Day 1660: Why the DCP?

Now that I've finally announced my big news about participating in the Disney College Program this fall, we can get started with the myriad of topics relating to the experience, even if I haven't actually arrived at Disney yet! In fact, you wouldn't believe just how much of an experience the months leading up to the Disney College Program can be, from deciding to apply to the application process to roommate gifts and a packing list. There's a lot to cover, and some of it comes long before applications drop. 

I first learned about the Disney College Program well before I was even looking at colleges to attend in the fall of 2013. As far as I can remember, the first time I really decided that maybe I'd like to look into doing the program was during an included breakfast on a tour at Animal Kingdom my Dad and I took years ago. We ended up being the only ones on the tour and spent a good portion of the meal discussing the college program and professional internships with our tour guide. Of course, I'm not sure I was truly serious about it back then, because it wasn't until my senior year of high school that I really decided that I wanted to pursue a career with the Disney company, but it's still important to note that for some, dreams of the Disney College Program go pretty far back. 

Now, whenever I tell people I'm going to go work for Disney as a part of the DCP, it's almost guaranteed that they'll ask me what that's about. By definition, the Disney College Program is a semester-long paid internship at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Students work in a front-line role at the theme parks and resorts, participate in college-level coursework, and live in company-sponsored housing with other students from around the globe. Applicants must be enrolled in a college or university during the semester prior to participation, meaning you can graduate from college and participate the following semester (which is what I'm doing), and for those who are heading back to school at the conclusion of their program, college credit may be available. 

Knowing I wanted to do the program, I immediately asked the study abroad rep at my college during my freshman orientation, only to find out that, unfortunately, my school does not award credit for doing the program, meaning that I'd basically take a semester off to go to Florida or complete a full semester of classes online in addition to the workload in the parks. In addition, as a Music Performance major, I was required to take lessons every semester, meaning I would have had to find a way to take lessons while away to stay on track. 

This left me with one option: put all my eggs in one basket and apply for the college program for the semester after graduation. I'll say with complete honesty that it felt like jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge in regards to the risk I was taking. I had no plans whatsoever if the DCP fell through, not wanting to waste hundreds of dollars on applications for grad school if I was going to pursue Disney instead. I felt like I had a pretty good shot of getting accepted, but I have a friend who is perfectly suited for the Disney College Program who was in the same boat as me, applying for the semester after she graduated, and she didn't get in. It's a risk, it's terrifying, but if it's something you really want to do, absolutely just go for it. 

If you want to apply for a semester in the midst of your college career, apply early. Some are accepted the first time through, and some apply four or five times with no luck, so since you can start applying during your first semester (to participate your second semester), start right away. You never know what will happen! 

If you're in the same boat as me, jumping into a sea of sharks, know that the Disney College Program is incredibly competitive, and many use it as a jumping off point to start a further career with Disney. That means that, for those of us applying for after graduation, you have to make sure you stand out from everyone else. Because I knew that I wouldn't be able to apply until my final semester, I spent my four years of college building on the foundation I'd set and gaining relevant experience. I did my research and looked at what roles might fit me best, and then sought out opportunities that would make me a better candidate. In fact, almost everything I've done over the past four years has been with the DCP in mind, and while it won't guarantee you'll get in, it certainly won't hurt because even if you don't, it'll make you more qualified for whatever the next step after graduation ends up being. 

For more information on the Disney College Program, check out the official website, and check in every Wednesday for a new blog post focused on my DCP Experience! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1561: Literary Parents

I was supposed to write this blog post for my Creative Writing seminar a week ago, but then life got in the way and it never happened. I did, on the other hand, think pretty deeply about the answer to the question we used as a prompt - Who are your literary parents? - and as I like to say, better late than never! 

Honestly though, I initially had no clue about how to answer the question at hand. While I've been an avid reader and writer my entire life, there isn't anyone in particular that's inspired me to the point where I'd single them out as a "literary parent." Well, I suppose, with the exception of Walt Disney and the writers behind some of our favorite animated films. And if we're citing Walt as a literary parent in regards to fairy tales, we really should be citing the writers of the original stories, and that's where things get deep. 

