So Many Disney Memories - Here's Just One

For those of you who have read one, or two or all three of the Disney books I co-wrote with my husband, R.J., I want to assure you that this particular memory does not appear in any of them. Having worked at Walt Disney World for almost 14 years, my brain holds lots of WDW stories, and that is what I will publish here, on occasion.

R.J and I receive requests often, to share moments in those early Magic Kingdom years. For those who have not read our books, and especially ones who are much younger than we are, I have to make you aware that the early years of WDW were truly like working with a family who all shared the pride of being part of Walt Disney's last dream.

My husband was the first to get hired; I got my first job as a monorail pilot when he was promoted to a management job - his dream come true: he was a Disney artist! He and three others were responsible for all the figures in the attractions, from Peter Pan to the Country Bears to the Hall of Presidents. They also oversaw other types of repair to murals, scenic pieces, etc.

I started as a monorail pilot because that was what R.J. did when he was first hired, and thanks to one of his supervisors in that area, I was hired to fill his former position.  I would have to be patient for almost 18 months until I auditioned for Entertainment.

But, I digress. (You can read lots more detail about "our beginnings" in our first book, "Together In The Dream".)  

A memory that stays in my mind always is the first time our children, Dawn -then 7 years old, and Sean, almost 4. - cane to the Magic Kingdom with R.J., to see me perform as Sleepy the Dwarf.  As I entered Town Square through a backstage door, I could see them, and waved. Now, they had been told, by me, that they should only call me Sleepy when they saw me, never call me Mommy or Mother; it would ruin the experience for other guests in the Park, especially really young children.

 They promised to remember but the minute Sean reached out to take my Dwarf hand, he said, "Hi Mommy!" in a really loud voice. I hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Remember what you're supposed to call me." I'll never forget the look on his face as he realized his mistake and said, "Sorry" in a quiet tone. But I looked at him through happy tears in my eyes. I just loved that he was so excited to share in what I was doing, and I never corrected him again, when he forgot to call me by my character name.,

Those of you who have similar stories about moments with your own kids definitely understand. I just loved the fact that my moment happened when I was creating magic in the Magic Kingdom, a job I loved then and love my memory moment of that day. 

 I'M BACK!!!

A decent way to "begin again" I hope. My last blog entry was in April of 2020, and if you read that one just below, it will fill in all the reasons why I discontinued this avenue of communication with my followers. Since then, I've encountered the pandemic (lucky I didn't experience it), had spinal surgery last year, and just lost my way as a writer because of all the "country chaos" and family issues.

This is my comeback year as a writer, and I'm anxious to be in touch with my followers again, with new stories, memory stories, some Disney remembrances, and just musings about life's experiences.

R.J. and I have both revived creative avenues. He continues with his commission paintings, keeps in touch on Facebook and FB Messenger, and updated his website. We are both on FB Live the first Thursday of each month (3pm Central Time), and if you can't watch then, the video can be viewed on Facebook and You Tube.

I'm still convinced that print communication is alive and well, and I'm physically and mentally ready to contribute to that effort. The blogs will appear whenever I have something to say - and I will note on Facebook or our live show that a new one awaits your attention.

My love and thanks to all who have asked that I return to my blog. I hope you enjoy - and please email me (srogren@gmail.com) with your questions and comments.

  

 

Moving On - And Taking Advantage of Opportunity!

I hope the title of this post keeps you reading because this is quite important - to my readers AND me.

During the last few weeks, and especially since the Covid 19 virus has taken over our entire world, I have pondered on whether to continue my blog. I've talked with R.J. about this as well, and he has totally agreed with my decision - so here it is.

When I began my blog nearly 12 years ago, blogs were just beginning to "take off", and I added it to my resume of writing efforts. Before that, my published writing consisted totally of newspaper articles, personality profiles, and travel pieces for magazines. I had the time to pursue them all.

With pleasant surprise, RJ and I have adjusted to our "new creative life", after publishing 5 books between us, and seeing our life change dramatically. We are busy creating every day, and I'm managing the business side of RJ's painting commissions. Each day is different and challenging.

The one disappointment for me is my inability to regularly take the time to write a blog, coupled with the fact that people are more interested in Facetime, FB Live, You Tube and podcasts. They want to see and hear who is talking - and I am going to move my memory moments, thoughts, and all manner of subjects to the FB Live show that RJ and I do on alternate Thursdays at 3 pm.

This blog site will remain up, and all the nearly 200 posts can be accessed by anyone who wants to read. In my new "video logs", I plan to expand topics and engage the ever-growing audience we have.

My thanks to all who have read and commented on this site for so long. And, remember, I'm not ending; I'm just moving on to a more contemporary venue!

(Join us on FB Live at this address: Randy Jack Ogren)

A Request

Happy February! I'm devoting this month, during my "writing work time" to finding ways to increase my readership as well as my book sales. To that end, I really need feedback from those of you reading this post.

