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Author Archives: Sherry B. (NDM#393)

Sherry B

Sherry’s an unashamed Disneyaholic! Her earliest memories of Disney World include meeting Mickey and Minnie aboard the Empress Lilly Steamboat (now Fulton’s Crab House), the luau (complete with shell lei), and of course, Hoop de Doo! She has specialized in DisneyWorld experiences, ranging from childhood, teenager, college, newlywed, and mom. (Though she wishes she had been more persistent that her friends go with her to Disneyland Paris!) Interesting factoids: her dog’s real name is “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (Cali for short) and she is still pinching herself from her stay in Bay Lake Tower’s Grand Villa. (Second only to the Castle Suite, no doubt!) But don’t tell the kids about THAT one: Sherry and hubby Clay snuck away for a “grownups only” trip to the World and finally checked something off her bucket list: the Keys to the Kingdom tour and seeing the Utilidors. Best. Day. Ever!

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Contributed by Sherry B @sherryboswell

Contributed by: Sherry Boswell (NDM#393) Sherry is the DDL Fine Arts Blogger. She is also the creator of Music to My Ears.

Run, Disney Diva, Run!

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Sunday, May 6, 2012

Photo Courtesy of runDisney

For the past few months, I’ve been in a funk. Of the “I don’t know when my next Disney trip is going to be” kind. I know many of you can relate to what I am laying down-it can be debilitating, numbing, and heartbreaking. OK, so maybe I am being a tad melodramatic (I think not) but FINALLY I have managed to emerge from my writer’s block/self-imposed hiatus to write about…you guessed it…my next Disney vacation!

I am simultaneously thrilled and also a bit embarassed at how excited I am to be embarking on a Disney Divas weekend without the kids…yes, that is total decadence because for four delicious days, I will only have to take care of myself. No having to pack for the family or be concerned about where the minions are at any given moment…AHHHH, just me and my Disney peeps. Actually, most of us have only gotten to know one another online, so it will be added bonus to meet each other face to face and share adventures. Oh yeah, and I’ve signed up to run the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10miler. Which I originally thought was a 10K. And I’m never done a race before. (You can laugh at me now). Funny what a big difference the distance makes: metric conversion didn’t work in my favor there! So I’ve begun my training and I have less than 5 months to get my non-runner physique whipped into shape. Hey I was happy the other day that I ran 2 miles! I’m 1/5 of the way there Look at the cool medal that runDisney has crafted-I especially love the glow in the dark windows!

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Posted in Sports, Travel Tips | Tagged Disney, Disney gift cards, RunDisney, travel tips, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 miler
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Here’s Your Jeopardy Answer: Open 24 hours, free trips, and Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat?

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012

Image courtesy of Disney Parks Blog (copyright Disney)

Here’s the Jeopardy Question: What is the new, exciting news from the House of Mouse? If you answered right, well, kudos to you-you are well on your way to becoming a Disney insider!

So here’s the scoop:

Open 24 hours is not something you would normally associate with Disney. But on February 29, 2012, Magic Kingdom and Disneyland will offer an unlimited day of fun. That’s right, the parks will be open ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT! The new goal? Not to close down the park but to stay all 24 hours! This special announcement premiered at 11:00 PM on New Year’s Eve for those that got to see it (supreme dislike for my local news which preempted the official announcement-ARGH!) But I had already heard the rumors and was quickly notified by my Tweeps of the “One More Disney Day” theme. So who’s in? And is there enough Red Bull to sustain you? I wish I could say I would be there, but alas, it’s not in the cards–unless I can finagle a belated birthday trip for Leap Year Day under the guise of my 40th Birthday present?!?

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Posted in Disney Company, News
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I Dream of Disney-Part 1

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Saturday, November 12, 2011

Hi everyone! Trip reporting is so much FUN-I have TONS to tell you about from our October land/sea trip to WDW and the Disney Dream. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that I had never cruised before, so we were fortunate to have our first cruise experience with what can only be described as the Rolls-Royce of the cruise industry, Disney Cruise Line. After our 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream, I can say unequivocally that it was AMAZING! The food…the service…the smorgasbord of endless kids’ activities! Seriously, if your kids don’t have fun on a Disney cruise, then they are downright unsatisfiable. I have finally got my sea legs back, but I truly wish I was still enjoying all that the Dream has to offer. Oh well, a girl can DREAM…

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Posted in Cruises, Fine Arts, Music, Travel Reports, Vacation | Tagged Caribbean, Castaway Cay, cruise, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Dream
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A Villa with a Grand View

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Sunday, September 4, 2011

Consider this Part Two of my earlier post about my GrownUps Only trip to WDW last October. My husband was in Orlando for work and after leaving my kids with the grandparents, I hightailed it down there. Telling the kids NOTHING except we would be in Orange County (at least we didn’t LIE to them, right?) Mwahhaha! Fun and frivolity ensued, including my “Keys to the Kingdom” tour (pure awesomeness-just look for my earlier post in the archives!) Anyhoo, we move from conference hotel to the FABULOUS Bay Lake Towers, where I had booked a studio. Here’s where it gets interesting: at check-in, the lovely Dorothy notices we are celebrating our anniversary and tells us to expect a text when our room is ready (since it was only 10AM). Having never received a text, we return at 3PM to get our room number. OK, arriving at Room 8430, our key doesn’t work. So we call them and wait. Then after 15 minutes, hubby heads back to the front desk. A bit frustrating when you are tired and just ready to kick back and relax. Then, you guessed it, a CM shows up to open the door. And voilá:

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Posted in Disney Vacation Club, Resorts, Travel Reports, Travel Tips | Tagged Bay Lake Towers, Disney check-in, Disney Vacation Club, Grand Villa, Resorts, special occasions, Trip Report, upgrade
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Brick Walls & a Kick in the Teeth

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Saturday, August 20, 2011

“Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” -Randy Pausch

Maybe you’ve never heard of Randy Pausch. If not, them I’m thrilled to be introducing him to you. But if the name rings a bell, it’s because he was the Carnegie Mellon professor who gave the famous Last Lecture in 2008. And wrote the book of the same name. Unfortunately, Randy Pausch did not survive his fight with pancreatic cancer, which hit me so hard in the gut because my grandmother died of that same dreaded disease. But when I heard how much Randy loved Disney, I felt an instant kinship.

