A Christmas Fantasy Parade | Disneyland

Yesterday was Christmas, and I hope you all had a wonderful day! 

I have been preparing the blog post of my Disneyland trip, and these pictures were originally included in that! I felt like they should be a stand-alone post because they didn't quite fit into the look and feel of my other trip photos and because I wanted to post them while still as relevant as possible :)

I hope you are still feeling somewhat festive, even though the big holiday is now behind us! There is always a reason to celebrate, every day! Enjoy a little Disneyland Christmas now, and check back soon for my full trip post (Spoiler: there are lots of fun, colorful, joy-filled Disney photos coming your way!).

These two are way too ADORABLE, it's actually ridiculous

This is Eeyore acting all bashful after our side of Main St. expressed how much we loved him!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season, and have a great rest of 2015 as we prepare to head into the new year!

x Lauren

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DIY: Disneyland Diamond Celebration Mickey Ears

Last month, I went to Disneyland for the first time since I was 9 years old! My next post will be all about that trip with pictures, stories, and such, but first, a quick tutorial if you will!

This year, Disneyland Resort turned 60, and to celebrate you can partake in Disneyland's Diamond Celebration! For the record, when I turn 60 I will be celebrating "Lauren's Diamond Celebration" all year long and it will be just as, okay maybe not as awesome as Disneyland's, but still.

I am ALL about classic black Mickey ears. I have quite a few pairs of them, and with them, you can't go wrong. A black pair would be a nice nostalgic throwback to the days of the park's opening. Now with that being said, this is the Diamond Celebration, people! I could not NOT show up to the party in style.

I decorated this pair of ears before leaving on my trip, and it really is quite simple. I'm not the first person to decorate a pair of ears like this, but I did decorate mine recently enough that I still remember tips and lessons I learned that I can share with you now!

What you will need:

•  a pair of Mickey ears (if you are ordering from home like I was, you can buy them directly from the Disney Store's website!)
• heavy duty glue (I like this clear one for its strength)
• Jewels/gems (whatever you want to call them! po-tA-to--po-tah-to)
• a paintbrush you're willing to sacrifice to this project

A few quick things! A (1 lb.) bag of the silver jewels in varying sizes was around $20 regular price. Well, that was a lot to me, so bring in the coupons! I used a 50% off coupon from the craft store, and that was much more reasonable to me :) Also, just so you know, I have plenty of jewels leftover that I could easily make another pair, so if you're planning on making more than one, or using the gems for another project, one bag may be just what you need!

Let me stress that unless you are really thorough about cleaning, you need to just consider the paintbrush disposable after this project. I did clean it the best I could afterwards, and used it on another pair, but I'm certainly never painting with it again, haha!

Now let me try and explain my method to the madness!

1. Sit down in front of the TV with a good movie or program going because you'll want something to keep you entertained while you glue gem after gem (and let me say that you can totally split the work up to be done over the course of a few days- you do you!)
2. Start by gluing one layer around the patch on the center of the hat. As you go, you'll see that you have to have a little bit of awkward spacing on the hat, and it looks much better to have that spacing issue take place around the plastic ears where it can be hidden more discretely, and not in the center of the hat where you will see it and it might haunt you, haha.
3. After that, I use the different sizes of the gems to fill from the patch down to the bottom of the hat. In order to achieve a cleaner, finished look in the end, you'll want to have a nice line along the brim. Well, as nice as you can with round pieces of plastic.
4. Keep gluing to cover the entire hat! (It's as simple as that sounds, but I did also include more tips and explanation below!)

**I found it easiest to work from the bottom of the hat up! First go around the patch, then establish the bottom line of the hat, and then fill in as you go up and out away from the patch. 

**I left the top area near the ears alone until the end since that is where you have a little grace to hide spacing issues.

**The paintbrush gluing method was to squeeze a little glue out on the hat, and brush it out to cover a little surface area at a time, and then calmly, but quickly, grab gems and start applying! Your fingers are going to get sticky from the glue, but that's just part of crafting and DIY sometimes, am I right?

I think the work is totally worth it in the end because you finish with a pair of ears that is uniquely yours created by you to wear around in the parks (or home, or workplace, or out in public.. I won't judge).

I wanted to show how I made the ears first so that when you see pics of them in action in my next blog post, you'll already be in the know!

This idea/technique isn't limited to this look by any means! You can glue whatever color jewels in whatever pattern your heart desires! Here's a look at a pair I made for a friend inspired by The Little Mermaid.

