Day 1467: Grilled Cheese

A shorter post today, but one of my favorite social media events is finally back! 

A couple of years ago, Jennifer Morrison started a social media "event" called 101 Smiles, where she, along with her fans, would post a picture a day of something that made them smile for 101 days. Being the huge Once Upon A Time fan I was (and still am), I of course jumped on the train, and participated in both the inaugural 101 Smiles and the sequel in late 2015. When the smiles didn't return for the fall of 2016, I had to admit that I was disappointed, so when I logged on Twitter today and found that the campaign was beginning again, I couldn't have been more excited! 

The idea is simple. Every day you post a picture on Twitter of something that made you smile that day and tag it with #101Smiles. That's it. It's simple, and after two years of participating, I know for a fact that posting just one thing that made you smile each day greatly increases your overall positivity, and that means it's a great way to start out 2017! 

For today's smile, I happened to go for lunch at Culver's with one of my best friends, and she suggested that we have Grilled Cheese and Onion Rings, which just happens to be Emma Swan's favorite meal on Once Upon A Time. I agreed and we chatted over our food, taking pictures to tag on Twitter for our first smile! Jennifer Morrison herself even favorited Frank's picture on Twitter! As for my picture, I think you'll all recognize the bit of Disney I threw in just to create an extra smile! 

I can't wait to see what kinds of smiles the next 100 days will bring, and you can follow along with my smile journey on both my Instagram and Twitter accounts! Otherwise, I encourage you to join in! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1458: Photo Spot Favorites

Disney World is a absolutely one of the best places in the world to explore photography, and so many of us do. My family has been taking pictures of Walt Disney World since...well, pretty much forever...and I've picked up on the habit. Usually you'll find me with a video camera in my hand, but I'm constantly taking pictures on my phone, and on occasion, you'll find me borrowing one of my parents' cameras as well. Plus, I love the Disney Instagram community, which has really only increased my love of photography over the past few years. 

That being said, I couldn't help but think back recently to a challenge I did in 2013. Inspired by several lists I'd seen on the internet of "Must Take Disney World Photos," I compiled a list of over 100 pictures to take on my trip in July of 2013, and so the Official July 2013 Disney Challenge began. After pinning more than a few Disney World pictures on Pinterest over the past week, I also realized that something like this would be sort of fun to do again...with a twist. 

The lists I compiled for 2013 were based on internet lists of a similar fashion, but they're all really stereotypical. We all take pictures of the castle and Spaceship Earth and the list goes on, but there are some pictures out there just waiting to be found. Take the Purple Wall for instance, which has literally been at Magic Kingdom for years but just recently (and suddenly) became an must-see for most Disney Instagrammers. Plus, I'm a big fan of really exploring the nooks and crannies of Walt Disney World - and finding the little spots that we never knew existed, so a new photo challenge seems like a great idea. 

Which is where all of my followers come in. Similar to what I did in May with my choose my adventure idea (and that video is slowly coming!), I figure the best way to find the best spots is to ask the best people I know! So in the comments below or through a tweet or something, let me know a few of the photo spots I should check out on my upcoming trip! Give me a challenging idea for how or where to take a picture (although remember that it must, in some way, be possible. I'm not about to climb to the top of Spaceship Earth, no matter how fun that sounds). Give me a suggestion for that one picture you always have to take, or one that you always forget to take! And just to make things easier, here's a Google Form you can fill out with your suggestion: https://goo.gl/forms/ZHWR97OJRJHvFSRL2

I'm pretty excited to see what you all come up with, and while I'm in Florida be sure to follow along on my Instagram to see some of the pictures! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1382: Camera Flash

At the conclusion of each trip, I'm frequently found going through the pictures from the various cameras that went with us, and eventually I share some of my favorite shots here on Everyday Disney. It's always interesting to see the differences in style, topic, and view between my parents, brother, and I, but ultimately we just all love photography! So here are some of my favorites from our October trip to Walt Disney World:

Personally, I'm a huge fan of candid photos, some of which you can see above. There's certainly a difference between a candid and a posed photo, as the former really gives you a better idea of what's really going on. It's real life, and a look at what really happens behind the scenes on Disney trips, because believe it or not, there's stuff I cut out of even my vlogs. 

Plus, pictures are just plain fun to look at down the road! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1313: All The Others

Per usual, after a Disney trip, I share a few of my favorite pictures from my time in the parks, especially pictures that won't otherwise be shared since they may not fit a specific topic. So, without me rambling any further, here are a few of my favorite pictures: 

I don't frequently grab one of the real cameras, aka my parents' DSLRs, but I had enough sense to bring along Dad's on my solo trip this July. While I didn't use it until the last day, it's obvious to me that some of my favorite pictures were taken with his camera, despite the fact that I only used it for a couple of hours. There's just something refreshing about the sound of a real camera in comparison to an iPhone, wouldn't you agree? 

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!