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Posted in Disney Company, Fine Arts, History, Imagineering | Tagged Randy Pausch, Walt Disney Imagineering
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Looking Up

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Sunday, August 7, 2011

Photo from fanpop.com

One of the earliest Disney films I remember is The Rescuers. Not the most popular Disney movie, to be sure. But it made a lasting impact on me. I would have been 5 in 1977 when it was released, so I was the perfect impressionable age. But at any age, who wouldn’t root for a pigtailed, snaggletoothed orphan like Penny? I was floored by her plight and swept away by the injustice of Penny’s situation. Not to mention my utter hatred and fear of Medusa (an appropriately titled villain name if ever there was one). Seriously, red hair, purple eye makeup, and a crazy driver to boot. She was all kinds of craz-ay! To this day, I can still remember lines from the movie. Hating Brutus and Nero, Medusa’s alligators. And bayous. But loving Evinrude, the adorable, plucky dragonfly. And Bernard and Bianca for coming to help Penny.

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Posted in Movies, Parents, Relationships | Tagged Disney, dreams, faith, hope, looking up, movies, optimism, The Rescuers, Up!
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I’M A VIP WITH THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM!

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Sunday, July 31, 2011

NDM 393's photo

Back in October 2010, my husband and I had our first grown-ups only trip to Disney World post-kids, and I must say it was AWESOME! (Murphy’s law, I almost didn’t get to go when my kids both ended up sick that week. Just what I needed-the guilt of leaving behind sick kids to go to Disney World. Thank goodness for medicine!) Of course, we didn’t TELL the kids exactly where we were going-just that it was in Florida for Daddy’s conference.

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Posted in Hidden Treasures, Travel Reports | Tagged behind the scenes, Disney magic, Keys to the Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, tours, Utilidors
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COOKING UP DISNEY-LOVIN’ KIDS

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Friday, July 22, 2011

Here’s my “recipe” for having kids who love Disney almost as much as you do. (Notice I said almost–we are neurotic Disney people, ya know!)

Courtesy NDM 393

Ingredient #1: Pints of Pixie Dust. Take them to the most magical place on Earth as often as possible. (This should probably say places because with Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, etc., the pixie dust scatters in many locations!) Needless to say, wherever mouse ears, characters, and parades are in ample supply, the Disney fascination will follow. Because of where we live and my Disney passion, my kids have had the good fortune of visiting Walt Disney World at least once a year. And their fascination in everything House of Mouse has been the pleasant result!

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Posted in Children, Parents | Tagged Disney love, Disney movies and shows, fascination, Give a Day promotion, Give Kids the World, growing Disney kids, Photos, storytelling
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WDW TURNS 40-I CAN (ALMOST) RELATE!

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Thursday, July 14, 2011

WDW 40th Anniversary Print by artist SHAG

Don’t ya just dig my my newest purchase? Kinda groovy, huh? (OK, that was my feeble attempt at ’70s era lingo. Fail.) Anyway, I stumbled on this beauty thanks to the Disney Parks blog and just HAD to have it! This retro-tastic creation is the work of a talented artist named SHAG (an abbreviation of his first and last names, people-get your minds out of the gutter!) His inspirations includes collectibles, home goods, and apparel. The items range in price from $ 8.00 for the double old fashioned glasses to $ 125 for the lovely charm bracelet. The goal was to capture the popular landmarks and activities that personified the Magic Kingdom after its opening on October 1, 1971. (Which explains why the dominant figures in his artwork are the Magic Kingdom, Seven Seas Lagoon, and the Contemporary and Polynesian Resorts!) I just love the whimsy and sense of fun with which SHAG imbues his work. Although I will admit, after hearing SHAG’s name, I’m suddenly humming the Austin Powers theme song, “Soul Bossa Nova.” (And now YOU will be, too.)

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Posted in Gifts, Lifestyle, Shopping | Tagged 40th Anniversary, art, Disney Merchandise, retro, SHAG, shopping, turning 40, Walt Disney World, whimsy
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Disney Artistry Comes to Life at New Resort and Fantasyland Expansion

by Sherry B. (NDM#393) | @sherryboswell | Published: Thursday, July 7, 2011

Courtesy of Disney website

Squeal! Imagine my excitement at the announcement of the new Art of Animation Resort, making its official debut in October 2012. OK, so for now, all we have are artist renderings of what it will look like, but I’m pumped! Hmm, I sense a need for an upcoming blog report on the Art of Animation Resort as reviewed by the DDL’s Fine Arts Blogger. Anyone else see the connection besides me? (Notice my jockeying for position to review this resort and it’s not going to be open for another year). Oh well, can’t blame me. After all, the concept and theming for this resort sound like a winner. The inspiration for the rooms and suites? Why, only some of the most beloved Disney movies of all time…The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars.

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Posted in Disney Company, Fine Arts, News
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