Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Final Recap of 2019 Goals

This year, I had a lot of expectations for myself and sometimes I wondered if they were a little too high.  But, I really wanted to feel like I'd accomplished something when I looked back at the end of the year.  This was my first year of self-employment and I was putting it up on a pedestal.  At times, I felt like I got nothing done.  Other times, I felt like I conquered an entire mountain.  Realistically, I really just wanted to get my s**t together.  (That's literally what I wrote at the top of my working Goals for 2019 list.)  For a while, I have felt like I've been floating along as a bystander in my own life.  This year, I wanted to take some of that control back.  And to me, that feeling of control usually coincides with a checklist.  Hence, this post.

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This year, I picked up my tradition of posting my Disney goals.  Back in January, I posted 20 of my Disney Goals for 2019.  Now I'm back to see how I did.  I've been making goal lists for about 10 years now and I've never completed an entire list before.  Nevertheless, it's something that I genuinely look forward to.  Here are my past goal posts: 2014 goals2014 recap2015 goals2015 recap, 2016 goals, 2016 recap2017 goals.  (As you can see, I never did a 2017 recap, or even posted any of my 2018 goals.  In early 2017, Happily Ever Hatter really took off and I've barely looked back since.  For 2018, I had the same goals as 2017 and I didn't even look at the list except for the first few days of the year.)

For 2019, I went back to basics.  Some of these have been on the lists since the very beginning.  For those of you who are new, or need a reminder, here is a short version:

Melissa's Blog and Disney Goals for 2019

1.)  Go to Walt Disney World
2.)  Go to Disneyland
3.)  Go on a Disney Cruise
4.)  Do the Princess RunDisney Races
5.)  Go to the D23 Expo 2019
6.)  Go to the Epcot Festival of the Arts
7.)  Go to Disney at Christmas Time
8.)  Make Disney Decor for the Holidays
9.)  Make Disney Accessories
10.)  Have Disney Movie Nights
11.)  Have Disney Board Game Nights
12.)  Disneybound/Themed Outfit Challenge
13.)  Have a Disney Themed Party
14.)  Take an Online Storyboard Class, Watercolor or Handwriting Class
15.)  Design an Imagineering Project
16.)  Read Disney Books
17.)  Paint Disney Art
18.)  Decorate House with Disney Touches
19.)  Launch Wish Upon A Wardrobe
20.)  Launch A Touch of Enchantment

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The list was long but at the beginning of the year, it seemed manageable.  So, without further ado, let's see how I did with my 2019 goals!

Melissa's Blog and Disney Goals for 2019

1.)  Go to Walt Disney World- Goal Met
It seems like this is always my first goal of every new year.  Walt Disney World is my happy place, and it's always a goal to go back!  I'm happy to say that this year, I was able to go to my happy place five times- in January, February, September, November and in December.

2.)  Go to Disneyland- Goal Met
Disneyland stole my heart back when it celebrated it's 60th year.  This year, we didn't officially have plans to go back but we were hopeful that we'd be able to.  Although, it was a quick trip, Eliot and I did go to Disneyland for a day in May.

3.) Go on a Disney Cruise- Goal Met
Ever since we did our first cruise in the fall of 2016 I've been dying to go on another.  This year, not only was I able to go on one Disney Cruise, but I went on three!!!  First, I went on a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise for SeaCon 2 back in September.  Then, I was blessed to go on back-to-back Very Merry Time Cruises in early December.  It was heaven.

4.) Do the Princess RunDisney Races- Goal Met
This was my RunDisney swan song.  I don't think I'll do another 10K, and I'm definitely not signing up for another half marathon unless I've trained properly and already completed a few trials at home.  I'm simply not built to do the long distances and it's not worth potentially injuring my bad knee.

5.)  Attend the D23 Expo- Goal Not Met
We had so much fun at D23 Expo 2017 that I couldn't imagine missing this year.  However, we weren't in the financial position to go, so we made the difficult decision to stay home.

