A Feeling of Complete Freedom

Hello again friends! 💕 You have probably noticed that I've popped in over here a bit more than usual lately.  I wish it was because I've suddenly found more time... but unfortunately that's not the case.  Instead, it's basically because it's suddenly dawned on me that I can use my social media posts as quick templates for blog posts.  I spend lots of time (usually hours) planning posts for my Magically Melissa Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as both of Happily Ever Hatter's accounts... so I figure that I might as well put all of that time to use over here.  I actually used that technique for a few posts back in 2024, and it made it much easier and quicker to write a blog post.

I'm not sure how that will work going forward, but I'm hoping I'll be able to pop over here more often.  Every time I come back after a hiatus, I'm reminded of how much I truly love writing.  And I easily get sucked into re-reading my own blog posts from years ago.  My blog entries have basically become somewhat of an online diary of my life... and now that Nana, Papa and my Dad are all gone, I find myself really enjoying reading about our many adventures over the years.

At this point, in a world of quick videos, reels and "shorts", blogging seems kind of outdated, and I've told myself numerous times that it's probably time to figuratively 'hang up my pen'.  But then a little voice reminds me that I started doing this for me... not because I wanted to be a big famous blogger.  I've always been content to share my stories with whoever wants to follow along.  And at the end of the day, I think doing it for me is the real reason that I'm still sticking around after all this time.

At one point, I had dreams of this making some side income.  And I think that's why I was very strict with myself about posting almost daily for a while.  But this little blog has never made me money... and writing long posts almost daily was not sustainable.

For a long time, I would get discouraged and beat myself up if I missed a post.  Or if I skipped a few days.  Or if I totally disappeared for months on end.  Or if I didn't finish that one post I had planned.  There are SO MANY drafts of blogs posts on here.  (As of right now, I have exactly 300 drafts if anyone is counting.)  Basically, the guilt that I allowed myself to feel was becoming unbearable... and blogging became more of a chore at a few points.  Which is probably why it has become so sporadic over the past few years.  I'm a busy person, and I only have so much time in each day.

So now, I'm moving forward with complete freedom.  Freedom from whatever I was allowing to hold me back and chaining me to what I thought I "should" be doing with my blog.  I'm going to continue to move forward writing when I'm able to, simply because I enjoy it- and not because I feel like I need to post daily in order to impress companies that I will probably never end up applying to for affiliate marketing anyways.

In the end, I know that it was me chaining myself to these boundaries... but now that I've let all of that go, I have a newfound feeling of complete freedom.  And I love it.

National Creativity Day 2026

Happy National Creativity Day!!! ✨🎨✏️✨ 

Lately, I've been having a major craving to make something creative... but due to limited time and limited space right at the moment, I haven't been able to.  But since today is National Creativity Day, I was determined to make something to celebrate!!! 😊 

The other day, (on It's a Small World's 60th birthday) I had an idea when I was playing with my Small World clock Wishable… and I immediately knew that was going to be my creative project for today.  It was quick and simple, and the supplies needed to make it wouldn't take up a ton of room.  Thankfully, Eliot was able to pick up the two things I needed from Michael's after work yesterday, so I was all set to go this afternoon!

After a few minutes of "making magic" (aka trial and error), my new little creation was completed!!! ✨ Say hello to my It's a Small World Wishables Hippo Plush Keychain Bag Charm!!! 😍 I am completely in love with it and now I can't wait to make more of them!!!  I expect that I'll have a lot of friends in my future to keep this one company. 💖

Happy 17th Birthday to Disney Pixar’s Up 🎈🏠

Adventure is Out There!!! 🌳 

Disney Pixar's "Up" movie officially turns 17 today!  For those of you who don't know, Up is one of my all-time favorite films.  The story, the iconic symbols, the music, the colors and the characters give the story so much heart.  So in honor of the film's anniversary, I'm going to share a special memory with you from my 40th Birthday Trip.

Some of my favorite Disney memories over the past decade or so have come from days where I've dressed up in something special.  So for my 40th birthday trip, I had about 20 different outfit ideas.  Since we were splitting the trip into both land and sea adventures, and I could only fit so much in my suitcase, I had to narrow it down.  But by far the best decision that I made was to keep our Wilderness Explorer outfits in the mix.

Because after all was said and done, and we returned from my 40th Birthday trip, one of Eliot’s and my favorite parts of our entire two week trip and Disney experience was dressing up (with the donkeys) as Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom! 💛🏕🧡🌳 

I spent over a year planning for that day and putting everything together.  It took me quite a while to gather all of the elements of our outfits... Wilderness Explorer costume sets, baseball hats, the perfect yellow polo shirts... but in the end, it was SO worth it! ✨ 

The Disney cast members working at Dug & Russell's location loved our playful and fun energy.  Other park guests loved our dedication to the costumes.  And best of all, both Russell and Dug loved meeting some fellow Wilderness Explorers!!! 💕 

Our interaction with them was longer and much more special than your average Disney character Meet & Greet.  Everyone loved when we finally got to the front of the line and Dug and Russell first saw us.  They definitely were excited to see Eliot and me in our outfits!  And both Dug and Russell loved the little plush versions of themselves that we brought with us.  (They both ran off with the minis of themselves... it was hilarious.)  

