Aladdin 30th Anniversary

For thirty years, the movie Aladdin has enchanted me.  From the very first animated view of Agrabah, I've been completely hooked on all of the adventures and magic. 

When the movie was originally released back on November 25th, 1992, I was in the second grade and my brother Jeremy was in kindergarten.  We were both already big fans of Disney, and this movie blew us away.  I remember us learning the words and singing the songs all the time.  (In fact, Aladdin was most likely the first soundtrack that I memorized the lyrics to all of the songs.)  Our parents probably got tired of hearing "Friend Like Me" for the millionth time, but they never complained.

Back then, A Whole New World was just about the most magical and romantic thing I had ever seen.  I was obsessed with that scene of the movie.  And that's probably the first time I ever saw most of the wonders of the world and wanted to visit them.

Jasmine's outfits were everything to me, so when it came time to dress up as a Disney character for our elementary school's spring Disney concert, I had to have a Jasmine outfit.  Both Mom and Nana thought her aqua outfit was a little much for a K-5th grade school concert, so they convinced me to wear her purple dress that covered her midriff.

Of course, back then you couldn't just go out and buy a princess dress like you can nowadays.  Instead, Nana made my purple dress.  I vaguely remember going up to Joann Fabric with her and Mom to pick out the fabric... light purple for the main dress with a shimmery hot pink organza for the overskirt part.  Nana also found some old costume jewelry or buttons to use as the giant gems for her jewels.  I absolutely loved it and to this day that's the first thing I think of when I see Jasmine in purple.  (I don't have any pictures of the dress here at our house, but I'm sure Mom has got some hidden away somewhere; I'll update this post if I can find them!)

I also have fond memories of all the skits Jeremy and I did with our cousins when we were kids.  We used to do skits at all of our family get togethers with our cousins on Mom's side of the family.  Of all the plays we did, Aladdin was our favorite and I can remember we did it on three separate occasions.  I was always Jasmine and Kaitlin was Rajah.  Jeremy insisted on always being the Genie.  Luke and Matt switched back and forth between playing Aladdin, Jafar and the palace guards.  We were obsessed.

Through the years, Aladdin has held a special place in my heart.  I think it's because it was the first Disney movie that I really remembering sharing the experience with Jeremy.  We played with his Aladdin action figures all the time.  We did all of those skits with our cousins.  We spent many hours singing songs and reciting the speaking parts while watching the movie.  To this day, I can still recite most of it while watching!

Of course, I was devastated when the world lost Robin Williams.  He was such a light and he created our beloved Genie with such magic... we will never have another friend quite like him.  Anytime I see or hear the Genie, I always think of Robin and what an amazing legacy he left all of us with.  He's still making me smile.

I always love seeing Aladdin stuff in the theme parks.  The Broadway style musical show at Disney's California Adventure was a favorite before they got rid of it.  I love seeing Agrabah whenever I ride on the Storybook Land Canal boats.  Eliot and I have also had our pictures taken with some of the characters from Aladdin during different Halloween parties at the Magic Kingdom.

In October of 2018, Eliot and I went to see Aladdin on Broadway during my birthday trip to New York City.  My parents had got me tickets to the Sharks game against the New Jersey Devils and Eliot's parents paid for our tickets to see Aladdin the other day we were in the city.  Eliot and I had so much fun at the show and it was incredible!

The following year, in May of 2019, the live action movie was released.  I couldn't wait to go see it.  The stars aligned and I was able to go see it with Eliot, Jeremy and my parents and Nana.  Aladdin was such a big part of my childhood that it was extra magical to experience it for the first time with them.  I absolutely loved the story, the costumes, the bright colors... everything about it.  I even saw it two more times on the big screen: with Eliot's Dad and Elissa in Nashville and one more time at the drive in.

With the live action movie, also came new merchandise.  And let's just say that I took full advantage of the fact that Disney was releasing a bunch of stuff in conjunction with the new movie.  It was around that same time that I decided the theme for Eliot's and my larger guest bedroom was going to be Aladdin.  I found a beautiful comforter set, and the room was already painted teal to coordinate with the original rust and orange stuff that Eliot and I had used in our master bedroom in Woburn.  Modifying the theme to Aladdin was a simple change, so I started to collect items for it.  Eliot and I haven't made the switch over yet, but I have plenty of decor, plushies, wall art, and other items ready to go once I have some time to make the change!

