Birthday Disneybound

What's a girl to do for her 30th birthday? Go to Disney World, of course! To celebrate, we booked one night at the Caribbean Beach resort and a Keys to the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom.

We started out the trip by hanging at the resort and checking out the fun pirate pool. We don't usually make it to the pool during race weekends so it was nice to have some chill time. Plus, it was definitely warm enough for a swim.

Our first park of the weekend was Animal Kingdom. I absolutely love Animal Kingdom! It's so beautiful and perfectly themed. I really feel like I'm somewhere else when I'm there. I wore my brand new Kiss the Girl athletic top for the perfect mermaid vibe. We grabbed dinner at my favorite Animal Kingdom restaurant Satu'li Canteen and then it was off to park #2.

Guess who else turned 30 in May? Hollywood Studios! It's so much fun sharing an (almost) birthday with a Disney park. Fun fact: My baby sister shares an almost birthday with Animal Kingdom. We didn't really do much at either park but I just love hanging out and enjoying the Disney ambiance.

The next morning, we headed out super early to Magic Kingdom for our tour. I really wanted to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour because it takes you behind the scenes in Magic Kingdom and let's you see how some of the magic is made. It was a lot of fun and we had really great tour guides. The tour includes lunch at Pecos Bill, which is another favorite. We got unlimited guac which is not longer on the regular topping bar. They sure know the way to this girl's heart!

I got in touch with my villain side for day 2. I paired my Evil Step Villain top with a red circle skirt and black belt. I knew I needed to be comfortable for a five hour walking tour during Florida summer. There were plenty of water stops and rest breaks during the tour and the guides did their best to have us stop in the shade but it was still quite hot by the end of the tour. I was really happy that I had opted for cute and comfy.

One of my friends saw this photo of us and asked if that made Will Cinderella's dad? I told him it didn't matter if he was Lady Tremaine's first hubby or Cindy's dad, it didn't bode well for him. lol

We ended the trip at Epcot for a really brief visit before heading home. What a magical Disney trip!

Dapper Day Spring Meet Up

I've absolutely loved all of the wonderful people I've met through Disney events. I've got my runDisney crew and I've started to get to know some Dapper Day ladies as well. This year, I attended the Main Street Style podcast meet up. Paola lives in Florida so she usually hosts the Disney World meet up but this year Margaret and Cailey flew in from out of town so all three of the hosts were there!

There were so many lovely ladies and dapper gents at this meet up. Dapper Day is the best for people watching. It was quite hot this year, per usual, but that didn't keep everyone from wearing their finest to Disney. It's not unusual for me to see one or two people dressed up on a given Disney trip but there's nothing like vibe of Dapper Day.

It really feels like a scene out of Easter Parade where everyone is out showing off their most fabulous outfits. There are always great Disneybounds and true vintage outfits but there are plenty of cute, more casual retro outfits as well.

The meet up was really great. Everyone was admiring how fabulous each other looked. It's great to meet some kindred souls!

Luckily, Will was in full blogger hubby mode and snapped a bunch of great photos.

If you missed my outfit details post, you can check out this year's Dapper Day post here.

Dapper Day Spring 2019

Dapper Day is one of my favorite Disney days each year! It's a sort of fashion flash mob where people dress up to go to Disney like they did when Disneyland first opened. Many people dress in a vintage style but all dapper looks are welcome!

This year, spring Dapper Day was forecast to be in the upper 80s so comfort was key in picking out my Dapper Day outfit. Usually, I stick to cotton or linen for these super hot days but this year I had an ace up my sleeve.

Just before Dapper Day, Crowned Athletics released their newest princess running top inspired by my favorite princess Belle. I had some yellow cotton sateen in my stash set aside for a yellow circle skirt so I whipped on up last minute to wear with the yellow Belle top. So, tada!

I absolutely adore this top! It's so beautiful and I love the lace detail in the back. It's so perfect for Belle. And it was so comfortable. I think this is the most comfortable Dapper Day I've ever had. It's usually hot in Florida!

My friend Melissa came out with me. She wore a really pretty pink vintage repro dress. We didn't plan our outfits together at all but they look really nice together. And her hair turned out so cute!

We had loads of fun checking out the Flower and Garden Festival and eating tasty things. Epcot definitely has the best food options so I'm glad we ended up going to the Epcot Day. Overall, it was a really amazing day. Dapper Day is an awesome time for people watching and we saw so many great outfits and bounds this year!

I can't wait for next Dapper Day!

Further, Higher, Faster

Growing up, I was never into comic books and the only super hero cartoon I watched was Sailor Moon but have have enjoyed all of the Marvel films that have grown into the MCU. One thing that has been lacking from this great movie universe was strong women. We have Black Widow who is awesome but she still hasn't gotten her own film and, to be honest, the sexy, undercover assassin stereotype always seemed to fit more of what a guy would want out of a female superhero that what I would like. Black Panther gave us so many great strong women, and all women of color! We got the warrior, the social justice champion, the genius and the wise queen all in one film! I especially loved Shuri and I would 100% be behind her getting a stand alone film or TV series. But the heroine I've fallen head over heals for is Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.

