Disney World 2012

So I have fallin down on my promise to write 2 post's a month. I have a little excuse as you know from my last post I have been incredibly busy with my new position.  So continue to have faith in me that I will keep this going and will do my best to continue to write.

Anyways I went to Disney World at the end of March with the David W. Butler Marching Band where my husband Josh is the Band Director and had a blast! Here is a recap of the crazy busy 3 days we were there.

Day 1:

Well I should say night one, we left at roughly 9pm thursday March 29th via charter bus. We arrived in Orlando at 8ish friday morning.  We met our tour guide at the Golden Corral to get our tickets and set out for the day.  We had hopper passes and let the kids go off to the parks by them selves as long as they checked in with a chaperone.  So Josh and I and 2 chaperones headed to the Magic Kingdom.  I felt just like a kid again walking around the corner and seeing Cinderella's Castle!

After that lovely photo op we headed to space mountain to get a fast pass. Have you heard of these?  If the line for a popular ride is long you grab this and it holds your spot in line so you can go ride something else. First stop the Haunted Mansion, Josh's favorite ride! We felt like kids again, it was awesome!  We then headed to Adventureland!  We hit up the Enchanted Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Treehouse and Pirates of the Carribean.

Josh on Jungle Cruise

View at the top of the tree house

After that we headed to space mountain the catch our spot in line. I remember not being so sure of this ride when I was younger, it was my first roller coaster and I almost didn't ride it. This time I was like "Let's do this!" Well then we are placed in the front car, it was still fun but much more intense in the dark with few people in front of you. Note Josh's face on the ride, needless to say he loved it!

I love Josh's face in this photo.

Next we made a stop at the hall of presidents, Josh is a history buff and loved this animatronic show on the history of the nation and our Presidents. I have to admit, not being a history buff my self, it was pretty cool!

We ended day 1 at Disney with the Wishes Night Time Spectacular Fireworks show over Cinderella's Castle! It was truly magical, I could have watched it for hours!

Day 2:

Epcot!! 

First stop we got fast passes for Soarin', the most popular ride in Epcot and while we waited for our time to get back in line we checked out Iternational Flower and Garden Show. It's amazing what they can do with greenery and flowers.

Next we head to the Test Track, another way to get through line quickly at disney is to go in the single rider line, thats what we did here. We were in and out in 10 minutes. At the end we had a photo op in a Chevy Camaro!

We then headed to Mission Space. I was un sure of this one because I have claustrophobic tendencies. But Josh said I would be fine, so I trusted him. Also this ride gives you options, basically the ride spins around super fast to get a g-force effect, however you can choose orange for an intense ride or green for a milder version, we chose green. And it was just right, you really feel like you are performing a space mission without getting nauseous. Here are Josh's kids after the ride.

We then headed to Soarin' to use our fast passes.  This was my favorite ride, I was told it would be. It's a simulator where you feel like you are hang gliding over beautiful landscapes.  It feels so real you forget you are on a ride. I wish I could have taken photos to better explain this. This is a must do if you go to disney world.

After mission space we headed to Spaceship Earth. Josh was reluctant at first because all he remembered was that it was boring. But by the end when we "saw our future" he loved it!

Now it's time to head backstage and get ready for the parade. I was so proud to witness this moment, it's not everyday your husband's marching band gets to march through Epcot. It was also really cool to go behind the scenes at Disney, they were really strict about no cameras though. So we meet our bus backstage to get the kids dressed and ready. Josh is ready to warm up the band and right then a storm comes out of nowhere, but the craziest thing is before it started to pour the wind picked up all this dirt and was flying it around, it was a mess. Right as the rain came we got the band back on the bus.  At this point all we can do is wait out the storm. An hour later we decide to go ahead and march when there is just a little drizzle. So they head out into the park.

I will never forget the moment their name was called over the PA system, it gave me chills. So proud to be a band directors wife! ;)

So after we get back to the bus and the band changes we have the rest of the afternoon in the park.  We decide to check out the rest of the world ;).  Stopped in and visited Canada with a tour guided by Martin Short. Visited some shops and things in other countries.  I like a quick trip around the world, hehe.

We ended our second day with the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth Light Show.

Good Bye Epcot

Day 3:

Animal Kingdom!
This is my favorite of the parks. It's the park where I hold most of my memories from the trip when I was little. It's when my love of giraffes was solidified, on Kilimanjaro's Safari a Giraffe came right up to our Jeep, like an inch from my face. They are by far one of God's most beautiful most interesting creations.

So, knowing we only had half of the day to spend here me and another mom immediately went and got a fast pass for Kilimanjaro's Safari, Josh and a different mom went to ride Expedition Everest. After that we met up and while we waited for our time to come up we went under the "Tree of Life" to see "It's tough to be a bug" in 3D by the characters from A Bugs Life.  This I also saw when I was little but I think they definitely upped the scare factor since then. It was cute but when Grass Hopper comes out there were kids screaming and even I got a little frightened.

