(Prep For) The Happiest Place on Earth...

This upcoming July, George and I have decided (against doubts from many people, cough cough you know who you are) to make the voyage to Walt Disney World in Orlando. I, obviously ripped from a real childhood, have never been. I have never been more excited for anything in my whole life! We are blowing a bunch (and when I say a bunch, I mean a bunch) of money on this trip, and I am really hoping to get EVERYTHING out of it that I can, assuming I probably won't be back until after I have kids. So obviously I am going crazy planning, figuring out which rides to ride at whatever park on whichever day, all the way down to the nitty gritty. But I think the craziest thing I've done is, at one of my weekly trips to Goodwill, buy a bajillion Disney VHS movies, trying to catch up on ones that I've missed, ones that I desperately need to re-watch, and ones that I just love and want to watch again.

So I've decided, although it probably won't be very interesting to read, to write about them as I watch. What better one to start with than Cinderella (which, by the way, I have never seen...CRAZY RIGHT...HOW AM I EVEN ALLOWED AT DISNEY?).

So, about Cinderella, I wish I had seen it when I was a little girl so that I could talk about how different it was watching it as a 19 year old compared to a 5 year old. Which now that I'm thinking about it, I probably have seen it, but just don't remember. But watching it now, there was a lot to get out of it (caution: spoiler alerts...although, I doubt that matters)...

Stand up for yourself.
When Cinderella realizes that she should be allowed to go to the ball, her stepsisters clearly oppose it, but her logic on why she should be allowed stumps them. Cinderella's decision to go to the ball is what allowed her to have her "happily-ever-after."

Always have hope.
Although she wavers here and there, Cinderella always tries to have hope. She works hard to get her chores done in order to attend the ball. It would have been easy for her to give up, but because she wanted something, she worked hard in order to get it. Because of what her stepsisters did to her outfit, she wasn't able to go (at the time) even though she was ready and had done all that was asked of her.

Find the good in your life.
Despite all the bad cards that Cinderella was handed, she managed to find beauty and friendship and happiness in many places. She sang, she laughed, and she made others life (well, mice, but they were actually my favorite characters). The moral of this is there is always something to be happy about.

Take the Initiative.
This one is easy, don't let anybody stop you from doing what you want to do. You may need a little help from the Fairy Godmother, but you can do it.

The Right Pair of Shoes Can Change Everything.
The title says it all. If you find a pair of shoes that you love, get them! Don't let the price tag stop you. They may change many of your days ahead. What puts you in a better mood than strutting something that you love, and that you feel are amazing. If you feel like you can't live without them (you definitely can, but who cares) just get them, cause you deserve them! 

Cinderella is somebody to live by. Many people believe that she had a boy create her happiness, but truly, she did it for herself. Don't let life pass you by, go for it!

And if you haven't watch Cinderella lately, watch it again...

Randell