We love to go to Walt Disney World. Get over it.

“You’re going back there again?” “Haven’t you seen everything there is to see by now?” “Doesn’t it get boring?” “Seriously? How many times have you guys been there?”

My husband and I are both almost 50 years old.
We have no children.
We love to go to Walt Disney World.
Get over it.

I know lots of people who spend their spring break every year on a beach on the Gulf of Mexico or have a summer vacation cabin on a lake somewhere and no one ever questions their travel habits. It’s not like we haven’t visited other places too – vacations like a road trip through the southwestern US, a ground tour of Alaska, a stay at dude ranch in Arizona, and a planned trip to Yellowstone this summer.

But, you see, the hubby and I went to Walt Disney World on our honeymoon many years ago. He’d never been, but I had been a few times with my parents and with friends. I knew that I loved it, but didn’t expect him to love it as much as I did. We decided to go back the next year. Then, even though we thought that maybe we shouldn’t, we went back again the following year, and then again the year after that. Eventually we just gave in and accepted that this was our happy place and stopped making excuses for it. We bought points in the Disney Vacation Club and haven’t looked back since.

Growing up in the 1960s, spending Sunday nights with “Uncle Walt” was the norm. He would sit on his desk dressed in a suit or cardigan sweater and tell us about everything – wildlife, history, making cartoons, what was new at Disneyland – so the Disney microchip was installed very early for those of us at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era. That may be the basis of it.

But I think it’s more about fantasy and escape. Once we pass through those gates, the rest of the world is just gone. The entire 47 square miles that make up Walt Disney World seem to be ours as we immerse ourselves in the fantasy of just being truly away from everything real, everything stressful, and everything troublesome.

Maybe you're one of the cynics because you think it’s all rides and attractions. If so, you are sadly mistaken. You could stay there for weeks and not experience everything that is available. Of course we have our favorites and must-dos, but we always try to see or experience something new during each visit.

The long and short of it though is, why do there seem to be so many people who feel it’s okay to critique someone’s travel choices in the first place? I’m thankful that, through the vast online Disney community, we’ve found a group of like-minded friends. Now, whether we travel alone or in a group, there are always others who understand and would never think of asking why we would “go there again.” After all, it’s their happy place too!

Teaching - Is there a more valuable and rewarding (and less valued and rewarded) profession?

We can all list the teachers who were most influential in our lives.

My classmates and I were all terrified of Miss Copeland, the prototypical spinster who had also taught mathematics to my mother before me. She ruled with an iron fist and paced the room with a steely glare, making us work out sixth grade math problems on the board in front of everyone. One day, she leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I see you’re struggling with this. Ask your mother if you can stay after school tomorrow and I’ll help you.” No one would have believed me if I’d told them. During that hour, she was patient and kind, eventually getting me past my fear of long division. But that wasn’t the real lesson. The real lesson was that people aren’t always what they seem and assumptions shouldn’t be made based upon public personas.

Mr. New was my senior English teacher. He also had a firm demeanor, but his caring and enthusiastic way of bringing literature alive and helping us to understand why grammar and punctuation were so important as we struggled to write our first research papers did more than just get through to me. These attributes instilled in me a desire to do the same for others. When we graduated, he actually gave very personalized, handwritten notes of congratulations to each of his students. I was extremely quiet and shy in school and was shocked that he mentioned in my note some of the little accomplishments that I was sure no one had noticed – such as a particularly period-authentic bonnet I’d fashioned when working on costumes for the school’s production of “Scrooge” and how well I’d done when I’d stepped in to substitute for someone in the radio news competition at a speech meet.

There were others of course. Mr. Raymond saw past the awkward girl and encouraged stage presence in show choir. Ms. Anderson gave me my first backstage experience as student director of “The Music Man” and helped to instill my love of the theater and appreciation of all of the hard work that goes on backstage to make a production successful. Miss Squires encouraged my artistic nature and, when it came down to it, was probably the reason I chose to attend her alma mater.

Then, I was a teacher too.

I taught high school English, Speech and Drama for eleven years and I loved every minute of it. I could go on and on about how much *I* was the one who gained:

• When someone who “hated literature” finally “got” Romeo and Juliet or Julius Caesar;
• The first time a terribly shy student stood up in front of the class and gave a speech that was entertaining and well-presented;
• When a drama production that I directed went completely awry on opening night and my amazing students managed to get everything back on track all on their own; and
• By being a class sponsor - helping to build all of those floats, planning and chaperoning all of those dances, beautiful proms and the tearful graduations. 

Those eleven years were one of the most amazing periods of my life. I loved every one of “my kids” -- even the ones I didn’t like very much. Although I eventually burned out and moved on from my teaching career, I still miss it.

