For The Love of Disney: One Man's Dream

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World (Florida), don't overlook the attraction known as One Man's Dream.  While running to your Toy Story Mania destination to grab your Fastpass, take note of OMD's location, grab your golden ticket, and then turn around to experience one of the best attractions in Hollywood Studios.

One Man's Dream has more to offer than you might think at first glance.  Entering through the doors, you begin wandering through a selection of Walt Disney's historic pieces.  Among the Disney paraphernalia, you will find the desk Walt used in 2nd grade.  My sons loved seeing that the man who created "the mouse," had to sit in school at one time as well.  An antique Tinkerbell, a diorama built by Disney, Walt's office, costumes from Zorro, the Rocketeer's jet pack, and Big Bunny from Honey I Blew Up The Kid are just a few of the unique items found in this treasure trove.

When you complete your tour of the display, a video awaits.  Here is where you will learn more details in the story of our beloved Walt Disney as narrated by Julie Andrews.  As it states within the film, "Walt always said, 'it all started with a mouse,' however it really began with a man."  What an inspiration that man really is.  I was grateful to have shared Walt's story with my children.

Much can be said about the man who created one of our favorite characters of all time.  Discovering that he held a close relationship with his brother, a true love found with his wife, and proof that he was truly a devoted father was icing on the cake.  Walt began his life as part of a family who struggled financially. He never let that stop him.  Walt pursued dreams and never gave up, even when he had an almost crushing professional blow.  He regrouped and before long created a character that danced into our hearts... Mickey Mouse.  This is the point where Walt claims it all began, but I (along with others) believe differently.  The man that created the mouse, truly started it all.

Endless family friendly movies and characters followed Mickey.  Disneyland and Walt Disney World were created due to the love of a devoted father who wanted to share experiences with his children.  Would we enjoy these animated pleasures in life if it hadn't been for the man who drew up a squeaky mouse with a positive attitude?  Where did that mouse get his spunk?  I believe it came from Walt himself.

One of my favorite quotes by Mr. Disney says a lot about him.  "Get a good idea, and stay with it.  Dog it, and work at it until it's done, and done right."  Walt Disney is a positive inspiration to many.  My own two children came away from this theme park attraction with an understanding that it doesn't matter where you come from, how much money you have, or if you fail along the way.  If you truly believe in something, have a dream, work hard, and never give up... anything is possible!

Thank you Mr. Disney for dreaming, following all of those dreams, and encouraging others to dream!  Another big thank you for creating a place where I found my own true love and can now share with our children.

Cupid Shot Me: Romantic Notions

Today I am participating in Diane Estrella's "Cupid Shot Me" stories.  Hop on over to Diane's blog to view the stories of many other bloggers.  Previously posted on July 20, 2009, this is my "Cupid Shot Me" story.  If you know the story, I hope you enjoy reflecting on it again again with me.  If you don't know the story already, enjoy reading it for the first time.

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Meet Me On Monday

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me. All Meet Me on Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning:

Overactive reader and writer with romantic notions...

proceed with caution at your own risk!

I sit here ready to take on a topic that almost everyone can identify with in some form or another. Love! We all love, okay so there may be a few exceptions to the rule but love is a part of life. In most cases, we are loved from the very moment we are born. Some, including myself, fall in love with their children before they are even born. Children themselves, love unconditionally. We love pets, nature, cars, careers, books (yes of course books!), & hobbies. As a Christian, I personally believe in a loving God! Love is all around us in many different forms.

I find that one of the biggest, scariest, and most important kinds of love is one that we all strive to find in our lives! Sometimes we look in the worst places, like reality tv because really how often do those things pan out? Sometimes we look in the best places, which is different for everyone because no two people are alike. Often times, we take a chance on love and walk away with a heartbreak the size of Texas and enough teardrops to fill Lake Michigan. Then there are the moments when the Heavens open up just to pour a radiant beam of sunlight down upon you and the true love of your dreams as birds sing a beautiful melodic love song. My mistake, you were the one who had fireworks shooting off in every direction as fireflies danced nearby you and your sweet beloved. Oh, well, it doesn't happen that way for everyone I guess. In my case, I heard the now ancient sounds of dial up Internet (okay so some people still use it) before logging in to a now extinct chat room through the blessed chat website, wbs.net. It was love at first click click click type type type. Yes, I met my one and only prince charming on the Internet, before it was normal, accepted, or cool!

