It's My Half Birthday ✨🎂✨

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

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

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

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

Magical Merchandise: Epcot 40th Anniversary Collection

Goodness, gracious, great ball of rainbow fantabulousness!!!

You guys know that I love a bright, colorful rainbow color scheme and I was completely speechless when I first saw the theme of the Epcot's 40th Anniversary collection!!!

Photo Source

Disney sneaked a few peeks a few weeks ago on their blog, and I was jumping up and down with anticipation.  The collection was finally released online on Epcot's birthday this past Saturday October 1st... and it appears that Eliot and I weren't the only ones waiting.  It this point, mostly everything on Shop Disney has already sold out.

But, I still had to show you the collection... for a few reasons- because I want to, I need a break from Halloween merchandise, and I could use some rainbow-y goodness in my life!  So let's take a peak at all of the things that have dropped online so far!

Photo Source

Let's start off with this beautiful Epcot 40th Zip Hoodie.  I really love the back!

This Epcot 40th Button Down Shirt is so gorgeous with the rainbow on the bottom!

I thought this Epcot 40th Shirt for Adults was really cute with Figment and the symbols.

I 100% had to have this Epcot 40th Spirit Jersey.  Check out the rainbow back!

Eliot and I both really wanted this Epcot 40th Figment and Spaceship Earth Light Up Figure.  Thankfully, Eliot bought one before it totally sold out!

If you want something a little smaller, there was also an Epcot 40th Spaceship Earth and Figment Ornament.  We didn't get this but hopefully it will be there in January!

Eliot and I both had to get a little Epcot 40th Figment Plush.  He's adorable!

The Epcot 40th Magic Band matches the entire collection.

And the Epcot 40th Sequin Mouse Ears match everything as well!

I love how they finally feature Figment on the Epcot 40th Alex and Ani Bracelet.

Naturally, I also had to get one of the Epcot 40th Loungefly Mini Backpacks.  There's also a matching wallet!  Check out that rainbow stitching on Spaceship Earth!!!

Finally, the products that I'm most excited about are the new Harvey's bags coming tomorrow, Tuesday October 4th to Creations Store and Shop Disney!

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First, we got a sneak peek of this beauty last week.  I could not have dreamt up a more gorgeous tote bag... this is absolutely stunning.  The bright colors, the Epcot pavilion symbols... it's all so magical.  Plus, there's even Figment lining!

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Speaking of Figment, this is the other bag!  It features our favorite purple dragon's plush head and the strap is the same rainbow seatbelt as the tote.  Magnificent!

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I'm definitely getting both of the Harvey's bags and Eliot and I already purchased a few other things that we couldn't live without.  We'll definitely be keeping an eye online to see if there's anything else that's released!  Hopefully, some of it will still be available in store for a bit so everyone can have a little piece of Epcot on it's anniversary year!

Happy 40th Birthday Epcot!!!  °o° 

Happy 40th Birthday Epcot!

Happy October 1st Friends!  Today is another very big day... it's now the official month of spooky season.  It's also Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom's 51st Birthday today.  The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration has officially been going on for a year now.  And today is Epcot's 40th Birthday!!!

Since we've touched on the 50th Anniversary Celebrations and Halloween quite a bit here on my blog, today I thought we'd spend some time on Epcot!

EPCOT (which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) opened on October 1st of 1982.  It's hard to believe that Walt Disney World's only theme park was the Magic Kingdom for over 11 years from 1971 to 1982, but it was!  Obviously, when Epcot opened, Walt Disney World was well on it's way to becoming the multi-park experience that we all know and love today!

Eliot and I have been at Epcot on a few of it's anniversary years.  I remember being there 10 years ago during our wedding week and honeymoon... back when the park was turning thirty in 2012.  We were there again in 2017 during it's 35th anniversary as well.  Unfortunately, both the 30th and 35th anniversary merchandise didn't really pique my interests at the time.  I thought they could do so much more with it.

Times have changed.  As you probably already know, Epcot is undergoing a major renovation and with that it's got a little bit of it's roots back.  The original Epcot Center symbols for each of the pavilions have made a return in the shape of flags at the entrance.  The bright colors have also returned... and I can't wait to see what Epcot looks like once it's finally finished and fully re-opened! 

Not to mention... the Epcot 40th anniversary merchandise this year is gorgeous.  I think that they have finally made an anniversary collection that is worthy of the beauty and majesty of Epcot!  (I'll write more about that in a few days!) 

Unfortunately, I don't think they're doing too much to celebrate Epcot's big milestone at Walt Disney World today, but I know that fans of Epcot will be out in full force!  I've seen a few people that I follow online preparing for the occasion and I can't wait to see everyone's outfits and photos from the park!

