A Practically Perfect Adventure - Day 1

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By now, most of you have already seen variations of the picture above or you have heard about the First (Annual?) Disney Social Media Moms Celebration conference (the "Conference") somewhere.  You may have even noticed the, "I'm attending" button on the sidebar of my blog.

Yes, I was lucky enough to be one of the 100 bloggers Disney invited to their first ever social media conference.  It was an honor to be invited and an even bigger stroke of luck to grab one of the coveted spots.  (A big THANK YOU goes out to Jackie for snagging one of the very last rooms and inviting Jen & me to room with her!)

As the name of my blog suggests, I am always a day late and a dollar short, and my blogging on this event is no different!  I realize it's taken me forever to arrive at blogging about this adventure, but you'll have to forgive me.  Working each day as a preschool teacher and then coming home to play the dual role of "master" coupon blogger plus Mom to two very active boys leaves me virtually no extra time (for anything).

...and since most of you have already read about this event in other blogs and have seen the pictures from other conference bloggers, my account of this event will be a little bit more summative in nature.  I'll be breaking it down into bite-size, day-to-day segments--all of which will be from my own humble point of view!  (Lucky you...)

So, without further adieu, hang on tight, as I reflect back on a few of my favorite things and highlights from Day 1!

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When I think back to that first day, the one thing that lingers most for me, above all, was finally being granted the opportunity to meet some of my long-time virtual Disney friends (you girls know who you are).  That first afternoon, I was able to put faces and voices to pictures and typed words.  Finally!  Our circle had been completed....

...and so it began....Our three days kicked off with new friendships being born.  What a sweet gift to have been given.  Thank you Disney!

As our day quickly turned into night, we were boarded onto a chartered bus and taken to Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports.  It was there that we were able to attend a special kick-off event, which included, among other things, a press conference where Disney executives revealed to us their plans for several new Summer 2010 events (Summer Nightastic!).

It was a great privilege to be included and to be allowed to attend this press conference, as every major media outlet was there, along with representatives from all of the big Disney websites.  It seemed that Disney was now considering us, mere bloggers (i.e., small fish) a valued part of their bigger media pond and its out-reaching ecosystem.  Sweet....

Once the press conference ended, all media (yes, even us!) were directed over to ESPN's Milk Room.  When we walked into the room, it seemed as if our eyes could not take in everything at once.  Bright-colored lights, loud music, a DJ, a dance floor, and every type of tailgate food you could fathom (and some you could not) was available.  The entire room had been transformed into a GIANT tailgate party!  Disney left nothing to imagination that night.    (After all, that is their specialty--imagination!)

We ate and then we ate a little more and then we ate even more!  (Who could turn down bags of peanuts, cotton candy, and freezers full of Mickey ice cream bars?)

All the while, we laughed, interacted with face and costumed characters, and began to solidify the foundations of those new friendships.  (As a Southern Baptist, I can tell you nothing solidifies friendships better than FOOD!)

 

(Yes, that is the first of many horrible, eyes-closed pictures of me!)

As the night ended, we all knew that Disney had proved they would be rolling out the proverbial red carpet for us (yes, us, mere bloggers--you know small fish), and that they considered us valuable assets to their organization.

From putting us up at one of their DELUXE resorts (the Poly) for three nights, to chauffeuring us around in special buses, to treating us to a press conference (with the "real" media), we all knew, at that moment, these were going to be three magical days.

Heck, I even got to meet this guy!  Woot!

...and this was just the beginning...