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 364: 2013

And here's part two of the end of the year posts. Really this one should go after the other one, but it just didn't work out schedule wise, so here we go. It's taken me hours and hours on end to total and tally all of this stuff up, and in order to technically have the numbers correct I have to finish this post before I can finalize the numbers. Because I want this post to include absolutely everything from the entire year.

So, let's start out by looking at the number of words from each month. You'll see the statistics by month and then overall.

January: 13,637 Words (0 Disney History)
February: 8,679 Words (973 Disney History)
March: 15,162 Words (1,688 Disney History)
April: 14,709 Words (1,690 Disney History)
May: 16,948 Words (1,543 Disney History)
June: 17,237 Words (1,559 Disney History)
July: 17,710 Words (1,608 Disney History)
August: 17,366 Words (1,385 Disney History)
September: 19109 Words (1,419 Disney History)
October: 20,741 Words (1,556 Disney History)
November: 24,406 Words (1,418 Disney History)
December: 20,299 Words (1,652 Disney History)

And then I went through and looked at some of the keywords from the entire year. My best friend and I came up with a list of the ones I probably used the most, or at least were the most interesting or funny.

Disney (w/o Walt Disney/Walt Disney World/Everyday Disney): 2,329
Colin O'Donoghue: 12
Emma Swan: 170
Hook: 213
Once Upon a Time (OUAT): 93
CaptainSwan: 37
Harrison Ford: 70
Star Wars: 211
Han Solo: 61
Epcot: 195
Spaceship Earth: 124
College: 214
Walt Disney: 142
Indiana Jones: 70
Walt Disney World (WDW): 211
Everyday Disney: 33

And then I calculated all the different pictures from each month on various fronts. For instance, Overall I had 803 pictures, although there might be a couple of them that are doubled. I mean, I didn't count Frumpstagram pictures or my Once Disneybounds more than once. Of those 803 pictures, 177 of them were from my Instagram account, 57 were movie posters, 50 were of Harrison Ford, 71 had to do with Star Wars, 108 were from Once Upon a Time, 171 were of Walt Disney World, and 25 at Disneyland. Throughout the year I also had 119 videos, most of which were from Youtube.

Of all the posts, 245 of them had at least one picture, 73 without any pictures at all and 47 of them had no pictures, but at least one Youtube video.

Overall, I think it's been a pretty good year, don't you think? Now to finish up this post so I can make the final counts and publish this post, which will, ultimately, be the last post I publish in 2013. Crazy, I know. But I think I'm ready for a new adventure once 2014 comes around. =)

Here's today's Disney History: 1980: The longest-running series in prime time television history, The Wonderful World of Disney, is canceled (on NBC) after more than 25 years on the air.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31 due to obvious reasons).

Day 363: The Second Half

Back on July 1st, I wrote a post on how I was halfway through the year, and then talked about my favorite posts from the first six months of my blog. Although we still have two more days left in 2013, I have other stuff planned for those days, and decided that right now would be a great time to feature my favorite posts from each month in the second half of 2013.

If you first want a refresher on the first half of the year, click here for the July 1 post! 

Sunday, July 14, 2013: Day 195: Pictures Galore!

Remember that time this year when I went to Disney World for my birthday? Yeah, this post was timed smack dab in the middle of it. Of course, it's often times really hard to blog when I'm actually there, especially since I like to pair my daily vlog with the blog post for that day, and I don't like to post things unless the post is 100% finished. So those posts that occurred when I was in Florida weren't posted until long after, but I think of the ones from my trip, this is my favorite. 

I mean, I love them all, but the post on Day 195 had all of my favorite Instagram pictures from my Disney World 2013 Photo Challenge...and I just love sharing my beautiful pictures from Instagram! 

Friday, August 30, 2013: Day 242: "Air Cooling"

August meant a new adventure for me: College. And along with this new adventure came a new home: my dorm room. And along with my dorm room came heat. And lots of it. 

Those first few weeks at SNC were absolutely terrible when it came to how warm it was. And the reason I chose this post is because it always makes me laugh. I never actually attempted Uncle Orville's idea of Air-Cooling, as it cooled off just in time for me not to try it, but it'll be warm again come spring, and I'm sure the ice tray and the fan will come out then to keep me cool. 

And then I'll be sitting in luxury, Carousel of Progress style. 

Friday, September 20, 2013: Day 263: Africa

While I don't have a picture on this post, it's most certainly up there on the list of my favorite blog posts. I mean, it's one of the few I spent more than two hours on (it took over three hours just to do research), and it's probably one of the longest as well. 

So what's it about? Well, Africa for one, and how the music program at SNC is headed to Africa this next May. I won't be joining them though. Why? Because I'll be going to Walt Disney World...again! And this post proves that I have good reason to do so! I did some serious statistics and found that it takes you approximately 4.9 hours to experience every attraction in the Magic Kingdom Alone, and you add on at least 8.6 hours to get on the attractions (since I calculated it in a non-busy time), you can spend $3441.12 and have 462 options for food, watch over 4.6 hours of shows and parades and shop at 37 locations. 

Which means that it would take you around 25 hours at least to experience everything the Magic Kingdom has to offer. And considering even I haven't seen it all after so many trips, I think there's a good reason for me to be going to WDW twice in 2014. 

