Top 10 Favorite Parts of Being a Travel Planner

Today is my 9th anniversary with Key to the World Travel!!!

I can't believe it's already been nine years since I joined Key to the World.  I remember back in the beginning when there were less than 50 of us in our little KTTW Family Facebook group.  My how times have changed!  Now, there are over 450 of us!

In honor of my anniversary, I thought that I would do a special edition of my Top 10 today.  There are so many wonderful things about being a travel planner, especially with my company.  So today, I'm going to tell you about some of those things!

My Top 10 Favorite Parts of Being a Travel Planner

10.) We Like to Help People- It's fun to work with a bunch of people who are just like you.  We like to help other people and will pretty much bend over backwards to do it!

9.) We Like to Learn- I love to learn new things.  It's awesome to work and be friends with so many other people who also like to learn... whether it's about new places, destinations, resorts, opportunities, sales techniques, or more. 

8.) Plan Magic for Others- Who wouldn't want to help make other peoples' vacation dreams come true?  Being able to help plan trips for others is a gift that I cherish.

7.) We Care- I love working with people who genuinely care for their clients.  I think that's a rare thing in a world where so many people are only out for themselves.

6.) We Love To Travel- It's great to be able to surround yourself with people who love the same things as you.  I've always loved traveling and exploring new places.  These people speak my language.  Plus, it's awesome to learn about other places I might never think of going when I hear about them from my travel planner friends!

5.) KeyCon- I can't even tell you how amazing KeyCon is.  I absolutely love it.  I've been blessed to be able to attend five of them in person.  I haven't been able to go to the past few events, but I cherish all of the time that I've spent at them.

4.) We Are Supportive of Each Other- Even while I haven't been able to attend our KeyCon conferences the past few years, my KTTW friends remain the most supportive people that I know.  Whenever I post online, it's always them filling the comments and liking my posts.  It doesn't matter if it's personal or something about our businesses, these people are in my corner and I love them for it!

3.) We Have Fun- I can't even begin to tell you how much fun that I have with all of my KTTW friends.  We've shared so moments where I laugh so hard that I've cried.  We all like to have fun and none of us seem to take ourselves too seriously.  We have themed dance parties, gather to share stories over drinks, and play in theme parks.  We also do an annual Socks and Sweets exchange every holiday season.

2.) Friendships- I never imagined that I'd meet so many complete strangers and feel so close to them... then I went to my first KeyCon in 2014.  And the rest is history!

1.) We Love Disney- As someone who obviously is a huge fan of Disney, it's nice to have a bunch of friends who just "get it".  They all feel the same feels when they walk into the park.  We're all known to cry at the fireworks.  We look at Walt Disney as an icon.  I love having friendly, supportive people in my life who completely understand that part of me and don't make me feel like I'm weird for it.  We all love the mouse!

I'm so proud to say that I've worked with Key to the World Travel for nine years.  The owners, Heather and Jeff, are wonderful people, who I am happy to work for and glad to also count as friends.  My fellow travel planners are some of the most kind, fun, supporting and hardworking people that I know.  They all really feel like family.

Happy 9th KTTW Anniversary to Me!  May I have many more Key-versaries!!!  °o°

Top 10 Things To Show My Parents at Disneyland

I will be at Disneyland in two weeks and I can barely contain my excitement!  The thing that I'm looking forward to most during this trip is showing my parents things that they have never seen or the things that are different from Walt Disney World.  People who have been to both parks can tell you that there are so many differences!

I haven't officially started making my bucket lists... but let's be real, I've been mentally listing things off ever since I found out both Mom and Dad were coming to California with us!  I seriously can't wait.  So to help with all of the thoughts bouncing around my head, today I thought I'd write up a quick top 10 post to get the process started!

The Top 10 Things I Want to Show My Parents at Disneyland

10.) Critter Country- Ok, so this isn't the most exciting thing.  There are two rides (Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh) a restaurant and two stores that make up the entire land.  But it's cute, and it's different from Walt Disney World.  Plus, Tigger tails!

