Disney is a little different right now. If you’re planning a trip soon; here are 3 things to consider bringing that you might not have thought about yet!!!
Hi friend
Welcome to my blog!
My name is Morgan and I’m a 26 year old living in South Carolina! I’m a dog mom to my little cavapoo, Elsie.
have a mild obsession with Disney Parks... and by mild I mean not mild at all. I love going on adventures with my sweet family and friends as well as a lovely little cozy nights in featuring some Chinese takeout and a snuggly lil’ blanket.
Anyway, enough about me! I’m so glad you dropped by! Swipe for story’s about life, fashion, and fun! 💕
4 Fabulous Brekky and Brunch Spots In Spartanburg SC
Love where you live. Love what you eat.
Here is a short list of some of my favorite spots to eat in the morning here in Sparkle city!
Downtown Deli and Donuts
This super cute spot nestled in downtown Spartanburg is perfect for LITERALLY ANYONE! Gluten free? They gotcha! Vegan? They gotcha! And I’m not just talking savory meals, I’m talking sweets too! Honestly my favorite thing to get there is one of their delightfully delicious gluten free donuts! (But trust me, you can’t go wrong with any of it)
Open from Tuesday-Friday 8-2:30 Saturday 8:30-2
Downtown Deli and Donuts Instagram
Mon Amie Morning Cafe
Mon Amie was the first place I ever brunched with my friends! It is such a cute little spot located on the edge on the city, they bring the perfect little piece of France to the Burg! In my mind they are most well known for their perfectly prepared crepes! My go to option is the California BLT (hold the L). If you plan to visit them get there early and opt to sit at the crepe bar, where you can watch them prepare the dishes on the spot!
Open Wednesday-Sunday 8:00-3:00
Mon Amie Website
Initial Q
This is one of my fave Sunday brunch spots! Think BBQ meets Brekky in the most amazing way! This brunch spot is a wonderful restaurant located in the heart of downtown Spartanburg. The service here is always impeccable, they are so kind, and the food is top notch too! My current fave brunch menu item is their Duck Duck Grits, but their Eggs Benedict option is also a winner for me!
Open Saturday and Sunday for brunch from 11-3
Initial Q Instagram
Bar 1884
My little southern heart is obsessed with this place! If you’re a southerner like me you know shrimp and grits is a staple! With bottomless mimosas (I like mine with pineapple juice) and shrimp and grit cakes.... I can’t help but find myself frequenting their restaurant for morning meals!
Open Sunday and Saturday brunch 10:30-3
Bar 1884 Website5 April Faves
Links to my April Faves
Planning to Posting: Valentines Shoot
The BTS process of my valentines creative shoot.
Planning and producing “creative shoot” content is one of my favorite things to do! It’s a great way to get your artistic energy flowing and allows you to turn that energy into unique and exciting content to share with the world!
This Valentine’s Day, I convinced my sister to do a shoot with me. Check out the process below!
Planning
For me the planning phase begins with an idea or theme! Obviously, this time, the theme of the shoot was to create some super fun Valentines Day content!
After the idea is sparked, the planning begins! I look for inspo pics, posing ideas and makeup/styling images to push the idea or theme forward. I usually create a mood board on my Pinterest specifically for the shoot. Here is a sampling from my Valentines mood board!
Prepping
As a part of the prep for this shoot I started piecing together outfit inspo for the shoot. I searched Shein specifically to keep my budget lower and was able to find some super fun outfit choices! When I found an item I thought could be cute I would do a mock up of it in my PicsArt app. The image you see here is the final mock up of my outfit and my sister’s outfit!
The mock ups help me to know if the clothes are truly cohesive and fit what I’m looking for in terms of the shoot.
Photoshoot
When all the clothes came in and my sister was home for college we took an evening to shoot! I have a white backdrop and 2 box lights that we used for this shoot in particular.
