Day 669: The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyways

Despite the fact that I spent the last two days in an extreme attempt to catch my blog up completely, I almost forgot to write today's post. This is also odd considering the topic for today was decided weeks ago (it is Halloween, after all), and all I had to do was take the actual pictures. But no fear, Lizzie's here! Or should I say Elsa...

After Disneybounding as Elsa back for the OUAT premiere a month ago, it was decided that Elsa would be my Halloween Costume for the year. Last year, if you remember, I reused my recent Hook Disneybound for Halloween, so this isn't really all that odd of a development, only this time a few more people ended up seeing the costume itself. And by a few, I mean a lot.

When I came back this past week, my roommates informed me that I should participate in a Halloween Costume Contest here on campus, and last night I did just that. Honestly, I can't believe my roommates convinced me to do it, but hey, I actually won second place in the contest and am getting $40 for it! That basically pays off the entire costume itself! So worth it!

And then tonight my roommates (and Katie!) and I went out to dinner at Applebees. It was an...interesting experience, but that doesn't really matter, now does it? We had a great time in our costumes though, and for real...it's not every day you get to be a Disney Princess (or Queen!).

Also, I just have to share these pictures because I do. The first is Ava, Jennifer Morrison's dog, who's dressed up as a Lady Bug. And then we have Buckley, Colin O'Donoghue's adorable pup, as (Na na na na na na na na) Batdog! I've been singing the Batman theme song but with Batdog since I saw the picture at dinner. Adorable.

 

Plus, since it's Halloween, we all need a little bit of Michael Jackson in our lives (we watched Thriller earlier, but I felt the need to watch some good old Captain Eo). So here you go: Captain Eo!

Have a magical Halloween! 

Day 668: Melvin

Meet Melvin, he's our dorm room gerbil.

As you can see, Melvin really likes his costumes. No, he's not a real gerbil. We're not allowed to have anything other than fish in the dorms, but you know what? We wanted a gerbil, because gerbils bring endless joy. So we got one...sort of. I was in charge of finding us a gerbil, and I eventually came across Melvin, who's just super adorable. Then for some reason I suggested the name Melvin and it stuck. So now we have our pet gerbil. 

Somewhere along the line we also decided that he should dress up for Halloween, so Melvin and I got to work. First he was Indiana Jones, as you can see, with his little hat and everything. 

Then Melvin was Hook, because of course that was going to happen. This is actually my favorite, not because he's Hook, but because of the pirate ship. It just turned out really well. 

Then, in what became a super ironic move, Melvin was the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Funny because he's a gerbil, not a mouse, two, because Rumple is doing some weird stuff with that Sorcerer's hat on Once and third because the day after he changed into that costume, they announced the hat was coming down at Hollywood Studios. Odd, right? 

And now, to round things out, Melvin is going to Disney World! Don't worry though, He'll have other costumes coming in the coming weeks, especially as we get closer to Christmas. He even has his own little closet on my shelf where all his hats are stored. It's adorable. 

Have a magical day!

Day 667: Through Association

You know, it really is a small world.

I learned in Sociology last year that everyone is connected through six degrees of separation. The theory is that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, through introduction, from any other person in the world, like a chain that is "A friend of a friend of a friend knows..." I know, for a fact, that I'm about three degrees away from Colin O'Donoghue, and I know someone who's actually a neighbor of Harrison Ford. It's a ridiculous chain, and I like to think that somehow, someway, that's how I'll get to meet some of my favorite people someday.

What's really funny is when people I do know find other people I know and they meet aside from me. Today that happened. My cousin met someone on the bus, whom happened to go to high school with me. Now, I'm not friends with everyone necessarily, but in a smaller high school you kind of get to know everyone, at least a little bit. At the very least you know of them.

So I get this text from my cousin today telling me she met this person on the bus, and then tweeted about how the person mentioned me and Disney. It's not surprising to any of us that that's what she associated me with. I mean, seriously, I am the Disney person. I'm not the only Disney person, but I'm definitely known for it. I'm perfectly alright with that because there are lot of worse things to be known for, and I'm super glad I stayed away from those things. But it's sort of funny at the same time, just to be known as the Disney person and have people meet my family outside of school and still associate that with me. Because let's be real, I probably look like I sit down and do this:

That seems like a fairly accurate statement. Turns out I bring Disney into the lives of people even when I'm no where to be found, and that seems like a pretty good accomplishment to me. 

Have a magical day!

Day 666: Bloggers Everywhere

As you already know, at least if you've been reading my blog for a while, I do have some sort of a line between my personal life and my professional (blogging) life. However, I feel like it's fuzzy line, and in the world of blogging, it's one that we all have to define for ourselves. For instance, we all have favorite actors and actresses, and when we choose our favorites, there's always a particular set of characteristics we have. For me, one of the absolute top things on my list is the ability to keep those lives separate. Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison and Harrison Ford definitely all do a great job of this, and as much as I'm always curious as to what they're up to, I can seriously respect that. I would want to keep my life private if I had thousands of fans too.