Then, we showed them the donkeys little matching outfits with their yellow shirts and miniature Wilderness Explorer Mickey ear hats.  (All three hats eBay finds that I literally spent months stalking for the best pricing.)  I didn't get a chance to make their sashes for this trip... but it's definitely on my to do list for another time!

It was definitely an experience that we will never forget.  And if all that wasn’t already magical enough… we also got super cute family photos with Eliot, me and our three donkeys that we both will always cherish!!! ✨📸 💖

"The wilderness must be explored! Caw-caw, RARR!" 💛🏕🧡🌳 

Happy 60th Birthday to It’s a Small World

The 'it’s a small world' attraction first opened at Disneyland on this day in 1966.  So today we’re having a Throwback Thursday to our Disneyland trip back in January.  Even though the attraction was closed for it’s post holiday overlay refurbishment, we still went to visit It’s a Small World to take some photos for a few reasons.

The theme of the Disneyland Half Marathon in January was It's a Small World, so we had to get photos of Eliot with his medal. 🏅 We also brought our It's a Small World clock face mouse ears with us so I could take photos with the facade of the ride.

When we got there, Eliot took Brother out of my backpack so he could join him.  It's a Small World (aka "the dolly ride") is Brother’s favorite attraction, so Eliot included him in the photo.  And it's extra cute because he was still wearing his adorable little Minnie Mouse 70th outfit! 💖 (More on that another time...)

Thankfully, we were able to ride It's a Small World while we were at Walt Disney World numerous times between our February and April trips.  It's a family favorite, and we always enjoy it.  The Disneyland version of the ride holds a special place in my heart though.  I love finding the Disney characters scattered throughout the attraction.  And there's nothing quite like the magical holiday overlay.  Eliot's actually never seen it in person... so we're definitely going to make that happen someday!

Happy 60th Birthday It’s a Small World!!! ✨🎂🕓🙂✨ 

National Melissa Day ✨💖✨

Happy National Melissa Day!!! ✨💖✨ 

If you missed the memo last year, that's correct... we get our own day on the calendar!  I guess it’s a pretty sweet perk for having a common name… 🤣

Anyone who knows me is aware that I don’t really give myself much fanfare at this point in my life.  So today, I wanted to share a special photo and a magical experience at Disneyland where I got to indulge myself for a few minutes. 👑 

The last day of our January trip, Eliot and I were running around trying to check off the rest of the boxes on our Disneyland 70th experience list.  One of the things we hadn't yet done, was take photos at Sleeping Beauty Castle.  I had a special outfit that I had planned out and purchased specifically for the occasion.  Eliot and I even made ourselves color coordinated and personalized Disneyland 70th mouse ears.

The line was long... but I wanted photos, so we braved it.  By the time we got to the front, I was keen to quickly take photos and get out of the way so others could have their turn.  What I wasn't expecting was for the Disney Photopass photographer to give me my own little mini session.  I assured him that it was ok to push me through quickly since the line was really long.  But he told me that I’d waited just as long as everyone else, and that I deserved a few extra minutes too; and he was right of course. 💕 

I’m so glad that Photopass photographer had me pose for a few extra pictures, because he captured this cute photo of me dressed up in my Disneyland 70th outfit with my personalized Melissa Disneyland Sign ears.  At the time, I had no idea how these would turn out, and I was so excited when I opened our account and stumbled across this.  

I love how he had me pose and how he framed me with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background.  I'm so grateful for how hard I worked putting together my outfit, because it's color coordinated with all of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration decor perfectly.  And now this photo is one of my all-time favorites.  ✨💖💛💜💙✨

Our First Journey Overseas 🇬🇧

Two weeks ago, Eliot and I quietly applied for our passports. 🌎  It's something that we've been planning on doing for a while now (years in fact).  But without any actual trips overseas on the horizon, it hasn't been one of our top priorities.

As some of you may already know, Eliot’s sister Elissa has been in the UK studying abroad for her masters degree. 🇬🇧 We have been wanting to visit her, but between our busy schedules and all of our health issues, things haven’t come together... until now.

I am so excited that the stars have finally aligned and that Eliot and I are going "across the pond" to London for a week in July!!! ✈️ I've dropped a few subtle hints, but I didn't want to say anything until we had our passports in hand and our flights were booked.  Our passports arrived last Saturday, and we booked our flights later that evening.

