Walt Disney's Birthday

It all started with a mouse... but in reality, it all started with a man.  And that man, Walt Disney, aka Walter Elias Disney, was born on this date 120 years ago in 1901.

Through the years, I've learned a lot about Walt Disney and how he built the brand that we all know and love.  From starting his studio, to designing Oswald and Mickey, to full length feature movies, to building Disneyland, to having a big dream for the "Florida Project" that would become Walt Disney World... he's truly been a creative genius.

I've loved his story, and how he struggled and failed many times.  As a creative person myself, I love his dream big philosophy, and how the sky is the limit.  I love how he pushed on, even when things seemed impossible.  Walt made the impossible possible.

Eliot and I love visiting One Man's Dream at Hollywood Studios and walking through Walt's story.  We've also been blessed to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum twice during visits with Eliot's family in California.  I love that museum so much!!!  Someday, we'd also love to visit Marceline, MO were Walt grew up. 

Though some people are critical of Walt and a few of his philosophies, I choose to see the good in people.  Plus, I didn't know the man personally; I don't believe in passing judgement on him.  Times have changed a lot since 100+ years ago, and things that were acceptable and common then aren't now.  I mean, even the Disney Company themselves have Photoshopped all of the cigarettes out of Walt's hands since him smoking is not deemed respectable in today's standards.

Regardless of what you think of the man, no one can deny his genius.  He saw a vision when other people couldn't.  He saw the possibilities in an empty orange grove... and in a bunch of Florida swampland.  And look what sits there today!

I choose to look to Walt for inspiration to always look for new ideas, to know change and growth are necessary, to dream big and to believe anything is possible.  To this day, I always stop at the fire station and gaze upon the light in his apartment window for a few minutes... silently thanking him for the magic whenever we leave Disneyland.

Photo Source

Happy 120th Birthday Walt.  Thanks for teaching us to wish on stars, to dream big, to work hard and never give up and that dreams really do come true.  °o°

Fun Find: Walt Disney Family Museum

Eliot and I are currently on our way to California for a friend's wedding!  (Yay for being able to schedule blog posts ahead of time!)  We're looking forward to a fun weekend getaway.  This is also the last weekend of the Disneyland Diamond Celebration.  The crazy part of me wanted to fly down for part of the day Monday to be dazzled one last time, but alas, it wasn't going to work out this trip.

Instead, we're going to go back to the Walt Disney Family Museum to see more!  We went back in June and realized that we hadn't set aside nearly enough time to see everything.  We ended up rushing through more than half the museum.  This time, I'm looking forward to taking our time and really soaking in everything it has to offer.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Walt Disney Family Museum, I thought I'd share a quick overview for today's Fun Find Friday!

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located in San Francisco in the Presidio.  (It's not far from the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.)  Inside, there is a cafe, a museum store as well as a studio were you can take classes and workshops.

The museum consists of 10 galleries showcasing Walt Disney's life: from his small town beginnings, to his move to Hollywood, to his shorts and his movies, to the creation of Disneyland to the world remembering him after his death.

Of course, my favorite gallery was the Disneyland one.  There's a giant model of the park with lights and moving rides.  (It was absolutely stunning.  I could have stayed there all day.  In fact, this time, I might just do that...)

Visiting the museum is a really great way to see the entire story of Walt and how through a lot of hard work, his dreams became a reality.  I definitely recommend that every Disney fan go there at least once.  (I'll be posting more about our experiences there in the near future.)  If you're ever in the San Francisco area, check it out!  °o°

Fun Find: Disneyland 60th Shows

Today's Fun Find Friday is in honor of our recent trip to Disneyland.  There were so many wonderful things to see and do throughout the trip.  My personal favorites were the new nighttime shows for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

My absolute favorite was the Paint the Night Parade.  It has catchy music, beautiful costumes and amazing float designs.  The Frozen float was stunning and I loved the colorful lighted balls on the Mack float.  I had the soundtrack stuck in my head before we even left for our trip.  In fact, it's still stuck in my head and I'm ok with that.