So let your imagination and creativity fly!!

If you have any questions or ideas, please do share them with me! I would love to hear anything you think of! If you need me to clarify anything I wrote, please also let me know, I would be happy to do that as well.

I look forward to posting more pictures from my trip very soon! I hope you are all doing well :)

x Lauren

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Play! The Chance for Imagination in Adulthood

Can you remember back when you were young
When all the simple things you did were so much fun

You got lost somewhere along the way

You've forgotten how to play, every single day... *

Hello there! It's me again! It's been awhile, but I'm back and I have a few post ideas in mind for the next few months! 

If you had the chance to read my Finding Neverland post then you'll know that I am absolutely in love with the show. See, I do this thing where I play a cast album over and over until I know it really well. I fall in love with shows I've never seen, and this was the latest example of that. Guilty. 

I mentioned in that post that I would write a post or two following that one, and I am finally getting around to it now. Procrastination- 1, Lauren- 0 

HOWEVER, it works out well because little did I know back then that my delay in writing would lend itself to ultimately having a good personal example and not to mention a picture to back my words up.

Me on Halloween. 2015

A quick bit of backstory for you:

For almost two years now, I have worked on an events team that puts on primarily weddings, but additionally any other event you can really think of (One day last year, a corporate group came in and made scarecrows and carved pumpkins. I remember it well because I spent a lot of time after the event picking up garbage bags and garbage bags full of said scarecrow remnants and pumpkins). The day-of craziness and behind-the-scenes work that ultimately puts on the resulting photo-worthy productions has been what I do along with the rest of my team.

As you can imagine, the job can get very repetitive, and one event can blur into the next. Imagine working three weddings in a row on any given weekend. Obviously, they are all unique and special individually to the people involved, but from my perspective they can all seem essentially the same. Set-up, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, tear-down. Not to reduce these magical and monumental moments of people's lives down to that, but hopefully you get what I'm saying.

At the beginning of October, in one of my team's meetings before an event, we were informed that the Bride of the wedding on October 31st would like us to dress up in costume. What?! Talk about a plot-twist, haha. The room full of adults all of a sudden became like a 2nd grade classroom, and we were all buzzing with the idea. It became, "Oh my gosh! You guys! What should we be?!" and "What do you want to be?" or "Who do you want to dress up as?" Seriously, you never would have thought we were all professional people you should hire to run your event! (We are, just to clarify, incredibly great and hard-working employees, especially if someone I work with reads this! You should have your next grand event at our venue! Okay, phew... crisis avoided ;D)

It's funny because when I was the age where it is socially acceptable and pretty much expected to dress up in costume, I didn't care for it. I dressed up for a few years, but my costume ideas became whatever I had around the house. Think waitress-- pants, shirt, apron-- simple! Eventually, Halloween became me staying at home and reading or watching a movie and passing-off the duty of candy distribution to my mom whenever the trick or treaters looked too scary to me. I don't like when people wear scary masks. I'd like to see your face, please and thank you!

Growing up, I always loved participating in theater productions, and for the most part always loved my costumes too. I don't know whether it was because I had a character I was really playing that made it interesting, but somehow it was different from dressing in costume as a child. [Quick side-note: speaking of "playing a character"- that didn't click as something to do on Halloween as a kid. It was very clearly Lauren in a costume. One year, I took my sister around the cul-de-sac and multiple times people asked, "And who are you?" and my response was consistently "Oh, I'm Lauren, and this is Hayley, we live over in *points finger* that house"... GAH! No, Lauren, they wanted to know that you were rocking a sweet Kim Possible costume. They didn't care about my real identity, they wanted to know who I was portraying for the night, and clearly not doing a convincing job at that! I still feel like an idiot over that one, haha.]

This wedding on Halloween that my team worked was the last one of the season at our venue. We still have some other events, but that was the final check mark made on the list of weddings I worked all year. Now I told you, when I was a kid, I just didn't care for dressing up on Halloween, but all of a sudden when I'm a working adult, I care!! Leading up to the day, I was so genuinely excited and loved thinking through costume ideas. Once I settled on one idea, I was very content and looking forward to it, but I kept coming up with additional ideas that I liked. Who am I? This is so different from little me. 

Really though, I now have a bunch of costume ideas ready to go, so if anyone is having a party, small get-together, anything where a costume would be appropriate, let me know!

It didn't take me long to decide that I would be a pirate for the Halloween wedding. I love pirates, and I will break that down in a second, but also it allowed me the functionality I needed to work for 10 hours. 