When shooting, we referenced the mood board before starting, then jumped right in! We jammed to music, we laughed and had an absolute blast! It’s so funny how different the vibes BTS can be vs. the actual pictures! Here is a peek at what the shoot really looked like! (Yes I’m wearing a dress, and yes that is a roll of cellophane)
Pick
After the shoot it’s time to pick which photos we want and then edit! I use Lightroom to edit all of my photos so that’s what you see here! This part is really fun because the vision is finally coming full circle!
Post
After editing the photos, we post our work!
I use Planoly to help figure out the order I want to post.
Swipe to see a gallery of our photos from this Valentines!
Valentines Gallery
Day in the Life: Magic Kingdom
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It’s our first day in the parks here at Walt Disney World and we couldn’t be more excited! Come along as we explore the Magic Kingdom at Christmas time!
Magical Morning!!!
Ok y’all! It’s no secret that the Magic Kingdom is the busiest park day you’ll have while in Disney. There is so much to see and so much to do, so obviously we had to start our morning early!!!
We started out by stopping at the fire station to grab Sorcerer of the Kingdom cards for our wonderful friend Heather and her sweet daughters. They collect them so this was their last chance to get cards before the game closed down.
After grabbing the cards, we walked right down the middle of Main Street USA, toward Cinderella’s Castle for pictures while the park was still relatively empty. The sun was shining and the sounds and scents of main street filled the air. It was so magical!
Once we captured a few pics at the castle we headed straight for Frontierland where we grabbed breakfast & rode our first ride of the day, Big Thunder Mountain! While in Frontierland, I also saw one of my students as well as a fellow teacher friend! It was a nice surprise seeing two familiar faces in the crowd!
The Last Splash
After Big Thunder we headed straight for Splash and rode this classic ride for, possibly, for the final time. (It’s supposed to be getting a re-theme soon, date is unannounced) We took a few pics in front to remember our final journey through the briar patch!
After we finished up there, we took a quick trip back to the hub grass and made a tiktok video before the park got too full. It was fun, I kinda felt like a Disney channel star dancing out there. It definitely caught the eyes of park goers, as they stopped to watch!
My Tiktok
Into Space
After we left the beautiful main street USA,we visited Tomorrowland. We took some super cute purple wall pics then headed over to Space Mountain to get in our third “mountain” of the morning! Those three rides are family favorites and some of the first coasters we went on growing up. They truly hold a special place in my thrill junky heart!
While in line for Space Mountain, the “line sign” holder let Regan be in charge of the line sign for a while, which was a fun little birthday celebration surprise!
Into the Jungle
Before lunch we had just enough time for one more ride in Tomorrowland so we launched into space with Buzz on Space Ranger Spin!
After that we quickly made our way back toward Adventureland where we indulged a delicious meal at Skipper Canteen (menu linked). It’s definitely was a fun experience, bringing the quirky and fun jokes of the Jungle Cruise into a full on dining experience.
After that we walked across the way to the Jungle... I mean Jingle Cruise! It was so fun getting to hear all of the holiday jokes as we floated through the jungle!
Skipper Canteen- menu
Rides, rides, and more rides!
All afternoon we spent our time walking around the park finding rides to hop on. While walking, we also saw many cavalcades. One time I even danced behind the parade float... I think I might have embarrassed my mom and sister a bit. LOL!
It’s was so much fun and so fast paced! We had a blast!
Bella Notte
As night fell, we took an extra trip on Space Mountain and ended our night enjoying popcorn in front of the castle! It was lit up with bright Christmas colors and the sounds of Christmas filled our ears! It was a beautiful night and the perfect ending to our first park day!
Day in the Life: DAK
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Jumbo everyone! Welcome to my Day in the Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
And we’re off!!!
DAK is a place filled with so many beautiful creatures and magical moments! We couldn’t wait to get in! We started our day off early by taking some family pictures by the tree of life, the most iconic picture spot in the park! It was so early, no photo pass photographers were there yet and the area was very clear, which made for a perfectly clear pic!
