Princess And The Frog: Mardi Gras!!

Happy Mardi Gras Disney fans!!!! Well okay … Happy a-little-after-Mardi-Gras-and-well-into-Lent-season. So far this month has already seen a lot of happenings: two awesome shows in Dayton and Cleveland over the weekend, a new job I’ll be starting in a week, and a much needed performer’s break from performing. We finally got snowfall here in Ohio and I must say it is quite pretty … albeit cold and wet.

February is seeing a lot of changes for me personally up here in Ohio. I’ve accepted a new position at my day job. I’m excited to take this step up in my department because it means more challenges, more learning experiences and yes even more money! And that means … A little more wiggle room to save up for Disney DVDs and Dinner Parties!!

February is also prep time for my performance life as I generally take the month off to rest and recuperate and working toward some projects. Part of that project includes gearing up for pageantry season and competing!! I love the artistic process that happens when you bring together a package for competition: the gown, the jewelry, the talent, the costumes, the dancers, the sets … everything coming together to form one solid offering that says “here I am and here’s what I do.”

Well enough about my professional and performance life; let’s dive into this month’s Disney and Dinner. With Mardi Gras happening so early this month, what better movie to feature than The Princess and the Frog. Here we follow the story of Tianna, a hard working waitress with dreams of owning her own restaurant and the spoiled yet broke playboy Prince of Maldonia Naveen as they attempt to break the spell of voodoo villain Dr. Facilier with the help of Ray the Firefly, Louis the trumpet-blowing gator, and Mama Odi the Voodoo Woman of the Bayou. I’ve reviewed the movie in a previous post so (which you and find here) so I won’t bore you with going through it again. On this particular night I was joined by my Disney buddy Rory, and two of my dancers (we had just gotten done with rehearsal) Vivianna and Pandora. And here’s tonight’s menu:

Jambalaya
Crockpot Cornbread
Easy Beignets

Now I know what you’re going to say … In the movie they’re constantly talking gumbo. And I understand gumbo is more traditionally served during Mardi Gras so why Jambalaya? Well … the short answer … I don’t know how to make gumbo. It seems like a silly excuse but I have fond memories of learning to make jambalaya from back in college. My college chamber singers were planning a choir tour trip to Italy and well we needed money. Normally choirs turn to raffles or spaghetti feeds for fund raising and such, well our choir director this time around gave us three new ideas: Raffle ticket to win a car (amazingly successful), a pumpkin pie sale (just in time for the Thanksgiving season) but we kicked everything off with a jambalaya night (much like a spaghetti feed). I was given the task of finding out just how much spice we would need to go from a batch that serves 4 people to 120 people!! Thankfully my math skills hadn’t dwindled at that point. The jambalaya was a wild success and I’ve kept the recipe with me for the last 13 years. What I like about this recipe is first off you don’t need a lot of hard to find spices as you use only four: salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Also it’s easy to adjust the ingredient list to use whatever you happen to have on hand. Here’s the ingredient list:

·         1 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size chunks

·         1 lbs Kielbasa, cut into half inch slices

·         One medium sized onion, chopped

·         Three bell peppers, chopped

·         Two to three cloves of garlic chopped

·         Five or six stalks of celery chopped (include the leaves for flavor)

·         One 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

·         One 16 oz. bottle of beer

·         4 Cups of water

·         1 ½ cups of rice

·         Cayenne Pepper

·         Chili Powder

·         Salt and black pepper

·         3 Bay leaves

Method:

In a Dutch oven heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee chicken thighs and Kielbasa, seasoning with salt, black and Cayenne pepper. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and celery to same pot. Cook until the vegetables start to sweat and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Add the meat back into the pot with canned tomatoes and beer. Simmer on medium heat until the alcohol evaporates. Add water and rice and turn heat down to medium low. Add bay leaves and simmer until rice is cooked.

One thing I definitely recommend is pay attention to what type of rice you use. Being Japanese, I used Cal-Rose rice which is very sticky. This created a very thick jambalaya with little liquid left in the pot. Still good but if you want more of a soup consistency then I would recommend long grain rice as oppose to Japanese style rice.

