Fun Find: Making Wonder YouTube Series

Happy Friday Everyone!  

How is is already Friday?  I feel like this week just started and here we are at the end of it.  I wasn't planning to swing by today, but I found a few videos that intrigued me; once I watched them, I knew that I had to share them with you for Fun Find Friday!

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The Disney YouTube channel is doing a new series called "Making Wonder" as part of the Disney 100 Celebration.  A few days ago, they debuted this teaser introducing the new series.  The series will be exclusive to the Disney YouTube channel, and it will feature incredible Lego builds and collaborations with different creators.

The first video in the series just dropped and it features Disney Princess inspired go karts made with Legos!  Let me just tell you, my jaw dropped at how awesome this entire video was!  I love this and can't wait for more videos in the series!!!

I am completely obsessed with the go karts, as well as the outfits and the matching helmets!  I want one!  I would totally race down our road with one of these!

And these videos are only the beginning.  If the trailer is any indicator, there is a lot more magic in store for us.  I can't wait to see what else they come up with!!!  °o°

#tbt Lego Fan Fest

Well, I didn't plan on taking this long to write this post, but life has a way of running down the track whether or not we're ready for it!  Anyways... today I thought I'd do a throwback post to the Lego Fan Festival that we went to a few weeks ago.  As you probably recall, Eliot and I attended the event Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st.

The event was the BrickUniverse Maine Lego Fan Expo put on my BrickUniverse.  Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event had timed tickets where you were allowed to enter and browse.  On Saturday, we were scheduled to go in with my family for the 5:30-8:00 pm session and on Sunday Eliot and I had tickets to the 2:00-5:00 pm session.

Both days were a lot of fun; although, Saturday was probably the more fun of the two days.  Eliot and I enjoyed spending time with my parents, Nana and Jeremy at the event.  Saturday, Eliot, Jeremy and I met them at Friendly's and got a to go order that we ate out in the parking lot.  Then, we drove over to the event in two cars.  While we only got to see my parents and Nana for a few hours, it was still nice to see them! 

The other highlight of our Saturday session was that I was able to meet longtime blog follower Joan!  Eliot and I were wandering around while my family was sitting down to take a break, and a lady approached me asking if I was Melissa Cady.  I replied yes and I knew who she had to be before she even said it.  (Joan... in person!!!)  I was so excited to meet her in person after we've talked online for so long!

I feel like I need to pause for a minute to preface this by saying that I love when people approach me "in the wild", but I should come with a warning.  I'm like an overexcited Golden Retriever puppy.  While puppies will jump all over you and tackle you to death with kisses, I will probably embrace you in a giant hug before I'm even aware that it is happening.  I'm a hugger, and I need that on a warning label.

After finding out who she was, I immediately gave Joan a giant hug.  It wasn't until afterwards that I remembered we're still in the middle of a pandemic and I shouldn't be hugging people without their permission.  (I'm sorry Joan!)  While we didn't have too much time to talk, it was so nice to meet her in person.  I was amazed that we both happened to be at the event in the same time session!  It was meant to be!

Sunday wasn't as entertaining as Saturday, but we took advantage of the quiet.  Most of the people who wanted to go to the event had already been.  Eliot and I took Sunday afternoon as an opportunity to go back and take more pictures.  He brought his nice DSLR camera and I took more pictures on my phone.  We didn't get to the session right at the start time, so that meant that things were quieting down by the time we got there.  We definitely saw more of the models the second day.  We also were glad we waited for the crowds to die down a bit before purchasing a few things!

Before we left Saturday, I bought two light-up magic wands at one of the booths.  I'm hoping that we can use one of them on our Disney Cinderella Castle Lego set once Eliot and I assemble it.  Tinker Bell can have a light up wand now!!!  Then, I'll probably use the second one in my office somewhere!

Eliot and I also went back to purchase few things on Sunday.  We stayed away from the Lego sets that you could buy online and in stores, and instead focused on custom or rare things we saw at the expo.  First, we bought the custom Sanderson Sisters mini figures that I had really wanted after seeing them on Saturday.

We also bought another mini figure at that booth... but we don't talk about it.