Regardless, there are times when those two lives connect together, aside from the fact that I blog about my life every single day and how Disney plays a part in that. But I really don't go around talking about my blog constantly, although my roommates probably hear more about it than they really need to know (mostly my continuous attempts to catch up on the last few blog posts so I'm caught up). In fact, I know for a fact that I talk more about Captain Hook on a daily basis than I do about my blog. My friends all watch OUAT...and catch all my references, but that's a blog post for another day.

I just hit 30,000 views on this blog though. It's quite the milestone, and it's over a year and a half in the making. Honestly, it's almost ridiculous to think about the early days, when I'd be happy with 7 or 8 views in one day, and here I am with a total of 30,000 all time pageviews...a number that was barely at 10,000 a year ago. Blogging is a game of patience, and that's one of the things you can only understand as you slowly go through over a year and a half of blogging about the same thing every single day. But one thing I don't get very often, despite the fact that there's 30,000 pageviews on Everyday Disney, is feedback, and even less often do I actually meet a real, other, live blogger.

I think it's partially because the written and spoken word is becoming less and less popular as we go on in time. Just because I write however many words a day doesn't mean that someone's going to come along and read them. Even I have to admit that I don't have anywhere near as much time to read as I really want to or should. Granted, we're reading all the time, whether it be papers or instructions or television show titles, but we're not reading, and even less of us are sitting and writing something.

So when I do have the chance to meet a fellow blogger, it's a great experience, whether or not they blog about Disney as I do. Yesterday I found out that one of my college friends also writes a blog, although he's just starting out. I remember those days...trust me, I do. I wrote a post on them just last week. One of my best friends also writes a blog, and I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure I helped inspire her to write hers too. That's a great feeling, not only that there are people out there reading my blog, but that there are people out there writing their own blogs, even if I didn't inspire them at all.

What advice do I have to bloggers, especially after 22 months of work? Keep writing. When I tried to write a blog how many times over, the problem wasn't page views or interest or topic or even how I was writing. It was the ambition to write and the resolve to keep doing so. That's an incredibly hard thing to learn, especially when in college or school and your schedule is so full you don't know what to do with your life other than cry about the future debt you so carefully developed. All those other things will come in time, but to be honest, they're never going to come if you don't keep blogging. Like I said, it's a game of patience. And as I learned during Sunday's episode of Once Upon A Time, patience is a virtue, and most certainly worth it.

If you'd like to check out the blogs of my friends, you can do so through these links:

Life of a Music Education Major
My Life in a Nutshell

Have a magical day!

Day 665: Hook

As I mentioned a week or so ago, it's been two years since Colin O'Donoghue first walked onto our screens as Captain Hook. Two years ago tomorrow (on October 28), Hook and Emma met for the first time, and a year ago today they shared their first kiss, meaning that it's been exactly a year since one of my all time favorite episodes of OUAT and the 24 ridiculous hours I spent walking around like Captain Hook.

I just went back and reread my blog post from that day, which was, ironically enough, a milestone in it's own right: Day 300. The post can be found HERE, in case you're wanting to reread but don't want to go searching for the exact post. I think about those 24 hours quite often actually, as it turns out they probably made me better at a lot of things, like living with one hand. I have to say though, since my right wrist has been on somewhat of a rest for almost a month now, I've discovered that not having a left hand is a lot easier than not having a right hand, although I suppose the outcome would have been very different if I wasn't right-hand dominant. Either way, I've become pretty darn good at juggling things around and doing things with one hand. Actually, recently I was carrying my tea, a waterbottle, my ID lanyard and my phone with one hand and arm while I got out my ID card (it's in a zippered case thing at the end of the lanyard), unlocked the door, opened the door, put the card back in and opened the door to my actual dorm room. All with one hand, and my mouth a bit because zippers are hard. Plus I can't even count the number of times my friends and family ask if I have everything because I look like a complete pack mule but still am somehow able to carry all of my stuff while still opening various doors.

The point of all of this rambling? We've had two wonderful years of Captain Hook, and he's come a long way since he first stepped onto our screens. I felt that deserves a little bit of celebration, considering he's my favorite character and I had a post about him on this day last year. Plus, over on Twitter I've just finished participating in 10 Days of Colin O'Donoghue. Therefore, it just seems right to have this today.

To be honest, I was literally completely unsure of what to do to celebrate this occasion, since I couldn't really find a "30 Day Captain Hook Challenge." I searched on Tumblr for ages. And then, randomly enough, I decided to scroll down just once more (seriously...this was going to be the last time) and BOOM!

Now, 30 Days is a long time, and I learned my lesson last week with doing giant posts like that, so we're going to cut it down to 15 questions I've selected instead. If there's one on the list you really want me to answer for some odd reason, let me know, but for now we'll stick with the following 15! I picked them based on the type of question they were, especially in relation to the character and the questions I answered in last week's OUAT Birthday Celebration Post! 

1. Favorite Quote

"Rum, Sailor? Does anyone know what happens to sailors who drink rum? They get drunk, and drunkenness leads to bad form, and if there's one thing that won't be tolerated aboard this ship, it's bad form!" 

"I would go to the end of the world for her. Or time."

"As you wish."

Picking just one quote felt wrong, so I picked three of my favorites, all of which happen to be from Season 3. The first one is just something I tend to quote all the time, all over the place. The difference between Bad and Good form has become quite the common occurrence in my life, as is evident by the fact that I have a frame on my desk with a picture from that exact moment encouraging me to study. The other two are very much CaptainSwan moments, but as I was thinking through all the moments, those two just really stood out to me. 

