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...