The reason behind my choice was simply my love for Jake (as in, Jake and the Neverland Pirates), Zarina (aka The Pirate Fairy from Pixie Hollow) and the Neverland pirates in general! Yes, I'm an adult. We all know I love Peter Pan, and this was a cool way to partake in what Peter would call "an adventure that begins with PIRATES." 

In Finding Neverland (the musical) it is sung, "It would seem you've had an imagination all this time!" I love this line in the song "Play" because I feel like it is a reminder for myself, and anyone else who needs to hear that reminder. Obviously imagination spans far wider than just a Halloween costume. 

The Bride's request was simple, and open for interpretation. Some of us really dressed up and loved it, but not everyone dressed up. I'm happy to say that for the first time in something like 10 years and not just for a theater role, I was in the first camp.

"With just imagination and creative speculation, our life's calling was never meant to be boring!" 

^ Another good line from the show, but from the song, "Believe."

We should be taking every advantage to play, even when we are adults. I didn't take enough advantage of that as a kid, and am now working to soak up as much of it as I can. I mean, I choose to return to Disney, even after working there, every chance I get, because there is no judgement for an adult walking around, essentially playing! I love it.

Behind my serious exterior, I really am just a big kid. I'm learning to embrace the freedom to play, and maybe look a little silly sometimes, and I hope you will too.

Play, play, remember like it was yesterday

We were young and having fun, playing all our cares away

Play, play, remember and you will see

The world is so mysterious and wild

when you start to see it through the eyes of a child *

Did you dress up for Halloween? If so, comment below what you went as, I'd love to hear how you took advantage of this chance to play!

x Lauren

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* Additional lyrics from Finding Neverland's "Play"

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Embracing the Power of Positivity

This may seem ironic coming from me after my Inside Out post, but I really am at a good place in life right now.

I have parted with many material items from my life that I've been holding onto, and along with that, I've emotionally shed a lot of baggage and drama from my past. It is safe to say that I am feeling really good. 

I'm obviously learning every day, and growing as I learn, but I'm happy with where I am. I am embracing the power of positivity. This may sound corny, but when is there a blog post that I don't say something cliché or cheesy, or something that would be pinned on a quote Pinterest board? But... they are TRUE!

Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending, or happiness in general--hope, is a powerful thing. 

Lately, I've been surrounded by negativity, and I am looking at it from a different perspective now. I have spent years of my life, being in the center of the negativity, and feeling miserable. Now, in this instance, I'm on the outside looking in, and it is so frustrating to see!

I am watching people harbor anger, and bitterness, and holding onto it, carrying it with them in everything they do. It isn't even my life, but it makes me miserable looking at it. Let it go! I know, that's easier said than done, but it's not just the anthem we've all heard a million times a la Frozen. It is a necessary step to move on in our lives.

Forgive yourself, forgive others, and move on! Life is incredibly short, and you are just hurting yourself and your best chance at life when you live in the past.

I have been there, like I've said. I've let anger consume me. I needed to clear some head space for positivity to dwell. I'm no poster child for this concept, but I'm getting there like all flawed humans are capable of (woah, just got deep haha).

I'm a student on this subject still, I always will be, but let's share our thoughts and wisdom with each other as we learn them, yeah?

There is a lot of light in the world--let it into your life. 

Believing is just the beginning!

Embrace the power of positivity in the world, and around you, but please embrace it in your own life as well.

x Lauren

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Finding Neverland

It is no secret that I love Peter Pan. 

If you have not seen this post, check it out to get a glimpse of my love in picture form. What I didn't show in that post was a Neverland-themed flannel, necklace, other beanie, and ring I also own. I don't have a problem, I swear, haha, it's a passion.

I've also mentioned my love for musical theater on this blog before, and Finding Neverland has been my obsession lately. The original Broadway cast album was released about two weeks ago, and it has seriously been the soundtrack to my life!

In the car? Let's play Finding Neverland! Sitting at home and it's a bit quiet? Let's play Finding Neverland! It's been a few minutes since I last listened to the cast album? Hm... well, let's play Finding Neverland! You get the idea!

Broadway albums may not be for everyone, but I have seriously always been a sucker for plot-driven songs! (If you are in the crowd that enjoys Broadway cast albums... GET THIS ONE!)

Now, I have not (yet) seen the musical on Broadway (fingers crossed that happens soon!), but I have listened to the entire album enough to be affected by the message. Although, in all honesty, I cried the first time through so it didn't take long for me to feel the impact of the story.