For me personally, Epcot holds a very special place in my heart since it's where Eliot and I had our wedding reception and our dessert party during IllumiNations.  To this day, I still pause for a moment of reflection when walking by The Seas with Nemo and Friends and the Terrace des Fleurs at the France Pavilion where our events took place.

Plus, Eliot and I love all of the festivals they hold throughout the year.  At this point, there's pretty much something happening year round between the Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival and the Festival of the Holidays.

Epcot has gone through many changes through the years, but it always has been, and always will be a very special place to me.  Happy 40th Birthday Epcot!!!  °o°

Celebrating Our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Well, it hasn't always been pretty this past few days... it's been a week since our 10th Wedding Anniversary and Eliot and I were finally able to celebrate a little bit.  But before I tell you about our celebrations, I'll fill you in more about what happened....   

Basically, our plan for our anniversary was that Eliot was going into work early so he could work from 6:00AM to noon.  Then, he'd take the afternoon off so we could spend it together.  We were going to go mini-golfing at a course in Arundel that we have been wanting to go to.  We were going down to Scoop Deck for our annual ice cream... and then we had tickets to go to the SeaDogs first playoff game in 8 years.

It seemed like a great plan.  No, it wasn't Walt Disney World.  And it also wasn't New York City... which was another back-up plan that we had which just wasn't going to work out.  (It was still really expensive to spend the weekend there.)  But I was happy with the new back-up to our back-up plan.  Plus, some of those activities were things I was trying to finish checking off my summer bucket list.

The night before our anniversary was great.  Eliot came home early and surprised me with a giant Edible Arrangements chocolate covered strawberry platter.  I have been hinting that I wanted one since my birthday last year.  I loved it.  I thought it was a great way to kick off our anniversary and I had such high hopes for the following day...

Then I woke up at 5:30AM to the sound of Eliot puking his guts out in the bathroom.

He was really sick.  We thought it might be food poisoning... but after he was in bed all day we think it was some kind of 24 hour stomach bug.  He migrated between our bed and the master bathroom and that was pretty much it.  I got him downstairs for about and hour before he crawled back upstairs.  He was so weak.  He couldn't eat anything.

Eliot spent all afternoon trying to get himself well enough to make it to the Portland SeaDogs baseball game since we had just bought our non-refundable tickets the night before.  But he just couldn't do it.  We finally conceded that it was going to be a lost day.  My big anniversary outing was to the local Hannaford to get saltine crackers, ginger ale, and Powerade to rehydrate him.  I also bought myself a pre-made rice bowl to heat up for dinner and some chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk.  

Eliot felt awful, but I told him that "it is what it is".  There really wasn't anything we could do about it.  But I guess it solidified the whole "in sickness and health" part of our vows.

After he was sick Tuesday, and home all day Wednesday recovering and regaining his strength, we decided that we'd try to make up for our anniversary over the weekend. 

On Saturday, Eliot and I planned to go down to the Scoop Deck in Wells to get ice cream, then we'd stop to play mini golf in Arundel before returning to Biddeford to get something to eat.  But by the time we left the house, I was basically starving and wasn't sure if I could wait until we got down to Wells before eating.  Thus, we took a detour and decided to go to Applebee's for dinner first.

I had my usual, but after not eating much the rest of the day, it didn't sit well.  We decided to skip the Scoop Deck, even though I really wanted to go.  However, Eliot and I still went over to the Raptor Falls Mini Golf course he's been wanting to go to since it opened a few years ago.  We had a great time there.  It was a bit before closing and we ended up being the last group there for the night.  We had a great time taking our time (there were people in front of us) and checking out all of the dinosaurs.  Some of them were animatronic and they moved around!

Sunday, Eliot and I planned to go into Old Orchard Beach.  We missed Pirates Cove the previous weekend by minutes, so we decided to go into town earlier this time.  We played a round of golf at Pirates Cove and were also the last ones admitted there so we could take our time.  We laughed quite a bit at some of our hits.  I beat Eliot by quite a bit at Raptor Falls, but at Pirates Cove we were pretty neck and neck.  It all came down to the very last hole where I literally beat him by one stroke!  

But the best part was the hole #3 was the mystery hole that day... and I got a hole in one on that hole!  That meant I won the prize and got a token for a free game!  Woo!!!

After, we went into town to get some food.  I had a few of Eliot's Pier Fries and he also got me a Fried Dough.  Town was pretty much deserted because the weather was cool and people weren't going to the beach.  All of the parking places that had been open the previous weekend when we had nice weather were empty or closed.  But we enjoyed ourselves and the quiet peacefulness of Old Orchard Beach in the fall.

