#tbt Elissa's Bat Mitzvah

Happy Thursday Friends!  Today, I'm popping in with another Throwback Thursday post.  I'd actually planned to do my 4th of July recap today, but I was reminded of another event when I opened up Facebook earlier this afternoon.  Exactly ten years ago today, Eliot and I were in California celebrating Elissa's Bat Mitzvah on 7-7-2012!!!

It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago... but it was a few weeks right before Eliot's and my Walt Disney World Wedding.  And because our 10 year wedding anniversary is also coming up... that's correct even if it seems impossible.  (Time really does fly!)

I actually don't have many photos from Elissa's Bat Mitzvah party.  I'm assuming that Eliot's parents have the ones from the professional photographer, but I've never actually laid eyes on them.  Since we had a photographer, I took minimal photos of the day with my cell phone.  I did however post a few on Facebook: one of the party set up and the giant Minnie Mouse balloon arch, and another of Eliot and I after the party was over... which is why we both look like a sweaty mess from dancing all night long!

I have a lot of memories from that day... and most of them are good.  I was so proud of Elissa for how hard she studied the Torah and practiced leading up to her big day.  Her ceremony at the temple early in the day went wonderfully.  After, we had a small snack in the reception hall.  That evening, the big event was her party in the same reception hall... but we had transformed it into a beautiful banquet hall.

One of my fondest memories of her Bat Mitzvah were the centerpieces that Eliot and I made for the party.  That was our big contribution.  Eliot and I went to AC Moore in the weeks leading up to the event and we created a bunch of Disney themed centerpieces for each table.  Each one was themed for a different movie.  

I have to admit that I had forgotten about what most of the centerpieces looked like until I saw this photo.  (I never took photos since we had the photographer.)  Here we have Tangled, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Monsters Inc, Cars, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Toy Story.  I really love how the Monsters Inc. one came out with Boo's door and the text painted like Mike and Sulley.  I also love how I used letter blocks on the Toy Story centerpiece to spell out Elissa's initials EFC.

I'm really proud of how all of the centerpieces came out.  Obviously, they're clearly handmade... but considering that I made most of them myself, less than three months before my own wedding is a pretty big accomplishment all on it's own.  And I'd certainly do it for Elissa all over again if given the chance.  She means the world to me.

Overall, Elissa's Bat Mitzvah was a wonderful day that I look back fondly on.  I'm so proud of how much she's grown over the past 10 years into the amazing and incredible woman that she is today!  Happy 10 Year Bat Mitzvah Anniversary Elissa!  °o°

Isaac's Olaf Birthday Party

Hi friends!  It's been another busy week.  When I haven't been at work, I've been home trying to complete tasks on my growing to do list while listening to the Olympics in the background!  (I've made some progress today, but I think it's going to be another busy weekend.)  Thankfully, it hasn't been all work and no play!

Last weekend, Eliot and I went up to my parents' house for a weekend getaway.  My cousin's little boy, Isaac, was celebrating his third birthday!  You might recall that we also went to Isaac's Mickey themed party for his first birthday.  I helped Kaitlin plan some of that party.  This time around, he had an Olaf themed party.

A few months ago, I sent Kaitlin a bunch of ideas I'd found on Pinterest.  I threw Eliot a surprise Olaf themed party for his 27th birthday last year.  I still had a ton of ideas that I wasn't able to use.  Plus, this was more of a summer Olaf themed event.  Fun!

Eliot, Nana and I arrived a little early so we could help with some last minute prep work.  Kaitlin had me draw Olaf's face and buttons on the floating snowman in blue Jello, or "Happy Snowman."  I think it came out really cute!  Pinterest win!

We had a blast and I'm pretty sure all the kids had a ton of fun.  Kaitlin and David have the perfect backyard for hosting parties.  There's plenty of room to play.  There was themed food, an Olaf piñata, and even a water balloon "snowball" fight at the end.  But I didn't take photos of the water balloon fight.  I was afraid my phone would get hit!

