The G̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ Longest Post on Earth: Touring the Sarasota Ringling Museum

The circus has always been one of those magical experiences for me, shrouded in wonder and a little bit of mystery, and I liked to imagine what it would be like to be a part of it all. I wanted to wear the glamorous costumes (I think that's where my love of fashion initially stemmed from), see the world (a new city or town every few days would quench my wandering spirit), and get up close & personal with animals that can literally bite your head off (it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise then that I went to school for biology, with the initial goal of moving into the animal husbandry field. The coolest job I ever had was taking care of the jaguars one summer at the Chattanooga zoo). In fact, it left such an impression on me, that I actually applied for an elephant trainer internship with Ringling Bros. my senior year of college (I made it to the 3rd round of interviews). It's kind of crazy to think how different my life would be had that panned out.

But then life happened (ie. the highway robbery that is student loan interest rates) and I let go of my childhood dreams in order to pay the bills. A part of it definitely still lingers, and I'm still amazed by all things circus. So naturally, a visit to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL was a must-do for me.

Take Me To: Polynesian Village

If you asked me to rate my top 5 resorts, Polynesian Village is 100% in the top 5, battling it out with the Grand Floridian for the coveted number 1 spot. Although I have yet to stay here, I’ve visited numerous times. The Polynesian is such a fun resort to explore and has so much to offer, and in my opinion, it has some of the coolest architecture and design out of all of the Disney resorts. 

It’s themed around the South Pacific and tiki culture, a popular trend back in the mid 20th century, and you know my vintage loving heart is so into that. If you like tiki/Hawaiian themes and mid-century modern design, you will fully appreciate this resort.

Time for a little smackerel: Dapper Day Part Deux

Day 2 was at Epcot. We all did Pooh characters (well, we were all supposed to – Barry threw in the towel mid-morning on day 2, but he gets an A for effort & being a good sport). I went as Rabbit and Lilly had a Piglet theme going on. I had initially planned to wear this vintage square dance dress for my Tea Party outfit, but then I found the striped dress instead so I had to make other plans for this cute little yellow number. The more I looked at it, the more Rabbit came to mind, with the way the white ruffles ran down the middle. Rabbit is a character I had never bounded as before, so I thought, sure, why not!

We're All Mad Here! Dapper Day - Part Un

Let’s talk Dapper Day. If you’ve been following my blog for a while (or have seen any of my recent IG posts), you probably know I get super excited when anyone mentions Dapper Day. It combines 2 of my favorite things: vintage + Disney, and it’s basically like the Olympics of vintage fashion. 

If you are just showing up to this party and are hearing Charlie Brown’s wa-wa voice thing every time I mention Dapper Day, allow me to give you the super short Cliff Notes version: it’s a bi-annual unofficial weekend celebrated at both Disneyland in CA & out at WDW in FL (spring & fall) that pays homage to the Disney days of yesteryear – meaning, everyone gets dressed up for the parks like they would have done if this were the 1950s. No, no, we’re not talking all poodle skirts/bobby socks & Pink Ladies jackets (though a Grease-inspired Disney getup would be super adorable…hmmmm), but think more along the lines of circle skirts, patio dresses, and an endless sea of bowties & crinolines, though it’s not decade specific – you could see anything from 20s inspired looks to a hippie Rapunzel. 

You can learn a lot of things from the flowers: Flower & Garden Festival Review

Spring is one of my favorite times to visit Disney because it means that the Flower & Garden festival is in full swing bloom. This year, the festival runs from March 6th to June 3rd, so there's still plenty of time to enjoy this festival. There are so many beautiful topiaries scattered around Epcot, including some new ones this year, like Miss Piggy and the gang from Toy Story (separate topiaries - though that would be interesting if it was a mashup!) 

Epcot is such a gorgeous park to begin with, but seeing it literally in living color with flowers blooming everywhere? Count me in because this must be what heaven looks like.