Before heading home, we ran over to Walmart to pick up a few things that we had forgotten to get the night before.  While we were checking out the Christmas stuff in the garden center area, Eliot came across a box that said "CMAS Greeter Stitch" on it.  He couldn't contain himself and he ripped the box open to find an adorable Santa Stitch door greeter.  Needless to say, Stitch came home with us.

It wasn't a super glamorous celebration, but Eliot and I had fun.  Plus, I came to a realization the other day when I called my Mom on our anniversary to tell her that Eliot was sick... if Walt Disney World can celebrate their 50th Anniversary for 18 months, why can't we celebrate our 10 year anniversary for the entire year too?

Eliot and I are already planning to celebrate our anniversary while we're at Walt Disney World on our epic vacation in January.  (More on that tomorrow!)  We still could make it to New York City... maybe sometime this spring?  And there are a few shows that we thought about going to this upcoming fall and in the early spring.  Plus we're planning to go to a few Sharks hockey games... some Maine Mariners hockey games... 

We're blessed that even though our actual anniversary day was pretty much a disaster, there are plenty of fun things for us to look forward to.  And we can celebrate 10 years of being married all year... so I'm officially kicking off our year long party!!!  °o°

Together for 14 Years

Eliot and I are enjoying our time in California, but I wanted to pop in to commemorate another milestone.  Today, we are celebrating our fourteen year dating anniversary!  It's hard to believe that we have been together for so long!  There's no one else that I'd rather go through this adventure of life with!  Eliot is definitely my greatest adventure!

Right now, we're on our way from San Jose down to Anaheim.  We should be arriving in the Disneyland Resort area around 5:00 or 6:00 Pacific time.  Downtown Disney doesn't close until later, so we'll probably dive right in and visit there tonight!  I can't wait to get ahold of some sweet treats from Marceline's Confectionary!!!

I'm so excited that we'll be able to celebrate and spend time together at the Disneyland Resort this week!  I can't believe that we're finally going to Disneyland tomorrow!!!

I'm so excited that Eliot and I are finally going back to a Disney park after over two years of waiting.  And the timing is perfect to celebrate Valentine's Day and our dating anniversary.  It's going to be a week of fun, happiness, love, faith, trust and pixie dust!  

Cheers to love, laughter and happily ever after!  Bring on the magic!!!  °o°

Our 9th Wedding Anniversary

Today is Eliot's and my ninth wedding anniversary!!!  

Neither of us can believe that it's already been 9 years since we had the most magical experience at Walt Disney World for our dream come true fairytale wedding day!

We don't usually do much for our anniversary, but we try to take some time to do something together.  This year, we're on vacation in Virginia Beach with my family so I'm sure there's something fun we can find to do this afternoon or evening!  I've been scoping out some restaurant options so at the very least we'll probably do that!

No matter what we end up doing for our anniversary today, I'm just happy that Eliot and I can spend some time together away from our daily routine and the stress that our businesses sometimes put us under.  We can celebrate our anniversary all week long!

Cheers to nine magical years of love, laughter and happily ever after.

Happy Anniversary to us!!!  °o°

12 Years with Charming

Today is Eliot's and my 12th dating anniversary.  Wow... twelve years!  Sometimes, it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that we've been together for so long.  (It seems like time went into hyperdrive ever since we got married in 2012!)  But, here we are!

Five years ago, I did a blog post on our 7th dating anniversary.  I recounted how Eliot and I first met and how it was our love of Disney that brought us together.  From a mutual love of design and Imagineering, to our similar Disney plush collections back home (him with Eeyore and me with Tigger) to both of us totally geeking out over the Ducktales theme song, it's been an an adventure sprinkled with Disney magic.

Eliot and I have certainly had our share of ups and our downs, but there's no one else that I'd rather be on this journey of life with.  From our first photo together at my awards ceremony senior year in college to our photo with Buzz Lightyear in our matching hockey jerseys on a recent trip to Walt Disney World it's been an adventure!  Eliot really is my own version of Prince Charming and I love him to infinity and beyond!  

Cheers to 12 magical years and to many more years of adventure together!!!  °o°

Our 7th Anniversary

Today is Eliot's and my 7th Wedding Anniversary!

It's hard to believe that it's been seven years since our fairytale wedding day at Walt Disney World.  So much has happened since then: we've moved twice, bought a house, started new jobs, started a successful small business, I left my job to become self-employed full time, and we've traveled all over the country!

This past year has been especially good.  I've been running the business full time at home.  We've been able to visit Mickey twice at Walt Disney World this winter and for a day at Disneyland in May.  We went to a ton of San Jose Sharks hockey games last season.  We've also made a lot of progress on the house over the past few months!

