Return to reality

Tags

Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service, Disney Institute, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, reality

Saying “goodbye” to Mickey and Minnie…in my only clean shirt!

Well, gentle readers (I’ve always wanted to say that), I’m back from my week of adventures in the Magic Kingdom. And it feels good to be back, even though it feels like I will be doing laundry for days! Disneyland and its environs are a wonderful place to relax and people watch, and I could describe some get-ups that would curl your hair. Several times I had to resist the urge to jump up and shriek, “Don’t you have a mirror at home?” or “Does your mother know you left the house looking like that?”

The souvenir I brought home for myself was the Disney Institute book “Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service” (with Theodore Kinni). I’m not sure why I shrink from buying a tee-shirt or piece of jewelry, but don’t hesitate to plunk down $25.00 for a book, but I snatched this one up on my first visit to Downtown Disney. Reading about the conscious decisions and guiding principles that make Disney properties’ customer service second to none made me a more observant and appreciative observer of Disney’s “practical magic”.

And magical it is! Every detail works with every other detail to create a perfect package. I watched the fireworks display three nights in a row sitting outside the Disneyland Hotel, as well as once peering out our hotel room window. That was wonderful (I love fireworks), but last night I watched the show as it was meant to be seen: at Disneyland, hearing the music that fit perfectly with the bursts of light and sound. I think I could show up there at 9:25 p.m. every night and never tire of the wondrous beauty.

But now I am back to reality — to dirty dishes and laundry and library books that need returning, but also to the loving hugs and “we missed you, Grammy” that accompany my every day routines. And I am happy. Happy to be able to have my Disney adventure, and happy to return home.

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Delightful Disneyland

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Disneyland, Fantasmic, Goofy, Pixie Hollow

Wow! What an incredible day we had today. We hit the Monorail at 8:00 a.m. and started out on the Autopia…wandered hither and thither until time to go back to the hotel for a nap, and then back to Disneyland until after 11:00 p.m. And while I never would have imagined going to Disneyland without at least one child in tow, there is something magical about hanging out all day with one’s women friends.

Here are a few glimpses from the day:

Meeting Tinkerbell in Pixie Hollow

Goofy Hugs

I rode the Carousel…twice!

Fantasmic

Main Street, 11:00 p.m.

Tired, but content

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California Adventure, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, Radiator Springs, Rise & Shine 5K

Today was amazing! We gathered in Downtown Disney at 6:15 a.m. with another assorted 300 people for the Rise & Shine 5K. My goal was to not be the last human across the finish line…and I wasn’t. Actually, there were quite a few people who came in behind me. And my buddies who ran were waiting for me as I finished (in 45 minutes).

Ready for the Rise & Shine 5K through Downtown Disney and California Adventure

And we’re off!

California Adventure

Radiator Springs

Mater’s petting zoo

The last day of Convention was filled with more creative time, inspiring examples of leadership, and a priceless opportunity to listen to our Founder and CEO Jeanette Lynton. Dinner was (once again) delicious, beginning with Squash Soup and ending with a dessert we ate before asking its name!

One of my favorite projects from today

Another scrumptious dessert

And tomorrow morning we will board the Monorail to Disneyland at 8:00 a.m. Hooray!

Another beautiful day

Tags

Beignets, Close To My Heart, Disneyland, family, fireworks, food, House of Blues, Jazz Cafe, learning, Operation Smile

How do you top a day that starts with beignets and ends with fireworks? Beats me!

Beignets at the Jazz Cafe

This afternoon I told one of my friends, “If I learn anything else, my brain will explode!” It has been that kind of week…being given that much new information, new techniques for sharing our paper crafting passion, that many new people to meet, learn from and play (and eat) with.

Yesterday ended with a lovely visit with my son and daughter-in-love, as Joseph and I strolled through Downtown Disney, hung out and ate (and drank) at the House of Blues, then went back to Venice for visiting and sushi with Erika.

Back at the Disneyland Hotel, we tried in vain to get good lighting for a picture or two, but landscaping floodlights were not designed for flattering photographic lighting. Here are some of Erika’s valiant efforts:

Trying to get the lighting right.

Not yet!

Rotten kid making rude comments.

Our time together was too brief, but oh so filled with love!

Today we were back to learning, sharing, creating, and eating. The food highlight of tonight’s Awards Banquet was (drum roll, please), dessert!

Sublime dessert…chocolate ganache with berries and cream…heavenly!

After dinner I wandered outside with a friend to savor the breeze, only to be interrupted by the booming of fireworks. So we walked to the north side of the hotel and sat on a planter to watch the show, ooh, and ahh.

Disneyland fireworks

Even more glorious!

