National Melissa Day ✨💖✨

Happy National Melissa Day!!! ✨💖✨ 

If you missed the memo last year, that's correct... we get our own day on the calendar!  I guess it’s a pretty sweet perk for having a common name… 🤣

Anyone who knows me is aware that I don’t really give myself much fanfare at this point in my life.  So today, I wanted to share a special photo and a magical experience at Disneyland where I got to indulge myself for a few minutes. 👑 

The last day of our January trip, Eliot and I were running around trying to check off the rest of the boxes on our Disneyland 70th experience list.  One of the things we hadn't yet done, was take photos at Sleeping Beauty Castle.  I had a special outfit that I had planned out and purchased specifically for the occasion.  Eliot and I even made ourselves color coordinated and personalized Disneyland 70th mouse ears.

The line was long... but I wanted photos, so we braved it.  By the time we got to the front, I was keen to quickly take photos and get out of the way so others could have their turn.  What I wasn't expecting was for the Disney Photopass photographer to give me my own little mini session.  I assured him that it was ok to push me through quickly since the line was really long.  But he told me that I’d waited just as long as everyone else, and that I deserved a few extra minutes too; and he was right of course. 💕 

I’m so glad that Photopass photographer had me pose for a few extra pictures, because he captured this cute photo of me dressed up in my Disneyland 70th outfit with my personalized Melissa Disneyland Sign ears.  At the time, I had no idea how these would turn out, and I was so excited when I opened our account and stumbled across this.  

I love how he had me pose and how he framed me with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background.  I'm so grateful for how hard I worked putting together my outfit, because it's color coordinated with all of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration decor perfectly.  And now this photo is one of my all-time favorites.  ✨💖💛💜💙✨

Our First Journey Overseas 🇬🇧

Two weeks ago, Eliot and I quietly applied for our passports. 🌎  It's something that we've been planning on doing for a while now (years in fact).  But without any actual trips overseas on the horizon, it hasn't been one of our top priorities.

As some of you may already know, Eliot’s sister Elissa has been in the UK studying abroad for her masters degree. 🇬🇧 We have been wanting to visit her, but between our busy schedules and all of our health issues, things haven’t come together... until now.

I am so excited that the stars have finally aligned and that Eliot and I are going "across the pond" to London for a week in July!!! ✈️ I've dropped a few subtle hints, but I didn't want to say anything until we had our passports in hand and our flights were booked.  Our passports arrived last Saturday, and we booked our flights later that evening.

I am so excited to be going overseas again!!!  This will be Eliot’s first trip to Europe, and my third time. 🌍 However, my trips were back when I was in high school (France) and college (Italy & Greece), so it’s been awhile. 😳  And I've never been to London, other than spending a few hours in Heathrow airport on my return trip from Italy & Greece.

So Eliot and I are preparing for our first journey overseas together. 🇬🇧 Here’s to filling these with lots of passport stamps and to many more adventures around the world. 🌍

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!!! 🛳☀️ 🌊🏖🌺

Bibbidi Bobbidi Booked… ✨🛳 ⚓️🐭✨

Bibbidi Bobbidi Booked… ✨🛳 ⚓️🐭✨ 

I’ve been dropping some subtle hints over on my Facebook and Instagram pages because we’ve been sitting on a secret… but I think it’s time to share it!  Four months from today, Eliot and I will once again be boarding the Disney Wish!!! ✨🛳✨ 

Eliot was actually the one who suggested we take this cruise to celebrate our wedding anniversary. 💕 A few weeks ago, Disney Cruise Line was offering a 20% off booking deal, plus a $250 onboard credit… and basically we couldn’t say no!  We bounced between a few different sailings, but we finally settled on the three night cruise that was over our wedding anniversary weekend.  And one of the most exciting things about this cruise is that this one will be a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise! 🎃  Our first time on the Disney Wish (for my 40th birthday), it was a Very Merrytime Cruise, so now we'll get to experience another holiday season aboard this incredible ship! 🙂 

I am SO EXCITED to be sailing away on another magical adventure with Mickey!!! 🛳🐭 

Passports to Adventure

Last Friday, Eliot and I finally applied for our passports.  We both had them when we were younger, but they expired and we didn't renew them.  We've been planning to forever, but we never did it because we hadn't absolutely needed them.  

