Happiest Blog on Earth...Special Smiles!

So, you know how I know that Disneyland IS the Happiest Place on Earth? The smiles. Smiles. Yep, there, I said it...SMILES! I challenge you to spend 30 minutes at the Disneyland Resort and count how many smiles you see. I will bet my cherished Lightning McQueen Disney Trading Pin that you find no less than 20! (Just so you know, that wasn't a sanctioned bet by the way. Joyce would have my HIDE if she knew I was betting my very first Disney Trading Pin!).

Well, we all know that you leave the Disneyland Resort with ALL sorts of great memories, and I'm no different. I have so many incredibly awesome memories from Disneyland that I need to buy extra storage in my brain iCloud just to house them all. But, one of my fondest memories, and this is something that happens just about every time we visit the Resort, is when my beautiful wife Joyce gets to meet Mickey Mouse, give him a BIG hug and kiss, then spends the rest of the day beeming! I love that the Disneyland Resort can make my wife smile like that. Why? Good question! Because to me, one of THE best things that I can see in life is that smile! And knowing that Disneyland can make us feel like kids again, forget about the misery of our day, allow us to play and be carefree, even for just a fleeting moment in time, is pure...well, MAGIC! And let me tell you, smiling is one thing. But THIS kind of smile only comes from feeling that child-like wonder of meeting your favorite Disney character IN PERSON! Remember to grab some of that magic next time you visit the Disneyland Resort. It won't be hard. Just look around!

Now THAT'S a smile!

Pixie Tales: Celebrity Etiquette

This is one of the most difficult blogs I have written and I actually put it aside for over a week because I did not want too many emotions to overshadow the true message. A couple of days later, Walt spoke to me through this quote, “I have no use for people who throw their weight around as celebrities, or for those who fawn over you just because you are famous.” 

I am very passionate about Disneyland and feel that everyone should be able to experience the magic whether they are famous or not.  This is my happy place and I feel that everyone who visits the Park should be able to experience the magic in their own way.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone on a social media platform about a picture of a celebrity and his young child that was taken earlier in the day by the poster.  People were encouraging him to sell the picture to the highest bidder but I felt that it was wrong in many ways and had to share my two cents. In the end, the poster did the honorable thing and retracted the photo and stated that there would be no photos for sale! Good for you!

We all get excited when we see our favorite celebrity in public and want to take pictures and say hi! But where do we draw the line when it comes to their privacy? How about when that celeb has their child with them? Just because they’re celebrities are there different rules to their “personal space”?  I say no! Let the celebrity enjoy family time like you would want in the Happiest Place on Earth….. Don’t take pictures without asking and treat them as you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes.

This is how I personally see it:  when you are visiting the Park remember why Walt built it in the first place, and walk in his shoes. Always remember this quote, ““I have no use for people who throw their weight around as celebrities, or for those who fawn over you just because you are famous.” 

Otherwise, your favorite attraction may be closed so the celebrity family can have their magic time in privacy which will be less magical for you and I.

Happiest Blog on Earth - Integrity

Integrity. Man, that's a word, isn't it? Integrity means a lot of different things to a lot of different folks, but one thing that's pretty much universal is that integrity is not something we should take lightly. 


I like to believe that, for the most part, I live my life with integrity. Over the length of my long life (never mind how many years!), I've developed some very specific definitions of integrity, and I hold myself to these standards quite seriously. Let me expound on this a little.


Nearly two years ago when Joyce and I came to the pivotal point in our lives where we felt it was important to share our love for the Disneyland Resort, and Walt Disney, with others on a larger scale. We had experienced a very real magic throughout our numerous visits to the Happiest Place on Earth and we found that when we returned to our "real" lives (work) and answered the inevitable question that all co-workers feel the need to ask - "Did you have a good time?" - we were sharing with folks in a way that honestly made some envious, some curious and some ask for more! Eventually, it got to the point where people were asking us for advice on the whats, wheres and whens for their upcoming Disneyland adventures. So, we did what any normal couple would do: we started the Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland podcast! 