After we finished up our little photo sesh we moved straight toward the nearest Starbucks to get my mom and sis some coffee, then we were off to Pandora.
Pandora is home to one of my favorite rides in all of Disney World, Flight of Passage! The line was relatively short for this “high profile” ride. We waited 40 min and were on!!!
Exploring the Market
After we left Pandora we headed straight for Kilimanjaro’s Safari. I would definitely recommend doing this ride early in the day. All of the animals were out and active unlike during the heat of the day when they are trying to stay cool in the shade.
During this Safari we saw more animals than ever before, roaming about the savanna. It was absolutely magical.
For the rest of the morning we visited the Africa and Asia, riding Everest and exploring if the Harambe village!
Satuli Canteen
Around lunch time we made our way back to Pandora for Satuli Canteen (menu linked). As you may know by now this trip was to celebrate my sister’s 21st, so not only did we get our delicious lunch we were served some extra magical cupcakes from the amazing cast members working there!
It totally made our day!
Afternoon Stroll
During the afternoon we took some time to relax with drinks from the Nomad Lounge (menu linked) and stroll through the Tree of Life Garden. It was wonderful to break up the day with some down time.
As you go farther and farther into the garden you get closer to the tree of life. It makes for some wonderful pictures and a great spot to sit and just relax for a while. Remember a Disney day should include a little time just to soak in the beauty of the world around you!
After dark
After day filled with animal treks, lots of rides and so much fun we stopped by one of my favorite spots in DAK, Yak and Yeti. We had dinner on the second story at a window seat overlooking the beautiful trees and street below! We split a variety of menu items family style and got a little taste of everything. My favorite was the Ahi tuna nachos (menu linked).
After dinner we ran to Pandora for one last ride on fight of Passage. We were the final flight of the night. As we left, the beautiful glowing plant life was surrounding us and the streets that once were filled with life stood still. As we left the park we waved and danced down the streets, just the three of us. It was the perfect way to finish our day!
Top 3 Disney Pandemic Necessities
01
#1 Cooling Mask
If you’re planning on going to Disney during the Pandemic you know masks are an important thing to consider as a part of your planning. The Florida heat is no joke! That is why I recommend getting a variety of cooling masks. They don’t get as hot as the thick cotton masks but fit all of the requirements Disney has put into place.
I was able to wear mine all day and honestly didn’t even feel like it was there! The brand I linked below is the one that I bought and used during our trip. Currently they are available at Costco in a 4 pack!
If nothing else, remember to bring a few masks with you into the park, In case they get wet, or you need just one that is fresh half way through the day!
Cooling Mask-Link
02
#2 Collapsable Tripod
Being in the midst of the pandemic means it’s not always easy to get someone to take your picture. We took a tripod with us to avoid having to ask others or pay for photopass. The one I have linked was super easy to open and close and came in handy numerous times!
Collapseable Tripod- link
03
#3 Backpack
I know what you’re thinking, duh Morgan, who doesn’t bring a backpack? I know! But as of right now souvenirs can’t be sent back to your resort, so you’ll have to able to fit them in your bag! I always carry a small sling backpack and didn’t have room for all of our stuff on this last trip! (we were also carrying thick jackets which took up a lot of space) Thankfully my sis, Regan, brought her volleyball backpack to the parks for all of our souvenirs!
Use an old book bag from school, sports, or grab one off Amazon!
*before you go think about how much room you you may need and what all you will carry into the park each day. This will help you determine how much space you have left and if you need a large or small bag!
Day in my Life: Hollywood Studios
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Hollywood Studios is a park filled with hustle and bustle, as it features some of the newest Disney attractions WDW has to offer! Come along as I share my experience in Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
Boarding Group 4
It’s was 6:45 am when my alarm clock went off. I was up early to get into a virtual boarding group for Rise of the Resistance! TBH it totally felt like I was back in college trying to get all of my classes approved at midnight! I had my sister pull up a clock online so that we had the exact time (linked below) and when the clock hit 7:00 I started the process! It only took a few seconds and I got it! We received boarding group 4! We couldn’t be more excited! With that behind us we got up and got ready for the day!!!