One could say that I don't know precisely who my literary parents are because it's unlikely anyone knows who they are. If the root of my literary background stems from fairy tales, my literary parents are sort of like those long-lost relatives someone might try and search out on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? In the fairy tale tradition, many of the stories we know and love are simply transcriptions from oral fairy tales that were passed down through the centuries. Unfortunately, no one apparently found it important to write the names of the storytellers down, or dig up information as to where the tales came from before that, so much of the knowledge has been lost or destroyed. Aka, a tough break for those of us trying to figure out where our literary parents are. 

Of course, some of them are definitive. There are some fairy tales, many fairy tales actually, created by the author that's listed on the front cover, such as Hans Christian Anderson or modern day fairy tale writer Emma Donoghue. Plus, my writing style has certainly been impacted by the show Once Upon A Time, so you could also say that the creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, along with their army of writers, have earned a spot on my list of literary parents as well, but the point still stands. No on in particular jumps out as the literary parent, and here's an additional thought as to why that may be: 

Somewhere out there, there's a quote that talks about how we're influenced by every person we meet, even if it's only a small influence or, perhaps, no apparent influence at all. I'm not entirely sure it would be fair to say that if you'd never interacted or "randomly stood next to each other and didn't even notice each other that one time" that you entire life would change, but fate does seem to work in mysterious ways. Regardless, if you apply this theory to literature, you could say that every author I've ever read is one of my literary parents, because they've all impacted me in some way. Some may have made a major impact, like the authors of fairy tales, and some may play only a minor role, like the authors of the books I read but don't remember reading in middle school, but the important part is that they all, in one way or another, have influenced my writing. 

So who are my literary parents? I'd say everyone, and while that may seem a bit messed up biologically, this isn't a science class, so who cares? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1529: Reading For Fun

Our prompt this week for Creative Writing Seminar is to write about something we've been reading lately, or have read, outside of class that has either inspired us or put us off. If I was lying, I'd probably go on some rant about how much I enjoyed reading The Martian this past summer and how it really impacted me emotionally and reminded me just how much I love reading (although, is suppose, that wouldn't be all that distant from the truth). However, as Pinocchio taught me, I must not tell a lie, and that means that I have to be honest about the fact that I haven't had a lot of time for reading lately. Aside from my regular schoolwork, all my spare time has gone to rehearsing for Knights on Broadway, which leaves in just a couple of days to perform in Florida, or practicing my pieces for my recital, which is quickly approaching in just over a month. So yeah, not a lot of time to spare. Unless I learn how to dance while reading. That could be fun. 

I suppose I do  have that giant and ever-growing stack of books that resides on the bottom shelf of my bedside table, which features novels and memoirs I've been intending to read and may finally dig into sometime this upcoming summer (that's probably wishful thinking though). Still, even as I think back to what I've read over the past few years (which, as I said, isn't much), nothing really stands out to me as important in some way. Actually, it's almost as though I can't remember any book I've ever read (except, apparently, The Martian and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?). So no, I suppose I don't have an answer to the question about which book I particularly enjoyed or didn't enjoy, and maybe that says something interesting in itself. 

A significant portion of my life has been spent reading, and there are days when I want nothing more than to curl up on my balcony or in a comfy chair with some tea, a blanket, and some excellent music just so I can spend an evening reading the latest hardcover or paperback I've picked up. However, with being a full time college student, recently those books have been more in the realm of Shakespeare plays I'm reading for my independent study rather than something for fun (not that Shakespeare isn't fun). It's still reading, yes, and I can definitely still curl up with a blanket and some tea, but there's still a difference between reading for enjoyment and reading about the typical range of your average Bb Trumpet. 

It is important to note, however, that I typically bring books with me when I'm traveling. I almost always buy a new one before I leave, because there's always ample time for me to do nothing but read while sitting at an airport or on a plane. It's like time automatically set aside for reading. Unless, of course, I manage to finish my book before I even get on the plane. Then we have a problem. Coincidentally, I've also been known to do some of my best writing on planes, so perhaps I should be reconsidering my life choices and spending more time at airports and less time on the couch in my living room. The goods news here is that I'll be traveling within the next 48 hours (I'll actually be in Florida 48 hours from now), so perhaps I might actually get some reading and writing done then. 

