Dressing for the Florida Fall (Ever-Changing) Weather + Holiday Decorations at the Magic Kingdom

We may have just flipped our calendars to November, but the Holiday Season is in full swing here at Walt Disney World. And I'm okay with that. I used to be one of those staunch 'only decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving' type of people, and still won't put Christmas stuff up in my house until then. But as far as Disney goes, I say bring on the Christmas. Here's my reasoning: this time of year really flies by so fast. Every year, *BAM* it's December 26th and we're left wanting more! So, why not start now and get two solid months of holiday merriment? Bah, humbug? I think not.

I have to thank Estelle from This Happy Place Blog for the inspiration for this particular post after she, ironically, wrote about being in a blog funk and looking for inspiration herself. She also did a post about packing for the fluctuating Florida fall forecast (say that five times fast!) that kindled this post idea, too.

Before we dive into the meat of this post, let's touch on the anomaly that is Florida fall (and winter, and spring) weather. If you make a trip to the World in October through March, chances are you will run the gamut from hot to cold, often in the course of one day. It can start in the low 50's in the morning (because you ARE rope-dropping, right? Have I not taught you anything?!), warm up into the 70's during the afternoon, and be back in the 50's when the sun sets. Then, the next day, the high is 83. Trust me, this all happened this past week. It can be a challenge to know how to pack or dress for such.

Aside from this post I did a while back, another article of clothing I've found that bridges this gap quite nicely are these relaxed linen pants from Roxy. I own them in blue, black, and turquoise. They have a drawstring waist, pockets, and are comfy yet stylish. They also offer enough leg coverage for the cool mornings, but are breezy enough when the temperature starts to rise. Pair these with a tank or tee and a cardigan, or a long sleeved tee and a lightweight scarf, and you're good to go. Here are some ideas: 

Click thumbnails below to shop

I wore exactly this on my most recent visit to the Magic Kingdom to check out the holiday decorations, and it worked like a charm.

Frumpy bathroom selfie!

J.Crew Cotton Cardigan // James Perse Short Sleeve V Neck Tee (I know this is pricy for a t-shirt, but I've had this particular shirt for over 5 years, and it has retained it's shape and color// Roxy Oceanside Wide-Leg Pant (currently on sale from $39 to $24.99 through 11/8)

Kiel James Patrick Vickers Bow Bracelet // Alex and Ani for Disney Bracelets

Rainbow Sandals // Vera Bradley for Disney Cross Body Bag // OPI Honey Rider (on toes)

These pants are the best-you can order online or find them in most surf shops. I've actually gotten all of mine at various Disney shops! Three of them came from the Island Supply Company in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom, and another came from the Polynesian gift shop BouTiki

Note: Island Supply Company is currently closed and undergoing a refurb, see photo below. Which is a bummer because this was one of my favorite shops in the Magic Kingdom! They always had a nice selection of comfy, surf-inspired clothing.

**Update: Disney has announced that this will soon reopen as a Sunglass Hut. I am not pleased. 

Island Supply Co. in Adventureland, Magic Kingdom, under refurbishment

Okay, now onto the good stuff. Enjoy these photos of the holiday decorations at the Magic Kingdom! 

The holiday merchandise display inside the Emporium.

The Holiday version of the Trolley Show is now rolling down Main Street. 

The Jingle Cruise has launched. 

Funny story about this particular Christmas tree. It's located up on the second story of the Main Street Train Station. I was taking close-up photos of the ornaments, and noticed a rolled up piece of paper tied to the branches. Turns out it was a place marker to designate where this particular tree was to be set. Being the Disney dork that I am, I alerted a Cast Member, who promptly removed it. :) 

I've only recently really noticed these adorable silhouette cut outs on East Center Street. I Instagrammed a picture of some cute Halloween versions, and was happy to see some holiday themed ones as well. The boy and girl under the mistletoe might just have to come home with me. 

Until next time, MERRY CHRISTMAS! (wink, wink)

Dressing for the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 Miler

This is intended to be a short and sweet post to show you what I wore for the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 Miler. I'm a bit wordy, so we'll see how this works out...