Sunday, October 27, 2013: Day 300: A Day in the Life of Hook

In what will probably be known forever as the most ridiculous idea I have ever had, this blog post accounts for the 24 hours I spent living like Captain Hook. What does this mean, exactly? Well...I only used one hand, my right hand. Although I could use my left arm and, when I had the Hook on, I could use that, I was not allowed to pick things up or use my left hand in any other way. It was...interesting...to say the least. 

Of course, there were a lot of things that were just much more difficult with one hand, for instance, texting is a lot slower with one hand. Anything on your phone is like half the speed...probably because you have half the hand. Shopping is harder, because you don't have a second hand to help carry things. Driving, that's harder too, as is getting out of your bunk bed and carrying your laundry up two flights of stairs. 

Curling hair...difficult but possible actually. Getting dressed? Interesting (those leather pants must suck), and putting on Makeup was also an adventure. But by far the hardest thing to do with one hand is plug in my curling iron...which goes into an extension chord that hands from the end of my loft. Yeah, that was really really hard. 

But seeing Good Form totally made it all worth it. 

Saturday, November 23, 2013: Day 327: Jennifer Morrison 

We all have our favorite people in this world, and when I started this blog, I'd have to say that Walt Disney and Harrison Ford, along with Abraham Lincoln, were just about the only ones on my "absolute favorite list." Well, then came September and Once Season...and all that changed. Now I've got two more people on that list: Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison. 

Jennifer Morrison though, she's on the list for a VERY good reason. The night I wrote this blog post I had been practicing alto for my lesson the next morning, and I happened to take a break by going on Youtube. I ended up finding an interview of JMo on Ellen, and I watched it and basically freaked out. 

You see, it turns out that I'm a lot alike Jennifer Morrison, since she went to Disney World 27 times by the time she was 18. I'm not far behind that, since by the time I'm 19 I'll have gone 25. 

To sum up the blog post: Jennifer Morrison is my favorite actress. 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013: Day 338: Candles

This is one of those blog posts that relate my adventures at college...and it's probably one of my favorites when it comes to those college posts. 

At SNC we have holiday meals from time to time, and this one happened to be our Christmas Dinner. The food was great, as always, but what I'll remember from it was actually the candle that sat on our table. My friend Jessica just HAD to blog it out, but later when she and Emily were arguing about it I looked at Megan and said "I want to do it!" So I was like "I hope you enjoy our story tonight...Reflections of Earth" and then blew out the candle. Jessica just glared at me and we were all laughing...and then she blew out the candle on the next table. 

It was a wonderful Christmas Dinner. 

Thursday, September 19, 2013: Day 262: Talk Like a Pirate!

And since I did a bonus last time, here's one for this post too. I loved this post because I actually wrote the entire thing and then used an online "Translator" to translate the entire thing into pirate...and then retype it into the blog post of course. 

I mean, who doesn't like talking like a pirate? I have my Facebook settings set to pirate, so everything my Facebook says is Pirate, and then I tend to say "Mate," and "Aye" and "Bloody Hell" a lot lately...although that's probably this guys fault: 

The second half of the year has been just as great as the first, but let's not get all sentimental yet (Hahahaha Once joke right there), since there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow! 

Here's today's Disney History: 1980: The longest-running series in Prime-time television history, The Wonderful World of Disney, is canceled (on NBC) after more than 25 years on the air. 

Have a magical day!

Day 362: I am Emma Swan

It's not the first time that my friends and I have debating which character we are. It all started back last year when I got my car, which I promptly named The Millennium Falcon. Of course, this development made me Han Solo, and my brother Chewbacca, and my cat Princess Leiabelle, my mom Lando, my best friend Darth Shovell, another friend Boba Fett (and his car the Slave I), and another of my friends became R2-D2. It all went down pretty quickly.

And then, I became Rapunzel, but that's story for another day. So my car was Maximus, and my cat my Pascal. Wherever Flynn Rider is I have no idea...but still. So then I was Han Solo and Rapunzel.

But when it comes to Once Upon a Time, we're all kind of confused. Considering we all just love the song "You're my Mate," and my best friend is the Charming to my Hook, I originally was Hook. It makes sense, because then my car would be the Jolly Roger, since it is also Maximus anyways (there was that pin that one time). So if I'm Hook and my best friend is Charming and my other friend is Rumplestiltskin, it all works out...kind of.

Except there's the fact that I've been rewatching Season 1 with people and my wardrobe is basically the wardrobe of Emma Swan. And her parents are Mary Margaret and David and my parents are Mary and David. I call my younger brother "Kid" all the time, just like Emma calls Henry that, and while I haven't been to jail (and don't plan on it), haven't been in the foster system or any of those other things, I DO love Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon (and Coffee for those JavaSwan shippers like me).

Seriously though...sometimes I go to my closet and have to think "Ok, what ISN'T Emma Swan like here?" It's kind of scary...SCARY AWESOME! To prove it to you, here's yet another picture of my Red Leather Jacket and then my new Emma Swan knit hat. These are just the two that I currently had on Instagram, but I'm sure I'll share more as time goes on.