I think my favorite detail was Isaac's birthday cake!  It was another idea off of Pinterest and it's so simple to make a cute beach scene using brown sugar!  The cupcakes were also really cute with their little sunglasses and umbrellas!

Happy Birthday Isaac!!!  I hope you enjoyed your Olaf birthday party!!! °o°

Eliot's Olaf Birthday Party

Well, we pulled it off!  Eliot's surprise Olaf birthday party on Sunday was a success!!!

I've been planning this party for a while.  In fact, I've been planning it since we went shopping for my Tangled 30th birthday party supplies back in November.  I saw a giant Olaf balloon at the front of the party store when an idea hit me... why not have an Olaf themed party for Eliot?  Eliot absolutely loves all things Olaf.  Surely there was enough Olaf themed birthday party stuff to pull it off?

After consulting with a few friends on the best time to have it, we chose the weekend before his actual birthday.  (Which was yesterday.)  I told my parents and we began planning.  The hardest part was trying to plan it while keeping it a secret.  It's not easy to plan a surprise party that you're hosting at your own house!

Thankfully, my family is awesome and they really helped me out.  Mom, Dad and Nana are the reason I was able to pull the party off.  After having dinner Saturday night, they went to the party store to get all of the supplies for me.  (I distracted Eliot by taking him to buy Eeyore an Olaf Hawaiian shirt at Build-A-Bear.)  They hid all of the party stuff at their hotel for the night.  Nana even babysat the giant Olaf balloon for us!

Sunday morning, Dad took Eliot up to Sears to buy his birthday present.  Mom and I had decided that was the most reasonable way to get the guys out of the house.  After that, Dad's job was to do anything to keep Eliot away while we prepared.  (Apparently, they went to Home Depot and then they killed more time looking at cars and houses.)

Meanwhile, Mom and I went grocery shopping.  Then Mom, Nana and I prepped the food and decorated the house.  We couldn't do too much in the time we were allotted, but I was happy with it.  Most importantly, I didn't think Eliot was on to us.

Our guests arrived right as scheduled!  I was really excited to catch up with BJ, Katie and Jenn since we hadn't seen them since New Years.  (Katie, Kathleen, Karen and my brother Jeremy all had things come up last minute.)  I also brought out Eeyore, Duffy, Brother and their mini Olaf.  Both Eeyores were in their Olaf Hawaiian shirts for the occasion.  They couldn't miss the party!

Eventually, Dad and Eliot made it back and Eliot was completely surprised!  Yay!!!  We had a great time hanging out with our friends and my family, laughing at stories, and munching on the snacks we'd gotten.  Everyone loved the cupcakes and cake.  Thank you Wal-Mart bakery!  I couldn't cook a cake or cupcakes with Eliot around!  However, I did personalize the cake a little by adding the Olaf marshmallow pop that I've been hiding in the cupboard since Christmas.  (Don't worry... it doesn't expire until 2016.)

Eliot got some great Olaf themed goodies from our friends, as well as some of his favorite raspberry sugar cookies from Nana.  Mom and Dad bought him the jig saw he's wanted for over a year.  (Now he can work on all of the projects we've cooked up!)

Most importantly, Eliot was thrilled and I know he was touched that we went to so much work to celebrate his birthday with him!  °o°

My 2015 Blog and Disney Goals

2015 is officially here!  I'm really excited about this year.  I have another blank canvas to create a new design.  365 blank pages of a book yet to be written.  In order to feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the year, I like to set goals for myself.  In fact, this year I added a lot of new items to my personal goal list.

Photo Source: Disney Store

Last year, I added Disney themed goals and blog goals to my list for the first time.  I shared a few in 14 Disney and Blog Goals for 2014.  I did pretty well in my efforts to achieve them.  (You can read my 2014 end of the year goal recap here.)

