Welcome Aboard Magical Blogorail Teal

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Teal. Enjoy the ride as we introduce ourselves, our blogs and share with you our inspirations for writing a Disney blog.

"To our new passengers: Aloha, and welcome aboard." OK, so I couldn't resist...

Today, for my first post as a contributor to Magical Blogorail Teal, I'm supposed to write about one of the most difficult topics there is....myself. My journey into the world of blogging was a rather simple one. Perhaps the biggest passion in my life is travel, but what I found over the years is that aside from the photos and a handful souvenirs, I didn't have much to show for my adventures. Over time, many of the stories began to lose their luster, and some of the details were lost in the "Gringotts Vault" that is my memory. So I decided to start a blog, partly in hopes of contributing to the online travel community, but also as a journal of sorts that I could look back on years down the road.

Tiananmen Square

In my short life, I've been fortunate to visit some amazing places, from Korea and China, to Amsterdam and Barcelona, with countless cruises on the high seas in between. My wife and I have traveled to Paris twice in the last few years, and both trips naturally featured a visit to Disneyland Paris. In addition, a couple years ago we ventured to California to celebrate New Year's at Disneyland, leaving only the Asian parks for us to scratch off our Disney "bucket list."

Seemed like a nice place to nap

When I first started blogging about my travels, almost none of my posts were related to the place I actually visited the most...Disney. The reason I didn't write about Disney was simple: I didn't consider it to be "travel." My wife and I reside in Central Florida, and have been Disney Vacation Club members for several years. As a result, we are fortunate to visit the Mouse once or twice a month. Back when I started my blog, I viewed our visits to Disney as just routine, and the last thing I wanted to write about was everyday life.

Central Park

What I soon came to realize, however, was that the few times I did write about Disney, those posts seemed to get the most activity in the blog-o-world. They were also the easiest posts to write, thanks to my vast wealth of incredibly useless Disney information. After pondering these phenomena for a while, as much as I wanted to hold on to my identity as "travel blogger," I decided the absence of Disney on my blog simply made no sense. To everyone outside of the Central Florida area, Disney is travel, so why fight it?

Us and the Gang at Club 33

Beyond that, Disney isn't just a place where we go to get away for the weekend. Like many, it's a place that has held a special place in my heart since I was a kid. Beginning in the early 80's, my family and I would travel to Disney every October so my Dad could take part in the annual Disney Golf Classic. Those trips were the most memorable of my childhood, and were something the entire family looked forward to every year. As an adult, my love of Disney has only grown, and thankfully, I found someone who's equally nutty about the Mouse in my awesome wife. She was very quick to agree when I suggested 3 years ago that we be married at Disney...

Our wedding at the Boardwalk

Since I've began writing more about Walt's Place, I've been fortunate to meet some great people in the Disney blogging community. It's fun to be a part of groups such as this one, and to relate experiences with people who share the same passion. It didn't take me long to learn that the Disney bloggers community is far from a small little group of friends. As the guy on the "Fun Spot" commercials would say....It's Huge!

Dinner at Victoria & Albert's

In my heart, The World of Deej is still a "travel blog," and those who stop by often will likely find reviews from my various adventures around the country, and sometimes the world. But in the end, it's Disney that plays the biggest role in my travel and blogging life.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail is YourFirstVisit.net.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ The World of Deej
2nd Stop ~ YourFirstVisit.Net
3rd Stop ~ DisneyFAITHful
4th Stop ~ The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin’ Spectrum Mom
Final Stop ~ Capturing Magical Moments

~Insert Dude-like Closing Here~

Deej

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