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