To celebrate 2015, I've decided to make 15 Disney and Blog Goals!  Sharing your goals with others helps with accountability; therefore, I'm going to share those goals with you guys once again!  Some of them are the same or similar to goals I had last year.  (I still want to get those 2014 goals completed!)  Some of these goals are completely new ideas!  Hopefully, I can achieve them all this year!  Bring it on 2015!

Melissa's 15 Blog and Disney Goals for 2015

1.)  Go to Walt Disney World- This is my goal every year, so it's always #1.  This feels like a "freebie" since I'm leaving for Disney this Tuesday.  However, I've also made a bucket list for this trip, so I'll include trying new things while I'm there with this goal.

2.)  Participate in the WDW 10K- This also feels like a "freebie" since I'm doing the Minnie 10K on Friday.  The "real" goal is to finish it since I didn't finish the half marathon last year.  I guess we'll find out how this goal turns out later on this week!

3.) Achieve Monthly Blog Goals- This was what I had a hard time with last year.  I've made a calendar template for myself so it'll be easier to achieve these monthly goals. Specifically, I'd like to do at least one tutorial each month, blog about one fun find each month, and do 12-13 posts each month so I can write 150 blog entries for the year.

4.)  Make Disney Décor for the Holidays-  I will make sure I get this done.  My list of "Disney Projects" is taking over my cell phone.  Plus, some of my ideas are incredibly awesome!  I really need to be on top of my holiday projects this year.

5.)  Design an Imagineering Project-  Back in college, I could design anything I wanted in my interior design studio class.  The sky was the limit and there weren't any money restrictions.  I want to do a personal project for fun since there's always money restrictions in the real world.  I have a great idea that I'm really excited about.  It's going to come to life in 2015.  This particular project is a huge undertaking- so it might not be completed totally at the end of 2015, but it's going to be well on it's way.

6.)  Have a Few Friends as Guest Bloggers-  My friends are huge Disney fans too. Last year, I had two guest blogger posts.  I'd like to have a few more posts this year. Thankfully, Eliot is on board so hopefully you'll hear more from him.  I'm sure I can persuade a few of my friends to write a post or two!  (You know you want to friends!!!)

7.)  Have a Disney Themed Party-  We had two parties last year.  Our Disney Side BBQ Party was a big hit and a great way to welcome summer.  Eliot and I are thinking about making it an annual event.  Also, I have a lot of other ideas I'm dying to try out.

8.)  Paint Disney Art-  Last year, I specifically wanted to paint Disney Wedding art for our dining room.  This year, I want to make some for our bathroom, dining room, my office, etc.  I've been dying to go to one of those paint bars where you have drinks and paint a picture.  I started a Pinterest board a while ago- it now has over 600 pins. I'm thinking I might just have to have a few of my own personal "paint night" events.

9.)  Continue Happily Ever Hatter's Growth- I am so proud of how far I came with Happily Ever Hatter last year.  My personal goal was to have 50 orders.  I ended 2014 with 40 Etsy sales, 4 PayPal orders, 2 orders from friends, and I made over 50 hats and headbands.  This year, I want to build on that.  I've got plans to release a bunch of new designs.  Here's to hoping I'll have at least another 50+ sales this year!!!

10.)  Make Disney Accessories-  This was another goal from last year.  However, this year, I want to make different Disney accessories.  I've got ear hats and ear headbands covered in goal #9.  I'm not quite ready to reveal all of my top secret business ideas, but goal this will take shape a bit differently than Happily Ever Hatter did last year.

11.) Take an Online Storyboard Class-  Yet another goal from last year that I didn't exactly accomplish.  I'm already signed up for the visual storytelling class over at Skillshare.  It's taught by an animator from Walt Disney Animation Studios!

12.) Read Disney Books- I have a bunch of Disney Imagineering books that I've collected since I was in college.  I've looked through them, but I haven't actually read them cover to cover.  I'd like to read a few of them this year.  I also want to get some of the art of Disney books where they show the concept art and how they created the movies we know and love.  (Frozen and Tangled are at the top of the list!)