Eliot surprised me with a Crayon mini figure when I left for a minute to go use the restroom.  He knows how much I love crayons!  We also got a BrickUniverse Maine mini figure and BrickUniverse Maine 2022 brick.  (Ok... so we were actually supposed to get two bricks, but apparently someone stole a bunch of them the previous day so by the time we showed up on Sunday they were out of them.  Since we paid for it ahead of time, we're supposed to get a replacement in the mail though!)

As for the BrickUniverse Maine Lego Fan Expo event itself, there were so many things to see.  There's no way that I can show you everything without going on forever.  But I'll see if I can give you an overview of some of my personal favorite models that we saw.

When we first entered the exhibit room, we were met with a ton of Lego models of buildings and architecture of New York City built by Jonathan Lopes.  Obviously, the architecture nut in me was completely impressed.  The first thing that caught my eye was the giant model of the Brooklyn Bridge that must have spanned 10 feet.

Another model that stood out was the current World Trade Center and Freedom Tower by Rocco Buttliere.  He even included the memorial sit where the original World Trade Tower buildings once stood.

There was also a model of the former World Trade Center.

Finally, I really loved the model of Grand Central Station.  Seeing it always reminds me of the many trips to New York City for our annual yearbook conference!

I was especially impressed with the Lego models of buildings that I have seen in person.  One of my favorite displays was of Paris and the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.  I absolutely fell in love with Paris when I went there my junior year of high school.  These models definitely brought me back to exploring the city.

Another place that I've been in person and was impressed to see in Lego form was Vatican City.  I went to Rome during my senior year of college with a group of kids from colleges across the US and it was the most amazing experience.  I loved going to the Vatican, seeing the Sistine Chapel in person and exploring St. Peter's Square. 

While I haven't been to London in person, I was really impressed with this model.

I also enjoyed this model of Mt. Rushmore.  I've always wanted to go there!

One of the exhibits we were able to explore more on Sunday (when it was quiet) was the Air and Space Exhibit by Lia Chan.  The models were really cool and she put so much detail into them!  I really liked the larger mini figure astronaut models she built!

I personally thought the most impressive models at the show were built by Lego artist Paul Hetherington.  The detail in his models was completely insane.  Each time I looked at one of his pieces, I saw something new that I hadn't seen before.

This Alice in Wonderland inspired piece was cool.  You can even see the Disney Lego mini figures of Alice and Cheshire Cat in the bottom right if you look hard enough!

I also enjoyed the details in "The Edge of Glory" which was partly inspired by Coco.

I think my favorite model of the entire BrickUniverse event was the one of Poseidon.

Underneath Poseidon and his throne was a little Atlantis like city.  Some of the pieces moved back and forth, and some spun.  There was also a Spongebob Squarepants mini figure in the clam shell in the back!

Finally, the thing that inspired me the most from the BrickUniverse Fan Expo was the Art on the Block exhibit in the very back of the expo center.  I've seen kits at the Lego store where you can build your own Lego artwork, but I never really considered making some of your own.  Seeing these definitely got some gears moving in my brain...

I was completely inspired when I saw these Lego pieces of our favorite mice!

Now, I really want to make some of my own to display in our house!

As you can see, Eliot and I had a great time at the BrickUniverse Maine Lego Fan Expo.  We had hoped to see more larger pieces though.  We always awestruck by the giant Lego figures on display at the Disney shopping districts.  We also thought there would be more larger scale models, but we were still impressed by everything we saw.

Although it wasn't exactly what we were expecting, Eliot and I are both glad that we went to the Lego Fan Fest while it was in Portland.  It definitely inspired me to work on my Disney Princess Lego sets sometime sooner than later!  °o°

Lego Fan Festival Today

Eliot and I have been waiting for tonight for months.  This evening, we will make our way up to the Portland Exposition to attend the BrickUniverse Lego Fan Festival!

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Tickets went on sale back in early February and they sold out of most time slots almost immediately.  Thankfully, Eliot and I were able to get 6 tickets for tonight and two for tomorrow afternoon.  This afternoon, Jeremy is coming up from New Hampshire and my parents and Nana are coming down from Trenton so we can all go together!

Originally, we thought everyone would be spending the night in Portland, but we're all so busy right now.  Instead, Jeremy will head back south while Mom, Dad, and Nana drive north.  It will be a quick visit, but it'll be nice to see them.  I haven't seen Mom, Dad and Nana since Jeremy's birthday.  (They've been busy with tax season.)  Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen Jeremy since then either.  It's been a while!