2. Favorite Adversaries

I feel like there's a certain amount of respect we all must have for the extremely complicated relationship between Hook and Rumpelstiltskin. In fact, the dynamic that comes across between Colin and Robert on screen is one of my absolute favorite dynamics of the show. Both actors do a great job with their parts, bringing the depth to their characters that's needed for such villains, especially when they face off against one another. Plus, you have to admit that many of the problems for both of them are caused by the other: Milah ran away with Hook, Rumpelstiltskin took Milah from Hook, Hook tried to take Belle and kill Rumple, then they ended up helping one another and now we're back to the whole "I'm going to blackmail you to death" sort of thing. 

It's all very complicated. 

3. Favorite Fight Scene

I absolutely adore the fight scene in 3x17: The Jolly Roger. The fact that Blackbeard looks like the cartoon Captain Hook and classic pirate fight scene things (such as the one featured in that picture right there), that awesome thing Colin did with the sword flipping up (and then wasn't able to replicate but it looked so good the first time that it all ended up ok). I love all of it. 

4. OTP

This one probably goes without answering, because again...it's CaptainSwan. Duh.Why, precisely, do I love this ship more than all the others? Honestly, I'm not really sure, aside from the fact that Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis took my OTP (Han and Leia) and made them my OTP (Hook and Emma). I think it definitely has something to do with how they're written though, and the fact that we are lucky enough to see their relationship progress on screen. As much as I love other ships, Snowing and Rumbelle for instance, we didn't really see their relationship one step at a time. With Hook and Emma, we see the first time they meet, the first time they work together, the first time one betrays the other, and the consequences of that decision. We see the trust develop, their first date, their first kiss, the first time Emma lets him in, the terror Hook experiences whenever he looses Emma. Those are all very powerful moments, and that's what makes it so beautiful.  

5. Favorite Character Qualities

Let's see, what comes to mind? Persistence for one, especially when it comes to those he loves. He's very loyal to them, whether that person be Liam, Milah or now Emma. I love that the theme for Season 4 is "Never give up on those you love," and we've already had this extreme case of Hook not wanting to give up on Emma. After all, his famous motto is "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets." Therefore, it all fits together. Other than that I'd say patience. I mean, after all, he spent like 300 years in Neverland, and despite what people might say in the hating world, he's very patient in his relationship with Emma. She makes the first move every single time, and when he knows something is a big step for her, he makes sure she's alright every step of the way. 

6. Red Vest, Black Outfit or something else? 

Good question, easy answer. I'm a huge fan of Hook's modern Storybrooke outfit, although I definitely appreciate everything he wears. When it comes to the classic Hook, I love when he wears things without the big leather jacket, kind of like he did through much of early Season 2, and nothing ever will match up to his ball outfit in the finale. I adored that one too. 

7. Favorite Hook x Floor Moment

Not gonna lie, I threw this one in the lineup simply because I found it awesome that this is even on the list. I mean, how many characters can say that they have an intense relationship with the floor without being dead. Poor Hook, but at least the floor seems to love him back. 

As for my favorite HookedFloor moment, I can't really pick a favorite. I celebrate every time this true love couple is reunited. 

8. Most Heroic Act

Coming back for Emma, for sure. Yeah, I know, he did it for her because he loves her and what not, but that's what makes it so important. As we recently found out, Emma's #1 fear is losing Hook because everyone else she loves ends up dead, and she's got this extreme past associated with abandonment, so to have someone who isn't going to give up on her is important for her as a character, regardless of anything else going on. 

But what I love the most about this particular act is that he gave up his ship for her. I guessed that from the very beginning, and after every single episode in S3B I had one question, and I asked it literally every single time, out loud to my friends: "Where is the Jolly Roger?" It was obviously not in Storybrooke and I really wanted to know where the beloved ship went. Then at the very end of the season we have that moment where we find out that he gave it up. Why is that heroic? Not because he gave it up, but because he didn't tell her about it. Emma has no clue how he got to her, and she doesn't really question it too much until that last moment at the end of the season. He knew that if he told her, it would weigh her down. She'd feel like she owes him or something. The relationship, or whatever it was, was still too new, and he did it because he loves her. It deserved no explanation. And again, he was allowing her to make the first move. Goes right back to that patience thing. 

9. More things you want to know about Hook? 

His parents, for sure. We find out at the end of Season 2 that his father was a fugitive that abandoned him out of the blue, and we know later on that he has a brother, Liam, whom he'd follow to the ends of the earth. But what about these parents? What happened to his mother? Who exactly was his father? How did Liam find him? So many questions! And something tells me that by the end of Season 4, we'll have a few more answers, whether we like them or not. 

10. Two hands or one hand? 

Talk about a throwback with that picture, huh? Anyway, I think definitely one hand with the Hook. I'm on the team that feels he doesn't need to have both hands to be a whole person. He does just fine with the hook...it's a part of him. Although making the deal with Rumple in regards to make things special for Emma was pretty sweet. I very much enjoyed him having both hands, if only for a few minutes. However, long term? I don't think I could handle that. I appreciate the return of the hook. 