The show that reduced me to tears by the end was the World of Color Celebrate.  It was a beautiful tribute to Disney movies and to Walt's vision of Disneyland.  I lost it during the "Forever Young" song section with the vintage clips of families enjoying Disneyland.  I thought Neil Patrick Harris did a great job and I'm pleased they had someone who loves Disney narrate the show.  This was also my first time seeing World of Color in general and I was not at all disappointed.  It was definitely worth the wait!

The Disneyland Forever fireworks show was the most versatile of all the shows.  It's so different depending on your view.  The first time we watched it right after the Paint the Night parade on Main Street.  The projections on Main Street were awesome.  We also had a great view of the fireworks framed by Sleeping Beauty Castle.  The only problem with this location was that we couldn't see the projections on the castle.

Another location Eliot and I watched the show from was It's A Small World.  I love how they incorporated each of the locations into the design of the projections.  For example, Simba is projected onto the clock face from this location.  It was also cool to see the It's A Small World facade "dance" versus the Main Street buildings.

My favorite place to watch the Disneyland Forever fireworks was actually from the same location we watched Fantasmic.  Disney uses their speaker system to "invite" you to stay there to watch the fireworks after Fantasmic ends.  Most of the crowd attempts to make it to Main Street for "prime viewing" without realizing the gem of a location they've just left.  Not only do you get a great view, but you can still see most of the fireworks in the background above Thunder Mountain.  This was also the best location to actually see what's projected on Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The Disneyland 60th Diamond Celebration nighttime shows are all incredible.  These videos are awesome, but if you get the chance to experience them live, take it.  You will not regret being immersed in the magical glow of the Diamond Celebration. °o°

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

Sixty years ago today, Walt Disney's dream came true.  He created a place that continues to amaze the young and old, that's always growing and moving forward and that has touched so many people.  It's hard for me to imagine a world without any Disney parks.  (It's a world I don't want to live in, that's for sure!)

Photo Source

I would have loved to be celebrating this momentous occasion at Disneyland in person today, but it wasn't meant to be.  Instead, I wanted to celebrate by recognizing all of the hard work and dedication it's taken by many people for Disneyland to be where it is today.  The following video shows the construction of Disneyland park.

As you all know, Disney is one of the most important things to me.  It's where I've had many memories with my family and friends.  It's where I've grown up vacationing.  It's where we've had family reunions.  It's where Eliot and I got married and started our journey as husband and wife.  It's where I dream of taking our children someday.  None of this would be possible without the man who had a dream.  Thank you Walt for wishing on a star, for chasing your dreams and for never giving up on them.

"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome.  Disneyland is your land.  Here, age relives fond memories of the past... and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.  Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." - Walt Disney

Happy 60th Birthday Disneyland!!! °o°

Fun Find: Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration

Hey guys!  It's been another busy week around here.  We've been getting pummeled by snow up here in the Northeast.  We had another storm today and more snow is on the way next week!  (Alright... who upset Elsa this time?)  It's been a good week to cozy up inside and to surf the internet!  Thus, I have another fun find for you- the big announcement for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

This year Disneyland is pulling out all of the stops for it's diamond anniversary.  You could actually follow along via their Twitter account Wednesday night to hear about the new experiences that will start May 22nd!  However, if you weren't able to follow along, fear not, I've gathered up some photos to share with you!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

The first thing that stuck me was the renderings of the decorations on Sleeping Beauty Castle and Carthay Circle.  I'm a sucker for renderings and I'm pretty excited about what I see!  Both buildings will be encased in diamond decor and festive banners in blue.  This will surely be a sight to see!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Along with decorations around both parks, Disneyland will also be adding a few new shows to celebrate their diamond anniversary.  Starting May 22nd, World of Color will have a special edition called "World of Color- Celebrate!  The Wonderful World of Walt Disney."  Mickey Mouse hosts the show and it will feature Walt's dream of creating Disneyland.  I'm sure that this will not not be beautiful, but a powerful and emotional experience for Disney fans.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Another new addition to the celebration is the new "Paint the Night" parade.  The parade will feature innovative floats, special effects, new music and over 1.5 billion LED lights!  Disney fans will get to see familiar characters from The Little Mermaid, Cars, Monsters Inc, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and more!  I am so excited for this!  I've been wanting to see a new nighttime parade ever since Walt Disney World retired the SpectroMagic parade!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