9.) Pixar Pier- This is different from anything at Walt Disney World too.  I'm excited to show them the Pixar Pal Around (Ferris wheel) and how pretty it is lit up at night!

8.) Cars Land- I am really excited to show them Cars Land and how immersive it is... although I'm not sure if Mom and Dad have seen Cars, so how cool it is might get lost on them!  I'm sure Daddy will love Radiator Springs Racers regardless though!

7.) Avengers Campus- This is also pretty cool, and it's still new to us as well.  Jeremy is also going to flip since he hasn't seen this part of the park yet and he loves Marvel!

6.) Star Wars Land- I can't wait for Daddy to see this.  Jeremy and I went to Hollywood Studios, so he has seen it there.  But Jeremy and I never went on any of the rides during our visits.  We're trying to convince Mom to go on Rise of the Resistance with us... Dad and Jeremy are going to freak out about how cool it is!

5.) New Orleans Square- This will remind them of the French Quarter part of Port Orleans Resort, but that's about where the resemblance stops.  There are so many great things to show them in New Orleans Square... the things that pop out to me first are Mickey beignets, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.  I can't wait for them to see the Disneyland versions of some of our favorite rides!!!

4.) World of Color- This is totally new to them and I'm so excited that they'll finally see it after years of me raving how awesome the show is!

3.) It's A Small World- This is the only attraction that gets it's own number.  While I love Disneyland's versions of the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, it's Small World that completely has my heart.  The addition of the Disney characters as dolls in the rides makes this the clear winner.  I can't wait for my Mom and Dad to see it.  I've already pictured Mom's face lighting up and Daddy trying to find all of the dolls.

2.) Walt's Apartment- I can't wait to show them Walt's light in the window.  It's very sentimental to me and I'm excited to share that with them.

1.) Sleeping Beauty Castle- Last, but certainly not least, I obviously can't wait to show them the castle!  I admit, the first time I saw it, I was disappointed by how small it was... even though I was warned.  But over the years, it's grown on me.  It means so much more that it's size implies.  It's a symbol of how the magic all began all of those years ago.  I can't wait to add another family picture to my collection of castle photos!

And there you have it!  The beginnings of my bucket list for this upcoming trip.  There are still so many things to add to it... but this was a good overview and start to it!

Ahh, I can barely wait!!!  We'll see you in two weeks Mickey!!!  °o°

Top 10 Favorite Parts of the Haunted Mansion

Happy Birthday to my favorite Disney attraction, the Haunted Mansion!!! 

There's so much that I love about the Haunted Mansion.  It's always the first thing I want to go on and the last attraction I want to ride before we leave the parks.  I just love it so much!  I have a memory of when I was a kid that I wanted to go on it over and over and that we went on it 11 times in a row.  I have no idea if this actually happened or not, but I'd totally believe it.  I love it that much.

When Eliot and I got married at Walt Disney World, one of the stops that I wanted to go to most on our Magic Kingdom portrait session was the Haunted Mansion.  (The castle and mansion were my top two picks.)  There's just something about it that I love!

I realized that I was having a hard time putting that love into words, so I decided to do another Top 10 Tuesday post about it!  It took me a little bit to put it together, but I think this an accurate tribute as to why it's my favorite attraction!  So without further ado, here are my favorite things about the Haunted Mansion in no particular order.

Melissa's Favorite Parts of the Haunted Mansion

10.) Nightmare Before Christmas Overlay- I'm starting off with a controversial one, because some mansion enthusiasts hate the overlay, but I like it.  Each Halloween and Christmas season, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion is taken over by Jack Skellington and the Nightmare Before Christmas crew to turn it into Haunted Mansion Holiday.  I think it's fun and it gives guests another reason to visit the attraction over and over again.  The giant (real) gingerbread house they put in the ballroom is different each year and I always love to see what it looks like!  That room always smells so good!!!