Our love story involves an abundance of Internet chats, many many miles & states of distance, expensive phone cards that were used far too quickly, letters sent via snail mail, and a first meeting (in person) that can rarely be topped. Our first date was 5 months after we met online, in Walt Disney World, Florida. Don't worry, I'll skip right to the good part. Once inside the park, I paced at the entry to Main Street USA while waiting for my TransAmGuy, his Internet chat room name, to arrive and sweep me off of my feet. He approached his SingingSensation (yes my chat handle), with obvious butterflies, before catching my attention with the words, "nice shirt." Yes, we had planned to wear a certain shirt so there would be no mistaken identities. I turned around and stepped off the curb to hug him, which he always insists was me jumping on him. Really, I'm just incredibly short and I had to put some spring in my step to get my arms around his neck. The rest of our 4 days of Disney were spent getting to know each other better and spending half of our time with his parents (he also met my grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle). We discovered a lot of firsts in our relationship on Disney property. Beyond the first look into each other's eyes as we met face to face for the first time, we also held hands for the first time, shared our first kiss, said our first real goodbyes, and after we were married, we even came back to spend our honeymoon in Disney World (as there was no better place to be). We even have our own brick on the ticket and transportation center walkway. Yeah, I prefer to think of myself as a Disney princess or maybe a pixie.

Since the day I met my husband online, I somehow knew he was the one for me. I can't explain it, but it's true. This isn't how it happens for everyone, but it is how it happened for me. I had already fallen before our meeting in Disney world. The face to face in front of Cinderella's castle, well that was just the moment my fairytale dreams became reality. That's not to say that our relationship didn't have it's challenges, and it still does of course, but we love each other enough to work through life's speed bumps. Being married to my one and only true love and prince charming is worth it!

Met... March 23, 1997
Married... March 23, 1999
10 years... March 23, 2009

I love you C.

My soundtrack for today's blog:

Michael Buble, because to me romance & Buble go hand in hand

Meet Me On Monday: Mini Mindy Monday Madness Round 2

Meet Me On Monday:

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me.

All Meet Me On Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning: Mini Mindy Monday Madness will ensue further into this posting! Please proceed with caution and be careful not to step on the pixies!

 

Welcome to Mini Mindy Monday Madness, Round 2.  I previously took my typical "Meet Me On Monday" topic to a new level in round 1 of Mini Mindy Monday Madness (aka M4). On M4 days, I give 5 random facts and/or photos that showcase a little bit of who I am. I will pick up where I left off with #6 on the list.  Enjoy!

 

6.  My favorite color is green, emerald green to be exact.  Now, because of this fact, you would think that I would be a big fan of The Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.  As beautiful as the place sounds, I'm really not into the witches and flying monkeys that go along with the Oz adventure.  I do however, love the gemstone.  Unfortunately, as much as I love it, I do not own an authentic sparkling green beauty.  What's another reason to love green?  Well, Tinker fairies wear the color...  including Tinkerbell!

 

7.  I know it's hard to tell, but I love Disney!  I can see the shock written across your face.  I swear it's true!  I'm a huge hard core 24/7/365 Disney fan.  What do I love best about it?  Well, from Disney movies, to characters, to Disney World, to games, etc (as the list goes on & on), the biggest thing I love about Disney is how excited I feel about it.  Aside from the obvious fact that I met my husband face to face in Disney World, it's always been a special place to me.  I have been a Disney fan since I was a kid, a baby actually.  My Mom made me a baby blanket and Tigger bounces all over the bottom piece of fabric.  While expressing my love for all things Disney, I might as well tell you my secret wish has always been to be the singing voice of a character with as much spirit as Ariel!  If Tinkerbell ever sings in an upcoming movie, someone please give the casting director my phone number!

 

8.  I am the paparazzi... to my boys that is.  As a scrapbooker, I'm constantly snapping photographs.  I have this desire to capture all of the special moments and memories that I can.  Sometimes my kids love it, sometimes they hate it.  Either way, they usually know it's coming...  and when they don't, it's even better!

