The more I've thought about it as time has gone on, I've come to realize that even if it is easy to a degree, it's also a very viable, and enjoyable concept! The entire reason I started blogging about Disneyland was because I loved it so much, and one of the things I love most about my trips into The Parks are the memories it allows me to create. And how, pray tell, can I relive those memories if I don't "throw back" my mind sometimes, either through print, or pictures, or both?! So with that said, I'm breaking one of my earliest beliefs and doing just that; I'm throwing it back to the year 2011 for this one, and for honestly, one of the best days I ever remember spending at Disneyland. Period.
Way back in January of 2011, Disneyland had this wonderful concept (and have had variations of it ever since, albeit with different names, in my opinion) called "Family Fun Days", where they opened up certain areas of The Park and had very special weekend activities meant to draw in families for experiences and things pretty rarely seen inside The Parks. When it was announced, of course, it drew a lot of attention, and one weekend in particular did; this one called "Character Fan Days". If memory serves, Park Guests were invited to go online ahead of time and vote for, out of a bunch of different choices, characters that were rarely seen out and about in The Parks that they'd like an opportunity to meet.
The choices were made, and again, it being something that was only one weekend only, we knew it was something we just had to do. It's sort of funny to think about now because this was pretty early on in our "Days", and since the blog hadn't been up for very long at the time, it seemed like it would be a great opportunity for some pretty fantastic "blog fodder". Back then, it was myself, Amy (who many of you know), and Mark (who many of you might know) doing most of the work around here, so of course, it was we three who met up that Saturday afternoon and spent the better part of four-five hours going from line to line to meet some of our favorite, never-before-met characters. Really? Going from line to line, waiting for hours, to meet a bunch of costumed Characters? Heck yes!
It's funny when I look back at it for a lot of different reasons, not the least of which are the pictures themselves and what they've come to mean to me on a personal level, but it also marked a pretty big swing in my own character and how I viewed myself in some ways. For the better part of the past 20 years or so, I've been a fairly overweight individual, and like most people who are, I tend to have a complex about some things, and having my picture taken is one of them, even where something like pictures with characters or fun events are involved. Up to this particular point in time, I'd simply never enjoyed having my picture taken, and honestly, I kind of have no idea why I thought it was a great idea then, either. But looking back, I have to say, it was the first time in years, decades maybe, that I felt like I wanted to have my picture taken in some way, and if you've followed my blog at all since I originally posted about these, you'll know there's no shortage of pictures of me on the internet since, whatsoever! Something changed, and call it "Disneyland magic" or whatever, but things have been a lot different since.
Amy, Mark, and "Character Fan Days" may have thought that all they did for me back then was give me an opportunity to meet some pretty cool bears, and Esmerelda (still cool by the way!), but I think that "Day" did so much more for me than that. I owe them all, friends and characters alike, a debt of gratitude, and I can't think of a better "Throwback" to have since I've started blogging again than this one.
Those were the "Days", and I can't wait for more!