9.) Details Outside the Mansion- The Imagineers never leave any detail left undone and outside the Haunted Mansion is a perfect example of that.  The roses are dark and all of the shrubs look deadly.  The cemetery and pet cemetery at both American theme parks have so many fun details in them.  I really love how they added the names of the designers who brought the mansion to life.  Plus, the addition of Mr. Toad in the pet cemetery in the Magic Kingdom is iconic!

8.) Ballroom Scene- This scene absolutely blew me away as a kid.  I loved learning about how they achieved the realistic looking ghosts inside the ballroom.  I love all of the little details.  There's always a hidden Mickey made of plates on the dining room table.  I also love looking for the spider in the Disneyland glass where a guest broke the glass.  Each time I hop in a Doom Buggy, I see something new.

7.) Building Architecture- Of course the designer is obsessed with the architecture.  I love how the mansions each have their own iconic looks.  The mansion at Magic Kingdom looks like it belongs perfectly in the Colonial village of Liberty Square and I love how the gothic style adds a little bit of extra spooky flair to the facade.  Whereas the mansion in Disneyland fits in perfectly with the southern antebellum look.

6.) Cast Members- The Disney cast members really are the ones who make the magic.  From the Imagineers designing the rides to the people running the parks daily, they make everything come to life for guests.  The cast member costumes at the Haunted Mansion are iconic and my absolute favorites.  (I love them so much I made ear hats of them!)  I'm also a huge fan of the dancing gravediggers with their sparking shovels in the Halloween parade.  I also love when the casts members really get into it and act super creepy!  It adds to the overall creepy vibe!

5.) Song- What can I say about Grim Grinning Ghosts except that it's a classic.  This song makes the ride what it is.  It could have been super creepy and scare people, but this song transforms the ride into a fun adventure during the graveyard scene.  It's absolutely a bop and I always leave the ride with the song stuck in my head.  I love it!!! 

4.) Iconic Script- Speaking of iconic things stuck in your head, you know you have done something right when guests can recite the script of the attraction word for word with the soundtrack.  I won't lie, I'm one of those annoying people who sometimes simply can't help themselves in the stretching portrait room.  The script is classic!

3.) Iconic Scenes- Another iconic part of the ride are the scenes.  I have always been obsessed with the Stretching Portrait room.  And who can forget the ballroom, attic, graveyard, the hallway with the knocking doors, the endless hallway, and the seance room with Madame Leota.  They're all classic and guests love them.

2.) Iconic Images- The scenes aren't the only iconic part of the Haunted Mansion as there are so many iconic images in the mansion.  I think the most well known is the purple demon wallpaper.  But there are so many more: the rocking chair, the gargoyle candleholders, the Tomb Sweet Tomb embroidered sign, the intricate doorknobs, the demon grandfather clock with it's 13 instead of 12, the floating candelabra, the bat stanchions, the door knocker, the ravens, and the Doom Buggies themselves.

1.) Original Characters- Finally, I think that thing that brings the Haunted Mansion to life are all of the original characters you find in there.  There are the most well known ones like the Stretching Portraits, the Attic Bride, the Singing Busts, the Hatbox Ghost, the Hitchhiking Ghosts and Madame Leota.  But there are so many others... you also can't forget Little Leota, the organ player, the opera singer, the caretaker and his dog, the changing portraits, the Dread Family, the guy trying to get out of the coffin, the grooms, the tea party ghosts, the bicycle ghost, the bricklayer, a bunch of other happy haunts in the Ballroom and graveyard scenes, and of course, Master Gracey.

As you can see, there's so much to love about this attraction.  I bet you can conjure images of all these things in your mind as you read about them.  I can see all of it crystal clear.  I think one of the things that endears it to fans so much is that so much of it is iconic.  That's the word that kept coming up for me and it absolutely is.

Happy 53rd Birthday Haunted Mansion from this adoring foolish mortal!  °o°

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Things at Disney Theme Parks

Happy Tuesday Friends!  This afternoon, we are continuing with another installment of my Christmas in July week.  Today, we're going to take a peek at my favorite things about celebrating the holidays at Disney theme parks.  I actually had a really long list of reasons, but I decided to narrow it down into more broad generalizations for today's post.  Plus, I can always make more specific Top 10 lists down the road!

There are so many wonderful things about celebrating the holidays at Disney theme parks.  Christmas is my absolute favorite time to visit the parks since everything is extra magical.  In this post, I'm focusing on Walt Disney World- though most of these things are also found at the Disneyland Resort.  I've only been to Disneyland once for the holidays.  (Clearly I need to go again so I can experience more holiday magic!)  

Let's take a look at what makes the theme parks extra special during the holidays!

Melissa's Top 10 Favorite Christmas Things at Disney Theme Parks

10.) Topiaries- This probably sounds silly, but I love, love, love the holiday themed topiaries.  I absolutely adore the Flower and Garden Festival, but if I can't go during it, I can still see some of my favorite characters year round since Disney uses them to decorate!  In recent years, Disney's amazing gardening team has even created new character topiaries specifically for the holiday season like an adorable snowman!

9.) Sweets and Treats- You all know how much I love my Disney sweets and treats... everything Mickey shaped tastes better, but there's something extra magical when it's also holiday themed!  Forget sugar plums dancing around in my head... this girl is all about the holiday Mickey and Minnie candy apples!!!

8.) Wreaths- Wreaths are one of the first things I think of when I think of decorations, and Disney has a ton of them on property.  From small ones on doors, to the ones that line Main Street to the giant ones on display at some of the resorts.  There are a ton of wreaths!  It's probably no surprise that my favorites are the Mickey shaped ones!

7.) Shows- Disney is known for their shows and entertainment and the holiday season just proves their dedication to it.  They have castle shows, projection shows, laser light projection shows... and so much more.  I love Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam at Hollywood Studios.  I'm also a fan of the castle shows with all of our favorite characters shown during the Christmas parties.  And nothing beats Disney fireworks!

6.) Resort Decorations- I think one of the best parts of staying on property is how the theming and attention to detail isn't just for the theme parks... it follows you home.  The holiday decorations at the resorts always astound me.  Each resort has decorations that fit it's theme perfectly.  I can't imagine the time and care it takes to put all of that together every year... but it's perfection!  Plus, how many other resorts have giant gingerbread house displays with real gingerbread!?!?!  Absolute perfection!!!

5.) Christmas Trees at the Parks- The Disney theme parks are always decorated to perfection too.  One of my favorite decorations at each of them is the giant Christmas tree perfectly themed to that park.  The Magic Kingdom has a tree at the beginning of Main Street opposite Cinderella Castle.  Epcot has a tree at the beginning of the World Showcase that features ornaments with all of the countries' flags.  Animal Kingdom has a tree at the main entrance to the park so it doesn't compete with the Tree of Life.  And Hollywood Studios has it's Christmas tree on the banks of Echo Lake. 

4.) Character Costumes- I love meeting my favorite Disney characters and there is something extra special about seeing them in their holiday attire!  Some only get small tweaks to their look like a Santa hat or a scarf.  Others characters get a complete wardrobe makeover and have full costumes for each of the holidays.  Regardless of how much their looks change, I love taking photos with them in their holiday best!

3.) Cinderella Castle Ice Lights- The sparkling "ice lights" on Cinderella Castle have got to be one of the greatest things that Disney has ever done.  I love them and their simplistic, elegant beauty.  It makes the castle look extra magical and right out of a fairytale.  It's been too long since I saw these beauties... and I can only hope that they bring them back once we're done celebrating Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary.

2.) Snow on Main Street- Alright, I know it's "snoap" and that shouldn't impress the girl from Maine.  But as a girl from Maine, snow is part of the whole Christmas and winter experience.  For me, Christmas morning was always more magical if there was a blanket of fresh white snow outside... and trust me- there's not anything magical about a brown Christmas.  There isn't naturally occurring snow in Florida, but having it fall on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom reminds me of the soft snowfall back home and it makes me feel all the holiday feels.  #sorrynotsorry #letitsnoap 

1.) Christmas Parade- Ah, the Christmas Parade.  It's been my favorite Christmas morning tradition since I can't even remember when.  To be honest, I don't remember celebrating a Christmas without it.  (And when we had to miss it one year due to not having electricity, it low-key ruined my morning.)  There's something nostalgic about the Disney Christmas Parade.  I love the floats that I've seen year after year since I was a child.  It's a childhood memory that's brought me into adulthood... and a memory that I'd love to experience with my own children one day.  Seeing the toy soldiers all marching down Main Street has got to be one of my absolute favorite holiday things.