 

9.  My type A personality, leaves me constantly going.  It's a very rare thing to see me sitting idle on the couch.  Relaxing is not something I do well.  Actually, it usually leaves me feeling a bit tense when I have nothing to do or am bored.

 

10.  On Halloween, you will find me dressed up along with my kids.  This tradition started when my oldest son was an infant and hasn't stopped yet.  When I was a child, my father referred to Halloween as "the devil's holiday," so aside from the school's costume parade, I wasn't allowed to dress up or go trick-or-treating.  Maybe that's why I enjoy it so much as an adult.  When Halloween 2009 rolls around, I shall post an ode to costumes past for everyone to enjoy. 

 

Are there any special topics you'd like me to post about for the round 3 of Mini Mindy Monday Madness?  Is there anything new you would like to know about me?

Meet Me On Monday: Romantic Notions

Meet Me On Monday

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me. All Meet Me on Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

Warning:

Overactive reader and writer with romantic notions...

proceed with caution at your own risk!

I sit here ready to take on a topic that almost everyone can identify with in some form or another. Love! We all love, okay so there may be a few exceptions to the rule but love is a part of life. In most cases, we are loved from the very moment we are born. Some, including myself, fall in love with their children before they are even born. Children themselves, love unconditionally. We love pets, nature, cars, careers, books (yes of course books!), & hobbies. As a Christian, I personally believe in a loving God! Love is all around us in many different forms.

I find that one of the biggest, scariest, and most important kinds of love is one that we all strive to find in our lives! Sometimes we look in the worst places, like reality tv because really how often do those things pan out? Sometimes we look in the best places, which is different for everyone because no two people are alike. Often times, we take a chance on love and walk away with a heartbreak the size of Texas and enough teardrops to fill Lake Michigan. Then there are the moments when the Heavens open up just to pour a radiant beam of sunlight down upon you and the true love of your dreams as birds sing a beautiful melodic love song. My mistake, you were the one who had fireworks shooting off in every direction as fireflies danced nearby you and your sweet beloved. Oh, well, it doesn't happen that way for everyone I guess. In my case, I heard the now ancient sounds of dial up Internet (okay so some people still use it) before logging in to a now extinct chat room through the blessed chat website, wbs.net. It was love at first click click click type type type. Yes, I met my one and only prince charming on the Internet, before it was normal, accepted, or cool!

Our love story involves an abundance of Internet chats, many many miles & states of distance, expensive phone cards that were used far too quickly, letters sent via snail mail, and a first meeting (in person) that can rarely be topped. Our first date was 5 months after we met online, in Walt Disney World, Florida. Don't worry, I'll skip right to the good part. Once inside the park, I paced at the entry to Main Street USA while waiting for my TransAmGuy, his Internet chat room name, to arrive and sweep me off of my feet. He approached his SingingSensation (yes my chat handle), with obvious butterflies, before catching my attention with the words, "nice shirt." Yes, we had planned to wear a certain shirt so there would be no mistaken identities. I turned around and stepped off the curb to hug him, which he always insists was me jumping on him. Really, I'm just incredibly short and I had to put some spring in my step to get my arms around his neck. The rest of our 4 days of Disney were spent getting to know each other better and spending half of our time with his parents (he also met my grandmother, an aunt, and an uncle). We discovered a lot of firsts in our relationship on Disney property. Beyond the first look into each other's eyes as we met face to face for the first time, we also held hands for the first time, shared our first kiss, said our first real goodbyes, and after we were married, we even came back to spend our honeymoon in Disney World (as there was no better place to be). We even have our own brick on the ticket and transportation center walkway. Yeah, I prefer to think of myself as a Disney princess or maybe a pixie.


Since the day I met my husband online, I somehow knew he was the one for me. I can't explain it, but it's true. This isn't how it happens for everyone, but it is how it happened for me. I had already fallen before our meeting in Disney world. The face to face in front of Cinderella's castle, well that was just the moment my fairytale dreams became reality. That's not to say that our relationship didn't have it's challenges, and it still does of course, but we love each other enough to work through life's speed bumps. Being married to my one and only true love and prince charming is worth it!

Met... March 23, 1997
Married... March 23, 1999
10 years... March 23, 2009

I love you C.

My soundtrack for today's blog:

Michael Buble, because to me romance & Buble go hand in hand