Day 1186: Last Cup of T

Every good thing, apparently, must come to an end. I'm not entirely sure that a year ago I even knew what the Mad T Party was, but now, as I watch some of the videos from the final evening of wonderful music and Disney magic, I can't help but feel so connected to this show.

For those of you that might not know, the Mad T Party was a presentation of live music at Disney California Adventure inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and last night was the final performance before Mad T, once again, disappears from the park. It's gone before, and come back thanks to the wonderful fanbase that I've been so fortunate to be a part of, even if I've only really seen the show once (or twice, but not the entire thing). I hadn't anticipated how much I'd end up really enjoying every second of screaming at the top of my lungs and loosing all ability to hear after a four hours of sitting by the stage, but it's always been connected with my friend Laura, and it's definitely one of my favorite parts of my Disneyland trip last August. Even now, when one of the songs comes on the radio, I jam out a bit more than I do to any other song.

I know for a fact that the Mad T Party was a family, and in the months since I saw Mad T Party for myself I've seen time and time again the absolute hospitality and love that that family is made up of. It's refreshing to see - a group of people who are so supportive of these musicians and musicians that encourage and inspire the fans time and time again. Mad T Party was a very real positive in a far too often negative world, and that's just one of the reasons I know that this show will be so very missed by so many people, myself included.

If you need me, I'll just be here rewatching video from August that has more of my terrible singing in the background than the musicians themselves.

Have a magical day!

Day 1185: Trump, Trump, Trump

I never in a million years thought that I'd be getting up at 7 in the morning so I could go stand in line for two hours to see Donald Trump, but that's exactly what happened this morning, and honestly, it was kind of fun!

I should probably tell you that less than 48 hours ago, my college campus was informed that Trump would be making a campaign stop at our school, specifically in the form of a town hall the would take place smack dab in the middle of the music building, where I have all of my Wednesday classes. As you can imagine, the stop messed up my music classes, but my friend Brian and I were lucky enough to just make it in the door before they closed it off. I took the below picture as we got closer to the door (which was teemed with secret service, metal detectors, and TSA), but even where we were standing (about a 1/4 of the way through the line), we were some of the last to get inside. The other thousand or so people behind us weren't so fortunate.

This isn't the first time a presidential candidate has visited our campus, as Hilary Clinton was here a few years ago, and Michelle Obama has visited as well, but Trump made for an extremely interesting experience for all. While there were only about 800 people in the auditorium and the event itself, there were also the people who didn't get in, those watching from home or on TV, and then a whole line of protesters, including some of my fellow SNC students who participated in an extremely well done silent protest. We're all pretty proud of the way the campus has dealt with the situation despite the fact that the large majority of us don't align with his views.

As I'm sure you can imagine, I'm not about to endorse Trump (I prefer to stay out of politics as much as possible online, the same way I do with religion. Life is easier that way), but we couldn't really pass up the opportunity to attend an event like this. Not only did we get a chance to lay our own eyes on Trump himself, but we got to hear him speak about success (which actually made some small resemblance of sense) and experience a real political press conference. A good chunk of the theater was absolutely filled with media, and the constant click of cameras reminded us more than a few times that the man in front of us is one of the most talked about people in the world right now.

We did end up standing rather than sitting, meaning that we stood in line outside for about an hour and half and then for almost two hours inside before Trump finally appeared. He proceeded to talk for roughly an hour, so by the end of the entire thing we were more than ready to sit down for jazz band afterwards. 

The thought didn't occur to me until I was pulling up blogger to write this post though - this visit sort of reminded me of Disney, but not in the way you might think. Despite the fact that some of the music leading up to Trump's speech reminded me of Epcot (I even commented on it to Brian) and I realized that if Trump wins he'll be in the Hall of Presidents (and wouldn't that be interesting), it was actually the media coverage that got me thinking. My college has been the top trend on Facebook for a good part of the afternoon, and it hasn't entirely set in that I just attended a historic event that could actually make an impact on both the country we live in and the world as a whole. That's actually pretty awesome, but it also reminded me of the fact that I've actually had the chance to do some really spectacular things in my life. The cameras hardly phased me, seemingly natural for someone who has, in the past year, attended the D23 Expo, started making regular YouTube videos, and attended a film festival to see the world premiere of a movie. I wouldn't have had those opportunities without Disney, and I'm so excited to see what the next few years have to offer as well. 