Aladdin has had a pretty big impact on my life, both as a child and an adult.  This is definitely one of my all time favorite Disney animated movies, and I can't believe that it's already been thirty years since it first debuted and made its way into my heart.

Happy 30th Birthday Aladdin!!!  °o°

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°

Fun Find: The Keys to the Magic (Disney Store Collectible Keys)

Hey guys!  It's been a really long time since I did a Fun Find Friday so I thought it was well overdue!  Today, I'm sharing information about something you can get all over the country... something that I'm referring to as the Keys to the Magic!

As I've mentioned back in one of my Nashville posts, the Disney Store has been giving out collectible movie or character inspired keys the past few months.  For those of you who don't know the history, the Disney Store has given out keys for quite a while, but up until recently it's been harder to get your hands on one.

Each Disney Store has an opening ceremony every morning when the store opens, and the person selected to open the doors by "unlocking the magic" gets to keep a little key as a memento.  You usually have to be the first one in line, and I've heard that even then, you might get passed over for a cute child somewhere else in the line.

Thus, the keys are hard to come by, and the ones that have ended up on eBay are usually $50 or more.  I've held out hope that I would someday be at a Disney Store in the right place at the right time, but I wasn't too optimistic about getting one.

Fortunately, the Disney Store started to make special character inspired keys that have been much easier for people to get!  I have been collecting all of the ones they've released so far over the past few months.  (Big thanks to my brother Jeremy who has gone to his local store to get all of these for me!)  My key collection currently includes:

Mickey Mouse
Aladdin
Donald Duck

The key release dates have usually coincided with a character's birthday or with a new movie release.  (I expect that trend to continue.)  For example, Mickey was released on November 18, 2018 which was his 90th birthday.  Aladdin was released on May 19th right before the new live action Aladdin movie started showing in theaters.  Then, the Donald key was just released back on June 9th which was his 85th birthday.

Tomorrow, Saturday July 13th, they are releasing their new Toy Story Pixar keys!

The best part of these keys is that they themselves are FREE.  The catch is that you have to be one of the first 100 people at a Disney Store to make a purchase on the day the keys are being released.  Down side, you have to get there early in the morning if you want one.  Plus side, you have an excuse to purchase something at the Disney Store!  And it doesn't matter what you buy... something small and/or inexpensive or something huge.  Jeremy has purchased an ornament for me one time and a new Steamboat Mickey plush for himself another time in order to get the keys.

Note as of the Toy Story release, they are requiring a minimum purchase of $10.

For the Donald key release back in June, they also released some of the keys to customers who purchased online at a certain time "while supplies last" on the Shop Disney website.  The problem with that is you have no idea how many keys they have.

I personally think these keys are a fun way to bring more magic home.  I actually have a few projects already planned for them, which is why I've made sure to get multiples of the Donald keys (thank you Jeremy and Elissa!), and why Eliot and I are driving to Massachusetts early tomorrow to meet up with Jeremy for the Toy Story keys.  I haven't quite gotten to work on my projects yet, but once I do, I'll be sure to show you what I've made!  I might even do a tutorial on my Keys to the Magic!  °o°

Aladdin Movie Review

Well, it's been another crazy week here.  Things have definitely calmed down since our San Jose Sharks got knocked out of the hockey playoffs a week ago.  (Although, I would have gladly kept up the late night game watching routine if it would have led to them winning the Stanley Cup.)  Instead, Eliot and I have spent our evenings working hard on mouse ear orders and cleaning the house.

We did get to take a bit of a break this past weekend.  Eliot, myself and my brother Jeremy all went to my parents' house over the holiday weekend to help them with a few projects- mostly with helping to clean out my Nana's camp down east, but also to move a few heavy things around their house.  It was a whirlwind, but we enjoyed visiting with them- especially since we all haven't been together since Christmas.

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The best part was that the three of us kids had decided we were going to go see the live action Aladdin together.  We weren't sure if it would be Friday night before going up to our parents' house or on Monday afternoon while on our way back home.  After both Eliot and Jeremy got to our house pretty late Friday, it was decided that we'd go see it at one of the theaters on our ride home Monday.

