plus, if I had a penny for every time someone commented on either a). earthquakes, b). mudslides, c). wildfires, or d). California breaking off the lower 48, I might just be able to afford that cost of living.

There was, or is, rather, a lyric in one of the closing songs after World of Color Celebrate! that got me thinking though. Following Forever Young, there's a song that narratives "And when I get to Disneyland, I'll Stay." Up until recognizing that lyric the first time while out in California, I hadn't really thought about the fact that in two short years, I could be living out on the West Coast. Disneyland could become an everyday thing for me, and that's a crazy thought. For someone who lives so far away from both parks to have the chance to go every single day is a very magical thought, and while it has very little to do with the reason I want to ultimately work for Disney, it's certainly a huge benefit.

But "I'll Stay" also says a lot about what I want to do with my life in general. Everything I work for will hopefully lead to, well, "Disneyland." Every late night paper writing session, every frustrated saxophone lesson, every stressed out day, every technical difficulty, and everything in between has been my own adventure to Disneyland, because I just have to get there, and when I do, I'm most certainly going to stay.

I'm sure that's a feeling a lot of us have, whether it be the literal idea of going to Disneyland just for a visit, because if you don't know Disney Parks fans, I'll tell you a little secret: we'll do just about anything to get back home. Even if it's for a weekend or a day, we make it work, and it's always worth it. Or maybe you're like me, slowly building your life for a career with Disney where you hope to stay forever. I know I can't imagine myself anywhere else in the world and no matter how many people back at home say I'll never make it, it only fuels me to go further.

After all, when I get to Disneyland, I'll stay.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 15 due to a tight schedule).

Day 948: English and Music

Like most college students, I'm continuously faced with the prospect of the future. I can't even begin to tell you how many questions I get about what I want to do with my life and/or, more frequently, what in the world I'm going to do with my double major of English and Music Performance. To be completely honest, I don't really know what my ultimate dream job is. It changes almost on a daily basis, but I do know that I want to work for Disney, and today I was reminded of one of the huge reasons why.

Again, like most Disney-Loving college students, the Disney College Program is definitely on the table for my future, although I won't be able to apply until I complete my undergrad schooling due to the number of credits I need to graduate on time (music gets complicated). That doesn't mean I haven't already done my fair share of research on the program, however. I know when I'll be applying, and while I don't know what individual portion of the program I want to work in yet, I do know that's a choice that I'll make when I get there. Today has been a sort of weird reflection day for me when it comes to the future, starting with this great FAQ on the College Program by Sarah, which you can watch HERE. As a person seriously going back and forth between the college program at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, this was a great sort of information overload for me, but what really stood out was when Sarah mentioned that at Disney, it doesn't matter what your major is because anything you want to do, you can do for Disney in some capacity.

For a student who gets the "and what are you going to do with that?" question ALL THE TIME, this made a huge impact on me, regardless of the fact that I already knew that Disney is made up of an extremely diverse population of careers. I knew from Day 1 that if I wanted to pursue music, I would be able to pursue it with Disney, and today, when Sarah mentioned it in her video, I really got the overwhelming feeling that, while moving to a different state and being completely on my own is absolutely terrifying, working for Disney is also a major right decision in my life.

And for a college student to actually feel confident in a move like that, especially a couple of years before it's actually going to happen, is a really big thing.

Have a magical day!

Day 823: The Future Is Real

One of the scariest things, in my opinion, is the future. It's just out there in the great, wide unknown, taunting you every step of the way. Today was definitely one of those days when the future felt wide open and terrifying all at the same time, especially as I worked on my resume and cover letter for job applications as I head into the summer and upcoming school year. But the entire process has also made me think a bit more about Everyday Disney and what blogging has taught me about the future and how to approach it. After all, because of the success I've found with this blog and thanks to the skills I've learned developing it, I can list Everyday Disney on my resume, which is huge in my world. After all, this blog is pure proof of the things I've learned over the past two years, as Everyday Disney has been as much of a learning experience as anything else, and that only makes me more excited to continue moving forward and trying new things.

However, that's not all that Everyday Disney and daily blogging has taught me, so I figured I would make a post out of it. Planning for the future, in regards to my career, education and Everyday Disney itself, has been a huge part of my day today. Plus, just as in anything else, Disney plays an important role in what I've learned here.