I've saved the best new entertainment for last- the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks display.  They've definitely done it again with this piece of perfection that only Disney could create.  "Disneyland Forever" not only features fireworks, but it will transform Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street, the Matterhorn and other locations into a canvas. Through projection mapping, guests will literally be immersed in their favorite Disney movies.  (This is the largest projection mapping installation in a Disney park thus far.  I hope that means more is to come in the future!!!  Projection mapping is my hero.)

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

"Disneyland Forever" also features two new original songs: "Live the Magic" and "Kiss Goodnight" which was written by Richard Sherman.  I watched a media video from the event that featured a snippet of the show with "I See The Light" from Tangled and I was already tearing up.  This show is sure to be spectacular!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Finally, you can't have a Disney anniversary celebration without merchandise to commemorate the occasion!  Disneyland is going to have over 500 new items from a few new collections to celebrate it's 60th anniversary.  The first collection is the "Character" collection which will feature our favorite Disney characters and the iconic Disneyland attractions.  The coolest part of this design is that each of the four "sections" of the design feature a 15 year timespan in the parks history.  (You'll note that it starts out in black and white and moves to bright vivid colors.  Cool!!!)

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Next is the "Castle" collection which will include the silvers and blues the park will be decorated with for the celebration.  Of course, Mickey and Minnie are in the design!  I love blue and silver together and I can't wait to see what this collection looks like!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Last, the "Diamond" collection is a stunning nod to the 60th anniversary.  The design of these products will feature simple black, gray and silver tones.  I love how Sleeping Beauty Castle is encased in the diamond design.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Disneyland has also released a few new designs as a preview of their anniversary merchandise.  These pins will be released each month from January to July.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

I've saved my personal favorite for last... the Mickey balloon popcorn bucket!  I haven't ever collected popcorn buckets, but I think this is a must have!  It comes in red, purple and blue, and they would look lovely on top of my desk!  I've always wanted an actual Mickey balloon.  Now I can have one that will never deflate!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

Finally, here's a quick video to recap the big Diamond Anniversary announcement!

And there you have it!  Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration looks like it's going to be absolutely amazing.  (I can already picture myself as a sobbing mess of emotions.)  I wasn't planning on going back to Disneyland until May of 2016 for the Tinker Bell race weekend, but I really have to see those new shows and there isn't a date for when the anniversary celebration ends.  Eliot and I are already looking into a few possibilities for a visit... stay tuned!!!  °o°

I've Got The Blues

There's no denying it; I've got the post Walt Disney World trip blues!

We've been back a little over a week and I'm still adjusting back to the "real" world after another magical Disney trip.  It's always a bit of a let down.  The cold Maine weather certainly isn't helping things!  I'm getting back into a normal sleeping pattern after that crazy race schedule.  Things are settling down.  But I'm looking forward to our next trip! I've decided that the best cure for what ails me is to keep the Disney magic alive!

The first Disney thing I did upon our return was to eat the Minnie Mouse candy apple we bought on our last day.  I've brought home an apple a few times now, and I think it's something I'm going to continue to do.  It's nice to have a little piece of Disney World magic to enjoy at home!  Plus, they're delicious!!!

I've been learning a lot at my new chiropractic job.  I have training this weekend and I'm excited to learn more!  I think I'll feel more confident once I learn more terminology. Walt Disney loved to move forward, pave new paths and to learn new things.  I'm definitely stepping out of my design oriented comfort zone, but I'm enjoying it!

