Freaking Out Friday

Today is freaking out Friday. I've termed it as such (lovingly of course), because I have been anxiously awaiting news from the big cheese himself. No, not my boss, DH or the big cheese in the sky, but the one that runs that Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Mickey Mouse.

Back in September I began yet another journey with the Disney Moms Panel. I've applied every year since its inception in 2008. With up to 20,000 applying, I've never made the cut to round two. But this year, the one year I didn't actually devote much time or energy to my application, I made it. Imagine my surprise when I got my congratulations email. Maybe I've been over thinking it all these years and not spending as much time on it allowed my real personality and passion to come through? Who knows. There I go over thinking that!


So after receiving my congratulatory email, I had to submit answers to a handful of questions, again, limiting my answers to 100 words each. If you know me, you know that isn't easy. First off, I am long-winded. Second, limiting my answer about something I love so dearly to 100 words, well is almost impossible, but I did it. We also had to produce a minute long video sharing our favorite Walt Disney World memory. My sister kindly helped me film using my iphone and then I edited the clips into a cohesive piece. I didn't do 100 takes, only four.

I think my video was pretty unique, at least the topic. I tried to stay away from what I thought most might share as a favorite memory, like meeting Cinderella. It's definitely a special memory for a lot of folks and I wanted mine to be different. Thankfully, one of my favorites is when Will met PUSH the talking trash can at the Magic Kingdom on the first day of our vacation last December. You see, he's obsessed with trash cans. Heck, I even wrote a post about it. So meeting a walking, talking trash can was amazing for him. PUSH even singled him out and sang Happy Birthday after seeing Will's birthday button. We even dressed William as a trash can for last Halloween!

William was wearing a Pooh bear t-shirt since we had breakfast plans at Crystal Palace that morning. PUSH told him, "You have some Pooh on your shirt." Hilarious PUSH!

So while filming my video, I surrounded myself with some of Will's favorite trash cans from his collection, just to give my video a unique background. Plus, I do get a little nervous, so having props helps.

I submitted my finished video and answers on October 14th, the day before we left for eight fabulous nights in the world. So for those next eight days, I didn't even think about it. I was too busy creating new memories at my favorite place. But as I returned to real life this past Monday and started visiting the forum threads, Facebook groups, watching tweets etc., I started to panic. The emails announcing who will advance to round three are supposed to be delivered this week. At first we all thought it might happen on Tuesday. Then we all held our collective breath on Wednesday. Nothing. Yesterday (Thursday), still nothing. By this point, I think some of my round two friends and I just might break the Internet with our constant posting, attempts to distract each other and burning up our email accounts. Open email, close eyes, hold breath, open eyes, heart drops, realize the Disney email is from Disney Movie Rewards.....not Disney Moms. I think this is the only time I am frustrated at the amount of Disney related email traffic I get. Disney shopping, Disney Interactive, Disney Movie Rewards, disboards, AllEars etc. Each time I hold my breath thinking it is THE email. Alas, it's not.

Not yet.

And so we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

So is today the day? We can't be sure, but we can hope.

The round two email stated that if selected to move on as a finalist, we would be contacted by email to schedule a phone interview the first week of November. Well next week is the first week of November. So here's hoping we hear today or tomorrow.

In the meantime I am trying to stay busy. I have a lot to keep busy with, William's day care party is today, his birthday party is tomorrow morning and my mom's Halloween party is tomorrow night. But I can't help myself from checking my email every five seconds, hoping I've been blessed enough to make it to the next step- phone interviews and continue on my journey to obtain the coveted pink Moms Panel jacket.

So why is being on this panel so important to me? The pink jacket? Sure. The training trip in early December? Definitely. But most of all, sharing my passion and love for planning the perfect Disney trip. I already do it for friends and family all of the time. Being able to do it almost daily for strangers? Fabulous! Doing it with the official support of the big cheese himself? Well, that would be totally awesome.

So here's hoping I don't develop a callus on my mouse clicking finger as I continue to constantly check email today. Sending pixie dust to all of my other friends awaiting news!