So maybe my friend Emily is right. Maybe I AM Emma Swan. Or maybe I'm Hook AND Emma, because, well, then I'd be in love with myself...and there certainly won't be a day that goes by I don't think about myself too. It all seems to work out.

Although Megan asked me how I walk away from myself...or how I forget half of me.

Maybe being Emma AND Hook won't work out so well after all.

Here's today's Disney History: 1971: For the second day in a row, the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World reaches capacity. Entry is restricted for several hours.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30 due to time restrictions).

Day 361: The Best Presents

Christmas is generally a great time for getting presents, and I had various ones of my own this year. Of course, I just got a new iPhone 5s, so I didn't have quite as many presents as I did last year. Still, it's fun to open them all on Christmas morning while watching the Christmas Day Parade. 

So I figured I'd share a list of a few of my favorite Christmas Presents that I've gotten in the past few years, along with a list at the end of what I got this year from everyone. I mean, most of my favorite gifts are Disney themed anyway. Here are some of my favorite Christmas Gifts, in no particular order because I can't really pick one ultimate favorite: 

My Empire Strikes Back Poster: 

One of my good friends from High School got me this last Christmas, and it hangs proudly on my bedroom wall. I love this poster, a lot, and I can't wait to get the ones that match it (aka the original Star Wars and Return of the Jedi posters). Granted, I won't know where to put the others, but I'll figure it out. 

Epcot 30th Anniversary Merch: 

Also last Christmas I found myself on eBay with a bit of Christmas Money from my Grandma. Didn't take long for me to find something I really liked: in this case my Epcot 30th Anniversary Park Map and Button. It was one of those things that I just couldn't wait to get in the mail too. Plus there's that Spaceship Earth phone case that was the one thing I just had to have. Limited Edition 500! YES!

My Red Leather Jacket: 

With some of the money I got from Grandma this year, I got that Red Leather Jacket I just can't stop talking about. I love it so darn much that there aren't even words. It's really up there in my range of favorite pieces of clothing, and I wear it all the time. Thank you Emma Swan! 

My Jennifer Morrison Autograph: 

Speaking of Emma Swan, I also really love the Jennifer Morrison signed picture of Emma Swan that one of my best friends gave me for Christmas this year. It's just super awesome. I mean Jennifer Morrison....'nuff said.

My Everyone Deserves Tea Mug: 

My best friend got me this for Christmas this year, and I am just totally in love with it (although I haven't actually used it yet). It's a mug referring to the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Youtube, which is an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. It's just wonderful and adorable, even if I don't drink regular tea very often (now Chai tea on the other hand...that I drink all the time). 

And that's all I really can come up with off the top of my head for favorite Christmas Presents, although I love pretty much everything I get. I mean, how else would I have as many scarves as I do? Or have Netflix to watch movies and TV while I catch up on these blog posts? 

And here's what I got this year, since I said I'd put a list of that down at the bottom: Seasons 1-4 of the Big Bang Theory, Season 1 of How I Met Your Mother, Gift Cards to iTunes, Subway, Disney & Amazon, a new scarf, my new mug & my Jennifer Morrison Signature, an adorable little sock monkey and a subscription to Netflix. 

So...what did you get for Christmas? 

Here's today's Disney History: 1937: Walt Disney appears on the cover of TIME. The publication profiles Disney the week Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released, calling the film "the most ambitious animated cartoon ever attempted." 

Have a magical day!

Day 360: What Now...Again?

Well, with Christmas Over, and because it's almost the end of the year, really what even is there to talk about? I mean, right now, being home from college, my life is pretty boring. It's made up mostly of watching TV and movies on Netflix, and aside from that I have a few jobs here and there that need to get done.

I'll talk in the next post about what I got for Christmas, although honestly not a lot of it is actually anything specifically Disney. Most of it is other stuff, but if I go into it now then what's the point of having a separate post?

When it comes to Disney Vacations, I won't have another one for months, although my parents will be leaving on one this January, which means it's only about two weeks until they're at Disney World.

Once Upon a Time is off air until March 9, 2014, meaning that Sundays are still no longer a thing. In their place we have a day called Nonday, which stands for Non-Once Day. The next scheduled Sunday is, indeed March 9...much too long away from my liking.

It's not like there are any new Disney movies...since I've already seen the ones that are out. Saving Mr. Banks and Frozen are both wonderful movies...and I'll gladly go see them again...but I can't blog about them again.

I suppose I can write about the books I'll read over this break, or about references to Disney I find while watching Netflix, and of course the normal, everyday things that I do (plus there's plenty of posts planned for the new year!), but right now things just seem really...boring.

Maybe I'll just read my Disney guides...even though I already know it all. Ok, maybe not all of it...but in the same case, maybe I WILL learn something new. That's always a fun time!

Here's today's Disney History: 1939: Disney staff begins to move from the old studio at Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake to the new one in Burbank. The success of the 1937 Snow White has allowed Disney to build the new modern campus on some 51 acres of land. It is designed around the animation process, with the large animation building in the center of the campus, and adjacent buildings for the story department, the music department, the ink-and-paint departments and the other various functions of the studio.

Have a magical day!

Day 359: Merry Christmas!