As you will see in many of my recipes, I love using my crockpot. For anyone who’s busy with everyday life, I think a crockpot is probably one of the best investments you can make. I use my crockpot for main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and even as a center piece for some of my parties (Google ideas for a crockpot chocolate fondue party and you’ll see what I mean). It seems as though many meals from the south have one common side dish you can find: cornbread. So when I did a search for easy cornbread recipes and a crockpot recipe came up … Well of course I had to give it a try!! Here’s the recipe I found from a website called “Tablespoon”

Easy Crockpot Cornbread:

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·         1 ½ cups Cornmeal

·         1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         1 tablespoon baking powder

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

·         2 cups buttermilk

·         2 large eggs

Method:

Melt unsalted butter in a 5-6 quart slow cooker on high heat. Stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chili powder in a medium mixing bowl. Then stir in buttermilk and eggs. Spread melted butter around in slow cooker so it coats the bottom of the cooker. Pour in cornbread batter and spread evenly. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. Let cornbread cool slightly and serve with a spoon.

The end result of this was wonderful. Moist and flaky and delicious; the only thing I toyed with for the future is adding a little more sugar as I’m used to sweeter cornbread. Also I did not add the chili powder so I’m certain that would have changed up the flavor as well. But those details are rather minor; the end result was absolutely worth it (and only two hours in the crockpot!).

Works in progress 

Finished Product

For dessert what can be more appropriate than beignets. These light, airy and crispy pieces of fried dough come with a variety of toppings, from honey to melted chocolate to cinnamon and sugar. I decided to keep this one simple when searching for a recipe and really… It doesn’t get any simpler than this:

Easy Beignets

·         1 12 oz. can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

·         Vegetable oil

·         Garnish: Powdered sugar

Method:

Separate biscuits into individual round and cut into quarters. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees. Fry biscuit quarters in batches (1 to 1.5 minutes on each side or until golden). Drain on a paper towel and dust generously with powdered sugar.

The best part of this recipe is the beignets pretty much tell you when they’re ready to be flipped (most times they turn themselves over in the cooking oil). These are certainly delicious warm from cooking but even as they cooled down a bit … they were still delicious.

Easy Beignets

With our bowls of food ready to warm us through, the four of us sat down and watched Princess and the Frog. In the course of conversation we started to talk of our own upbringings sparked by the villain of the movie, Dr. Facilier. During the course of the movie, we commented on how each of us has a little Facilier characteristic: I read Tarot cards, Vivianna and Pandora grew up knowing voodoo, and Rory pointed out how the Dr. would make an interesting villain movie remake (maybe a thought for the future huh Disney?).

Well everyone another month of Disney and Dinner planning in the books. Some of you may have noticed than in the course of this blog I rarely mention drink with our meals. Normally when I have a dinner night I like to make it a BYOB affair. Everyone brings something they like and are willing to share so we all get a chance to try something new. I asked my friend Rory to come up with a drink that would complement this meal and his offering will be in a follow up blog called “Rory’s Refreshments.” I hope you enjoy this added blog offering and the recipes presented so far. In the meantime, is there a Disney movie you’d like to see offered for a Disney Dinner? Leave a comment in the comments section and I’ll do my best to come up with a dinner pairing for it!!

I hope it warms up nicely and the spring brings you sunshine!! Next month in honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’ll be cooking up some corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot with a side offering of salt-crusted fingerling potatoes and chocolate stout cake for dessert. And next month’s movie offering: Darby O’Gill and the Little People. 

As always Make It A Magical Day -- Pat A

Links: 

Crockpot Jambalaya -- http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/homemade-slow-cooker-cornbread/6a4d0874-1fbf-4e23-954c-0476cca27a40

Easy Beignets -- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/biscuit-beignets

Lilo and Stitch: At Home Luau

Happy New Year Disney Fans!! And welcome to 2016!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s. I had the good fortune to spend those holidays (on top of an anniversary) in Las Vegas. I gambled, shopped, caught a phenomenal show, and had an all-around relaxing time. Vegas is home to some of the best entertainment you can find. From showgirls… well… show boys to Broadway and legends of the performing world … and even a few of their impersonators, Las Vegas has it all!!! I will say too … for any of you out there that have a chance to catch the musical Jersey Boys absolutely do!! The story of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons as told by the members and through their music. Wonderful experience!!