Exact Time-linkFirst Ride of the Day
Upon entering the park we headed straight for Tower of Terror. We got to be one of the first groups of the day! It was so much fun; you never know what’s going to happen on that one! Then we were off to Galaxy’s Edge to ride Rise of the Resistance!
A Galaxy Far Far Away
We rode Rise of the Resistance as well as Smugglers Run and I won’t spoil it for you but both of those rides are MUST DO RIDES! They each invoke a feeling of actually being in the movie or in another world & truly being a part of the action!
The theming of this area is absolutely out of this world! If you ever find yourself in Hollywood Studios with a bit of extra time, Galaxy’s Edge is the place to go!
Oga’s
Ok y’all! If you’re a Star Wars fan (and of age) this is a must do reservation! Oga’s (menu linked) is just like a Star Wars bar straight out of the movie! We tried both of the food options and I opted for an Outer Rim to drink, and everything was phenomenal! 10/10 would recommend!
Oga’s Cantina- MenuTime to explore!
After Oga’s we visited Toy Story Land, Hollywood Boulevard and every other little nook and cranny of the park! We got to ride the new Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway, which was incredible as well as ride Slinky Dog Dash! The only major ride we missed was Rockin’ Rollercoaster which was down almost all day. We’ll have to ride that one first next time!
End Scene
We ended our day back in Galaxy’s Edge looking at the Star Wars universe all lit up! We rode Smugglers Run one last time before heading back to the park entrance! Before exiting the park, we took some time to enjoy a little Starbs and sit on a bench on Sunset Boulevard! We watched the Tower’s Christmas Projections and chatted about our day! It was wonderful!
Day in my Life: Epcot
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We may have went a little overboard during our first time visiting the Festival of the Holidays.... JUST KIDDING! You can never go overboard at Disney. So buckle up for this wild day in Walt Disney World’s Epcot!
Good Morning!
Epcot was our final park day and let me tell you, we did it right! As we entered the park we took some super cute pictures in from of Spaceship Earth and then zoomed off to Soarin’ . We were LITERALLY the first group of the day to board! I couldn’t be more excited (it’s a family favorite)! It was the most magical and perfect way to begin our final day in the parks.
The classics
After Soarin’ we went ahead and rode the classics Living with the Land and Spaceship Earth! We love both of these rides so much. I feel they truly embrace the original theme of the park which was to educate about how we can make a better tomorrow today!
Festival of the Holidays
After that is was time for Festival of the Holidays! The world showcase had just opened and we began eating and sipping around the world. We started off in Mexico with Regan’s first Margarita (my drink of choice)! We went to La Cava Del Tequila (menu linked) inside of the pavilion. My drink was the blood orange and I would most definitely recommend!
La Cava Del Tequila-menu
Around the World
After Mexico we worked our way around the world sharing different food and drinks! It was such a cool experience trying so many different dishes and drinks that I had never experienced before! I especially love the crab & cheese wontons from the China booth and the hot chocolate martini from France! We definitely hope to visit the festival again in the coming years!
A Sweet Surprise
After we finished going around the world we went back out toward the front of the park riding Test Track, and the Christmas light version of Living with the Land. Once we finished those we decided to take once last lap round the World Showcase. While there, we were given a sweet treat by a kind cast member! He gave us the last few Christmas cookies from his cart to eat on that beautiful New Years Eve!
My First Time Resort Hopping
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Join me on each stop of my fist resort hoping day EVER!
Starting Point
We started at our Hotel, The Pop Century! The Pop is a super cute Place to take pictures, and has a lot of Disney (along with other) memorabilia from a wide array of decades.
Resort #1-Caribbean Beach
After exploring our own resort we hopped on the skyliner and headed over to the Caribbean Beach Resort! We took a moment to sit in the hammocks on the beach before continuing our still to the next resort!