So maybe it's not really Christmas when I'm writing this, but in fact half a week after Christmas. That's alright though, I suppose. It's never really too late to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Plus, it's not yet the new year, so really we're still in the spirit of the season. Christmas Commercials are still on TV, Christmas movies still on Netflix, Christmas Trees and lights still up in and on houses, Christmas Songs still being played here and there. Yeah, it still counts.

But let's take a minute to reflect on what was most certainly my favorite part of Christmas this year: The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. It was a couple days before Christmas when I found out that Neil Patrick Harris was Co-Hosting this year, although I knew earlier this month that he was filming for it. But when I did find that out, I knew that it was sure to be a great parade. I mean, it started out with this music number, after all:

Yeah, I still have that song stuck in my head. And I seriously loved how the entire time it was like Neil vs. Darth Vader: who really does need to turn his Dark Side into a Disney Side. ;)

Plus, who wasn't freaking out when Demi Lovato Sang "Let it Go?" I know I was. Once I got over Neil at the beginning that was. I mean, the whole talking to Walt thing. That was amazing. 

Neil....PLEASE COME BACK NEXT YEAR. Like seriously. I'll just be here singing along with this song...since I have it playing as I write this. And I know all the words. Pretty sure it's my new favorite Christmas song. 

And boy I can't wait for the day that I work at Disney and can see this live. I'm excited already. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1983: Walt Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade is broadcast live from the Magic Kingdom for the very first time. The 90-minute telecast is hosted by Joan Lunden and popular talk show host Mike Douglas. 

Have a magical day and I hope you had a very merry Christmas! 

Day 358: Smolder, By Flynn

I was looking through my posts from December trying to figure out what to do with this one post that still needed to be filled when I realized that I haven't done a Pinterest post in a while. Granted, it's been kind of busy with new movies and Christmas, and there's just been so much to talk about, so having a day open like this is actually kind of nice.

But back a couple of years ago, before I was into this whole blogging thing, and long before Frozen was in theaters, there was another movie around, one that's still up near the very top on my favorites list: Tangled. And before I even went to see Tangled I had stuff to watch, which was great, especially after I saw it and was going completely crazy waiting for it to come out on DVD so I could see it again (I saw it twice in theaters).

Yes, Tangled is one of my favorites, and lucky for me Disney put out a bunch of hilarious videos on Youtube perfect for a laugh, and for when you need a little Flynn Rider in your day. So since we've got this open day before the end of the year, I felt that now would be a great time to finally share a couple of these videos, especially since I got rid of my Youtube post for this month (turns out there aren't as many Christmas videos as I thought!)

"Smolder" By Flynn

Of all the videos for Tangled, this is by far my favorite. It's just absolutely hilarious...and for the record, I would totally buy Smolder By Flynn. I remember the first time I saw this video I was just laughing so hard and then I promptly showed it to everyone else in the near vicinity. And then they all laughed too. 

Tangled: Grounded For Life

While not quite as funny as "Smolder," this one is pretty hilarious too. I love the whole old infomercial style that pairs with Rapunzel's story. Plus, it kind of makes us all feel better about the times that we've been grounded. At least we're not grounded for life. 

Tangled: Frying Pan

"Do you like to cook? Do you like self defense? Do you need a new device that can achieve both?" Yeah...Frying Pans...they're awesome. You have 12 inches of awesome right there! "Frying Pans, who knew, right?" 

Tangled: Police Pursuit 

And finally, we have this little beauty. This is probably my second favorite of these videos, halfway because of the little subtitles that go along with the video, and then the whole "No License" thing. "Why are you reading this? Look, he's climbing the tower!" Haha, gets me every time. 

So, in other words, when Tangled came out we had a lot of great videos. I wish they still did stuff like this for the newer films, because it was seriously entertaining. Sometime I'll share the ones that go along with Toy Story 3, although I may have already thrown those on a Youtube Post. Either way, I hope this gave you a few laughs...I know I needed them because now I'm off to finish up the last couple of days of the year! 

Here's today's Disney History: 1970: Disney's 20th animated feature The Aristocats is generally released. The story revolves around a family of aristocratic cats and an alley cat who helps prevent a butler from kidnapping them to gain his mistress' fortune. This film is noted for being the last to be approved by Walt Disney himself - he died in 1966 while the film was still in early production. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31 due to time restrictions).

Day 357: My Disney Collection V7

It's kind of strange to write two of these Disney Collection posts on the same day, but that's what I'm currently doing. Because I got really really behind this month (between Finals and coming home and my being busy here at home it just got really interesting), it meant that I had two of these to finish up, but I guess it all works out at the same time because then I just took pictures for both at the same time and it all worked out.

But unlike the previous 6 volumes of this series, this one is holiday specific, hence the reason why this post is here at all! It seems that at Christmas time there is more Disney around my house than ever, probably because a bunch of our ornaments are Disney and then Mickey dressed as Santa Clause makes an appearance all over the house as well!