I’ve been lucky enough to maintain contact with some of my ex-students over the 16 years since I last taught and now, through Facebook, well over 100 more of them have found me. I used to joke about being a teacher as "having done my good deed for my life,” but I don’t say that jokingly anymore. That’s because I now can see the ones who became doctors or nurses, the ones pursuing art or music or acting professionally, the hard-working ones with families of their own and children who look just like them, and, perhaps most gratifying of all, the ones who became teachers themselves. If I had any tiny part in helping those things to happen, teaching was, after all, the good deed of my life.

So, I guess this blog post is a way to say something that I should have said long ago to Miss Copeland and Mr. New (who are no longer with us), Ms. Anderson, Miss Squires, Mr. Raymond, and all of the other wonderful teachers who taught me so many lessons and helped to make me who I am. Thank you.

Oh – and Mr. New – I wish you could know that I also gave notes of congratulations to each of my senior students upon their graduation and I always included at least one specific personalized message about something they'd accomplished. That was as much a tribute to you as it was for them.

Now the whole thing has come full circle. This is as it should be and I hope that circle may long continue.

Romantic comedies...

I consider myself to be as cultured, educated, and refined as the next person. I have a degree in English, Speech, and Drama. I have read (and taught – but that’s a story for another day) a lot of great literature and have seen many great dramatic productions and deep, meaningful films. I have a great appreciation for classic romantic dramas like “Pride and Prejudice” (the BBC/A&E version of course) and “Sense and Sensibility.” However, I have a little confession to make.

SHHH... I love romantic comedies.

I find that, whenever I’m feeling a little bit down, the hubby is working late, or I happen to be home by myself, if I can pop in one of my favorite romantic comedy DVDs, life improves significantly. I also notice that my productivity can dip quickly and drastically if I happen to flip through the channels and find one of those films that I can’t resist. My butt ends up plastered on the couch, no matter how many times I’ve seen the movie in question or how poorly edited it is in its television adaptation.

I know I’m not alone in this. I don’t think it indicates anything lacking in my real life or any defect in my taste or background. There’s just something to be said for the FORMULA when it’s at its best.

1. The “meet cute”
2. The misunderstanding(s)/conflict
3. The unfortunate but inevitable break-up or parting
4. The supportive best friend
5. The epiphany (look that one up kids!)
6. The desperate lengths the characters go through to reunite
7. The happy ending

Here are some of my favorites:

My Gold Medal All-Time Classics That Never Get Old And Cannot Be Resisted:

Bridget Jones’s Diary
I loved the book and may be one of the few people who actually prefer the movie. Renee Zellweger usually drives me insane, but the plump Bridget Jones version does not! Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. Mr. Safe and Mr. Dangerous. Bottom line – Colin Firth AND Hugh Grant. Enough said.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
The whole Thai prison plot makes this one less appealing to me than the first movie, but Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fighting in a fountain more than makes up for it.

Mamma Mia
Sam, Bill, or Harry? I wonder which one is my father? I have to admit that I have always loved ABBA and this very silly romantic musical comedy just strikes me to the core. It looks like they were having so much fun filming it. Who wouldn't have fun filming on a Greek island for a few months? I know that Pierce Brosnan can't sing, but there are great happy endings all around! (Oh yeah - and Colin Firth again.)

When Harry Met Sally
Enemies become friends, then lovers, then enemies, then soul mates, all with a backdrop of music from a very young, mostly unknown-at-the-time guy named Harry Connick, Jr., setting Meg Ryan up as one of the queens of the genre.

Sleepless in Seattle
Who wouldn’t want to believe that fate is real and that two people who are destined to be together can be pulled in such an impossible way across an entire continent? Add in the whole top of the Empire State Building element from “An Affair to Remember” and you have one of the best “happy ending” scenes ever!

Kate & Leopold
You mean you’ve never seen this one? Hugh Jackman got a Golden Globe nomination for his very non-Wolverine role as the Duke of Albany, transported from the 1800s to current-day New York City. Time travel plus romance?! You’ve got me! I’ll admit that you do have to ignore Meg Ryan’s crazy hairstyle and the plastic surgery that she must have had right before filming, but with Hugh Jackman to look at instead, that’s not too hard to do.

Music and Lyrics
Here’s another one you may have missed. Even my husband likes this one. (Please don't tell him that I told you that!) Aging 80’s pop star (Hugh Grant) meets quirky poet (Drew Barrymore) and they make beautiful music together. One must ignore the fact that the pop star is old enough to be the quirky poet’s father and that Hugh Grant really isn’t aging well. (This actually has a great soundtrack too!)

