Let us know if you try these recipes…  We’d love to share!

From Disney/Pixar:

Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” follows the heroic journey of Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) andcantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and the ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resources—including her mischievous triplet brothers—to undo a beastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor. Opens on June 22, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

It seems unfitting to wish you a “happy” Memorial Day considering what this day is about.  Today is a special day set aside for us to honor and remember those who have served, and those who have died, serving this country we call home. I have never met a service man or woman from any branch of the military that is seeking recognition for what they feel is their duty;  to serve, and to possibly give the ultimate sacrifice, in the name of that service so the rest of us may live as we please.

In honor of Memorial Day, we’d like to tell you about the way that Walt Disney World proudly honors our servicemen and women every day of the year.  Every evening, the Magic Kingdom has a flag retreat ceremony.  This ceremony is a respectful, and fitting, way to remind park visitors to Walt Disney World of those who protected the way of life we enjoy, and is very similar to the way that military bases lower and store their American flags.  But of course, there is a Disney twist.

The ceremony begins with the Main Street Philharmonic, along with the Dapper Dans, performing beautiful renditions of American patriotic songs.  You will be amazed at how many songs you know all the words to. when you suddenly realize you are no longer just watching a performance, but you are participating in this experience as that feeling of American pride swells up in your heart.

The most powerful moment of this ceremony is when Walt Disney World invites military veterans to participate. Following the medley of music, the flag is lowered, and then folded by the Disney color guard.  Then the special veteran of the day (with their family standing alongside) helps fold the flag into the shape of a tri-cornered hat, emblematic of the hats worn by colonial soldiers during the War for Independence.  In the folding, the red and white stripes are finally wrapped into the blue, symbolizing the light of day vanishing into the darkness of night.  This symbolism is reinforced by the ceremony normally taking place between 4:30 and 5:00pm, depending on the time of the year.

The flag is then presented to the veteran while a history of his/her military service is read aloud.  The ceremony is finished off with a touching musical compilation honoring all branches of the US military.  The special veteran, the Philharmonic, Dapper Dans, and the Disney World color guard all march down Main Street USA  and the ceremony is then complete.  It’s very patriotic and extremely moving!

Disney has proudly supported the US military, especially during the 2^nd World War, and this is one more small way that Walt Disney World helps that tradition to continue. If you are a veteran or have an active military member in your party, make sure you check in to Guest Services as soon as you arrive at the Magic Kingdom. This is a first come, first serve event so you need to check in early if you want to participate.

This Memorial Day, take a moment and remember those who have sacrificed for the freedoms that we all enjoy.  God bless you, and God bless America!

Written by WDWParhopper Sarah-Irene

Married, living in North Tampa, FL. Audio geek, power tool junkie and recently converted dog person. Sarah is married to WDW Parkhopper John and they have 2 four-legged kids, for now…

Follow Sarah-Irene on Twitter.

Read Sarah’s Blog HERE.

From the Kingdom Keepers website, 

The fifth novel in the Kingdom Keepers series takes to the high seas! Finn, Amanda, and all of the DHIs are back for this new thrilling story that takes readers belowdecks on the Disney Dream. As the Disney Dream joins the cruise fleet, a special treat is in store for guests aboard its inaugural sail from Cape Canaveral to Los Angeles: the Disney Host Interactive teenage guides will be part of the Dream crew. Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby are to attend the cruise as celebrity guests, and to perform a ribbon cutting for the DHI server to go live. The Dream is now the most advanced cruise ship in the world. But all is not right belowdecks. Strange things are happening. Unexplained phenomena. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation: nearly every Disney villain is represented onboard the new ship: whether on its decks or in its theaters. If the Overtakers get their way, a power will be unleashed that no one will possess the ability to vanquish.

Once again Pearson has weaved his magic and given us characters that are growing and changing as they should along with an action packed tale.  The amount of detail in the description of the parks is amazing and well appreciated by Disney fans.   Seriously, I read this book in 4 days….and that’s only because I had to go to work and couldn’t read straight thorough.  I challenge you to read this and not like.  What did you think about the plot?  Do you like the character development that’s taking place?

This is a guest post by our good friend, Carrie Bryniak. You can find her on twitter at@RunnerGoddess. She is a great friend of WDW Parkhoppers and part of our running family! We cannot thank her enough for sharing this post while Parkhopper Sid and Parkhopper John are on vacation.

After entering the Magic Kingdom you go to the Firehouse on Main Street where a cast member introduces you to a whole new adventure.

At the recruitment center you are given a pack of 5 Sorcerers Cards, a ‘Key’ card and a location Map where to play on Main Street, Adventureland, Frontierland and Fantsyland. With those items in tow, you locate a Magical Portal where there you show your ‘key’ card to the little keyhole located in the area THEN like Magic, which of course it IS when you are in Disney … a Magical Portal area transforms into a magical movie where Merlin asks your help to battle various Disney villains who have been recruited by Hades, by using your ‘spell’ cards.