None of this has been a description of a book that's influenced me though, mostly because I still can't recall most of what I've read in the past couple of years. It's amazing how your memory will fail you like that. So I'll just go with a blanket answer - it's not as much about what I've read recently or in my life as much as it's about why I've read. Reading (and writing) have been important parts of my life for almost as long as I can remember, reaching all the way back to reading a children's book called The Ghost Family Meets Its Match in my parents' closet every other week (the library wouldn't let me check it out more frequently than that), and all the reading that has shaped me into the book-loving English major I am today. Plus, there's definitely something to be said about all the wonderful books that inspired Disney movies over the years, because yes, this is still a Disney blog and I have to relate it somehow. Just think, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, or Cinderella wouldn't exist if not for the fairy tales they're based on. Even films such as 101 Dalmatians and Mary Poppins are derived from the pages of a book, and those films have definitely inspired me throughout my life, so there you go. 

Which means that the answer to the initial question, about what I've read that has impacted me in some way, lies somewhere in between The Ghost Family Meets Its Match and Mary Poppins, although to be fair, I've never actually read Mary Poppins. 

I should probably get on that. 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1512: A Significant Moment

It's time for another blog post focused on my Creative Writing Seminar, although since I haven't had a chance to write another blog post since the last piece focusing on the class, it's almost as though no time has passed at all. Regardless, this week we've been challenged to discuss an important moment in our writing history, and, for me at least, there are few moments that could top the stirrings of Everyday Disney back in late 2012.

Prior to January 2013, and really prior to later that year, blogging had never been my strong suit. The most I'd written in the blog post category could be found in the expectations section of any number of high school syllabi, and that meant that even the first few months of constant blogging were pretty rough, although that's not why starting Everyday Disney takes the cake on my list of significant writing moments.

Like many of my peers, I can definitely recall moments as a kid where I'd make little books out of blank paper and a few staples or where I'd seek out a spare notebook from the depths of my basement to scribble in. I'd typically write stories about dogs, probably from the dog's point of view, but what can I say? I watched a lot of Air Bud as a kid...and I really wanted a dog. I suppose one could suggest that these early days were important because it gave me an opportunity to explore my imagination, but in the overall scheme of things, that just wasn't the most significant part of my writing journey, and that's okay.

Fast forward to my high school years, where, amongst all that horrible blogging, I discovered not particularly that I liked writing as much as it just came naturally to me. I can still recall sitting in an Intro to Business class, of all places, happily typing away at a paper or letter we had to write for an assignment, and my friends, who sat on either side of me, commenting on just how quickly I was moving along. I figured they just meant my typing, because I've always been notoriously fast and loud at typing, but in reality they were talking about the actual writing I was doing. In a trend that would continue throughout the remainder of my high school years, where my peers would struggle with what to say on an in-class essay or any essay in general, I'd quite contently work my way down each page, writing, writing, and writing some more.

By the start of my senior year, I was locked in an internal debate about what I'd major in when I headed to college the following fall. I knew I was good at writing, and I knew I liked writing, but I also knew that music would be a good fit for me, and history was constantly knocking at the door as well. But trying to achieve a triple major sounded like a horrible idea, so I did the best I could and dropped the official major for History in favor of focusing on English and Music. That decision wouldn't have come, however, without Everyday Disney.

To this day, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking in the last few weeks of 2012 that made me so eager to write a blog post a day for an entire year. It was a lot of work, I'd be going through a lot of changes, the internet at my house was slower than a turtle on a bad day, and I had no prior experience with blogging. Little did I know that there was one day to fix at least a few of those problems. Blogging every day was, at first, really difficult and taxing. It still is on some days, especially now as I head into the fifth year and frequently struggle with coming up with brand new topics that I have yet to cover, but the more I blogged, the easier it became. Because of the consistency of writing a daily blog, I was able to keep writing even when it seemed like my muse was floating away, and that's a lesson you can only learn through continuous writing. You have to push through it, and I wouldn't know that without my daily blog. In addition, I've gained writing experience, found a voice of my own, expanded my vocabulary, learned what it means to write professionally on a regular basis, meet deadlines, and continue to pump enthusiasm into posts even when you're writing them at 11 pm on a Monday night and all you want to do is go to bed.

Was Everyday Disney the only important moment in my writing journey? Goodness no, and to be honest it doesn't have all that much to do with creative writing specifically, because there are plenty of other elements at play there, but when it comes to my writing as a whole, I'm incredibly thankful that 17-year-old me decided to start a daily blog about Disney...even if I'm behind for what seems to be the hundredth time.

Until tomorrow...or the next Creative Writing Seminar blog post,

Have a magical day!