Ok, so what does that story have to do with integrity? Good question. The answer: EVERYTHING! You see, Joyce and I feel very passionate about the Disneyland Resort and the incredible vision of Walt Disney that we want to share honest information with people. This is what I was referring to in my last blog. There are a great many people in this world that share information that's not always true, or, twist it to a point where even though it may be true, it doesn't represent their topic very well. Now, I'm not advocating the "spin" machine at all. If you have something to share that's possibly negative, then by all means, share the negative information, but do it with tact. That's how we present everything we share about Disney in our podcast, in our blogs, in our social media postings, heck, everywhere. 


To me, integrity means honesty...honor. In all things, do with honor. It is possible to deliver negative news with honor, trust me. If you listen to our podcast, you'll discover that. There are many times that Joyce and I've reported on things about Disney that rubs us the wrong way, a not so magical experience we had, or yes, even reviewed an attraction or restaurant we didn't like. But we presented it with integrity, with facts and with tact. Few things irk me more than to listen to a podcast or read a blog where the presenter goes off on something in a very disrespectful way. To me, that shows a bit of ignorance and quite honestly lowers my opinion of them and removes a great deal of their authority on the subject. It is possible to say something negative in a positive way without doing the spin dance. 


Our good friend Lisa Robertson from the Babes In Disneyland blog is part of this wonderful group called The Three Disneyland Moms, and they've started a pledge for this very thing - integrity. It's available to folks who blog, and I believe it adds a great deal of authority to what you offer, as long as you mean it. It's called the "I blog with integrity" pledge, and if you agree with it, and if you truly blog with integrity, they offer a badge to proudly display on your blog site. Joyce and I are proud members of this wonderful community and we proudly display this badge. 


So, in parting I'd like to leave you with a little advice. Share. Share your passion, share your love for whatever you want to share. But do it with honor, do it with integrity. If you find yourself thinking if what you're about to say or write may be a little too...well, nasty, don't post it.  Or if you find yourself really CHEESED off about something and want to share, write it down on a piece of paper, set it aside then come back to it when you've cooled off. Then rewrite it to take the sting out of it. If you do this, if you share with integrity and honor, trust me, you'll have much more magic to offer and others will respect that! 
Thanks for reading...  ~~~ Al 

Happiest Blog on Earth - Quirks...

I thought I’d like to share with you some of my, well, quirkiest quirks in this installment! Joyce and I’ve been listening to the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson on audio book for the last couple of weeks, as we travel back and forth to work, and hearing some of the more intimate details of the Apple wunderkind has made me reflect on my own life and, well, quirks. I know, weird. But hey, that’s what massively, incredibly creative people do!

I started to think back to when Joyce and I started the Tales From The Mouse House – Disneyland podcast, almost two years ago now. Early on we decided that we wanted our podcast to be something special, not just a “product”. Please don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with folks who monetize their podcasts, blogs, websites, etc, but I felt that would not be right for what we wanted to accomplish. I feel that we shouldn’t be profiting off of the Happiest Place on Earth at all. Disneyland is the result of many hard working folks, and I have no right to make money off of someone else’s work.  In fact, the decision to seek a financial sponsor wasn’t easy! I was afraid that by having someone help us with the financial requirements of the podcast (web hosting costs, maintaining recording equipment, contest prize give away goodies, things like that), some people may get the idea that Joyce and I are profiting off the show. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! So, when Randy Crane answered our call for a sponsor,  and we found out what a true Disney spirit he is, we were elated to have him as our sponsor.

 Anyway, from the beginning, we’ve adopted this protective approach to the podcast and everything involved with it. We’re usually pretty careful with what we post out on the social networking sites, not because we have no opinions, but because we feel that by doing a Disneyland podcast, we in essence are representing Disney. That’s not to say that we’ll only post pro-Disney stuff. Nope. That’s not my style. BUT…I REFUSE to post anything, especially negative, unless it’s been fully confirmed, and then we present it in a non-partial way.