Anyways now we are off to Kilimanjaro's Safari! Our guide wasn't as into the story line of catching poachers as I remember the one being when I was little. It was still fun to see all of the animals especially the Giraffes, and we saw several, not as close as when I was little. The pictures speak for them selves.

So after Kilimanjaro's Safari it was time to leave Animal Kingdom, next time I am able to go I am spending much longer here, we missed a lot.

Good Bye Animal Kingdom

Anyways, we decide to head to the Rain Forest Cafe for lunch, but not the one in animal kingdom because I thought it would be much too busy, I had the brilliant idea to catch the bus and head to the one at Down Town Disney.  There is a note of sarcasm here because in hindsight I would not advise doing this if you do not have your own personal mode of transportation.  There is not a bus that goes directly from the parks to downtown disney, you have to catch one to a hotel and then to downtown disney.  It took us over an hour to get there, they still took our reservation even though we were late, and we ended up having a great meal. It just took much too long to do, and it turns out people in the band didn't have any trouble getting seated at the rain forest cafe in animal kingdom.

So after this interesting trek we head to finish our last day at MGM Studios, oops I mean
Hollywood Studios!

Ok so you need a back story here too. When i went to Disney when I was little we tried to ride Tower of Terror 3 times! Due to either technical difficulties and the park closing we did not succeed in riding it. So even though as I get older I am becoming less of a dare devil I was determined to ride it this trip. The photo taken on the ride explains how I much I enjoyed it. But hey, at least I can check it off my bucket list ;)

After this we rode Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller coaster, after it I was done with rides. So josh rode another ride, we saw the little mermaid show, we shopped around a little, ate dinner and then it was time to wait in line to get good seats for Fantasmic! This was by far my favorite light show out of all the evening light shows the park held. Because it is in an Amphitheater you can sit and see more. It was amazing!

After this it was time to go home and our Disney trip came to an end....

One last flower and garden sculpture

Good Bye Hollywood Studios

I had a great time! I am so thankful I get the opportunity to go on these trips with Josh and the bands of David W. Butler High School. I love seeing him in his Band Director role, it's amazing to witness when someone truly answers their calling and are doing what they were meant to do.

Good Bye Disney World :(

I hope ya'll enjoyed more details about our Disney World trip last march!

Until next time (hopefully it won't be another 5 months til I write again(.

Answered Prayers

I have an announcement to make (no, I'm not pregnant ;)

Five and a half years ago I graduated from Appalachian State University dreaming of becoming a graphic designer. When I first moved to Salisbury, NC in August, 2006 with my sister Whitney, I wasn't having any luck finding a job in my field. Thankfully though, through her connections I was hired at Food Lion in October, 2006. I was hired as a graphic artist in the advertising department, there I've worked on several sales flyers for Food Lion, eventually landing on working on the Bloom flyer, a banner in the same company as Food Lion. This leads to the happenings of the past few months.

Last spring I found out Bloom would be closing or converting back to Food Lion their NC and SC stores to focus on their northern stores. A few months ago I found out the entire brand would be retired, therefore no more Bloom. I was told I would not be losing my job, because technically I was a Food Lion employee not Bloom. However questions still came to mind, one of them being, What would I be working on? For the past few years while working on the bloom flyer I have aspired to move into the creative services department as a brand designer. Every time the job has been available I have applied for it and been turned down, this includes my last try a few months ago. I was told to keep pressing on, learn more about my craft and maybe further into my career things would change. I even e-mailed the hiring manager after finding out Bloom would be no more, knowing there would be less work in our department, if she would reconsider me for the position. One last shot.  However she again told me no but if they changed direction, she would let me know.

Well little did I know wheels were turning in the mind of the hiring manager and she was still contemplating bringing me on board. Last thursday she offered me the job promotion I have been wanting since I started here, and I accepted. I am now one of three brand designers in the creative services department! I will be working on creative for Food Lion involving store signs, bill boards, Truck Wraps etc., anything not involving the flyer. I look forward to growing as a graphic designer, expanding my experience and furthering my career!

To me it's just amazing how God's plan works, He doesn't answer every prayer the way you want Him to. It seems like He changes your life when you least expect it but when He knows you most need it. I was second guessing my talent and creative ability, whether I was on the right career path, after having been looked over and turned down so many times. But by just being me I showed what they were looking for and they are willing to give me the chance to show them what I can do!

I will keep you updated on this transition and new endeavor in my life!

Until next time.....

~Elyse

(Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors, I am and artist not a writer ;)

It's been awhile....

This is my first blog post in awhile, I do want to try and do better. My goal is to post at least 2 blogs a month. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I also don't want to set myself up for failure.  A lot has happened since my last post. 

