March DisneyBound Challenge 2016

Thursday, 31 March 2016Friday, 22 April 2016 Starr4 Comments

You may have noticed it’s not Friday but a post is up! That’s because I have a surprise post here with the end of March but also a surprise review with a Q&A that I think you may be interested in hearing about coming atcha tomorrow! Who am I? I don’t even know…

Ah, March. You know what that means?

March DisneyBound Challenge month! (You did read the title of this post, right?)

DisneyBounding is a movement founded by fashion blogger Leslie Kay as a way for people to channel their love for Disney characters into every day outfits. This is especially popular in Disney parks because adults are not allowed to wear costumes (for fear of confusing guests). Usually this is done by incorporating a color scheme with some small details, rather than wearing a full-on costume. (As I mentioned last year, it’s the difference between wearing a mermaid tail with a purple shell bikini top and wearing a purple shirt and green pants to portray Ariel.)

I have been a big fan of DisneyBounding and put in a bigger effort to put bounds together for the March Disneybound Challenge, even though I never come close to doing the 31 days of outfits that many other folks in the community put together. (Those people are amazing! This year, a few of them are even doing #31bounds1movie, where all of their outfits for the month are inspired by one single movie.)

This year, I struggled at the beginning of the month because I wanted to put together some fresh outfits and not do any that I’ve done in the past. Of course, I picked easier characters in the past so I was reaching out of my comfort zone, so I’m glad that I was able to mix things up a bit!

I wore these throughout the month, but I didn’t photograph any of the outfits until the very end of the month OOPS here we go:

I rediscovered my love for Dumbo when I rewatched his movie last year with Ben (in my ever-present efforts to make him a Disnerd). It’s one of those older Disney films that makes not-that-much sense to me (“Pink Elephants on Parade” really freaked Ben out) and Dumbo doesn’t have any dialogue in hte movie at all. But if I ever watch “Baby Mine” without crying, you know that I’ve been replaced with a robot.Read More »

Spring Break 2015: Disney Springs (Day 5)

Tuesday, 29 March 2016Friday, 22 April 2016 Starr1 Comment

Last time on Spring Break 2015, we exhausted ourselves in the best way soaking up as much Disney magic as possible. On the day we prepared to head home, we spent some time in Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney. This is the finale for our spring break in Florida…

Waking up was so strange, because it meant our magical spring break vacation was over. I had to go home to accept a job offer; it didn’t get much more real world than that.

After Annie coerced me into wearing my Ariel outfit, hairbow and all (minus the corset, she’s not completely unreasonable), we set out for a relaxing browse-around of Disney Springs, which used to be called Downtown Disney until a recent renovation. 12513724_10208885015586329_5263508201923533641_o 12068731_10208885017386374_2313569300021160978_o

Didn’t blow all your money at Disney World? WELL YOU’RE IN LUCK! (But your wallet is not.) There are plenty of Disney stores at Disney Springs that are sure to worry your accountant and bank account.

The highlight of our short foray into Disney Springs was the T-Rex Café, aka one of the most magical dinosaur experiences I have ever had and likely ever will have.Read More »

Spring Break 2015: DISNEY WORLD (Day 4 part 2)

Friday, 25 March 2016Tuesday, 29 March 2016 StarrLeave a comment

Last time on Spring Break, I was traipsing around Disney World with my friends, having the time of my life dressed as Ariel, belly full from lunch at Be Our Guest, and ready for a jam-packed evening.

WARNING: This post can only be longer than the last post. If you skipped the last post to come straight here… that’s understandable. This post is both text-heavy and photo-heavy, you have been severely warned. If you think it’s painful to read then consider how much I delayed it because of how painful it was to write. You’re welcome. And also, I am terribly sorry. Looooooong post ahead!

Fresh off the high of finally being able to see the Festival of Fantasy parade, we skipped off to ride through a classic, Pirates of the Caribbean. I love the movies that drew inspiration from this ride and love thinking about how creatively the writers took a simple story ride and gave us the PotC movie franchise. (Sad that “We want the redhead!” doesn’t make it to the movies, though.)

After hearing about how Annie had 7 the last time she went to Disney World, we went to Aloha Isle for the famous Dole Whip! It was pretty hot that day, so the pineapple soft serve really hit the spot. Dole Whip used to only be sold at Disney properties (Disneyland, Disney World, Disney’s Polynesian) and at Dole’s Hawaii pineapple plant, but there are a handful of other spots you can snag this pineapple-y treat. Even if you don’t love pineapple, it’s definitely worth trying because it doesn’t have the super sharp acidity makes folks like me uncomfortable after more than a few small pieces.

There was no line and it’s kind of nostalgic, so we also took a quick tour of the Swiss Family Treehouse, which is based on the old movie Swiss Family Robinson. I never saw this movie but my parents did, so I remember them taking me through it and explaining the rooms and the cool engineering. It’s a swanky treehouse, folks. If I was stranded on an island and had to live in this treehouse, I’d be pretty ecstatic. I worry that one day, this treehouse will be gone or rebranded for a newer Disney franchise (like it was at Disneyland), so I try to enjoy it while I can. Of course, we also checked out Haunted Mansion, which is a fun and spoopy ride and an okay movie-based-on-a-ride. The creepy factor is definitely turned up for this classic Disney ride, so keep that in mind if you are bringing along smaller children.