13.)  Have Disney Movie Nights and Disney Game Nights- I've been wanting to do this for a while now.  Eliot and I had discussed having Monday Movie Nights and Thursday Game Nights.  (Along with Taco Tuesdays and Wii Wednesdays.) They haven't panned out since we're always so busy, but I'm determined to do these more often.  I'm not sure we'll be able to watch movies every Monday, but I'm going to try to watch more of the Disney Movies in our collection.  We also have quite a few Disney board games that need to be broken in a bit.

14.)  See Disney's Frozen on Ice- This seems silly to have as a goal but I really want to see it!  I used to go to Disney On Ice shows with my family all the time when I was a kid.  I absolutely love watching the performers skate.  Plus, I always dreamed about becoming a costume or set designer.  I love Frozen and I can't wait to see the costumes and set designs for this show!

15.) Work on Top Secret Blog Post Ideas- Well, this is certainly a tease, but that's all I can say for now!  I'm sorry!  Once said "top secret blog ideas" are able to be public knowledge, I will definitely let you guys know!  Since I can't outright tell you, I'll give you a little bit of a hint: I said my list of "Disney projects and ideas" was ridiculously long... there are many more ideas than just holiday projects on there!

Photo Source: Disney Store

I've got my work cut out for me again this year.  But I'm really excited about it!  I'm going to make 2015's word of the year GROWTH.  I've made a lot of progress with my blog and with my business endeavors this past year.  This year I want to build upon that progress and to make them all grow to be even bigger and better!

Happy 2015 Everyone!!!  °o°

A Tangled Party

A few weekends ago, Eliot and I hosted my 30th birthday party.  It was a blast!!!  I invited a few of my girlfriends over to celebrate.  Last year, we celebrated my birthday by having a small gathering at our house and by going to see Catching Fire.  We had such a good time, that we decided to do it again this year!  (You can read more about my birthday party last year here.)

This year, I insisted on having a themed party.  Since it was my 30th, I wanted to make it special.  I've tossed around ideas for a while, but I finally settled on a Tangled theme. I thought it was appropriate since Rapunzel celebrates her birthday by having the "best day ever" when she leaves her tower.

I went shopping with my parents a few weekends ago to get party supplies.  I didn't realize the party store didn't sell Tangled themed items, but luckily I'd found some cups this summer at Toys R Us and I had those.  We did find a Tangled tablecloth.  After that, we went with  pink and lavender plates, napkins and silverware.  I had a few other ideas for decorations that I'd been hoarding away until it was time for the party.

I wanted something fun to give my friends as party favors.  I asked Eliot to make me pink and lavender Mickey soaps! He used sweet pea scent and they smell amazing! Then, I sent him the logo for my 30th birthday that I designed and he used it for the toppers!  Unfortunately, we forgot to hand them out at the end of the day.  (Don't worry- we're going to make sure they get them!)

I got up early to prepare the food and start with the decorations.  I made the cupcakes and then Katie helped me by frosting them.  I prepared the veggie platter, cheese, pepperonis and crackers and my aunt's shrimp dip.  The dip is addictive!

After the food was done, I started in on the decorating.  I got the supplies out and then prepared the grass mats we'd bought for the centerpiece, the lanterns I've had for a few months now and our LED tea lights.  I hung a few of the lanterns from the chandelier.  I decorated with the other lanterns on the sideboard.  Pascal hung out by the lights.  I arranged the centerpiece and the place settings.  Then, I added the glitter candles to the grass since they were too glittery for the cupcakes.  I added a few "magical" sun flowers to the grass mats.  Finally, I put a few pink and lavender streamers over the chandelier.