The town hall with Trump this morning seemed very small in comparison, but I'm absolutely glad I had an opportunity to attend. As I said once already, I do not endorse Trump in any way, but I do think that it's extremely important to seek out and invest in experiences like this. Even if you don't agree with the views of a particular candidate, it is important to showcase hospitality to everyone you meet, and that's exactly what St. Norbert College did this morning. We may not agree with what was said, but my fellow students and everyone around me was so accommodating and welcoming to the generous and kind members of Trump's campaign crew. I am looking forward to not having to walk through secret service to get to class over the next few days, but all in all, I'm sort of glad that Trump decided to stop here. It woke so many of us up to the world of politics, began meaningful discussions across campus, and was a worthwhile experience. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1184: Readjusting to Life

It's been about two months now since I made the decision to move to a new apartment and drastically change my life forever, and looking back at the past three months, it's obvious that I was challenged in ways that I never thought possible. That's just the bad news though, because the good news is that no matter how difficult it all seemed, I know I've been changed for the better.

For those of you that were around at the very beginning of the year, you'll know that I really wasn't doing too well. The first blog post of 2016 really outlines where my emotions were at, and those feelings continued to go on for the majority of January, even through a trip to Florida with Frank and my Mom. Since then it's felt like one blow after another, but regardless I'm happier than I think I have been at any point in college, and I thought that it was probably about time to give you a complete update on what that means.

The blog post detailing our new apartment isn't up yet (those other blows have really put me behind on blogging, but I'm slowly catching up), but we love living here a ridiculous amount, even if the building is scheduled to be torn down at the end of the year. We have another roommate, Erin, who we love and get along with super well. The corn in the picture above is part of a real meal, which I made myself for dinner, and is absolutely something that wouldn't have happened last semester. Eating healthier means I feel healthier, and that means I'm happier too.

While unfortunately I lost some friends over the past few months, my experiences have also brought me closer to new friends, and oddly enough, they're mostly people that have surrounded me for years. The best part though? They absolutely accept me for the really weird person that I obviously am. I think I've spent more time in the past two months in other dorms and trying new things that I ever have before, and even if I had to go through hell to make it to those experiences, I'm pretty grateful. I love and adore the people that I'm surrounded by now (not to say that I didn't love and adore those that I have lost, because I did, very much), and I'm sure you'll all be happy to hear that a smile on my face is once again a feature in my everyday life.

And, of course, as you already know, I'm looking forward to my next Disney trips! I've already introduced my "Choose My Adventure" idea, but here's a video on it as well that explains a bit more:

Videos and blog posts have definitely been spotty over the last few months, but even as I approach the end of the semester, I'm making an effort to keep on top of things as best I can and catch up on what I've missed. My goal is write at least two blog posts a day (one for the current date and then one other), which allows for all of you to read through at a more normal rate, and allows me to have enough time and energy to spend on each individual post. YouTube videos will continue to go up on Tuesdays with the possibility of a few surprise videos here and there! 

Overall though, I can't express how thankful I am for all of your support. Previous to the last number of months I thought I knew what suffering and pain felt like, but the challenges that were thrown my way were never something I could have anticipated or prepared for, but I'm so much happier now that I'm not sure it even matters anymore. Rafiki once said that we have to put the past behind us, and I think that now, finally, after a lot of thought, I'm ready to do just that, and start readjusting to the new life I'm building for myself as we speak. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1183: Cherpumple

It was a completely harmless meal in the caf that started the conversation. At some point during the spring semester we ended up gathered a group of us that ate together all the time, and it was really nice after a semester that felt completely off. Anyway, during one of our meals my friend Brian brought up this thing called a Cherpumple. What is a Cherpumple you ask? Well, it's basically three pies baked into three cakes stacked on top of one another and covered in a ton of frosting. Got it? No? Alright, maybe the creator will be better at explaining than I will:

Well, once this video had been seared into my brain, it didn't take long for us to attempt one of our own. It took most of a day, and really it started out pretty good. The pies all baked perfectly, and they even went into the cakes pretty well. 

