I am proud to announce that last week My Adventures in Disneyland reached 4,000 "likes" on Facebook. The Disneyland Resort is my happy place and second home so it really means a lot to me that so many of you are identifying with and enjoying what I am posting both here and on Facebook. I really want more people to understand just how special Walt Disney was, how important and wonderful Disneyland is and how the success Walt Disney found at Disneyland made all the other Disney Parks possible. To be honest, I also needed an outlet for my own Disney obsession. I'm quite certain that more than a few of my "non-Disney" friends were sick of hearing about it all from me both in person and on Facebook.
As someone who has always loved to write, a blog seemed like a perfect fit for me. The Jungle Cruise of Disney blogs, my main goal has always been to inform, amuse and inspire my readers as I shared my own adventures in Disneyland and more with them. While I have researched these topic extensively on my own, I have never approached this task as a self-proclaimed Disney historian but instead as a passionate Disney enthusiast and an experienced Disneyland connoisseur. People have often asked me about my own Disneyland adventures and I found myself looking for a creative and fun way to explain to them (in detail) exactly why I love the Disneyland Resort so much and why we keep going back there time and time again as a family. Like an onion, Disneyland has so many layers and I want to represent it as I see it - a place that has something for everyone, especially those lucky enough to be eternally curious and young at heart. Disneyland is a place you can't understand in mere days or months and it has an interesting history and a set of traditions that so many have found to be charming and exciting. I want people to understand that Disneyland is a very special and unique place where nearly every detail has been planned out for our enjoyment.
The second component of My Adventures in Disneyland is the Facebook page. For the last several months I have been concentrating on Facebook because it is where I can reach the most people. Basically before Facebook I was writing blog posts but I didn't have an audience. My goal on Facebook is simple. I am trying to brighten up "everyday life" with some (often much needed) pixie dust by sharing things I find compelling about Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney, Disney Parks and Star Wars. I want it to be a happy place where people can comment freely, add their own Disney-related posts and even share their own artwork if they'd like. I don't ask for likes or ask my followers to share anything. I only ask that those who visit my page are civil to each other and do not harshly comment on fan art.
My Adventures in Disneyland is also home of the "Wednesdays with Walt" series, a weekly series where I celebrate both my own hero, Walt Disney, and the early days of Disneyland. With his unique brand of magic, Walt Disney inspires me and so many others to seek adventure and new frontiers, to remember the value of friendship and fantasy, to learn from the past and from history and yet to always look to tomorrow. He was truly a national treasure as he revolutionized both the family entertainment and filmmaking industries and as he, with the help of his amazing team, has molded generations of children with great storytelling, compelling characters and a fierce dedication to quality entertainment.
In the future I plan on blogging more frequently but this last year was a trying one for me as I learned how to homeschool my son. My late night (kid-free) hours were mostly spent researching kindergarten lesson plans and catching up on housework. When I wasn't busy doing that, I was working on my upcoming book series of travel books for children where I hope to get young children excited about traveling and exploration. Naturally the first book of what I am hoping will be a popular series of children's books is entitled My Lil Adventure Book : Disneyland. While I haven't been blogging as much, I have still continued to go on Disneyland adventures. I have been taking notes and countless photographs for upcoming blog posts, including such topics as Club 33, Joseph Cosgrove's inspiring new book, much of the Monstrous Summer festivities, hotel suggestions, the Walt Disney Family Museum, Mary Poppins : The Musical and the recent Disney Social Media Moms conference I attended. In addition to all that, I will also be covering the upcoming D23 Expo where I am hoping to meet more of you in person.
So, thank you again for sticking around, Adventurers! If you haven't yet, please check out my past blog posts at www.myadventuresindisneyland.blogspot.com. They cover such topics as: my visit to the Dream Suite, the Candlelight Ceremony and Processional, the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit at the Reagan Museum, the opening of Mickey & the Magical Map, a review of the updated A Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour, book and product reviews, detailed advice and travel tips for planning your own Disneyland adventures and much more.