We also try to separate ourselves from those who claim to be true Disneyland and Disney fans, yet continually bash or admonish Disney for things that they (the “fans”) may not like or agree with. Of course, if someone doesn’t like something Disney does, (like say, a certain parade down Main Street U.S.A. that should have been thought through a little more…) they certainly have the right to discuss their dislike…but do it in a way that’s positive, not negative. I mean, be constructive in your criticism, don’t just bash.  If you’re going to call yourself a true Disney fan…be one.

That leads me to our podcast itself. Now, again, when we started planning out our podcast, we wanted it to be something special. At the time, there really weren’t many Disneyland Resort specific podcasts out there. There were many that encompassed the entire Disney Theme Park world, many dedicated to Disney in general but I think there were only two (if that many) that were dedicated solely to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. And, being that this was the only Park I had visited, we thought it best to concentrate on what we knew. A wise podcast mentor once told me, record what you’re passionate about. Well, I was passionate about Disneyland and my wife! What better to record than a podcast dedicated to all the wonderful, magical and HAPPY times I spent at Disneyland with my soul mate?

Now, there are a lot of Disneyland Resort podcasts out there for you to choose from, which means that what we attempted to get out there must have worked. Others took notice and decided to share THEIR love as well. So, our podcast may not have the best content in the podcasting world but it does have something all the others don’t: Al and Joyce’s view and passion! And bottom line, that’s why we started this podcast. Certainly not for the fame and fortune because really, there’s none of that. In fact, we put in just about as much time researching, writing, editing, recording, editing, more editing and publishing this podcast that we put in on our day jobs! But we wanted to share our love and our passion and our BELIEF in the Magic of Disneyland.  

