Day 730: Another Year Gone By

The end of the year is always kind of a time to reflect on things, right? I mean, after all, we reach it and realize that we either have or haven't accomplished what we intended to 364 days ago. We think about the trips we've taken, about those we've gained and lost, about the incredible experiences we've had and the wonderful things that have happened. People write letters at Christmas as a way to tell others how their year has been, and my family isn't any different. We wrote ours weeks ago, back when I was still at SNC. I thought about writing a "Christmas Letter" as a part of Everyday Disney, just as a sort of blog post on here, but it occurred to me that Everyday Disney in itself IS a Christmas letter. You can go back through 2014's posts and read about all those experiences and thoughts I've had since January 1. You can read through 2013 too if you really want to, although to be completely honest, unless you're really bored, I wouldn't recommend that.

But wow, two years of blogging. I know I've grown a lot in these past two years, in many more ways than one, and I can't even begin to express how this blog has helped me through all of that. I was actually just thinking a couple of weeks ago about how much happier I am right now compared to what I was a year ago, and even Everyday Disney shows that. Reading my TimeHop every single day is sort of comical, simply because you see my tweets to the Once cast, all with no responses, and then all of a sudden, sometime in the next few months, you'll see something click and my social media will take off, both on Instagram and Twitter. The same will happen for my vlogs on YouTube and, of course, here on Everyday Disney, and I definitely have all of you guys to thank for that.

Why you'd read about my daily life and Disney every day, or every once and a while even, I'm not really sure, but seriously, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sticking with me through these past 730 days. I can't wait for another year.

Which gives us a minute or two to reflect on the past year. My biggest dream came true this year. I got to march down Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom, and I got to bring my best friends right along with me. How incredibly awesome and amazing is that? There aren't even words there, although you all know that I've written plenty of them on the subject. That band trip is still a huge part of my life as I finish editing the band trip video, and I'd like to take a second to thank all the support I've gotten from my friends, family, teachers and Disney in the process of dreaming about, auditioning for, planning for, participating in and continuing work on that trip.

Beyond that, I'd like to thank the entire cast and crew of Once Upon A Time. It's blatantly obvious in my posts that OUAT has become a HUGE part of my life in a very short amount of time (although I have been watching since the beginning of the story). Without OUAT I'm not sure where I'd be. It's been my constant, it's brought me something to look forward to, and I'm sure there are people out there who have figured out that the cast has basically brought me endless joy with their favorites, tweets and mere presence in my life. Plus, there are the friends that I've made through the show, and I absolutely cannot wait to meet some of you in the coming year!

And now, I noticed in the last post of last year, that I happened to mention a quote from the very first post of Everyday Disney, and I thought I would share it again: "But since I don't have many (or any really) other New Year's 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!"

That idea is definitely still alive, even long after day 365. It's crazy to think that in this next year I'll hit my 1000th blog post, I'll have two huge Disney trips to talk about, and there's plenty of surprises around every turn (including a new New Year's Resolution that will be revealed TOMORROW)!

So, here's to 2014, and what a wonderful year it has been!

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

Day 729: 2014

A year ago (literally to the day) I had this obnoxious idea that it might be fun to go back and see how many words I wrote for the entirety of 2013, and then do some searches for some keywords to see how many times certain things were posted. It took FOREVER to complete that blog post.

And I decided to do it again.

Just as last year, let's start out by looking at the number of words from each month. I've also included the totals from last year in italics:

January: 18,135 Words (13,637 Words)
February: 17,371 Words (8,679 Words)
March: 17,072 Words (15,162 Words)
April: 17,176 Words (14,709 Words)
May: 14,797 Words (16,948 Words)
June: 18,488 Words (17,237 Words)
July: 17,606 Words (17,710 Words)
August: 11,857 Words (17,366 Words)
September: 12,633 Words (19,109 Words)
October: 19,481 Words (20,741 Words)
November: 15,930 Words (24,406 Words)
December: 13,655 Words (20,299 Words)

Total: 194,201 Words

These numbers sometimes include "Have a magical day," and sometimes they don't. They do not include title names or dates, but they may include make-up post information. Honestly I'm not 100% sure, but I tried to keep it pretty much the same throughout. I used a different system to total all of this this time around, so it's a little fuzzy around the edges.

And then, using the same list of keywords from last year (with a few additions which are marked with a star), I've got the 2014 totals:

Disney (w/o Walt Disney/Walt Disney World/Everyday Disney):1400
Colin O'Donoghue (located by searching for "Colin"): 103
Emma Swan (Emma): 90
Hook: 195
Once Upon A Time (OUAT): 200
CaptainSwan: 40
*Jennifer Morrison (JMo): 55
*Twitter: 47
*Instagram: 78
Harrison Ford: 59
Star Wars: 50
Han Solo: 21
Indiana Jones: 19
*Frozen: 137
Epcot: 131
Spaceship Earth: 86
College: 127
Walt Disney: 31
(Walt) Disney World (WDW): 249
Everyday Disney: 41

I didn't calculate how many pictures and videos there were, simply because that's the part that took a really long time last year and I know for a fact that there were plenty of posts with plenty of pictures throughout 2014.

