Straight from my heart – A glimpse into what makes my fellow Panelists so very precious to me.
Three Amanda’s joined the Panel in 2010. Today I’m excited to share a few of my favorite memories that I’ve made with my dear friend Amanda A.
I’ve been so very blessed by the friendships that the Moms Panel has brought to my life. While they are all invaluable to me for so many different reasons, Amanda and I share a special bond that began during our Training Trip in December of 2009. Much like Kathie and Allison, Amanda is truly like a sister to me.
The Wave - Training Trip - 12 / 09
A genuine Southern Belle, Amanda is a real gem. She is as sweet as they come, and has a heart of gold. Amanda is an attorney who owns a law firm that is devoted to the needs of senior citizens and disabled individuals. She loves being pampered on her Disney vacations and often stays in the beautiful Deluxe Resorts.
When I took this photo of Amanda with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, I recall thinking that she was just as pretty as a Princess too.
Amanda with Tiana and Naveen - 12 / 09
Amanda has a fantastic sense of humor and she and I have shared numerous laughs together – both in person and on the phone. She’s very quick witted and super smart.
We stayed in touch often after the Training Trip. However, she lives in North Carolina and I’m in Massachusetts, so getting together in person wasn’t an option. The next time I saw Amanda was for the Moms Panel Reunion in October, 2010 when we made our Give Kids the World donation.
Give Kids the World donation - 10/10
We all enjoyed the Moms Panel Meet & Greet that was held at the Odyssey in October of last year. This photo of Amanda, Kathie and I was taken then. I love these two so much!
Amanda, Kathie and I - "Moms Panel Meet & Greet" - 10 / 10
We had so much fun together at the IllumiNations Dessert Reception that Laura arranged for us that evening.
Maria, Amanda and I - IllumiNations Dessert Reception - 10/10
We needed a photo with Kathie too 😉
Maria, Amanda and I - IllumiNations Dessert Reception - 10/10
The next night, we had a blast going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with a big group of Panelists and our family’s. Here we are with Dannée, Marc and Kathie. Amanda’s kids are the same age as 2 of mine and they all had a great time getting to know each other that weekend.
From left: Me, Dannee, Marc, Amanda and Kathie at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - 10/ 10
Last December, along with several other Panelists, Amanda and I made the trip down to welcome the newest members of the Moms Panel family. We met up at the airport and rode over to Disney together.
From left: Bernie, Me, Dannée, Amanda and Chris
Amanda and Kay were roomies on this trip, while I stayed with Allison and Maria. Here they are at check-in. The fun was just getting started!
Kay and Amanda - Yacht Club - 12 / 10
We all checked in and headed over to Big River Grille & Brewing Works for lunch on the Boardwalk, but we paused for a photo first. 😉
From left: Chris, me, Kay, Amanda, Anna and Dannee
We all had so much fun getting to know several new family members. Left side: Marisol, Deborah, Bernie and Chris. Right: Amanda, Kay, Dannee, Leslie, Lynn, Anna and Suzannah.
Big River Grille - 12 / 10
Amanda, Suzannah, Anna, Jonas and Beth catching up - 12 / 10
Amanda strolling along the Boardwalk with Lynn, Deborah Marisol and Ritzy.
Boardwalk - 12 / 10
That evening we headed out to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I love this photo that Marc took of Amanda, Joel and I on the bus ride over.
Joel, Amanda and I headed to MVMCP - 12 / 10
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is my favorite special event at Disney. I have so many priceless memories of attending it with my Moms Panel family the past 2 years.
From Left: Me, Chris, Suzannah, Marc, Maria, Amanda, Kay, Diane and Joel
Bernie, Maria, Amanda and Suzannah
We met up with fellow Disney fan Betsy B at Epcot the next day and enjoyed chatting with her for a little while.
Suzannah, Betsy, Amanda and I in Epcot - 12 / 10
Group shot in front of the topiaries.
Anna, Chris, Suzannah, Joel, Marc, Amanda and I at Epcot - 12 / 10
That evening we enjoyed the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios.
Diane, Chris, Maria, Marc, JL (from Disney Driven Life), Amanda and I
We headed over to the Magic Kingdom next, but first we paused to take a photo to send to our dear friend Kathie who couldn’t be there with us. This photo will always make me smile. It was taken moments before, entirely by accident, something happened that made me laugh harder than I ever had in my life. I won’t bore you all with the details. Suffice to say, I didn’t mean to take the 1979 AT&T slogan quite so literally.
Amanda and I - 12 / 10
At the Magic Kingdom, we shared more laughs and met up with Sherry. She is fellow Disney fan and Moms Panel hopeful. We all hope some pixie dust rubbed off on her and she gets the chance to join the Panel this year!
From left: Marc, Joel, JL (DDL), Chris, Amanda, Maria, Me & Sherry (fellow Disney fan)
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at Boma before Amanda had to catch her flight home.
From Left: Chris, Amanda, Suzannah, Bernie, Maria, me, Jud (Disney fan), JL (DDL), Joel and Marc
I hated saying good-bye to Amanda after such an amazing weekend, and unfortunately I haven’t gotten to see her since. The great news is that Kathie, Amanda and I will be roomies for the Moms Panel Reunion in less than 2 months!! I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we will make countless, priceless memories again. I’m incredibly lucky to have Amanda in my life and I know that no matter where life leads, we’ll always be friends.
You can follow Amanda on Twitter: @AmandaSAllen
Want to get to know some more Walt Disney World Moms Panel Moms & Dads? I share a different Panelist with you each Monday! Here’s the link to all of them so far:
http://www.memorymakermom.com/category/disney-moms-panel-monday/
Love ya, Amanda!
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