Your mission is to ward off the villains and save the Crystal of the Magic Kingdom. Each day you may go to the firehouse for a new set of game cards – each have their own special magic to help ward off the evil villains. The artwork on the cards is amazing. There are nine different spell classes – Animal, Fairy Hero, Toy, Machine, Monster, Princess, Warrior, and Mystic Each of those cards carries another symbol like a planet, crescent moon, a star, a double star and a lightning bolt. We were told there were about 70 different cards, some were already out of play. This should not deter you from playing as we found it fun to collect the different cards and found many people asking to trade so they could collect as many as possible during their stay. 

What we found interesting is that the adults seemed to be more into it than the kids! Some had albums that held their cards – which if you are going to be there playing for awhile isn’t a bad idea as it keeps them from getting crunched up… but if you are just a person who likes to do something different then I might suggest you being recruited by Merlin and enjoy playing the game. So grab your map, find your next location, stand on the symbol and cast your spells!

This is a guest post by our good friend, Kathy Mishima, from Lace Haystack.com. You can find her on Twitter and on FaceBook. She is a great friend of WDW Parkhoppers and we cannot thank her enough for sharing this post while Parkhopper Sid and Parkhopper John 

As the series continues on the characters don’t stagnate…they grow and encounter the everyday trials and tribulations of teens.    I love the Pearson makes the characters real.  It makes reading the novels such a delight.  Tell us what you think of Disney in Shadow.

This is a guest post by our good friend, Carrie Bryniak. You can find her on twitter at @RunnerGoddess. She is a great friend of WDW Parkhoppers and part of our running family! We cannot thank her enough for sharing this post while Parkhopper Sid and Parkhopper John are on vacation.

Again, Pearson’s attention to detail is amazing.  I couldn’t put this one down!  In order to provide the reader with the detail that he wanted Pearson did actual research at Animal Kingdom Park.   Kudos to him and Disney for putting such great effort into this series.  It’s up to the 5 Keepers to prevent the Disney Villains from taking over Animal Kingdom!

This is a guest post by our good friend, Carrie Bryniak. You can find her on twitter at @RunnerGoddess.  She is a great friend of WDW Parkhoppers and part of our running family!  We cannot thank her enough for sharing this post while Parkhopper Sid and Parkhopper John are on vacation.

 Take the time to look at everything, from the Coat of Armor to the little mices in the rafters – it’s something you may not have the opportunity to see again. When you are called to be seated for your meal you are taken up a narrow red carpeted staircase and into the magnificent dining hall. The décor was characteristic of a true castle…the stone looking walls, coats of armor, beautiful Medieval flags, lead looking windows with balconies and views that went on forever.

When we were escorted to our table, as we were walking through the amazing dining hall we both spotted a table, right in the center of the window with a balcony – we looked at each other with leaping hearts thinking we could never be so lucky BUT we were! Yes indeed. The BEST seat in the house, hands down… not that all the seats aren’t perfectly perfect, but for us, two adults, this was AMAZING.

The table just off towards the center of the room from us had a large party of adults and 5 beautiful princesses. The table behind me, mom, dad and two gorgeous Princesses, the table behind my niece a mom, dad, brother and two lovely princesses! Everywhere we looked Princesses! It just made you SMILE! What a delightful venue for a very special meal. 

We finally took time to look over the menu – my oh my so many delicious choices. Wendy-Lin decided on Major Domos Shortribs and I the fish,  Her Majesty’s Catch of the Day.. Our man servant was very attentive, brought our beverages, salads and told us that soon Cinderella’s Princess friends would be coming to the castle to meet us! Excitement welled up in us both .. oh my, How Many Princesses would we meet today? and who? Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Aurora and of course Cinderella. Each Princess visited with us & we had our pictures taken with our cameras as mementos of our visit to the Castle.

Not long after the princesses had visited there was a “Wishing Ceremony” (earlier our server brought us a wand and a ‘wishing star’) For us, and probably you too, it was a heartfelt ceremony that brought tears to our eyes .. Joyful tears!

We were celebrating my birthday on this trip of firsts Wendy-Lin ordered the Almond Cheesecake with Lingonberry jam.  My dessert of delicious raspberry sorbet & berries came with a lovely birthday card signed by the princesses.

I loved other little details like the glitter & pumpkin carriages confetti that were strewn about the table, the short stories about each princess as they were about to enter the room, the way we were treated like royalty.

 Sure, some will say it’s a bit costly for a meal.  I am one of those frugal people, but let me tell you, it’s not just the meal you are paying for – it’s the entire experience and perhaps one you’ll not experience again – enjoy.

This is a guest post by our good friend, Kathy Mishima, from Lace Haystack.com. You can find her on Twitter and on FaceBook. She is a great friend of WDW Parkhoppers and we cannot thank her enough for sharing this post while Parkhopper Sid and Parkhopper John