To name a few, we did finally get married last June and we couldn't be happier. He is the love of my life, best friend and I can't wait to see what life brings our way.  

Also I am an Aunt now to 2 beautiful nieces, Lily Grace and Adeline Marie!

You may be wondering about the title of our blog, we are stuck like glue. If you know me you know my favorite band is sugarland, I love many of their songs but my recent favorite is "Stuck like glue", partly because we did swing dance to at our wedding. It has a catchy beat with fun lyrics that can only make you smile., and it pretty much sums up our marriage.

"Stuck like glue"
Mmm Better
Mmm Better
Absolutely no one that knows me better
No one that can make me feel so good
How did we stay so long together?
Everybody, everybody said we never would
And just when I, I start to think they're right
That love has died

[Chorus]
There you go making my heart beat again, 
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time?
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, whoa oh 
I'm never letting this go, whoa oh

I'm stuck on you, whoa oh whoa oh
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Whoa oh whoa oh, Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue

Some days I don't feel like trying
Some days you know I wanna just give up
When it doesn't matter who's right, fight about it all night
Had enough
You give me that look
"I'm sorry baby let's make up"
You do that thing that makes me laugh
And just like that

[Chorus]
Whoa oh, whoa oh
You almost stay out, too stuck together from the ATL
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Feeling kinda sick?
Just a spoon full of sugar make it better real quick
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/sugarland/stuck_like_glue.html ]
I say, (whoa oh, whoa oh)
Whatcha gonna do with that?
(Whoa oh, whoa oh)
Come on over here with that
Sugar sticky sweet stuff
Come on give me that stuff
Everybody wants some
Melodies that get stuck

Up in your head, whoa oh, whoa oh(X3)

(Whoa oh, whoa oh)
Stuck like glue
You and me together, say, it's all I wanna do
I said

[Chorus]
There you go making my heart beat again, 
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, whoa oh
I'm never letting this go, whoa oh

There you go making my heart beat again
Heart beat again
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time
There you go pulling me right back in
Right back in
Right back in
And I know, whoa oh
I'm never letting this go, whoa oh

I'm stuck on you, whoa oh whoa oh
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Whoa oh whoa oh, Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Whoa oh, whoa oh
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue

Check out the video, it's pretty hilarious and the opposite of our marriage.

Anyways, I look forward to sharing crafts and recipes I find on pinterest, things I find on etsy, the happenings in our lives and random musings.

Until next time.....
~Elyse

Engagements!

So I have been wanting to write this blog for sometime, but finding the time has been difficult.

For those of you who know me trying to find a wedding photographer was my highest priority.  Well I found the best! Torrence Photography.  I was so looking forward to this session and it lived up to my expectations immensely.

Next was determining the location of the engagement session, boone immediately came to mind. It is a place near and dear to our hearts. Even though we didn't start dating til later, App is where Josh and I first met. Specifically on the football field on my first day of band camp.

So on october 3rd we set out for boone with our fabulous photographers! We start off the shoot at the football field of course.  We walk up to the gate, that is always open, and its locked.  I think its over, my dreams of having a pictures taken on the field are gone.  But before I freakout completely Josh walks over to the visitors gate for some hope one might be left open.  Well there was! So we go in.  I was worried this would be awkward and Josh and I wouldn't be comfortable doing it.  But Stephen, our photographer, immediately made us feel comfortable.  We had a blast running all over the field taking different shots, he truly captured us and our love.

So in the process of making this perfect, packing the right outfits and so fourth, I forgot our jackets and it was 50 degrees, windy and misty, oops. More on that later.

We head to the music center next, Josh's request, to change into outfit number 2.  After we are done changing we run into our old Marching Band director, Dr. Tobias.  That was cool, I hadn't seen him since I left the band my junior year.  We then head out side for these shots.

Next we head to king street to find some jackets.  We are there on a sunday, everything closes at 5 if open at all on sundays in boone.  We make it to the mast general store at 6pm as they are closing, we bang on the door and they let us in! Josh buys a jacket that we will intend to share. They were so nice just because we were engaged and they knew we were doing our photo shoot.  These are the shots captured during the process,

Next was my favorite part. I have been wanting to do some of these with an umbrella as long as I can remember.  I have been obsessed really.  Umbrellas have become the theme of our wedding.  Along with  the tag, Rain or Shine, You'll be Mine! Anyways the sun is setting and we have about 15 min to get to the parkway and get these shot.  I had to have some taken with mountains in the background.  We arrive at Moses Cone Manor in the nix of time as fog is rolling in, and Stephen captured the moment perfectly.

And then it was over :( It went by so quickly.  We set out for dinner and ended up at woodland's, a nice finish to the perfect day.  Thank you so much Stephen and CJ, you did an amazing job! 

If you are looking for a photographer be sure to check out Torrence Photography.

Until next time......