Speaking of Mickey Dressed as Santa Clause, here's one for you to start things off! On the top of our Christmas Tree in our living room, Mickey stands proudly. No angel or star here, just Mickey Mouse. He's been at the top as long as I can possibly remember, like since I was a little kid. And normally at the bottom of the tree is our monorail, but because everything was so busy this year, it never actually made it up (quite sad if you ask me). We've got a little Spaceship Earth, Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Poly for under the tree too, meaning that it's a pretty adorable little "train." 

And our tree, as I said, has a lot of Disney Ornaments. I could have put all four of these on here, but honestly I don't remember where the other two are and wasn't in the mood to try and find them when I was taking pictures. But these two are part of a set of four, meaning that there's one for each of the four Disney World Parks. I mean, I had to include the Spaceship Earth though. I just had to. 

This one isn't specifically Disney, but I named it Emma. Get it? Emma the Swan. Yep, you get it. 

And here's another one, although there are tons and tons of various Disney Ornaments all over the tree (but I have to save some for next year, don't I?). I think I have another one of these just like this for sure, but there are tons of little ornaments!

Of course, no Disney Christmas house would be right without a set of Mickey Mouse Christmas Lights...and yes, we have those too. These are on the garland in our living room though, not our actual Christmas tree. And I tell you, getting a picture of these was pretty interesting. 

A few years ago I saw these and just had to have them. I love these Mickey and Minnie Snowmen, because I mean, they're just seriously adorable, aren't they? They sit on our mantel above our fireplace and are just totally adorable all the time. Meaning that they just had to be on this blog post. 

And then we have this little collection of Christmas houses and such. They light up, and part of it we got as gifts, but they're all adorable. And Dad felt pretty proud when he put the picture of our Quarry behind the ice skaters so it looked like they were actually skating outside. I just love them cause these houses are cute. 

And finally, in our kitchen, we have this little Mickey Mouse...again in a Santa costume to round this volume of my Disney Collection out. I didn't plug it in and turn it on, but when it is all running, the lamp post lights up and Mickey's arms move. 

There's plenty of Disney all around my house, of course, especially at Christmas, but I figure that I'll end up showing you more next Christmas, so I'd have to save some for then, right? Plus, not everything was all out, so that means that there's some Disney Christmas still packed away in storage. Next time we'll look at something, although like I said last time, I honestly have no clue what that something is. We'll call it a surprise. =)

Here's today's Disney History: 1998: La Nouba, the Cirque du Soleil show, opens at Downtown Disney, Florida. With an international and diverse cast of 65 talented performers, the show features funambulists, dancers, tumblers, trapeze performers, a juggler, clowns, actors, acro-gymnasts, cyclists, musicians, vocalists, skippers and circus artists. La Nouba, which comes from the French phrases "faire la nouba," and means to live it up, has been created exclusively for Walt Disney World. 

Have a magical day!

Day 356: The Magic of Christmas

Everyone has their Christmas traditions, and I'm no exception. Some people watch Elf every year, and some might go to a performance of The Nutcracker. For others it might be an entire day of putting up Christmas Decorations, and for those lucky people, it might be going to Walt Disney World or Disneyland for the holidays.

But for me, while I do watch Holiday movies like Elf, one of my favorites, or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, there is one that is absolutely ALWAYS watched, and that's my old VHS from Walt Disney World called "The Magic of Christmas at Walt Disney World." It's from like the 90's or something, but I watched it all the time as a little kid because Disney is just awesome at Christmas, and I didn't exactly have a ton of WDW footage at my finger tips back then.

The film is really made well, I mean, for one of these old promotional video types of things. It starts with a trip to North Pole, where Santa is answering a letter to a young girl, telling her all about the magic of Christmas at WDW. We see Mickey and the entire gang in the Christmas warehouse, grabbing everything they need. So the characters, including a particular pirate with a waxed mustache and perm, decorate the entire resort. From the Magic Kingdom to Port Orleans, and then onto Epcot, they decorate everything.

I think one of my favorite things about this particular video is the amount of old characters we have in it. I mean, it's not everyday that you see Robin Hood and Brer Bear and the Crocodile from Peter Pan (much to Hook's annoyance). Plus the music is seriously awesome in this thing. I just like sit here and dance around while they sing "Christmastime." It makes me so happy.

And then they show Christmas Trees and all the old shows that used to be there. I've seen plenty of Disney Christmases in my time, and I do remember the shows, like the one in the theater that used to be in Tomorrowland that's now a parking lot. There used to be shows everywhere, and now we have Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which is something I've been to a whole bunch of times. I can't even remember how many times. So Christmas is great at Disney, in general.

Did you know that Disney World used to have a live nativity scene too? That's what's on the video right now and I really felt it was worth mentioning. I don't think I've ever really seen a live one before, unless you count the whole Sunday School Christmas Play, which I've been in for years and years (and am still in, which is fine by me except for when I'm supposed to be a twin excited about presents that my 'twin' isn't quite so excited about).

There's so much music in this and I sing along to all of it. And speaking of Christmas Music, I find it really interesting that the Candlelight used to be held at Magic Kingdom and only for like two days. Now it's for an entire month and features celebrity readers like Neil Patrick Harris...who I WILL SEE SOMEDAY. I missed him last year by...well, actually, we were both at Disney at the same time. He was just in Magic Kingdom while I was at Epcot. So close.