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We're all looking forward to getting out for a few hours.  We're not sure what to expect from the Lego Fan Festival, but I'm sure it will be cool.  There are supposed to be a lot of exhibits and builds to see!  I'm also looking forward to exploring the vendor booths to see what they have for sale!  And I know Eliot and Jeremy are looking forward to it too!

I'll be sure to tell you all about it once I have a chance to!  Things are still pretty busy around here... but I'll be back to write more as soon as I can!  °o°

Guest Post: Eliot's New Adventure

I've been on a roll blogging lately.  My new method seems to be working and I've been feeling really good about it.  The other day, I went back to check some of the other goals that I'd abandoned.  I've been trying to get back to having guest bloggers here.   It's been a long time (almost 7 years!) since I had a guest post.  

Eliot and I talk about it occasionally.  He enjoyed doing a guest blog post about the Avengers Half Marathon back in 2014 and he's talked about doing another post for me, but he never knows what to write about.  

Recently, he's decided to try a new endeavor and I thought that was the perfect thing for him to tell you about!  Here it is in his own words:

Over the past several months, I have been watching many people on YouTube that create content that has to do with building Legos. Watching these videos brought me back to my childhood where I built many different Lego sets. After watching these different channels from all around the world, I decided that I wanted to start my own. While there are a few YouTube channels that build the newest Lego sets, I wanted to do my YouTube channel a little bit differently.

I have decided to call my channel OneLittleSparkBuilds. This will allow me to combine my love for Disney and my love for building.  For now, I have decided to focus on building with smaller blocks. These smaller blocks go by many different names: Nano Blocks, Diamond Blocks, Micro Blocks and more. While I am focusing on the smaller blocks to start, I will also be building sets in a similar size as Legos, Legos themselves, wood design kits, 3D diamond paintings and many other building projects.

For those of you not familiar with Nanoblocks, here's some information on them:

• Nanoblocks were created in Tokyo, Japan by the company Kawada.
• A standard 1x1 block measures 4mm x 4mm x 5mm.
• They were first introduced by the company in 2008. 
• They are made using ABS plastic and there are 11 different types.
• The largest is 8x2 and smallest is 1x1.  
• Nanoblocks typically include spare parts since it's so easy to lose them.

I do not necessarily plan on using "name brand" Nanoblocks as I've found a lot of sets that are similar to them. Over the last few months, I have been collecting several sets from AliExpress. These sets are as small as 200 pieces and as large as 5,000 pieces. These sets include: Disney Movies, Pixar Films, Pokemon, Cars, Animals, Monuments and more. These building block sets are not from Nanoblocks, but are from many companies including: LBOYU, MPIN, Magic Blocks, Balody and others. I have been trying to collect sets that I will enjoy building; however, I will eventually spread out.

Recently, Melissa's family and I visited Virginia and Hershey, PA. While we were visiting Colonial Williamsburg, Melissa and I found some cool sets at the gift shop. I decided to purchase the bald eagle because of the family sentiment. The shop also had a cannon, revolutionary soldiers, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. There was also a display model of the Colonial Williamsburg Governor's Palace, but it was sold out. (I'm hoping to buy it from their online shop soon.) Then, on the ride home, we visited Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. Melissa, her Dad and I went about 5 feet into the store before I found a few sets that were similar to Lego size blocks. These building block sets included a Reese’s dump truck, a Hershey’s fork truck, and the Hershey’s factory. 

I've also recently started working on some videos for my channel. I started with two Pokemon and two Zootopia characters. The two Pokemon were Bulbasaur (pictured above) and Squirtle. The Bulbasaur was not on video due to me wanting to see how difficult it was to put the sets of smaller bricks together. The Zootopia characters I built were Nick Wilde and Clawhauser. I have many more Pokemon to build and I also have 3 other Zootopia characters that include Flash, Judy Hopps, and Chief Bogo.  (All of these sets were around 400 pieces.) The set that I am currently working on right now is a Golden Retriever that is over 1,000 pieces! 

I am hoping that my YouTube channel will start after the new year, but this timetable might have to be pushed back a little. It will depend on how many sets I can finish before the new year and how quickly I can edit the videos to have ready to go.

