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!

Photo Source
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!  :-)