6.) Go the the Epcot Festival of the Arts- Goal Met
I've been dreaming of going to this Festival ever since I first heard of it.  This year, we were finally able to attend the 3rd ever Festival of the Arts.  It's now my favorite festival.  Eliot and I were blessed to be there for both opening day and for the last day of the festival this year.  I can't wait to go see it again!

7.) Go to Disney at Christmas Time- Goal Met
This year, we were able to see the decorations at both Walt Disney World and on our Disney Cruises in December!  We also got an extra holiday trip in there at Thanksgiving with his family.  I love seeing the parks and cruise ships decorated.  They're spectacularly beautiful.

8.) Make Disney Decor for the Holidays- Goal Not Met
I don't think I made any specific holiday decorations this year, but I did organize some of my crafting supplies so that I can in the future.  I've got so many ideas!

9.) Make Disney Accessories- Goal Met
I really enjoying creating accessories.  This year, I expanded my horizons as I made myself a few tote bags in my sewing class.  I'm looking forward to learning how to make more bags, scarves, skirts, dresses and more!

10.) Have Disney Movie Nights- Goal Met
Thanks to Freeform, I've seen a lot of Disney movies that I hadn't in a while.  Now that we have Disney+ I expect that number to rise! 

11.) Have Disney Board Game Nights- Goal Not Met
Eliot and I have so many board games and we love playing them.  This year, we weren't able to play any of them, but we did start to organize them.

12.) Disneybound/Themed Outfit Challenge- Goal Not Met
This year, I put a lot of my clothes and accessories away in order to work on getting the house organized.   Unfortunately, that made it so that I didn't really care about making themed outfits.  I have so many fun things and I'm hoping I can do it more next year!

13.)  Have a Disney Themed Party- Goal Not Met
Blah, I still really want to do this... it wasn't the year but I'm still hopeful!

14.) Take an Online Class- Goal Not Met
This is one of those goals that keeps getting rolled into the next year.  I've been looking at online Storyboard, Watercolor or Handwriting classes for sometime now.  I still didn't make time to do any of them this year, but I was able to take a lot of adult education classes in person so that's made me feel really fulfilled.  I love learning new techniques.

15.) Design an Imagineering Project- Goal Not Met
Eliot and I love brainstorming about new parks attractions, shows, restaurants, stores, and hotel resorts.  We'd love to work on a small design project but it wasn't meant to be this year.

16.) Read Disney Books- Goal Not Met
I have so many books.  Santa brought me a few new Disney books for Christmas last year.  I didn't get a chance to read them, but I'm ready to make time for them.  I miss reading!

17.) Paint Disney Art- Goal Not Met
I have so many fun ideas!  Unfortunately, none of them came to be this year.

18.) Decorate House with Disney Touches- Got Not Met 
Eliot's and my main goal (besides business goals) of 2019 was to finally get settled in our house.  We didn't accomplish that, but we did make huge strides towards it.  Stay tuned!

19.) Launch Clothing Line- Got Not Met
This year, we were supposed to launch my clothing and accessory line.  It didn't work out as I'd planned, but I'm ready to work extra hard to make it happen.

20.) Launch Home Decor Business- Goal Not Met
We were also supposed to launch our home decor business and we were very close to doing it this past spring.  However, after much deliberation, we realized that we needed to re-design a few products that we wanted to launch.  We're looking to a Spring 2020 release instead!

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All in all, 2019 was a good year.  My 2019 word of the year was CONQUER.  I had my sights set high to conquer most (if not all) of these goals and I'm a little disappointed that I fell short of that goal.  However, I'm very happy with everything we were able to accomplish.  We traveled a lot this year- a lot more than we were planning to.  That takes up time, but we still were able to get our Happily Ever Hatter stuff done.  Plus, we made huge strides on the house projects.  Eliot and I are on the right track, now we just have to keep it going!

