Hey Everyone! It’s time for my current round of ramblings! I hope you’re all doing well and are ready to catch up. As I sit here, I’m trying to think about the best way to put my thoughts together for this week. It’s a struggle for some reason, but I’ll do my best!
When the new year came, I think I was one of those hopeful people who was trying to be optimistic for better things. I’m not even sure why because logically I knew that the world couldn’t miraculously improve just by what it says on the calendar. Sadly we don’t have a Fairy Godmother who can “poof” us into a better space. Truth be told, I’ve been a little blue in the past few weeks. It totally could be the post-holiday blues. I love the Christmas season, the decorations at home and of course at Disney make my heart happy. Social media has been depressing too, the comments sections on posts have been vicious. Scrolling causes bad moods to happen lately. So what’s a girl to do? Throw myself into work, that’s what.
Last week we went to Animal Kingdom for the first time in forever! Ok well, since July. Before we lived ten minutes from Disney property and were vacationing from Michigan, Animal Kingdom was my second favorite park. Magic Kingdom was and is first. This year, it will be our seventh anniversary of Florida living, and I can probably count on my fingers, maybe toes too, of how many times we have been to Animal Kingdom. It’s odd how things change, but AK somehow moved to the bottom of the list. I’m trying to make myself do more and get more content for the site, so I was way overdue for a visit. It was a beautiful day and the park was pretty empty. There was no wait for Flight of Passage, just the long walk through the queue! Same with the safari, it was crazy! No crowds meant more opportunity to take our time and go exploring. One of my favorite parts of the afternoon was grabbing a Starbucks and walking the path behind the Tree of Life. There was literally no one back there, so I sat on the ground to drink my iced coffee, and took pictures of the animals on the tree. Characters were going by on boats at the same time, so it was a great spot to be in. I highly recommend going back there if you can, it was nice!
Over the weekend it was actually pretty chilly outside. Yes, really! We got new inventory in for Lost Princess Apparel and photos needed to be taken among other things that had to be done. When I’m in a funk it’s hard to get motivated sometimes, but that’s what my PR assistant Sean is for. He gives me the extra kick in the pants when I need it, and he ended up taking some magical photos on Sunday. My friend Lizz came to help out too so I stressed for nothing. Sometimes I want time off, just a little break. But owning two small businesses means there’s work to be done everyday. This coming Sunday is our first live show of the year, at the House of Blues Disney Springs. I have a guest cohost filling in for John, it’s Mark Daniel! You know Mark from the Disney Parks live feeds and more, he’s pretty great. The show will be broadcasting live on Facebook this Sunday at 4pm EST! If you’re local you should come to the show, doors open at 3:30! Details are on our site!
Ok so back to being in a funk and those post holiday blues. Last night I finally took down our Christmas tree. Yes, I still had it up, the rest of the decorations were down. I absolutely love Christmas lights and the tree makes the room feel so homey and peaceful. I had been dreading that task, just like the photo shoot and so many more things this month. I have to force myself to keep moving forward, even when I truly don’t want to. I teared up a little, wrapping up the ornaments and putting them in boxes. They all mean something, they represent our family, plus all of the things we love and places we have visited. This past Christmas was so different, I miss my family back home, the holidays were a blur. That could be part of why those feelings were there. When I was closing up the boxes, I wondered what the world would be like by the next holiday season. When it’s time to pull those decorations out again, how will life be? Deep thoughts, I know. If 2020 taught me anything, it’s that everything can change SO quickly, and to try to appreciate the good things. But what about when you’re lacking motivation? Or scared to proceed because of uncertainty? Keep moving forward. It’s a must! I have to force myself, maybe make a list of what I want to accomplish. No, we certainly don’t know what’s to come but we can hope and pray for the best. There are things that I need to do, like finish my fourth book already because I’ve been dragging my feet. I’m hoping our businesses will continue to grow, that some sort of normal will happen, and that I’ll finally get to see the people I miss. But if moving forward doesn’t happen, then none of that will either. No, like we already discussed, there’s no Fairy Godmother to fix it all. However, believing in yourself and knowing your potential can help, keep it moving! If I can so can you! I truly appreciate all of you and your support, it means more than you know. Until next time, sending you love, blessings and pixie dust. See ya real soon! -M
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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