I figured since today is Thanksgiving, I would do a short post about all the Disney things I am thankful for from this year! There have been so many fun things to happen over this last year, including starting this blog and finding a great community of Disney people. This will just be a short post since we are in Pennsylvania visiting family and I hope you are all doing the same!!
Disney Events
We have had so much fun living so close to Disney that we can pop in for special events all the time. We have been lucky enough to go to Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine Festival and Festival of the Holidays in Epcot. We saw all the Christmas trees in the parks and resorts last Christmas and all the gingerbread houses!
We got to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year as a family and I got to go once with friends as well. We had not been to that party in 15 years so that was exciting! We are still hoping we get to do Jollywood Nights and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party but we’ll see. Jay and the boys went to Magic Kingdom on Veterans Day and Jay had a really great moment with a group of veterans at the flag retreat.
Jay and I even got to ring in 2023 in Epcot with some surprise last minute tickets from friends! That was definitely a night I will not forget! Jay and I got to go to our first ever Destination D23 event at the Contemporary and it was AMAZING! We have celebrated all of our birthdays in Disney this year in the best ways. We went to the theater at Disney Springs to see the premier of Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. We got to go to the Indiana pop up bar in Hollywood Studios, I ran my first runDisney race and so many more things I am sure I am missing!
So Many Pictures
I am thankful that I tortured my family with SOOOO many photo pass pictures this year! I love photo’s and the photographers at Disney are the absolute best! We have so many pictures from rides to in the parks, with characters and just goofing off. The hubs and the kids might not love doing these but I think it’s so much fun!
Disney Food
We love going out to eat and trying new things as well as old favorites and this year has been full of that! We tried new restaurants like Le Cellier and Tutto Italia and went to our old favorite The Boathouse a lot! We got to try new treats in the parks as they arrived, some better than others but all adorable!
Brand Rep
I have been so thankful to the small Disney shops that have allowed me to rep their brands on Instagram this year. It has been a new experience for me and I have had the best time. All three of these companies are amazing, women owned businesses that make the cutest Disney stuff! Dreaming of Magic Designs make the prettiest ears that are so comfortable, Yoho Bead Co. makes the cutest Disney beaded bracelets that can express anything you want while in the parks or at home and Tomorrowland Threads has the best tees and crew necks of everything Disney!! Make sure you check them out this holiday season for some unique gifts.
Disney Work
Although I do not work directly for Disney I did get the chance this year to work for a partner of Disney, Corkcicle. I am so thankful I am part of this company and get to still be connected to Disney through them. Working at the kiosk, their first retail location was so much fun! I loved interacting with the guests and hearing where they were visiting from and what their plans were. I am not at the kiosk anymore but glad I still get to be a part of the Corkcicle team! It has also been really fun planning Disney vacations for friends and dance studios!
Disney Chicks
This year I got to meet up with an incredible group of women at the Disney Chicks meet up. We organized and met initially through social media and then had an amazing evening in Epcot and the Boardwalk. Thankfully we have another one planned for Hollywood Studios in December and I can’t wait to see them again! The Disney community is so supportive and fun and I am incredibly thankful to be a part of it.
Memories
Most of all I am thankful for all the new memories I have made with my little family. This move has not been easy at times but it has allowed us to be in our happy place and make the best memories. I am so thankful we made this jump and are making these memories with our kids. I think our little staycation at the Wilderness Lodge, running the 10k and seeing a dancer I’ve known most of her life dance down Main Street USA in a Disney parade have been some of my favorites.
The Blog
I could not leave off how thankful I am for this blog. It has made my weeks so fun and I look forward to writing each week. I know there aren’t tons of people reading it and I don’t do it like most of the other Disney blogs but I hope it brings whoever does read it some joy and some Disney magic!
Conclusion
Again I have to say how thankful I am for all of you! I would still write every week even if no one was reading this but it is cool to think there are people out there reading and hopefully enjoying my ramblings. It certainly brings me joy to write each week and share all of our adventures and experiences. I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving and know that I am wishing you so much joy and fun today! Have the most magical turkey day!!