1. Appreciate the Here and Now

I have a quote on my desk that reads "Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count," something that I've sort of adopted as my motto for this school year. Megan and I occasionally talk about the depressing fact that in just over two years, I hope to leave Wisconsin and I will no longer be a simple five minute drive from my best friend, not to mention the fact that we currently live together at school. I'll be going out into the Great Wide Somewhere and, if everything works out, I won't be coming back. So I have to appreciate where I am right now. When you're a daily blogger, especially on a topic like finding Disney in everyday life, you have to really stop and think about each and everyday. It's not just a question of "What in my day involved Disney?" It's more complicated. It might be "What made me smile today?" or "What's going to be the most important connection for the blog post." When you do that, when you stop and reflect on your day, you're collecting memories of moments that you'll cherish when you are far away and alone. It's the same reason I keep a journal, because it allows me to come back and say "I remember that day! That was fun!" You get to do that with a daily blog too, and it all definitely helps you appreciate the happiness that currently surrounds you.

2. Keep it Positive

We all have bad days, and if you go back through the continuation of Everyday Disney, I'm sure you can pinpoint my own "Bad Days." There are plenty of them, moments where I'm frustrated, some where I'm just downright angry and some posts where I'm on the verge of tears. But ultimately, we can't focus on the bad things in our lives. We have to keep smiling, and that's one of the reasons I adored participating in Jennifer Morrison's 101 Smiles Campaign, where you posted a picture of something that made you smile every day for 101 days. It's not until a project like 101 Smiles that you really realize just how many opportunities you have to be happy, When you blog, you have to maintain that same positive atmosphere, because it's going to be more approachable for readers, and it's through happy moments that you're going to connect with your readers.

3. Look For the Little Things

Just like finding an appreciation for the here and now, Everyday Disney has certainly provided me with the ability to look for the little things. As huge as a company like Disney is, by day 823, there's only so many things left for you to talk about on a daily basis, and let me tell you, it only gets harder. You have to be relevant and original at the same time, all while sticking to your brand and connecting with an audience. As I said a while back, finding legitimate references to Disney that are different from the 800 other references you've already talked about is incredibly difficult, but the second you start looking at the little things that happen in your life, a new world opens up. Sometimes that means talking about the most random Disney Deja Vu, like a train whistle or the food you ate for lunch. Other times it might mean a new Disney-related project you're working on. And, if you're like me, it might include surprising your father and brother with a trip to Disney World in June. They all make for relevant topics, if only you figure out how to word them and relate them to the blog as a whole.

4. Organization is Key

I remember, earlier this year, sitting for around six hours in the basement of my college library on a giant computer table trying to record and organize every single day of Everyday Disney. If, at the end of the year, your blog post total is 363, you've obviously missed something, and that's ultimately going to reflect badly when a new visitor realizes that, since you're a daily blogger, there should be 365. So I found a new system, and I now keep a record of every post I write for a number of reasons. Beyond that, I constantly have a list of new goals I want to accomplish and improvements I wish to make, as well as a rough idea of topics that might appear in future posts. Without that system in place, everything would be absolutely chaotic, and I can tell you right now that nothing would get done, not by a long shot. After all, keeping 100 blog posts straight is difficult, much less 800.

5. Keep Moving Forward

Looking back at where you came from is great, and it can be really inspiring, but don't let it hold you down. If I go back to the early days of Everyday Disney, sometimes I cringe at my writing, a topic I wrote on, or my blatant unprofessionalism in those early days. However, back then Everyday Disney was definitely more of a personal blog, a quest to blog about Disney everyday for an entire year and find the little ways my favorite thing has woven its way into my life. Now, things have gotten much bigger. There's an Instagram Challenge going on, I'm listing Everyday Disney on my resume, and I'm writing a post about what daily blogging for the past two + years has taught me. If the things I've learned so far are any indication, Everyday Disney is going to keep growing, and I'll keep growing right along with it. I don't know what it will become, and I don't know where I will end up, but you can bet I'm going to keep blogging about it every step of the way.

Have a magical day!

Day 365: The End...Or...

Well, here's part one of the finale of 2013 (although technically it's posted as part two...go back a day to see the other half later today when I get around to posting it). It was kind of interesting trying to figure out how everything was going to fit together, but I knew I wanted this post to be the absolute last one for 2013, because it's like my final words on this giant crazy New Year's Resolution I had for 2013.

To be totally honest, I can't believe I'm sitting here right now. I can't even remember what made me decide, a year ago, to blog about Disney every day in 2013. I have no clue where that even really came up, other than for the fact that I had a mostly empty blog sitting here that could easily be used, and the title Everyday Disney lent itself well to the prospect of blogging everyday. So if anything, that's where the idea came from.

Over the past two days I've gone through every single post on my blog, as you will see in the post previous to this one, and while I didn't read all of them word for word (and for good reason...that could take days in itself), I did read a few posts, one of them being the very first one: Day 1: The Beginning...Of Your Future.