Aladdin was my absolute favorite Disney film growing up.  I loved the original animated movie and everything about it.  To this day, I still quote it randomly.  When I watch it, I'm pretty sure I recite it line for line even when I'm not trying to.  As a child, Jasmine was my favorite princess.  My favorite song was "A Whole New World" and I was also obsessed with tigers- probably because of Rajah.

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In fact, it left a pretty big impression on our extended family as well.  When we started doing skits with my cousins, we always went back to Aladdin.  I remember three different times we performed our rendition of it.  I was always Jasmine and my cousin Kaitlin was Rajah.  Jeremy was the Genie.  Then, Matthew and Lucas took turns being Aladdin, Jafar and the palace guards.  Aladdin was a big part of my childhood.

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I was so excited when I found out Disney was making a live action version.  I know everyone had an opinion about it... and not all of them were good.  I think everyone was most worried about how the Genie would be portrayed.  There will never be another Robin Williams, so would Will Smith be able to do the part justice?

After seeing the movie yesterday, I think the answer is yes.  Will Smith did a great job with making the Genie come to life.  There were still some jokes from the original movie, but he was able to put his own twist on it.  Genie was still the same character, but with a different flair.  I also like how he had a bigger role in this film.

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The storyline was pretty similar to the original.  I feel like the parts that were changed or added only added to the storyline.  (I love this fierce and intellectual version of Princess Jasmine!)  I also felt like this film was more accurate with the details of a Middle Eastern country.  The sets, dancing, music and costumes were more detailed than they were able to do in the animated version.

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I absolutely loved all of the bright colors.  I don't think I realized how drab the original film looked (compared to this) until I saw all of the beautiful colors in this one.  The costumes, sets, flower petals... they all really made the film come to life.

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The costumes were spectacular... and I know I say this all the time.  But, as a designer, I really appreciate all of the hard work that goes into the costumes and the sets.  This movie did not disappoint.  I loved all of Jasmine's outfits and the textures and detailing on them.  I hope they'll put them on display somewhere like they did with the live action Beauty and the Beast costumes.  I'd love to see them in person!

Finally, the part that really brought the film to life were the songs.  These songs from Aladdin were my childhood.  I've been anxiously waiting for the soundtrack, but I didn't want to listen to it until after I'd seen the movie.  Now that I've seen it, I've been looking for it in the stores.  It was fun to see the little changes they made, but they worked with the film.  Then, there was the "A Whole New World" scene... it was perfection.

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However, the best part was that I got to go see the movie with my entire family.  When we told my parents we were going to see it in Bangor, Dad suggested that he, Mom and Nana join us.  They drove up separately, so after the movie we could all depart in our own directions.  We didn't get to sit all together- Mom and Nana were in the wheelchair row and then Jeremy, Dad, Eliot and I were seated two rows above them- but I was really glad that they got to experience it with us.  I even had to chuckle.  I was seated on the end (Eliot was between Dad and me) but I could still hear Dad humming along to "A Whole New World".  Clearly, Aladdin has left an impression on them too.

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All in all, it was a great film and a true love letter to the animated version.  I absolutely loved it and can't wait to go see it again!  I'm really hoping the local drive-in theater does a double feature with it and Toy Story 4 later this summer- I'd be there at least once that week... maybe more.  If you go to see it, please give it a chance and keep an open mind!  I'm sure you'll end up loving it too!  °o°

Snow, Sickness and Songs

Since February started, I haven't been on here as much as I would have liked.  Eliot and I have been busy around here, as usual.  Not to mention that in the past two weeks, we've gone from 55 degree days, to the frigid teens, to below zero... from having no snow to gaining another 8 or so inches.  Thankfully, some of it melted down before the frigid temperatures arrived.

Unfortunately, in addition to the cold temperatures and snow, I've also been fighting off a cold for the past week and a half.  I can't seem to shake it.  I'm not completely miserable, but I don't feel 100% and the headaches are annoying.  I also keep waking up in the wee hours of the morning.  What I wouldn't give for a solid night of sleep!

I've kept myself busy though.  Staying busy seems to take my mind off it anyways!  I've been working on some more ear orders for Happily Ever Hatter, including a special pair of ears for one of my Key to the World travel friends.  I also really enjoyed making last weekend's tsum tsum Valentine's Day wreath for the Disney Pixar blog hop.

