Games and graduation

At the end of our four days of classes, we had to do a final "team" project that involved talk bubbles, ipads, and recording. At first, I was super skeptical and wanted to find a way to duck out early (no pun intended!). But then I joined my team and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Who knew. Here is what we came up with:

You probably can't read the thought bubbles but that doesn't really matter, it was a great exercise in that we had a lot of fun. Oh, Disney......

And of course, nothing at Disney would be complete without the requisite visit from Mickey Mouse....... I must say, I have never really been into him but after I took the pic, I hugged him and felt such warmth directed at him. WTF? A guy in a costume??? Disney sure has figured this out if they got me to drink the cool-aid.   ;)

Trip around the world

Yesterday I headed out to Epcot Center and had pretty low expectations......I have never really been a fan of amusement parks and really don't like crowds.

But thank goodness I got over that! I was totally blown away. I was there during the day and also in the evening, and most times were magical. I got to see countries I have never visited, as well as experienced reunions with those I have.

Oh, and the best part - I followed something on my bucket list and hit the Epcot park with bright pink lipstick.

I think my favorite part was the acapella concert in Epcot's future world. The group was great and they played all the popular songs through the ages, so I knew almost all of them (usually I am pretty ignorant about music!). It was so joyful just to watch them sing and I couldn't help moving a little to the beat. But the best happened when these two little girls - complete strangers - boldly went up to the front of the stage and rocked it out. It was awesome.

Lastly, I caught the evening firework show. WOW. It was spectacular. I have to admit, that at some point in my adult life I became a bit cynical about fireworks and haven't even been to the 4th of July fireworks show for a while. But seeing the show yesterday reminded me that it truly is amazing and worth it!

And lastly, as the park was closing, I was able to slowly walk through the entire place and see all the cities at night, empty of people. It was so beautiful.

And the last view I had was of the stunning vision of the Eiffel tower as I walked back to my hotel. La vie est belle!

Animal friends

I have been really enjoying the animals around Disney, especially and including my favorite spirit animals- bunnies!! Both real and Disney kind. And birds, ducks, and of course- the Disney characters.

Safari experience

I have a fun opportunity to take a class at the Disney Institute this week. Part of the teaching include little excursions into the various parks and yesterday we went to the Animal Kingdom on an evening safari followed by dinner. It was amazing!

I saw everything - crocodiles, elephants, zebras, giraffes, flamingos, hippos, and even lions. Going at night gave it a special aura that made the experience much more intimate.

A friend I met from the class said his girlfriend was in Kenya for work, and we laughed about the irony of him sending her "safari" pictures from Disney.

My favorite were definitely the lions, such regal creatures.

What a great start to the week, I look forward to what other adventures lay wait for me!