My friends are amazing and they all got me wonderful gifts.  I love all of them!  My friends know me so well!  I even got a few Disney birthday cards!  (Bonus points!)  I may or may not have squealed like a little girl when I opened the Tangled themed Rapunzel birthday card from Kathleen that had some Anna and Elsa stickers in it. (Double bonus points!!!)  In my defense, they were stickers I've never seen before and I was really excited!  After catching up, the six of us girls headed over to the movie theater.  I was so pumped up; I think I skipped into the theater.

Mockingjay was amazing.  It didn't disappoint.  In fact, the movie was better than I pictured it, and I had high hopes.  The acting was fantastic and it was really moving.  I absolutely love the Hunger Games books and I've devoured the series a few times over the past year and a half.  Mockingjay Part 1 was hauntingly beautiful.  The girls and I loved it, although we were a little depressed leaving the theater.  It's certainly not a happy, uplifting movie, but if you've read the books you already know that.  I'm sad we have to wait a year to see Part 2; but, I know it'll be worth it!  Plus, now we know what we're doing for my birthday next year!  In the meantime, I'm sure we'll all continue to have "The Hanging Tree" stuck in our heads on repeat.

After leaving the movie theater, we came home to meet up with Eliot and BJ.  The boys had "bromance" time and played video games like last year.  We finally dragged them away from their Mario game so we could all go out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.  We had a great time catching up and enjoying each other's company.  Later, we returned to our house to enjoy the cupcakes I'd made.  We had another round of laughter before everyone headed home.  I went to bed shortly after, and fell asleep immediately.

All in all, it was a fun celebration and I had a great time going out with our friends. I'm excited to see what 30 has in store for me!  °o°

Isaac's Mickey Themed 1st Birthday Party

Ahh!  It's been almost 10 days since I last posted!  It's been another busy work week with hat orders.  This weekend Eliot and I cleaned the house, got some more supplies for Happily Ever Hatter and went to Splashtown to enjoy the last of the summer weather!

We were out of town last weekend for my cousin Isaac's Mickey Mouse themed first birthday party.  Eliot and I helped my cousin Kaitlin throw the party, and we have kept ourselves busy the past few weeks with all of the party preparations.  (The party was a week ago today, so I figured it was time to get a post written for it!)

The party was so much fun!  I know Isaac enjoyed it.  Plus, the other kids had a blast! After months of planning, it all worked out.  Well, we probably could have done without the rain showers that showed up uninvited, but other than that it was perfect!

Eliot and I went to Kaitlin and David's house early so we could help out with the food and decorating.  I helped Kaitlin and my Aunt Sherrie with the remainder of the food prep (they had most of it done already) and we were ready to decorate!

We set up balloons on a few of the tables.  I twisted the paper streamers, but they ended up getting damp from the rain and started to droop.  Boo!  (Luckily, Mom and Dad arrived early so Daddy could help me tuck them up higher.)  We had another table for favors with Eliot's and my Mickey and Minnie plush, the signs I made, the Mickey party hats Kaitlin made, and the soap favors.  Finally, we all brought the food out a few minutes before everyone arrived.  We placed the food signs out and we were ready to party!

Isaac looked adorable in his Mickey birthday outfit and Happily Ever Hatter Birthday Party Ear Hat!  Everyone took plenty of pictures of him.  I'm so glad it was a success! (He wore the hat a lot longer than I thought he would!  So that's always good!)

The Mickey Bean Bag Toss Eliot made for our Disney Side Party was a great addition. At first, I don't think the kids knew what it was and that they could play with it.  But after we ate, Mom and I went over to play a few games.  After that, the kids were all over it!

The Mickey piñata I made was a big "hit"!  (Ha ha, I made a funny.)  We kept in inside until we were ready so it wouldn't get ruined by the rain.  (Also, so the kids wouldn't attack it before it was time.)  I've never made a piñata before, but it was really easy.  I'm really very proud of it!  The only downside, I did such a good job that the kids couldn't break into it.  We helped them open it up after they all got a few tries at it.  Next time, we'll use thinner cardboard (like a cereal box) instead of the thicker stuff!