For me, no trip anywhere is complete without trying some of the best food. Las Vegas is home to some of the best world class restaurants. Just walking up and down the Strip you can find restaurants owned and operated by some of the biggest names in the culinary world: Gordon Ramsey, Morimoto, Rocky Aoki… Okay that last name may not seem as familiar, but you may have heard of the popular Japanese restaurant where your chef prepares food right at your table Aoki created named Benihana.

I’m sure you’ve figured by now that not only do I love to eat, but I also love to cook. Last month I announced a new venture for this blog and I’m excited to bring you the first entry in a year of movies and meals. I’ve created easy-to-make, three-course menus all themed around a different Disney movie for each month. Each meal is designed to be easy and quick using ingredients you can find in any grocery store and even fun to make for any little Disney kitchen helpers you may have in your family. So grab your apron as I present to you the very first Disney & Dinner!!

Truthfully when it comes to January and winters, I’m not a big fan. I guess after the excitement of Christmas and promising a new year and a new you from New Year’s, January normally brought on the close to zero temperatures and gray days. In light of this I started thinking what could be better than bringing a little sun and fun into the month? And what state is sunnier than the Aloha State, Hawaii. So with my copy of Lilo and Stitch in hand I give you an easy, at-home luau:

Movie: Lilo and Stitch

Menu: Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders

Asian Slaw

Kona Coffee Jello with Kahlua Whip Cream

So Lilo and Stitch, the story of a broken family of sisters struggling to stay together after their parents tragically die in a rainstorm and an extraterrestrial outlaw that randomly lands on the islands. The two paths cross and teach each other the meaning of Ohana: Family. Released in 2002, the movie was meant to be more of a “B-Movie” for Disney and not an epic blockbuster along the lines of say Frozen. I’ve already given my review which you can find here.

So let’s dive into dinner!

When I created the idea of an at home luau I knew I had to include the iconic roast pig. The last time I was in Hawaii my junior year of high school, our trip including a luau and they told us the process of cooking the pig, which included digging a hole in the sand, building a fire and letting it burn down, covering the pig and fire pit with banana leaves, and letting the pig cook in the natural oven for an entire day. As wonderful as the outcome is I’m afraid my landlord would have an objection to me digging up the lawn to create a pit for luaus. So instead I turned to Google for ideas and found a wonderful recipe that was simple and still delicious. I will say from the get go this is not my original recipe so no infringement is intended (I will also include the link where I found it).

Pulled Kalua Pork Sliders

·         1 pork roast, about 4 lbs.

·         1 Tablespoon liquid smoke seasoning

·         1 ½ Tablespoon Hawaiian Sea Salt

Method: Rub the pork with salt and liquid smoke seasoning (I used the Hickory smoke flavor). Put roast into crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours, turning once during cooking. When done shred meat in crockpot and serve on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (I used the King’s Hawaiian brand).

For a side dish I made an easy “Asian” slaw. NOTE: If you can’t find ramen noodles with the seasoning already on the noodles, you can use any ramen with the Oriental seasoning packet; just add half to the full packet into the dressing.

Easy Asian Slaw

·         Half a head of cabbage (or one package of pre-shredded cole slaw mix)

·         2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds

·         2 Tablespoons of sliced almonds (optional)

·         2 Green onions, chopped

·         1 Package of ramen (Nissin works best as it already has the seasoning on the noodles; if you can’t find the Nissin brand see the tip from above)

For the dressing

·         2 Tablespoons sugar

·         ½ cup oil

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         3 Tablespoon Vinegar

In a large bowl combine cabbage, sesame seeds, almonds and green onions. Mix up the ingredients thoroughly. Crush ramen in package and sprinkle over cabbage mix. In a cruet or jar put sugar, oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cover and shake until thoroughly mixed. Pour over cabbage and ramen mixture.

This slaw is great served freshly made and gets even better the longer is sits in the dressing.