And then we started the frosting. The first layer went well. 

And then we had to figure out how to get the next later onto the first one, which was pretty difficult if I do say so myself...

Ultimately, we did get everything on top...but then things started to go downhill...literally...

In the end, we managed to salvage a good part of the Cherpumple, and as Charles Phoenix says, there is no such thing as a bad cherpumple. You just have to sort of go with it and not let the Cherpumple control you. And in the end, it really was pretty fun too. 

How does this relate back to Disney? Well, considering this is basically the cake/pie version of a kitchen sink, I don't think we need any further questioning. 

Have a magical day (and go make a Cherpumple of your own)!

Day 1182: Women of the Tomb

Every once and a while you have an opportunity right in your own community to do something awesome, and sometimes it's something you maybe normally wouldn't do. I'm not an actor, not by a long shot. After all, most of what you see in my vlogs is just plain me. That's right, I'm actually that crazy and make ridiculous plans to see all the firework spectaculars in one night. Those are everyday thoughts.

With acting though, you get an opportunity to sort of be someone else for a while, or explore a side of yourself that you normally wouldn't. This year, I had the chance to be a part of a skit at my church on Easter Sunday called "Women of the Tomb," and honestly, it was a lot of fun. Obviously, as I just mentioned, I don't get many chances to act, despite the fact that I did some minor acting when I was younger.

How does this all relate back to Disney? To be honest I'm not entirely sure, but at the same time, it does make me think about how I'm going about making videos. It's about being real, and entertaining, at the same time. You have to have a connection with the audience through a video the same way an actor does on stage, and that's not always easy, especially when the time between a video and it's appearance on the internet, for me, can be months and months.

I like to think, however, that the little bit of acting I manage to do from time to time keeps me on track with my videos. Ultimately though, it's all about the practice. The longer I work on my YouTube videos, the better I get at editing, and the easier it is to sit in front of the camera, even if I'm not at Disney World. I don't think I'm ready to go far beyond my church for acting though, so I think I'll stick to playing my saxophone and filming YouTube Videos at Disney World.

Have a magical day!

Day 1181: Positives and Negatives

There's something to be said about a Disney vacation in comparison to pretty much every other trip. When you combine the pure magic that is Walt Disney World, or any of the Disney Parks around the world really, with your closest family and friends, favorite characters, and world class attractions, it usually turns out pretty great. Yeah, we definitely all have our meltdown moments, and who wouldn't with the heat and crowds that the parks are so well known for, but somewhere along the line, I've found that I rarely remember those low points. 

Something goes wrong on every trip. It doesn't matter where you're going or how many times you've been there - something goes wrong. From there on out, you can try to enjoy the remainder of your trip, and usually that works out rather well, but upon returning home you're left with the bitter distaste of that terrible experience, whatever it may be. For instance, when I went to Colorado years ago, I had the absolute worst day of my life, and it just happened to be my birthday too. I had intense motion sickness on the bus, only made worse by minor altitude sickness, and when we finally got the amusement park we were heading to, security was terrible (we ended up walking back to our bus multiple times) and there wasn't much for me to do in the park anyway. Likewise, when we went to Chicago the following year, the trip was sort of a hot mess, and left most of us feeling like we'd wasted a couple hundred bucks. In either case, I still to this day remember those negative moments of the trip. 

