It has been three years since we moved from North Carolina to be neighbors with Mickey Mouse. I thought I would give you all a little Living in Disney update on how things are going and how life has changed. There have definitely been highs and lows. Some things that have turned out how we planned and others that have not. If you are thinking of moving to Florida, I have to say I highly recommend it! Let’s jump in!
Living In Disney With Kids
I mentioned in my last years update that the kids were doing much better with adjusting to the move. That is definitely true now. They both have great friends here and have so much to do and experience. Thatcher is on a great football team that is absolutely his tribe of boys. And the parents are great too so that makes me happy! Sawyer has crossed over to the dark side and decided he like Universal better than Disney. Hahaha, I might have to disown him! Just kidding, I think it’s great that he and his friends have Universal too and go hang out there. Sawyer also got to go on a great trip to DC with his Aerospace club from school this year. I am so thankful for the programs we have in the schools here. Both boys are still at great schools and I can’t say enough good things about the schools in our area. I know Florida schools sometimes get a bad wrap but we have had great experiences so far.
Living In Disney With Friends
We all know how hard it is to make friends as an adult. We have been so blessed here to find some really great friends from all different areas of our lives. Like I said, the football parents are all awesome and it’s so nice to have a great group of people we end up spending so much time with. I used to always feel very awkward and out of place with other parents but these are my people! Plus, because we live in such a high vacation spot, there is always someone coming to visit. I have seen friends that live far away more since we moved than I ever did before. It can still be hard at times to be so far from all our family but I do feel like my conversations with them are more intentional and when we are together we are more present in those moments.
Living In Disney Jobs Update
If you have been here for a little while you probably know that I had a job I loved with Corkcicle. Well the world being what it is right now, I was downsized. I was so sad to leave that job because I loved the people I worked with and adore the product. I still love them and Corkcicle’s are still my favorite cups so definitely go look at all the pretty things and support them. They are the best cups you will ever use.
I have a new job now that’s not as fun but it is fully remote, which is so nice. I don’t get the sneak peeks of pretty Disney cups but I am thankful for the flexibility. Now we are entering a new world. Sawyer is applying for jobs! We are hoping that he finds something soon and has a great experience at his first job. There is no shortage of jobs here for sure.
Extra Jobs
Of course I still have my dance job too. I love traveling with the company I work for. I am actually sitting right in from top the stage at nationals writing this today! The people there have been in my life for so long and are always some of my biggest cheerleaders. Having a side gig and extra money is a must for us. One thing about living in Disney, it’s not cheap! I am also still planning Disney vacations, specifically for dance studios and helping studios with their social media. We like to do all the things so I do the extra stuff so we can do the extra stuff! Haha!
Living In Disney Adventures
This is the living in Disney update section I was most excited to share! There are so many things we have done since living here that we would not have been able to experience living in NC. I have been invited to a couple of things for social media posting and that has been exciting (hey Disney, holler at your girl). We are going to the Passholder preview for the new Test Track on Sunday and next Sunday we will be in Magic Kingdom for the new nighttime parade. Things like that make my heart so happy and I hope they are core memories for my kids later in life. But we couldn’t just go and do that when we lived in NC. As most of you know your trips are planned far in advance and don’t always correspond with things like that happening. We have also started exploring Florida outside Disney more and spent the 4th at Casperson Beach hunting shark teeth!
We have done so many events with D23 the past three years and I think that has been one my most favorite perks of living here! Our big vacation since moving here was our California trip to Disneyland last summer for D23 and it was amazing. I don’t think we would have given up our Disney World trip to do that if we still lived in NC. It is just really magical to simply make a park reservation for new and fun things or starts of festivals and not have to plan a whole vacation.
runDisney Events
Another really fun thing we have done every year since moving that we would probably never have experienced otherwise are the runDisney events! They have become something I look so forward to. I did my first half marathon during Princess weekend last February with my best friend and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. But I don’t know if I would have come down here just to do the race if I had to plan a whole vacation for it. So much easier when you live here!
Living In Disney Blog Update
Writing this blog every week is kind of like therapy to me. I love sharing with you all each week and I try to write in a way that I would have wanted to read when I didn’t live here. I scoured the internet for Disney blogs that made me feel like I was there or shared their experience of moving and living here. So I hope I am giving you that! The blog is still just for fun for me, I don’t make any money from it but maybe someday. There are almost 5,000 of you subscribed here now and even more following along on social media. It blows my mind that that many people look at or read my stuff!
I love experiencing things with the thought of writing about it and sharing with you. I have been thinking about starting a podcast. Lord knows I love to talk and could talk about Disney all day everyday so it seems like the natural next step. Life has just been really busy so I need to really sit down and see what that would look like for me. If that’s something you would listen to let me know!
Conclusion
A Living in Disney update wouldn’t be complete without addressing the elephant in the room. People always ask if it is still magical after you live here and can go all the time. It really is for me. The magic is a little different, I feel like I slow down instead of experiencing with a little desperation. I always knew it would end before, now I hear the Magic Kingdom fireworks from my couch every night. I feel like I get the magic of really mourning the loss of things when they close instead of them just fading into my memories.
This summer we had the Muppets Courtyard closure, Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat. Those are all huge ones for me so I was very thankful I was able to enjoy them a bunch before the left forever. I hope my kids remember them as fondly as I do from my childhood. We have had a great three years even with things like jobs not always going the way we planned. Core memories have been made. We renewed our wedding vows, celebrated birthdays and championships, it’s been a wild ride and I can’t wait to see what’s to come. Thank you for letting me share this life with you, it makes it all the more magical! Have a magical day!