Eliot's Mickey parts soaps from Snowblade Creations were also a big success!  The kids were excited to bring them home and we had enough for them all to get at least 2 packs. One of the little girls loves to wash her hands and she couldn't wait to get home to try them out.  I'm glad they liked them!

The only fail was that I completely forgot about the birthday sign I had made as a surprise for Isaac's party!  In the rush to get everything together, it completely slipped my mind! It's probably just as well since it rained.  I'm not sure where we would have attached it anyways.  If it had been sunny, it would have looked cute on the entrance to the tent, but it's ok.  I gave it to Kaitlin so she'll have it for a keepsake!

It was a great day and a wonderful celebration of Isaac turning one!  °o°

Party Preparations

Hi Friends!  My past two posts have been pretty heavy so I thought that I'd lighten things up a bit today.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm helping my cousin Kaitlin plan her son's first birthday party!  The party is this weekend and I've been keeping myself busy this week with projects for it!

Isaac's birthday party theme is Mickey Mouse!  We added a little bit from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since that's how all of the kids will know the characters.  I was so excited when Kaitlin approached me last spring and asked me to help plan the party.  (I'm known as the resident Disney expert and fanatic.)  When Kaitlin visited us a few weeks ago, we started making the piñata and Isaac's birthday outfit.  Here's how the party preparations have progressed:

Party Invitation
Before I got too involved with other projects, I designed a quick digital invitation for Isaac's party.  We decided it would be easier to invite everyone online.  The Facebook event has the same details as the invitation, but I still volunteered to make one.  I love using Illustrator and InDesign to design things!  And I already had the Mickey parts designed from my calendars and our Disney Side BBQ Party invitations.  It didn't take me any time at all to make this invitation photo for the event page!

Mickey Piñata
I've never made a piñata before.  However, after reading a few posts on Pinterest about it, I figured it was something I could do.  It's not quite finished yet but this piñata has turned out way better than I could have hoped for!  I'm really very proud of it!  (I'll probably end up writing a tutorial for you so you can make your own!)

Isaac's Birthday Outfit
Kaitlin approached me with this idea of a onesie with suspenders and a tie.  She sent me the top center photo and I found the top right as another example.  After examining the photos, I thought we could make something similar.  She took care of the shorts. Meanwhile, I bought ribbon for the suspenders, made the "1" and Mickey Mouse shapes, and cut the tie out.  I gave her the pieces last weekend and she sent me the bottom right picture in a text message of the completed outfit!  It turned out really cute!

Top Center: ChicCoutureBoutique Top Right: ShopAntsyPants

Signage- Food, Party Hats and Favors
Kaitlin wanted signs for the food and favors and I volunteered to make those too.  I knew making signs for Isaac's party would be really easy for me.  It didn't take any time at all since I used the same Mickey parts designs as the invitation.  Kaitlin and I used Pinterest to get ideas for the names of the food.  I love the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse inspiration!

Birthday Sign
I decided to make a birthday sign as a surprise for Isaac's party!  (Kaitlin doesn't even know about it yet!  Shh!!!)  I designed the letters in InDesign and added a few Mickeys. It's so cute! Originally, I wanted to cut it out on my Cricut machine.  Instead, I opted for the scissor option since we're running out of time.  (Eliot knows how to work our Cricut but he's been busy making the party favors.  I figured I could handle using scissors; they haven't failed me yet!)

Soap Favors
When Kaitlin first approached me with the party theme, I suggested Eliot and I make soaps for party favors.  We've sold a lot of soaps as birthday and wedding favors and they're really practical.  (Kaitlin wanted something the kids could go home and use- not a bunch of candy and cheap toys that might end up breaking.)  Eliot's been working on these this week and our house smells amazing.  I'm sure the kids will love these bubblegum Mickey parts soaps from Snowblade Creations!

