Day 2- Happiest place on earth!

The ads are not lying ...Disneyland is truly the happiest place on earth! I don't even mind the migraine I have from too much fun! :-)
Well, let me tell you about my day. It started bright and early with a quick breakfast outside the hotel café. You'd think kind of ordinary, however fairytale birds were flying around...you know like from Cinderella (but real birds!)! Don't know how they did it, but it was very cool!
Next I went to the Anaheim Convention Center for the conference. Stephen Cannell was the speaker. Excellent!!! He has written 15 books, 40 television shows, acted, owned a production company...all of this while having dislexia. Very inspirational speaker! He credits help from his family, friends, & coworkers for his success. Not the typical Hollywood attitude...his wife of 40 years , also his 8th grade sweetheart, keeps him grounded. I was truly amazed by Mr. Cannell. He spoke of his childhood with learning difficulties, his inpirational moments when he wrote his first successful piece...a MLK poem that earned him a B- & his sister an A and when his favorite professor from Oregon University told him that he should never stop writing and that his talent was from God, how it took 6 years of writing everyday to get an agent...I could go on with his stories, but instead I'll mention some of the shows he has created Greatest American Hero, A Team, Rockford Files, 21 Jump Street, and more.

Needed some caffiene so I stopped @ Starbucks for a Chai...no one else seems to have it! You know I was desparate when I stood in a gigantic line (it must have been 50 people!)...the silver lining was I ran into Pam again and had a quick chat...well that and the Chai and blueberry scone was yummy!

In between conference sessions I try to fit in some exibits...kind of overwhelming there are so many!

I tried to attend Large Print for Lifelong Learners but the speaker didn't show...very disappointing after such a great start to the day with Mr. Cannell. I tried my second choice on Branding but by the time I got there it was standing room only and I was outside the room...decided to go back to the exhibits.

Also I was able to meet up with Dawn's friend Courtney from Tennessee for lunch and then met her friend Laura from Arizona. Very interesting talking with them...both are academic librarians. Also they recruited me for the Library Society of the World.

Was a little late for my next session...very busy place...Gale provided free shuttles for us, but still very busy...I think there are like 15,000 librarians invading Anaheim/Disneyland. Digital storytelling was good...not quite what I was expecting...was hoping for more Outreach and less Special Collections...still interesting and informational.

I tried to jam too much into the day...needed to skip a speaker and crash @ the hotel for a little bit. Needed to have energy for Disneyland tonight!!! My first time ever @ a Disney park! Hard to believe @ 31!

On my way to the Proquest Scholarship Bash I happened across the reception...stopped by for drinks and appetizers. Spoke to an academic library director from New Mexico. He has been in administration for 25 years and soon will be a director in Durango, Colorado. We discussed my future career and his advice was very insightful.

On to Disneyland!!! So I chose Disneyland instead of California park as my Disney advisor, Stacey suggested. :-) As I headed to the park I stopped to ask if I was going the right way...a moment later one of the volunteers ran after me and said that Disneyland is not as fun by yourself and she invited me to join them after their shift ended in a little bit...I took them up on the offer! And the Disney magic begins...these ladies from Pepperdine Law Library began their random acts of kindness for the evening...first inviting me to join them, next they gave their extra ticket to another librarian who hadn't purchased her ticket yet & was having trouble getting a Proquest one, then later giving me their other extra ticket so I could go back a 2nd time and try the California park. Amazing and generous ladies! Their Disney knowledge gave me a magical Disney experience (still missed you Stacey!). We rode the Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, the Matterhorn, Teacups, and Peter Pan. I window shopped and tried a chullula (spelling?)...delicious! So tired I thought my feet were going to fall off! Didn't quite make it to midnight, but now I plan on going back on Monday night!