For dessert I decided to draw on a dish that I’ve seen in cooking videos from Japan and had the experience of trying for the first time while on a recent trip to Las Vegas at a Japanese buffet called Makino. Coffee Jello is great as well as you can make it as sweet as you want by adjusting the sugar and the type of coffee used. To go with the Hawaiian theme I opted for a good Kona roast and added a little twist into the whipped cream topping:

Coffee Jello with Kahlua Whipped Cream

·         Four cups freshly brewed coffee, any roast (I used Kona)

·         ¼ cup of sugar

·         One packet (quarter oz.) of unflavored gelatin

For whipped cream:

·         One small carton heavy whipping cream

·         2 Tablespoons sugar

·         1 Tablespoon Kahlua liqueur (optional)

Method: Pour coffee in a mixing bowl and add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then add gelatin, stirring until gelatin is also dissolved. Pour mixture into a square 9x9 pan and put into the refrigerator until the gelatin firms up (I made this the day before and let it set overnight).

For the whipped cream topping, pour heavy cream, sugar and kahlua, if using, into a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low until sugar is dissolved and then turn up to medium high speed. Mix the cream until it forms hard peaks. 

To serve, cut the coffee jello into squares. Pour hot water into a larger pan and set pan with jello in water to loosen up. Serve in bowls and top with whipped cream.

My friend and fellow Disney fan Rory came over to help out with serving up this delicious Disney dinner and also took a few pictures of the finished products:

Pulled Pork Sliders with Asian Slaw

Coffee Jello with Spiked Whipped Cream

Here are the links to the recipes I used for this month: 

Kalua Pork: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24035/kalua-pig-in-a-slow-cooker/

Coffee Jello: http://www.food.com/recipe/coffee-jello-81870

Well all I hope you’ve enjoyed the first entry in my yearlong Disney and Dinner series. I am excited to get this year underway and create more menus and give you more Disney movie reviews in 2016. In the meantime, please let me know what you think of these recipes and share your pictures of these creations.

Next month we’re going to celebrate Mardi Gras in style and take inspiration from the cookbook of Tiana. That’s right Disney fans, next month’s movie is The Princess and the Frog and on the menu we’ll have Jambalaya, cornbread and easy to make beignets!! And as always

Make it a Magical Day – Pat A

Merry Christmas Post

Happy December Disney Fans!!!

Your Disney fan Patrick here writing to you today from beautiful Las Vegas, NV where I'm spending two weeks with my family RVing, gambling, exploring, and all around having a good time. I'll be spending Christmas, New Years, and my parent's anniversary while out here in the deserty west. Alas, however, this trip Disneyland will not be happening, but that's okay. It'll be there for future trips I'm sure.

Speaking of Disneyland, I have been seeing video ads on YouTube highlighting the new Downtown Disney District in Anaheim. Looking at the ads and maps of the district, I get a sense the area will be a smaller but still just as active version of the Disney Springs in Orlando. It's nice to see Disney expanding all of it's parks to bring joy to all of it's guests. Looking at the map, Downtown Disney is right off of the Grand Californian resort and hosts many places to shop and eat and enjoy a little Disney magic without necessarily needing a ticket.

New Downtown Disneyland District

Part of the magic of Disney ... Even in places where you don't have to pay they still give you magic!

In other news, the year is beginning to wrap up and I celebrate two years of having this blog!! Two years of Disney musings, movies, and general magical posts. As I stated in a previous month I am going to take this blog in a new direction for 2016. I'm excited to get 2016 underway for my Disney and Dinner series. Every month I will bring you a new menu inspired by a Disney movie with recipes, pictures on preparing and a few friends helping me out. We'll be sharing our thoughts on the food and movie and fellowship. I'll start out 2016 with January's movie Lilo and Stitch, featuring an easy At Home Luau with Kalua Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Asian Slaw. 

Well kids ... It's been a wonderful year and we're getting ever closer to the big 2017 friend trip to Walt Disney World!! In the meantime I hope you enjoy the holidays and I would like to leave you with this little clip from a VHS I used to watch every December growing up ... I leave you with the opening of Disney's 1982 video A Disney Christmas Gift

Happy Holidays Disney Fans and remember 

Make It A Magical Holiday -- Pat A. 

A Thankful Post

Happy chilly November Disney Friends!!