So, comparatively to 2014, things have been a bit crazier, but 2015 is sure to bring more adventures, and let's just stop talking about them and begin doing!

Have a magical day!

Day 728: 2014 - Part 2

As I do every half of the year, I have a post where I talk about my personal favorite blog posts from half of the year. I do one for each month and doing it every six months just keeps the posts a bit shorter and everything easier for me to manage. I did it during 2013, and I continued the tradition here in 2014!

If you want to read the 2013 favorite lists, you can find the first half HERE and the second half HERE.

As for the first half of 2014, just click on this link! 

And so, let's take a look at my favorite posts from the second half of 2014!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014: Day 561: Basically Famous

Does it really surprise you that my favorite post from July comes from one of the best birthday's I've ever had, all of which is due to one particular Irish man who happens to play my favorite character on my favorite television show? Yeah, it shouldn't surprise you in the least. My tweet from Colin O'Donoghue is framed, has been shared multiple times over various social media and has been talked about many, many times since July here on Everyday Disney. I'm still reminded of it from time to time (when I'm not already smiling at it sitting on my shelf at college), as there are STILL people favoriting the tweet. Creepers.

Saturday, August 30, 2014: Day 607: The Facebook Tradition

Maybe it's because I'm on the brink of another trip, and that means that after six months my Facebook will once again change, or maybe it's because it's just one of those weird traditions I have that I absolutely love, but the blog post in August on the Facebook Tradition is definitely one of my favorites, more because of the topic than the post itself. It's also one of the topics that I made up in October or something because I was so far behind and the idea for the post just suddenly hit me. 

Now I'm just thinking about what my new cover photo and profile picture will be. 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014: Day 632: Seagulls

Just as it's not everyday that Colin O'Donoghue tweets you Happy Birthday, it's not everyday you make Jennifer Morrison crave a churro. September was an especially good month for me in the world of Tweet Collecting, with one retweet (and instagram repost!) from Jennifer Morrison and two favorites from her during #101Smiles. I can't even express how much happiness that brought me, and even now it helps get me through the day...when I'm not craving churros. 

Thursday, October 23, 2014: Day 661: A Blue Star Candle

Here we have yet another Once Upon A Time themed posted, and you know, I'm sort of sensing a theme here. Anyway, this one happened to be a huge project for me one evening, clocking in at over two hours of work. So maybe it wasn't the best idea to do the entire Once Upon A Time 30-Day Challenge in one blog post, but I have to say, it's pretty impressive looking back now. Plus, it was Emma Swan's birthday! I felt like I needed to celebrate! 

Monday, November 10, 2014: Day 679: Colors of Disney

This is one of the more fun blog posts I've done this year, if you ask me, and I'm definitely planning on doing a new edition of these color palettes once I return in January with new Instagram pictures. Plus, it'll fit right in with the theme for 2015 (still secret for everyone except a few inside people!). I love Instagram pictures, and I love color, and gosh, I just can't even express how much fun I had with this! 

Thursday, December 4, 2014: Day 703: The Door of Encouragement 

Throughout my college career so far, I've been blessed to have extremely wonderful roommates, and I can't wait to see what the next semester and upcoming years have. Of course, I'm also a huge fan of our Door of Encouragement, filled with inspiration and color to inspire us when we need it most. Plus, I'm pretty excited about the new additions that will be coming in the second half of the year, and I bet I'll have to share a new picture of the door when it's full at the end of the year! 

Thursday, October 30, 2014: Day 668: Melvin

And now it's time for the first of two bonus posts! Melvin has been a great addition to our college lives, and you know what? Mevlin's going on a really big adventure this January, since he's home with me for J-Term. Plus, you have to admit that his little costumes have been pretty adorable. Although I'm a huge fan of all of them, I do think this Captain Hook one was my favorite, more because of the boat in the back and that hat than the fact that he was Captain Hook. Just wait until this next semester - Melvin's got plenty of new costumes to come! 

Sunday, November 16, 2014: Day 685: Lizzie Watches Her Vlogs

And for a second bonus post, I had to include this fun post I did in combination with my Twitter back in November. I really don't watch my vlogs often once they're edited and posted to YouTube, but I definitely think this will be happening again in the future. After all, watching all my vlogs is basically like watching a really long, really weird movie, so why not!?! 

So there you have it...the second half of 2014. It's honestly been a really great year, but guess what? I get to save all that mushy stuff for the last post of the year. Big announcements are coming, and I couldn't be more excited! Thanks for joining me for another year of Everyday Disney and if you fancy, you're more than welcome to go back and read my all-time favorite blog posts throughout the past two years by using those links at the beginning of this one! 