I'll be the first to admit that the movie is not perfect and that I definitely wouldn't say it's the best Marvel film from a film critique perspective but I love the story that it tells and the message that it sends to young girls. One of these is how we should respond to sexism and discrimination against women (though these lessons could be applied to any sort of discrimination). Every time she gets shot down, Carol gets back up and says "You don't get to define my limits."

There's a very vocal section of the Marvel fandom that is upset about this film and thinks that it is just about some sort of extreme feminist agenda. The fact of the matter is that while things have improved, racism and sexism are still alive and well today and that is not ok. Comics are not just for boys. Sports are not just for boys. Being strong is not just for boys. Fashion is not just for girls. Expressing your emotions in public is not just for girls. Being a stay at home parent is not just for girls. These are all activities for humans and we're all human.

Sadly, these upset fans are proving the exact point they are arguing against. 

One thing that I didn't like about the film the first time I saw it was Carol's extreme power up towards the end of the film after talking to the Supreme Intelligence. I still think it was a bit of a stretch and I like to see my heroes work for their powers but on my second viewing, I realized the picture the film was trying to paint here. This is what happens when a woman wakes up and realizes that she is strong! And it is amazing!

It is only when Carol frees herself from the arbitrary rules created to keep her down and that she realizes that she has nothing to prove to the world that she reaches her full potential. I think too often that as women, we allow ourselves to be limited, consciously or unconsciously, by "rules" set by society, tradition or even ourselves. I hope that this film helps women turn their I can't into an I can. I'm realizing that I can be more than I ever though I could be. I am strong and I have so much to give to the world!

Another thing I love about Carol is that she has a strong drive to do the right thing which I think is common in many women. She joined the military not to prove she was better than a man but so that she had a shot at doing something that would save lives! We can see that in her decision to pilot Dr. Lawson's plane during it's fateful last mission. Dr. Lawson wanted to go alone but Carol knew that if wars and lives were at stake, she couldn't sit idly by. Even when she was living with the Kree, she still tried to do her bit for the Kree Skrull war. And when she found out that the war was not what she thought it was, her first instinct was to brave dangers to try and make things right. And isn't that what a super hero is supposed to do?

When we take a look at our beloved male heros, many of them do not have this attitude from the beginning. Tony Stark is far from a hero when we meet him and he's still got his share of character flaws. Thor is so bad that his dad grounds him from his power and kicks him out of the house. Hulk has his own set of issues that cause Bruce Banner to go into hiding. Probably the Avenger who is most like Carol in this respect is Steve Rodgers. He also had a strong desire to stand against evil even when everyone around him told him that he had nothing to give.

Hopefully, this next phase of the MCU will give us more strong female superheroes. Until then, we're the ones who have to show the world that we can go further, higher, faster.

Do You Even Lift?

One of my favorite things to do post-runDisney race is to meet characters in the parks. If the medal character for your race is available for meet and greet, that's a great option. You can even get them to sign your medal if they do autographs! But if not, it's always fun to meet other characters too.

When we saw Gaston sauntering out in Magic Kingdom after the Star Wars Rival Run 10k, we scurried over and got in line. Will likes to give him crap about leg day but Gaston is actually one of the more athletically inclined Disney characters.

 Gaston admitted that his workout routine involves a lot of checking himself out in the mirror. He and Flynn Rider need to have a smolder off sometime! I do suspect Gaston follows the same bicep routine as Captain America in addition to bench pressing blonde triplets. Or maybe it's all of the eggs....

Au revoir, Gaston. Until next time!

Hollywood & Little Black Dresses

Hollywood Studios is one of my very favorite parks to dress up at! The Art Deco theming at the front of the park is so perfect for anyone who loves a vintage look. So while the weather in Florida is reasonable, I take ever opportunity to dress glamorously in the parks.

I've been into wiggle dresses lately and I've made several so far including this beautiful black one. Black is my favorite color to wear. It goes with everything and gives me an opportunity to wear some of my more colorful accessories like this beautiful Disneyland D brooch.

I made the dress from Simplicity 3526 which is a juniors pattern from 1951. I loved the pleats at the waist and the vents on the sides of the skirt. Plus the straps are wide enough to cover my bra straps which is a win. I have found that I really enjoy a simple design with one or two interesting details. I've already used this pattern twice more so I think it's safe to say that it will be a regular in my sewing projects for this year.

Personally, I prefer to travel light in the parks. It's too much effort to lug around a huge bag all day plus you get through security a lot faster with a clutch! I'm wearing my black Vans sneakers with this outfit. We do a ton of walking when we are at Disney so comfortable shoes are a must! Even for Dapper Day I go with comfort over style.