11. Saddest Moment

Sadly for my favorite character, sad moments seem to be all over the place. I get it, this is a drama and we have to keep that drama going for every single character, or else things start to get boring. But by far the saddest moment is this one for me, when he's watching Emma happy with her family, and now he's here with this awful secret, and we all know that Killian doesn't really like to lie to Emma all the time. Ending the episode that way was just heartbreaking, although it may just be Colin's face. He's so good at that face. 

12. Favorite Eyebrow Moment

This one is also on the list simply because I adore that it's on the list. I mean, an eyebrow question? Gosh the OUAT Fandom has some awesome stuff. Now, there's an uncountable number of eyebrow moments with this guy on the show (actually that would be a really interesting experiment if...haha if...I rewatch again someday). But my favorite is probably this one, the moment when in the span of literally one shot he managed to raise both eyebrows at different times. We aren't treated to that ability very often. Then again, I really loved the one a couple of episodes later with Henry outside Granny's. It's funny though...the eyebrow thing is a daily occurrence in my life now, since my brother has started doing the eyebrow thing and I just realized the other day that eyebrows no longer mean the same thing they used to for me. They used to mean one was questioning something...now it just means anything but that. 

13. When did you begin to like Hook? 

This is sort of a hard question because I have very little memory of those first two seasons. I wasn't crazy about it back then like I am now, so I just don't know. If you go back and reread the very first blog post I mention OUAT in, I do mention Hook as one of my favorite characters, even back then, but I honestly don't remember really loving him as a character until I rewatched Season 2 with Megan and her roommate, Katie. That's when I realized that Colin was a real person and that Hook was a character that was obviously destined to become my favorite. Then again, I think a lot of us all really began to love Hook right then and there in Tallahassee, if not before that. 

14. Killian Jones or Captain Hook?

 Both.

I mean, there are things I love about Hook and there are things I love about Killian, but deep down they are the same person. Change any one moment of his life and he wouldn't be where he is today, so I can't say that I wish he had never been Hook or that he was all Hook. We learned that in 4x04 there's always going to be a part of that pirate in him, but he's my favorite character because of that development and because of who he is as a character as a whole...and because, well, Colin, but still. The point is that he'll always be a little bit of a pirate, and I'm alright with that because as he reminds us all the time, he's also a gentleman. It's a good balance and it's entertaining to see one part or the other ring true from moment to moment. It makes him more interesting. 

15. Favorite BTS or OOC Moment

This was actually the last day of 10 Days of Colin O'Donoghue as well, so it all works out well. I think this is by far my favorite BTS moment, when this adorable kid was dressed as a pirate and Colin stopped to take this picture and swordfight with him. Absolutely wonderful, and 100% Colin. There ins't always a lot of time for fun and fan-interaction on set, but he tries his best and that's what matters. I remember seeing this and completely freaking out about it because really...isn't that just adorable and great and wonderful? Yeah it is.

And that ends the 15 Hook questions, which took me forever to do (Although I got distracted time and time again while trying to write this particular blog post...I'm talking roommates and dinner and YouTube and various other things). Still, I can't wait to see the rest of Hook's character development this season, which Colin says we're all going to like. It'll be a good time...and angsty time...but a good time I'm sure.

Special thanks to Colin himself for bringing this character to life, and to those behind the scenes writing the brilliance that we see on screen. I can honestly say that if you asked me a couple years ago if my favorite character would be Captain Hook I would straight up laugh in your face. I mean, like to the point that I love him now. From eyebrows to "bloody hell" to "bad form," it's obvious the character has impacted me, and I'm totally ok with that.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was published on October 29).

Day 664: From Year to Year

Things are always changing around here, and by here I mean Disney World. It's amazing how quickly we can go from one attraction to another, with entire new lands built in only a few years, all featuring new experiences and adventures and sights to see. Just as quickly, things close down, mostly to make room for those new additions, but also because they're just no longer up to date. I mean, right now we're right off the loss of Maelstrom and the Backlot Tour, only to receive new information saying that the Sorcerer's Hat will be taken down in the beginning of 2015. Not that I'm really complaining, but it's still odd to think about.

However, I often times do go back and look into how things in the parks used to be, and one of my absolute favorite ways to do this is through those old vacation planning videos and in the promotional items that we somehow end up collecting over the years. Since my mom began working as a travel agent specializing in Disney travel, there's been a bit more of such promotional items around our house, and this weekend new brochures came in the mail, and I mean brand new. These are hot off the press, 2015 edition brochures. 

Of course, I took one for my own collection, although I have to admit that it was mostly for the beautiful map that's in the middle of the book, even if it isn't really accurate when it comes to size. I mean, I seriously don't need more promotional material for Disney. I already know the parks like the back of my hand, and if I really need to explain something I already have my own copy of the Birnbaum Guide for 2015, the vacation planning DVD, and plenty of other books, not to mention the webpages that just stay up on my phone for when I obviously need to use them. There's a tab open to menus for all of Disney World, one open to my blog, one for just about everything I could ever need that's Disney related...and that's not even included the apps.