While everyone wants to be successful on YouTube and be an "influencer", I am just looking to have fun putting together building sets. If success comes with that- then great! If nothing else comes from my channel, it will at least allow me to review all of my past projects. I am looking forward to this new hobby and adventure!

I'm really excited for Eliot and to see how this new adventure turns out!  He has been having a lot of fun so far!  Plus, I love Legos and building things too.  At some point, I might even be a guest on his YouTube channel!  Stay tuned!!!  °o°

In Need of a Little Magic

This year has been rough and lately I've been in need of a little magic.  Each time I see the Walt Disney World commercials for the holiday season, I get misty eyed.  This time last year, Eliot and I were eagerly preparing for our back-to-back Disney Christmas Cruises, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and a few fun filled days at Walt Disney World with both his family and mine.  That seems like a lifetime ago now...

I finally came to the conclusion that I needed a little bit of Disney magic.  Since we won't be going to the parks anytime soon, I knew what we needed to do.  I needed to go to a Disney Store... just to soak in a little Disney magic.  We haven't been to our closest Disney Store, at the Burlington Mall, since March when we went to buy the Frozen 2 dolls.  A few short days later, everything shut down due to the coronavirus.

Eliot and I discussed my desire to travel to Massachusetts and we made a plan.  We'd go down on Saturday, October 17th so we'd have at least 2 weeks before we'd be seeing my family.  Then, I called my brother Jeremy to coordinate with him.  The night before, we confirmed that we all still wanted to do it and that we were symptom free.

The morning of Saturday October 17th, Eliot and I both slept in a bit later than we should have.  As excited as I was for our adventure, I wanted to be sure that I was fully rested to drive down to Massachusetts and back.  Our plan was to drive down to Burlington, then to go up to Nashua, then Merrimack where Jeremy lives and travel back through Manchester before returning to Maine.

Our plan was only a little derailed by sleeping in.  Unfortunately, it got more off course when my 'check tires' light came on.  After stopping at the Kennebunk rest stop to get some more air, we had a safe trip down to Massachusetts and arrived at the mall about 2 hours later than I'd planned to; but I was so excited that I didn't care.

Eliot and I headed right in.  After a quick stop at the restrooms, we joined the line to get into the Disney Store.  We were so far back that there wasn't even a 6' sticker for us, but thankfully it was moving quickly.  Jeremy arrived at the mall about 10 minutes after us and was able to join us when we were a few groups back from the entrance.

I was so excited to enter the store.  Upon entering, I took a hard right towards all of the bright red Christmas merchandise.  Heaven.  I can only describe it as heaven.

Christmas clothing.  Christmas ornaments.  Christmas toys.  Christmas home decor.

I immediately felt a weight lift off my shoulders.  The world has been a complete mess this year, but Disney hadn't lost it's magic.  If anything, being there was more magical.

Eliot, Jeremy and I took our time looking over the merchandise in the store.  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Every turn brought some new discovery.  They had the Ink and Paint collection from the parks that I'm in love with.  They had plush.  They had a wide variety of toys.  They even had a few of the collectible items from the website in store.

After thoroughly checking every nook and cranny out, we decided to complete the rest of our mall adventure before coming back to make our purchases.  Then, we wouldn't have to carry them all over the mall with us.

Next, we headed over to the Lego Store.  It also had a little bit of a line, but thankfully it wasn't too bad.  A few of the employees recognized us, even with our face masks.  We had a blast checking out all of the Lego sets.  I wanted to get a few ideas for our Christmas wishlists and I definitely did.  Plus, I enjoyed looking at the Harry Potter and Disney sets.  They also had the new Diagon Alley set in the display window!

After that, we made a quick stop across the way to the Pottery Barn Kids store.  There wasn't a line to get in and I was curious if they had any of their new Disney kids dining sets.  They had a few of the Halloween items in store, but it was so small there wasn't room to display much.  Still, it was nice to see it in person.

We decided that it made sense to walk to Build-A-Bear next.  Sadly, upon our arrival we realized that the store was closed.  They had a small sign saying they were temporarily closed.  We weren't sure why, but my guess was that someone in the store, or who went to the store tested positive and that they had to close so the employees could quarantine.  Still, they had the new Harry Potter bears and the Hogwarts wizard clothing so we were able to admire them in the window.