I've puttered around the house cleaning and organizing things here and there.  We're making a lot more progress on our master bedroom and that's really encouraging.  I'm hoping to move a few more things around in my office this weekend!  

I've had one miserable night at work when I was burning up with a fever, but other than that it's been good.  In fact, we got so much snow this past Monday that we ended up canceling all of our appointments and rescheduling our patients.  It's probably a good thing because the roads were treacherous on my ride home!

I have tried to make time to rest and relax.  I've spent more time on the couch than I care to admit.  Luckily, I've had some work I could do from home.  Eliot and I had a relaxing movie night last Saturday.  We watched Tangled.  Then, I didn't feel inclined to do anything else (other than sit on the couch) so I watched our new copy of Aladdin.  I caught the Disney Channel airing of Mulan early in the week and then I watched Teen Beach 2 on Thursday.  Finally, I watched Descendants last night when I got home.

Lately, I've been enjoying getting back into my Disney Music.  I hadn't had much of it on my newer computer.  Now that I do, it's basically all I've been listening to.  The Disneyland 60th show songs are my newest favorites!  In addition to that, I've also been listening to Eliot's "We Love Disney" cd in the car.  When I'm working on blog entries, I've been listening to Kyle Landry's Disney piano music in the background.  It's beautiful and he has a Disney playlist already made on his Youtube channel.

Hopefully, in the next few days I'll finally be rid of this cold.  It's so chilly outside that I've already planned to stay inside all weekend.  This morning, I helped Eliot package a soap order for an Etsy customer.  Now, I'm going to rest up, work on some things around the house, enjoy my time on the couch watching more Disney movies, add more Disney music to my computer and sketch out more of my hat designs!  Yay!!!  °o°

Fun Find: Aladdin- A Musical Spectacular

As you know from last week's Fun Find Friday, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular took the stage one final time this past Sunday.  The show was a personal favorite of mine, and I'm sad to see it leave California Adventure.

Growing up, Aladdin was my favorite Disney movie.  Jeremy and I loved it and would watch it, and the television series, all the time.  He loved the Genie.  I wanted to be princess Jasmine for the longest time.  In fact, when our elementary school did a Disney themed spring concert, Nana made me a purple Jasmine dress to wear!

I remember getting together with my cousins on my Mom's side and we would do skits and plays for our family.  Aladdin was favorite and I remember three different times we "performed" it for them.  I was always Jasmine.  Jeremy was always Genie.  Come to think of it, Aladdin is probably the reason tigers were my favorite animal growing up.

I think it's safe to say that Aladdin had a big impact on my childhood.  Maybe that's why I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to the musical theater show.  I've only seen it live three times, but I really enjoyed it.  The costumes, set design and music was all amazing, but it was the cast that made it memorable.  Genie's jokes, their passion.  It made the show what it was.  It was special.  If you were not able to see it in person, here's the final performance as today's Fun Find Friday.

I'm very sad that it's over, but I'm thankful I was able to see the last half of the second to last performance via Periscope on Sunday.  Since then, Eliot found this video of the final performance and he sent it to me.  Those of you who haven't seen it wouldn't know, but they changed a few of the lines.  One that really stuck out to me was Genie on the stairway yelling "one last time!"  (He usually throws out a joke at that point.)

However, it's the ending that really got me.  Genie changed his lines a little to say, "I'm free!  Thank you Al.  Thank you everybody.  Come on Carpet, let's go home."

Thank you to the entire cast and crew of Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular for making it a magical experience.  I'm so thankful I was able to see the show a few times in person.  It was truly memorable.  I hope that Frozen can live up to the hype.  Queen Elsa certainly has some big shoes to fill!  In the meantime, I guess this gives Eliot and I an excuse to go to New York City to see Aladdin on Broadway!  °o°

Depressing Disney Week

Well, this has certainly been a depressing Disney week.  Within the past week, Disney theme park fans have had to say goodbye to numerous theme park favorites- some temporarily and some which are now gone forever.

I have to admit that it leaves me feeling a little bit glum.  There were closures at both theme parks, most notably this past weekend at Disneyland.  With the Star Wars section of the park set to start construction anytime now some attractions were forced to close for the next year or so.  Unfortunately, it's probably only a matter of time before the same thing happens to Hollywood Studios.