Thanks for the adventure 2019!  Here's to another year to dream big, set my sights high and reach for the stars!!!  Goodbye 2019!  Hello 2020!!!  °o°

Sunday, December 1, 2019

December 2019 Calendar

Hello December!!!  What better way to start December and the holiday countdown than by spending it at my favorite place?!?!  Today, Eliot and I are wrapping up the last day of our Thanksgiving trip to Walt Disney World with his family.  Then, after a few days home in Maine, we'll be back to our favorite place later on this week to kick-off our back-to-back Very Merrytime Disney Cruises and WDW trip with my family!  Between now and Christmas, we're going to be away more than we'll be home which means this month is going to fly-by!!!!  Thankfully, I have my trusty Mickey and Minnie calendars to keep me organized!  And they can help keep your holiday schedule organized too!


I'm so humbled and honored to continue the tradition of posting my free printable calendars for other Disney fans to enjoy.  This is my 5th year!!!  I started making these back when I started my blog in 2014.  I first designed them as a way to track Eliot's and my RunDisney training and it's come so far!  I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to share them with everyone else.  To date, my printable calendars have been used for Disney trip countdowns, Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the December 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank December 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2019.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Friday, November 1, 2019

November 2019 Calendar

Happy November!  (I can't believe it's already November.  Where on earth did October go?!?)  I was finally starting to feel like I was getting back into a rhythm of blogging regularly and then things got crazy again.  Anyways... Eliot and I have a lot to look forward to this month!  We're busy working on new Christmas mouse ear designs for Happily Ever Hatter.  We're celebrating Thanksgiving early with my family.  My birthday is in a few weeks!  And finally, Eliot and I will be going to Walt Disney World with his family for Thanksgiving!  What better way to start planning for the holiday hustle then with my free Mickey and Minnie calendars?!?!


I'm so humbled and honored to continue the tradition of posting my free printable calendars for other Disney fans to enjoy.  This is my 5th year!!!  I started making these back when I started my blog in 2014.  I first designed them as a way to track Eliot's and my RunDisney training and it's come so far!  I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to share them with everyone else.  To date, my printable calendars have been used for Disney trip countdowns, Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the November 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank November 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2019.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

October 2019 Calendar

It's fall y'all!  Happy October!  I am very excited about the changing seasons.  The days have been cooler here in Maine.  The nights are especially cool at this point.  The leaves are changing into bright beautiful colors.  From now until Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  Of course, this also means it's time for more free calendars!


I'm so humbled and honored to continue the tradition of posting my free printable calendars for other Disney fans to enjoy.  This is my 5th year!!!  I started making these back when I started my blog in 2014.  I first designed them as a way to track Eliot's and my RunDisney training and it's come so far!  I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to share them with everyone else.  To date, my printable calendars have been used for Disney trip countdowns, Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the October 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank October 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2019.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Back from WDW and DCL

Hello friends!  I am back from my nine day trip to Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship!!!  I had a wonderful time but it is really good to be home!


I've actually been home since Monday afternoon, but the past few days have passed in a blur.  Eliot and I both did an all-nighter Sunday to Monday.  (Once he picked me up from the airport Monday, we both crashed and took a 5 hour nap as soon as we got home.)  The rest of this week has been a mix of sleeping, napping, catching up on Etsy messages, getting back into the groove with working on ears, and trying to get back into the swing of everyday life in the Cady household.  I've also been feeling a bit under the weather while fighting a head cold, so that hasn't helped matters.


But, I had such a wonderful time on my trip that I had to write something up about it.  I'll dive into it more over the next few weeks but for now some of the highlights included:

- My solo days at Walt Disney World before and after the trip- I had four solo Walt Disney World days- two before and two after my Disney Cruise.  These have become something that I really enjoy.  Instead of being lonely, I'm really able to soak in the magic.  I had a good time wandering through the parks a leisurely pace.


- Rooming with Stephanie- I had so much fun visiting with and catching up with my Key to the World travel agent friend Stephanie!  We laughed so hard together!


- KeyCon Conference, seeing friends and meeting new ones- I learned so much at our annual travel agent conference!  I always get really inspired at our conferences.  It was great to see all of my Key to the World friends and to make new ones!  When we get together it's like a huge family reunion.  We have so much fun together!


