__disneygirl
well, all that's left now is the happy ending.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2005
March 25, 2019
Day 2, Part 1 In Which Like All You Lovely Folks I've Got A Dream
Hi everyone! I'm sorry for my hiatus, it was not expected. Quarantine brain is real. In 3 days it will be four months of it and whew. All I can do is be thankful myself and my loved ones are not ill and get on with my day.
Back to March of 2019...
For the past five years, I have played every Caucasian Disney Princess, most of them dozens of times. They say if you truly love something, you shouldn't do it for a living. Once you monetize it, you add stress and obligation, and it's no longer fun. They also say that everything, even your wildest dreams, can get old eventually. This is why we're always reaching for new goals and we're never satisfied. Well, I still have a lot of goals in mind, but the truth is i'm extremely satisfied and it never gets old.
All those years I was going to Disney, there were so many clues that this was clearly the job for me. And by clues, I mean complete strangers would come up to me in the park and ask if I was a princess, or make comments suggesting they were simply assuming I was. It took me a lot of years to realize this despite these very obvious nods from the universe, God, or whatever you believe is going on out there in the void. If you are receiving things like this, please be open to it, even if you think you've got your life plan down or sealed your fate in a different way. The thing you are looking for is possibly all around you most of the time and for whatever reason, you just aren't getting it.
My love for Disney lead to playing princesses and then becoming a small business owner. If it wasn't for my character entertainment company, I probably would have had to scale down my other acting jobs or quit entirely by now. Unless you're Angelina Jolie, it's hard to make a full living as an actor. Most of us don't have those big paydays, which is why the great majority of entertainers are forced to get a 9-5 job. This results in no time to audition or work on other things unless you're willing to leave/get fired and start all over again when bills are due. I've had jobs in film, television, theatre, live comedy, and even in the medical field as an actress, but it's been running this company and bringing magic to children that has kept me afloat. Without that, I would not be able to continue acting, or maybe I'd keep acting somewhat but also need to focus my energy on some grown-up job I never wanted just to make ends meet.
I went on my first audition at the age of 7, and I am now, um, not 7. I have seen many many MANY people turn around and say they just can't keep doing it, as much as they wish they could. The rejection is too much. The pressure is too great. They see their high school friends posting on Facebook about job security and vacation homes and feel left behind. They say, "Come on Lia, it's just never gonna happen for me..." It hurts to see that. I am always energized when I meet someone who, despite a complete lack of evidence that anything will pan out, has just moved to NYC in order to become an actor. This happens every day. It's a blissfully, blindly hopeful antidote to all the people I know who have given up and chosen to "get real". I have consistently refused to do this, in fact, I went in the complete opposite direction and became a princess. That is absurd. That is ridiculous. I never, ever would have guessed that's where my life would end up. And yet, it is why I have clothes and a roof over my head. The best part is, my "survival job" that allows me to keep acting is also an acting job. Yes, there's also the business side of running a company, which was a learning curve, but I'm in it for the performance, ultimately. Even when jobs, auditions, and casting meetings are scarce, I still get to be Rapunzel or one of her many friends on the weekend... and that is a massive relief, an important muscle that needs flexing, and an itch that needs scratching. I've even been able to sort of do it during the pandemic, by offering personalized videos and Zoom play dates. So I implore you to embrace the ridiculous. Sure, you may be reading this and thinking, "Well, I'm not going to be a princess and run a company." Maybe not. But what is waiting for you? What keeps popping up in your life no matter how much you brush it off?
All of those people who came up to me in the parks and addressed me as a princess or character performer were unknowingly trying to tell me something. You can have someone say it straight to your face and still not realize or hear what they are saying. Those people were leading me down the path to the rest of my life.
Like when Grandmother Willow tells Pocahontas to listen to the spirits around you, or Mufasa teaches Simba about the great Kings of the past.
Open your eyes. Pay attention. Look closer.
You love the things you love for a reason.
Okay, I am done with my spiritual life lesson for the day. Just some things I was thinking about since this day, I dressed up as my FAVE!!!!!! Rapunzel.
Since I frequently play her at my job, you would think my Disney vacation was an opportunity to break away from all that. Dress down, maybe not glue false eyelashes onto my lids for once.
Nope.
I woke up at Coronado with that very specific "I did not get enough sleep but I DO NOT CARE LET ME AT THE FUN!!!!!!!!!!" Disney trip feeling. You all know it.
It was a beautiful day at Coronado Springs!
I went to Cafe Rix to get some coffee because I was about to transform and needed some fuel.