Let's be real, it hasn't all been Happily Ever After... marriage is hard work and running a business together is no easy feat.  We drive each other crazy sometimes.  But, it's also an amazing feeling when we accomplish goals together.

I think this next year is going to be another good one!  We've got so many more fun things coming up over the next few months: 3 trips to Walt Disney World, 2 Disney Cruises, a trip to California, some more Sharks games, and so much more!

ChEARS to another wonderful year!  Happy Anniversary Eliot!  I love you!!!  °o°

Haunted Mansion 50th

Welcome Foolish Mortals!  Today is the 50th Anniversary of one of my favorite Disney attractions, the Haunted Mansion!  It's been 50 years since the Haunted Mansion first started welcoming foolish mortals to it's haunted halls on August 9th, 1969.

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

The Haunted Mansion is my all time favorite Disney ride- along with Pirates of the Caribbean.  They're like kids... how can I pick a favorite?  But, if I really had to, it would be the Haunted Mansion.  I've always loved it.  I think it wins top spot because of the little details.  I love going through the mansion and seeing all of the rooms decorated.

We love the mansion so much that Eliot and I took a few of our Magic Kingdom wedding photos in front of the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion!  I was so excited that we had time for it.  We only got to do one pose, but it was a lot of fun!  I'm so glad our photographer Stephanie was able to do this for us!  I'm a ghost... your ghost host!

Disney hasn't always had a lot of attraction merchandise available to purchase.  Thus, I've made quite a few Haunted Mansion designs for Happily Ever Hatter over the past 6-ish years.  (I'm also working on a few new designs!)  The Haunted Mansion inspired designs are some my favorites that I've made, but I think that my absolute favorites are my Haunted Mansion Maid and Butler ear hats.  They're so much fun!  I can't wait to put them in a display with our Haunted Mansion Portrait figures!

Thankfully, over the past few years, Disney has made it easier to bring something home other than the hitchhiking ghost that's following you home.  They've opened a dedicated Haunted Mansion store at the Magic Kingdom (Memento Mori) which has housewares, figurines, artwork, clothing, accessories and more!

Eliot and I have bought a few Haunted Mansion items over the years.  We absolutely love our Haunted Mansion cast member shirts.  We even wore them as our "costumes" to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in 2015.  We had a great interaction with Captain Jack Sparrow thinking we belonged "back over at the creepy house".

I'm really excited for all of the new stuff coming now that it's the 50th Anniversary this year!  I think I'm most excited for the new Disney Dress Shop dress!  However, I've also heard rumors that there will be merchandise outside of Disney- like at Hot Topic and BoxLunch.  I can't wait to see what's available!  Although, my wallet is terrified...

Happy Birthday Haunted Mansion!  May you have many more years of ghoulish delight!  Hurry back... hurry back... be sure to bring your death certificate!  °o°

Happy 50th Pirates of the Caribbean!!!

Today, one of my all time favorite rides, Pirates of the Caribbean, turns 50!!!

Fifty years ago today, Pirates of the Caribbean set sail at Disneyland.  Of course, over the years it's become a fan favorite and a classic.  It's so popular that there are currently pirate attractions in five Disney parks: Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and the newest ride at Shanghai Disney Resort.

The iconic attraction inspired the Pirates of the Caribbean movies staring Johnny Depp.  There are four movies with the 5th being released this May.  (I can't wait!)

Then, the movies inspired the ride.  Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa were both added to the attraction after the popularity of the movie franchise.  Other changes have included adding images of Davy Jones, Captain Blackbeard and mermaids.

Meeting the pirates characters is a rare experience, but one that I've fortunately been able to do a few times now!  Eliot and I first met Captain Jack Sparrow at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in 2015.  He commented on our outfits from the "spooky house."  Then, we met him again this past year at the Halloween party.

During the Princess Half marathon a few weeks ago, I also stopped to take a picture with Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa!  I figure that you don't see them together often, my foot was killing me and needed a break, so I went for it!  (Then, Captain Barbosa gave me a hard time about not liking his beard.)

Of course, there are many more pirate experiences at Disney: from the Halloween parade floats, to dressing up like one at the Pirates League, to themed resort rooms, and to Disney Cruise Line's Pirate Night adventures on the high seas.

I have many memories of Pirates of the Caribbean: riding the attractions at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, of going to see the movies and now from Pirates in the Caribbean during our first Disney Cruise last fall.  It's safe to say this attraction will always hold a special place in my heart.  It was also the last ride Walt Disney oversaw the construction of- which makes it even more special to me.

Happy 50th Anniversary Pirates of the Caribbean!  May you sail on voyages and delight park guests for many more years.  Drink up me hearties, yo ho! °o°