Speaking of jobs, my travel agent job is going really well too!  With all of the excitement for our trip I haven't had a chance to make the big announcement: I am excited to announce that Key to the World Travel is now An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner! We were given this special designation by Disney Destinations as a result of our ongoing commitment to planning customized, magical trips to Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, vacations on board Disney Cruise Line and incredible journeys with Adventures by Disney.  This is so exciting for our company and I'm really looking forward to what's in store for us in 2015!

When I haven't been working, I've been going to the craft stores to get supplies for Happily Ever Hatter.  (I've had to get supplies for current orders and new designs.)  If there's anything I can count on, it's that I'm going to come back from Walt Disney World with more design ideas.  I sense a lot of design work in my future!

One perk of going to all of the craft stores is that I can also check out the Disney stuff. We've had a few finds over the past few days!  I found a Disney Guess Who Game on sale at ACMoore.  It was on sale for $4.99 (from $6.99).  Then, we had a coupon and we got it for another 20% off!  Woo!!!  

The other night, I found a Thomas Kinkade Disney Calendar while Eliot was at Staples printing something for his Etsy business- Snowblade Creations.  I've been looking for the perfect 2015 calendar and I finally found one!

My favorite find was the Disney Holiday Scrapbook Paper Stacks I found at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts.  I'd heard about these paper stacks though my Disney Scrapbook group on Facebook but I haven't been able to find them.  Our store finally got their shipment!  I found them this week and luckily all scrapbook papers are currently 40% off!  I threw my willpower out the window and completely caved getting the 12" x 12" and 8" x 8" paper stacks.  (My Disney holiday addiction is in a happy place right now.)

Finally, I can't forget the news that's rocking all of New England!  Our beloved Patriots are going to the SuperBowl again!  Yay!  I've always been a huge Pats fan.  I follow football more closely than the Celtics playing basketball or the Red Sox with baseball. The only reason I'm somewhat up on the Bruins is because Eliot's a huge hockey fan. (Even then I know more about his team- the San Jose Sharks.)  The Pats and football are my territory.  I'm pretty excited for the big game in a week!  That'll definitely give me something else to look forward to.

Things are really looking up!  I think I'll be able to rid myself of the post Walt Disney World trip blues.  All it takes is a little bit of faith, trust and pixie dust!!!  °o°

Are You Ready For Christmas?

I don't know about you, but around here it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We've started to get our decorations out, the tree is up with lights and we've got plans to decorate this week.  Eliot's finished putting the lights out on the house and I'm gathering addresses for our annual Christmas card mailing.

Lately, I've also been listening to Christmas music to get into the spirit.  One that's been on repeat is the song Neil Patrick Harris sang last year for the Disney Christmas parade.  The intro to the 2013 Disney Parks Christmas Parade was amazing.  I absolutely loved it and caught myself singing the song over and over long after the parade was done.  (In fact, taping for this year's parade has been taking place at the Magic Kingdom over the past few days!  I can't wait to see it!)

For those of you who didn't see it, here's the video footage on YouTube:

Months passed and I still couldn't get it out of my head.  I looked for the lyrics online a few times and couldn't find them anywhere.  So this summer, on an incredibly hot August day, I watched the video on repeat until I had the entire thing written down. Here it is so you can sing along!!!

Are You Ready For Christmas?

Neil Patrick Harris

Disney Parks Christmas Parade 2013 Intro

Spoken:

Neil: So, the big day has finally arrived.  You know, I've wanted to spend Christmas here for a long time and now that it's finally happening, I just hope I get it right.  This is one of my biggest dreams and I don't want to let you down.

Walt Disney: When you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true.

Neil: You would know.  Hey, let's do a show.  Cue the music!

Sings:

Well, the time of year is here again

To throw a party for a few close friends

Now I'm just tying up a few loose ends 

And then we should be good to go.

You know I've made a list and checked it twice,

Because forgetting people isn't nice.