Now, you've just seen the photos from my Sept 2014 trip when I Disneybounded as Rapunzel, so it's kinda new and familiar to you. But for me, I hadn't worn this outfit, hair extensions, and flowers since then. I wore the shirt just whenever because I didn't buy that specifically for the costume, but the whole ensemble was something I really enjoyed and always planned to do again one day! I don't actually wear any of these items when I perform with my company, as we only use the most authentic and high quality costumes and wigs. This was just for fun!
Rapunzel's destination was far from her tower: noted Greatest Place on Planet Earth, EPCOT!
As I was entering the gates, this happened:
@capriamoon: I have my Rapunzel outfit today and this little girl asked her dad “is she a real princess or is she an actor?” Literally, both
I was like, wow, what a smart child! I am actually both of those things.
But... at Disney... you are not supposed to misrepresent yourself as one of their characters. Plus, I was off duty!
"Rapunzel is at the Magic Kingdom! I just love her so much that I like to dress like her sometimes."
Despite saying this, the little girl kept talking to her parents about me and did a good amount of stalking. I am used to that because it happens any time we do a public appearance. Or it did, pre-pandemic, anyway.
I was in this weird time of day where I wasn't meeting Jess right away, but I also didn't really have enough time to DO anything. No problem - I'll just wander around in complete awe of the beauty that surrounds me! My specialty, and also a very Rapunzel thing to do.
I headed to The Land because I had not smelled that divine and specific Land Smell for over 3 years. You know the one!
Sidenote -- does anyone else buy those WDW Smell-Inspired candles? I am currently burning one modeled after the champagne smell from PhilharMagic. I love them, and some of the scents are insanely accurate. However, I haven't come across a Land Smell candle yet. Probably because some of the other scents are more definable, but I really couldn't tell you what The Land smells like. It smells like The Land Smell.
I wanted some deliciousness from Sunshine Seasons, but I knew I was going to eat with Jess. If you've read my prior TRs, you know we can eat like no one's business so I wanted to save that for our reunion meal. For a little warm-up snack, I chose a chocolate croissant.
I MISSED Disney Chocolate Croissants. I'm sure I've written about this in the past, but Disney doesn't make the quick service ones very authentically -- which I like. I enjoy their Americanized, lighter, softer, less flaky version. I am lucky enough to have French bakeries near me, so I can get the real thing any time... but I love that soft Disney version. Anyone else?
I love that Sunshine Seasons has some more varied options, like this cupcake...
Vegan baked goods are DELICIOUS in general, but I appreciated that they made this cupcake an interesting flavor and not just chocolate or vanilla. Vegan people deserve more options like these!
After that, I left the luscious Land Smell to head in the direction of the iconic Jessica Faye, World Showcase!
So...I've always been known worldwide for my obsession with the Food and Wine Festival, but I actually think Flower and Garden is my favorite now.
When Food & Wine was the only food booth festival, naturally it was going to be my favorite time of year at Epcot. That mixed with it just being my favorite time of year in general and in my opinion the best time to visit Disney, of course I just adored it. Still do!!! BUT Flower & Garden has the bonus of the utter beauty of the brightly colored flowers added to Epcot, plus the topiaries... sigh. I love it.
Also, on my November trip I noticed how heavy all the Food & Wine stuff is, and it's actually pretty hard to eat in the Florida daytime heat. Flower & Garden has more light and refreshing items, whereas with Food & Wine I kind of only want to eat all that pasta, meat, cheese, and bread at night or in air conditioning.
I also got to experience Festival of the Arts in February AND I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!! But we'll save those details for later on in the report.
Hearts are my favorite thing... I'm always buying items with hearts on them so I'm kinda known for that among friends. These were my FAVORITE!
You can never beat this view!
Of course, the first thing I purchased at Flower & Garden had to be my legendary favorite drink, Quentin Tarantino's icee of choice.... The Violent Lemonade, a beverage perfect for wetting your whistle in between filming those demanding and exhausting blood-drenched scenes.
It was as refreshing and delicious as I remembered! A Disney Must-Do, if you ask me.
I was headed to the International Gateway, and the bridge was up as I tried to pass!
There weren't any trolls to push me back back over the falls, but then again there were no falls at that precise spot. However, those trolls are tricky so truthfully, you never know. Can you tell I miss Maelstrom, the Scandinavian area's hottest nightclub? Sigh.
I know it's not the nicest thing in the world to take photos of a stranger's backside, however this woman was wearing such a COOL kimono!!!
It's Lilo and Stitch as constellations!!!!!!!!!! These Disney merchandise designers really know what they are doing sometimes, I'm tellin' ya.