BUT, after spending two hours writing a post detailing the tips I gleaned, as well as what I wore, I decided to split them into two separate posts -- one with a fashion bent, the other focused more on tips and tricks that I learned during my first long run. See, already too wordy. Geez. 

I 'trained' (using that term very loosely) in Nike Tempo shorts, so that's what I wore for the race. Since it was a Gator game day, I needed to represent. I also bought a new shirt at the Expo, so of course I had to rock that-- Will Run For Dole Whip! And the number one rule for runners, always, ALWAYS wear a shoe you've had multiple runs in; so I wore my usual sneakers. I also had this handy-dandy little pouch tucked into my shorts to hold my energy goos and chapstick. 

Big brother stepped in to be my running partner, in a pinch!

One More Mile Tech Shirt // Nike Dri-Fit Tempo Performance Training Shorts // New Balance Hydrotec No-Show Socks // New Balance 860V3 Running Shoe

Amid the crowd, I happened upon Alexandra (@magicalexpress on Instagram). We've been trying to meet up over the past year or so when she's been in the parks, but just never made it happen. So to stumble across her by chance was nice! She had a super cute Elsa-inspired outfit going on. 

Obviously, I didn't take my good cameras with me, so you're stuck with crummy iPhone pictures. Dennis (my brother) and I actually ran the entire race; with it being my first 10 miler, I wanted to set a good PR for myself to work towards next time. That being said, we didn't stop for characters or take many pictures. The only time we walked was for thirty seconds toward the end, to snap a picture of Hades DJing on top of the entrance to DHS (see a few photos down).

Proof that we finished! Dennis was just about dead at this point. Me? I was feelin' good and ready to hit the afterparty!

While we were running, my niece was being her awesome self and enjoying the park. Notice her ToT shirt and hat? And Grateful Dead bag she borrows from her cool aunt?

Cue Forrest Gump voice: "I was run-nang."

My brother is the ghost on the far left of the photo. 

Bling, baby!

Dennis is thinking, "I'm about to puke." And he did, shortly after this photo was snapped. Sorry bro!

Dennis wasn't feeling well at all, so he and his wife headed back to the car. I changed and Amelia, John and I hit the park for some attractions!

First up, Rock n' Rollercoaster. 

Then Tower.

Amelia and I could have stayed all night, but John was ready to wrap it up, and Dennis was waiting in the car for us, so we begrudgingly left the park around 2 am. 

Tower of Terror Bellhop T-Shirt // Gap 1969 Perfect Bootcut Jean (on sale for a great price! In fact, these are my go-to jeans... maybe I should pick up another pair while they're so cheap. Hmmm.) // Rainbow Sandals

Okay, that's as short as it's gonna get. Stay tuned for a detailed post containing tips, tricks, and things I wish I had know for this race coming in the very near future (along with a giveaway- YAY!). 

Dressing for Bloody Mary's at Disney's Animal Kingdom's Dawa Bar

John and I love to spend Sundays at Animal Kingdom with an adult beverage, wandering the tree-lined pathways and observing animals (especially the tigers!). So you can imagine my excitement when Dawa Bar rolled out four new variations of the classic Bloody Mary. 

photo cred: Disney Parks Blog

Now usually, especially on Sundays, we've found that the parks don't start serving alcohol until 11, 11:30, or 12 noon, depending on the bar or lounge. In fact, that seems to be the start time for most places in the World, any day of the week (boy do I sound like a lush!). So we were fully expecting to get there at rope drop, only to be told they weren't serving until later. 

Here's a tip for you-- they WERE in fact serving the Bloodies at 9, when the park opened. They were also pouring other drinks if people ordered them, so if Bloodies aren't your thing, but getting a buzz before noon while on vacation is, then Dawa Bar is your place. 

We entered the park just after 9 and made our way to Dawa Bar to ask Bob from Boston (our go-to bartender who is always there) if they were serving. 

Bob from Boston! And the Bloody Mary menu.