- Halloween on the High Seas Disney Cruise- The Disney Cruise was the highlight of my nine day trip.  The service was impeccable as always.  We had a lot more time to explore the ship this trip since it was a 4 night instead of a 3 night.  We watched a movie in the theater, two Broadway style shows, and enjoyed the Halloween decor.


- Castaway Cay- We were actually the first guests allowed to disembark on Castaway Cay after Hurricane Dorian tore through the Bahamas a few weeks ago.  The cast members and crew worked extra hard to make the island ready for us.  While it was clear that there were damages, the island looked like it was in pretty decent shape considering the severity of the storm.  We enjoyed our time at Serenity Bay- the part for adults only.  The water was still crystal clear and it was beautiful and sunny.


- Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party- Stephanie and I went to the Halloween Party last Friday together.  We got a ton of candy, went on our favorite rides, watched the parade and saw the fireworks.  I also went a second time the last night of my trip so I could go on my favorite Magic Kingdom rides one more time.  I got a little bit of candy in between rides.  I also took a few Photopass photos.  I ended the night with front row seats to the parade after I enjoyed the fireworks one more time.


The only downside of my trip was that my cell phone was a casualty.  (It needs to be completely restored.)  It broke when I tried to update it so I could get the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to download and my phone crashed when I did it.  I couldn't use the cellular service on the ship anyways, but it really stunk to not have my own phone to take pictures or to use when I got back to Walt Disney World.  

Thankfully, I have an old phone (not a smart phone) that Eliot was able to charge and send to me along with a charger.  It was waiting for me at my resort when we got back to WDW.  Stephanie also let me use her phone to call Eliot and my Mom before and after the cruise and to take a few photos of my ears on the ship.  Hopefully, I can get my phone fixed soon so I'll be back up and running!  At least now I have my computer!


As you can see, I had a great time!  This trip makes me so excited to go back down to Walt Disney World with Eliot's family in November and my family in December.  I'm also really looking forward to our Christmas Disney Cruises in December!  °o°

Friday, September 20, 2019

Our 7th Anniversary

Today is Eliot's and my 7th Wedding Anniversary!


It's hard to believe that it's been seven years since our fairytale wedding day at Walt Disney World.  So much has happened since then: we've moved twice, bought a house, started new jobs, started a successful small business, I left my job to become self-employed full time, and we've traveled all over the country!


This past year has been especially good.  I've been running the business full time at home.  We've been able to visit Mickey twice at Walt Disney World this winter and for a day at Disneyland in May.  We went to a ton of San Jose Sharks hockey games last season.  We've also made a lot of progress on the house over the past few months!


Let's be real, it hasn't all been Happily Ever After... marriage is hard work and running a business together is no easy feat.  We drive each other crazy sometimes.  But, it's also an amazing feeling when we accomplish goals together.


I think this next year is going to be another good one!  We've got so many more fun things coming up over the next few months: 3 trips to Walt Disney World, 2 Disney Cruises, a trip to California, some more Sharks games, and so much more!

ChEARS to another wonderful year!  Happy Anniversary Eliot!  I love you!!!  °o°

Monday, September 9, 2019

Sail Away

Today, I set sail on my second Disney Cruise adventure!  

The last time I cruised with Mickey was three years ago for SeaCon 2016.  Now, I'm doing it all over again- minus Eliot and my family.  This time, I'm rooming with my friend Stephanie!  I'm excited to see her as well as all of my other travel agent friends!  It's also been a while since I had a girl's trip so I'm looking forward to that!  Stephanie and I have already made plans to hit the spa and I can't wait to check it out!

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I'm really excited to learn at our conference and to explore the Disney Dream cruise ship again.  I plan to soak in all of the knowledge and Disney Cruise magic that I can.  

Like the last time, I'll be completely off the grid during our cruise.  I'm planning to keep my phone in airplane mode, but I'll keep it on me so I can take photos and videos.  I will let you know how it went as soon as I can!!!  I'm sure I'll have a ton of photos, videos and stories to share!  But for now, it's time to sail away!!!  °o°

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Calendar Conundrum

Well guys... we've run into a bit of a conundrum.  For the first time since I've started my blog, I'm not sure what to do about my free calendars for 2020.