So, that’s my semi-coherent entry for this blog! Hopefully I haven’t bored you to tears, or made you reach for the bottle of aspirin. If you haven’t already heard our podcast, why not hop on over to http://www.talescast.com or iTunes and check us out. We offer audio and video podcasts that help fill that gap between visits to the Happiest Place on Earth, and, if you’ve never been there…well, here’s your chance to experience the Magic! We’d love to hear from you too, you can send us an email to talespodcast@cox.net, and if you want to see if what I said about social media is true, you can follow us @talespodcast on Twitter, or “like” our FaceBook page at http://www.facebook.com/talespodcast.

~~~ Al

Pixie Tales - “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”- The Fox and the Hound

Disneyland has always been a family friendly place and created so many lifelong memories.  There are a few chapters in my life where I did not visit the Happiest Place on Earth but my love for Disney was always apparent.

Since 2007, when visits to the Park became a regular part of my life, Al and I have met so many awesome people who share the love and understand the Disney magic and as a result, our friendships have grown. Some of these friends started out as “virtual” friends and are now some of our closest friends. Not only do they share our love for Disney but never forget Walt’s vision and walk in his footsteps just as we do.

As we start a new year, it is natural to reminisce about the previous one.  Wow what an awesome time we had at Disneyland in 2011.  We attended the D23 Expo and finally met our good friend, Lisa from Babes in Disneyland in person, met Mr. Daps, and reconnected with old friends and formed new friendship.  One of the most magical memories was our October 2011 trip.  We were celebrating our 15^th wedding anniversary and planned in advance to join the Sunday Sweeper Crew on their traditional final train ride of the night.  This was one of the most awesome experiences and was above my expectations.  I could write an entire blog on this experience so will keep you in suspense for now.  :) 

2012 is going to be an awesome year; In about 5 weeks, I am going to be a grandma for the first time and can’t wait to take baby Isaiah to Disneyland.  I hope I get to take him for his first visit and we will let his daddy and mommy, Eric and Ali tag along, too.  It is leap year so I am creating a leap list of things to do in 2012:  I want to attend one D23 event like maybe the Studio tour, and my all time goal is to participate in one of the Disney Adventures and tour Walt’s apartment.  Anyone out there want to donate to my Leap List fund, let me know.  Just kidding….

Disney is creating lots of memories for their guests this year and I think it is so awesome that they are staying open for 24 hours straight not to mention the daily giveaways. 

Stay tuned for my next Pixie Tales: “Turn right to go left! Guess what? I tried it, and you know what? This crazy thing happened - I went right!”  

The Happiest Blog On Earth - My Favorite Thing about Disneyland

This is a question that’s asked a lot of folks, isn’t it? What’s your favorite thing about the Disneyland Resort? We’re guilty of asking that question of every guest we have on our Tales From The Mouse House – Disneyland Podcast, and typically, we get answers like, “Pirates Of The Caribbean”, or “Small World” and even “Corn Dogs”. All very nice answers but if you really take time to consider the question, you may come up with something more.

Many of you know my story: I didn’t discover the Magic of Disneyland until late in life – 2007. And I was born in 1964! So yeah, one could say, late to the party. BUT, I made it to the party! So for me, the question posited earlier has a dual-layer answer. Yes, I LOVE Pirates, Small World and, well, I think you know how I feel about CORN DOGS (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM!!), but for me, there’s a much deeper answer. My favorite thing about Disneyland is…Disneyland.

Ok, let me get deep for a moment. Disneyland is many things to many people. It’s an amusement park that’s ever changing and yes, very fun. Disneyland puts the thrill in “thrill rides”, and then some. But if you really think about it, it’s really just a theme park, isn’t it? Roller coaster, check. Carousel, check. Water rides, check. Over priced amusement park foods…check. So, in that regard, what’s the difference between Disneyland and Six Flags? The answer of course is…Disneyland. That’s what Disneyland has that no other theme park in the WORLD has or will ever have. The magic of Disneyland is…Disneyland.

When Walt sparked the idea of creating a place for families to be together and have fun, it wasn’t just so folks could spend the day on rides. No, it was so families of the day, and 100 years in the future could share the same thing –experience. There’s a feeling, no, more like an emotion, that most people feel when they enter the gates to Disneyland. As odd as it sounds at a thrill park, (at least for me) that feeling/emotion is relaxed. I feel relaxed when I walk into Disneyland. Every ounce of concern, irritation, anger, disappointment that I harbor in my everyday life melts away when I’m at the Disneyland Resort. I don’t think that was an accident. I think Walt was very conscience of that fact when he designed the place, and that’s what he strived to achieve when he opened Disneyland in 1955.  No other place in the world can offer me that same feeling, even when I’m not there. When, in my “ordinary life”, I find myself getting overly stressed about something, I’ll close my eyes and visualize Disneyland and I smile. Disneyland is a feeling, an experience. I challenge all of you NOT to feel something on a very emotional level when you visit the Disneyland Resort. ~~~ Al

