Our Disney Engagement Story

  This past Sunday, July 28, 2013, will always be a special day for us now. The day started off with a trip to the Magic Kingdom to spend the day with my best friend, Brenna, who was in town for the weekend. Little did I know this was all part of the big plan for later! The morning was spent exploring New Fantasyland, eating at Be Our Guest, and lots of catching up.

After a ride on the Carousel of Progress, Derek joined us in the park. We took a spin on the Tea Cups and then made a round trip on the Train.  

Up to this point we still had not gone on the People Mover, which is always a must do for us at the park! So we made our way onto the highway in the sky.  The ride started as normal, taking our usual fun pictures!

Looking back Derek seems to have something on his mind!

We entered the darkness of Space Mountain as usual. While in the darkness, Derek took the opportunity to get down on one knee. When we made it back into the light, I was surprised to see Derek down on one knee holding a glass slipper with a ring in it! It was a very magical moment. 

As we made our way around the turn Derek said some very sweet words that I don't remember and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! 

Brenna was in the car ahead of us to capture the whole thing! I am so glad she was there capture the happiness!

As we exited the ride, the Cast Member there was very excited and surprised to hear what just happened. The People Mover will always be our special ride now!

After the excitement of the proposal, Derek surprised me with cute shirts for us to change into to celebrate! We then headed to the castle to take some pictures.

The Glass Slipper! 

So glad Brenna was there to share in this special day!

After celebrating a little more in the park, we headed over to Kona Cafe for a celebratory dinner! It was our first time eating at Kona Cafe and we had a great experience!

            

     

We had an amazing meal at Kona Cafe. It is a great restaurant with many different choices. And the bread and butter are delicious! We asked for some to take home! After the great meal, we headed home and were greeted with a fun surprise from my family!

It really was a perfect day! I am so glad Derek decided to propose at a place that is so special to us and our relationship. We can't wait to start planning our Disney Wedding! 

24 Hour Disney Day: Evening Fun!

After our fun-filled morning and afternoon at the Disney Parks Blog Monstrous Meet Up, we took a little rest to save up some energy so we could make it till 6am. We arrived back at the Magic Kingdom a little before midnight this time joined by my Mom and Dad. We got there just in time to watch the new summer edition of Celebrate the Magic!

The park was a lot busier in the evening then it was earlier that morning. However, we still managed to enjoy ourselves on some rides. We took another adventure on the Jungle Cruise, rode Dumbo, Haunted Mansion and Pirates, and took in some of the Main Street Electrical Parade before heading over to the Up All Night Dance Party.

                     

 

The Up All Night Dance Party was held in front of Cinderella's Castle at 2am and kept going strong until 5:45am!  This was one of our favorite parts of the day. It was fun to get to dance with Disney characters and fellow Disney fans as we all enjoyed being in the park at these late hours. The Dance Party also helped us keep our energy up. Here's just some of the fun:
  

                   

 

         

 

Stitch is a cutie!

Mom loved dancing with the Characters!

Genie had some great dance moves!

Even though we were loving the dance party there was still so much else we could see and do! We decided to go get our picture taken with Courtney's favorite chipmunks!

By this time we were starting to lose steam so it was time for a ride on the carousel....

 ... and a little pick me up from Gaston's Tavern. We enjoyed a cinnamon roll and a special Sulley cupcake!

Of course we had to get a LeFou's Brew too! 

With our little sugar pick me up we went back to check out the dance party again which was still going strong in its last hour. Then it was time for a ride on our favorite, the People Mover, where we got to see Space Mountain with the lights on!

We then made our way back to Main Street to watch the special Kiss Goodnight to wrap up the 24 Hour Day. Mickey and Minnie came out with the rest of the characters above the train station. After a rendition of the Mickey Mouse Club song, the 24 Hour Monstrous All-Nighter was officially over! Mickey and Minnie then shared a kiss goodnight and waved goodbye from the train station as we made our way out. It was a great ending to a special, magical day.

See you real soon!

Merida's Coronation

On May 11th Merida became the 11th official Disney Princess.  Her coronation took place in front of Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom and we were there to witness it. 

The ceremony was cute, short and sweet. Merida came in riding on a horse followed by a band and dancers. She made her way up to the castle where she joined the rest of the Disney Princesses as well as gymnast Gabby Douglas and her mom. 

The princess oath was read and then Merida's mom, Queen Elinor, showed up to officially crown her. After, Merida then proclaimed "I am Merida, and I am a princess!"

Courtesy of InsidetheMagic.com

Courtesy of InsidetheMagic.com

It was fun to be there for the ceremony even though it was quite crowded and hard to see. But it was definitely worth it to see all the princesses together for the first time!

Courtesy of InsidetheMagic.com

You can watch the whole coronation here courtesy of InsidetheMagic.com:

And for our Ellen DeGeneres fans, Sophia Grace and Rosie were also there to celebrate that morning! You can catch their rap here:

For more pictures from the Coronation visit: Inside the Magic