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

Pixie Tales - Integrity

“Our heritage and ideals, our codes and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.”

This famous quote by none other than Walt Disney speaks of the integrity of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company. 

At Tales from the Mouse House - A Disneyland Podcast, we pride ourselves in following the beliefs of Walt and use this philosophy when bringing our podcasts to you. 

The Mission of Tales From The Mouse House – A Disneyland Podcast:

“As true fans of Walt Disney and his Disneyland Resort, it is the sole purpose of “Tales From The Mouse House – A Disneyland Podcast” to deliver the magic and happiness we have experienced in all that Walt Disney created with his Original Park to our listeners by delivering the most entertaining and sincere shows possible through the use of audio and video episodes.  Following the example set by Walt Disney, Tales From The Mouse House – A Disneyland Podcast will always strive to improve what we bring to our listeners.”

We are joining The Three Disneyland Moms in pledging that we will blog and podcast with honesty and integrity.  By taking this pledge, we commit to bringing you only the facts,  showing respect to our audience and being honest in our reviews, remain positive and have fun when sharing our Disney experience, report on news story in a timely manner and verify the news is accurate and reliable, never use other bloggers or podcasters materials without their consent, and be friends to other Disney bloggers and fans.

Hop on over to http://www.3dlandmoms.com/p/three-disneyland-moms-pledge.html and take the pledge.--Joyce

The Chronicles of Duffy - Christmas, D23 and a Winner!

Christmas in July is traditionally celebrated in some parts of Australia, primarily because Christmas falls during their summer season. However, July is one of the coldest months in the “Land Down Under”. Since they find it difficult to follow certain traditions, like having a heavy meal, during the summer they follow all those Holiday customs for their Christmas in July celebrations. This unique celebration is referred to as “Half-Christmas” in Australia.

Here in Arizona, the summer temperatures do not put us in the Christmas spirit often, but the retailers have lots of Christmas in July sales. It is the perfect way to start Christmas shopping and save a few dollars. I have been staying indoors and have not ventured out much lately.  With all this fur and the Christmas sweater that I am so attached to, I get over-heated quickly and prefer to stay indoors. 

In celebration of Christmas in July, My Mom and Dad, hosts of Tales from the Mouse House podcast, launched a giveaway contest and we are happy to announce that our winner of the Tales from the Mouse House T-shirt is Christina.  Christina is a self-proclaimed teenage Disney Geek.  Congratulations Christina and thanks for being a loyal listener to my Mom and Dad’s cool podcast!

I am getting very excited for the D23 Expo and will visit with Mom, Dad, and Val. Katie is going on a separate vacation to play with her doggie friends. Although, I plan to report mainly on new attractions and going-ons at the Disneyland Resort, I’ll have some reports on D23 as well. Stayed tuned for my first real trip to the Park report! It will be my first time back since my adoption and I am so excited. Val is excited too because it will be his first time to the park.  He lived at Company D prior to joining our family.  Our good friend, Julie bought Val as a favor for Mom since we could not make a trip to the resort.  If you haven’t already done so, please read my blog about Val joining the family.

Don’t forget to visit our new webpage for Tales from the Mouse House Disneyland podcast: www.talescast.com.

Make it a Mickey Day! (That’s what Mom and Dad always say!)

The Chronicles of Duffy - Independence Day

Today I ventured out with my family to celebrate Independence Day. It was a hot day but we had a great time.

The park was not as crowded as we expected but it was 109 degrees and on Saturday, we set record high temperature of 118 degrees.

Mom took Katie and I for a walk around the park and we observed people fishing, feeding the ducks, picnicking and having quality family time.  Then we went back to our shaded area and relaxed with Dad. He is still recovering from a recent surgery so he did not join us on our walk.

In our community, the firework festivities were on Saturday and we did not watch them this year because it was too hot.  I am looking forward to going to Disneyland in August where I will get to see the best fireworks in the world.  We are getting ready to watch the Macy’s fireworks on TV.

Since it has been several months since I last blogged, I will catch you up on some of my adventures.  Katie, Val and I have been staying indoor just hanging out but on the weekend we get to run errands with Mom and Dad.  For Father’s Day, we bought Dad a new grill and we have been having lots of BBQs.  You should watch our youtube video of the first rotisserie chicken, Dad made.  It was yummy but very crispy on the outside.

Don’t forget to visit our new webpage for Tales from the Mouse House Disneyland podcast: www.talescast.com.  I will blog more after D23 Expo in August. Hope to see you there!

Make it a Magical Day!

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 Chronicles of Duffy - Adventures with Buddies!

My buddies, Katie and Val have been joining me on some adventures. A few weeks ago we played in the snow, well Katie played while I observed. It is crazy to see snow in the region of Arizona that we live in. You can watch Katie’s antics on YouTube.  She is not as popular as the laughing baby but equally as cute.  This past weekend, it was beautiful and we explored the wilderness, of our backyard.  Katie loves to sunbathe and Val and I are beginning to enjoy it too. 

We enjoyed a Saturday afternoon hanging out at Starbucks with other puppies.  My big sis, Katie got a little nervous when another dog tried to sniff me.  She is so loving and protective of me. 

We went shopping for our spring flowers and this year, Mom and Dad are adding calla lilies to the garden.  They are my most favorite and don’t I look so cute in my picture with them? Love springtime and can’t wait to go more adventures.  What would you like to see me and my family do?