My old college laptop has finally neared the end of it's time.  It's over 13 years old, so it's done me well.  The last time I tried, it still will turn on, but I can't get the mouse track pad to work.  The mouse doesn't even show up on the screen.  I'm a bit at a loss... all of the software that I use to make the calendars is on that laptop.


I've known that my laptop was starting to have trouble so I made the 2019 calendars the same time I made the 2018 calendars just to be safe.  Now that we're nearing the end of 2019, I'm starting to think ahead and I'm unsure what to do.  

It's a pretty significant commitment to replace the design software, and I'm not ready to make that monetary commitment.  I already spent a lot of money a year ago when I purchased a brand new MacBook Pro as well as an iPad Pro for our businesses.  I'm planning on at least getting both InDesign and Illustrator down the line, but it's not in the cards right at the moment.

I might try to see if I can get my laptop to work with a USB mouse, but I know it didn't work for Eliot's when I tried that.  Maybe it will work for a different mouse.  I don't know... I guess we'll see.  Eliot thinks he might have a temporary solution that will at least get the calendars completed, so I'm hopeful that will work out.  Otherwise, it'll take a lot of copy/pasting to get them done and I really don't have time for that... blah!

Anyways... I just wanted to give you all an update!  This is the time of year when I usually get a lot of requests for calendars with the school year starting and with people looking ahead to the next year.  I'm trying my best to get them ready for 2020, but you'll just have to bear with me!  I really am doing my best!!!  °o°

Sunday, September 1, 2019

September 2019 Calendar

Happy September Everyone!  I love September and it's traditionally been a happy month for Eliot and me.  This month, we are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary and the 4 year anniversary of buying our house.  I'm heading to Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Dream for my travel agent conference.  The weather is starting to cool off a bit.  It's not as humid and the nights have been cool here in Maine.  I have to admit, I'm ready for fall, pumpkins and the leaves changing.  It's been a wonderful summer, but it's time to transition.  Of course, it's also time for another free calendar!


I'm so humbled and honored to continue the tradition of posting my free printable calendars for other Disney fans to enjoy.  This is my 5th year!!!  I started making these back when I started my blog in 2014.  I first designed them as a way to track Eliot's and my RunDisney training and it's come so far!  I was so happy with how they turned out that I had to share them with everyone else.  To date, my printable calendars have been used for Disney trip countdowns, Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the September 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank September 2019 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2019.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A Weekend Getaway

As I've mentioned, Eliot and I have made a gallant effort to make time for ourselves this summer.  This is the first summer in a few years that I feel like we've really enjoyed it.  Usually, we're holed up in our house working on ear orders every weekend.  Of course, for us summer isn't complete without a trip to Six Flags at least once.

Earlier this summer, Eliot and I got a special deal to renew our Season Passes at a discounted rate so we jumped at the chance.  At the time, we weren't sure when we'd be able to go but for about $50 per person it was a steal.  Even if we only used them for one weekend, it was totally worth it.


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This past weekend, it was time.  We'd been planning to head down all summer and this was our last chance to go while the waterpark was still open.  It was now or ever!!!  I made our hotel reservations, we packed up Friday night when Eliot got home from work and we were off!  It's about 4 hours from here and we didn't get there until midnight, but we were getting a weekend off for a getaway and we didn't care!

We got up Saturday and had breakfast at the hotel.  They had a buffet of eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, waffles, bagels, and more.  It was pretty good.  Plus, it was included with staying there!  Then, we got dressed and ready to head to Six Flags.

First, we went to the waterpark for about 3-4 hours.  We went into the lazy river, and hopped from pool to pool.  We relaxed on beach chairs and both of us almost fell asleep.  Eliot even went on one of the water slides.  Then, we got changed and went back into the theme park.  Eliot rode Superman 5 times over a three hour span.  He stayed in line when it broke down a few times but was rewarded by getting to sit in the front of the rollercoaster.  At about 9:00 pm, we had decided it was time to go home for the night.  We had dinner at Chili's and then went back to our hotel and to bed.


Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, showered, packed up and checked out of the hotel.  It was cooler on Sunday so we decided to skip the waterpark.  Instead, we went into Six Flags so Eliot could ride a few rollercoasters before leaving.  He went on Wicked Cyclone while I sat in the shade enjoying the cool breeze.  Then, he took one last ride on Superman before we headed out.

Next, we made our way to the Holyoke Mall.  Eliot had reminded me that it was the location of the closest BoxLunch store to us.  (It's apparently the only one in New England... get on that BoxLunch.)  I was dying to go since I've never been to one.  Eliot had only been to a store one other time and he promised we could go since I spent about 5 hours sitting around while he was riding rollercoasters.

I'm so glad we went!  Not only was it awesome to finally go into one, but we found so many cool things!  They had a lot of the new merchandise that was debuted at D23.  I enjoyed seeing it in person.  They even had the giraffe bag I had asked Nori to get me.

I also found the Gus Gus fanny pack that I really wanted.  It sold out online within three days of me first seeing it.  Apparently, everyone was obsessed with the fanny pack's nod to Cinderella's mice friends sewing her pink dress.  I immediately went through the two they had and picked the one I wanted to take home with me.


Eliot and I found a few other items to purchase before we headed out.  Thankfully, they were running a buy one get one 50% off deal so we did pretty well.  I also had $30 in BoxLunch rewards so we used that on the Princess Dress Loungefly mini backpack that I've been drooling over for a few weeks now.

After that, we had just enough time to drive up to the Yankee Candle Village.  They close at 6:00, but we knew we'd get about an hour and a half in before they closed for the night.  We got there and immediately went to get food first.  We hadn't eaten since breakfast and at that point we both really hungry.  The pizza was delicious!


After that, we walked around the store.  If you've never heard of it, it's enormous.  It's like an IKEA for candles, home goods, bake ware, decorations, toys, etc.  The first time I went was on my 20th birthday and I fell in love with it.  This time, we didn't have too much time to wander around browsing, but we still were able to make it through all of the sections we wanted to see.

I love it so much.  There's a toy section with Santa's workshop and a countdown to Christmas next to singing elves.  Santa was even inside his house on Sunday!  I wanted to go say hi but I didn't want to disturb him.  There's a place where it "snows" every four minutes with the same snoap (soap) that Disney uses on Main Street.


My favorite part of the entire store is the village section.  My Nana has a porcelain Victorian Village that my family bought her back when I was a child.  We'd get her new pieces to add to it each year and she always let me help set it up.  It's one of my most favorite memories from Christmas... and this room at Yankee Candle is like heaven to me.  There's an entire room that's set up with different village sets from Department 56.

There's a Margaritaville village, a Charlie Brown Peanuts village, a Halloween village, a Beetlejuice village, a New England village, a Victorian village, and so many more.  I could spend hours in this room looking at all of the details.  They've used foam to make the villages look like they're on a mountainside.  They also have caves and ponds carved out of the foam.  I love getting ideas for displays that we could make.  Plus, Eliot and I always enjoy going to see the Mickey Mouse village set.

But this time, there was a new addition... a Harry Potter village!!!  It was so cute!  There aren't too many pieces in the set yet either.  Maybe it will be my next village set to collect.  I already have two of my own village sets that I worked very hard to find back when I was first out of college and making really good money at La-Z-Boy.  I have all of the Mickey's Toontown Village set and I have most of the Main Street USA Village set that were both sold at Disney Parks years ago.  (They're really hard to find and almost always expensive when you do find them on eBay!)


After getting our fill of candles and decorations, Eliot and I decided it was time to start heading home.  I got my chocolate covered Oreos (only $1 each!) and a chocolate marshmallow pop.  He grabbed a few wax melt tarts of his favorite scent that were only 50 cents each .  Then, we got two of the clearance candles of our favorite Christmas scent.  We checked out and made our way to the car with our merchandise.

I drove around the building one time before leaving the Yankee Candle Village.  They always have the most beautiful gardens around the building!  (I should have taken pictures.)  We went down the road to gas the car up and get some water.  Then, we made our way home- pulling into our driveway at about 10:00 pm.