Day 1451: Out of Touch

I must say that this semester has been an absolute whirlwind. With five classes, six ensembles, three jobs, three honor society presidencies, volunteer work, Bible study, homework, writing for The Odyssey Online, practicing, and time with family and friends, I've been lucky to eat two meals a day and sleep more than five or six hours. That being said, it's probably pretty obvious that Everyday Disney is a bit behind. It's not for lack of thought, but simply lack of time and energy to write anything more than I had to. Two of my classes were English courses, meaning they were writing intensive, and that's just scratching the surface. 

But to be honest, I've missed writing for this blog. I've fallen drastically behind in everything Disney related actually, and it almost feels like something's missing. I've seen the movies, which will have reviews up soon, and I've definitely been planning here and there for my upcoming trip in January, but overall, I'm behind. Even when I'm not actively writing for the blog, I'm usually going through the Disney news in my feed, but I haven't even done that. 

Which would be why I'm spending an obnoxious amount of time going way back through my feed trying desperately to figure out what I've missed over the past few months. Aside from the big news like the announcement of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, the premieres of Rogue One and Moana, and the good old Christmas at Disney Announcements, what's really been going on? 

I hate feeling out of touch, and right now, that's where I am. But the good news is that the semester is over, and now I have the rest of the year and into next year to catch things back up around here. Whether or not Everyday Disney will be back to 100% before the end of the year, I'm not too sure, but it will be soon, and as we head into the new year, and the fifth year of Everyday Disney, I'm going to turn back to my roots, because now that I have my life somewhat figured out and back on track, I think it's about time to return to the blog, because I've missed it, and I've missed talking to all of you! 

Get ready for lots of updates here at Everyday Disney and on my YouTube channel, where new vlogs will be appearing soon! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1450: KOB

Yep, that's me you see in the above picture, and yes, I'm singing. Honestly I don't think I believe it yet either, even though I just completed my first ever six show run with the St. Norbert College Knights on Broadway. 

A year ago, almost to the day (December 2015 was a big month for me in the change and important life event department), I became the newest KOGroupie. Before last year's show, I was sort of in a bad place. With emotions running high from roommate difficulties, I'd spent the week studying for finals and commuting to school, and by Friday I really needed a break. Earlier that day, one of the members of KOB happened to instruct me on exactly where to sit for the show that night. I did as he told me, and part way through the show it led to a (not-so) spontaneous dance that literally made my entire week so much better. For those couple of minutes, I forgot all about my roommates and the problems we'd been having, and I was happier than I'd been in quite some time. I left that show wanting to see more, and went from the average fan of Knights on Broadway to their biggest fan. 

My love of the student group only grew in the following months, all leading up to August when I was watching The Sound of Music in my living room and decided that maybe I wanted to audition for the group. After all, audition information had just been posted, and I had a few weeks to really figure things out. After talking it over with a few of my friends, I ended up going in and talking to the director and soon found myself the newest member of Knights on Broadway (after an audition and callbacks, of course). 

The rest is a story from another blog post, but now that we've ended our Christmas show, I'm so thankful I decided to audition. It was a huge step for me, especially considering the fact that I haven't really been in a vocal group since middle school. My singing has extended little beyond my car and my church for the past 8 years, so this was all entirely new for me. 

But I loved every last second of it. Over the past year, I've struggled with finding where I belong. My friends have changed more than a few times, I've moved several times, traveled all over the country, and gotten drastically behind in blog posts and YouTube videos, but as I was singing a mash up of "Silent Night," "O Holy Night," and "Hallelujah" with KOB this past weekend, I finally felt like I belong. These people don't force me to be anything I'm not, and quite honestly, I've never been more confident in who I am. I've found a new familiarity with the stage that I've never had before, was reminded why I love music so much, was encouraged to look past obstacles and pursue what I really want, and found myself a part of a new family that I wouldn't trade for anything. 

Auditioning for Knights on Broadway is absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, the best thing I've ever done in college. I've never felt more at home, and I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. This group, which I once thought I'd never be a part of in my wildest dreams, has given me more than I could ever ask for, and I can't wait for the new adventures we'll have in the spring. 

Which, may I add, includes a little trip to Florida, and perhaps, a dash of Disney. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1397: Perry

It's time again for another round of "That Thing in Class That Mysteriously Related to Disney!" 

