Day 1310: I'll Be Back

I always find leaving Disney World to be sort of ridiculous...in more ways than one. For starters, it's ridiculous, honestly, that I get so upset walking out of a park I've been to probably over a hundred times (we're talking about Epcot here people), and I know for a fact that I'll walk there hundreds times more. It's ridiculous because, as I left Epcot, I was thinking about Fastpasses for our next trip, reservations which I could make only hours after returning home. It's ridiculous because this isn't like walking out of my house for the last time, or leaving yet another dorm room or apartment behind as I move somewhere else. This is a Disney Park, filled with thousands of people, heated to the brim in the scorching Florida sun, and ever changing, whether we like it or not. 

And yet, from the second I take a step beyond the main entrance gates, or any gates for that same matter, a certain somberness takes over. It doesn't matter if I'm unsure when I'll be back or if I know I have another trip scheduled in two months, it's always the same. While I'm better at not crying when I leave these days, it doesn't mean I don't want to, and after this trip I spent the majority of the ride to the airport wondering why this happens...and how in the world we get it to stop. 

I'm fairly certain that we'll never stop missing Disney when we're hundreds of miles away. Gosh, even those who live nearby probably get to missing the parks from time to time, and when the only solution is to go back, we're sort of out of options other than to start planning another trip and not-so-patiently count down the days that pass by much too slowly. 

It's also ridiculous though because, really, why are we leaving Disney in the first place? No one can live there permanently, obviously, but it's that exact reason that I'm pretty sure there's no where else in the world I'd want to work. That feeling, of never wanting to leave and not feeling at home anywhere else, is the exact reason I know there's only one place I can spend the rest of my life working...even if, technically, I'll still have to leave Epcot at the end of the day. 

But if anyone figures out a way for me to live at Epcot, let me know. 

Have a magical day!

Day 449: Sights, Sounds & Smells

If I thought I had Disney Deja Vu and Disney Depression BEFORE I left, gosh do I have it now. Like, I have to force myself to work on my blog or on editing vlogs just because it's like...I don't know. I guess I feel like I'm still in Disney mode...if that's a thing. I keep thinking I'm somewhere other than here. Things smell like Disney, or look like Disney, or sound like Disney. Things just FEEL like Disney, and I don't know what to do with it at all.

Like a few weeks ago I did talk about Disney Deja Vu, and listed stuff like Train Whistles and Air and Construction sounds as things that remind me of Disney, and yes, they still do. The stupid construction outside every morning has me thinking there's a bus stop right outside my window. But now we've got things simply like when I walk to get my coffee, I feel like I'm actually at Old Key West. I have friends that are like "How was your trip!" and then we end up having a long conversation about how much we miss Disney.

Oh yeah, it's most certainly getting bad. Plus, when you're stuck in Disney Depression right after your trip you just don't feel like doing anything. I was talking to Max just this morning about how you just don't want to work, despite the fact that you're really far behind and have so much to do. But like I said, it's just interesting to try and do stuff like edit videos from Florida, because you FEEL like you're there, and that just makes things really hard. Because you're not there, and all you want to do is go back.

On a similar note, I really have eaten so much BBQ sauce in the last week just because it smells like Spaceship Earth that it's literally ridiculous. Like why is that happening? And apparently I just can't listen to my Disney music at the moment because it drives me insane. No. I need to listen to either Once or Saving Mr. Banks or Jazz or something, because I JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR MY PARKS MUSIC!

Life...without Disney...is a real struggle people. Now all I have to look forward to is Once Upon A Time on Sundays. That's about it. And the band trip I suppose. But mostly OUAT. Sigh.

Have a magical day!

Day 447: Back to the Cold

You know Elsa, maybe you should just stop with this eternal winter.

Seriously though, coming back from Florida to the awful cold of Wisconsin was not a fun transition. I literally walked out of the airport, wearing my Epcot Sweatshirt, a leather jacket and the rest of my clothes from Florida (I was smart and changed into full length Jeans back in Orlando) and all I could say was "Bloody Hell."

Yeah, it's cold up here, which can only mean one thing. I want to go back to Disney. But let's take a few moments to reflect on my trip as a whole, since there's plenty I could talk about that I haven't...or ever will I suppose.

