Being a “Disney Family” wasn’t something that was ever planned or thought out for us. In fact, we figured that taking a two year-old and a five month-old to Disneyland was about the furthest thing from a good plan that we could think of. However, as our son Atticus is an avid lover of all things Mickey Mouse, we wanted to give him the experience of seeing him firsthand. Disneyland holds very mixed emotions in relation to our childhood experiences, and we wanted to redeem our thoughts and feelings towards The Happiest Place on Earth. Plus, all Montana wanted from the beginning of our relationship was to go to Disneyland for her birthday. So, in 2018 we decided to try and plan a very budgeted, couple-of-days trip, just so we could go, have the experience, and see how everything worked out for future reference. We weren’t sure what we were going to get, for all we knew Atticus would be overwhelmed completely by the crowds and have a terrible time, something we absolutely wanted to avoid.
Now, even proposing the idea of a Disneyland trip was a tall order for us financially. In December of 2017, Devin lost his job on his birthday. How cool, right? We had been financially set, our daughter was on the way, and things were looking good, until they weren’t. We didn’t let that stop us, in fact, that caused us to make the decision to work for ourselves, and Devin began working full-time as a family photographer, while Montana handled the client side of the photo business. We were doing pretty good- not great, but better than we honestly expected, and in that little bit of confidence we figured we could probably swing the Disneyland trip. Of course, Life doesn’t always make things so easy (or maybe it’s bills) and we found ourselves choosing responsibility (ugh, no fun) over our Disneyland trip (so much fun!). Just days before we would have left, our luck changed and we found ourselves packed and driving to Anaheim.
We won’t detail every single thing that happened during each of our Disneyland trips- there’s simply too much. However, a quick recap won’t hurt, just so we’re all up to speed:
Our first trip was in August for Montana’s birthday, and it was short, but sweet. Like we said earlier, we were apprehensive about even attempting a trip like this with kids so young, but we aren’t ones to always give in to reason, so we opted to go, and our first trip was a life changing experience. Devin took the camera, at the time our starting Canon Rebel t5, and because it was our only camera body at the time, he wasn’t comfortable taking with us each day, and only snapped 20 photos or so when we first got into the park. To be honest, that was the best thing he could have done, because instead of worrying about photos, we got to watch and observe Atticus, and we found that Disneyland is the perfect place for him. We live way out in the country, and he doesn’t get the chance to socialize with kids his age very often, so watching him light up at the sight of the multitudes of children, characters, and magical places was truly what turned us into lifelong fans. We both grew up on Disney, and to be honest, what 90’s kids didn’t? But things change over the period of 20-25 years, and we weren’t sure we’d “feel the magic” like we thought we would. Atticus changed that preconceived notion immediately, and witnessing his love reignited our own. There’s so much love, creativity, imagination, experience, skill, and magic poured into every molecule of Disneyland, and it really grabs ahold of you in a way that other places simply don’t. Devin grew up drawing cartoon characters, studying the animation masters, and later grew out of drawing. After a creative hiatus of a few years he began to create using the medium of photography, but being back at Disneyland really sparked his imagination again, and he quickly became the more Disney obsessed out of the two of us! The trip was great, Atty met Mickey and LOVED it, we ate a ton of delicious food, and we made sure to take notes of what worked and what didn’t so that we’d be better prepared for our next trip.
Our next trip was for Halloween, a couple of days before and the day after, which was incredible because they literally change the theme of both parks from Halloween to Christmas OVERNIGHT. This time, Devin brought his camera, our newly upgraded Canon 6d Mark ii, and he was ready, capturing probably a couple thousand shots over the course of four days. Cars Land at night was a first for both of us, and the immersion and attention to detail is simply fantastic. What wasn’t fantastic was having our $300 double stroller break down and stop turning right the first day of our trip. We had just purchased annual passes (again, ignoring reason, cause DISNEYLAND) so there was a lot of pressure for this to be the “first of many magical trips.” Needless to say, having a four-wheeled bobsled with two kids, two bags, and a camera bag strapped to it during one of the busiest times of the year was a taxing experience. We’d be lying if we said that our nerves didn’t get to us, or that the kids had an easy time the whole time, but hey, things could have been worse. We got through it, and we actually got to see, photograph, and experience tons of amazing things.