In that post I said this: "But since I don't have many (or any really) other New Years Resolutions, why can't this be it? Instead of planning to lose weight, eat better, read a series of books, learn how to bake or cook an entire new series of foods, or even write a story (something I am currently doing in my free time already), I am going to do this. I am going to write a blog, called Everyday Disney, which for 365 days, I will write a post a day, or at least put something on the blog in order to keep up with the days. I really do hope that I can accomplish this, because as it appears right now, I love the look of this blog and the idea that it holds, and I hope that you do too, since I would love to have some people follow and chat with me along the way, so that I can share my extreme love of Disney with everyone around me.

Thank you, and here's to a magical year, filled with endless possibilities and new frontiers!"

Have I accomplished everything I talked about in that first post? I like to think that I did. I've gotten behind on days more times than I can count, but I've always caught myself back up in one way or another...even if I had to write a post almost two months after the day it was being posted on. There's a story behind every post: where I wrote it, why I wrote it, who I wrote it about or with. And I've gotten the chance to meet and talk with some wonderful people along the way too...especially a number of you on Instagram!

But how have I changed through all of this? At the beginning of the year I was somewhat of a different person, but I guess they say that college does that to you. 2013 has been one of the more interesting years of my life, and it came with a lot of big decisions, adventures, changes and possibilities. But I'm happy to say that this blog has changed even how I look at Disney, and it's changed it in a good way. For the first time in my life, or at least in a really long time, I feel closer to Disney than ever before. Of course, things are once again changing with the new year, but I am very excited for my two upcoming trips in 2014 (and hopefully another one a year from now in January 2015).

I would like to personally thank everyone who has helped me with this blog, read the blog, glanced at the blog, promoted the blog, repined the pinterest posts, liked my pictures on Instagram, followed the Facebook page or anything else. Everyday Disney has become a very important part of my life, and I have to say that I'm really glad I decided to do it this year.

So, here's to 2013, and what a wonderful year it has been!

Here's today's Disney History: 1971: The very first Magic Kingdom New Year's Eve Party is held at Walt Disney World, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Have a magical day and a very happy new year! See you in the future!

Day 120: Forgetting

You know, I write a daily blog, and I still can't manage to write about everything?

You see, I tend to try and keep each blog post to be about just one thing (not including the daily Disney History). And every post has to have some sort of a relationship with something Disney, right? Well, you see, the problem with that is...I sometimes experience Disney things, decide to write a blog post about them, and then totally forget what I was going to write about!!!!

This has been an ongoing problem, and it's probably why every once and a while I miss a few days and have to go back and write them later. I mean, I suppose this is a fairly normal thing for writers, as for some it means writers block...and there's always easy ways to fix it...but that never seems to work for me either.

Everyone is always like, "carry a notebook with you!" and while I do, that doesn't mean it always works! I can carry a notebook around and never write a thing in it. Granted, I always have my phone, and the 29 tabs I have open in Google Chrome on it mean that I often leave things open to remind me of things later...not that it does.

I guess it's partly because I always have so many things going on. I mean, I have my blog, and I'm a writer in general. I have school, of course, and currently I have a Disney project (which I'll talk about soon), books to read, a physics class to keep up in (not that it's all that hard), I have a band concert coming up and there's always the Disney Performing Arts Marching Band Fiasco (in which I need to talk to my director about very soon). There's stuff I've been working on for my upcoming Disney trip in July (such as my challenge for the trip, the fact that my entire family is now going when it started out as just two of us, the vlogs I'll do and a countdown that I'll need to put up soon). Graduation is fast-approaching, and I'm not too happy about that, and the summer brings a wealth of new challenges and projects!

In the end, I really should always have something to talk about, but then there's the fact that some stuff I'm just waiting until a later date to discuss. My dorm room for next year, for instance, is a big one. Of course I'll be bringing a ton of Disney with me, but I haven't talked at all about how I plan to use some of my time this summer creating Disney things for in my dorm room. There's the continuation of my Disney Collection series, which there will be a new addition to soon. And then I have plenty of other things that I'm not going to even talk about as of right now, but are all very exciting...plus, we're just starting on the summer movie craze that is filled with Disney releases!

So maybe eventually I'll remember to write down what I wanted to discuss on this blog, or at least start using a notebook...but for now, I'm just going to keep writing and make up the couple of days I missed, because we all know that everyday really is a Disney day.

Here's today's Disney History: 1952: Mr. Potato Head is first widely introduced to the public when it becomes the first toy ever advertised on television. Over one million kits will be sold in the first year. In 1995 Mr. Potato Head made his Hollywood debut with a leading role in the Disney/Pixar animated feature, Toy Story.

Have a magical day!