This time it was in Intro to Computer Programming, which I'm taking to fulfill my last general education requirement...the second of which (math), I was supposed to complete by the end of my second year of undergrad. I'm a first semester senior right now, so you can tell how well that worked out for me. 

Regardless, throughout the semester in addition to doing labs and attending lectures, we're expected to create several programs that will run on the computer. We're usually given instructions and basic code to help us start writing our program, but ultimately a lot of it is up to us, and I'm particularly excited about this next one! 

For our fourth program, we're creating a sort of basic adventure game. Think sort of like the really simple old ones where you have to run into certain objects and avoid others to gain points. You'll lose lives if you hit the bad things, and when you run out, the game is over. Pretty simple, right? The rest of the program, including the theme and story, is up to us, and our professor showed us several examples in class today. The first one? Perry The Platypus. 

As the game started up, there was some pretty intense Perry The Platypus music, and the game was run where you had to run into Doofenshmirtz to stop him while avoiding Phineas and Ferb. It actually seemed like a lot of fun, and I quickly snapped a picture to prove that yes, indeed, I'm not lying. 

What I'll be doing for my own game has yet to be determined, but expect it to have at least something to do with Disney. I figure something with the parks could be especially fun, but that might include a lot of coding if I did it the way I want to. So perhaps The Lion King will come into play, or another classic Disney movie. I don't know about you, but I played a lot of those simple kinds of games on the computer as a kid, and this seems like the perfect chance to relive some of those memories! 

If you have any suggestions as to what kind of game I should do, leave them in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1381: Paperman

Writing fiction can be pretty difficult, especially when you're writing a lot of it all at once for a class. But occasionally, things slip into our writing without us even knowing it. For instance, a piece by one of my friends reminded me of Mulan 2 the other day, and we've had more than a few horror movie moments. 

But for one piece of fiction written for my class, I could only think of one thing: Paperman. 

The short written by one of my classmates instantly reminded me of the short by Walt Disney Pictures. If you haven't seen it or just wanted to watch it again, you can watch it below, and you'll get the basic idea of the story she wrote.

Now, she didn't write Paperman specifically, and actually, her short was no where near close to what actually happens in the film, but it certainly was a reminder of it. And in fact, another short, The Blue Umbrella also came to mind for much of my class as we read through her story. And really, it's kind of fun when that happens, because it shows just how realistic these ideas coming from Disney and Pixar are, and it also showcases the idea that we too could become writers like that. 

And that's a pretty amazing idea. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1380: How Time Flies

It feels like just the other day I was starting the semester, or even better, just the other day that I was in Florida for National Youth Event at the end of July, and here I am now having completed another trip last week. 

But the world (and work) must go on, and I've found myself once again falling victim to the lapse in blog posts, which is a constant strain since I'm always aware of the fact that even when my homework is done and the latest vlog is edited, my music is practiced and plants watered, there's still something I need to be doing. Problem is, I'm usually too tired to sit down and write one blog post, much less the 50+ that are now missing from Everyday Disney. 

It probably doesn't help that I've been writing other places too, and most of my free time these days, what little there is, is spent sleeping, actually eating a meal, or with my friends. It's a constant balance, but at the same time, being at Disney last week reminded me that I sort of miss writing for this blog. It was easy, exciting, and while occasionally a lot of work, still just as, if not more fulfilling than some of the other work I do during the week. 

This does put me in sort of a pickle though. I hate not having my blog up to date, but the thought of postponing work on Everyday Disney until next January or later seems appalling, especially with the prospect of applying for the Disney College Program in a few short months. And truth be told, Everyday Disney got me through my last major transition in life - high school into college - and moving ahead without it feels absolutely wrong. 

So I'm exploring new ideas about what to blog about, sort of like the scientists in Living With the Land are exploring new ways to grow crops, or Walt Disney Imagineering is exploring new attraction ideas for the parks. There are a lot of days to fill, but luckily there's one thing we aren't running short on, and that's Disney. 

Dual blog posts begin tomorrow, with a current post and a make-up post every day of the week! 

Have a magical day!  

Day 1340: Take a Chance

I originally wrote this for The Odyssey Online, but I thought it would be important to share here as well, largely because Everyday Disney has been a crucial part of my journey through college, and it's been here that I've learned that taking risks can sometimes lead to the best parts of your life. 