And of course they show the Parade that we all get to see on TV...even if it was filmed in early December and not actually on Christmas. That's fine by me, as it made a holiday tradition for my family for many years. Lately we haven't watched it, but that's going to change for me this year. I WILL be watching the Disney Christmas Day Parade on TV on Christmas Morning. And it will be awesome.

Only a few days left until Christmas!

Here's today's Disney History: 2009: At Disneyland approximately 500 tuba players take the stage in Downtown Disney to perform Christmas Carols for holiday shoppers.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was published on December 29, due to time restraints). 

Day 355: A Few of My Favorite Things: Christmas Edition

The last time I did a Favorite Things Post, I got really hungry while talking about some of my favorite Disney Foods. This time things are going to get a bit more Jolly, since I'm talking about some of my favorite Christmas traditions and events at Walt Disney World.

I've been to Disney World during the Holiday season several times now. I remember going as a kid and going to the Christmas Party for the first time (ok, I honestly don't remember the first time, but I remember going to it when I was still a kid). I remember when the Osborne Lights were still on Residential Street, with all the houses completely lit up like it was when the tradition first started. And I remember, of course, the many many Christmas Trees that decorate the resort. And the giant Gingerbread house, of course. There's that too. But we'll get to that.

Favorite Christmas Tree:

While I absolutely adore all the Christmas Trees at Walt Disney World, I'm pretty sure my absolute favorite takes it's place at Disney's Animal Kingdom Main Gate. I love all the different ornaments on it, and how they're this perfect mixture of Mickey Mouses and the animals that you can find in the park. Honorable mentions for Favorite Christmas Tree include the Tree at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa as well as the Tree on the opposite side of the Lagoon outside Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Favorite Wreath:

There are a lot of wreaths all around Walt Disney World. Big ones, small ones, hanging ones, ones attached to walls...and this giant one. While there are many many wreaths that line the halls o the Disney Resorts and Parks, this giant Mickey that hangs on the Contemporary is most certainly my favorite. I love walking through inside the resort and standing and just looking up at the giant thing. I have it in plenty of pictures from over the years too.

Favorite Christmas Decorations:

Seriously, this one is really hard. All of the decorations at the resorts are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Each fits in perfectly with the different themes of each resort, and that's why it's so difficult to pick a favorite. I mean, I love the Gingerbread House at the Grand, but I also love the different chocolate decorations over at the Yacht & the Beach Clubs. They have beautiful work put into them. So I guess those three tie for this one. Gosh a shingle from the Gingerbread House sounds good right now.

Favorite Holiday Addition:

I wasn't really sure what to title thing, but my favorite of the "Holiday Specific Things" would have to be the Illuminations "Peace on Earth" tag. I remember a number of years ago when I went in December instead of November, and every night you knew exactly what time it was because at 9:15 or so there would just be thing giant bang letting you know that all the extra fireworks went off. And you could hear it from just about everywhere on property. I mean, I love Holiday Wishes as well, but this just makes me happy.

Favorite Holiday Special Event:

For this one you've got just about three options, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, The Candlelight Processional and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Now, if you had asked me a couple years ago what my favorite was, it would most certainly be different from the answer I am about to give you. I'm going to have to pick the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. When I was a kid it was the whole street, with all the houses, and I really miss having all of that, but I do really love Carol of the Bells, and when I went last year to the lights it was just kind of cool to see people in the street dancing and stuff. It was cute, and that's one of the reasons that I think it's gone up on my list.

Honestly that's about all I can think about for categories of favorite holiday things. I guess you could add in Holiday Parade, but there's only two of them, and one of them you have to go to the special party to see. Overall, I just love Christmas at Walt Disney World, and I really can't wait for the day I get to go out to California to see Disneyland at Christmsatime too, because I'm pretty sure it's just as amazing out there!

Here's today's Disney History: 1936: A baby girl named Sharon Mae is born. Less than two weeks later she will be adopted by Walt Disney and his wife Lillian.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30 due to time restrictions).

Day 354: Mr. Banks

So I finally saw Saving Mr. Banks (since I'm not actually writing this on December 20...but December 29...meaning that I had to wait a week to actually go see it), and I LOVED IT.

Honestly there's not much I can say about this movie other than praise it and praise it again. And maybe one or two more times. The movie was everything I expected and more, and is certainly a must see for everyone, especially if you love Disney. The pairing of the flashbacks and the creation of the film Mary Poppins was perfect, working together through story and song to connect the two storylines.

And I only cried 7 times.

Yes, 7 times. I knew walking into the theater that I was going to cry, since a bunch of my friends told me that they cried, and honestly I'm probably way more obsessed with Disney than they are, so I figured it was going to be interesting. I honestly can't remember the first time I cried either, but once we got to that point I was just about done for anyway. I mean, I even cried during the credits.

But by far my favorite portion of the film was the scene where Walt walked in late to find the Sherman Brothers still there, Bob asleep and Dick playing on the piano. He happened to be playing the song Feed the Birds, which was quite influential in the creation of Mary Poppins, and important to Walt himself. So seeing that scene, where Walt walked in and sat down and they sang Feed the Birds, it reminded me of the story I read in How to Be Like Walt, about how that was one of his favorite songs, and how once a week Walt would walk into Richard's office and tell him to play Feed the Birds, a tradition that goes on long after his death.

