My days at Disney.

I worked at Disney as a cast member for 5 years and loved it. I started on the College Program and then transitioned to various seasonal positions. My final position was the best, in my biased opinion - I worked evenings at the Yacht and Beach Club, driving a group around the Epcot canal waterway system to see the Epcot IllumiNations fireworks.

I got my first recommendation on my LinkedIn page. Someone I used to work with at Disney when I was driving the pontoon boats for private parties to see Epcot IllumiNations, said the following:

"I have worked with many different people while at Walt Disney World over the past years. Some very dedicated, and some just looking for a paycheck. Victoria is one of the few who truly believed in the Disney magic and whether on stage or back stage, she was always a positive force. She was always cheerful, bright and very guest orientated. She is an asset to any company that is lucky enough to have her."

I squealed the happiest of squeals when I read that. I will never stop missing Disney, and if the right opportunity ever presented itself, I would return. I miss playing at Disney too - I haven't been in several months.

That will be rectified soon. I sent the boy a Google Calendar invite for a day at Disney next weekend, after we've wound down from Easter weekend.

(Yes, this is how my husband and I roll when it comes to event planning in our marriage - the geeky, organized way.)

I love you.

Last night the boy husband went to see Mamma Mia with me at the local botanical gardens Date Night, even though he detests musicals. Today I got two free magnolia trees that are taller than me, that we drove to our house in a truck that a coworker lent me. Later this week, another coworker who happens to be an expert on landscaping is going to come over and help us decide where to place them and give us ideas for what to do with the rest of the yard. Once we finished hauling the tree home, we hit up the local diner for a late breakfast, then went home to nap. The afternoon was spent lazily putzing around on the computer and watching television. Eventually there was ice cream.

You know what? Life is good.

Matt and Maddy

It's a hazy memory how I stumbled across Matt Logelin's blog, but I am extraordinarily glad that I did. I came across it shortly after his wife, Liz, died a day after giving birth to their first child, Madeline. His writing was so raw and honest, I couldn't help but read it all. And I kept reading. I can't tell you how many posts I've sent to various people for one reason or another, or how many times I've called to Rob from my office shouting, "You have to see this picture of Maddy!"

He recommends that you start here at this post.

In the year since his daughter's birth and his wife's passing, Matt has taken his experiences and found a way to benefit families going through similar situations. He created the Liz Logelin Foundation, and I recommend you check it out.

Once you're worked your way through that, I recommend you skip ahead nearly a year to this post which contains a video of Matt and Maddy during a photo shoot. Beautiful video. The happiness on their faces is exquisite.

I also recommend the video because of the song. Amy Seeley's "Walk To The Park" is my current favorite, soothing me on this rainy day.