With Disney, on the other hand, things are a bit different. My trips sort of start to muddle together, but I certainly don't remember the downsides of most of the trips, other than maybe the more recent ones. And in any case, they don't really define the trip, at least not the way those other memories defined the other trips. Bad things definitely do happen - I've gotten sick at Disney before, had arguments with family members, and so on and so forth - but I just don't seem to recall many of them. So why is it that anytime I travel somewhere else I remember those struggles, but I don't with Disney? 

Could it be a subconscious effort to make Disney consistently the ideal vacation destination? Or rather, an effort to make sure Disney is never tarnished in my mind, regardless of the bad things that might happen? Maybe the good moments just outweigh any less than favorable memories? Or maybe, because it is Disney, the magic just turns everything around? It's sort of hard to say, but it is an interesting debate, and no matter what, really we should be focusing on the good moments anyway, like seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time or hanging out in a giant hotel room in Chicago with my friends. Those are the memories worth focusing on anyway. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1180: King Kong

The latest phase at our house is the intent to watch some of the films on the American Film Institute list of greatest films of all time. I'm totally ok with this, mostly because I already started some of these films, intent on watching as many of the films featured in The Great Movie Ride as possible, and because I have a very real love of classic films. 

Our first choice: King Kong, which I'd never seen before, and will honestly probably never watch again. It was alright, not the worst movie I've ever watched, and I can see why it's on the list of greatest films of all time, but it's old horror to the point where, in today's society, it's almost comical. Some of the standards in the film are so outdated that it just makes everything ironic, and the stop motion of King Kong himself, as well as the totally predictable plot line, keep you laughing more than anything else. 

Still, if you haven't seen this classic movie and are into things like that, definitely give it a watch, and bring some popcorn and friends along for the ride because it's way more fun that way! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1179: Appointment at Noon

Welcome to Wisconsin, where it can officially be Spring and Easter can be in a couple of days, but there's a blizzard outside your window...again. 

To be fair, it wasn't that much of a blizzard, at least not by me. I've spent the majority of my "spring break" holed up in my apartment at college, mostly because the internet is better and it's drastically quieter than everywhere else. After spending a couple of days in the apartment alone, both my roommates popped in and we ended up riding out the storm together...if it can even really be called a storm by Wisconsin standards. It doesn't mean that those of us here aren't incredibly jealous of our friends off in Florida, but still. 

The nice thing about a snowstorm though? You don't have to go anywhere. You literally pretty much have to stay inside, or you can at least use it as an excuse to stay inside, which means you have plenty of time to work on everything that you've been procrastinating on for days...and time to make Mickey waffles. It occurred to me today that I post more pictures of sushi and Mickey Waffles than any other food though, so there's something to think about. 

In case you were wondering what a snowstorm in Wisconsin in March looks like, I've got you covered there too. I somehow remembered that taking a "before" picture might be a good idea, and since I like right on the river, things worked out pretty well for me: 

That picture represents exactly 24 hours folks. Like I said, welcome to Wisconsin. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1178: Bored Beyond Comprehension

Spring break is a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, having an entire week off to do pretty much whatever your heart desires is great. You could travel to Florida (like everyone and their brother it seems), or to some other far off place. There's time to catch up on the numerous things you're behind on because school literally takes over your life. There's time to plan for Disney vacations, and watch movies, and even be sick (I fought off a cold with everything I had and won). But after a few days of basking in the freedom, you kind of start to miss your friends if you're far away from them and you definitely start to get bored.

Usually, my breaks are so filled with things going on that I hardly notice a break happened. That's how much of J-Term was for me this year, how fall break goes, last spring break, and everything in between. There's always so much to do that a real break hardly seems possible. But now, only half way through my spring break where I have actually very little going on, I'm so absolutely bored that there's no way to describe how much I want it to be next Monday when everyone comes back and we go back to the regular routine.

I got so bored that I actually color coded my box of crayons. That's where I'm at in life.