But I don't really wanna roll the dice 

So I'll recheck it nice and slow.

Cinderella? Check!

Belle? Check!

Snow White? Check!

Seven Dwarfs?   Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-check!

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have some fun?

In the shining December sun

Cause that's what we're gonna do.

Yes, it's true.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Hurry, hurry now don't be late.

Cause we're ready to celebrate

And all we need is you.

All we need is you!

Neil: Lara, you're up early!

Lara: I'm a morning gal Neil.

Mickey: It's for you!

Neil: Who knows I'm here?  Except everyone watching at home.  Hello!

Nick: Hey Neil, it's Nick.  I'm on my way to Disneyland can you keep singing for another two minutes?

Neil: Can I keep singing for another two minutes?  Tell 'em Newsies!

Newsies: Extra!  Extra!  Neil Patrick Harris can keep singing for another two minutes.

You can feel the magic in the air.

You can see it in Rapunzel's hair.

And that bunch of villains over there

Don't even scare us much today.

Neil:  Hi Villains!

Villians:  Hi Neil!

Everybody's gotta lend a hand

Master your wish is my command

Well I could really use a marching band

To take this number all the way.

Marching Band?  Check!

Dapper Dans? Che-che-che-che-check!

Neil: Who's over where R2?  

Darth Vader: breathing

Neil: Somebody sounds congested.

Darth Vader: You don't know the power of the Dark Side.

Neil: Oh Darth, you need to turn that Dark Side into a Disney Side!

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have some fun?

In the shining December sun

Cause that's what we're gonna do.

Yes, it's true.

Nick: Back in two hours homie.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Hurry, hurry now don't be late.

Cause we're ready to celebrate

And all we need is you.

Tomorrowland? Ready!

Frontierland? Ready!

Adventureland? Ready!

New Fantasyland? Ready!

Neil: Ok big finish.  Cue key change and massive fireworks display!

Are you ready for Christmas?

Are you ready to have some fun?

In the shining December sun

Cause that's what we're gonna do.

Yes, it's true.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Hurry, hurry now don't be late.

Cause we're ready to celebrate

And all we neeeeeed issss yoooou.  (It's Christmas!  It's Christmas!  It's Christmas!)

Merry Christmas!

Nick: Did I miss it?

It's really catchy huh?  Don't say that I didn't warn you!  °o°

WDW Honeymoon Recap- 3/25/13

On Monday we went to Blizzard Beach.  The weather was beautiful and we were dying to go swimming again.  When we got to the park, we saw a familiar face!  We've never gotten a picture with a character at one of the water parks before!  Goofy was happy to join us.  Aren't we cute in our matching Blizzard Beach shirts?

Eliot and I also took a few photos near the entrance since we didn't have a water camera. We spent the morning and early afternoon at the park.  We floated in Cross Country Creek- the lazy river, went on Teamboat Springs- the family raft ride, and we raced down the Toboggan Racers.  Eliot loves skiing, so naturally he loves the theme of this park. Blizzard Beach has always been one of my favorites at Disney. (It's probably the Mainer in me... although after all the snow this winter I'm definitely ok with the fake stuff.)

Once we were done with the rides, we took the chairlift up to the top of Summit Plummet and took some photos on the patio area near the water slide.  It was a great view of the entire water park!  You could even see Hollywood Studios in the distance!

We left Blizzard Beach and went back to Pop Century to shower and relax for a little bit. (And we may or may not have been doing the Macarena on the bus ride back to the resort...)  Then, we got ready to go over to Hollywood Studios for the evening.  It was getting colder so I decided to wear my Disney Bride sweatshirt.  We had made it for our wedding and I never got to wear it since it was so warm in September.  I thought it was still appropriate for our honeymoon and I'm glad I brought it!

We arrived at Hollywood Studios around dinner time and took a few pictures with the Sorcerer Hat before heading for warmth.  