It's barely a week into my senior year at SNC and something in the air feels different. 

Yes, many of my professors have changed, my on-campus job has left me more than a bit frazzled as we adjust to endless changes in the department I work for and the friends I had a year ago are now absolute strangers, but that's not what I'm talking about, at least not entirely. As I look back on memories from a year ago, when I thought for sure that I had my life together, I realize that I'm not the same person I was back then. Not by a long shot. 

Backstory time. Way back in middle school, I quit choir because of a grading situation that left kids in band and choir with lower grades than those just in choir. I loved singing, and I still love singing, but I couldn't let my GPA suffer, and since the day I walked out of the choir room, the amount I've sung for others consists of anyone who has spent more than a few hours with me in a car and the extremely forgiving ears of my church congregation. 

Fast forward to college, where I have almost religiously attended performances by a vocal group called Knights on Broadway. It's a select group of college singers from all over campus that come together to perform Broadway songs old and new, and since the first time I saw them sing, I've been in awe. By the end of my junior year, I was occasionally referred to as the KOB Groupie, a title I wore with pride. 

Which brings us to two weeks ago, when I watched The Sound of Music for what seems like the 400th time and realized that maybe, just maybe, I could audition for Knights on Broadway. A couple of days later, I found myself in the office of the group's director, gathering all my courage to mention that I was considering auditioning for the group. 

I ended up making it to callbacks. 

Now, I'm sitting in my small apartment overwhelmed as what I just did starts to set in. I auditioned for Knights on Broadway. This is absolutely something I would have never thought of doing a year ago, and while, yes, I was more terrified walking up on that stage than the time I watched Psycho alone in an empty house, it was so incredibly worth it. 

I'm still not sure exactly what it was that inspired me to even think of auditioning, and I won't know for a few days if I got in, but taking chances like this has made me realize that I should be making the most of the doors that are still open to me. I may be a senior, and taking risks is always frightening, but what kinds of wonderful experiences am I letting pass me by? 

So I'm taking a vow this school year to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. No matter how terrifying or impossible it seems, these are experiences I'll never have again, and I want to make the most of every moment I have left in college. Even if some things don't work out, even if I don't get into Knights on Broadway, the important thing is that I tried. 

And so, the air may feel different this year as I take chances I never dreamed of and make the most of every second I have left with my college family, but I'm OK with that. It's a good thing, because above all else, I'm so much happier than I was before, and that's all that really matters. 

Have a magical day!

Update: I got in! 

Day 1317: Disney At College

It's been a wild three years since I was sitting at home, desperately trying to figure out how to decorate my first college dorm room. Agreements as to who would bring what had already been made with my soon-to-be roommate, I'd picked a relative color scheme, and I had basic dimensions of the tiny box I would call home for the first nine months of my college career. But even a little tiny box has white walls to fill, a desk to decorate, and Disney to incorporate. 

With another year of college just around the corner and an entire new class of Freshman getting ready to move into their first dorm, I couldn't help but recall the days of frustration, searching across the internet for that perfect idea on how to make my room mine...and that most certainly includes Disney. There seem to be thousands of dorm room ideas out there, but only a select few include elements from the Disney franchises, and for those of us that can't imagine a room without a bit of magic, it's sometimes difficult to determine what to do. 

So here are a few ideas for how to bring Disney into your dorm room: 

Keep It Simple and bring in a little Disney at a time. My freshman dorm room featured a desk that was Disney, but not overly Disney, a motto that I've taken with me throughout various other housing on campus. By bringing in a Disney-themed quote, park map crafts, and some vinylmation, I was able to have reminders of Disney on my desk while also keeping things professional. I went with a black/light blue/red color scheme, bringing in a custom-made shelf for my knick knacks and a canvas idea I got off Pinterest to complete the look. 

Utilize Disney Home Merchandise like this Once Upon A Time/Happily Ever After pillow I found in the Disney store. While Disney merchandise might not be as cheap as that pillow you can get from Walmart for four dollars, if you plan strategically with a couple of items here and there, they can really make a house feel like a home, and they have items for every room, from the kitchen, to the bedroom, and even the bathroom!