Still, here I am with my new 2015 copy of the Walt Disney World Resort brochure. I actually have a 2014 brochure as well, and my friend and I had a good time reading out of particular sections to see how different it was between the two years. The answer? Not very different. Then again, really, how much can things change within one year, especially when, really, not much has actually changed the parks. Granted, the Mine Train finally opened this year, completing New Fantasyland, and there are a few other random things, along with a lot of closures, but that's not even what the brochure is about. In respect to the resorts and the My Magic+ Information, it's basically all the same. 

It's sort of a relief actually. Less new information for me to have to explain to people, for any of us to have to explain. After all, we're already going to have to deal with the Sorcerer's Hat and all the confusion that will likely come out of that change. Gosh people are going to be confused. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 27).

Day 663: Alexander and the...

From time to time I do actually get to a movie theater to see a movie, believe it or not. Honestly, I'm fairly certain that the last film I actually saw at the movie theater was Saving Mr. Banks, and we all know that I saw that in like...December. It was definitely either that or Frozen. Regardless, it's been a REALLY long time since I saw anything there.

But for once I DID go to the theater, where I caught a showing of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I can never get that title right (and the only reason I did just now was because I looked it up), but I have to say that it was a pretty good movie. I mean, it wasn't exceptionally good, but it wasn't bad either. It was just...entertaining, as a movie should be.

What really freaked me out, however, was the apparent fact that I was meant to see this movie. And by "meant" to see this movie, I mean I was literally meant to see this movie. There were so many little references to my life that are just sort of...creepy to say the least. I mean, generally we find one little reference to our lives that doesn't make sense within a movie. Like a moment where a character says something that is like an inside joke we have with our friends, one of those kinds of things. But I didn't think it was possible for this many references to my life to appear within one movie.

First there was the yellow bug. I see these things everywhere and just kind of get used to it, although I still laughed a bit. But then the pirate jokes started. PIRATE JOKES. Because you know...Peter Pan...and Captain Hook...and Pirate Blouses. That's just how these things work I guess. There was also a marching band, because there just has to be one of those. And Dick Van Dyke was in the movie, odd because literally the night before I watched Mary Poppins with one of my friends, who'd never seen the film before. Oh, and one of the actors (the guy who plays the older brother), was recently on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, which just so happens to be one of the TV shows I love and adore.

But the creepiest thing? Melvin. There's a guinea pig named Melvin in the movie, and of all the names in the entire world to choose for the rodent, they picked Melvin? I have a Melvin in my life, who's also a rodent...or so to speak. We're not allowed to have pets in our dorms (aside from fish), so we have Melvin, our "pet gerbil." I won't go into too much detail about Melvin since he gets his own blog post later this week, but really? Melvin.

And therefore, I was absolutely meant to see this movie, which, as I said, was actually pretty good, even if I can't ever remember what the actual name of it is.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 27).

Day 662: A Little...Or A Lot

It seems that my mind has one of two tracks lately. Actually, it's been working this way for quite some time now, but it's just really apparent from time to time. Either my brain is on Once Upon A Time mode or it's on Disney mode. As I said to one of my friends last night, and I know I've said it before here, it's a lot easier for my mind to be on OUAT, simply because when I make references to that, everyone understands. My friends get that because they watch the show. But with Disney, Megan is the only one who will understand...if she does since there's still a lot she hasn't seen. After all, today I taught her about surrey bikes at the Disney Resorts. That was a fun conversation.

Anyway, today is a Disney sort of day for sure. I'm listening to my Disney parks music while working on this blog post before I head home this afternoon, and this is due to various reasons. I woke up a bit later than I usually do this morning, as did my roommate Ashley, so we were in our usual hurry to get to class, only with a quicker pace than normal. It means that I didn't really have a ton of time to think about much of anything this morning. I normally go through my twitter and Instagram feeds when I get up and I didn't do any of that, so my brain was kind of on a foundational level: get to class and fake some French.

But in French class, our TA, Victor, shared a video with us. We're just starting a new chapter that includes words to describe relationships and relatives and such, so the picture at the beginning of the chapter is of a wedding. Victor asked if he could show us a video (and we didn't argue), which I believe was of his brother's wedding. Don't quote me on that though. Regardless, he was in it too for a second and it was just a really great video. The point was that it reminded me of another wedding...a particular one that I've seen more times than I can probably count. Yep, the wedding scene in Impressions de France, because really this is French class so of course that's where my brain is going.

Then I had a relatively normal music history class, and afterwards I finally actually checked my Twitter and Instagram, only to find quite the interesting rumor: The Legend of Jack Sparrow could be closing as early as next week, and there's a significant rumor that the Sorcerer's Hat at DHS will be demolished in January 2015...right after my trip.

To be completely honest, I've never been a fan of the hat. I mean, yeah it was nice during the 100 Year Celebration and everything. It fit then, sort of. But since then I've just gotten incredibly angry about the fact that it's still bloody there, and with a stage in front of it none the less (although even that stage has disappeared recently...or so I've heard). So yeah, on a serious level I'm pretty darn happy about the possibility of the hat finally leaving and allowing the Chinese Theater to be restored to it's former glory.

