Shhh ... it's a secret.

ZOMG It's Totally A Disney Day!

So, last night, I finished my College of Disney Knowledge training.  That's right ... I am now officially ready and able to book ANY Disney-related travel for you!  Just drop me an E-mail (hilary at mouseketrips dot com) and we'll get your vacation started. 

AND THEN, this morning?  My friend Kristen over at Cooking With Mickey managed to get her hands on the menu for my two most anticipated Food and Wine Festival booths ... Hawaii and Caribbean.  To say that I SQUEE'd when I read that post is an understatement.  Seriously - Dragon Berry Colada?  Tuna Poke?  Lotus Root Chips?  The foodie in me is rejoicing!  And even better - The Panda will be with me to shepherd the kiddies around and to ensure that I ride the Tron-O-Rail back to the right resort.  ***hiccup***

And then ... it gets better.  Disney has now released the rooms and suites at Disney's Art of Animation Resort for booking, starting October 4, 2012.  AND, you can start booking the new Royal Suites at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort during January, 2012. 

Seriously.  I might explode from all the mousey fabulousness that abounds today.

Let's Get It Started In Here ...

So, I'm all official now.
You can email me at hilary@mouseketrips.com for all of your Disney travel needs.  I can't wait to help make your next trip a magical memory!

Also ... see that handy-dandy little box over there that says "Get Emails From LuvsTheMouse"?  Yeah.  Put your email in the hole, and get an email update from me every month ... chock full of Disney tips, discounts, and hot deals.  I promise to keep your address secret and will NEVER EVER sell it or share it with anyone. Pinky swear.

Hope to hear from you soon!  I can't wait to share all of this excitement with you. 

How many more days, my-mommy?

So my daughter's a Disney junkie.  This should not shock you.

But she's been asking "my-mommy, how many more days till MICKEY WAFFLES?"

Yes, my daughter is a Mickey Waffle junkie.  Every morning, it's gotta be Mickey Waffles.  Now, sometimes I can talk her into some eggs, or maybe even some Tonga Toast.  But if she had it her way, it would be all Mickey Waffles, all the time.  Silly kid.

Now, for those folks that are gluten free, never fear.  Just talk to the chef at your resort or at the restaurant where you dine.  They likely have some gluten free mix that they can use to make these tasty treats.  Just ask!

And to answer her question ... just 107 more days till Mickey Waffles.

A drive-by nerding.

Hiya LuvsTheMouseketeers!  I hope this summer-kickoff heat wave finds you well.  I've been spending a great deal of my time working toward the launch of LuvsTheMouse LLC.  On top of planning for our big "Grand Opening", I am working feverishly on finishing my 2011 trip album. 

For all you nerdy-girls (and boys) out there ... check it out.  Here are my QR codes.  One's for the blog, and one's for the Facebook page.  :)

X-Men: First Class

Let me preface this post with my giddy gleeful squee-ing about how Marvel is now part of the Disney family.  See, as a soon-to-be-travel agent selling Disney exclusively, I am invested in the company's long-term plans and diversification efforts.  Of course, it's imperative that I not only know the product I sell, but the company itself.

And really ... I'm just a nerdy comic book girl underneath it all.  So there's that.

Anyhow, I simply adore the "X-Men" franchise.  Now, I know that some fanboys (and girls) have gotten rather salty that the movies aren't true to the comic books.  But I think that the movies are good, and well done.  And I certainly wouldn't throw Hugh Jackman out of bed for eating crackers.

My Panda and I are kid-free until Tuesday (my daughter's with her dad's family, and my stepdaughter's with my dad and his fabulous wife).  So we judiciously used our "freedom" to go see "X-Men: First Class" on Friday night.  Now, we rarely venture into the theater on opening day.  But for this movie, I was willing to make an exception.  And I was NOT disappointed.

Aside from a great (and profanely hilarious) cameo from Wolverine himself, a few more of favorite actors were in the movie.  Edi Gathegi (also known as the fabulously creepy nomadic vampire Laurent from Twilight / New Moon), James McEvoy (one of my tasty crushes), and January Jones were all present.  And of course, I was really excited to see Jennifer Lawrence - she's slated to play Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movie! 

At any rate, if you are looking for a good movie - not just a good ACTION movie, but a good all-around movie - go see X-Men: First Class.  The plot was great, the acting was great ... and of course, any excuse to see Kevin Bacon play a villain is welcome. 

Let the countdown begin ...

Hiya, LuvsTheMouseketeers!  I am so excited that I can barely contain myself. 

I'm getting together my "launch" plan for the travel agency.  I have a lot of great things planned, so make sure that you "LIKE" me on Facebook.  Click the image below to be taken there ...

Digital Scrapbookers Unite!

I got hooked on Digiscrapping by a good friend from TGM.  When I was whining about not having enough time to get my albums done, Arlette suggested going digital.  I hemmed and I hawed and I procrastinated.  But then I said "Self, give it a try.  You're kinda nerdy, so it's a natural fit."



Between the ability to pick up and scrap whenever I had a free five minutes, and the "gentle nudging" by the nice folks at MouseScrappers ... I'm now about 90% done with our 2010 book.  I am really looking forward to working on my 2009 book now, too.

The photo in this post is my favorite page from the 2010 book.  If you'd like to see the rest of my work, check out my gallery on MouseScrappers.

Runnin' For The Disney Bling

Inspired by my friend (and digiscrapping crack dealer) Arlette, I thought I'd mention the fabulous folks at runDISNEY. 
Now, I'm what the natives might call a "couch potato".  I don't like running.  I never have.  I likely never will.  My former cheerleading coach used to make me run steps and laps when I sassed her. 

At any rate, I'm just not a fan of running.  Maybe I'm lazy, maybe I'm old, or maybe I just have a raging case of cheerleading PTSD.  It's no matter ... I know many of my friends ARE though, hence my desire to share the love with y'all.

Did you know that Disney sponsors several race events each year?  From the fun and funky "Princess Half Marathon" (where most of the participants wear shiny things and tutus ... and not just the girls) to the full-blown Disney Marathon ... there's a little something for everyone.  And the best part?  The race courses wind through the iconic parks of Walt Disney World!  Can you imagine running with the wind, through an empty Magic Kingdom?  What about running through a closed Animal Kingdom?  I think that would be fun.

And each person that completes the race received a medal ... lovingly referred to as "Disney Bling" by the TGM peeps.  I've seen some of these medals, and they're GORGEOUS.

But, although I'm a self-described lover of shiny things ... I'm just not sure that it's enough to make me go back to running.  After all - I'm a grown adult now and can be just as sassy as I please.

Scraptastic!

Hi peeps!  Long time, no blog!

I've fallen in love with digital scrapbooking.  Seriously, this stuff is AWESOME.  I've created some wonderful pages, with the help of my friend Arlette and the peeps at MouseScrappers. 

Head on over and look at my gallery on my Facebook page, and why don't you like said page while you're there?  :)