Use All Your Space. This is extremely important, especially in a small dorm room. Every space in the room is unique, from that spot on your futon, to above your desk, to the wall near your bed. While there's a time and place for a blank wall (I have one above my current desk), sometimes you can find a spot just waiting to be filled with some Disney. In my freshman dorm, we had our beds lofted (below), and the wall next to mine was perfect for some daily reminders of my friends, family, and Disney through Instagram Photostrips. 

Make It Unique by adding pieces of Disney that are distinctly you. I have a love for vintage Disney items, whether they be from the parks or films, so items like my Jim Shore Teacup or the vintage attraction posters I added last year are a must. But I'm also an avid fan of Once Upon A Time, so in addition to the toy yellow bug on my desk, there are tons of little references to the show throughout my college collection. If there's a specific item you collect, make it a part of your decor, because that's what college decorating is all about in the first place: being yourself. 

Do It Yourself and create items for your dorm. My apartment is now filled with various canvases themed to everything from Once Upon A Time to Hamilton, and it's one of the easiest ways to add both some color and character to a blank wall. If painting a canvas isn't quite your style, try making Disney Park Map Coasters or filling a picture frame with a meaningful quote. Just because it's DIY doesn't mean it has to be impossible. 

Small Can Be Big in a dorm room, no matter how well you think something's going to fit. It's here that some of the smallest merchandise in the Disney Store can make the biggest impact on your room, like the Vinylmation on my desk or the Tsum Tsum collection that now sits on my mantle. These are especially great for those that don't want to even come close to over-the-top Disney, because they're not always immediately recognizable as Disney, but still bring a big of magic to the party.

Keep Moving Forward with decor you can keep adding to. While not entirely focused around Disney, I recently added the quote canvas below to my bedroom wall. The wall reminds me that while there are million things I haven't done, there are a lot of adventures I have had too, and as the days go on, I keep adding to the wall. It helps me to keep moving forward, and allows for continuous change in my room, which is nice, especially after a few months of living in the same small box. Change can be good sometimes. 

While there are plenty of other secrets to my college decorating, many of which you can find here on Everyday Disney, these were just a few of my favorite tips. I hope that, if you're moving into a dorm soon, that some of these ideas helped inspire you, but I want to hear your ideas too! Let me know what some of your favorite college decorating tips are in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1274: Adulting

If you're a part of my generation right now, you've probably been struggling with adulting just like the rest of us. If you have no idea what adulting really is, just think of all the chores adults are responsible for that children may not be. I'm talking like making dinner, doing the dishes, watering the plants, getting all the work done, and so on and so forth. The little jobs we actually need to do to survive. 

My laptop, HAL9000, which you've all heard plenty about over the past couple of years, died last week, which led to me waiting for a new laptop, affectionately named Lafayette (yes after the historical figure now prominent in Hamilton). Having a laptop that actually works and stays on for more than 15 minutes at a time is a huge relief, mostly because it means I can finally get work done. HAL dying, however, has created an additional list of blog posts that should have been done a week ago, especially problematic since I'm struggling to catch things up as it is. Plus, I'm leaving on a week and a half long trip to Colorado in just 10 days, so I have to plan for that as well. Long story short, with everything piling up that I have to get done, the realization that adulting is hard is more prominent than ever. 

Luckily, on the other hand, I have Lafayette, and Frank got me that awesome new mug in the picture above to help keep me company while I spend constant days blogging. Even the addition of a new mug like that is enough to help keep me going with these blog posts and videos, especially since there's so many exciting things happening in July! 

I do think I could do without another set of dishes from dinner later tonight though...

Have a magical day! 

Day 1270: A Day in the [Regular] Life

I've fallen into some sort of a routine these days, relishing in some of the summer sun while also spending most of my day inside at my couch or desk or counter writing blog posts, editing videos, and transferring tapes. Honestly, it's enough to keep me busy, but it does get sort of redundant. Still, it just goes to show how different my life at home is in comparison to when I'm on a trip somewhere. 

Here at home, I start my morning in any number of ways. Sometimes I'll head out for a run, which I'm trying to do more of, and sometimes it'll just start with breakfast and an episode of The Office or some other Netflix show that I happen to be watching. For breakfast I'll invest in some greek yogurt with fresh fruit, or maybe some cereal or a smoothie. And when I'm on the go somewhere right away, I'll be sure to grab a package of applesauce that I can eat on the move. From there, if I've gone for a run, I'll take a shower quick and then get ready for the day, and by the time I'm finished with all of that I'm usually ready to tackle some writing. 