The third trip was during Thanksgiving, and this time we were prepared with a brand-new double stroller that we had acquired through our budding influencer services that Montana was developing as a way to focus her social media marketing skills. She had been honing her skill sets all year looking for the marketing platform that fit her talents, and after a slow start in August, the influencer business began heating up in mid-November, and one of our first big collaboration deals had us in a sweet new stroller in exchange for high-quality photos. By this time, we had really figured out what we needed to take and what we didn’t, and how we could improve our visits, and so things were smooth sailing the whole time. We stayed for six days, longer than we were supposed to, thanks to a couple of wedding bookings that Montana handled at the hotel, so we weren’t pressured for time at all, which is a huge blessing. Having the annual pass gives us the freedom to stay for multiple days, especially since we can work remotely, and eliminating the pressures of time is probably the single greatest advantage we give ourselves when going to the parks. Devin got tons and tons of photos, food was devoured, rides were ridden, and the kids absolutely loved it. This trip was the first time where we really felt confident and comfortable, and money nor time was ever an issue. Right before we were going to walk out of Disneyland we came across the Disney Gallery, and we were both floored by the talent on display in there. We stood there watching an artist drawing some character sketches, and Devin was holding Irie, and it was a pretty heavy moment, being surrounded by the amazing talent of the past and present, all while our brand-new life, who couldn’t possibly comprehend the situation, was transfixed by this woman drawing. We left the parks and headed home that night with both an enormous sense of gratitude for all that we have, and an amazing sense of hope and excitement for the future.
Our fourth and final Disneyland trip was five days just before Christmas. We were prepped with not one, but TWO strollers this time (in the back of a Chevy Malibu, no less) courtesy of our influencer marketing. There were actually quite a few items that we wanted to photograph while we were there, and being able to create content, see the parks, make money, and have fun all at the same time was such a cool experience. Montana set up a quick photo shoot with a really awesome couple of sisters-in-law who blog and photograph their Disney experiences with their daughters. Nothing fancy, and definitely nothing in the way of anyone, we just followed them along as they experienced the park, occasionally stopping for a photo in front of a photo wall or feature. The experience was a blast, and everybody got some great images to keep, to cherish, and use for social media. Our strollers weren’t the only new additions, we came ready for action with new diaper bags, changing pads, sunglasses and more, so we were definitely feeling good this trip. Our food love was in full swing, and we ate to our heart’s content. Atticus joined in the Disney Junior Dance Party and had an absolute blast, and we witnessed a party of Club 33 members getting off our boat for Pirates of the Caribbean, which sparked our journey towards finding a way to an eventual evening at the coveted Disney club. That being said, if you’re a Club 33 member and would like to share the experience, please let us know!
And that bring us to the present. We are currently in full planning mode for our next trip, February 10-15. We’ve partnered with the Howard Johnson Hotel across the street from the parks for a five night stay, and we will be doing an Instagram takeover for them, as well as giveaways, meet ups with old friends and clients, and so much more. We are so blessed to be doing what we are doing, and to think that it came about because of such unfortunate circumstances really drives home how important it is to follow your passions and your instincts. We had to learn a lot of information, and some hard lessons, to get us where we are today, and we finally have a clear view of the road ahead. For us, Disneyland is the embodiment of our successes: because we have worked long and hard, and put so much of ourselves into what we do, we have the means to transport our family to a place outside of space and time, a place where magic is literally around every corner. The social media community involved in all things Disney has been amazingly warm and welcome, and we foresee ourselves making lots of new friends in the future.
The one thing that we really want to stress to people as we continue on our journey is that whatever talents or skills you may have, are worth it to someone if you are willing to look and put yourself out there. Taking risks, especially when it comes to betting on yourself, can be a daunting task, but while we are still within what we call “The Hard First Five Years” we have found countless blessings in being able to create, to spend time with our family, and to make our dreams a reality. Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself. Remember, it’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
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