Mom’s Panel Pandemonium

At precisely 7:53  PM this evening, my phone rang and “blocked” appeared on my caller ID.  Could it be Disney?  No, round two emails were not sent out yet.  But…maybe the Mom’s Panel judges are doing things differently this year…hmmm.  “Hello?” 

“May I speak to Nicole please?”

“This is she.”

“Hi Nicole, this is Rick from the Walt Disney World Resort.”

Oh my God!  It is the Mom’s Panel!  They are calling me to interview me!  They decided to conduct the application process a little bit differently this year!  Okay, breathe…Why is Rick laughing?  Wait, why do I hear my husband’s laughter upstairs?  Hold on a second…

“The funniest thing is that you believed it!” said my husband.

Well, I think that my Mom’s Panel pandemonium has reached a new level today.  My husband is starting to crack.  Every day I have been talking, dreaming and obsessing over getting a spot on the Mom’s Panel.  When I am not envisioning what I am going to wear on the plane ride down to the training in December or the Christmas ornament I will buy to commemorate my achievement (a pink personalized one from Disney’s Days of Christmas in the Downtown Disney Marketplace) or the moment I put on my pink jacket and take a picture in front of Cinderella’s Castle, I am obsessing over what I wrote in my application and crossing out days on my countdown calendar until round two emails may arrive.  I am constantly also constantly reading DIS Boards outloud as my husband and I sit on the couch at night and before we go to bed I tell him again how amazing it would be to help hundreds of people plan their dream vacation. 

So, dear husband, you will just have to endure another month and a half of me obsessing.  It will all be worth it in the end. 🙂

I DID IT!!!!!

Today was the day….September 12th…I applied to be on the Walt Disney World Mom’s Panel!  I truly hope that my love and passion for Disney shines through, as well as my desire to be on the Mom’s Panel.  When I think about wearing the pink jacket and standing in front of Cinderella’s Castle with the other Moms, I get a “rumbly (of excitement) in my tumbly!”  This is one of those dreams that I can see, hear, smell, feel and even taste!!  I know the competition is very tough, but I did my best, working over three hours to write and proofread my answers on the application.  So now I am just continuing to have, “Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust!”

 

Mom’s Panel Journey

55 Days until applications open!

I have to admit that I am obsessed with all things Disney.  From the moment I first set foot on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, all things Disney have become an inherent part of me.  I think I have passed this passion on to my children, who in their three short years have been to Walt Disney World three times and have been on one of the Disney Dream’s inaugural voyages.  I am proud to say that my son’s first word was “Mo-Mo” (Mickey Mouse).  To those people who think I am crazy, my reply is, “I am PROUD of my Disney passion!”  I am also proud that I have, what I refer to as a “Disney Family;” a family whose core values include believing in oneself and one’s dreams and never giving up on those dreams!  I am not ashamed to admit that I sing “A dream is a wish your heart makes” to myself and my children on a daily basis.

Now this obsession is being focused on the becoming a member of the WDW Mom’s Panel!  How I would LOVE to be able to help people plan their Disney vacations and experience that Pixie Dusted Disney magic.  I realized how far-reaching this passion has become in that I have become the go-to person in my school building (I am an English teacher) for any of my colleagues who are planning a trip to Disney. (By the way, my family just has to say “Disney” and they have an itinerary in their hands 🙂 )  I have lost count of the number of times I have heard, “You know a lot about Disney, right?” or “I am going to Disney, can we talk?” and “We’re planning a Disney trip, where should I stay?”  Immediately, my Mickey Ears go up and before they know it, these colleagues have their trip mapped out from the minute the plane touches ground at Orlando International Airport until lift off on the day they leave.   So to be able to do this for thousands of people would be a dream come true!  My husband recently asked me, after one of my daily soliloquies about  the Mom’s Panel, what do I get out of doing this job?  What do I get?!  I get the honor spreading that unique Disney joy and happiness to others!  I get the honor of being associated with DISNEY!! I get the honor of bringing that Disney magic to fruition to people both young and old (my favorite trip that I planned was a 50th anniversary surprise for my grandparents 🙂 )!  Right now I am counting the days until application day and wishing, hoping and dreaming of wearing one of those pink shirts!  So Tinkerbell, if you are reading this, please send me some Pixie Dust!!!  Oh, and Mom’s Panel judges, I PROMISE not to disappoint you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!