Sometimes "writing" will mean video editing, or brainstorming for new blog posts and videos that I can work on in the future. It's usually something to do with Everyday Disney or the YouTube Channel, but once and a while I do have other work to get done, especially regarding upcoming trips and my soon-to-start last year of college. 

I take a break at one to eat lunch with my roommate, since that's when she has off of work and returns to our apartment. That gives us both a break that's just under an hour before heading back to work. By the time she returns to our apartment again at 4:30, I try to have whatever work I'm doing finished, although that's not always the case. Sometimes I'll end up writing until late at night, or I'll spend the evening transferring another of our home videos. And every once and a while I'll be lucky enough to sit out on our balcony and read a book or watch a movie with my friends. 

And that's about it really, because after that I watch another episode or two of The Office before heading to bed. Not nearly as interesting as when I go to the Disney Parks, and hardly as interesting as during the school year: although this is much less stressful. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1251: Flowers at Home

This year, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival really inspired me. Despite the fact that the last plant I had was about two years ago (and I killed it...), I wanted to try some gardening again. I mean, how can you not want to be good at gardening after looking at all of those amazing topiaries? To inspire the urge to garden further, our new apartment has an expansive balcony perfect for housing some plants over the summer.

So when my parents told me they were going to a local flower and gardening festival at the nearby Green Bay Botanical Garden I pretty quickly decided that I wanted to go too, and I knew that I would be coming home with some plants of my own. However, at the festival I saw plenty of things that reminded me of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, including these Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (which is literally one of my favorite Disney World snacks).

I didn't just walk around eating almonds the whole time though, because I definitely saw a lot of plants! 

My dad and I had multiple conversations about how much we liked the ones on the left, but the one of the right just had to be shared. It's actually an umbrella topiary, and I can only imagine that it's formed and created similar to the ones we see around World Showcase and Future World! Oh, and I couldn't pass up a picture of the little Kermit the Frog below.

As for the plants I brought home for our apartment, we have a whole bunch of them, and of course we named them all too. The three below sit inside our apartment and will stay with us throughout the winter as well. We decided to go with a musical theme to name all of our plants, so here we have (from the left): Eponine (Les Mis), Liesl (The Sound of Music), and Elphaba (Wicked). 

To add some color to our balcony, we had to find plants that were good in shade, since we get very little direct sunlight due to the fact that our apartment faces the North. Still, these begonias brighten things up the same way Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy do in Hamilton. And that's what we named them. Angelica (the red/orange), Eliza (white), and Peggy (yellow). 

And finally we have these two, also out on the balcony. The mint plant on the right is named Crutchie (Newsies) and the hosta on the right was the first one we named: King George (Hamilton). We named him King George partly because, well, we love Jonathan Groff's character in Hamilton, and partly because we bought him on the King's birthday.  

Whether or not I'll be able to keep these plants alive I have no idea, but I'm certainly going to try (and I'm really going to miss King George when he has to leave for the winter). For now, I'm excited to try out some of the basic techniques that I learned at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1249: Freebies

When you move you really should listen to the advice you read. For instance, really think about what you might need in the first 24 hours of your new apartment or home. Chances are, a toothbrush and toothpaste will probably be at the top of your list (they're at the top of mine too), along with maybe a pillow, some basic food, paper plates, and so on and so forth.

What they forgot to tell you is that if you're a college student running back and forth, you may just want to invest in some duplicates of things so you have one at home and one at school. You'd think that after three years of this back and forth game (I live about a half hour from my college), I'd have the hang of it, but apparently not. Since our shower isn't working currently, I headed home to drop off some extra boxes, check out some furniture solutions for our new apartment, grabs a few tools, and take a shower. There was just one small problem: my shampoo was at school.

Never fear though, because as my friends know very well, my bathroom is fully stocked with free guest shampoos and conditioners and soaps and lotions that have been collected over many years of travel. I'm pretty sure that some of these are older than I am, but they're really nice for when you need some extra shampoo, whether it be for a guest or yourself. After all, when you do travel, these are just free little complimentary samples, so even if I don't use them on my trip, I'll typically throw them into my suitcase to add to the collection at home.

Let's just say that the shampoo from Walt Disney World saved my morning when I couldn't find any shampoo, and that next time I'll be sure to remember to bring some from school...or pick some up on my way home.

Have a magical day!