Mr. DAPS on Media Appreciation Day - Mr. DAPs

From time to time, we'll bring you some wonderful stories and pieces written by guest bloggers that love Disneyland, well, almost as much as we do! Please enjoy the following piece by a very talented guy by the name of Mr. DAPs who is very full of that wonderful Disney Magic. For more from Mr. DAPs and the entire DAPs family, visit him at DAPS Magic 

Mr. DAPs and Mickey Mouse!

"Disneyland and the media have a long relationship, going back to the early days. Walt Disney believed that if you treated the media well and let them experience Disney magic for itself, everything else would fall in place.

Fifty six years later, Disneyland still carries on this legacy. Last weekend, I had the honor of being invited to Media Appreciation Day at the Disneyand Resort. This is exactly what the name implies, a day where Disneyland shows the media appreciation. As the leader of DAPs Magic, I’ve been invited to this event for the last couple of years. Each time I have participated in this day, I have had a blast. This most recent event was no exception.

For Media Appreciation Day, I am allowed to bring three guests. This year I brought our code master for DAPs Magic, my buddy Francis Fairy Feather, and my partner in crime. We arrived late morning and found the check in table outside of the Main Gate at Disneyland and checked in. Once inside, we made our way to Aladdin’s Oasis where they had snacks, entertainment, characters, face painting, tattoo art, and games for our enjoyment. I’m pleased to report that our group experienced EVERYTHING that they had to offer except for the face paint. We were also given a ghost mickey popcorn bucket!


We grabbed some food (I’m partial to the pretzels) and soon found ourselves sitting at a table, playing name that tube. The DAPs crew is always very good at this game and this year was no exception. We did have a severe handicap as we were sitting about as far away as one could sit from the MC and had posts, spider webs, and a giant tooth between obstructing his view of us. Never the less, we had fun.

Throughout out stay there we were able to meet all the characters visiting that day. Mickey and Minnie were dressed in their Halloween best and were an absolute pleasure to interact with. Cruella, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Jafar also made appearances. Jafar was a bit of a trouble maker and tried to use his staff to hypnotize one of our group. Thankfully, his evil plot to disrupt our day was averted...perhaps through the power of MY imagination? I’ll leave that up to you decide on.

Francis was the good sport who got a new tattoo on his arm, it was amazing. He also played some of the games that they had out for the kids. It really is amazing at how much they cram into Aladdin’s Oasis for these events!

Once we had decided we had experienced Aladdin’s Oasis sufficiently, we made our way to Ghost Galaxy and then Haunted Mansion Holiday as we were offered fast passes for both of those (along with Tower of Terror and Star Tours). After experiencing our two rides, we decided we had enough fun for the day and it was time to head home. So we bid Disneyland a fond farewell and walked to our car with appreciation for Disneyland for appreciating us with another Media Appreciation Day." ~~ Mr. DAPs

Happy Halloween!

Pixie Tales - Once Upon A Time They Lived Happily Ever After...

 

“To all that come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

Happiness is defined in many different ways and different things bring happiness and joy to people.  My happy place is and always will be Disneyland. There is a special kind of magic that happens to me when I enter the gates of Disneyland.  It creates a kind of magic that some people understand and others just don’t get. If you have the magic in you then you can understand how it got the reputation - the happiest place on earth.

We have shared the story of Al’s first visit to Disneyland but this day also represented a sad day for me as my 19 year old son was being deployed to Iraq.  I was an emotional wreck so we made sure we would arrive on the day of his deployment.  

When I enter the gates of Disneyland I love the sights and sounds of the train station, and then Main Street USA.  There is just a joy that comes over me as I “Run” from ride to ride or just sit and absorb the details in each land.  

This is truly the happiest place on earth in my eyes and it will never lose the magic as new memories are created each time I visit..... ~~ Joyce

 

I Love Mickey! 

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Getting Ready

