Why I made Disney a big part of 2015

Year after year, I’ve had opportunities to visit Walt Disney World Resort and recently some at Disneyland. There were some times when I got to go with the family, other times were on my own or with Randy. In the last year, all of those experiences happened within a 12 month period. Our family ended 2014 and started 2015 in Walt Disney World. Randy and I traveled to Disneyland so I could run in the Star Wars Half Marathon in January. I had an opportunity to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration back in May. Jordan and I got to spend one special day at Disneyland with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team in June. In September, Randy attended a conference in Orlando that included free passes to Walt Disney World so I had to join in on the fun. Then in November, I attended the Learning 2015 conference at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort for work and stayed longer to run in the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (which was shortened because of bad weather). That’s incredible, right?

Well, I have one more trip scheduled in December, and it is the most unexpected of all. You might remember how I wrote about the Disney Parks Moms Panel a few times in past years. I have applied for the position many times. Last year, I was a finalist and I was over-the-top excited about it. Panelists help answer questions on the Disney Parks Moms Panels website. I didn’t get picked and it was kind of soul-crushing. So this year, I didn’t talk as much about it when I made it to the finals. But the coolest thing happened… I made it in! Thousands of people applied, ten new people were added into the 2016 Disney Parks Moms Panel class. I’m pretty excited.

Next week, I’ll have an opportunity to attend training before I start answering questions on the website on January 1st. I am honored to have these awesome opportunities with a supportive work environment… And a family that’s okay with Mom spending time after work answering Disney questions. I’m excited to share any of cool discoveries with you as I navigate this new experience.