The Royal Treatment- Disney World 2011

We're back!!! We just returned from a magical eight nights at our favorite place on earth, Walt Disney World! It's been a whirlwind since we returned late Saturday night, catching up on work and life.

So I'll share some of the highlights of our special trip over a few posts. Our trip began on Friday, October 14th as we boarded an Air Tran flight to Atlanta, with a final stop in Orlando at 6:30pm that night. Our flight was delayed and we didn't make it in until almost 8pm. William was a complete angel on both flights. One woman behind us even commented on how he was the best behaved kid she had ever seen on a plane. Wow! She must not have seen him on our last two trips.


We rented a car and made the short 20 minute drive to our home for the next eight nights, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, our Disney Vacation Club (DVC) home. We used online check in and were in our room quickly.







We were starving, so we headed to the Contempo Cafe for a late dinner. Had our groceries delivered and received a special box from a special online disboard friend who sent us her leftover juice, water and more from her stay the week prior. Thanks Kimberly in NY!!

We settled in for a good night's sleep. Saturday, October 15th began our actual fun! We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise from our balcony!

We were up early to hit Disney's Hollywood Studios for extra magic hour (EMH) at 8am. We ran a little late, but managed to get a fastpass for the ever popular Toy Story Mania and then William experienced his first ride on Tower of Terror. This kid is so brave! He was scared once it started dropping, but we had prepped him by watching a youtube video, so he knew what to expect. On the ride, he was scared and had us both in a death grip, but once we got off, he said it was the "funnest elevator ever."

We then got in line to meet some of his favorite characters, Phineas and Ferb! We also took a ride on the new Star Wars ride and then we visited Pooh and some other friends. William loved the Disney Jr. show featuring Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Neverland Pirates- two of his all time favorite shows. He watches episodes online often with his daddy at home on the computer.

We visited the Muppets store and I found this adorable kermit hat that I had been searching for on previous trips. They also had animal and beeker! William loves this hat and wore it even when it was warm out. He got so many compliments on it from guests and cast members alike. I mean, who doesn't like Kermit?

We enjoyed a great lunch on the patio at Toy Story Pizza Planet and then headed back to Bay Lake Tower (BLT) for a break and nap.

That night, we ventured out for a special royal meal. I was able to book the hard to get Cinderella's Royal Table meal in the castle. William dressed up in his knight costume to meet his princess. We had a great dinner in the castle and managed to see Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. The food was actually much better than I anticipated too. William was quite shy once the princesses actually visited our table. Cinderella asked him how many dragons he had slayed. He was given a special sword and participate in the wishing ceremony with his wishing star.


After our brush with royalty, we hit a few rides in the Magic Kingdom. But given it was a Saturday night and the park was closing early (7pm) many nights during the week for the Halloween party, it was packed. Folks were taking advantage of the late night hours offered on Saturday. We only hit a few rides before bailing due to the crazy crowds. We had a whole week ahead of us, including less crowded weekdays. We did hit the Haunted Mansion on the way out- William's absolute favorite ride. While in line, one of the cast members had everyone sing him happy birthday! He was wearing his birthday button, so he got special treatment all week long and this was just the beginning. If you are celebrating anything while at the world, be sure and ask for a button! Here is William checking out the new cemetery at Haunted Mansion.

We ended our great night hearing the Electrical Water Pageant (now celebrating 40 years!) going on right outside our window. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed this classic light parade on the water.

And we're off

Tomorrow am, we are heading back to my happy place! 8 nights, 9 days at our Disney Vacation Club home, Bay Lake Tower. Cannot wait to get back to this! We are celebrating William's 4th birthday while there. We have a lot of special things planned for him, including getting turned into a pirate at the Pirate League, eating with Cinderella in the castle, breakfast with Mickey, breakfast with Pooh, a special Pirates cruise to see fireworks and meet his favorites- Hook, Peter Pan and Mr. Smee. Plus the famous Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party.

So off we go tomorrow, see you in a week! I'll tell Mickey you said hi!

Just Keep Swimming

They say never give up and for once, it paid off for me. After applying for the Disney Moms Panel for four years (since its inception), I finally made it to round two!