And there you have it!  Those are my favorite parts of visiting Disney during the holiday season.  I want to note that this list really isn't in any specific order.  I spent way too much time trying to figure out where to slot things, so it's all basically the best of the best!  Although, the Christmas Parade does hold a very special place in my heart... so if I absolutely had to pick only one thing, that's probably what it would be!

This list makes me want to go down to Walt Disney World for Christmas!  Eliot and I haven't been since 2019 and we're not planning to go down over the holiday season this year.  This list and these photos are really making me what to change that... 

What's your favorite part of visiting the parks at Christmas time?  °o°

Top Ten Disney Animated TV Show Theme Songs

Last Friday, Eliot and I joined many others in watching Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers over on Disney+.  I've been looking forward to this reboot movie for months now.  As soon as it was released, Eliot and I knew that we had to watch it.  Growing up, Rescue Rangers was one of my all time favorite shows.  Jeremy and I used to watch Disney Afternoon each day like it was our job.  We were obsessed with it.

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This movie was so nostalgic and I found myself recognizing a lot of the merchandise that they showed in the movie.  Jeremy and I had Chip and Dale plush and they were some of our favorite toys.  A few years ago, Disney released a shirt just like Dale's and I'm still kicking myself for not getting one!  (Thankfully, Eliot has one, so we can dress up together if we want to... I'll just have to go as Chip!)

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Eliot and I both loved the new Rescue Rangers movie.  We laughed so hard and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I couldn't wait for Jeremy to see it.  He wasn't able to watch it until Saturday, but as soon as he had watched it, he texted to let me know.

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Watching the movie brought back a lot of memories... especially about the time that the theme song was rolling.  It got me thinking about all of the other shows Jeremy and I used to watch daily.  Before I knew it, a list was forming in my head, and I decided to run with it.  So today, I thought that I would share with you some of my other favorite Disney animated television show theme songs!  Here's my latest Top Ten Tuesday!

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Top Ten Disney Animated TV Show Theme Songs 

10.) Aladdin- This song isn't too much different from Arabian Nights in the Aladdin movie, so it's at the bottom of my list for that main reason.  Still, Jeremy and I loved Aladdin the movie and we were both completely enthralled with watching the animated cartoon and our favorite characters' new adventures!

9.) Little Mermaid- This is the only song in my top 10 line up that doesn't have any lyrics to it.  Still, I loved watching Ariel and all of her adventures as a mermaid.  This music brings back a lot of fond memories of watching this show when I was a child.

8.) Talespin- I dare you to not get up and start dancing when you hear this theme song!  Disney Afternoon was like a religion in our house, and this was a favorite!

7.) Winnie the Pooh- If most of these songs defined my weekday afternoons, this is the song that defined my Saturday mornings.  Jeremy and I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons and I have such fond memories of watching Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends during their adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood!

6.) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- Every time I hear this, I have to sing along with it.  This is such a cute kids show and I love the fun theme song!  "M-I-C-K-E-Y.... M-O-U-S-E! It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Come inside, it's fun inside!"

5.) Sofia the First- To this day, every time I hear this song, I think of Elissa.  She and I used to watch the Disney Channel in the mornings when she came out to visit Eliot and me over the summers of 2014 and 2015 during what we dubbed as Camp Cady.  We would always sing the Sofia the First theme song together when the show came on.  I will always treasure this special little bond that we have!

4.) Call Me, Beep Me- I can't help but sing every time I hear this song!  Kim Possible was probably my favorite more recent animated show from the Disney Channel.  I watched The Proud Family, Phineas and Ferb, Recess and other animated shows, but this is the theme song that resonated with me the most! 