Resort #2- Riviera
Now we were at the Riviera Resort! While passing through we took the opportunity Snap some photos by it beautiful Peter Pan and Tangled themed mosaics! If you ever have the change to check them out, do it! They are absolutely magical!
Resort #3- Polynesian
After the Riviera we took the skyliner then the busses over to the Poly! It’s my dream resort, maybe one day right! While there we walked the row of cabanas and I tried my ver first Dole Whip! So fun!
Resort #4-Grand Floridian
After my delicious Dole Whip we walked over to the Grand Floridian! We took time to rediscover the resort, as it was where we stayed on my very first Disney trip, and took some holiday pictures next to their beautiful big Christmas tree!
Resort #5- Contemporary
Now it was time to hop onto the monorail and head on over to the Contemporary Resort. While there we took some cute pics and explored the different levels. But we made it quick so that we could make it back to our resort on time to prep for dinner!
Back to the room
After the Contemporary we headed back to the room to change for dinner! Regan chose to Disneybound as Lightning McQueen and and I chose to Disneybound as simba!
Resort #6- Art of Animation
That’s when we headed over to the Art of Animation! At the AofA the have amazing photo taking spots which match the theme if for each building! We were obsessed!
Final Destination
That may have been our final resort but it wasn’t our final destination! We finish our night off at Enzos Hideaway, celebrating Regan’s 21st which is what I originally planned this trip for! (Then rescheduled after the closure)
Even outside of the parks this day was so exciting and wonderful! We enjoyed every moment of our resort hopping day!
The joy of spontaneity in a world of over analyzation
Written by Morgan Duty
In today’s society a there is a plan for everything. We plan our social media feeds so that they look perfect, consistent, and themed. We plan our days, months, and years far in advanced so that we know exactly where our future is headed. We plan the right words to say & the right things to do before we take action on most things in life. Collectively we’ve become a community of planners & organizers. It’s is almost as if it has become engrained in our DNA. But long before our hyper organized society came to be spontaneity was in our nature.
I, myself, am a huge planner, but recently I have learned the joy of allowing spontaneous adventure into my life. There is something’s so beautiful about taking time outside of your scheduled plans to enjoy something new, something different, something fresh. It can bring a sense of excitement into your life that you otherwise would not have experienced. It’s as easy as learning to say yes to new, to different, and to the adventure ahead.
A year ago I would never have said yes to some of the things I have recently agreed to. One example is that I agreed to travel to San Francisco to meet my friends on a whim one night. We talked about the idea at dinner and then bought the tickets a few hours later. The decision was spontaneous, I had never flown, I had never traveled that far, and we were in the middle of a pandemic ( so the future was unforeseen) but I did it anyway. I flew across America to a new city, stayed with people I had never met before. We explored the city with minimal to no plans, just exploring what came about or peaked our interest upon arrival. It was one of the best decisions I made and a huge blessing.
When we are children spontaneity comes so easily. We break out into spontaneous play, singing, and dancing. We burst with silly ideas and conversations that are as quickly entering our brains as they are rolling off of our tongue. As an adult I understand the importance of planning, but am slowly learning that spontaneity is just as important. It brings joy & gladness in a way that “planned” never could. The choice of allowing spontaneous adventure into your life is a gift. How will you use it?
Blushing
August 2020
Photographer: Regan Duty (Instagram: @reganvic_1)
Model, Hair, Makeup, Editing: Me (Instagram morgan_e_duty)
Edgy
July 2020
Photography: Regan Duty ( Instagram: @reganvic_1)
Model, styling, editing: Me ( Instagram: @morgan_e_duty)
white on white —
July 2020
Photography: Regan Duty (Instagram: @reganvic_1)
Styling, editing,& model: Me (Instagram: @morgan_e_duty)
Seafoam —
July 2020
Photographer: Regan Duty (Instagram: @reganvic_1
Model, styling, editing: Me (Instagram: @morgan_e_duty)
Bright Beach
July 2020
Photographer: Regan Duty (Instagram: @reganvic_1)
Model, stylist, editor: Me (Instagram: morgan_e_duty)
These leading ladies will have you feeling like you are back in the 2000’s living your best life! Prepare for Nostalgia Overload!