We really wanted to take it easy in the afternoon, because we had dinner reservations at 11PM. Yeah, we had a long day ahead of us. A lot of people don’t like what I call the story rides, where you sit in a moving vehicle (arms and legs inside at all times!) and experience the story of the movie by passing through. The old Snow White ride was a story ride before it was decommissioned and replaced with the Mine Train. (Replaced as in Mine Train is the park’s Snow White ride now.) We did Under the Sea in the morning (because LITTLE MERMAID DUH) and did The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before heading to the classic (ultimate classic) It’s a Small World and all its Mary Blair-style splendor. Confession: I used to get quite scared on this ride because there are so many animatronic dolls staring at you…

One of the highlights of the evening wound up being Enchanted Tales with Belle. The wait was one of the shorter ones by this point in the afternoon and there was an opportunity to meet a character so I mean. Maurice’s cottage is adorable and filled with a lot of cute details. There is even a portrait of Belle with her mother, which is a real treat because her mother is not shown or really mentioned in any of the movies. But what made our excursion to Belle’s library afterwards (“Take me to the moment Belle and Beast fell in love!”) was the interactive part of telling that story. Belle came out to greet all of us and chose audience members to help reenact her love story.

Guess what happened when she laid eyes on the Gaston in our group?

Spring Break 2015: DISNEY WORLD (Day 4 part 1)

Tuesday, 22 March 2016Sunday, 20 March 2016 Starr2 Comments

Last time on Spring Break, our crew drove left the island town of Key West and made way for the mainland, stopping to see gators and a friend in Sarasota before arriving in Orlando for the main event of our trip (for me, anyway) – a full day at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

WARNING: Long post ahead. Looooooong. You have been warned. We were at Disney World from open to close and I had a lot of feelings throughout the whole day. I was, needless to say, really psyched about it. Long post. Looooooooooong. End of warning.

I was the first person to wake up in our room, spring awake with my cell phone alarm because I. WAS. SO. READY. It took a little while to get everyone else to my energy level at 6 AM but come on, gang, Disney World!!! Specifically, Magic Kingdom, aka the most magical part of Disney World.

Of course, I was super stoked to put on my Ariel Disneybound for the day. The only thing better than having a really great Disneybound was that my whole group dressed for the occasion. It was maybe on of the greatest moments of my life? Having people share a common interest with me and who are willing to display it in public with me shouldn’t be so difficult for me, but it is, so it meant a lot to me that my friends would Disneybound with me.

Prince Eric, Ariel, Gaston, and Snow White (aka Ben, me, Tim, and Annie) (also, it was *not* Tim and Annie’s first visit shhhh)

We got on the shuttle nice and early, with a whole bunch of kids and their parents. We weren’t the only folks dressed as characters, but the only other person our age was wearing one of Hot Topic’s options. Otherwise, it was mostly girls aged 3-9 wearing their Disney princess best.

Most of them stared at me shamelessly on the shuttle ride to the park. In fact, throughout the whole day, I was stared at a lot. I didn’t feel too self-conscious about it most of the day, as I was mostly glad that people were noticing how much work I put into the look, but sometimes I got weirded out and quickly scuttled out of view. (The wide-eyed stares of children are easy to get used to. The slack-jawed gawking of teens and parents… not so much.)

But one of the most fun things about Disneybounding is that it’s become a real community. A few guests stopped me to tell me they loved my Ariel Disneybound, and a lot of cast members (aka Disney employees) said the same as well. I also loved letting other people know that I liked their Disneybounds and seeing how glad they were to get the acknowledgement from a fellow Disnerd. Thanks, Leslie, for helping us achieve that moment.

Anyhow! We had a few scheduled activities for the days: lunch, dinner, fireworks shows and parades we wanted to see, and FastPass slots. FastPass is Disney’s system where you can select time slots and get in an express line for popular rides. It’s a great way for you to plan your day around certain must-see rides while really reducing how much time you spend waiting in line for those rides. (TL;DR If you visit a Disney park, definitely reserve your FastPass slots.)

ALSO I enjoyed using the new(ish) Magic Bands! These got rolled out a few years ago and their primary use for guests is that it’s their guest pass, as in it allows them into the park and onto the rides. (Otherwise, you use a card.) But, these do a lot more than serve as a wearable pass, and you can learn more about that at your own leisure, I won’t bore you here about it. BUT BASICALLY Mickey wristbands meant less fumbling with pockets for me and Annie!

75th Intel Science Talent Search Awards Gala

Friday, 18 March 2016 StarrLeave a comment

My friend Annie told me that there was this really cool awards gala happening with a celebrity keynote speaker (more on that in a bit). She sent me the registration link and urged me to sign up! But I was instantly suspicious. The Intel Science Talent Search, maybe the most prestigious pre-collegiate science awards program in the country? A black tie gala? Dinner provided? Where was the catch? How much did I need to pay to get in? And, of course, what was I supposed to wear to this???

Long story short, I got in without a hitch, had a lovely time, and was totally blown away by these talented high school seniors whose dedication to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) is going to make the world a better place.

(Also I got to see Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson!)