He said yes, we told him we'd be back soon, and went for a spin on Kilamanjaro Safari. Another tip, do this attraction as early in the day as possible-- it's as cool as it's gonna get, and more animals are active, or at least out, than later in the day. 

Photobombing John!

Because my dress matched the zebras. 

After helping Wilson stop poachers in Africa, we went back to Dawa and found seats at the bar. 

I started with the Discovery Island Bloody Mary, while John had the Dawa Bloody Mary because he likes spicy things! All of the Bloody Mary's start with the yummy Loaded Bloody Mary mix and Grey Goose Vodka (ftw!). 

Discovery Island Bloody Mary- lime and olive juice, garnished with parsley and a skewer of mozzarella cheese, basil, cherry tomato and a stuffed olive. 

Dawa Bloody Mary- Worcestershire sauce and horseradish, garnished with basil and a skewer of truffle and blue-cheese stuffed olives and prosciutto 

Mine was delicious- just a classic Bloody with yummy garnishes. John really liked his- I had a sip and it was really good, but very horseradish-y, so consider yourself warned. 

John held our spots at the bar, and I sipped my drink while walking to Pizzafari to get one of the new breakfast offerings. We needed something to soak up the alcohol! 

I returned with the new multi-grain breakfast croissant stuffed with egg whites, fresh spinach, provolone cheese and vegetable chutney, with a side of breakfast potatoes ($7.49). I asked them to wrap it in tinfoil so it would be easier to transport back to the bar. 

Lilly Pulitzer Dress  (scored this bad boy for $100 off during the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale// Dooney and Bourke Wristlet 

I know, I know, doesn't look too appetizing, but it was really yummy! And the potatoes- yum! They tasted like Cracker Barrel's hashbrown casserole, if you've had that. Tasty! And not relatively too unhealthy in park food standards. Had to offset the calories we were drinking, ya know. 

Speaking of, back to the Bloodies! We finished our first round and tried the other two. Hey, it's all in the name of research! 

I went with the African Bloody Mary, and John tried the Asian Bloody Mary. Again, both were really good! 

African Bloody Mary- spicy African berbere sauce garnished with a house-made berbere rubbed beef stick , celery and carrot stick, and parsley. 

Asian Bloody Mary- kimchee-sriracha puree, garnished with Asian slaw (cucumber, carrot, and daikon radish) and tandoori shrimp

Versace Sunglasses // Necklace: Old, from a souvenir shop in Tallulah Gorge, GA. I'm glad we have photographic evidence of these, because they now are at the bottom of a lake in Orlando, the victim of a Labor Day party boating-and-tubing fiasco. I don't want to talk about it... 

The African Bloody Mary had a slightly barbecue flavor from the berbere sauce, and even though it was described as spicy, it wasn't bad at all- and I'm not the biggest fan of super spice. And the beef stick (think beef jerky) really is house-made, which I thought was impressive and VERY good. 

John's Asian Bloody was good too, although a tad too spicy for my taste. The slaw on top was REALLY good, and thank goodness we had a fork from breakfast to eat it with. Bob from Boston said they usually serve it with chopsticks, but they were out at the moment. The curry-spiced tandoori shrimp was a nice touch. 

Seriously, with the amount of toppings, these drink almost like a light meal. And really, what's a cocktail if it doesn't have lunch floating on top? All in all, we really liked these and will be back for more.

While sipping our second Bloodies, some of our favorite Disney friends joined us- hi Thomas (@tradzak on Instagram) and Angie (@pangiehubbard on IG) (and Danny, forever not pictured)! 

A warning about the Bloody Mary's though... they may cause public dancing. 

So that happened. 

We ventured out of Africa and headed toward Asia, stopping to get a drink in one of the fun whistle cups! Then we thought it was a good idea to have a mini photo shoot in the little pavilion by Yak and Yeti.

We wandered through the Majahara Jungle Trek and serenaded strangers with our cup music.

I think this guy loved it. 

John and I left to attend said Labor Day party, mentioned above, then met back up with our friends at Epcot later that evening. This time, Luis (@disney_nuts on IG) joined in on the fun. I'll leave you with these pictures of how we closed out the night. Cheers!