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway, need I say more, she stars in one of the most ICONIC movies of the early 2000’s , The Princess Diaries! I’m sure I’m not the only one who dreamed of living omg in a Genovian Castle.
More Anne:
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Ella Enchanted
Lindsay Lohan
A fiery red head who we watched grow from a sweet kiddo to teen QWEEN! Lindsay has so many great movies! My personal favorite is Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen!
More Lindsay:
The Parent Trap
Get a Clue
Freaky Friday
Hillary Duff
Hillary Duff ruled Disney channel in the early 2000’s! She showed us what dreams were made of and inspire every middle school girl to travel to Rome and become and Italian Popstar in the Lizzie McGuire Movie!
More Hillary:
Cadet Kelly
A Cinderella Story
The Cheetah Girls
These girls taught us to embrace who we are and love each other through it all! Of course my favorite is the classic but the sequels are a definite most do if you’re feeling like a DCOM marathon!
My Shop
Here is a direct link to my Red Bubble shop!
In the shop there is a wide variety of items that you can place my designs on! From stickers, to water bottle, backpacks and more.... I’m sure we’ve gotcha covered!
Selfie Portraits
Here are my selfie portraits and along with some makeup experimentation!
SHOP THIS LOOK
Shop This Look- Links
CLICK!
Looking to try something new. Check out the links below for the exact items, or similar items to the ones featured above! Pick a piece and get ready for a fashion journey.
Day in my Life: Sunday in ATL- October 20, 2019
What a beautiful day to be alive and in Atlanta!
This weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta for a shoot! Come along with me as a share my weekend experience!
For links to the food and locations click the corresponding box!
Photoshoot
First things first we did the shoot! I met a wonderful local photographer @morganhayesphotography on Instagram and we decided to meet up in the big city of Atlanta and shoot a few fun fashion looks!
We met out side of the high museum and took some awesome shots!
Lunch
After the shoot wrapped my sweet mom and I went down the street to a cool little pizza place called DaVinci’s Pizza! We got this AMAZING pizza called The Bianco! Is was big but the two of us ate the whole thing! I definitely would recommend their pizza!
High Museum of Art
With our bellies full we headed back up the street. We decided to visit the art museum before we left ATL! The art teacher inside of me was so excited! I got to see an O’Keeffe and a Monte! I also got to experience the work of some more modern artists! It was amazing!
Coffee and a Ride
With our time almost up in Atlanta we headed over the the closest coffee shop and grabbed one caramel latte, one hot chocolate, and a pecan brownie bar, because what’s a road trip without something to snicky snack on? And with that we were off, back to the BURG!
Swipe to shop
Click!
Check out these links to get the this look where bold meets classic!
Shop this look!
Disnerd Designs!
Disney inspired designs for the Disnerd in you!
Check out these fun designs I’ve made and published on Red Bubble! They can be printed on stickers, coffee mugs, wall art, tote bags, leggings and more!
Park Princess
This lil’ cutie is ready for a full on Disney day!
She comes in a variety of hair colors and a couple of skin tones! Click the pic to check it out!
Childless Millennial
To all my childless Millennial Disnerds our there! This ones for you! This design features one of your favorite picture walls, some classic Disney treats, and those ears you just can’t live without! Click the pic to check it out!
Click Me! ›
Blue Milk Babe
Introducing the new drink craze that has swept the galaxy! BLUE MILK! Weather you love blue milk, green milk, or are just a huge Star Wars junkie I’ve gotcha covered! Click the link and explore my page for this design and more!
Click Me! ›
OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE