Tag Archives: Disneyland

… the world of yesterday …

26 Friday Jul 2019

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If anyone knows me, they know that I love Disney. My obsession began when I was a senior in high school when my class had the opportunity to travel to Walt Disney World.  I have always loved art classes and I was constantly drawing and creating floor plans all throughout my school years, so naturally I was drawn to animation. I immediately fell in love with MGM Studios and the animation exhibits that they had on display.  I can remember seeing cels for the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. Chip and Mrs. Potts and all of the other characters. Also at that time, Aladdin had not yet been released and I can remember the parks talking about the story and the characters of that film.  I couldn’t wait to see the real thing.

When I got home from that trip I immediately sent a letter (yes, back in the days before email) to Walt Disney Studios Imagineering.  They gave me detailed instructions on how I could join their team and an application to apply. I can remember how excited I was to get that letter from Glendale, California. It seemed like such a faraway place at the time.

You now know that I never fulfilled my dream of becoming an animator for Walt Disney and instead pursued a career in architecture.  Although it did get me to Southern California, architecture never satisfied my love for all things Disney.

Flash forward to 2011. I was lucky enough to purchase my first Disney Annual Pass. I was in love. Over the next several years I would annoy everyone with my daily posts from the parks (I feel certain that I had a lot of people “unfollow” me during that time).  Lots of times I would just grab a coffee and sit in front of the castle, or sit in those chairs on the porch on Main Street. I felt like I had found my “place”. One of the real reasons that I loved going to the Disneyland Resort properties? I loved to be around all of those families having fun and making memories.  I would watch people laugh and smile and I loved the energy surrounding that. I even became friends with a lot of Cast Members that I would see daily and I still keep in touch with them. And I still get chills as I pass underneath the train bridges into the park.

Some days I wish I could go back to “the world of yesterday” and fill out that application. I wonder where I’d be now if I did?

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running in a rut.

22 Thursday May 2014

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(stuck) in a rut: kept in an established way of living or working that never changes.

I never thought it would happen to me. After running consistently (every week and sometimes daily) for over 3 years I’ve finally managed to get myself in a running rut. Blame it on no upcoming races on my calendar. Blame it on no motivation. Blame it on the streak of 100 plus degree days that we had last week, but I am here. And I don’t like it. I feel fat and lazy and unaccomplished. And now with a batch of blood work, x-rays and an MRI, I feel like I’m being forced to take it down a notch. My doctor even called me last night and actually told me not to work out for the next couple of days due to the results of my most recent blood work. Sigh.

60miles

Like Disneyland, running used to be my happy place. And the sad thing is, I haven’t even been going to Disneyland as much anymore.

Maybe I need to find a new happy place? (insert sad face here…..)

I need to be happy with where I am, not where I think I should be. My slow and steady progress with running has me frustrated. Without the atmosphere of The Happiest Place on Earth, I feel lost. Maybe it’s time to make a change?

changesexit

If any of you really know me, I despise change. I drag my feet and leave kicking and screaming…… until I realize that the new thing/place/experience is actually okay. And then I realize….

Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?!?

My problem is, lots of times I don’t listen to my intuition. I think that others know better. I feel like society pushes me in a different direction. And then there’s the bigger reason…. I feel fear. Fear of the unknown stops me dead in my tracks. Keeps me in my rut. But what was it that Nietzsche said?

nietzsche

After I get my health issues straightened out, I think I need to put on my favorite pair of Brooks Pure Flows, put Kanye’s “Stronger” on repeat and just go. Find a new route. Do more yoga. Run some trails. And then maybe I’ll find my new happy place.

oldandnew

have. be. do.

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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Every once in a while I have one of those days that makes me feel so lucky.  Lucky to be where I am, lucky to be in good health, lucky to have the freedom to go to Disneyland when I want to.  Ok, I’m extremely lucky to have that last one, but I don’t take it for granted.  I feel like I do some of my best dreaming and thinking while sitting in front of that castle.  My hair stands on end from just entering the Esplanade.  It brings a small tear to my eye when I walk through the turnstiles of the Main Gate.  Every.  Single.  Time.  That’s how I know that it is my place. 

My point is, when you find “your place”, do everything that you can to either keep on going back to that place, or recreate it in your mind.  It’s good for your mind and your soul.  I’m not trying to be all “woo woo”, but with the right mind set, you can create anything for yourself.  Some things obviously, are harder than others.  I have been able to do it for some things in my life though.  Other things just take more practice.  More positive thinking.  More of finding yourself in that right “place” to do our best creative thinking work.  I’m not talking about writing or creating art.  I’m talking about creating your life and how you want it to be.  If you don’t like how something is, figure out a way to change it.  But being positive about it is the key.  If you keep on creating excuses in your mind then you aren’t mean t to have what you want, or maybe you really don’t want it as much as you think you do.  To me, the universe is like a giant slider puzzle and all the pieces are constantly moving around based on the choices that you make. And when they fit together in that special way, oooooh boy.  That’s when you feel that luck.

I’ve also found that the more blessings that I count and the more things that I’m extremely grateful for, the easier it is to “create”.  Yes, bad things happen to good people, but it’s how we recover from the situation that makes the difference.

Do what makes you happy.

Be who you know you really are.

And you will have the life that you want.