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Countdown To Disney Fun

Half the fun of a Disney trip is looking forward to it. Okay, maybe not HALF the fun. Counting down the months, before they shorten to days, then hours. Each second, excitement grows until you are crying from joy. Well, for me at least. My family and I have used many different techniques in the past to make these times go by a little bit faster, and I am actually in the middle of one right now!

The Chain Countdownchain countdown

When I was younger, my parents wanted to get us more excited. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I WAS excited! But it’s fun to amp it up a little bit. Of course, now that’s not a problem! Anyway, in our living room, we would have a chain made out of paper. Each ring was alternating between yellow and red and included Mickeys on them. Every day my brother and I would wake up in the morning, go to the living room, and rip one ring off. As the years went on the number of trips we took grew one by one, my parents surprised us by adding a trivia question on each ring. My brother and I were each assigned a color-red or yellow, and the questions varied in difficulty between the two of us because he is two years younger. Every morning we had to rip the chain off AND answer the trivia question! An example of one of my trivia questions was “How many animals/creatures are found on the Animal Kingdom logo?” One of my brothers was “How many laser cannons are in each car of the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride?” It was a lot of fun seeing who knew more about Disney. I think we all know who won that battle.

The Puzzle Countdown

One time, my brother and I had to put together a 50 piece puzzle. Each day, we would each get a piece (so that means the countdown started 25 days out) and try to put as much of the puzzle together as we could that day. The puzzle pieces would be placed in different hiding spots around the house in the morning. Once I specifically remember it under our breakfast plates and another day finding one under a chair. In the end, the puzzle turned out to be The Mouse himself!

countdown calendarThe Calendar Countdown

One of my very talented friends made me a countdown calendar featuring the Brave cast (one of my favorite animated movies) and my friend Courtney a Peter Pan calendar. Every day we put a ticker over that day. The numbers countdown from 29 to 1. This might sound a little bit boring, but I like doing this along with something else from this list. You can put the calendar in your locker at school, your office-anywhere! I personally like adding the sticker to represent that it’s one more day closer to the trip after I do something that I must do every day, but I greatly dislike – it kinda takes the sting away!  To some people it might be exercising or taking medicine or washing dishes. It makes you remember that your chore has to be completed and you look forward to it more than you usually do.

The Social Media Countdown

If you follow me on any social media website, you know that I am going to Disneyland in 18 days as of today (ASDFGHJKL – I AM SO EXCITED… sorry, I had a little fangirling outburst there) and this is my first vacation on social media. I wanted to celebrate in a way. I love editing photos, but I never really had a chance to show any of my skills or edits. I decided to make 60 edits relating to Disneyland; attractions, restaurants, or personal photos that have a Disneyland-based story behind them. Every day until I hop on the airplane headed to the other side of the country, I am posting one of my edits. Some just have generic filters and small effects while others have text and more obvious effects. I have had a lot of fun creating these, and I hope that everyone viewing them enjoys them also.

An example of one of my favorite edited pictures is simple:  Sleeping Beauty Castle. Except now imagine the castle disappearing. The only way you can see it is if you pour dapper danswatercolor onto the picture. On my edit, there is a splash of watercolor at the top, revealing the top of the castle. I love the story behind this one and the general message: Imagination can take nothing and turn into something extravagant. Another one of my favorites is the Dapper Dan photo I made with a color splash effect. That means I made the whole entire photo black and white except for certain things. In this specific edit, I made the Dapper Dans’ pants, shirts, bow ties and hats filled with their appropriate color. I picked a photo where they are really animated during their Disney melody with the chimes. And of course it had to include Dapper Drew and Dapper Jon because they are my favorites!

I love counting down to my Disney trips using these techniques. It really makes waiting so much easier to do and it goes by very fast! In my opinion, it enhances the Disney magic and creates memories on its own that you may treasure equally with the ones that you make during the trip.

How do you countdown to your Disney vacations? Leave a comment below sharing YOUR techniques!

 

See ya REAL soon!

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Quote of the Week:  “I am not a prize to be won!” – Jasmine, Aladdin

 

Makena is a 15 year old high school student who spends much of her free time researching Disney. She enjoys sharing Disney facts and even plans Walt Disney World vacations (including searches for secrets and Hidden Mickeys) for friends and family. You can follow Makena on twitter @Makattack98 or on Facebook (Makena Wolcott).  Makena began blogging for WDW Radio in December 2011.

 

 

 

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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