Love Actually
There are so many great storylines intertwining in this movie, but I mostly just care about Colin Firth learning Portuguese and Hugh Grant dancing on the stairs. I’m shallow that way.

My Silver Medal Finalists That Will Suck Me In If I Stumble Upon Them:

Waitress
This is another one you may not have seen. It’s different - an independent film. Keri Russell (yes – Felicity) and Nathan Fillion (yes – Castle) in a story of a young girl in a terrible marriage who finds herself pregnant by her abusive/obnoxious husband and ends up having an affair with her OB/GYN (Fillion). This one is less formulaic and doesn’t have the typical happy ending, but it does have a very empowering one! (Surprising performance by, of all people, Andy Griffith, too.)

Notting Hill
I’m not really a big Julia Roberts fan (sacrilege?), but I love this fantasy of Everyman Bookstore Owner meeting Movie Star, falling in love, and it ending happily with them together (her very pregnant) on a park bench in London. Um. Hugh Grant. Yeah. There are a couple of patterns here, aren't there?

The Holiday
Jude Law as a romantic lead – well, duh. But Jack Black?! He’s adorable in this. Nice back story about old time Hollywood too.

While you were Sleeping
Of course Sandra Bullock’s character is supposed to be with Bill Pullman’s sweet, quiet, gentle furniture craftsman and not his arrogant brother! When he slips the ring into the token window at the train station with the whole family in tow, it gets me every time.

My Bronze Medal Movies That Will Always Do In A Pinch:

The Wedding Date
I can make myself believe that Debra Messing is a character other than Grace from “Will and Grace” if Dermot Mulroney is there as a gigolo with a heart of gold.

13 Going on 30
In a twisted time-traveling version of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” teenage Jennifer Garner gets to see how her life will turn out if she doesn’t recognize what she has in her chubby, sweet friend who will turn out to be darling Mark Ruffalo.

Never been Kissed
Budding journalist Drew Barrymore pretends to be a high schooler and goes back to school to write an exposé on education, surprisingly finding herself to be one of the “popular kids” during this go-round and falling in love with the English teacher, Michael Vartan. (Who wouldn’t?!)

Fever Pitch
Did you know that this cute movie where Drew Barrymore falls in love with school teacher and ultimate Boston Red Sox fan, Jimmy Fallon, in spite of his obsession with the team, is actually a remake of a British movie of the same title that starred – wait for it – Colin Firth as the school teacher and ultimate fan of the Arsenal soccer team? Yep. You’re right! I’ve just come full circle and ended right back at Colin Firth.

Since I know you’re out there thinking, “I can’t believe she didn’t include _________,” what are your favorite romantic comedies that didn’t make my list?

My name is Dodie...

Well, not really. My name is really Devota. (AACK!)

My mom spent her whole life hating being saddled with a name more unique than any of her friends (Vera), to the point where she had always gone by her middle name of Jane and was known to have even beaten up little boys who taunted her by calling her Vera in grade school. Ironically, this same woman decided that I should be named after her best friend. A woman with a name that NO ONE had ever heard of. A name that her friend’s own mother had gotten from some unforgotten novel.

My mom's friend Devota’s nickname was Votie. It was determined from the beginning that I would, instead, be Dodie. At the very least, I think I won in the nickname department.

So I battled my way through grade school as well. Not with my fists, like my mother had, but quietly and with much shame when, on the first day of school every year the teacher would call roll and say, “Devota,” and I would have to quickly chime in with my mantra, “Here. But I go by Dodie. D-O-D-I-E. Thank you.”

Then there was a sudden, unexpected bright spot on the name front when I was 8 years old! On “My Three Sons,” a popular sitcom at the time, the character of widower Steven Douglas (played by Fred MacMurray) married a woman who had a five year old daughter. That daughter’s name was… DODIE!

Hooray! I was no longer a complete oddity! Suddenly there were Dodie dolls! Dodie paper dolls! Dodie books! The craze didn’t last for long, but while it did, it made me feel somewhat more confident. After all, no one else I knew had a TV namesake.

As I’ve grown older, Devota has grown on me. I actually think it’s kind of a pretty name now and I’ve fantasized about using it when I finally get around to publishing my first great novel; but it’s far more likely that I’ll be Dodie for the rest of my life.

That’s okay with me. It could be worse. I could be Votie.

Every great endeavor has to start somewhere, right?

Welcome to my very first blog posting!

As someone with a creative soul, I've noticed that, over time, life and work seem to stifle all opportunities to express that creativity. One of my goals for 2011 is to try to find outlets for that side of me and this is my first attempt. I may have no readers, but I think that's probably okay. I'm starting with the attitude that this is for me. If it grows into something more, that would just be a bonus!