This is not to say that there aren't other things I should be doing. Unfortunately, because of the snow, my go-to activity of practicing is sort of off the table, and you can only sit in front of your computer screen for so long before blogging and composing and watching Netflix all seems like a terrible idea. Actually, I feel sort of like Baymax, needing a recharge every so often, but there's no in-between here. Either I have a ton of time on my hands to the point where doing the same thing for hours gets tiring or I have no time on my hands and I wish I could find a chance to sit down and write a blog post.

Finding that balance is a key goal in my life right now as I continue to adjust to, quite literally, life-altering events that force me to rethink everything. And maybe, just maybe, I should be looking to what I already do know for sure as a key to how to go forward. This could get really philosophical, like how on Splash Mountain there are a series of drops, and you're always waiting for the big one, but the first time you go on it you never quite know if the drop you're about to go down is the big one or not. Life is like that too, full of big and little drops, but you never quite know how tall they are until you're at the bottom. They can be scary, but they can also be exciting, and they can most certainly get messy. If that's not a metaphor for life, I don't know what is.

And that's just a taste of the weird thoughts that have come to mind amidst hours of boredom.

Have a magical day!

Day 1177: For the Love of Nautical Blue

I sat at Barnes and Noble for a long while, on the floor, in front of a shelf filled with adult coloring books. The newest craze was brought to my attention this past Christmas when one of my former roommates gifted me an adult coloring book, and now I use my crayons and colored pencils far more often than I have in the past two years. I didn't intend to buy a coloring book at Barnes and Noble, but the nautical themes of one based on the ocean got my attention and didn't leave me alone...probably because forecasted snow and friends actually on the beach made me wish for warmer weather and a beautiful view.

I've always loved nautical things though, and somewhere along the line, probably when I was coloring a trio of seashells to catch the colors found on The Seas with Nemo and Friends, I realized that my love of all things nautical, including pirates, probably goes much further back than those around me might think.

I definitely still remember the old Living Seas at Epcot, with the attraction vehicles much similar to Spaceship Earth than those currently found on an adventure with Nemo, and the diver's tank that existed long before it was reintroduced a few years ago. My memories of the old Epcot, I've come to realize, are something I really should treasure, because for the young generation of Epcot lovers, I'm right on the cusp between those who really remember what Epcot used to be about and those who wish they did.

But my love of nautical things probably stems more from another location, one outside the parks. I talk about Old Key West as my home resort all the time, and I wish I could clearly express through words just how much it really is home. I honestly think I almost have more memories that occurred in the walls of a room at OKW than I do in my own home, and for those of you who have explored the resort as I have, you know just how nautical the place can get. It's not overly ocean-themed, but there is a lighthouse, and the gingerbread architecture of the conch republic really stands out amidst many of the other resorts at Walt Disney World. Growing up, and still today, I adore the corals and aquas and dark and light blues, I decorate with ships and seashells frequently, and I've built more than one house on the Sims with nautical themes. And just to prove that I did indeed spend a lot of my childhood at OKW, here's a picture of my Dad and I sitting on the balcony of our room.

I'm a bit taller now, but the balcony hasn't changed much.

Have a magical day!

Day 1176: Ready, Set, Relay

I'd never been to a Relay For Life event before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but as a part of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honor society at SNC, we had a great time raising money and walking for cancer research!

The main Disney reference of the day for me though? The fact that it was basically like training for Disney, or rather, maybe Disney trained me for this? I walked somewhere around 8 miles during the event, which is about what I walk in an average day at Disney...only this was four hours, not an entire day. Aside from walking, we had a chance to do some jazzercise, watch professors (And our college president) get soaking wet, and eat some delicious food, all before we participated in the release of the balloons, which reminded me a bit of the lanterns from Tangled.

And that's about it, mostly because I'm too tired to really remember everything else that went on. However, if you'd like to donate to Relay for Life, you can do so HERE!

Have a magical day!

Day 1175: Pictures from Home

Spring Break is prime time for visiting Walt Disney World. Even I've visited this time of the year, and while this spring break meant staying home, it apparently hasn't meant the same for pretty much everyone else. It seems like everyone and their brother has spent at least part of their spring break chilling at Walt Disney World, and as we round out our break, pictures from people I haven't talked to in ages pop up on my Facebook feed, Spaceship Earth in the background.