I have felt the struggle, and the idea of one day finding your wings is a good one, and I believe the show displays this in a non-corny, but rather inspirational way.

Neverland is closer than it seems. 

I plan on making another post or two based on specific songs from the show because I truly believe they are that good!

The album has such a variety of sounds and moods. (Clearly I'm no music critic, haha, but I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite cast albums as a whole, and I have listened to quite a few :D) There is something for everyone, whether that be a song that is pleasing to the ear, or a message that you have been needing to hear.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think! I will gladly point you in the direction of a few songs that are my favorites, and I will also talk about them more here soon!

x Lauren

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Getting to Know Me From the Inside Out

**Disclaimer: I am going to discuss specific parts of Inside Out, so if you have not seen it and want to see it first without knowing things ahead of time you may not want to read this just in case!**

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First off, I'd like to say that I am not going to review this movie pretending I'm some critic with an expert opinion! I am merely going to share my personal response to the film.

Disney•Pixar's Inside Out has been advertised for a long time now so I'm going to assume you've seen some sort of promotion leading up to the film's June 19th release here in the States. Click here to watch the film's trailer if you are unfamiliar with what I'm talking about!

Before seeing the movie, I had this plan in my head of the blog post I would write to follow. I would write about what visually cool "islands" make up my personality, and it would be an exciting colorful look at my emotions and whatnot.

The problem with that plan was that without seeing the film, I didn't know what sort of reaction I would have to it. I had heard from some people that they cried, but many of the people I talked to responded with the standard, "it was a cute movie." Everybody goes into the theater with their own circumstances leading up to that point and that definitely affects what sort of takeaways they have.

I waited to read what people had to say about it online until I had seen it, and like I expected the responses were pretty polarizing. Some were honest about being emotional messes, and others said things along the lines of "I don't get why people cried! It was fine, but that's it!" One comment actually said, "I think people need to get to a therapist if they're crying THAT much over this movie," well... OUCH!

I wasn't a mess, but I was definitely emotional! See, I walked into the theater having gone through the last six years with the worst depressive spells and moments filled with anxiety that I've had in my 21 years of life. Other people don't understand what I feel or why I am the way that I am, but that's because I haven't been able to explain it in words. An animated movie accomplished what I have been incapable of expressing.

There is a cycle that I go through where I am depressed and feel nothing, then I feel anxiety and fear, sadness and hysteria, and then I'm void of emotion again. This cycle makes me feel guilty when it affects other people, and ultimately leads me to feeling alone. 

This is sort of an open letter to all who are in my life. People who I cancelled plans with, or at times shut out of my life, or who felt suffocated or overwhelmed by my repetitive venting about the same topics.

As we saw in the movie, personality islands stemmed from core memories. When Riley's islands began to shut down, I was like, aha! That's it! I thought specifically about my "friendship island." Truthfully, and I don't say this to complain, but I don't have many friends and often times, they don't always stay in my life for long (Obviously, and thankfully, there are some good friendships that have lasted too). While this is frustrating, at the same time, I get it. It's not easy to be my friend, and it's because as I struggle with mental illness, I'm not the most stable person, and it's probably rather difficult to navigate. 

When I am experiencing depression, my personality islands shut down. At one point in the movie, the control console in headquarters stops working, leaving Disgust, Anger, and Fear frantically pressing buttons that are no longer lit up and functioning, and they do it all because they just want to make Riley happy. Fear announces something that to other people might have been a quick line in passing, but to someone like me that experiences it regularly, stuck out as quite profound. He says something along the lines of, "we can't get Riley to feel anything." THAT'S IT, PEOPLE! Depression isn't sadness, although I feel a great deal of that at times too, it is the absence of feeling. Everything is gray, and you're unable to feel, and you can't do anything about it. 

Another moment that made me stop and think was at the very end of the film. Riley, who has been overwhelmed with sadness, and then arguably a depressive spell, is finally able to crack a smile while her parents are embracing her. This makes me tear up even writing about it! I cannot explain how hopeless and dark I've felt for years and years, and often times there isn't even a light at the end of the tunnel to look at. To see Riley have a breakthrough and experience joy once again, is so incredibly hopeful and truly heartwarming. 