But what scares me is how everything is just sort of happening at once. The hat has become such a fixture of Hollywood Studios, and while I may not like it, at the same time I kind of do. It's all I can really remember (especially since most of my youngest memories come from Epcot, not DHS...or rather, MGM). There's been a lot of change going on at Disney World lately and I love that. It's moving forward, and that's what this is all about, but it's still kind of frustrating. I've had a series of shorter trips and hardly feel like I'm able to see everything I want to see (to be completely honest, I think this is stemming from my lack of time to do anything on my last trip...January will be better), and meanwhile everything changes at the speed of light before I have a second to appreciate it.

If you're not confused after reading what I just wrote, good for you, because I'm so confused about how this makes me feel that I don't even know how to comprehend any of it. Am I happy the hat might be leaving? Yeah. Am I sad the hat might be leaving? Yeah. Am I excited for the future of DHS? Yeah. Am I terrified they're going to screw something up? Yeah. I'm confused about all of it and just do not know how to feel at this rate.

So much to see, never enough time and now it's all changing before some of my friends really have a chance to experience it. All I'm asking for is for things to stay the same until after January. Seriously. But at the same time...go ahead and change things Disney! The hat overstayed it's welcome about ten years ago.

Gosh I am such an indecisive person.

Have a magical day!

Day 661: A Blue Star Candle

Today is a very important day in the Once Upon A Time fandom! It's Emma Swan's birthday, also known as the anniversary that our favorite television show about Fairy Tales premiered on ABC. That's right, three years ago today I was sitting in my bedroom watching Once Upon A Time. It was the first time I watched Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parilla and Jennifer Morrison on my television screen, at least that I knew of. So I needed a way to celebrate. It seemed like a logical post, and while I still haven't done my Favorite Hook Moments post, I'll soon be doing that (it pairs up with something early next week), I decided that I couldn't just do Hook anyways. Nope, I needed something to celebrate ALL of Once Upon A Time. And then I realized. As much as I've talked about OUAT, with little bits and pieces here and there, I haven't actually talked about my absolute favorite moments, and if there's one way to accomplish something like that, it's a 30-Day Challenge.

Now, I'm actually in the midst of three other challenges between Instagram and Twitter, so adding on another one seems like a lot of work to be completely honest. Instead, I'll just include my answers here in one giant blog post...so get ready, and I'll try to keep things short (no promises though). I have a half hour until How To Get Away With Murder to completely focus on this, so let's see if I can't get this done!

1 - Your Favorite Male Character? 

2 - Your Favorite Female Character? 

3 - Your Least Favorite Male Character? 

Alright, in all seriousness here, I'll actually answer the questions now instead of randomly putting GIFs or Memes. Hook and Emma...does that surprise you? (And if you didn't catch that reference go rewatch Season 3).

As for my least favorite male character, it's a difficult question because really, we love to hate these characters. Overall though I'm probably going to have to say Rumpelstiltskin. Now don't get me wrong, I love Robert Carlyle and I adore the storyline they've made for Rumple, but there's just not a lot of appeal in the character for me. I'm definitely (and obviously) on the Hook side so...yeah.

4 - Your Least Favorite Female Character? 

Again, a really hard question. I think this one's even harder than the last one because I literally can't think of any Female Character I really don't like. Ummm...probably someone completely insignificant, like Bo Peep or something. I mean, I could say Zelena cause she screwed up my ship kinda (but then again they did go on that amazing adventure), or Cora because she's so evil, but I adore both of those characters. So yeah, Bo Peep it is I guess.

5 - Your Favorite Villain? 

I really have the urge to put the "Seriously" GIF here again. But let's take Hook out of the equation. As one of my friends mentioned earlier, "Is he really still a villain?" It's a good question considering right now he has some issues at hand (pun intended), but I truly believe he'll work them out. Regardless, let's pick another villain.

I think aside from Hook I definitely have to go with Regina, although I don't see her as super evil anymore either. But there's just something about Lana and the sass and how much Regina loves Henry and so on and so forth that makes her one of my favorites. Not to mention how absolutely brilliant her costumes are.

6 - Your Favorite Scene? 

Oh goodness. There's so many scenes to choose from. I mean, there's the Hook and Emma moment in 3x05, and the Hook and Emma moment in basically every episode after that and the Hook and Emma moment here and the Hook and Emma moment there.

BUT, I think I'm going to have to go with a classic moment, as in the first time Emma and Henry really, truly connected. The pilot is one of my favorite episodes because it's just so brilliantly done, and it reminds us all just how far the show has come. I wish I had time to watch it tonight (and maybe I will). Either way, Jennifer and Jared were wonderful in that scene, with such powerful emotions that sucked us all into this fandom. Aren't we glad that happened?

7 - Your Favorite Ship/s?

I'll give you one hint...nope, you don't even need one. If you haven't figured out by now that I ship CaptainSwan you probably need to invest in some help. Or maybe I'm the one that should invest in some help. Regardless, they're just the best and I loved their date, even if it was ruined by a cursed hand and I loved the moment in the picture above and basically I love every bit of them in Season 4, although I've loved them for much longer and yep. CaptainSwan. 

I also totally ship OutlawQueen and Rumbelle and, of course, Snowing. Can't miss out on them. 

8 - Your Favorite Friendship?