The Disney Moms Panel is a collection of moms (and dads, aunts, etc.) who share their passion for Disney by answering questions online for guests planning a trip. While the position is unpaid, there are lots of perks, free trip(s), goodies and just sharing your love for Disney.

Close to 20,000 applicants are allowed, not sure how many there were actually and I have no idea how many make it to round two. It could be 200, 500, who knows.

But tonight, I work on my four essay questions of 100 words or less. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not short with my words. I also have to submit a 60 second video about my favorite memory at the parks. My sister is helping me film that tonight.

All submissions are due on Friday, which also happens to be the day we leave for Walt Disney World! Talk about good timing. So wish me luck! I am hopeful, but also realistic. We aren't sure how many panelists they are taking, since some from last year will probably stay on another year and others selected might be part time, serving only certain months of the year.

Whoever is selected is to proceed to the final round (phone interview) will be contacted probably in less than two weeks. So send some pixie dust my way as I attempt to get a gig spreading some myself!

Whirlwind Day at Disneyland

SoCal/Disneyland trip continued...

We finally arrived at our destination, Disneyland Hotel and got checked in on Friday night. Tons of construction going on, but we loved it. Our room was just beautiful and had a special little bit of Disney magic I'll share in a separate post. After getting settled in, we attempted to take William to the awesome swimming pool, but it was closed due to "sanitation issues"...yuck! This would be a recurring nightmare for us. They had a really cool new monorail themed water slide and we would never get to ride it.

So we headed off to Downtown Disney to shop. William got some fun new legos and we got a few souvenirs for family. Then off to dinner with Goofy! We met Chip, Dale, Goofy, Minnie and Aladdin. William had a ball. He's pretty spoiled already having been to WDW twice now, but this was the first time he really seemed to totally get into the characters and even wanted their autographs. The buffet was actually fabulous. I don't have high expectations for buffets, but we were pleasantly surprised.

After dinner, we tried to swim again, but the slide had closed earlier apparently than the rest of the pool, so we skipped it. After a good night's rest, we tackled Disneyland in a Day on Saturday! We arrived at 7am, since on site guests could get in an hour early. We were able to ride all of Fantasyland within the first hour, including a second ride on Peter Pan and Dumbo per William's request. We had a great day!

We had lunch reservations at the famous Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans square. It sits overlooking the Pirates of the Carribean ride and boats come past the dining area, which looks like you are sitting outside in the dark. We enjoyed a great meal here- monte cristo for me and Salmon for William and Alan. Alan also got a free birthday dessert, as I told him it was his 40th!

We took a break after lunch back at the hotel and once again attempted to swim. This was our third stike. We got there, climbed up the stairs, in line for the slide, when suddenly we see them closing the pool down yet again. Yep, someone pooped in the pool AGAIN! Come on people! So we had to leave the pool and decided after three attempts, we were done. Nap time instead.

We returned in the afternoon and tackled the rest of the park, including a request to ride the Haunted Mansion twice! By the time the fireworks were about to start, we could tell William was fading fast, so we left. As we walked through Downtown Disney back to the hotel, we could hear and see the fireworks.

We had a great day at Disneyland and rode almost every single ride we wanted to, many twice. It was very hot and crowded by the afternoon though. Apparently Anaheim was having a heat wave that was not typical for their weather. So we all crashed that night, ready for rest.

Sunday morning, we had a quick bite to eat at the hotel and then loaded the car by 10am to head back to San Diego. The plan today was to hit Coronado Island.

Of course, being a Disney nut, I know the Grand Floridian Hotel at WDW is designed in the style of the Coronado. So it was fun to see the real thing. We didn't actually go on property, but could see it from the beach. It took a while to find a parking space once we arrived.

We enjoyed a couple of hours at the beach near the hotel, playing in the water, letting Will run from the waves and building a sandcastle. We spotted tons of live sand dollars in the water and even two dolphins came very close to shore. William absolutely loved the waves. He thought it was so fun to just stand there and let them almost knock him down.

After a few hours in the sun, we decided to grab some lunch, but it was so packed with cars and people on the island, we couldn't find a place to stop or park. So we just drove back across the bridge. We ended up driving around a bit and finally just went to the airport early and ate there.