Speaking of Hollywood Studios, the first victim of future expansions happened last Wednesday when we said goodbye to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.  I've been lucky enough to see the lights multiple times during our trips over New Years.  (The lights have been a part of Disney World since 1995.)

The Osborne lights were the only closing attraction that I grew up with.  However, as sad as I am that they've "been retired", I'm not upset about it... yet.  Some part of me feels like the lights will find a new home.  Disney has spent so much time updating them to LEDs, and creating the dancing programming.  Something in my gut says it's not over yet.  And I really hope my gut feeling is right.

Disneyland had a lot of changes over last weekend.  In fact, some park guests were dubbing their weekend the "Goodbye Tour" in which they went from attraction to attraction saying goodbye to their favorites.  One of the biggest casualties of adding a Star Wars section was Big Thunder Ranch.

Big Thunder Ranch consisted of a petting zoo including goats, donkeys, a horse and more.  There was also a barbecue restaurant and a jamboree.  The ranch section of the park was tucked behind Big Thunder Mountain Raildroad and it was a nice place to unwind and catch your breath.  In fact, I didn't even know it existed until my most recent trip to Disneyland.  (I don't think we even went over there my first time!)

I enjoyed seeing the animals and I'm sure I would have loved the food offerings at the restaurant.  They used to have egg decorating and pumpkin carving over there during the Easter and Halloween holidays.  That would have been cool to see.  Elissa is devastated about Big Thunder Ranch closing.  I'm not devastated, but it is sad to see another small part of what makes Disneyland Disneyland go.  And I do wish I'd seen the "goat run" at least once.  Thankfully, the animals all have nice homes to move to!

Another casualty of building Star Wars land, is the temporary closure of the Rivers of America.  Translated, that means the Disneyland Railroad, canoes, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, Tom Sawyer's Island, and Fantasmic will all be gone to accommodate construction.  I have to admit, I'm a big fan of the train so this is a bit depressing for me.  I also love Fantasmic and it's sad it'll be gone for a year or more.

Plus, this leaves Disneyland with less space per person in the park.  Disneyland is already very crowded on a good day.  Eliot's so annoyed about all the construction and the closures that he's vowed not to go there again until it's all over- except for the pre-determined trips we've planned and are hoping to go on over the next two years.

However, there are a few pluses.  The new construction on the Rivers of America looks gorgeous.  Disney released a rendered image of concept art yesterday.  It appears that when the train returns, the waterfront will have new waterfalls with an elevated train track.  I love waterfalls!  Also, during the construction, Disneyland plans to have two of the trains stopped at stations so guests can see the trains up close and learn more about how they run.  My Papa loved trains so much.  I'm excited to experience this and to take a picture with one of the trains.

The saddest goodbye for me was the ending of Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular.  I posted a fun find with Genie's jokes last Friday.  Even a few days later, I have to admit that I'm still sad when I think about it.  (More on that soon...)  But, Walt Disney himself said that "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."  And while we are all sad to say goodbye to some fan favorites, building Star Wars themed lands definitely fits into that philosophy.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~Walt Disney  °o°

Fun Find: Genie's Jokes from Aladdin

As many of you probably know, Disney's Aladdin- A Musical Spectacular is taking it's final bow this weekend at California Adventure theme park.  The 45 minute musical production has been around for about 13 years.  It premiered at the Hyperion Theater on January 16, 2003.  It's filled the 2,000 seat theater many times over the years.  It's final production is this Sunday the 10th, before it permanently closes on January 11th.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

I loved the Aladdin musical from the second I saw it.  In fact, it's one of the things I remembered most vividly from my first trip to Disneyland in 2009.  Ironically, we were actually at Disneyland this past September when it was officially announced that the show would be closing to make room for a Frozen musical.  Elissa was so upset that she watched the show three times in a row the following day.

One of the best parts of the show were the Genie's jokes.  Not only were they hilarious, but they were witty and up to date with current events from our news and culture.  I recently discovered the Theme Park Extravaganza channel on Youtube.  They took videos of the live Aladdin show and edited Genie's jokes from the past few months so I wanted to share them with you for today's fun find.

Note: Please use caution when/if showing your children these videos.  Some of these jokes are more for adults than kids. They'll probably be over their heads.  Don't fret, there are always plenty of children in the audience; I just want to give you a heads up!