Have a magical day!

Day 552: Half of 2014

Every half of the year brings something new, aside from almost 200 days of blog posts, making it the perfect time to stop and go back through all of them and pick out a few favorites. I've done this twice before, once last July, which you can find HERE on Day 182, and once more at the end of the year, found HERE on Day 363. Basically, I pick out one blog post from each month as my favorite and then make that into a whole new blog post to celebrate another half of the year gone by. It's odd to be doing this for the third time though. Where do the days go?

Sunday, January 26, 2014: Day 391: Colin O'Donoghue

January wasn't a terribly interesting month, as it turns out. I mean, my parents went on a trip to Florida, but mostly I spent my days sitting at home watching How I Met Your Month (I watched 8 seasons over my month break from college and I'm not terribly proud of it). But January does bring the birthday of one of my favorite actors! You know, I made the OUAT Meme Post a few months later, and for the longest time I was certain that I had the following GIF on that post. I was wrong...but I found it again.

I present you with: Colin doing the funky worm (yes funky. There is no other kind).

I wished him a happy birthday that day, and little did I know that months later he would do the same thing for me (although technically in order of posts, that hasn't happened yet. Check out July 15, 2014 if you haven't gotten that far so you can understand what I'm talking about). 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014: Day 415: Disney Deja Vu

I can't believe that was only in January, as it feels like it was a lot longer ago than that. It feels like this post should be included in 2013, not 2014. Either way, back on February 19 I led an exciting discussion about how air, train whistles, open windows, construction, saxophones and wind ensemble reminded me of Disney in some very odd ways. It continues to happen in my daily life, and I believe that somewhere along the line there was a second Disney Deja Vu post, simply because I find new moments where my life just feels like Disney all the time. 

Thursday, March 20, 2014: Day 444: Magical People

Smack Dab in the middle of my March Disney Trip, I included a post about all the wonderful people I had the incredible opportunity to meet. Not going to lie, I was very fortunate with coming across people I knew or wanted to meet in March, from Flynn Rider to Maxwell Glick!

Monday, April 14, 2014: Day 469: The Jolly Roger

I'm including this post not as much because it was a wonderful post as much as because it always makes me laugh. I was going through the hundreds of pictures that have been featured on this blog (which thankfully they're in chronological order!) and there's this section in the middle that's just Hook, Hook and more HOOK. Why? Because that one episode of OUAT where I took like 100 screen shots. Yeah, I did go a bit overboard. 

It was an emotional episode. 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014: Day 498: The Memes of OUAT

I know, I know, we're getting really OUAT heavy here, and I get that. I really do. In fact, I wasn't going to even include this one on the first half post, but I just had to. I mean, seriously, I think this page is almost always up on my phone because I go and find the memes from that page so I can send them to people from my phone. 

I'm trying to decide which Memes to include here and even that's hard...alright, we'll go with this one: 

Granted, does it really surprise you that so many of these feature OUAT? I mean, after all...

Wednesday, June 25, 2014: Day 541: A Dream Come True

I won't lie. I'm pretty sure that of all the blog posts I've written, this was not only one of the most difficult, but also the most important. It might be the most important blog post I've ever written, period because it was about the most important day of my life. I can say without a doubt that there's not a day I've been happier than June 25, 2014, because that was the day I got to march down Main Street U.S.A, the day I got to show my best friend Magic Kingdom, the day I got to fulfill my lifelong dream and the day that five years of very hard work finally paid off. 

There were certainly a lot of moments leading up to and following that day that made it seem like maybe it wasn't everything I'd hoped, and there's always going to probably be a significant part of me that denies any of it ever happened, but it did, and therefore it's on this list. I wish I could relive it over and over again, and while maybe I can't quite do that completely, I certainly can reflect back on the best day of my entire life. 

Friday, June 27, 2014: Day 543: The Final Trip

I always throw in a bonus day at the end of these posts, and this one was pretty easy to pick. The SHS Band Trip to Walt Disney World was my fifth and last adventure with the group, and I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, no matter how difficult some portions of it became. I learned a lot from the entire experience, and it changed my life, as you'll know from the last one I shared, Day 541. 

I do find it funny though, the fact that that trip lasted a total of 6 days, but by the time everything was finished I had wayyy more than 6 posts, simply because there was just so much that happened during those few days. And of course, more important than anything else, it spurred the decision for my two best friends to return with us to Walt Disney World in January, and I could not be more excited for that. 

Thank goodness there's a whole other half a year before the next one of these posts (although since I'm writing this in October, I'm really only two months away from that. Goodness that's scary!) 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 30).