During the actual film-watching, I only teared up once to the point that I needed to wipe my eyes, and it was during Bing Bong's farewell scene, which is another whole discussion. A few hours after watching the film though, I was sitting on my couch, and processing everything again, and that's when I cried. It just feels so incredible to witness a piece of art that gets it. It doesn't shy away from the topic, but it actually fully embraces it and decides to share it in a way that will educate and make others aware. Once again, I am grateful to Disney and Pixar for what they do.

Does the movie depict everything in a scientifically accurate manner? Obviously not, although I wish I did have little emotional characters working for me, in a colorful brain space! The way it does visually simplify the complexity that is life so that we can better get a grasp and understanding of the subject is important though. 

Since watching the film, I have found myself thinking about my emotions and the way they are working together in situations, and I think that is the whole point, so.. SUCCESS!

How are you feeling? Have you been doing well lately? Even if you haven't been doing amazingly, don't worry! It's okay not to be okay. Let yourself feel whatever emotion you are dealing with (like sadness for example) because we can't just put Sadness in a circle and tell it to stay there. We need to feel those things in order to get back to a sense of normalcy, balance, and much needed happiness! 

I hope you all have a fabulous week! If you read this entire blog post, and read my blog in general, let me know... I want to send you a personal thank you!

x Lauren

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Find a Happy Place!

Disclaimer: This post makes references to The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo. If you are not familiar with those films, you should go watch them immediately and then return!

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Let's be honest here, life isn't always the bubbles. The human world-- it's a mess. Sebastian sure got that one right! 

Now, not to get all deep and turn an animated movie into a metaphorical lesson for our lives, or at least my life, but this is what I thought about last night...

If you are reading this post in your Email, the video doesn't appear, 

but click on the link here to watch!

At times, I feel like somebody is madly tapping away at my life trying to knock me off, like Darla does to the glass on the fish tank--pushing me past my limits, and seeing how long before I crack and break. I know what you're thinking... "woah Lauren, this is a 10 second clip that you MIGHT be, completely reading too much into!" 

Well, I can appreciate your sense of logic and direct approach to life, but I am a Disney fan that likes to find comfort in animated characters and relate their fictional stories to my nonfictional situations.

As I have mentioned in practically every post on this blog (redundant much?), anything related to Disney, specifically Disney parks, is my happy place. Sometimes you have to seek out a happy place for the time-being to get through hard times. As somebody who suffers from depressive episodes, I don't feel this is childish, but I'd argue that this is actually a very realistic coping method for the everyday struggle.

Since I can't always drop what I'm doing and go to a Disney park, I have to find other happy places, if you will, to get by! Last night, that happy place, was hanging out by myself with my Seven Dwarfs blanket, Dumbo pillow, and Mickey Mouse plush, watching Gilmore Girls on my laptop via Netflix. If it wasn't so dang hot out, I might have even made some hot chocolate. Call me crazy!

So my question for you is, what is your happy place? What/where/who makes you smile when times aren't so bubbly?

I am sending you all positive vibes and happy thoughts this week!

x Lauren

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My Disney Instagram: @thefantasticaldream

I haven't posted on the blog in awhile, but it's for a good reason! (or at least that is what I am telling myself to feel better about that fact).

I've been quite busy working on a project that I can't wait to show you when it is finished!

Seeing as May is almost over, I wanted to get one more quick post out there in the world. Eight weeks ago, I started an Instagram account for my Disney photography! I take a lot of pictures when I visit the parks, you would think it was my first time there, and not like I've been going all my life AND ahem.. worked there... haha.

If you've been a follower of my blog for a bit, you'll know that I share photos here from my trips upon returning home, but those are just a fraction of the pictures I've taken!

I follow accounts on Instagram that post Disney pictures because it makes me very happy! I wanted another way to share my photos that would hopefully bring a little bit of Disney magic to people's feeds. 

Why not, right? A little dose of Disney on a regular basis? Sign me up!

The account is @thefantasticaldream. The name is taken from Dream Along with Mickey! I would LOVE it if you went and followed that account, and if you do, I hope it adds a little positivity to your life (because pictures of Disney characters can do that, for the record :D)

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I hope you've had a great month! I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by! Make the most of every moment you can :)

x Lauren

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Big Hero 6, WDW, Nemo, & Cinderella | Disney Happiness Project

Welcome back to another post of weeks from my Disney Happiness Project! I had some catching up to do on this blog, but look, guys! We are almost halfway through the year-long project! That. Is. Exciting! If you have any suggestions of Disney "artifacts" I can focus on in this second half, please send them my way! But for now...