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's October already! I love Fall for many reasons, one of the biggest is we FINALLY have a chance at day time temperatures BELOW 100, and overnight lows far enough to start what we like to call, Fire Pit Season. We love sitting in our backyard, a cozy fire blazing in our fire pit, billions of stars above. But I think, what I love best about Fall is that it represents the anniversary of my conversion...to a Disneyland Fan! 


It was September of 2007 when Joyce and I made our first trip together to the Happiest Place On Earth. In the four years now that we've been making the trek to the Disneyland Resort, we've visited in just about every month, every season really. But by far my favorite it Fall, right around the end of September to the end of October. Truth be told, the end of October is my all time favorite because the weather is perfect and, well, it's our wedding anniversary time. So, why have I shared this with you? Because, my magical readers Joyce and I are heading off to Disneyland near the end of October to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary! 


We thought long and hard about where we wanted to celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage and both agreed there was only one place we wanted to be - Disneyland (ok, so it really took us about 15 seconds to decide!). Where better to celebrate the best day of my life but in my favorite place on earth, with my favorite person. Oh, and believe me, the Disneyland Resort IS the best place to celebrate anything. They go WAY above and beyond to make certain you feel special. Joyce and I have shared many things over the years, but the one thing that we share that has enabled us to spread magic to others is our love for Disneyland and Walt Disney. 


So, take it from me, if you're looking to find a place to celebrate your love, or your birthday, or that job promotion, or winning the big game...well, you get the picture, look no further than Disneyland. And if you're not sure, why not check out our latest video podcast. We've started a series we call "Through The Eyes Of The Mouse: Relaxing At The Disneyland Resort". In this series of special videos, we take you on a people watching-relaxing trip through the Disneyland Resort, and you don't even have to wear shoes! In this second of the series, we take you to Mickey's Toontown and Adventureland. If you'd like to see the first part, check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/talespodcast. And be sure to check out Tales From The Mouse House - Disneyland Podcast in iTunes, or at www.talescast.com. ~~~ Al 

Disneyland in the Fall

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Happiness...

Happiness. Now that's a pretty personal word, isn't it? Happiness could mean a million dollars to one person, and it could mean a good hair day to another. The meaning of the word is as unique to the person as the person using it. To me, happiness isn't a "feeling", it's a state of being.

Let me back up a moment. Being happy, as I'm sure everyone knows, is always in a state of flux, that is, it's never constant. For example, you could wake up in a happy mood, then after battling a fierce traffic jam, be transformed into "Mr. Grumpy Pants"! Then, someone plays the "Baby Monkey Riding On A Pig" song for you, and viola, you're in the Happiness Realm once again! So, for most of my time, I'm a pretty happy guy, but can experience my "downs" with the best of them. But...there's ALWAYS one magical thing that reaches its hand down the deep well of Grumpy Town and rescues me - Disneyland! Yep, Disneyland. The location, the idea, the thought, the photos, the sounds, well you get the picture.

I'm a relative "Newbie" to the Disneyland Resort. For those who know me or have heard Joyce and me chat about this on our podcast you'll already know this. But, for the vast majority of my life I've been deprived of that awesome happiness factory called the Disneyland Resort. My very first visit to Disneyland wasn't until 2007 - at the age of 42! My darling wife finally talked me into visiting for the Halloween Season in 2007, and I've been HAPPILY hooked ever since. Disneyland represents a tremendous state of being to me that is extremely difficult to put into words. Once I walked through the Magical Gates of Disneyland for the first time, my very definition of happiness changed. No longer was it sufficient to watch my favorite movie to make me happy. No longer was it sufficient to hear my favorite song to make me happy. Oh no! Happiness moved to a whole new level.

For those of you who love Disneyland, you understand. Walking through those gates puts you in another world, another time. The worries and troubles that plague you on "the outside" just don't exist for those few magical hours you get to spend there. Walt Disney was a very insightful man. He understood that folks NEED, not just want, but NEED, to be connected with that inner child. He found a way to help folks re-connect with the child they used to be, transporting them - US - back to an age when we were happy just being...and that's exactly what happens every time I walk through the gates of Disneyland. I'm happy...being. And spending those few magical hours with the love of my life...well, the word happy just doesn't cover it.  Call it magic, call it clever marketing, it doesn't matter. The end result is the same: HAPPINESS.