With all of our past Disney cruises, you didn't need to have a passport- although it it was recommended.  (I've been thinking we needed to get them before we took another cruise- just in case of an emergency.)  We're also wanting to do an Alaskan cruise someday, so we'll need a passport to get into Canada.  Plus, we've talked about going to see some San Jose Sharks games over the border... so both of us finally getting our passports and passport cards was definitely on our radar.

Last Friday, we filled out our passport applications.  (Naturally, I gave my Olaf pen the honor of helping me fill out mine.)  At 1:00 PM we went to the Gorham post office for our appointment.  It was very quick, and before I knew it our paperwork was ready, our photos were taken and everything was stapled and ready to be sent out!

Early yesterday morning, we got emails that our paperwork and applications had been received.  They were in process with everything being reviewed.

This afternoon, both Eliot and I got the emails that they had been processed and were getting mailed out!  I was surprised considering we literally sent them in last Friday... only 6 days ago!  We paid extra for rush service... but I don't think either of us expected this quick of a turnaround.  Still, it's a relief to know they'll be in our possession soon!

So by next week, we're officially going to have our passports to adventure!!! ✈️

The Future Is Calling Me… ☎️

Hi friends!  This year is flying right by, so I just wanted to pop in for a quick minute.  If you're following along on social media, you know that Eliot and I have been super busy in 2026.  We've already taken three Disney trips in the first four months of the year!

I'm hoping to post a few photos from those trips on here at some point.  I won't be doing a full trip review, simply because I don't have time for those anymore.  But I'm hoping to share a little bit more about certain aspects of our trips!  If you are following me over on Facebook or Instagram, you'll definitely see a few of our Disney trip photos there!

For now, here's a quick flashback of me hanging out in the United Kingdom pavilion of Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival on our WDW trip back in April. 🇬🇧🌐🌳 

Our next few months are going to continue to be incredibly busy, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again, but I'll try my best!  If you follow me on social media, you'll definitely get all of the details of our adventures there first.  I will say that although I'm not ready to "spill the tea" just yet... it sounds like the future is calling me... ☎️

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month 🎗💛🌻

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and I am the 1 in 10. 🎗💛🌻

Yesterday marked 6 months since my endometriosis excision surgery. 🎗

It was about this same time last year that I first spoke to a doctor about the possibility of me having endo.  And after what felt like forever, I might finally have an answer.  Up to that point, I wasn’t getting anywhere with my doctors, and I did the research myself to figure out what was wrong with me.  So when I went to that appointment in March, I stated clearly and firmly “I think I have endometriosis.”  I backed it up with the hours of research I’d done… and I had all of the symptoms. 🎗

Thankfully, our PCP’s physician assistant listened and he immediately ordered an MRI on my stomach.  After getting those results, I was sent to a surgical gynecologist and he said the MRI suggested endo.  He ordered a trans-vaginal ultrasound to confirm it, and eight days later I had that done.  Most women don’t get diagnosed with endo based off their imaging results- but mine was bad enough that they diagnosed it on sight. 🌻 

I thought that would be the end of my medical saga… but then I had to go through three doctors before I finally found one who would operate on me given my situation and the severity of my endo.  Thankfully, my entire experience with Dr. G and Beth Israel was smooth sailing and I had my endometriosis excision surgery six months ago.  I can never ever express enough how grateful I am for him. 💛

Now six months later… I don’t have periods that are as painful and I no longer have pain from Bruno the cyst.  But I’m learning that I was delusional if I thought my day to day stomach pain would completely go away.  I still feel cramps and stomach pain as I go through the cyclical hormone shifts of my menstrual cycle each month.  I’m still nauseous randomly for any number of reasons.  I still have to watch what I eat.  My lower back pain isn’t nearly as awful as it was when my bowels were attached to my uterus, but I still have some pain occasionally.  My incisions bother me often… and I still face the daily battle of feeling like my underwear and pants are trying to kill me. 😕 But it’s way better than before, and I’m so thankful for that.

This Endometriosis Awareness Month, I now have a name for what’s happening to my body.  And I want other women to know that they’re not alone if they experience this.  It takes the average woman 10 years to get a diagnosis.  Listen to the women in your life and believe them when they describe their pain.  It’s not all in our heads.  And ladies, always advocate for yourself because you deserve to be heard. 🎗💛🌻

🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻🎗💛🌻