Week 20:

Another thing that took me way too long to do was see Big Hero 6. I actually watched it on an airplane, which made the flight much more enjoyable! I felt out of the loop for a long time with all the references people made, so I'm glad to be in on the jokes and special fist-bumps now :) 

I knew Baymax would be awesome, and it's true... now that I've seen the film, I want a Baymax of my own! If for nothing else, just to give me a daily hug! I do appreciate his comforting words of wisdom as well. Too lovable!

I found the story really interesting and entertaining! I managed to avoid spoilers before seeing it, which is always a score, especially when you're later to the game like I was. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor, and go watch it- and then, let me know that you've seen it! Baymax brings happiness into life, and the film in general, but especially Tadashi's storyline, teaches us that no matter how many tries it may take, our dreams can be achieved. That, my friends is motivating. 

Week 21:

My days are always happy when I can spend them in the place where dreams come true! Walt Disney World is like home to me, I explained that more in this post recapping my recent trip to the resort! I won't reexplain it all for the sake of not being super redundant, but look at that post if you haven't seen it, because I loved writing about my Disney side, and why Disney visits never get old. Trips to Disney property make me happy for the time I'm there, but it lasts far beyond that week or so!

To see more pictures from my trip, click here for:

The Boardwalk

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom & Epcot 

Week 22: 

I've considered making this post for a long time because Finding Nemo: The Musical really is something that makes me happy every time I see it. It is one of my absolute favorite shows on Disney property, and I cannot say enough good things about it. I can't even estimate how many times I've seen it, from years before my program, to the months I lived down in FL on my program, to now my visits since then! 

It is a production that I could easily and proudly recreate for you in its entirety! I listen to the soundtrack all the time in my car, and it makes every drive fun!

"Just Keep Swimming" is a message that is good for everybody to hear, and one of my favorite themes from the show, that I now wear as a reminder in necklace-form. My phone case for those you haven't seen is green with "P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney, NSW" printed the same way it is written in both the film and the musical (pictured below). I am a proud fan of Nemo. There are so many good takeaways from the story, that I could talk about it for awhile!

On my recent trip to WDW, I finally met the cast of the show following the best performance of the musical I have seen, and I've seen it a lot so that means something, haha! I used to work at Animal Kingdom, the Disney park that hosts this musical, and over a year ago, I met Tom, a performer in the show! I had been invited to come meet the cast after a show anytime during my program! Unfortunately, I never made it happen because Tom's and my days off overlapped! I've stayed in contact with him though, and on my trip, a dream of mine finally came true!

The show means so much to me, and this moment with the cast was incredible! I loved getting to chat with a few of the cast members before leaving them to do another phenomenal performance! The mom and son pictured with us were sitting in front of us in the theater, and it was their very first visit to Disney, and first time seeing the show! When they accepted my invitation to come meet some cast members after, I was excited to share the magical moment with them!

The show makes me smile. The cast members create such a positive environment, and I couldn't be more thrilled to support them all! "Sometimes things look bad, then poof! The moment is gone! And what do we do? We just keep swimming on!" It has taken awhile for the "poof" moment to happen for me, but any chance I get a glimpse of that is encouraging, and makes me grateful for the story.

This picture shows more of the shimmer on the paper!

To see the pictures with the cast on their own, look at the bottom of this post here (You may have already seen it, and if that is the case, kudos to you!) 

AND if you want to see pictures of the musical itself, I posted a few from my trip in December, which you can see here :)

Week 23:

I'm just going to start off by saying that I have never been a huge fan of the animated film, Cinderella. I know, GASP! I call myself a Disney fan?? (well yes, haha, I do!) I appreciate the film, and the context within which it was made. I have always found the story inspiring and the poster-child for "Dreams Come True." I love the lyric, "Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through!" because it doesn't hide the fact that some lives have dark moments where light seems out of reach and impossible, but it isn't. I remember and mentioned in a blog post from 2013 that I cried during that line in Dream Along with Mickey. 

I loved watching Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella growing up, and now love the musical that was on Broadway (albeit not Disney). I've always loved the idea of a live-action Cinderella, so when Disney announced, and then released Cinderella this March, I was so excited. Leading up to it, I was so looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed when I saw it in theaters. I will be buying it the day it comes out in stores! It is a magical, inspirational, spectacle of joy. PLEASE see it if you haven't already, and are able! Even just the trailer makes me happy! The music is gorgeous! 

It is one of my favorite films now- so beautiful!

This page has sparkle all over it, and I love it!

I hope you are having a week filled with happy moments!
x Lauren

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