Day 366: Here We Are

Sooo...do I start the blog posts with Day 1 or what? I guess I've decided that I'm just going to keep going up because that's a heck of a lot easier than going 1-365 again. I mean when you get in the middle you get lost and everything anyway so what's the point? If I get behind I'll have to make a big document and everything no matter what, plus it might be kind of cool to continue this for years to come and get to day like 1000. That would be epic.

I guess this continuing thing means that I'm in for another year of blogging. It's kind of funny to think that a year ago I was telling myself that I was going to do this blog for a year, and now I'm here having done it. I'm pretty sure even I thought I was crazy back then, and I probably was, but I got it done, just as I'll continue for another year. I was debating stopping a few weeks ago (at the end of the year of course), when I was still at college, and I said to my roommate "I just don't think I could stop." This blog is too much of a part of my life for me to stop now. It would be like giving up halfway through a game...although I guess now we're just in overtime.

But I said a lot of that yesterday already, so there's no need to be sentimental. For now, let's talk about the future of the blog. I may have been able to tell myself a year ago that I was going to blog every day for a year and do it, but that doesn't mean that I actually accomplish everything I set out to do. So maybe that's really my new New Year's Resolution...I want to accomplish everything on this blog post and more. Seems fair enough, doesn't it? Yeah, I think so. We'll call them missions, and then throughout the year I could add more or something and when I actually complete one I can say "Mission 1 Accomplished."

To be honest I just want to say "Mission Accomplished."

Mission 1

A year ago or so, one of the things I said I wanted to do on the blog was "Featured Attractions." I talked about this idea on Day 4, believe it or not, and described it as such: "I always thought it would be a longer blog post when I have time, featuring a brief history of the attraction, my own personal description of it and a video if there is one." It was supposed to be this thing where I would use my own pictures and talk about the attraction and my favorite parts about it and so on and so forth, one a week, but it never actually happened. To be honest I never even wrote ONE Featured Attraction post.

So why is that? I know a year ago I had it all planned out by the month and everything, how every Monday I would do one of these (although we know now that Monday's are Once days...so maybe it'll be like Saturday or something). What I hope to accomplish with these posts exactly I have no idea, but I assume eventually I'll come up with a basic template that I'll follow, kind of like what I do for my series posts right now. Plus, maybe it'll help me when I get around to making stuff for the band trip!

Mission 2

All of last year (minus January), I did the Daily Disney History. And that's all fun and games and so on and so forth. It was a good time (although it often times took me a couple of hours just to write up the history each month), but I just don't know if I want to do that again. Plus, there are a couple of days throughout the year where it's like "Nothing really interesting happened, and now I already used the one already even remotely interesting thing last year...so I can't use that again."

But I still wanted to do something similar. When I was debating the other day what this "something" was, I decided that I would attempt a "Daily Disney Fact" or "Daily Disney Did You Know" or something. You won't find one on tonight's post because that's on my list of things to check out tomorrow, but I'm going to do it on a trial run throughout January for sure. Following that who knows what will happen, but if it works out this month I hope to continue it throughout the entire year.

Mission 3

I've been debating it for a while, and I don't know on what scale it will happen, but you'll see a bit of a redesign coming up in the next few months. It takes a lot to manage one of these blogs, believe it or not, but I want to make mine the best it can possibly be. Now, there are a lot of websites that I go to and use all the time. Ones that I look at for Disney News, the Website where I get Disney History, Books and so on and so forth, and they all should get some credit here too.

What I'm saying is that over the next few weeks you'll start to see new pages, hopefully. I am looking to include an archive and new links to my different pages and maybe even a complete overhaul of the site (although I love how it looks right now so that's probably not going to happen...at least not on a super large scale). Along with a page for crediting others, there might be one specifically on me, on how the blog started and stuff like that, plus who knows what else. You get the idea though.

To be totally honest I don't have anything else at the moment...but if everything works out, along with those other pages you'll see one with my "Missions" for the year. Like I said, it seems like a good way to spice things up around here, especially since it can kind of drag once and a while when it's like "I went to class...I did my homework...I came back and went to sleep." That really is sometimes my life, and other times I could write three blog posts just on what happened in one day.

If you have any ideas for missions, please let me know! I'm up for just about anything, and it doesn't have to be specifically on this blog. Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, I'll take tons of challenges. The only rule? It has to have to do with Disney...and I guess I technically have to be able to blog about it. It'll be fun!

I do know, however, that the year ahead will be a spectacular one. This spring semester I'll be taking a class on Classic and Contemporary Fairytales, so you'll be seeing more book reviews (and yes, if there is a Disney movie that relates I fully intend to watch it). I've got not one but TWO Disney World trips ahead of me this year, one of which will be 100% unlike any trip I have taken thus far. And who knows what else.

But no matter what, I do know that it will be a future that we will take, and make, together. =)

Have a magical day, and HAPPY 2014!