It's probably a tie between CaptainCharming (Hook & Charming) and FrozenSwan (Elsa & Emma). I mean, on the CC front it's sort of awkward because, well, the pirate is dating his mate's daughter, but thing's will smooth over in the end I do believe. As for FS, I'm just so happy that Emma finally has a friend in Storybrooke, I mean, apart from Hook. It's great for her to have someone who understands what she's going through with her magic, and I'm super excited to see more of that relationship as the season moves forward.

Also, in case you were wondering, this is how far I got before How To Get Away With Murder started...

9 - Saddest Moment? 

This one, surprisingly enough, is pretty easy to figure out. It's in 3x11: Going Home, when Emma and Henry are driving away from the town and the smoke overtakes the town. That definitely stands out to me as the saddest moment, since it was just really emotional for me. I mean, to have everything from the last two years just...gone, that was crazy. To see Snow and Charming have to send their daughter away a second time, just like they did in the pilot? That was crazy.

Other scenes that come to mind are everything to do with the death of Neal. That's the only time I've actually cried watching the show. I didn't want Neal to die, and it was painful to watch my favorite characters deal with the loss of someone they loved.

10 - Funniest Moment? 

These are hard questions! There are so many great hilarious moments, especially when it comes to Hook. His one liners are priceless. Right now the big one is probably this though:

11 - Your Favorite Badass Scene? 

Oh gosh. I have no clue. Well, actually I love whenever Hook swordfights, especially his fight with Blackbeard in 3x17: The Jolly Roger. Otherwise, the one scene that really stands out to me is near the end of Season Two, when Snow saves Regina (hidden by magic) from her own guards. It's just awesome.

12 - Your Favorite Kiss? 

I had to debate this one for some time because since Season 4 began, Hook and Emma have been having a pretty good run on this front. There's what, 4 episodes and 3 of them have them kissing? Yeah, it's a good time to be a CaptainSwan shipper, although I have the distinct fear that such nice period will be ending soon. Regardless, I have to actually say the one at the end of Season 3. I think it paired so nicely with the wedding and everything else that was going on and it was just such an important step for them. Plus I freaked out like no other.

13 - Do you want the Evil Queen to get her happy ending? Why/Why Not?

Oh for sure. I think happy endings, or at least the hope of such things, are an extremely key element of fairy tales overall. I'd be heartbroken to see the series end without a happy ending for Regina, especially when she's absolutely so close to one and despite the fact that the odds are against her, she's working with Henry to save the woman who's legitimately stopping her from reaching her goal. Everything changed for me during 3x09: Save Henry, and after the conversation as she made the potion for her to forget, I've been on team Regina & Happy Ending. She deserves one, regardless of what she's done.

14 - Your Favorite OMG moment? (Something you didn't expect)

I had to stop to discuss this one with my roommate since I really couldn't figure out what my answer would be. I see a lot of spoilers, so a lot of stuff is sort of "ruined" for me, although that's sometimes good.Either way, there was a time when I didn't know everything though, and I think the most shocking moment for me was when we found out that Pan was after Henry at the very end of Season 2. That was just ridiculous, and then we had to wait all summer to find out what happened next. Crazy.

15 - Which Side are you on? Good or Evil? 

This is another hard question considering the fact that my favorite characters are technically on the opposite sides of this, but probably Good. I definitely relate more to that side of things, although like Emma I sometimes find it irritating how her parents are so optimistic. Still though, no doubt about it that I'd fight for the good and the right thing. Although what's that Hook always says? Could it be...Good Form?

But for real...the Nevengers.

16 - Your Favorite OUAT Outfit?

Oh his one I have down. It's easy! I absolutely adore the ball outfits Hook and Emma had in the Season 3 finale. Emma's Dress? I want it so much. So bloody much. And Hook's jacket. Just yes.

17 - Your Favorite Episode of Season 1? 

This is actually a three way tie, I think. There might be a fourth episode stuck in there too, but off the top of my head I have to say 1x01: Pilot, 1x07: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and 1x10: 7:15 A.M. The fourth would be 1x09: True North. Season 1 is just so great and there's so many wonderful episodes that it's hard to pick just one. Actually I'm pretty sure I have more favorite episodes in Season One than any other season. I have favorite moments in every episode of course, but some episodes you just want to watch over and over again, and that's certainly a feeling I get with much of Season 1, despite the lack of my favorite character.

18 - Your Favorite Actor? 

Again...the urge to use the "seriously?" GIF is high, although I felt this meme was appropriate. But for real...it's this guy. It's not surprising, not one bit. Colin's great, and I know that (he probably knows that, but from what I can gather he's pretty humble about all of it. I mean...his television interviews are like the most adorable thing ever because sometimes he's shy and is genuinely the complete opposite of Hook and gosh I'm rambling, aren't I?) Regardless, he's Irish, has great hair, is super nice and plays Captain Hook. What's not to like?

19 - Your Favorite Actress?

Jennifer Morrison, everybody. Pretty sure we're almost the same person in a super weird way, considering the fact that there's a lot of stuff we have in common, but that's all beside the point. I literally love JMo more every single day and she's definitely one of the people I want to meet in my life. Adorable in every single way. 

20 - Your Favorite OUAT Quote? 