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Back To School...Disneyland Style!

Fall. A terrific time of year, especially for those of us who live in the Southwestern United States. Fall means a lot of things for us: day time temperatures falling below 110 degrees finally; Christmas decorations going up (far too early) in most retail shops; most schools beginning their educational season again, and most importantly, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California adorning the Happiest Place on Earth once more with those whimsical “Halloween” and Fall themed decorations!

For me and my wife Joyce, fall at Disneyland has a very special place in our hearts for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the very first time we had visited the Resort together, in fact, MY very first time at a Disney Park EVER, was September of 2007. The day after we arrived, the fall decorations were put up. It was quite magical really. We had enjoyed the Resort the day we arrived, then the next morning, just like Magic, the Resort was transformed into a Halloween/Autumn Wonderland that neither of us were expecting. An awesome way for me to be introduced to Disneyland, and an awesome way for Joyce to get “reacquainted” with the Resort after many years. Secondly, with kids recently returning to class, the Park wasn’t very busy!

There’s really no “bad” time to visit the Disneyland Resort. For each season of the year, cast members “dress” every inch of the place with some type of decoration signifying where in the year you are, but honestly, there are two very impressive seasons to visit: the Holiday Season and of course, Halloween. Although Joyce and I LOVE the Holiday decorations at the Disneyland Resort, our favorite time is Halloween, for those sentimental reasons I mentioned earlier, and of course, the Happiest Haunts Tour!  One other very nice aspect to fall at the Disneyland Resort is that the daytime temperatures hover around the mid 70’s, and the overnight temperatures are chilly enough to wear that cool Disneyland jacket you just purchased, or chilly enough to cuddle with that very special someone while riding on the Disneyland Railroad!

So, for us, back to school time means something a little different than it does to most. It means a trip down memory lane at the Disneyland Resort…and shorter lines!! - Al

The Happiest Blog On Earth - It's Almost Time!

Wow!! Oh boy!! Yikes!!! All of these are going through my mind right now! The last several months seemed to drag by at a snails pace, but all of a sudden, BAM! It’s almost time to head on out to Disneyland and the D23 Expo!! Yeah!!!

Well, we’ve been planning and prepping for so long, and of course, I’ve been looking so forward to this visit (can’t believe it’s been 8 months since our last visit!), that time seemed to slow down daily. And of course, with that greater time distance comes a lack of motivation to get the things done that need to be done. Like cleaning out the inside of the SUV; fixing the lift-gate of said SUV so we can actually PUT our luggage in it; washing our “vacation” clothes and ironing them up (yep, I iron!); making certain all the camera and audio equipment are functioning and recording our podcast to launch while we’re in Disneyland so you great friends have something to “tide you over” until we get back! Typically, all of this got put off until the last minute, so all of a sudden...we’re running out of time! But, that helps the remaining few days before the trip fly by. Right? Right!

So, as I complete my last minute chores and tasks, I can’t help but get more excited by the minute. Disneyland! I can’t wait!! So now, the final task is to put my Disneyland Trading pins on my lanyards. All 200 pins...and 14 lanyards!! Oh, and I can’t forget to pack my stuffed puppy! - Al

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Getting Ready for the D23 Expo!

Just about a year ago, Joyce told me about the D23 Expo. She was so excited about it. After all, we WERE Charter Day Members of D23! At this point, we had already decided to go to Destination D, the D23 “mini-event” held at the Disneyland Hotel September, 2010. So I said, go ahead, buy the tickets and we’ll just figure out how to get there as the time nears.

Well, Destination D was awesome. Really put me in the Disney magical mood. At the Event, they shared video and stories about the first D23 Expo, about the stars that showed up, the neat Disney things that were revealed.  So, since then, I’ve been looking forward to the D23 Expo with an anticipation rivaled by few.

But of course, I didn’t take into account that most malicious of entities - Murphy. As in the lawman? Murphy’s Law! Let me tell you, Mr. Murphy is NOT a very nice person. He’s thrown so many obstacles in our path recently that I began entertaining the notion of hiring a hit-man to rid us of Mr. Murphy! (Just kidding).