3.) Darkwing Duck- My brother and I used to sing this all the time and we probably drove our parents nuts.  It was probably Jeremy's and my go to theme song to sing.  I remember so many afternoons of us watching Disney Afternoon together after school and then running around the house singing all of the theme songs!

2.) Rescue Rangers- Not only is this song a classic, but it's incredibly catchy.  I love this theme song and still find myself humming it whenever I see Chip and Dale.  

1.) Ducktales- This is quite possibly the song that was playing when me and Eliot realized that we were meant to be together.  I was playing some music one day when we were hanging out in my apartment on campus, and the Ducktales theme song came on.  Eliot and I both totally geeked out about it, saying how much we loved the show.  This was such an important song that I requested they play it at our wedding reception!  For all of those reasons, it will always hold a very special place in my heart. 

And those are my favorite Disney animated TV show theme songs!!!  I have to admit, this blog post was so much fun to put together.  It brought back so many fun memories from my childhood.  I'll have to bookmark it for whenever I'm having a bad day.  These songs will always put a smile on my face!!!  °o°

Top Ten Reasons That I RunDisney

It's been two weeks since Eliot and I endured the hot mess that was the 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend registration in order to sign up for our next in person RunDisney race event.  I won't go into it again since I'm past it; but to recap, Eliot is doing his first Dopey Challenge and I'm signed up for the 10K and virtual marathon.

While I wasn't too impressed with the registration experience, I am very excited to be participating in another live RunDisney event.  Now that the sting of not getting into the 5K has worn off a bit, I want to move forward trying to focus on the positive.  I wanted to take this opportunity to write about what I love about these events.  And what better way to do it than another Top Ten Tuesday post?

I love RunDisney events, and Walt Disney World is pretty much the only place that I'd willingly sign up to get out of bed at 3 am multiple days in a row to run.  I'm not a fan of running, but Disney makes each mile magical and it's actually fun!  Without further ado, here are the top 10 reasons that I keep going back to run at Disney.

Top Ten Reasons That I RunDisney

10.) Race Expo and Merchandise- You all know that Eliot and I love a good selection of Disney merchandise. The  RunDisney Race Expos are notorious for being crazy with people trying to grab the most sought out merchandise.  Items tend to sell out on day one. Thankfully, we've had pretty good luck at most of the expos, and our 20% off pass holder discount certainly helps when we're checking out!

9.) Sunrise in the Parks- There aren't many opportunities to be inside of a Disney park when the night fades into day and the sun is rising above the horizon.  Seeing the sun rise over the parks is definitely never an opportunity that I'll ever grow tired of!

8.) Fireworks at the Start Line- I mean, who else does this?!?!?  Only Disney would shoot off fireworks as each corral leaves the start line.

7.) Sense of Camaraderie with Other Runners- There's a bond that you share with other Disney runners that other people won't understand.  Whether it's lamenting over how ridiculous registration is, or how laughing about freakishly early we have to get out of bed multiple days in a row, there's always something to talk about!

6.) Costumes- This is one of the best parts of Disney races.  Adults can wear a costume into the parks when they usually can't.  Personally, my favorite part is seeing what everyone else is wearing.  Eliot and I have seen incredible costumes through the years.  Some groups dress up in themed costumes.  Some people really go all out planning their outfits.  Most people tend to casually Disneybound.  But it's always fun to see what everyone else wears!

5.) Generous Pace Requirements- Let's be real, Eliot and I wouldn't be "running" Disney races if they were as strict as most races.  Disney's easier 16 minutes per mile requirement puts most people at a slow jog or a steady quick walking pace.  Eliot and I usually speed walk most of our events.  With my knee problems, I'd never be able to physically "run" it, so I'm grateful for the extra time!

4.) Entertainment on the Course- Disney races are well-known known for course entertainment.  Whether it's DJs or the park speaker system playing music, cast members cheering you on, live marching bands, cheerleaders or other local youth groups, there will be plenty of things to entertain you along your race.  Plus, I can't forget other guests with signs along the route.  I've seen many signs that are downright hilarious and they always help power me through those next few miles.