We had a really great meet and greet with Kylo Ren. I jumped at the chance to join the First Order when he offered. I'm definitely a dark side gal! Come on, we have cookies!

 Overall, we had an absolutely amazing day enjoying all the Star Wars things! I'm so excited for Galaxy's Edge to open later this year. It's going to be so amazing!

Valentine's Day 2019

For Valentine's Day, Will surprised me with a mini trip to Disney! Disney is definitely the way to this girl's heart! Will arranged for me to take a half day off of work on Thursday so that we could head over to Disney early. We stayed at the Coronado Springs resort which was really nice. It's still got quite a bit of construction going on but once you got passed the main entrance, you really couldn't tell there was much construction at all. It really was a beautiful resort.

We had dinner at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian resort. It's a lot more low key and easier to get into than Ohana next door but it still has delicious food! I decided to eat all of the sushi that night. We got the large kona sampler platter to share and I got the dragon roll which had eel and shrimp. Eel is my absolute favorite kind of sushi! In real life, eels kind of creep me out but they sure do taste good!

I wore my brand new dress from the Cherry Tree Lane Dress Shop at Disney Springs. It's the Minnie Mouse Rock the Dots dress and it's too cute! It even has sequins on some of the dots. I love the 50s inspired silhouette and that every dress I have from them has pockets. Dresses with pockets are the best.

After dinner, we took the boat across the lagoon to Magic Kingdom. I adore Magic Kingdom and usually we don't stay after dark so it was a real treat to be in Magic Kingdom at night! The park is so gorgeous all lit up. We had to have some pictures in front of the castle.

Out of all the holidays, Disney doesn't do much for Valentine's Day but I'm ok with that. Magic Kingdom is pretty romantic as is. Add a pretty dress and your prince charming and you've got all you need for a romantic evening.

Meeting princesses was high on our list for the evening. First up was Elena of Avalor. I have to admit, I've never seen any of her movies but she is the princess for the 5k this year so it was fun to meet her anyways. I learned that her grandma is a great cook and seamstress and that she's a very animated talker. She asked if Will sang me love songs. I said no but that he makes me bacon, which is much more important.

We also met Cinderella who is such a sweet heart! This princess wanted to know if Will was my true love (yes) and if we met at a ball (actually, yes). She was impressed. I love that Cinderella is so hard working and positive. I still feel a bit awkward talking to face characters sometimes but I really enjoyed meeting these ladies.

 I really feel like I need to up my character meet and greet game this year!

We also road my favorite ride, the Jungle Cruise, which is even more fun at night. We had an awesome skipper who was very punny. The park was pretty crowded since it was President's Day weekend and local schools had off Friday and Monday but we took advantage of the firework show drawing off a lot of people to ride Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain. Considering how short of a time we spent in the park, we did a lot of things!

I want to know. Who is your favorite character to meet at Disney?

Evil Sea Witch

It's no secret that I love dressing up. I love vintage style, historical costuming and Disneybounding. There's something magical about feeling all put together even if it's just for every day life! So it's probably no surprise that I also enjoy getting dressed up for running and the gym.

But what exactly can you wear for an active day that looks put together but lets you move? Bonus points if it's Disney related. Enter Crowned Athletics.

Crowned Athletics is a small business that produces beautiful athletic wear inspired by our favorite characters. I wore their After Midnight Princess top for the WDW Marathon Weekend Half Marathon and it was a blast to run in. I loved it so much, in fact, that I had to pick up another of their tops.

I really wanted to try one from the mermaid line so I decided on the Sea Witch Villain top. The design lines of this top are stunning! And I love wearing black so it was really a no brainer for me to get one. And I also ordered the Vampire Mermaid headband to match.

Aside from running or hitting the gym, I thought that this top would be perfect for wearing to the parks. It gets crazy hot here in Florida and even the most dedicated fashionista has to make some concessions for the weather. When I wore this outfit to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, I felt awesome! 

I was never an athleisure person. Gym clothes were for the gym and nowhere else! But I'm pretty sure this top has changed my mind! Yes, you can tell that it's made from stretchy tech fabric but it's so stylish and flattering that I didn't feel like a frumpy mess. I really love the cut of the "tail" in the back. It's so flattering for those of us who are pear shaped. And the mesh cut outs give it just a hint of sexy.

I'm used to getting a lot of looks and comments at Disney. Most people go super casual on their vacations, after all. And this outfit was no exception! I had a really great cast member interaction while check out the new Incredible's Municiberg area in Hollywood Studios. One of the citizens of Municiberg said I looked like a super villain and that she loved my super suit. Be still my villain loving heart!

I'm definitely going to be wearing this top again and again for Disney trips especially in the summer! And if you guessed that it will also be making an appearance at Princess Half Marathon weekend, you wouldn't be wrong!

This post is not sponsored. All items where purchased by me and all thoughts and opinions are my own.