Since the beginning of this year, we’ve encountered quite a few...set backs that have attempted to throw the proverbial monkey-wrench in our plans. An unexpected yet serious physical issue that resulted in a semi-emergency surgery for me (nerve damage...tune in to episode 23 for that one), some unplanned for home related expenses (landscaping issues, etc), and a few other financial challenges. Then to top it off, we had a horribly difficult time finding a hotel that could fit our financial needs as well as offer us some amenities that we wanted. We had booked a room at a local hotel very close to the convention center where the Expo is being held, but they were less than friendly when it came to honoring an advertised special rate.

Well, long story just a tad bit longer, tonight, as I was preparing an episode of our Just Because Podcast (www.justbecausepodcast.com), I stumbled across a banner ad for a hotel called Red Lion while researching something TOTALLY unrelated to Disneyland. Fate? Devine intervention? Perhaps. Walt Disney looking out for us? I’d like to think as much. So, not only did we find a highly rated, newly renovated hotel directly across the street from the Expo, and about a 10 minute walk to the Resort, but we found one that fit all of our requirements!

Moral of this story? Believe in the Magic. While others may let you down, the Magic will never fail you. So, Joyce and I are going to the D23 Expo. Very excited. And best of all, we get to visit The Happiest Place On Earth. So Mr. Murphy, I say to you thank you for trying! But Uncle Walt has got my back! See you at the Resort!! ~~~ Al

The Happiest Blog On Earth - One Year Later

Wow, can you believe it? We can’t! Tales From The Mouse House Podcast is one year old! Seems like only yesterday that we...ok, well, that’s not true, is it?! We love doing this podcast and it feels so natural to us that we feel as if we’ve been doing this all our lives. Like we were...meant to bring the wondrous magic that Walt Disney created to you!

This podcast started out as a way to allow us to experience the magic of the Original Happiest Place On Earth more than just the few times we get to the Resort each year. We quickly found out that soon after a visit to the Disneyland Resort, we begin to miss that wonderful place a LOT! So we decided to podcast about it. Through the research for each show, and actually talking about it, we found that we kept that magic going between visits. A GOOD thing! But something else happened too. A few months after we started broadcasting Tales From The Mouse House, YOU started telling us wonderful stories about your visits to the Park. Another GOOD thing!! Then, through your stories we got to continue that Magical experience even more.

Then another awesome thing happened. We started getting emails from listeners telling us what our show has meant to them. Listeners who haven’t been able to visit Disneyland, some in years. All telling us, that by listening to us go on about our most FAVORITE place to be, they were experiencing that Disney Magic as well! We were bringing the Magic home for you! That’s like telling a child they have just won anything toy in the toy story they want! We were delighted to hear these tales.

And...(yep, more), we started getting emails from folks from places like England, Australia, and far off lands called Washington! All telling us that they’d NEVER been to Disneyland, but found our podcast and gave it a listen...and got hooked. Our show allows them to feel the Magic of a place they’ve never been to, and now REALLY want to visit!!

So, from the deepest, most Magical places within our hearts, we thank you for all the support you’ve given to us through this first year of Tales From The Mouse House. It’s been a pleasure. We’ve met some of the nicest and true people you could ever meet. This wonderful Disneyland community is one of family, values and fun. Walt would be grinning from ear to ear!! Thank you, and we hope that you’ll invite us into your homes for years to come!! Remember, Make It A Magical Day! ~~~ Al

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Christmas 2010

Well, Christmas 2010 has come and departed, rather quickly I might add! Of course, the 2010 Holiday Season has not been without it’s unfair share of trials and tribulations for Joyce and me. In fact, then entirety of 2010 has been, shall I say, wrought with mettle testing episodes that nearly brought us to our proverbial knees more than once!

We entered into the Christmas week with me sick, like I’ve not been in many a year. Oh, and lest we forget the podcast feed issue that we’ve FINALLY corrected?! That was one to REALLY humble me! I thought myself a computer whiz, but found out I am a computer cheese-whiz! (Check out episode 12 of Tales From The Mouse House Podcast for details). But, Joyce and I awoke on Christmas morn to an excited puppy (yep, she actually got excited to see her presents under the tree!), distributed to each other our gifts and had a wonderful day! A yummy ham dinner, then enjoying our beautiful Christmas Tree sans room lights topped off a perfect day spent in each other’s company. Alone. Just the three of us (Kate our puppy). The way we like it!

As we head into the home stretch of 2010, I reflect upon the hardships not only we faced, but many of our friends and family faced as well, and I can’t help but pray to God that 2011 is better. So, from me, Joyce, Kate and Tales From The Mouse House Podcast, have a Happy, Safe, Blesses and Prosperous New Year!  - Al