Next, we headed over to Newbury Comics.  We had one person in front of us when we arrived so we had to wait as each person exited the store.  Eliot and I told Jeremy to go in first since he had more items that he was looking for.  Then, one more person exited and I went in.  I didn't get too far before Eliot walked up behind me.  We had a good time checking out all of the new Funko Pop Vinyl figures. 

When we were done with our window shopping there, we headed back over to the Disney Store.  Luckily, the line wasn't too long that time.  I made a beeline straight over to the Christmas section to pick out the Cinderella ornament and the Gingerbread Key ornaments that I wanted.  While I checked the paint on each ornament, Eliot and Jeremy looked at a few other things around the store.  However, we only ended up getting the ornaments.  After making our purchase, I took one last took around and I silently bid the store farewell, promising myself that I'd be back again soon.

After that, we all headed out to our cars.  Jeremy had found our car and parked next to us.  We hopped into our cars and went towards our next destinations.  Eliot and I went to the Nashua Hobby Lobby while Jeremy ran over to the Target around the corner.  I wanted to check out the Christmas stuff in Hobby Lobby, and I also promised Jeremy to look for a pink paint pen that he needed for a project while there.

While soaking in some Christmas magic in the seasonal section of Hobby Lobby, Eliot kept pestering me to come over to one spot.  I finally obligated and he'd found a singing and dancing Elmo plush.  Those silly little singing and dancing plushies are very popular in my family, and both my Dad and Eliot can't help but press them every time they see them.  Of course, once Elmo started singing and dancing I was also entranced by how cute it was.  Before I knew it, we were heading to the check out counter with Elmo.  I had a coupon, but he was already 50% off anyways!

After adopting Elmo, we headed down the road to the Friendly's restaurant where we were meeting back up with Jeremy for dinner.  The three of us decided we would eat dinner in the restaurant.  Jeremy hadn't dined in a restaurant since COVID started and Eliot and I have only been out for our anniversary.  We've all been overly cautious due to Mom's surgeries these past few months.  However, since we'd already hopped around the mall in MA, we decided dinner wasn't too risky.  Thankfully, they seated us in a corner anyways.  Plus, it was nice to spend more time with Jeremy over dinner.

After dinner, we drove around the corner to the Merrimack Outlets.  We had about 45 more minutes before the Disney Store Outlet was closing.  We weren't looking for anything in particular but I did want to see what they had.  There was a small section of Christmas stuff along with many toys, make believe sets and costumes for kids.

When we finished browsing, the three of us walked back to our cars.  Eliot and I followed Jeremy out of the shopping complex and back to his condo.  We needed to stop at Jeremy's condo to pick up the Disneyland 65th Funko Pops he bought us at Target.  While there, we also showed Jeremy our new dancing Elmo which made him laugh.  We talked for a few minutes before we said our goodbyes.  Finally, we bid my brother farewell and Eliot and I headed home to Maine.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to Manchester before everything closed.  We completely forgot about COVID hours and how the mall closed earlier than usual.  Our main reason for going was to go to the new BoxLunch store; I've been waiting months for it to open.  (No lie, I have legit stalked their website waiting to see 'Now Open' replace 'Coming Soon'.)  The closest store to us before this new one was all the way out near Six Flags- which we've only been to once but Eliot and I loved it.  We shop online from BoxLunch often and I'm excited to have one closer to us!

I had a well-planned trip around the mall to include stops at BoxLunch, Build-A-Bear, Torrid and finally Hot Topic.  While we weren't able check it out this trip, we're planning to execute it another time... possibly a weekday when the mall will be less busy.  It's hard to go on a weekend when you have to wait longer to get into the stores.

Nevertheless, it was a successful trip and we returned home feeling exhausted but grateful.  I was so happy that I got to feel a little bit of Disney magic.  It was good for my soul.  Plus, seeing all of the Christmas merchandise was the cherry on top!  While the magic is definitely a bit different, it's still there.  °o°

Frozen 2 Limited Edition Dolls

Before I dive into this post, I have a confession.  The past two weeks, I've been holding my breath.  I wanted to post this recap the following week, but at the same time this was right when things were starting to get really serious.  As the days went on, I was terrified that we'd done something stupid and put ourselves at risk.  Thankfully, none of us have gotten sick (so far) and I feel like it's finally time for me to post this recap.