We ended up in One Man's Dream and wandering around it for a while.  Neither Eliot or I had ever been there before and we loved it.  We read all about Walt Disney's life, how he created Mickey, designed Disneyland and planned Walt Disney World.

I especially loved all of the models on display.  It's the interior designer in me.  I know how long it takes to make a model having made plenty myself while in college.  It takes a lot of time to make a half decent model so the incredibly detailed ones in the exhibit must have taken forever.  I took tons of photos of them.  My favorites were the castles.  Here's the Sleeping Beauty Castle model.

And of course, here's Cinderella Castle.

The other models that I fell in love with were the New Fantasyland models.  

We stopped for a while to look at the giant New Fantasyland model.  It was really fun to see the Seven Dwarfs ride since it was still in early construction.

I also loved the Journey of the Little Mermaid ride model.  It really reminded me of all of the interior models I had to make in college.  Those little clamshells were so cute!  And the details in the Under the Sea room were incredible.  Much respect Disney Imagineers.

After that, we went over to watch The Voyage of the Little Mermaid show.  I hadn't seen it in many trips and Eliot hadn't ever seen it at all.  As soon as the bubbles started falling and the lights began to mimic the ocean above it brought me right back to my childhood.  I was mesmerized by the show when I was a kid.  It was definitely fun to see it again.

At that point, we decided to head over towards Fantasmic to get seats.  We stopped to take a few photos at the Hollywood Studios sign along the way.

  
Fantasmic is Eliot's favorite Disney show and it's definitely one of mine.  (I probably couldn't pick a favorite even if I wanted to.)  Eliot loves the show so much that he walked down the aisle at our wedding to the Fantasmic theme music.

We enjoyed the show as we always do.  No matter how many times I see Fantasmic, it always amazes me.  Who would have ever thought of projecting on water fountains? Only Disney.  It's incredible.  

After the show ended, we slowly made our way back to the front of the park.  We took another photo at the Sorcerer Hat.  Here's the PhotoPass bedazzled border version.  (I love the borders you can add... I'm an addict!)

And that was the end of day number three of our Disneymoon!  °o°

January 2014 Trip Recap- 1/9/14

Thursday morning we decided to go back to the Health and Fitness Expo to get Mom's race packet.  It seemed like the best idea to get that over with.  Eliot still wanted to get his sneakers, and we knew that the line was only going to get longer.  The volunteers who checked us in the day before said that we could get Mom's packet as long as we had her waiver signed and her ID, so it was the perfect plan.  (Or so we thought!)  

Upon arrival, we had to park in the overflow parking area again.  At least this time we were parked pretty close to the front.  It wasn't that busy yet!  On the walk to the Expo, we stopped to take photos with the displays of the medals.

Afterwards, we split up: Dad and Jeremy went off to take care of Mom's race packet and Eliot and I went to the baseball field to get in line for his shoes.  He actually had to stand in line to sign up to get a number.  Once New Balance was ready for him, they would email him and call his number so he could try on his shoes.  (So that was how they were controlling the flow of people buying the New Balance shoes!)  They wouldn't even let you try on a pair of shoes unless you had a number.  You could buy a few pairs of shoes once it was your turn. I thought that I might try some on, but I still wasn't sold on buying a pair.  There were still about 200-250 people in front of him anyways.

Eliot and I headed over to the Official Race Weekend Merchandise area so we could get the shirts that we picked out the day before.  Eliot ended up getting the orange one and I got the women's blue shirt.  I won't lie; I had major marathon shirt envy!  Check out those awesome blue and pink shirts!  (This is why I really need to do the Princess Weekend. The chances of me finding some pinks and purples greatly increases, right?)

After buying our race gear, we looked around a few of the other booths before deciding to get out of there.  Dad and Jeremy were unsuccessful in their mission to get Mom's packet.  (Apparently, she did have to be there to get it.)  Therefore, they had already left to go to Hollywood Studios.  Eliot and I were stuck at the Wide World of Sports, so we took another bus to Pop Century and went to Hollywood Studios that way.  Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long for the buses!