It was a great little weekend trip and we made some great memories. We definitely want to go back sometime to SoCal and spend more than a few days there.

So This is Why Everyone Wants to Live Here

My little family and I were lucky enough to take a quick weekend away in Southern California thanks to a work commitment I had in San Diego for a day. I had a full day workshop to manage on a Thursday, so I flew in the day before.

I had two American Airlines tickets that had been burning a hole in my pocket ever since I won them at a company raffle. Unfortunately every time I tried to use them, the dates or location I wanted was blacked out. Note to self: don't enter raffle for tickets again!

I was finally able to use them and fly William and Alan out to San Diego to join me for a long weekend. They came in that Wednesday night. We stayed at the Westin San Diego downtown for 2 nights.
While I had my workshop all day Thursday, the boys headed off the famous San Diego Zoo for the day. Their trip was ended early afternoon when one tired toddler fell asleep on dad's lap on the bus ride around the park and proceeded to have an accident. Both dad and kiddo were soaked.
After my workshop was over, we headed out in search of dinner and ended up at the Seaport Village area where we wandered through some shops and finally found a seafood restaurant on the water to eat at. It was not all that great, but William did enjoy his fish and chips.

Friday, the plan was to possibly do a harbor cruise and the USS Midway tour. After a quick bite at McDonald's, we realized we had missed the first harbor tour and might try it later. We headed to the Midway, arriving right when they opened at 10am. We spent a few hours here doing the tour and enjoying all the history. William, however was not all that interested. Maybe someday he'll understand the history!

By the time we wrapped up, we decided it was too late for a harbor tour if we wanted to beat rush hour (Friday) traffic out of San Diego north to Anaheim. We were booked for two nights at the Disneyland Hotel using our Disney Vacation Club points. Yeah! See, I knew DVC would be a good "investment."

So we loaded in the car and started the 90 minute drive. We stopped for some lunch along the way- Del Taco. Then also stopped at the beach in San Clemente. It was so crowded, but beautiful. So this is why folks live here- awesome weather, beaches, did I mention the awesome weather? It was still triple digits back in Dallas. We let William chase the waves a bit and we all got a little wet.

Part 2- to be continued!

No Flash Pictures Please

Welcome foolish mortals to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your ghost host.

So those of you familiar with my Disney insanity might recognize that as part of the script from the ever popular Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney parks.

As we prepare for our upcoming Walt Disney World (WDW) trip (in just 21 days by the way), William is getting more and more excited. We recently did the quick one day trip to Disneyland where he rode the Haunted Mansion. It wasn't his first ride, probably more like his 4th or so, since he rode it a number of times on two prior trips to WDW.

However, I think this was the first time he really got it all and loved it. You might think a three year old would be afraid of the dark and ghosts, but not this kid. He loved the fake thunderstorm as we walked in, adored all of the ghosts and didn't blink an eye at the dark (not that I could see in the dark anyways).

So after loving his ride on the Haunted Mansion, he referred to it simply as "ghosts" and then asked to ride again. Since our day at Disneyland, he has asked to listen to the soundtrack of the ride. Yes, crazy old Disney lady here has the spiel/song of course. I think I have almost all of the ride soundtracks on my phone (thanks to the good old days of free downloading). He almost has the entire spiel memorized.

Imagine our laughter when he comes in the room and tells us, in an ever so slow and dark voice, "No flash pictures please." Just like on the ride. Too funny.

So as our countdown continues, William puts a sticker up each morning so he has a toddler's view of how much longer until our trip. He is so excited to see his ghost friends and is even going to try out another ghost venture...the Hollywood Tower of Terror. While he has been tall enough to ride this for a while, I just wasn't sure it was a good idea to put a two year old on a ride that drops you repeatedly over and over again down 13 stories. But after showing him a YouTube video, he is on board. Why? Well because there are ghosts and lightning involved. That won him over. We will see how this almost four year old does, but given he is pretty good with thrills and not easily scared, he might just love it. We'll keep you posted on how he does, until then, our little ghost host can't wait!