Just over two weeks ago, Eliot and I embarked on another journey down to the Disney Store in Burlington, MA.  As I mentioned before, we had decided to go down and meet up with my brother Jeremy to purchase the Frozen 2 Limited Edition dolls in person rather than try to get lucky purchasing them online.  With all of the news regarding the coronavirus changing by the minute, it was not a decision any of us took lightly.  We all knew what we could be potentially exposing ourselves to, but getting both of the dolls was really important to me.  Plus, the guys were both on board and wanted to go.  

On March 14th, the Disney Store was releasing Limited Edition "Queen Anna" and "Elsa The Snow Queen" dolls both online and in stores.  Worldwide, there were 8,500 Elsa dolls and 8,000 Anna dolls available.  We'd seen both of the dolls on display in the Burlington store when we went down for the Leap Year Tigger key and the Cinderella key.  They were beautiful with absolutely stunning outfits and details.  (I took pictures of some of the details so you can see- they're so pretty!)  Plus, not only were there the dolls, but if you purchased both of them you also got a free Disney Store Olaf key.  A lot of people are Disney Store key collectors and wanted the Olaf key, but I'm also a doll collector so this was a win-win merchandise release for me.

I don't think I've ever talked about it on here, but dolls have always held a special place in my heart.  My Dad's Mom, my Grammie, collected dolls and gave us a few through the years.  I have a few dolls from Grammie, but I also started to collect pop culture dolls when I was in high school.  I have an impressive collection of both Harry Potter and Twilight Tonner dolls that are worth a lot of money.  They mean a lot and are and priceless to me.  I've tried to collect some of the Disney Store limited edition dolls, but it's always so hard to get them.  We've never gone to the store to try before.  The few times I've tried online, they're sold out before I can even get them into my cart.  So this time, I was prepared to change that by going to the store in person.

Late that Friday night, Eliot and I packed up and took off for Massachusetts.  We'd decided to drive down the night before and to stay in a hotel across the street from the mall.  It was closer, and we realized that we'd get more sleep that way.  (We ended up getting just under 5 hours of sleep rather than only 1-2 hours if we stayed at home.)

Early on Saturday morning (at 5:00 am), our phone alarms went off and we bounced out of bed.  Eliot and I got dressed and packed everything up.  Thankfully, we had brought minimal stuff with us so it was quick.  We were in the elevator at 5:20, out of the hotel at 5:25 and in the mall parking lot at 5:30 where Jeremy was parked waiting for us.  I parked next to him and we talked for a few minutes.

The mall was supposed to open at 6:00 am, but more cars started to pull in.  We saw three women get out of their cars and rush towards the doors.  When the main doors didn't open, they headed to another one.  The three of us decided to gather our stuff and head over to the doors so we'd be ready.  Unfortunately, none of us saw where the women went and they disappeared to.  We assumed that they were also going to the Disney Store because no one walks that quickly into work or to go into the mall to walk.

We parked ourselves outside the main doors with our bags full of things to do and out camp chairs.  It was cold and we stood out like a sore thumb.  Thankfully, a nice older lady came over and asked what we were doing.  After explaining about the dolls and how we'd stayed in a hotel, she walked us over to the "back" mall entrance near security.  Before we knew it, we were inside the still technically closed mall, up the escalator and joining the already formed line outside the Disney Store.

We weren't sure what we were going to be up against with fears of the Coronavirus spreading, but it seemed like we weren't the only ones concerned with getting the dolls.  The three women we'd seen outside were there, along with another group of two women with children.  And the most welcome sight, the mall security guard who was talking to the others in line.  (I was so relieved that he wasn't upset with any of us being there early!)  Eliot, Jeremy and I set up our folding camp chairs and prepared to begin our four hour wait to store opening.  Thankfully, it flew right by...

