My Time as a Party Princess

Growing up, I was always taught to not be afraid to take risks, to be creative and to try new things. I was taught that magic was real and that dreams come true.
My mother helped make every day special. She would tell me about fairies, lead me to the entrance of Narnia and would play wonderful, upbeat music. There wasnt a doubt in my mind whether things things were true, they just were.

As I have grown older (not "up" I refuse to "grow up") I have learned to channel the imagination I have into creating. I've created events, I've created costumes, songs, stories, scripts. An entire business has been formed straight out of my dreams. . . and it blows my mind.

In 2012 we just had our first child and moved across country to little old Iowa. I was adjusting to life as a stay at home mom and wanted to find a way to channel my creativity. I always wanted to work at a certain theme park, but since that was no longer an option, I decided to bring a little magic to the midwest.

And that's how life as a party princess began!

With the help of my {Fairy God} Mother, I was able to get a few costumes put together before we headed East and the rest was history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7URe3beGRo&feature=youtu.be

 

The four years I spend building a thriving business from the ground up was, dare I say it? MAGICAL! I learned so much about being a party princess along the way and met so many wonderful people. For example: I was able to do a weekly story time on the local radio, throw royal balls for hundreds of people, create my own original characters, write a children's book based off those characters, meet so many fantastic people and more. 

One story was when I was headed to a party as Snow White in a snow storm. My car spun off the icy road and into a ditch. My first thought was how I couldn't be late and disappoint the birthday girl. My car and I were fine, but completely stuck. I called the hubby and he was going to come pick me up. All the sudden, I hear a knock at my door and see a man with a look of complete confusion on his face. I rolled down my window and laughed while saying..."Well I bet this wasn't what you expected." He thought it was the funniest thing he's ever seen and his wife and son gave me a ride to my party so I wouldn't be late. 

Midwest hospitality at it's finest!

I always made it a point to find ways to spread some happy thoughts and visit the local hospitals. One visit I will never, ever forget was meeting Camryn. I was invited to sit with Camryn while she got her first round of Chemo after her cancer came back. We read stories, colored, played with her princess dolls and she told me all about her life while she started a second battle with cancer. Sadly, she earned her wings not too long afterward, but I will never forget her beautiful face and the things she taught me about kindness and patience that day. She was a true princess on the inside and out. 

 

Storybook Adventures was like another child to me and I am so thankful for everything it brought into my life. After I found out I was expecting our third child and were moving back to Utah, we knew it was time to say goodbye to the party princess life. Storybook Adventures is still very much alive and well after  I was able to sell the company to a dear friend of mine who... fun fact! Was my first client ever and was later a performer for me! She is seriously amazing.

My mermaid days begun soon after when I got to work at a local aquarium and had the chance to swim with sharks and basically fulfill my every mermaid dream. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqklnvRh4mw&feature=youtu.be 

I have since retired my mermaid fins and am focusing on being a "Stay-at-Home Mermaid." (aka a mother who values the importance of creativity and imagination in childhood and makes life as magic as possible. And obviously blogging about it. ;) 

 

Do you have any questions for me what it was like owning a performing company or performing as a princess? Shoot me a message and I'd love to chat!