Day 2, Part 1 In Which Like All You Lovely Folks I've Got A Dream
Hi everyone! I'm sorry for my hiatus, it was not expected. Quarantine brain is real. In 3 days it will be four months of it and whew. All I can do is be thankful myself and my loved ones are not ill and get on with my day.
Back to March of 2019...
For the past five years, I have played every Caucasian Disney Princess, most of them dozens of times. They say if you truly love something, you shouldn't do it for a living. Once you monetize it, you add stress and obligation, and it's no longer fun. They also say that everything, even your wildest dreams, can get old eventually. This is why we're always reaching for new goals and we're never satisfied. Well, I still have a lot of goals in mind, but the truth is i'm extremely satisfied and it never gets old.
All those years I was going to Disney, there were so many clues that this was clearly the job for me. And by clues, I mean complete strangers would come up to me in the park and ask if I was a princess, or make comments suggesting they were simply assuming I was. It took me a lot of years to realize this despite these very obvious nods from the universe, God, or whatever you believe is going on out there in the void. If you are receiving things like this, please be open to it, even if you think you've got your life plan down or sealed your fate in a different way. The thing you are looking for is possibly all around you most of the time and for whatever reason, you just aren't getting it.
My love for Disney lead to playing princesses and then becoming a small business owner. If it wasn't for my character entertainment company, I probably would have had to scale down my other acting jobs or quit entirely by now. Unless you're Angelina Jolie, it's hard to make a full living as an actor. Most of us don't have those big paydays, which is why the great majority of entertainers are forced to get a 9-5 job. This results in no time to audition or work on other things unless you're willing to leave/get fired and start all over again when bills are due. I've had jobs in film, television, theatre, live comedy, and even in the medical field as an actress, but it's been running this company and bringing magic to children that has kept me afloat. Without that, I would not be able to continue acting, or maybe I'd keep acting somewhat but also need to focus my energy on some grown-up job I never wanted just to make ends meet.
I went on my first audition at the age of 7, and I am now, um, not 7. I have seen many many MANY people turn around and say they just can't keep doing it, as much as they wish they could. The rejection is too much. The pressure is too great. They see their high school friends posting on Facebook about job security and vacation homes and feel left behind. They say, "Come on Lia, it's just never gonna happen for me..." It hurts to see that. I am always energized when I meet someone who, despite a complete lack of evidence that anything will pan out, has just moved to NYC in order to become an actor. This happens every day. It's a blissfully, blindly hopeful antidote to all the people I know who have given up and chosen to "get real". I have consistently refused to do this, in fact, I went in the complete opposite direction and became a princess. That is absurd. That is ridiculous. I never, ever would have guessed that's where my life would end up. And yet, it is why I have clothes and a roof over my head. The best part is, my "survival job" that allows me to keep acting is also an acting job. Yes, there's also the business side of running a company, which was a learning curve, but I'm in it for the performance, ultimately. Even when jobs, auditions, and casting meetings are scarce, I still get to be Rapunzel or one of her many friends on the weekend... and that is a massive relief, an important muscle that needs flexing, and an itch that needs scratching. I've even been able to sort of do it during the pandemic, by offering personalized videos and Zoom play dates. So I implore you to embrace the ridiculous. Sure, you may be reading this and thinking, "Well, I'm not going to be a princess and run a company." Maybe not. But what is waiting for you? What keeps popping up in your life no matter how much you brush it off?
All of those people who came up to me in the parks and addressed me as a princess or character performer were unknowingly trying to tell me something. You can have someone say it straight to your face and still not realize or hear what they are saying. Those people were leading me down the path to the rest of my life.
Like when Grandmother Willow tells Pocahontas to listen to the spirits around you, or Mufasa teaches Simba about the great Kings of the past.
Open your eyes. Pay attention. Look closer.
You love the things you love for a reason.
Okay, I am done with my spiritual life lesson for the day. Just some things I was thinking about since this day, I dressed up as my FAVE!!!!!! Rapunzel.
Since I frequently play her at my job, you would think my Disney vacation was an opportunity to break away from all that. Dress down, maybe not glue false eyelashes onto my lids for once.
Nope.
I woke up at Coronado with that very specific "I did not get enough sleep but I DO NOT CARE LET ME AT THE FUN!!!!!!!!!!" Disney trip feeling. You all know it.
It was a beautiful day at Coronado Springs!
I went to Cafe Rix to get some coffee because I was about to transform and needed some fuel.