When we arrived at Hollywood Studios, the first thing I noticed was that the Christmas decorations were still up!  The large tree outside of the gates was still there. As Eliot and I walked into the main entrance we saw that Hollywood Boulevard was still decorated for Christmas too!  Dad and Jeremy were already in line for Star Tours so we made our way over to the Animation Courtyard.  

I really wanted to go into the Magic of Disney Animation to see the drawings.  It's one of my favorite parts of Hollywood Studios.  I remember going in there when I was just a kid and I was amazed at all of the drawings and the paint colors.  I think it's one of the main reasons that I love design so much!

We went into the section with the drawings Disney animators had made. I love seeing the different backgrounds like the streets, jungles, forests and towns.  My favorite part of this section is the castles!  I love all of the sketches and paintings of the Disney castles!

Afterwards, we headed to the other side.  I wanted to watch the animators while they worked on cell art for the store!   The room next door had a ton of Frozen displays.  At this point, I started to get my hopes up.  The last time Eliot and I were at Disney, we got to see artwork from Wreck it Ralph in the Production Gallery. The trip prior to that, I got to see artwork from Tangled.  I was really hoping to see art from Frozen!

We walked through the doors and there it was!  I saw a large poster of Anna, Kristoff and Olaf across the room!  We saw three cases of Frozen artwork and sketches.  It was incredible. I wanted to take pictures of everything.  Dad and Jeremy met us there and we decided to watch the Animation show with Mushu.  (It's really cute and informative if you haven't seen it before.)  It was fun watching Disney characters come to life.  Afterwards, I went back to the Production Gallery to take pictures of the Frozen artwork.

I really wanted to go to the Animation Academy to learn how to draw a Disney character. (Not surprisingly, it wasn't on the top of anyone else's to do list.)  I've never been and I've always thought that it would be fun.  I decided to hold off since it was supposed to rain in the afternoon and I didn't want to ruin my artwork, so we passed on it.  We didn't get time to go back this trip, but I'm super determined to go there next time!

Instead, we walked over to the see when the Voyage of the Little Mermaid was playing again.  We had plenty of time, so we walked over towards One Man's Dream. Dad and Jeremy hadn't been in there before, so Eliot and I took them there.  I absolutely love all of the models in there.  It brings me back to the hours I spent in my interior design studio classes designing and building models.

After we left One Man's Dream, we went back to the Little Mermaid.  (Even the Little Mermaid show still had it's Christmas decorations up!)  We watched the show, which I'm sure Dad and Jeremy hadn't seen in a really long time.  I also remember going to see it when I was really little.  Then Dad left to pick Mom, Nana and Papa up.  

A little while after Dad left, it started to rain.  And it didn't just rain; the sky opened up and it poured.  We ran for Beauty and the Beast, but the theater was already closed off. Eliot, Jeremy and I ended up hopping from shop to shop on Sunset Boulevard along with a bunch of other guests trying to stay dry as possible.

Finally, it let up enough for us to brave the weather to go across the park to Muppet Vision 3D.  Jeremy has always loved the Muppets so I wanted to make sure that we made time to go over there.  We were hoping to make the 4:15 Beauty and the Beast show after the Muppets, but we missed it by about 10 minutes.  

With the wait times backed up and nothing else we wanted to do at that point, we decided it was time to make our way over to Epcot.  After all, we were planning on going to watch IllumiNations that night anyways!  We made our way to the Epcot bus stop and watched a few ducks play in the puddles while we waited.

We beat everyone else to the park and ended up looking around the Art of Disney store while we waited.  I love looking at all of the different art styles from all of the artists. Eliot and I showed Jeremy the Thomas Kincade paintings and how you could often find Disney characters from other movies in his paintings.  Eliot and I love looking for them. I even found Bambi and Jiminy Cricket in the Lion King painting!