Another month is flying by and the end of the year is quickly approaching. It also means a time to spend with family (either biological or chosen) over good food, good times, and good conversation. For me that'll mean spending time with my good friends at an Orphan's Thanksgiving (a term I used to use when I cooked and invited people over that weren't able to be with their families during Turkey Day). Much as I like to cook I also love to hand over the reins to someone else as well and just sit back and enjoy the day off from it all.

I'm very curious to all of you readers out there with the blog. What makes you thankful? What Disney movie or park or experience has made you thankful?

Here's my Disney Thankful Post:

In 1966 two newlyweds traveled to Disneyland to celebrate their honeymoon with the bride's parents also attending. The two would later have a couple of children, one of whom is the publisher of this blog. Thus starts the beginning of a Disney fan in training and the perfect situation for raising a Disney Kid.

In 1985 a family would travel down from Ontario, Oregon to Anaheim in two motorhomes and the family would stay in the Disneyland RV Park *now I believe it's the Anaheim RV Park* and spend what seemed like forever exploring the park on multiple days, as well as going to Universal Studios, and shopping. The best part of the RV park was being able to see the fireworks from the motorhome. This was the first visit for me and the start of a Disney fanatic life!

Two years later in 1987, the same family would travel to Florida for a business trip and yes you guessed it ... a visit to Walt Disney World resort. At that time there were only two parks, Magic Kingdom and my favorite Epcot Center; Downtown Disney was called the Disney Village and the only water park was Disney's River Country.

Nine years later in 1996, the youngest in the family, now a freshman in high school, is given a chance to travel with his high school choir and band to perform in the Magical Musical Days at Disney (how many of you are alum of that program??). The band proudly walked down Main Street while the choir sang on the Carnation Stage ... What fond memories that brings back.

The next year in 1997, back to Florida for another business trip with the family, but this time with a high school buddy coming as well. By this time, Disney had built Disney/MGM studios and opened up what would become another favorite ride, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was in the middle of October and waits never exceeded 5 minutes!! Fast Pass was barely introduced but, at that time not needed.

Flash forward to 1999, Senior year of high school and the final experience of Magical, Musical Days in Disneyland. The high school choir would go back to the Carnation Stage and a final spring break trip with high school friends to Disney.

As time passed and the real world took hold, the next trip would happen until 2006. The parent's decide to go back to Disneyland to celebrate 40 years together!! This time the oldest sibling brings his family as well. Grandpa, Grandma, Brother, Sister-in-Law, and Nephew all in once place together sharing an experience at the Happiest Place on Earth.

More time passes and it was time for a return trip to Florida and Walt Disney World taking place in 2013. This time with parent's and a partner in tow. The week is spent reliving childhood fun and experiencing new and wonderful sites since the last trip (and that's a lot considering it was 16 years since the last trip!!). This also creates a new resolve to move to Florida and pursue a career with Disney World.

I'm sure by now you've guessed all these travels are my trips to the Disney parks. I'm thankful for every trip as I have experienced the magic with family and friends. I'm thankful that Disney has taught us to keep believing in magic. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to explore more options into not only visiting *again the next trip in 2017* but also thankful for reawakening a passion in me to strive for something career-wise. I'm thankful to be able to share this passion for Disney with all of you as well.

Next month I will be traveling out west to Las Vegas and I hope I will be able to spend a couple of days in Anaheim and take pictures of Disneyland to share with you all. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you my Disney Friends and as always.

Make It A Magical and Thankful Day

Patrick A

October 2015

Hello Disney Fans!!

I know it seems odd to do another update quickly on the heels of my last ... But it's a new month, a new day, and a good time to give a quick update on this blog. Forgive me if this seems to be a rather short post ...

At the end of the year I'll be traveling out to Las Vegas for about 17 days to spend Christmas with my family (I've not been able to spend Christmas with them for about 5 years) and all in all have a general good time.  Well ... that is quite a long time to stay in one place and it would seem a shame to be so close to Los Angeles and not zip over for a few days.  So ... it sounds like we may be spending a day or two in Disneyland and California Adventures park!!  I'll have my computer and be sure to upload photos and post here if and when it happens *let's hope it does!!*

In the new year I'm going to run an experiment with some friends and report on this blog. While I'm sure this isn't a new idea and there are lots of ideas for Disney Parties on the Web and on sites like Pinterest, I've decided to give a year over to creating a Disney and Dinner party for friends. Each month I'll pick a Disney movie and create a menu around that movie. To keep the focus rather tight I'm going to stick with Disney and Pixar movies, so sorry fans of Marvel and Studio Ghibli. But if the coming year of Disney and Dinners is successful, then maybe I can expand into those movies.

The Disney and Dinner series will include information and history on movies (SPOILER: there will be repeats from earlier reviews) as well as the menu and recipes for each item I've created.  I will strive for variety as choose films and create menus of course ... Take a lot of pictures!

Again I'm going to keep this blog post short for the month.  I hope you are enjoying the fall colors as much as I am and preparing for Halloween.  Those of you traveling to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party ... Safe travels.  Have a safe and happy Halloween Disney fans.

Make it a Magical Day
Patrick A.

Wow ... A Crazy Long Summer Post

Hello Disney Fans!!

Well true to form ... Summer activities took up a lot of time and here I am again sitting in Starbucks thinking about what to write on.  And I must confess ... with everything going on this summer ... I'm still struggling.

First off I am sad to announce that my partner and I have decided to call it quits after three years... Sad news indeed but like many things in my life I look at this as a move for the best.  This doesn't change plans for a 2017 trip in September at all mainly because I've already got a good head start on the money being set aside for it and it's an open invite to friends who wish to go.  But more on that later.

Much like you would expect, breaking up took it's toll on my emotions and I started thinking about what would make me happy.  In true Disney Fan fashion I took a look through my DVD collection to see what would cheer me up.  I'm sure I've mentioned my DVD collection in previous posts and really what gives me joy is owning not just many of the more popular films such as the Princess films and popular live actions like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but also many that are rarer to today's audiences.  Eventually I decided on The Aristocats.  The story of the well-bred Duchess and her three kittens Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse, the scheming butler Edgar getting rid of the cats to inherit a fortune, and with the help of Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat and his friends their return to Paris.

There isn't much reference made to The Aristocats now that you can find anywhere really in the parks ... At least not that I've been able to track down (if the changes I'll be sure to update in future posts).  So really it may be a harder video to find.  But ... whenever I'm sad the film reminds me of my very first cat ... who I named Thomas O'Malley (or Malley for short).  Watching the film I then started to dig in a bit more as I normally do and realized so many wonderful details that drew me to the film; such as music being composed by the Sherman Brothers (the very same team that composed music for Mary Poppins & Bedknobs and Broomsticks) and I found this to be one of the first films where the main characters have a single parent, but unlike most films, the single parent is the mother not the father.

Voice talent wise, Aristocats has voices many of us have come to recognize in the pantheon of recording artists.  Duchess is voiced by Eva Gabor (Miss Bianca from The Rescuers series), Thomas O'Malley voiced by good ole Papa Bear Baloo, Phil Harris.  There's also a multitude of talent in the supporting characters as well like Roquefort the mouse voiced by the same master of voices as Kaa and Winnie the Pooh Sterling Holloway, and the Shun Gon the Siamese Cat voiced by Paul Winchell (many of you may know him as the voice of Tigger), and the biggest surprise to me was Billy Boss the Russian Cat voiced by the distinctive bass of Thurl Ravenscroft (yes THE Grim Grinning Ghost himself).

You see all ... Disney is a source of happiness for me as I know it is for many of you.  This post may be a bit on the meandering side but ... Today I just wanted to let things out and show my appreciation for All Things Disney as I know you share it with me.  No pictures today ... No filler ... Just the written word.  I hope you guys are still out there reading and enjoying this blog.  It gives me a lot of joy writing down my thoughts for you even if they are a little self-indulgent.

For now I will say ...

Have a Magical Fall Day
Patrick A

Disneyland 60th Celebration

Happy Almost Summer Disney Fans!!!