Comments, thoughts, suggestions - anything in that vein - would help me to know the type of posts you most enjoy reading. You can look back, if you'd like, at any of my past writings on this blog by choosing one or more from the list on the right side of this page.

I don't want to limit this social media avenue to just one type of subject matter. I try, each time I open this site and begin composing, to give you something about my life, my thoughts, my experiences in all manner of pursuits - in other words, I hope I'm an "open window" of creativity in some way.

To be successful, though, I have to receive responses from readers. You can comment on this site, which I'm told is quite simple (see the bottom of this post to navigate that), or you can email me at srogren@gmail.com.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you - and thanks in advance!

Continuing My Creative Chaos Theme!

Remember in a previous post when I explained how our so-called "orderly creativity" is constantly turned into chaos (which we do thrive on, really!) Well, that is why this blog is being published nine days after my last one, even though I have said I would complete one a week. I do think I should say I just have to pick the best "free time" within close to a week's time, or maybe even sooner - when I can enjoy writing and posting to you. Just keep looking; I'm still here, and still committed.

That being explained, let's return to that ever-present condition in our lives: "chaos". Webster's dictionary defines that word as "a state of things in which chance is supreme." (They certainly got that right!) My Oxford Thesaurus gives several choices, including disorder, mayhem, disruption, commotion and muddle. Again, all appropriate to our personal experiences.

Muddle. A word that makes me laugh, and fits best, I believe. R.J. and I give hours each day to our creative work, whatever form it takes: painting, writing, theatre, etc., but we never let that overshadow family. And this last week has been all about family: a birthday for our youngest grandson, helping our oldest grandson move from his apartment to our house for a few months, a meeting with our son about his next theatre directing project (which RJ and I will also be a part of), and phone calls, errands, etc., that are all related to those things. Oh, yes, and RJ had to shovel snow as well!

The muddle enters our world because we cannot ignore our work since that is how we pay our bills, have a roof over our heads, and continue to enjoy the life that being creative creates for us. Juggling all those things this week was difficult - but we did obtain success in one form or another. That's because we are used to a life where chance is supreme.

I must add that the technology that breeds the "hurry-up" of society in general initiates more chaos for us than in earlier decades, when we existed just fine without mobile phones, the internet, social media in any form, and screens in every public and private place - whether you want them or not! And the most annoying part of it all, for us, is that we had amazing creative lives without all that, before it became absolutely necessary to function because everyone now expects you to be "constantly connected."

So, when you try to imagine what our daily lives include, just conjure up the word muddle, and maybe giggle, thinking about what we might be attempting to create, complete, and control.

Hope you have a splendid week - and, please, let me know your thoughts on the above.
 

A Typical Week - Ha!

Since my new theme - if that's what it is - for my blog posts is supposed to include funny, or touching or informational or editorial rhetoric about my creative life, then I must explain what a typical week is like for R.J. and I.

There IS no such thing: the only thing "typical" is that the week begins on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. In between, we both have calendars with meetings, family plans, and work commitments noted, but there are ALWAYS interruptions, changes, and unforeseen "whatevers"! I must add that we thrive on this kind of untypical chaos - it keeps us young, keeps our brains sharp and offers a never-ending menu of challenges.

Let's look at this week to illustrate what I mean. On Monday, we took the day off to celebrate my birthday, and went by train to downtown Chicago. There, we had lunch, and walked the city - and walked, and walked. All fun, but we paid for it with sore muscles and crazy sleep patterns. We did manage to accomplish some of our scheduled activities and appointments, but in doing so, we had to cancel our FB Live show on Thursday to attend to work. We have spent the last two days taking down our Christmas decorations, and our tree - which we had planned to do on Wednesday!

I'm sure many of you could relate to a crazy week like that once in a while, but if you choose a creative life, as we did many decades ago, then craziness and chaos are part of the everyday. In my blog next week, I have a perfect story about that.

Have a great week!

It's 2020 - And We're Back At "It"!

If you read my last post, from December 18th, you know that our new book is on the market - AND I promised another blog on the 21st, to be my last for 2019.

Well! R.J. decided he deserved a couple of weeks off, after his non-stop year of painting and commitments, and I totally agreed. I also knew he was right that I, too, deserved some days away from work and anything other than "fun Holiday stuff". So, no blog last week, and neither of us have any guilt about our down times - they have helped us both to recharge, and converse about our goals for this Leap Year.

During Christmas week, we received copies of our new book in the mail, and are definitely pleased with the finished product. If you have purchased, or plan to purchase a copy, please help us by going on Amazon and posting a review - which we hope will be positive! We spent almost 3 years getting this last in the trilogy of early WDW just right, and are proud of our work, and eager to have your feedback (which you can also do to me via this blog site, by the way.)

On Thursday, Jan. 9th, R.J. and I will both be on his Facebook Live show (3 pm CST), showing off our Disney Christmas decorations and talking more about the new book. Please join us - and thanks for staying with me here. There WILL be weekly entries here from now on!