Tomorrow starts early, with a 6:15 check-in time for our 5K run/walk. (This old broad will be mostly walking.) We are running to raise money for Operation Smile, the charity generously supported by Close To My Heart. More about that later.

Connections

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Close To My Heart, Connections, relationships

Today has been all about making connections:  Friends re-connecting at Convention, leaders connecting with those they are encouraging, strangers moving from acquaintances to friends.  While we are in the “business” of memory preservation and paper crafting, what we are really doing is building and strengthening relationships in families.  Throughout the day I watched these connections occur, heard the squeals of joy, saw the “happy dances”. 

Team and room mates

I had the pleasure of finally meeting one of my “imaginary friends” — someone I had met in a Facebook group a year or so ago, who is also here at convention — as she was a presenter today in one of my sessions.   

And tomorrow I get to connect with my son and daughter-in-love over dinner…a lovely way to end the day.

Disneyland adventures

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Disneyland, Disneyland Hotel, The Lego Store

I’m cheating tonight, just a bit. We headed out early this morning, with the Disneyland Hotel our goal. After an uneventful drive south, we spent the day wandering through Downtown Disney and playing tourist. So now it is bedtime, and instead of writing, I’m going to share just a few of the pictures from today. Enjoy!

Pulling into the Disneyland Hotel

Mickey’s Hat…the gateway to Downtown Disney

The wonderful dragon made of Legos.

Our parking lot view isn’t half bad!

Gentle monsters

After reading and re-blogging AnnMarie’s post today (The Middle Kingdom), I was inspired to share a gentle monster of my own. I didn’t draw this guy, Joseph did (as a high school project), but he has been my guardian ever since. He hangs on the wall above my bed, along with Georgia’s birth sampler and other treasures that I love seeing every day.

Artist: Joseph Kawasaki

“Homeless” vs. “unhoused”

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community issues, homeless, homing, housing, unhoused

During a discussion this afternoon about the issues affecting homeless people in Visalia, a friend made what I think is a very important distinction: The people we want to help are not without a home — Visalia is their home. What they are is “unhoused”, not “homeless”. For many, the word homeless conjures up someone who is shiftless, probably dishonest, untrustworthy. And while that might be true in some cases, the majority of the people we are considering simply do not have a secure place to stay.

And in this same vein, our core committee to begin to explore the best ways for us to help these unhoused persons has been named the “homing” committee, rather than the “homeless” committee. Pure semantics? Possibly. But along with the changed verbiage can also come changed perceptions. And it is a starting place.

A scrappy day

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childhood cancer, Close To My Heart, resilience, scrapbooking

Today was a scrappy day…an entire day devoted to hanging out with Close To My Heart friends and scrapbooking to benefit a little friend with cancer, book-ended by morning and evening visits with the best aunt and uncle on the planet.

Twenty or so friends or soon-to-be friends gathered at our local children’s hospital for an entire day of visiting, creating, reminiscing over pictures, and delighting in the company of a little princess who wore her crown atop a head made bald by chemo treatments. Her smile as she made her away around the room, greeting ladies she already knew, and meeting those of us she didn’t, was dazzling, her eyes as shiny as her tiara.

Cancer is an ugly disease that takes our loved ones away far too often, and to see a five year old struggling to be well and stay happy is heartbreaking. But today she was enjoying being the star of the party, and our hearts were warmed by her beautiful smile and shining disposition.

My prayer tonight is for a cure for cancer in my lifetime, and in hers.

Five Minute Friday

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blogging, Hope Fully Known, LisaJo Baker's Five Minute Friday Challenge, release

My friend at “Hope Fully Known” was writing about Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday challenge today, and it intrigued me. The idea is to spend five minutes writing, rather than making excuses, and today’s prompt is “release”.

When I started Trigger’s Horse a couple of years ago, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. I knew that every once in awhile I would read someone else’s blog post and think, “I wonder if I could do that?” or “I could do that!” or eventually, “I want to do that!” And that’s how I got started with Trigger’s Horse. When I started blogging I let go of any preconceived ideas about what I wanted in a blog, or what my goals might be…I simply decided to sit down and start writing. And that is pretty much what I do every day. Somewhere in the day (usually at the very end, because that’s when life is the most quiet), I simply sit down and write.

Sometimes what I have to say resonates with my readers, sometimes I hear crickets after a post. But quite often the posts that really come from my toes (firmly connected to my heart) are the ones that engender the most comments. My readers appreciate honesty and openness, which seems to be what I do best.

The alarm just rang…my five minutes are up, and so is this post. Now to link it back to Lisa’s Five Minute Friday challenge, so that you can take a look at what other bloggers are doing.