"Life is Made up of moments. Good ones; Bad Ones, but they're all worth living." - Prince Charming to Emma Swan in Episode 3x10: The New Neverland. Easy. It's absolutely my favorite quote. Hands down.

21 - Your Favorite Backstory? (of any character)

Another tough one, and as much as I love Hook's backstory, I think I'm going to have to go with Red Riding Hood. That episode in Season One just blew me away. Everyone knows the story of Red Riding Hood, but making her the wolf? BRILLIANT. I don't think I can express enough how much that was a great twist on the story!

22 - Something you want to see/find out that hasn't been revealed yet? 

As of right now, how the Snow Queen knows Emma. I think that's one of the biggest questions running through our minds right now. I have my ideas, and I know a few things here and there, but not enough to figure out just how they know one another. I'm really interested in finding out though, and I hope we get some new information in 4x05!

23 - Any prop you could take from the set? 

My roommates and I had a discussion about this one, and I've narrowed it down to like...three. My initial instinct is the yellow bug, since it's so iconic. But where in the world would I put a yellow bug? So then I decide on the Red Leather Jacket because who wouldn't want that? But I technically have a red leather jacket (although I don't have one worn by Jennifer Morrison soo...). And then I was like...dude...the hook. That would be absolutely brilliant. I want to own the hook. I just want to see the hook. Or maybe Hook's jacket, despite the fact that it weighs 50 pounds. I'd gladly wear the coat if it meant I was wearing the coat Colin wore. And finally, there's the storybook, which after much deliberation is probably the thing that I'd want the most, as long as it included all the stories from the show. That's essential.

24 - If you could be anyone from Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest, who would it be? 

Emma Swan, hands down. I mean, she hasn't had the best life, but I admire her as a character, fighting for what she wants. That's really important, especially considering the fact that she's still fighting even after everything she's gone through. I think that's probably one of the reasons I love CaptainSwan so much, it's because here's two people that have the world literally working against them and yet they continue to push forward.

Plus she gets to kick down doors and can seriously walk in heels and gets to date Hook soo...

25 - Your favorite character entrance? 

Honestly I'm not 100% sure what this means, but let's see. I absolutely adore how Charming enters the pilot, opening up literally the entire show by riding in to save Snow. That's a pretty epic entrance. But Regina wins, hands down. That's one serious entrance.

26 - A character you would like to see more of? 

I really am excited to see more about Belle actually. I mean, Emma for sure too, but I already love Emma and just feel that Belle at least deserves some more screen time. I know we'll be getting some backstory for this particular princess probably in just a week or two, so that's exciting. I mean, I'd always love to see more Hook and Emma, but these days they're thankfully pretty well accounted for. So Belle. Definitely Belle.

27 - Favorite location/set? 

I'm actually particularly fond of Mary Margaret's apartment, which is basically home base these days. It's just my style, with a vintage-antique-mismatch sort of feel. Plus I love the open floor plan and the apartment style and the simply homey feel of it. I'd love to visit the set to be completely honest, or you know...live there or something.

28 - Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest? 

Storybrooke, hands down. I can't wait to visit Steveston some day, even if I don't make it there until long after the show has concluded. The town is just so beautiful and I love every bit of it. I mean, the Enchanted Forest is great too, but there's just something extra magical about Steveston being a real place I can visit.

29 - Your Favorite Fairy Tale? Did you like the OUAT Version? 

Well, when the show started I'd have to say Rapunzel, but I'm pretty well-versed in my fairy tales now, after taking a class and growing seriously interested in the stories themselves. I actually really did like the Rapunzel twist they took, although I'm sad it's more of a one time thing than anything else. A lot of people (my friends included) are disappointed with the take they went with on Rapunzel, but I liked the idea that she was afraid and was her own enemy. I think stories like that are more powerful and easier to relate to than most others.

30 - What got you interested in Once Upon A Time? 

I actually started watching after seeing the promos for the first episode, now two years ago. I was like, "Hey, a show about fairy tales! That sounds cool!" and figured I would try it out because, well, why not? I wasn't currently watching any other TV shows and it sounded interesting so I watched the pilot...and the next episode and the one after that and so on and so forth until here we are three years later blogging about my all time favorite moments and characters from the entire show.

It's been a great three years though, that's for sure. I can't even count the number of people I've met because of the show...or the number of people that I already knew and got addicted to the show. It's an issue. Even my brother tends to quote Hook or something from time to time, although it's half to annoy me and half as a joke (but seriously Kid...the eyebrow thing). I mean, obviously this show has made an impact on me. I have a red leather jacket in my closet, I dress up for a television show every Sunday, my favorite OUAT quote is on my wall, I have a poster on my shelf that says "Work Like a Captain, Party Like a Pirate," I've taken an entire class on fairytales and am seriously considering doing further research with them for projects in the future and somewhere along the line, Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison, along with the entire rest of the cast and crew, have wormed their way into my mind and heart. It brings me happiness and joy and most of all, Once Upon A Time brings me hope.

So happy birthday Emma Swan and Once Upon A Time. Here's to many, many more CaptainSwan kisses and long hiatuses and intriguing backstories and spectacular sets and curses and cliffhangers that leave us on the edge of our seats.

Have a magical day!

(And on a side note...HTGAWM ended like over an hour ago...)