Wordless Wednesday: Family

An amazing time spent with my wonderful sister and mother,
high atop the Contemporary at the recently renovated California Grill. 

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Thanks to Deb @ Focused on the Magic  for hosting 

the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 

If you hopped over, I invite you to check out my other posts, and please consider joining the blog or following on twitter.

Check out all the other Wordless Wednesday links by clicking below, 
and remember to share some comment love...

Plus the Magic is ONE!

Birthday? Anniversary? I'm not sure which one I would call it, but it was one year ago that this blog was launched.

When I started, I needed a creative outlet for my ever-growing interest in the Disney Parks and Resorts- the magic, the history, the design, the attractions, the food...I could go on. My very supportive family could only take so much of me talking about these topics! It was also around the time of a major employment upheaval (my long-held job- my career- was being dissolved), and I needed something to focus on that would be a positive, amid so much negativity. I needed a focus, something fun and exciting and challenging to keep me going and keep me productive.

It's hard to express how much I have absolutely loved this whole process- and it's hard to believe a year has gone by so quickly. The amount I've learned, and the incredible connections I've made, the sheer joy I've experienced writing and sharing both the magical and the mundane- every bit of it has been worthwhile, and it's hard to imagine not doing this.

In all honesty, I planned on a longer post for this anniversary, in which I would talk about some of my blog mentors, recognize the folks who helped me in the early days (and continue to help me now- I'm still a novice in many areas!), and share some of the sites that inspire and motivate me. The depth and breadth of the Disney fandom never ceases to amaze me, and the overwhelming majority of the people in this community are incredibly supportive. The truth is, I just don't have the ability to write that post right now. I am so busy with my "other" life, this has to take a backseat- for the moment. I pledge to come back and write that post, as soon as I can. Please hold me to it.

For now- just a big THANK YOU to the readers who have kept me going this past year. You have my sincere gratitude. Please join me in a rousing round of "Happy Birthday, Plus the Magic"!


What will the next year bring for me? More Disney magic? Another runDisney event? Maybe the Disney Social Media Moms conference? Perhaps the 2015 Moms Panel Search?! Bring it on! Thank you all for a terrific year!

My First runDisney Race: Recap, Part I

I'll cut right to the chase: My first runDisney race was a smashing success, an experience that had me hooked from the start (no surprise there, right?), and left me itching to register for another race!

I participated in the 2013 Jungle Jungle 5K, part of Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend!

I'm a novice runner, but I had been reading about runDisney races for a long time, on friends' blogs and twitter feeds (lookin' at you, Vanessa, Patty, and Krissy). After running for the first time this past spring so that I could be my daughter's "running buddy" in a Girls on the Run race, I decided I wanted to keep at it- and runDisney was the perfect motivator.

I knew I needed a race buddy, and my sister was the ideal choice. Not only is she a seasoned runner, but I knew I could probably "twist her arm" for a runDisney race- she's my usual partner in crime for Disney getaways. Though my precarious job situation left the whole thing extremely tentative for me, I was finally able to work out the details and we took the plunge....

Wordless Wednesday: #DisneySide

My #DisneySide was running and sweating and having a blast at the Jingle Jungle 5K last weekend!

________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Deb @ Focused on the Magic  for hosting 

the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 

If you hopped over, I invite you to check out my other posts, and please consider joining the blog or following on twitter.

Check out all the other Wordless Wednesday links by clicking below, 
and remember to share some comment love...

That Sad First Day Home...

How can my trip possibly have come and gone already?? Oh, it all goes by so fast! I'm trying to push those sad my trip is over thoughts aside, and concentrate on all the amazing things that happened this weekend. My head is swimming with new ideas, follow-up from previous posts, thoughts on the Food & Wine Festival, meeting up with friends, The Poly, and on and on...

But the main focus of this trip was my first runDisney race. A more in-depth post will be coming, but for now, I'll just say I'm HOOKED! What a fantastic experience. Here's my first runDisney medal. The next one will be heavier, and shinier...

Disney Firsts

Through the magic of prescheduled blog posts, this post will go live while I am in the midst of a visit to Walt Disney World. Even though I've visited the parks and resorts many times over the years, this particular trip is filled with lots of Disney Firsts for me...

First runDisney race- The Jingle Jungle 5K! I've been training, and I'm ready to tackle this race!

First Food & Wine Festival- Visiting during this festival has long been a goal for me- I've got my must-try list in hand, and I'm ready to eat and drink and experience the last days of the festival!

First time staying on the Monorail loop- Simply a dream come true. I never imagined that I would ever actually be staying at a Monorail resort!

First time staying at the Polynesian- See above. But also- there's something really special to me about the Poly. All the Monorail resorts have special features and great things that you won't get elsewhere, but The Poly- this was the quintessential Disney resort when I was growing up, the dream stay that I used to imagine when I was a kid.

First time visiting with my mom, as an adult- As I've written about before, my mom worked really hard to bring my sister and me to Walt Disney World in 1977. I've been many times since, but never with her! This past Mother's Day, I wrote this post in which I talked about my hope to visit with her again. That post was the impetus for this trip- a reunion trip of sorts, just the three of us once again. I can hardly believe we made it happen!

First time using Magic Bands and FASTPASS+- I've kept largely silent on these big changes, because I really want to give the system a chance, and I'm trying embrace the new reality! I want to see them in action before I weigh in. I hope I have some good things to report when I return.

First Artist Point, First Kona, First California Grill since the refurb- I'll be eating well on this trip, for sure!

Lots of Disney Firsts for me! I'll be back in a few days, with plenty to share...


And the significance of the photo above? It was the inspiration for my first runDisney costume!

Wordless Wednesday: November Calendar Shot

November 2010

My visit to Beast's Library, Disney's California Adventure

________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Deb @ Focused on the Magic  for hosting 

the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 

If you hopped over, I invite you to check out my other posts, and please consider joining the blog or following on twitter.

Check out all the other Wordless Wednesday links by clicking below, and remember to share some comment love...

Apples: Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Just watch it.





Best. video. ever.

Three days to go!

November #PlusTheMagicDaily Instagram Challenge

I had so much fun hosting the first #PlusTheMagicDaily Instagram photo challenge with This Happy Place Blog last month! We had great participation for our first time, and everyone shared fantastic pictures all month long. We decided to keep it rolling and do one for November!

Our theme this month is RESORTS- so follow us over on Instagram and join in the fun! I can't wait to see everyone's resort photos...

Unfamiliar with Instagram photo challenges? It's easy to participate! Just post a photo on Instagram, and include #plusthemagicdaily in your caption or comment. Use the prompt for each day of the month to inspire your ideas on which photos to choose. For example- On November 1, I posted this photo, and captioned it with #plusthemagicdaily and #sign (as well as a few other relevant hashtags).