I am so excited to be going overseas again!!!  This will be Eliot’s first trip to Europe, and my third time. 🌍 However, my trips were back when I was in high school (France) and college (Italy & Greece), so it’s been awhile. 😳  And I've never been to London, other than spending a few hours in Heathrow airport on my return trip from Italy & Greece.

So Eliot and I are preparing for our first journey overseas together. 🇬🇧 Here’s to filling these with lots of passport stamps and to many more adventures around the world. 🌍

It's My Half Birthday ✨🎂✨

It’s my half birthday today!!! ✨🎂✨ So that also means it’s been exactly a year and a half since Eliot and I took this photo at Castaway Cay on my 40th Birthday. 💖🛳🏝🌺 

Which brings me to the other part of our exciting Disney Cruise news… 🎉 

Four months from today, Eliot and I will be spending our 14th wedding anniversary on Castaway Cay!!! 💖  I'm really excited because we've never done anything over the top for our wedding anniversaries.  Our running joke is that over the past few years, one of us has been sick during it.  And obviously we didn't do much last year, since we were preparing for my endometriosis surgery.  So we're both looking forward to this!

Honestly, this was also a big selling point for this particular sailing.  As soon as I saw that the day at Castaway Cay was on our actual wedding anniversary, I was sold.  Only four months until we're back at the paradise that is Castaway Cay!!! 🛳☀️ 🌊🏖🌺

Bibbidi Bobbidi Booked… ✨🛳 ⚓️🐭✨

Bibbidi Bobbidi Booked… ✨🛳 ⚓️🐭✨ 

I’ve been dropping some subtle hints over on my Facebook and Instagram pages because we’ve been sitting on a secret… but I think it’s time to share it!  Four months from today, Eliot and I will once again be boarding the Disney Wish!!! ✨🛳✨ 

Eliot was actually the one who suggested we take this cruise to celebrate our wedding anniversary. 💕 A few weeks ago, Disney Cruise Line was offering a 20% off booking deal, plus a $250 onboard credit… and basically we couldn’t say no!  We bounced between a few different sailings, but we finally settled on the three night cruise that was over our wedding anniversary weekend.  And one of the most exciting things about this cruise is that this one will be a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise! 🎃  Our first time on the Disney Wish (for my 40th birthday), it was a Very Merrytime Cruise, so now we'll get to experience another holiday season aboard this incredible ship! 🙂 

I am SO EXCITED to be sailing away on another magical adventure with Mickey!!! 🛳🐭 

Passports to Adventure

Last Friday, Eliot and I finally applied for our passports.  We both had them when we were younger, but they expired and we didn't renew them.  We've been planning to forever, but we never did it because we hadn't absolutely needed them.  

With all of our past Disney cruises, you didn't need to have a passport- although it it was recommended.  (I've been thinking we needed to get them before we took another cruise- just in case of an emergency.)  We're also wanting to do an Alaskan cruise someday, so we'll need a passport to get into Canada.  Plus, we've talked about going to see some San Jose Sharks games over the border... so both of us finally getting our passports and passport cards was definitely on our radar.

Last Friday, we filled out our passport applications.  (Naturally, I gave my Olaf pen the honor of helping me fill out mine.)  At 1:00 PM we went to the Gorham post office for our appointment.  It was very quick, and before I knew it our paperwork was ready, our photos were taken and everything was stapled and ready to be sent out!

Early yesterday morning, we got emails that our paperwork and applications had been received.  They were in process with everything being reviewed.

This afternoon, both Eliot and I got the emails that they had been processed and were getting mailed out!  I was surprised considering we literally sent them in last Friday... only 6 days ago!  We paid extra for rush service... but I don't think either of us expected this quick of a turnaround.  Still, it's a relief to know they'll be in our possession soon!

So by next week, we're officially going to have our passports to adventure!!! ✈️

The Future Is Calling Me… ☎️

Hi friends!  This year is flying right by, so I just wanted to pop in for a quick minute.  If you're following along on social media, you know that Eliot and I have been super busy in 2026.  We've already taken three Disney trips in the first four months of the year!

I'm hoping to post a few photos from those trips on here at some point.  I won't be doing a full trip review, simply because I don't have time for those anymore.  But I'm hoping to share a little bit more about certain aspects of our trips!  If you are following me over on Facebook or Instagram, you'll definitely see a few of our Disney trip photos there!

For now, here's a quick flashback of me hanging out in the United Kingdom pavilion of Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival on our WDW trip back in April. 🇬🇧🌐🌳 

Our next few months are going to continue to be incredibly busy, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again, but I'll try my best!  If you follow me on social media, you'll definitely get all of the details of our adventures there first.  I will say that although I'm not ready to "spill the tea" just yet... it sounds like the future is calling me... ☎️