Disneyland May 2017 Bucket List

I can't believe that I leave for Disneyland the day after tomorrow!  The time between our Walt Disney World trip and this trip has seriously flown by.  I haven't had time to do much blogging, and I haven't trained at all since Princess Half weekend.  Needless to say, this trip is going to be interesting!

It's become a tradition for me to post a bucket list for each trip to Disney.  I've found them to be helpful in planning our trip, prioritizing things, and to make sure that we keep experiencing new things at Disney!  So without further ado, here's my list!

Melissa's Disneyland May 2017 Bucket List:

°o°  1.) Finish the Tinker Bell 10K
°o°  2.) Do my best in the Tinker Bell Half Marathon

°o°  3.) Go to the Cove Bar

°o°  4.) Get an Enchanted Rose Sipper Cup

°o°  5.) Try some Electrical Parade Snacks

°o°  6.) Meet Moana

°o°  7.) Try Ramone's Pear of Dice Soda 

°o°  8.) Get pictures of our IllusionEars and debut new designs

°o°  9.) See the original World of Color

°o° 10.) Try Lightsaber Churros

This list is super short, but we are only going to be there for a few days!  Hopefully it will be a fun, not too painful trip... I'm hoping that my legs cooperate with me!  I'll check back in when we get home to let you know how our bucket list made out!  °o°

May 2017 Calendar

It's the Revenge of the 5th, and Happy Cinco de Mayo... and WAY past the beginning of the month when I usually write this post.  I'm not going to lie, April got away from me and it was already the 2nd or 3rd before I even came to the conclusion that I never posted my calendar.  Here it is!  I'm so sorry for the delay!

Like last year, I've also made a blank version of the 2017 calendar without the holidays to make them more versatile.  Over the past 4 years, my calendars have been used for lots of things including: Disney trip countdowns, teachers' Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the May 2017 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank May 2017 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2017.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Four Year Blogiversary

Hey Everyone!  I'm alive and well!  I'm sorry it's been so long since I checked in.  To say we've been busy is a vast understatement... it's more like I've been burning the candle at every location imaginable.  However, I wanted to take a few quick minutes to acknowledge the 4th anniversary of my little blog.

Happy Four Year Blogiversary My Disney Life Blog!!!

I haven't been able to put as much time into it lately, but I'm working to get that changed.  I promise that I'll post more as soon as I'm able.  At the moment, I'm less than a week away from another trip to Disneyland, and I'm surrounded by mouse ear orders and designs I'm trying to complete for our trip!  Thank you for sticking with me!  

Hopefully I'll see ya real soon!    May the Fourth Be With You!!!  °o°

April 2017 Calendar

Happy April friends!  How is 2017 already 1/4 over?!?  (It really is!  No April Fools jokes here.)  It's hard to believe how incredibly fast this year is flying by.  To kick off the new month, here's my free April 2017 Mickey and Minnie printable calendar!!!

Like last year, I've also made a blank version of the 2017 calendar without the holidays to make them more versatile.  Over the past 4 years, my calendars have been used for lots of things including: Disney trip countdowns, teachers' Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the April 2017 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank April 2017 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2017.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)

Fun Find: The Dress Shop

Hi friends!  I'm sorry I haven't been around.  Eliot and I been so busy lately!  (I'll fill you in soon!)  I've had at least 5 posts planned since my last one and I never ended up having time to start and/or finish any of them.  I'm trying to get back into the flow... hopefully I'll be able to post more often next month!

I have something I wanted to share with you for Fun Find Friday.  If you follow the Disney Parks Blog, you've probably heard the news, but if not then I've got a treat for you!  As of this morning, the newest store opened at Disney Springs.  Disney parks favorites meet Disney style in the newest merchandise addition: The Dress Shop.

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The Dress Shop is a new collection of apparel and accessories, mainly vintage and retro inspired dresses.  The cool part is that they're all designed around a Disney character, movie or attraction.  It's a great way to add a little bit of Disney style to your everyday life, or to dress up in something a little bit more stylish at the parks.

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Honestly, I'm surprised that it took Disney this long to come out with their own line of dresses.  With events like Dapper Day, and the popularity of Disneybounding, it was only a matter of time.  (I'm really glad that time is now!  Finally!!!)  I'm so excited for this new addition to official Disney parks merchandise. 

From what I've seen of the collection, it's perfection.  The dresses currently range in prices from about $98-$119 and sizes are from XS-3X.  You can see more photos from the collection on DisneyLifeStylers Facebook page here.

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I think my favorite dresses are the Orange Bird, Small World and Tiki Room.  Although, I really love the Minnie Mouse, Tea Cups and Tower of Terror dresses too.  Plus, the matching handbags are super cute!  I hope this collection does well and that they release more designs!  I can't wait to get my hands on one (or more!) of these dresses!

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The collection is currently on sale at the Marketplace Co-Op in Disney Springs and a few of the items are also available at Vault 28 in Disneyland.

So, which one is your favorite?  Will you be adding any of these to your closet?  °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°

Today's the Day!!!

It's finally here!!!  Today is the day Beauty and the Beast is released in theaters!!!  Or, more likely for most of you, last night was the night to go see it!  Unfortunately, here in southern Maine, our local theater did not have any midnight showings.  Boo!!!

However, I've decided that's ok with me.  I'm practicing an incredible amount of self-restraint, and going to see it tomorrow with Eliot and my brother Jeremy.  I have today off, so if I really wanted to, I could take myself, but I would rather see it for the first time with both of them.  Thus, the wait continues for me... 

Have you seen it?  What did you think?  (No spoilers!)  My friends who have seen it say that it's amazing, and it's so good it's like seeing the original all over again.  I have to admit, I've been pretty excited for other movies in the past- Cinderella, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc.- but I've never been this excited to go see a movie.  In fact, I'm planning how I'm going to get myself there to see it multiple times.  (Sorry Eliot...)

For now, I wait a little bit longer.  I'll figure out what I'm going to wear and then set out my Beauty and the Beast themed outfit for tomorrow.  Today is a also good day to finish a few projects I've been working on.  So, I wait... but I know it'll be worth it!  °o°