Birthday Party Hat
Of course, no party is complete without a Happily Ever Hatter designed Birthday Party Ear Hat!  Kaitlin's made Mickey Mouse ear party hats for the rest of the kids, but Isaac is getting his very own party hat custom made by yours truly!  (I still have to make Isacc's hat but this is one I made for another little boy celebrating his first birthday last weekend!)

We've still got a few more loose ends to tie up, but we're almost done with all of the projects!  I don't know about you, but I think it's going to be a great party!  °o°

Disney Side BBQ Party

As you all know, this past Saturday was our "Show Your Disney Side" BBQ Party!!!

Saturday morning we were busy making final preparations: buying the food, decorating, setting up and preparing the food!  Thankfully, my parents came down for the weekend to help us out!  Eliot, Elissa, Mom, Dad and I divided and conquered.  

Eliot and Dad ran errands while Mom, Elissa and I bought the food.  Mom and I started the cooking and food prep.  Meanwhile, Elissa decorated the house with streamers and made the cupcakes.  Before we knew it, we were ready for the party to begin!

I was so excited to finally have the party with all of our friends!  The food was delicious. We had hamburgers and hot dogs from the grill.  (Thank you to BJ for manning the grill!) We also had my pasta salad, Mom's potato salad and a delicious summer salad that Katie made.  We had plenty of snacks, crackers, veggies and fruits set out in my Mickey Mouse bowls.  (That's the best way to serve food to Disney fans, right?)

For dessert, we had the Mickey and Minnie Mouse cupcakes that Elissa made.  (The frosting and food coloring didn't play nice with us.  The frosting was as red as we could get it.)  We found the white pearls in the baking section of Wal-Mart and they were delicious.  We had planned to make chocolate covered Mickey oreos, but we ran out of time.  But we're going to try to make them sometime over the next few weeks instead!

We went to the dollar store for all of the serving supplies.  The only thing we didn't get there were the yellow plastic cups.  We found those at Wal-Mart.  The dollar store only had black and red serving items and we wanted to have some yellow!  We used Mickey Mouse glasses from the Disney Store to hold the silverware and napkins.  (Ha, I just noticed that the plates and bowls form a hidden Mickey.  That was not intentional.)

We all enjoyed the food on our deck while talking about our favorite Disney rides and memories.  We were having such a good time laughing and having fun that I completely forgot to take photos.  (It's probably just as well; it was nice to be in the moment and not feel like I was missing out being too busy taking photos!)

After talking and relaxing for a bit, we decided to play with some of our games.  We had set up our volleyball net and some toss games to play.  We took turns playing badminton since we only have two racquets.  Eliot and I played with the bean bag toss for a bit.  Eliot and Elissa made the Mickey bean bag toss for our party.  We ran out of time to paint it, but we're planning to do it once they finish the second one!

After badminton, we decided to play a game of volleyball.  I was on a team with Elissa and Dani.  Eliot and BJ were playing against us while Katie and Jenn were the line judges.  Kathleen and my Dad kept score and cheered us on.  (Daddy also took some photos for us.) It was pretty lopsided since all three of us girls played, or are currently playing, volleyball in high school.  We played two sets to 25 and Team Girls won both of them.  But the guys put in a great effort considering they never played volleyball.  And we all got a few good laughs in at some of our not-so-smooth moves.

The party started to wind down after that since it was getting later in the evening and the (party crasher) mosquitoes started to come out.  Plus, we were all going to the Color Run early the next morning and we needed some sleep!  But before everyone left, we took a group photo of all of us Showing Our Disney Side!

We also made sure that our guests all took some party favors home with them!  I made extra Mickey parts soap when I was working on that order for Eliot while he was away.

After our guests headed home, Eliot, Elissa and I took everything down pretty quickly. We knew we had another busy day ahead of us with the Color Run on Sunday! Although we were exhausted, it was definitely a great day with our friends and my parents! 

In fact, it was so much fun that we're already planning on having another "Show Your Disney Side" BBQ Party next year!  Maybe we'll make it an annual event!!!  °o°