I noticed that the woman directly ahead of us in line looked familiar.  I'd seen her at a few other key releases and told Eliot that I thought she was one of our mouse ear customers who I also follow on Instagram.  Long story short, after we saw her and her daughter last release, I was positive it was her.  I asked if she was who I thought and she said yes!  Eliot and I then introduced ourselves and said we ran Happily Ever Hatter.  (It really is a small world.)  I spent the next few hours talking to her and the other women ahead of us in line and making friends.  We talked about Disney closing, the Disney Store keys, collecting the dolls, Disney small shops and so much more.  

Time kept flying by.  At 8 am, Eliot and Jeremy left for a few minutes to go downstairs to get us Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.  When the Disney Store cast members arrived around 9:00 am, we talked to one of them (I think she was the store manager) before she opened the store up to go prepare with her staff.  She showed us a photo on her phone of a store in CA that had people lining up at 2:00 am for the dolls and we joked around with her about how dedicated we all were before she went inside.

Eliot and Jeremy packed the chairs up around 9:40 am and before I knew it, it was time to get our numbers.  The cast members gave us the rules and rundown of how it was going to work.  Due to the virus, they had changed their procedures and they were only taking 10 of us inside the store at a time.  They then handed out numbers for both the Anna and Elsa doll separately.  If you wanted both, they stapled the papers together to signify that we'd also get the Olaf key.  We ended up with doll numbers 4, 5, and 6.

Eliot, Jeremy and I were in the first group allowed inside, while waiting in line, I spotted the Jaq and Gus Cinderella mice plushes that I'd spotted the week prior.  I was having a few regrets about not purchasing them, so they somehow ended up in my hands before I was next in line to purchase my dolls.

Eliot and I went to the register together so I could look both sets of dolls over.  He was getting a set in case his mother wanted some.  (She's in California where you would have had to wait in line overnight outside to get them.)  I checked over all of the dolls and was satisfied.  We also purchased my Cinderella mice and a really nice Steamboat Willie tote bag that was a deal with a purchase.

After purchasing the dolls, another cast member was right outside the checkout area to offer us hand wipes.  We all cleaned our hands off.  Then, we grabbed everything and headed out to our cars to drop the dolls off.

Eliot, Jeremy and I went back inside to check out a few more things.  Jeremy headed towards Newbury Comics while Eliot and I went to the Lego Store.  We'd been waffling back and forth about getting the Lego Cinderella Castle set.  Ultimately, I left the choice up to Eliot and he decided we better get it.  It's been out since 2016 so we've been afraid that it would be retiring.  We've been talking about getting it with some of our tax refund money for years.  Luckily, we also got a few freebies because we purchased it when we did.  We also got a little Lego 40th Anniversary Train and a picture frame kit!

Jeremy met back up with us when we were checking out.  He actually had to put our castle in his car because we didn't have room with all of the dolls in my backseat.  (I'm not too worried about it... he'll bring it the next time we see him!)  We air hugged Jeremy goodbye.  He was afraid to give me a hug because I was going to see our parents and Nana the next day.  (Apparently, the girl behind him in line at the Disney Store was coughing her head off the entire time and he was afraid she was sick.)  

Eliot and I drove back over to our hotel to check-out.  We'd asked for a late check-out at noon in case we wanted a quick power nap after getting the dolls.  I was fully awake so we decided to just check-out and get on the road.  After leaving the hotel, Eliot realized he still had Jeremy's Nintendo Switch in his backpack so we called and told him to turn around.  We ended up meeting up at the mall long enough to drop it off.

After that, Eliot and I made our way back up to Maine.  We stopped at the McDonalds in Danvers (across the street from where I got my Alfred Angelo Disney Ariel wedding gown) and got fries and soda as a snack.  Then, we stopped at Michael's in Biddeford to grab a few things in case they closed due to the virus.  Ironically, Eliot's sister Elissa was coming into the store with a friend while we were checking out.  We talked with the girls for a few minutes before hopping back in our car and heading home.  We arrived at our house about 30 minutes later- totally exhausted but happy with our successful Disney Store Frozen doll mission!  

Eliot and I have had fun going down to the Disney Store over the past few weekends to get the dolls and the keys.  It's been really nice to see Jeremy so much.  But, we're glad that we won't have to drive all the way down to Massachusetts again anytime soon- especially with everything going on right now!  I'm relieved that we're all ok and that I can look back at this trip with fond memories.  Now, I just have to find a place in my office to display my new Frozen 2 Anna and Elsa dolls!  °o°