Warmer weather is upon us here in Columbus meaning ... Very high humidity and flash rainstorms.  It also means the start of some amazing events happening that only summer can bring.  The local theater organization here in Columbus hosts a summer movie series every summer, where for a $5 ticket you can go to the beautiful gem of the Ohio Theater (normally reserved for the symphony, opera, and traveling Broadway tours) and see a movie on the big screen just like the old days!!  We get to watch movies and hear the old organ all throughout the summer time!!  It also signals a weekend of artisan work, live music and food all around the riverfront area of Downtown Columbus, lovingly called Art Fest (Check it out here http://columbusartsfestival.org/).

It also means the kick off into National Pride month and you know I'm all for a good celebration.  This year I am fortunate enough to get to take part in two different Pride celebrations here in Ohio.  Next weekend (also during my birthday) I am privileged to represent the Ohio Gay Pride Pageantry system as the current Miss Columbus Gay Pride and twirl about in the biggest outdoor drag show and Pride celebration I've ever seen, appropriately names Dragapalooza.  Afterwards in July, I'll be taking part in the first ever Mansfield Gay Pride ... Yes that's right Mansfield, Ohio is hosting it's very first Gay Pride celebration!!  Being able to say I am a part is truly what gives me pride as a person, gay man, and drag queen!!

Needless to say summertime always excites me because of all the happenings including ... TRAVEL!!!!!  This summer also marks the 60th Diamond Anniversary of Disneyland ... the place where it all began!!!  So many fond memories of going to Disneyland growing up and the start of my belief in Disney Magic.  Now ... I will admit that this will be a nostalgic post and that means yes indeed ... I'll be telling you a Disney story.  Let me take you back to one of my first memories of Disneyland:

I would say this was probably back in the 1980's though the actual year I can't really remember.  This was a family roadtrip ... Imagine it ... two RVs and three families of parents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  You could say it was a little hectic and crazy to say the least, especially with cousins ranging in age from 9 to 3 on the way to Disneyland.  When we finally arrived in Anaheim, we didn't end up staying in Disneyland Hotel but the Disneyland RV park (yes there was a Disneyland RV Park).  I can still remember getting up in the morning and walking to the Disneyland Hotel coffee shop for breakfast (to get there we had to walk about two blocks one of which had a strawberry field, I can still smell the strawberries ripening in the summer sun).  Well ... My parents taught me that vacations are meant to slow down and enjoy, which when you're a kid at the age of 4 so close to Disneyland just doesn't happen.  See we had a normal pattern we followed when we went on vacation to Disney: The day we arrived it was normally around afternoon or early evening so we didn't do Disney right off (didn't make sense to spend the money on a ticket for a partial day I guess), instead we went to the Disneyland Hotel and had dinner.  After we got done eating, the kids would get a roll of quarters from the parents and go play with these R/C cars and boats on the Disneyland Hotel property.

I believe this is the area where you could find the R/C fun area. 

The next day, breakfast and then catching a monorail into Tomorrowland.  While I very much enjoyed going to the main gate and getting the experience of walking up Main Street before entering into the park proper, Going to the Monorail Station made me even more excited because of the view it gave of my favorite ride in the entire park, Submarin Voyage.

Favorite view

From there the day started with all the joy that Disneyland can give.  Eating, riding, shows (yes I do remember going on the Carousel of Progress while it was till in Disneyland), and then the parades, the music of the Main Street Electrical Parade still makes me smile.  Sometimes we would stay for the fireworks while in the park or sometimes, we'd beat the crowd out of the park and go back to the RVs where we could see the firework show from the park (normally sitting out in the front of the RVs).  The trip would also include other excursions like Universal Studios, the beach, Knott's Berry Farm and of course shopping at the many malls in LA.  But we always came back to Disneyland and we had many trips back: Family trips, Anniversaries (my parent's spent their honeymoon there 50 years ago!!), and even a few trips in high school with the Magical Music Days.  But those first trips are what really sparked it all for me and later sparked more trips to Disney World.  

Well everyone, I admit this time I didn't do my research to see what is upcoming with Disney.  So I apologize for not being on top of that.  But ... I would love to hear your first memories of Disneyland or Disney World.  What was your first trip to the park like?  Where and when did you go??  Let me know in the comments below and as always ... 

Make It A Magical Day -- Pat A