Now, you've just seen the photos from my Sept 2014 trip when I Disneybounded as Rapunzel, so it's kinda new and familiar to you. But for me, I hadn't worn this outfit, hair extensions, and flowers since then. I wore the shirt just whenever because I didn't buy that specifically for the costume, but the whole ensemble was something I really enjoyed and always planned to do again one day! I don't actually wear any of these items when I perform with my company, as we only use the most authentic and high quality costumes and wigs. This was just for fun!
Rapunzel's destination was far from her tower: noted Greatest Place on Planet Earth, EPCOT!
As I was entering the gates, this happened:
@capriamoon: I have my Rapunzel outfit today and this little girl asked her dad “is she a real princess or is she an actor?” Literally, both
I was like, wow, what a smart child! I am actually both of those things.
But... at Disney... you are not supposed to misrepresent yourself as one of their characters. Plus, I was off duty!
"Rapunzel is at the Magic Kingdom! I just love her so much that I like to dress like her sometimes."
Despite saying this, the little girl kept talking to her parents about me and did a good amount of stalking. I am used to that because it happens any time we do a public appearance. Or it did, pre-pandemic, anyway.
I was in this weird time of day where I wasn't meeting Jess right away, but I also didn't really have enough time to DO anything. No problem - I'll just wander around in complete awe of the beauty that surrounds me! My specialty, and also a very Rapunzel thing to do.
I headed to The Land because I had not smelled that divine and specific Land Smell for over 3 years. You know the one!
Sidenote -- does anyone else buy those WDW Smell-Inspired candles? I am currently burning one modeled after the champagne smell from PhilharMagic. I love them, and some of the scents are insanely accurate. However, I haven't come across a Land Smell candle yet. Probably because some of the other scents are more definable, but I really couldn't tell you what The Land smells like. It smells like The Land Smell.
I wanted some deliciousness from Sunshine Seasons, but I knew I was going to eat with Jess. If you've read my prior TRs, you know we can eat like no one's business so I wanted to save that for our reunion meal. For a little warm-up snack, I chose a chocolate croissant.
I MISSED Disney Chocolate Croissants. I'm sure I've written about this in the past, but Disney doesn't make the quick service ones very authentically -- which I like. I enjoy their Americanized, lighter, softer, less flaky version. I am lucky enough to have French bakeries near me, so I can get the real thing any time... but I love that soft Disney version. Anyone else?
I love that Sunshine Seasons has some more varied options, like this cupcake...
Vegan baked goods are DELICIOUS in general, but I appreciated that they made this cupcake an interesting flavor and not just chocolate or vanilla. Vegan people deserve more options like these!
After that, I left the luscious Land Smell to head in the direction of the iconic Jessica Faye, World Showcase!
So...I've always been known worldwide for my obsession with the Food and Wine Festival, but I actually think Flower and Garden is my favorite now.
When Food & Wine was the only food booth festival, naturally it was going to be my favorite time of year at Epcot. That mixed with it just being my favorite time of year in general and in my opinion the best time to visit Disney, of course I just adored it. Still do!!! BUT Flower & Garden has the bonus of the utter beauty of the brightly colored flowers added to Epcot, plus the topiaries... sigh. I love it.
Also, on my November trip I noticed how heavy all the Food & Wine stuff is, and it's actually pretty hard to eat in the Florida daytime heat. Flower & Garden has more light and refreshing items, whereas with Food & Wine I kind of only want to eat all that pasta, meat, cheese, and bread at night or in air conditioning.
I also got to experience Festival of the Arts in February AND I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!! But we'll save those details for later on in the report.
Hearts are my favorite thing... I'm always buying items with hearts on them so I'm kinda known for that among friends. These were my FAVORITE!
You can never beat this view!
Of course, the first thing I purchased at Flower & Garden had to be my legendary favorite drink, Quentin Tarantino's icee of choice.... The Violent Lemonade, a beverage perfect for wetting your whistle in between filming those demanding and exhausting blood-drenched scenes.
It was as refreshing and delicious as I remembered! A Disney Must-Do, if you ask me.
I was headed to the International Gateway, and the bridge was up as I tried to pass!
There weren't any trolls to push me back back over the falls, but then again there were no falls at that precise spot. However, those trolls are tricky so truthfully, you never know. Can you tell I miss Maelstrom, the Scandinavian area's hottest nightclub? Sigh.
I know it's not the nicest thing in the world to take photos of a stranger's backside, however this woman was wearing such a COOL kimono!!!
It's Lilo and Stitch as constellations!!!!!!!!!! These Disney merchandise designers really know what they are doing sometimes, I'm tellin' ya.
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