Eventually, we met the rest of my family at Spaceship Earth.  We had to split up so Mom went on the ride with Papa, Dad and Jeremy.  Eliot and I went with Nana.  I sat in the back with Nana and we had tons of fun creating our future on the ride.  (Apparently, we're also from the ocean off the coast of Maine because I have no accuracy or aim on a screen.)  Afterwards, we got a good laugh at Eliot's picture postcard with Eeyore and Duffy! He had held his backpack up when they took his photo!  It was too funny.

We slowly made our way over to the Living Seas and the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride.  We love going to the Living Seas every trip!  It holds a special place in our hearts since Eliot and I had our wedding reception there!  After, we went upstairs to watch the fish in the aquarium.  There was actually another reception or event going on in the Living Seas Salon because we could see the lights on!  (It's kind of weird to be on the other side of that glass looking over from afar!)  We also got to see a few scuba divers in the tank!

We walked over to the World Showcase to watch IllumiNations.  We always seem to start at Canada and walk around the lagoon counterclockwise.  We stopped at the France Pavilion to visit the Terrace des Fleurs where we had our VIP IllumiNations viewing and Dessert Party after our reception.  It was blocked off and set up because there was also an event going on there!  We talked to one of the ladies there, and she said that the bride and groom were probably cutting their cake!  (So there really was another wedding reception going on that the Living Seas!)  We told her that we got married there and talked to her for a few minutes.

The rest of my family started to move along but I was still talking to the Cast Member for a few minutes.  The next thing I know, she offered me and my family VIP passes to watch IllumiNations on the lower level of the Terrace since it wasn't rented out that night! I thanked her and gave them back since there was no wheelchair access, but was incredibly thankful.  I didn't even know that was possible!  I wish I'd gotten the cast members name. She was so nice and a such a pleasure to talk to!

We made our way around the showcase with Italy as our destination.  I knew that we would have a great view from the Italy West Isola.  (It's actually the original location that Eliot and I wanted our Dessert Party.)  You have a great view of the center of the lagoon, as well as prime viewing of the globe when it floats out to the center.

On our journey over to Italy, we stopped at the American Adventure section to get some fried dough.  I knew that there was a funnel cake stand.  We found a few dry benches under the main building and Eliot and Jeremy went off to get the food.  Eliot and I attempted to split one since he didn't think he'd like it.  He ended up eating more than anyone else. We should have gotten one extra one.  Next time, we each get our own!

We poked around the store for a few minutes.  It featured items from small businesses all over the United States.  I was drawn to some bags because I thought they looked familiar.  Sure enough, when we were close enough to read the tags, they were made in Maine! I had just seen some of these at our mall before Christmas.  They're bags made of recycled sails from sail boats!

Eventually, we made it to Italy and staked our our viewing space about an hour before the show.  Eliot decided to skip the show and go over to Test Track since the line wasn't that long.  I love IllumiNations, and I wanted to be able to watch it from the best view possible so I bade him farewell and stayed.

The IllumiNations show was amazing, as always.  It was fun to watch the show without any trees in our way.  (At Terrace des Fleurs, the islands are slightly in the way.)  In addition, there were no cameras, video cameras or photographers instructing us to pose. This is the first time I've seen IllumiNations since our wedding where we could fully see the show and enjoy it!  I loved it!  After the show, they played Eliot's and my wedding song, "Promise." It was a little weird to have it playing without him being there.  Oh well. 

We made our way back towards Future World continuing our counterclockwise journey through the World Showcase.  I proceeded to sing the Tapestry of Nations music while slightly dancing to the music.  People looked at me like I was crazy.  It's a good soundtrack ok?  Maybe I do know all of the lyrics and music and I have heard it one too many times. But that's no reason to stare!  Right?

Anyways, we met up with Eliot near Showcase Plaza.  Eliot, Jeremy and I headed for the Monorail over to the Transportation and Ticket Center since Dad knew exactly where to pick us up from the night before.  It also killed some time while they were going back to the hotel.  We got there about the same time as him.  Then we went home to bed!  °o°