I did enjoy my five days home. I really did. It was sometimes hard to distract myself from the fact that the next time I'm there I'll be there with my high school band, and that trip is causing me more problems than it is solutions and happiness. But I was able to find a silver lining: The next time I ride Spaceship Earth it will be with my best friend sitting next to me, and that's kind of weird to think about considering I've wanted her to come with me for years and it just hasn't happened, and we were starting to think it never would. So it just makes for a really awesome thought. That I finally get to bring my friends along to experience even just a little bit of my home with me. It will be a stressful trip, but they never fail to remind me that it's my trip too, and I deserve a chance to relax just as much as, if not more than, anyone else in the group.

I am a little sad that I didn't get to see as much of the Flower and Garden Festival as I wanted to. In fact, I really only got to try one of the special foods: The Bacon Cupcake. You all knew I wouldn't be able to resist that one. It was pretty good, considering it was a cupcake with bacon in it and that's just a weird thought to get over. I mean, it's not like we had a ton of chances though, with meals all the time and going from park to park. In fact, other than our first and last day, we were always in more than one park each day. It just gets to be a lot if you ask me. Granted, we're Parkhoppers by blood, so I suppose not. But it's still a lot of going back and forth, especially when you have to either walk or take the bus all the time. You get through it though.

Other than that, there were a ton of great moments on this trip, especially considering it was only 5 days. I actually have over 6 hours of video to get through, both for band stuff and for my vlogs, and there's tons of pictures I'll have to get through sometime soon so I can put them on my phone and then on Instagram as time goes on. I also learned a ton of awesome stuff when it comes to My Magic Plus, and I've got a few surprises thrown in for the band too, if they'll be so kind as to let me help them. I really did a learn a lot, and it's amazing to see what the My Magic Plus system can do. I really am in awe at some of the enhancements they've made, and I can't wait to see the whole thing rolled out and mostly bug free. That will be a grand day indeed.

Here are a few last random pictures from my trip!

Have a magical day!

Day 446: The Cold Hard Truth

Much to all of our dismay, there always comes a time that we must leave Walt Disney World, or Disneyland, or whatever Disney Destination we prefer. Back in July I did write a blog post about how terrible it is to leave Disney, and the funniest part is it's hard to talk about it beyond saying "I HATE IT OUT HERE, LET ME GO BACK!" Or "I MISS HOME SO MUCH!" or "TAKE ME BACK TO DISNEY WORLD RIGHT NOW."

Yep, those seem to be the natural responses of Disney fans when they return...to where it is they came from. You can't really say you return home, because for the most of us, returning home means going to Disney, so when you leave Disney it's like leaving home. In fact, it's funny because when I was down there this trip I couldn't help but think about it. I didn't cry when I left home for College, and I only cried a little bit when I left my High School Band (although I guess technically I'm still there a little bit. I still have the band trip to look forward to). But no matter how many times I go or how old I get or however long I was there, I cry when I leave Disney. Every. Single. Time. Because you really are leaving home. It's a home that we all have, but we just aren't at for most of the year.

Which leads me to the other half of today's topic: home. I had another interesting revelation on this trip. When I step foot in a Disney Park, it's like walking through the front door. It's incredibly natural for me. I can picture everything perfectly in my head at any time, as if when I walk back to my dorm tonight and open my door, Disney World is what's waiting on the other side instead of my small room. It's just a kind of funny feeling, because I really do know exactly where I am and where I want to go and everything. I feel like I'm home.

In other words, it feels 100% natural for me to be there. That's not really a feeling I have anywhere else. You just feel like you belong there, as if you're a part of the park and of the magic. I'm not sure if everyone feels that way, but I sure do, and I think a lot of my fellow Disney fans will agree with me. When you grow up with something like Disney it's a part of you just as much as you're a part of it. And when we aspire to become Cast Members someday to make people happy, because that's what we love and because we want to make the experience just as magical for someone else as someone did for us, we're only adding to the experience, on both our end and their's.

So no wonder leaving Disney is so painful. It's like a part of you is only with you for a few days, and then you're ripped away again. Frustrating stuff if you ask me. Don't worry though, since there were so many of us down at Disney within the period of like a couple weeks, we can all fight this Disney Depression together.

Pictures from my final day at Disney:

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 27 due to Midterms and Travel).