As Megan pointed out, this is how the world probably feels when I'm at Disney, but thankfully I've got some great friends who send me pictures from home because they know I'm missing it. This year, it seems that most headed to Hollywood Studios, which, oddly enough, is where I've spent a ridiculous amount of time over my past few trips, but there have been pictures from all four parks constantly showing up on social media. To celebrate my pals heading to the most magical place on earth, I also shared some pictures from my last trip in January that I hadn't shared yet, which wasn't quite like being there myself, but reminded me of the great times I had there not long ago.

Ironically enough, I also happened to plan fastpasses for my next trip yesterday to, just as my friends were heading on Rockin' Roller Coaster. You can't beat timing like that! Plus, I suppose if we can't be at Disney World, there's nothing like our friends experiencing the magic...and sending a bit of it back to us to celebrate too.

Have a magical day!

Day 1174: One Little Mermaid

Once a year I head to a local high school to see their musical, despite the fact that I never went to the high school and I only know a handful of people who did. Either way, their shows are usually pretty amazing, and this year's showing of The Little Mermaid was no exception!

While I've now seen The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, and Newsies all on broadway tour, I've never had a chance to see the stage production of The Little Mermaid, and I must admit that I was a bit skeptical at first going into it. I knew nothing about how the show was similar or different to the movie, and I'm certainly not the world's biggest Little Mermaid fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by the entire thing. Even as a high school production, the show has so much energy, color, special effects, and excitement. I will say that I feel relatively the same about the show as I do about the attractions that are in the Disney Parks - there wasn't much of a climax to the story.

Considering the changes from the original tale to the Disney version, I can see how the climax of the story might get sort of left out, but the energy the students brought to the stage production I had a chance to see made it all worthwhile. The added songs that aren't in the movie really round things out, and the puppets really reminded me of Finding Nemo the musical (as did the Flounder in this particular show...she did an amazing job)!

I'm not entirely sure I would spend a ton of money to see the Broadway Production, but let's be honest, I probably still would because it's Disney. If you've seen The Little Mermaid, let me know what you think of it in the comments below (I know there are a few of you out there currently involved in productions too! Let me know how those are going!) and if you haven't, would you want to see it?

Have a magical day!

Day 1173: Freedom

The spring and fall semesters of college are pretty drastically different. After all, in the fall you have breaks every couple of weeks thanks to holidays and such, but in the spring you pretty much have spring break and Easter break...unless you go to a Catholic private college that decides to combine those breaks so you end up with one slightly longer spring break. 

Long story short, by this point in the semester we're all pretty burnt out and ready for a few days off. Luckily, we've got that time now, and while I've contracted a cold and fully intend on spending my days warding that off rather than doing anything else, it is nice to have a few days where we don't have to worry about homework or tests...or at least not until later in the week. It gives us all more time to do fun things, although maybe not as fun for those of us stuck in Wisconsin rather than off in some much warmer state (ahem...Florida). 

That doesn't mean there aren't things to be excited about back home though. Fastpasses for my trip in May can be made this week, and my friends who are in Florida have been taking plenty of pictures that make the view outside my apartment window both more and less depressing. Warm beverages make the winter a little less cold, and above all, the fact that I don't need to leave my apartment for any reason all week helps too. Maybe I can just forget about the winter that still lingers? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1172: The Salmon Run

Disney had all kinds of awesome computer games back in the day, and by far one of my all time favorites was Brother Bear. I don't know if being a bear is actually more fun than being a human, but based on the adventures in this game, I kind of want to be a bear! 

I don't remember it all perfectly, but I do remember that there were two parts of the game that were simply the best: the Salmon Run and the Sledding. Since I don't actually have the game anymore, at least not on a computer I can play, here's a couple of videos from YouTube to give you an idea of the ins and outs of this epic adventure: 

Pretty awesome, right? Gosh, I think I'm going to have to go find my old disc and try to install it on my computer because the want to play this is so real right now! 

After all, the salmon aren't going to catch themselves! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1171: Help Me Plan!

In an attempt to catch things up, my hope is to start with today's post and then work backwards over the next few days/week. That way, I can always do the current day's post while still adding in the month+ of posts I've missed, because let's be honest, it's been a while. School has, unfortunately, kept me plenty busy with midterms, meetings, performances, homework, traveling, conferences, and extreme twists and turns that have me and many of my friends thinking long and hard about what we're doing here at SNC. Because of all of that, I certainly don't get to writing as much as I'd always like, but as a wise old friend once reminded us, the past is in the past. After all, there are plenty of exciting adventures coming up in the next few months, including at least two Disney trips, which brings me to the actual point of this post: planning for May!

As you all know very well, I love to incorporate different elements and challenges into my Disney trips to more or less keep things interesting, but I also do it so I have a chance to explore as much of the parks as I can. Even in my 28 trips, there's still so many things I haven't experienced, and since both my trips this year are relatively different, I'm ready to try as many new things as possible, which is where YOU come into play!

Where I usually plan out everything myself, I thought that this May it might be fun to let all of you help me out with some of those decisions. I am, after all, a creature of habit and get into some serious ruts that probably prevent me from experiencing spectacular opportunities that I may not even know about! Basically, what I hope to do is sort of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of thing, only it'll be YOU choosing MY adventure instead.

To participate, just fill out THIS GOOGLE POLL, which asks questions about your favorite Disney World treats, attractions, and experiences, along with a few more specific questions here and there about what you think I should do on my trip. It's completely anonymous, and I'd love for as many people as possible to help me plan! I'll be sure to film all of it too so you can see how everything worked out in the end, although with everything there is to see at Walt Disney World, I'm sure it'll be quite the adventure.

Have a magical day!

Day 1170: Another Trip with Indy

I wasn't alive in 1989 when the final installment of the Indiana Jones series premiered in theaters, but I'm fairly certain that everyone believed it to be just that: a final installment. There wasn't this talk of a fourth, much less a fifth, film focused on the college professor and archaeologist that seemed to be almost old enough for a museum himself, and yet, here we are in 2016, almost 30 years later, talking about another film.  

If you've been living under a rock, it was recently announced that Harrison Ford will be again returning to reprise his role as Indiana Jones in a fifth installment of the series that will premiere in 2019. Now, that's a long time to wait, but we somehow managed to wait for Star Wars, so hopefully this won't be too bad. So here's the rest of what know so far: 

Indiana Jones, it seems, won't be facing the same fate as his alter ego, Han Solo. Thankfully, death doesn't seem to be in the cards for our favorite character. Meanwhile, George Lucas, a key element in the franchise, will also be returning along with Steven Spielberg and the rest of the creative team. 

There's plenty of debate out there on whether or not it will make sense for Ford to reprise his role, but that doesn't seem to be up for debate, especially not after he did a good portion of his own stunts for The Force Awakens. Meanwhile, others wonder if this next sequel will follow a similar storyline as the fourth movie, which disappointed many fans. Personally, I'm going to go for the positive side of things here. Indiana Jones really wouldn't be the same without Harrison Ford, and while I'm sure someday they'll do extra films that feature a younger actor, today is not that day. Plus, with what they learned from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I'm sure they'll reign things back in and give us a good, old fashioned, adventure packed Indiana Jones movie. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1169: Photopass Extras

I was going through and downloading Photopass pictures the other day and did you know that they include a bunch of extra free professional pictures of the parks for your enjoyment? While it gets sort of annoying when downloading all your pictures from multiple trips, these are also some great pictures! 

And from time to time, especially during the Food and Wine Festival they even have recipe cards that you can get so you can try to make some of your favorite Disney dishes back home! 

Please remember that none of the above pictures are mine and belong entirely to the Walt Disney Company! 

Have a magical day!