I guess, overall, I really felt that Walt would be proud of the film, because there were so many little things that really were nods to him (such as the map of Florida in his office near the end), and it really was like he was there. I think that's half the reason I cried so much (other than for the parts that made everyone cry).

And of course, watching Saving Mr. Banks gives you a new appreciation for the classic Mary Poppins, which means that it makes total sense that these two films were Jennifer Morrison movies of the week! And I did watch both, and both made me a very happy Lizzard. =)

Seriously though: go see Saving Mr. Banks. Now.

Here's today's Disney History: 1908: Actor/singer Dennis Morgan, who in 1958 hosted Disneyland's very first evening Candlelight Processional Parade, is born in Prentice, Wisconsin. In 1961, he was the very first celebrity to narrate Disneyland's new Candlelight Processional event in Town Square. He continued Disneyland's holiday tradition through 1964, and then again in 1966.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 29 due to time restrictions).

Day 353: Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

I love movies, obviously, and there are always Disney movies to watch at Christmas Time. So I watched some the other day, and of course one of them was Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas.

Now, I watched Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas all the time as a kid, and to be honest I did love it. Still do...only I can't really find my copy of it. It has to be somewhere around this house, I just can't figure out where it is. Sounds like I'll need to take to Netflix to watch that one. But this isn't about Once Upon a Christmas, this is about TWICE Upon a Christmas.

The film is made up of several short cartoons based around the different popular Disney characters in Toontown. So that means Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Goofy and Daisy, along with the various other family members that make the troop complete. And each one teaches a lesson about the holidays. So, for instance, Donald learns about what it means to be in the spirit of the season, and Mickey learns that it isn't about how many Christmas lights you have, but it's about the people you spend your holiday with.

I think my favorite of the little shorts is probably the one with Mickey and Pluto, but Minnie and Daisy comes in as a close second. I've always been a fan of Goofy and his son Max, but that one just doesn't do it for me. I liked the one on Once Upon a Christmas better. I guess overall I liked the original one better to be honest. I mean, I've always loved the story between Mickey and Minnie in that one too. It was just adorable.

So that pretty much sums this up I suppose. I watched this a week ago now, and a lot has gone on, so my memory on it is a little fuzzy (plus I've only got a ton of blog posts to write...goodness gracious me). And I'm waiting to start my next Christmas movie, although technically it's not really a movie I suppose. But you'll find out all about that in a later post!

Here's today's Disney History: 1843: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is first published in London by Chapman & Hall. Illustrated by John Leech, the story tells of sour and stingy Ebeneezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical and emotional transformation resulting from supernatural visits from Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 29 due to time restrictions). 

Day 352: The Echo Cave

I have a story to tell you.

Remember back in Episode 3x06 of Once Upon a Time? It was called Ariel and off in Neverland the entire purpose of the episode was for Emma & Company to rescue Neal. Ultimately it ended in CaptainSwan hearts being brokenish and lots of Hook sad puppy dog faces. Here's a reminder:

Anyways, in order to rescue Neal everyone had to tell a secret. So if you remember, Hook was all "I love Emma" and Snow was like "BABY!" and Charming was all "I ALMOST DIED" and then Emma was like "Neal...die." Ok, so maybe that's not totally what happened, but that's what my CaptainSwan shipping brain says. 

The point here? Confessions. So let's pretend that I'm in the echo cave for a minute...and in order to rescue Hook, per say, I need to tell my deepest darkest secret. Yes, I have one. But don't worry, it's not that bad...I don't think. I mean it's not scarring or anything. 

My secret is (why do I hear that in an Irish accent?) that I have only been to Walt Disney World 23 times. 

Yes, I know. For months I've been saying that I've been there 24 times and that when I go with band it will be my 25th trip and so on and so forth. But I wasn't totally lying. When I go in June of 2014 with my High School Band it WILL be my 25th trip. Why? Because I'm actually going in March too! 

Yes, I will be going to Disney World a second time (or first really I guess) in 2014, and I couldn't be more excited. You'll get more vlogs, and I can not wait to take plenty of pictures to post on my instagram, as well as capture all the video I'll need for my band trip video in June. 

And I can't wait...as usual. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1933: During a ceremony at the studio in which he is receiving an award from The Parents Magazine, Walt Disney gets word that his pregnant wife Lilly is about the deliver. He dashes off to the hospital and arrives just in time to see Diane Marie Disney born! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30 due to time restrictions).

Day 351: For the Record

Sometimes my dad goes into our basement...and sometimes when he does this he finds some sort of random Disney stuff that we didn't really realize was there all this time. This exact scenario happened yesterday...and now I'm sitting in my living room listening to "The Computer Song"...on record.

Yes, I said record. You see, dad has a fair record collection, and we have a record player that kind of sort of works. So last night, as I was watching How I Met Your Mother, my brother pops into my bedroom to tell me that they found something in the basement. A record...from 1983...for Epcot Center. Yeah, I was excited.