It was a quick weekend getaway, but totally worth it!  Eliot's parents are here visiting most of this week.  Then, this weekend we'll be at my parents' house and visiting Bar Harbor over Labor Day.  Next week will be a whirlwind as I'm preparing to leave that Saturday for Walt Disney World and my Disney Cruise!  I'm really glad we took a few days to get away together and relax before these hectic two weeks!  °o°

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Going to the Drive-In

It's no secret that Eliot and I have been super busy as of late, but we've still tried to make time to have a bit of fun.  The past few summers have flown by and I typically find myself wondering where it went once the calendar switches to September.  Thus, we've been carving out time to do a few summer activities in between all of the crazy.

With all of the new Disney movies coming out over the past few months, there's been a lot of potential to go to the movie theater.  We don't usually go that often, but we've been trying to make an effort.  (Even then... it took us about a month and a half before we finally saw Toy Story 4 in theaters.)  Instead of sitting inside the theaters to see a few movies, we've been able to go to our local drive-in theater!


Going to the drive-in has always been a treat for us as neither Eliot or I went to one as children.  (I also didn't grow up near one.)  Both my parents remember going to the drive-in as kids, but we didn't go to our first drive-in movie until Eliot and I moved up to Maine.  I remember driving by the one in Saco all the time when my family used to go camping in Old Orchard Beach, but for some reason, we never went to the theater.

This summer, we were really excited as the Saco Drive-In announced their schedule and there were a few weeks with back-to-back Disney movie showings!  Plus, it's only $20 per car to see both movies... which works out to $5 for each of us per movie- that's a steal!  So not only is it a fun experience, but it's also a good way to have fun without spending a ton of money.  (Gotta save up money to visit the mouse where we can!)


We usually make a plan to meet up so we can go into the drive-in theater in Eliot's car because it's taller than mine.  (He has a Jeep Patriot.)  This summer, both times we went, we also stopped in at a local favorite of ours (Amato's) to grab pizzas, drinks and snacks.  Then, we went to the drive-in early to get a good parking spot, get settled in and to enjoy a meal before our movies start.  It makes for a nice night out together!


The first back-to-back showing that we went to was Lion King and Aladdin.

I was so excited when I found out that the drive-in was playing a double feature of Aladdin and The Lion King.  I've been dying to see Aladdin again but I knew Eliot didn't want to pay to see it in a theater for the third time.  The week we went, The Lion King was the first movie at 8:45 followed by Aladdin at 10:55.

I dressed for the occasion with my new Aladdin t-shirt from Pixie Lee & Co along with my Simba necklace from Hot Topic.  A lot of people told me that they loved my outfit.


Eliot and I had a great time, even though the movies got out super late.  It was a bit hard to see The Lion King at the drive-in the first time as it's easy to get distracted by everyone around you.  Still, we enjoyed it.  Eliot dozed a few times during Aladdin but I soaked in every single second.  It was all I could do to not sing along to the songs since I had bought the soundtrack before seeing it this time.


The second back-to-back showing we saw was Toy Story 4 and the Lion King.

We decided to return to the Saco Drive-In to see another back-to-back Disney showing of Toy Story 4 at 8:35 and The Lion King at 10:25.  We really wanted to see The Lion King as the second movie since we had a hard time seeing it on the drive-in's screen the first time around.  (It wasn't dark enough outside.)

For this Disney double-feature, I wore my Toy Story Land t-shirt from BoxLunch.  I got a lot of compliments on my shirt this time too!


Eliot and I enjoyed seeing both the movies a second time.  We caught a lot more of The Lion King this time.  I was glad to see Toy Story again, even though we'd seen it the theater just days before going to the drive-in.  It was nice to hear all of the jokes again.  This time around, I was able to catch more of them since I knew the storyline.  I was still upset at the ending, but it wasn't as harsh because I knew it was coming.

As of right now, there aren't any more Disney double features scheduled so this is probably be it for us this drive-in movie season.  Both nights were a lot of fun and I'm glad that we made a little bit of time for ourselves to take a break from orders!  °o°