These were some of the jokes we heard while we were at Disneyland in September.

Genie is always so over the top.  It's hilarious!  "Superstar!"

Of course, there's a few Kardasian jokes.  And you can't forget the hashtags.

And Eliot's family enjoyed the ones poking fun of my beloved New England Patriots.

No selfie sticks!!!  Don't forget the dress- black and blue or white and gold.

There were One Direction, Abercrombie and Fitch, Justin Beiber, Twitter, and Facebook jokes.  I'd have to say that the Disney themed ones were my favorite though!

This was definitely a wonderful show.  I'm glad someone took video of all the jokes from Genie so they'll always live on.  Thank you Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular for all of the memories over the past 13 years!  You'll always be a prince to me!  °o°

Fun Find: Kyle Landry- Pianist

Hey Guys!  I'm sorry I haven't dropped by lately.  It has been another busy week at the Cady house.  Eliot's grandfather has been very ill and he passed away Wednesday night. Understandably, I've taken a break from my blogging to spend time with my husband.  Pa Joe was a wonderful man and I'm glad to have known him.  He will be greatly missed.

Eliot will be in California with his family for the next week and I'm hoping to get a few Halloween projects completed while he's away.  (I've had them planned for a while now.) In the meantime, I wanted to share another Fun Find Friday with you!  Before I left for my trip to Walt Disney World, I stumbled across some videos on YouTube.

I was looking for piano versions of "Let It Go" when I came across pianist Kyle Landry.  I immediately stopped everything and watched at least five of his Disney videos.  He's very talented and he composes his own versions of the songs!

I absolutely love his version of "Part of Your World" from the Little Mermaid.  I've listened to it at least 10 times since I discovered his Youtube channel.

His version of "I Can Go the Distance" gives me chills every time I hear it.  

Kyle even has a whole playlist of his Disney songs!

These compositions are not only beautiful, but there's something relaxing about listening to the piano versions of my favorite Disney songs.  They're perfect to listen to in the background while I'm working on some of my projects!

Enjoy!!!  °o°

You Ain't Never Had Friend Like Me

I'm sure by now you've all heard the news about Robin Williams.  It's always sad to hear news of a celebrity's passing, but this one hurts more than others.  Like so many, I grew up watching Robin and he was part of my childhood.  

Photo Source: RobinWilliams.com

Aladdin was my favorite Disney movie growing up.  I loved the original, the movie sequels and the television show.  If you asked 10 year old me, I'd tell you that my favorite Disney princess was Jasmine.  My favorite Disney song was "A Whole New World" and I'm pretty sure Rajah is where my love of tigers came from.

Photo Source: Key to the World Travel Facebook Page

Jeremy and I loved Aladdin.  We'd watch it over and over again.  Jeremy had the Aladdin action figures and we'd play with them for hours.  We used to do performances with our cousins on my Mom's side and Aladdin was our go to favorite.  (We performed it at least 3 different times.)  The Genie was one of Jeremy's favorites.  While doing our skits, he always insisted he play the Genie.  Somewhere, I have a picture of him in his Genie shirt while he acted as the Genie.  (I've looked all afternoon and I can't find it.)

Photo Source: Doctor Disney Facebook Page

Genie was the character who made a lasting impression.  He was the one who stole the show, who you remembered quotes from.  I remember us running around the house saying, "Phenomenal cosmic powers!  Itty bitty living space" all the time.  Another one of our favorites was "Jafar, Jafar, he's our man; if he can't do it, great!"  To this day, I can still come up with Genie quotes.  In fact, I'm honestly not sure that I can quote any Disney character as well as I could Genie. 

Photo Source: Pinterest

Robin Williams was the man who always made me laugh.  I was incredibly saddened to find out that while he was making all of us laugh, he was fighting a battle on his own.  So many people looked to him for laughter and a means of escape from daily life.  I only wish that we could have returned the favor.  

Photo Source: The Disney Princess Tumblr

If any good comes of this, I hope it will make people realize depression is real.  This isn't something I take lightly.  I've helped two friends struggling with suicidal thoughts.  I called the police when one of them overdosed and had to be rushed to the hospital to have their stomach pumped.  I hope this will start some conversations that need to be had.  

Yesterday, the world lost one of the greats.  Rest in peace Robin.  We'll never have another friend like you.  °o°