I take pride in having basically every Disney Parks soundtrack (or most of them). I previously thought the oldest one we owned was from 1988, which was the Disneyland and Walt Disney World joint CD that has much of the best old Epcot music...most of which can also be found on this record. But I was, obviously, wrong. I mean...now I'm listening to the Entrance music of Epcot. Which in case you were wondering, sounds like this:

But along with the Epcot Record, Dad has a selection of other records that should at least get a mention here on my blog, because this yet another instance of how Disney appears in my everyday life, even if in the most random of places.

I'd also like to share how amazing I find it that Golden Dream, the theme song of The American Adventure, has been basically the same since it's opening (and since this 1983 record). Pretty much everything else on the record has changed (ok, Canada You're a Lifetime Journey is the same almost), but not Golden Dream, other than for the little changes and rerecording done a few years ago. It's still the same song I listened to as a kid otherwise!

Here's today's Disney History: 1999: Disney's animated feature film Fantasia 2000 debuts at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Have a magical day!

Day 350: Going Home

It is, again, Monday. And normally on Mondays I'm sitting in the music lobby at SNC rewatching the latest episode of Once Upon a Time. But I'm not sitting there right now, nor am I watching Once Upon a Time...nor is it actually Monday. Truthfully, it's actually Wednesday December 18th, not Monday the 16th...but I'm making up all these blog posts I missed, so that's why this is occurring.

But why, you ask, did I not do my weekly rewatch of OUAT? That is, generally, if you remember, the highlight of my Monday. Well, it finally occurred to Megan and I today that I have something very similar to Disney Depression. You remember, that thing that I get every time I come home from WDW...what we ALL get when we come home from WDW. Yeah, apparently it applies to more than just Disney World. Which scares me in itself. Nothing has ever meant enough to me that it rivals WDW like that...but I guess with the circumstances that I previously discussed a few days ago, it makes sense, right?

I mean, I have all the signs. I've been almost dreading writing this blog post because it means I'd have to rewatch the episode, but yet sometimes I just get to this point where I just suddenly HAVE to rewatch the Goodbye between Hook and Emma (I never said there wouldn't be spoilers here...so you've been warned now). And then like right now as I write this a part of me is like "No Lizzie, you DO want to rewatch the episode." But I'll go to Hulu and look at it and am then just like "no, I can't" and close it again.

I want to simultaneously hear EVERYTHING about Once and the future of what's coming in March and NOTHING about Once. All at the same time. I want to see on set pictures, but then I'm like "No, stop with the feels." I spent a good hour yesterday making a real comparison between SwanFire and CaptainSwan (Sorry SF shippers, but I'm pretty sure CS is happening. Like legit). I can come up with theories about just about everything too. Like this: here's a link to my tumblr post and my theory on this purple cloud. 

Anyway, I am still having some intense feels from Sunday's episode. I mean, the following things just about killed me: 

And if those feels weren't enough, this happened before that last part. 

Now OBVIOUSLY she picks Hook, right? I mean...she just said good. And it was obvious that she wasn't even going to say goodbye to him because it HURT TOO MUCH. That's how Emma works. When there's danger of her getting hurt, she tends to shield herself, and saying goodbye to Hook was going to hurt her like crazy. I mean, she basically started crying when he said goodbye. And we can't at all forget the whole Snowing Parallel. Anyone remember back in Season one when Charming sent Snow the letter that was like "But I must let you know, not a day goes by that I have no thought of you." #BOOM. 

Anyways, my feels are just all over the place...and I need it to be March like right now, and don't even get me started on the fact that the Wicked Witch is coming and that Emma doesn't remember Hook (and don't worry that true love's kiss didn't work...there was a time it didn't work for Snow and Charming too...and Rumple and Belle as well). Oh yeah, Rumple. Gosh. Three people died in this episode and then Emma basically picked Hook and then she lost her memories and ahhh.

And now I'll just sit here for the next 81 days wishing that it was March 9. Sigh. 

And the Disneybound for this week, the last one for this half of the season, was a special one, because it technically wasn't a character like any of the others. I mean, if we refresh our memories on the first half of the season (as you can do right now below), I did Emma (Heart of the Truest Believer), Mary Margaret (Lost Girl), Charming (Quite a Common Fairy), Neal (Nasty Habits), Hook (Good Form), Belle (Ariel), Ruby (Dark Hallow), Tink (Think Lovely Thoughts), Henry (Save Henry) and finally, Regina (The New Neverland). They were all characters, so this week I decided that Magic would be a great option. I did this with a purple tank top, navy cardigan, jeans, my black boots (which show up in pretty much half of these), an infinity scarf that's black, blue and purple (kind of looks like a galaxy design) and then navy nail polish.

And don't worry. While I feel like this challenge may have only applied to the first half of the season, it's going to continue when we get to the second half. And I am VERY VERY excited about several of them come March. I'm already in the planning stages for the second half (and already have one Disneybound entirely finished). I can't wait to share them with you!

Then again, I'm pretty sure March 9 can't come soon enough for any of us. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1997: Ninety-eight year old Lillian Bounds Disney dies peacefully in her sleep at her home in West Los Angeles, after suffering a stroke the day before. Her husband Walt had died thirty-one years ago and a day in the early morning of December 15, 1966. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post, obviously, was written on December 18 due to finals.)