I have another Disney themed book for you guys to read! This one is not your typical Disney book though. This book isn’t going to reveal any great information about how to "do" Disney or what to see and what not to see. It will however change the way you look at those brightly dressed Cast Members who always seems to want to cheerfully help you with all your Disney needs.

Mitchell spent a year as a Cast Member at Disney and gives a recount of what he encountered in that year when it came to the other people he worked with daily. I have to warn that I there is drinking and sex in this book so buyer beware. This is kinda like the "animal house" of the mouse world. The escapades of the mostly college aged CMs and what goes on around Disney when we aren’t looking.

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of Disney this isn’t the book for you. This is a fun and light read and really more of an add on for those who love Disney information and it will make you laugh. Who could ask for more from a summer read? Enjoy!

I have just started to reread the book The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness. I have read this book before but I like to read it again when I am getting close to a new trip. This book has so many terrific tips, secrets and insight in to the parks at WDW. I love all of the little hidden things that Disney puts in to the parks and this book helps me remember to stop and "smell the roses" and look for these things. The book claims to have "over 600 secrets" and I have to say that it has at least that many. It is a fun read and gives the reader a new perspective on things they see every trip. I have been making a list of things I know I want to look for on the next trip. I recommend that anyone going to Disney take the time to read this book. There are a few out of date items but that is to be expected with Disney making so many changes so quickly. I imagine the new Fantasyland expansion will make it even more out of date but it is still a very useful and enjoyable book to read. Enjoy!

We are now working on our October Disney trip and I went in search of a better option. I finally found what I think is going to be the perfect bag. I knew I wanted a Baggallini Bag because they are water resistant, have a lot of pockets and zipper compartments and they hold up really well. I did some searching and found that Shoebuy.com (my favorite place to buy shoes too) had a Baggallini Bon Voyage Bagg that should work perfectly. It is small and has a tiny strap. I knew I needed a smaller, thinner strap because the messenger bag was like a sore thumb in my pictures from one Disney trip. This one is perfect. The bag has a lot of places to store money, keys, cards and will hold a camera also. It is lightweight and water resistant. I got the black with khaki inside because I didn’t want it to stand out. My last Baggallini was red and was definitely the first thing people saw coming. I can’t wait to try it out! The best part about Shoebuy is that they have free shipping and free return shipping so if you order it and don’t like it you just send it back free of charge. They also have great sales all the time and if you make a purchase more than once in 30-60 days they will offer you a member discount of 10% off of your order that can be used in conjunction with any sales they have. Enjoy!

I think I love the planning as much as the trip. I am awaiting my latest copy of Passporter. I already have my TourguideMike membership. I am in the process of trying to decide if I want to make the girls outfits or if I just want to buy them. I have to decide about costumes since we are going during the Halloween party. I also have to decide what special things we want to do with the kids. I am so excited. I expect that this year will drag by but I know I will have fun planning all year long.

Since I can’t go to Disney until at least October and that is a maybe I decided I would immerse myself in some Disney books to keep my spirits up and get my fix of Disney for a while. The first book I read was The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World and I loved that one. The next thing I bought was the Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot.

I have to say I love seeing Disney through the eyes of the amazing people who have created the parks. The original conception of Epcot all the way through what the park is today are covered in this book. They give amazing detail about how decisions were made, which decisions were scrapped and how some were changed to become what they are today.

Each area is explained in detail and there are amazing pictures of the drawings that were used for inspiration for the different attractions including all of the World Showcase pavilions. I love the idea of knowing exactly why the Imagineers did what they did in each country. Right down to the placement of the countries. Nothing is done haphazardly. There is a rhyme and reason to every choice. This park makes so much more sense to me now that I know why things are places where they are. I think I will spend more time enjoying the details in Epcot and rushing through to catch the characters or ride the rides. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series. Animal Kingdom is next on my list.

Not only does this book give you excuses to stop and smell the roses in the Disney theme parks it gives so much background information I feel like I know a million times more about my favorite place on Earth. The author separates the book by park and prefaces it with a description of how WDW came into being.

She goes through each and every section of the parks and points out different little things that most people wouldn’t ever notice. Some of them are things that are left by the Imagineers who created each attraction and are things most people really wouldn’t get without being told the story behind them. The author gives stories and facts to back up the hidden magic items.

One thing I realized from reading this book is that I really didn’t know my Disney parks like I thought I did. There are so many little things I just never noticed because I was too busy running from one ride to the next. I am definitely going to make more time in my next trip to see and point out the little things to the kids.

I was so excited after reading this book and wanted more things Disney related to read so I also ordered all of the Imagineering Field Guides. I am determined to have a Disney summer even if I never set foot in the parks this year.

This was a very inspirational weekend for me. I have friends who ran the 5K, the half marathon and the full marathon. I even have one friend who ran the half marathon on Saturday and then ran the full on Sunday. No easy task to say the least. Every time I saw these people on the race course I would cry. It was so amazing to see them working so hard to achieve a goal. They were dog tired by the end and mostly running on adrenaline but they did it. All of them.

We would choose points on the course where we could be to wait for them so that we could see them and hand them supplies like water, Biofreeze, bananas and mostly encouragement. Every time one would come running up we would all yell and scream to urge them on and then when they ran off we would cry. It was amazing.

We spent time sitting around Pop Century one night just laughing and spending time together. It was like a bunch of sorority girls hanging out in a dorm. I ate at some amazing places. My favorite would be Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Amazing food and terrific ambiance. I would do this one again for sure even at the expense of Le Cellier which was my old favorite.

This weekend really got me thinking about setting goals and achieving them. Not resolutions because those are so darn easy to break but goals. I am going to spend some time tonight thinking about what I want to achieve in 2009 and when I know what they are I will let you know since it is always better to write these things down.