3.) Take Photos with Characters- The best part of running a race at Disney for me is the opportunity to take photos with characters.  If the costumes, pace requirements and entertainment weren't already a reason to run here, the characters are.  There are many locations throughout the races to take photos with characters.  This is also a great chance to take photos with rare characters that you don't find at the parks!

2.) The Bling- Need a say more?  RunDisney race bling is addictive.  There's nothing quite like wearing your hard earned medal around your neck at the parks.  Other guests and fellow runners will congratulate you, cast members will comment on it, and it will lead to fun character interactions.  Finisher medals are also a great photo prop!

1.) The Feeling of Accomplishment- I think this is the best part of running at Disney for me.  The feeling of accomplishment and pride is like a drug.  Crossing the finish line gives you all sorts of happy endorphins and you'll feel like you can fly like Tinker Bell.

If these 10 reasons aren't enough to make you at least consider running at Disney... there's another really good reason to attend runDisney events.  It's a great excuse to visit Walt Disney World.  (As if I actually needed an excuse to visit Mickey!)

If you've never considered running a race before, I highly suggest you try runDisney.  If you don't want to commit to a physical race yet, they do virtual races every summer and they've also been doing virtual races weekends more recently.  I wouldn't be running races if it weren't for runDisney because I can't stand the thought of traditional running.  Disney makes everything more magical, and running is no exception!  °o°

Character Hugs Are Back!!!

When you wish upon a star, your dreams really do come true.  After 765 days of hug-less, socially distant character interactions, hugs are finally back at Disney parks!!! 

I actually teared up when I first heard the news weeks ago.  I recall how emotional I was when Mickey simply blew me a kiss at Disneyland a few weeks ago.  While I know that the characters are just cast members dressed up in costume, there's something magical about character interactions.  I can't help but smile when one waves at me.  I still love talking to them and getting autographs while taking photos.  The innocence and pure magic from my childhood are still there whenever I see Mickey and Minnie.

Some of my favorite Disney memories are shared with characters.  From getting a hug from Mickey on my 33rd birthday, to sharing a hug with him at Eliot's and my dream come true Disney wedding, they've made some of our biggest celebrations that much more magical.  The characters mean a lot to me.  Thankfully, Eliot shares my affinity for them and he happily waits in line with me for photos!

To celebrate this happy milestone in the parks getting back to normal, I wanted to share some of my favorite character hug photos that we've taken through the years.

Also, this post inadvertently turned into a new blog segment here- Top Ten Tuesday!  I originally had the idea to do this segment back in 2015 and I'd honestly forgotten about it until I was going through my photos.  Then, I briefly remembered it and I found an old note on my computer with the idea- along with a few others!  After a minute or so of thought, I decided to go for it!  Welcome to my first Top Ten Tuesday!

So without further ado, here are my top 10 character hug photos from Disney!

10.) Russell- I loved getting to show Russell my little Dug plushie along with my hug!

9.) Sulley- Who wouldn't want a giant squishy hug with a furry monster?

8.) Olaf- I was so excited when I finally got to meet Olaf and give him a big hug!

7.) Daisy- She absolutely loved my fashionable outfit that coordinated with hers!

6.) Goofy- This photo always makes me smile... I love Goofy!

5.) Chip- This is from one of the first meet and greets Eliot and I ever did together!

4.) Oswald- I love meeting and hugging the more rare characters!

3.) Duffy- I love this and I miss Duffy terribly.  What I wouldn't give to hug him again... 

2.) Minnie- I always have to give my favorite fashionable mouse a big hug!

1.) Mickey- This is my favorite character hug photo.  I love the pure joy on my face!

And there you have it!  We've had so many fun moments with characters!

I'm so happy that character hugs are back!  I never realized how much something that seems as simple as a hug would mean to me, but after the past two years, I'll never take them for granted.  I can't wait to give Mickey a giant hug in September!!!  °o°