Who’s Who

Aug 4, 2020

We’re almost to the Adventure Reports from the wedding itself, that’ll start next week. I was reading over them again, and I realized I don’t always do a great job of explaining who everyone is when their names come up. So, instead of trying to tack explanations into every article, I figured I’d just give you guys a cast of characters up front.

The Humans 

I’m going to assume by now you know who Jay and I are, and that you don’t need a lot of backstory on our parents. 

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Robby: My older, non-biological brother. The Stitch to my Lilo. We may not be blood, but Robby is the definition of ‘Ohana. He’s made plenty of guest appearances on the blog. You can find them here. He was shockingly well behaved the entire trip, and did everything I asked of him. (Except getting the date of the wedding correct in the first place.) 

Lacey: One of the few good things to come out of working at Universal was this friendship. She’s been my best friend for the better part of five years now, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s also spent most of those five years trying to make sure my hair doesn’t look stupid while we do whatever I’ve roped her into.  See her previous guest appearances on the blog.

Gary: A former Skipper and one of the first real friends I made in Orlando. He left Florida in 2015 for the West Coast. Now he runs his own blog called Coasting With Culture where he talks about traveling the world to ride roller coasters. He was the one person Jay had never met that he let me put on the guest list. We managed to arrange a meeting in October 2019, about six months before the wedding, and thankfully they hit it off. You can read his coverage on the wedding here.

Zym: A last minute addition to the guest list, Zym replaced someone we had a falling out with, and took their place in the cabin. I didn’t realize it at the time, but we won the lottery with Zym! He helped me with everything from my own cruise questions, to taking over excursions and answering other people’s questions to take stress off me, to making sure Jay was dressed and on time for the ceremony. Every Bride should have a Zym. One of two Skippers to work with both me and Jay. #FoundMyGuyCruiseActivitiesDirector

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Michael and Abby: Michael is Jay’s best friend from his life before Orlando. He’s also an Officer in the Navy. I often wonder how Jay survived before he met me, and the answer became obvious, once I got to know Michael. I met him and Abby both for the first time, when their honeymoon brought them to Orlando in 2017. Abby is every bit as wonderful as Michael, and is into all the things I am. We have a lot of fun conversations about nerdy stuff. 

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Melanie: The only one of my coworkers to come on the cruise, Melanie is the most organized person I’ve ever met. I’ve unleashed her on my house a couple of times, and I wish I could do it more often. If I couldn’t be there to oversee details, I knew I could trust her to get them right. She’s a cosplayer and a body paint artist. I’m going to be a bridesmaid at her wedding next year!
Morgan: A member of Jay’s DnD group that I affectionately refer to as the “Skipper Squad”, and a super reliable friend. She frequently watches our animals for us, despite being allergic to the cat. She was also my first concern when we picked the cake we did, because she’s allergic to peanut butter.  
Tess: An insanely talented artist and a member of the Skipper Squad. She’s painted multiple walls in my house, and has talked me through more than one project idea. She brought The Dragon Prince series into my life. The definition of a Hufflepuff. 
Scott: A member of the Skipper Squad and frequently the muscle for our group, Scott has had to come over multiple times to help lift things that I couldn’t manage. He’s also an amazing dancer and did the choreography for our first dance, in addition to helping me with a few other wedding errands. 
Patrick: The Platinum Cruiser in our group, Patrick was my main source for cruising questions. He got a super-secret mission based on his experience with Disney Cruise Line. He’s a member of the Skipper Squad, and we can talk Avatar and Marvel all day long. First words he ever said to me were, “I’ve met your father.” Interesting first impression. 

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Emma and Josh: I met Emma and Josh through Jay. Emma is the only person I’ve ever met who comes close to loving Duffy as much as I do. I frequently run into her and Josh playing Pokémon at Disney Springs, sometimes we plan it, and sometimes I go by myself and fate intervenes. Emma is a Gold Cruiser, and also had to put up with my never-ending Disney Cruise Line questions. 

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Lauren: A former Skipper from my College Program, Lauren has been one of my closest friends for seven years now. We visit her when we go to Disneyland, and she comes to see us whenever she makes it to Orlando. She’s president of the Skipper Jay Official Fan Club, and has been supporting us since the very beginning. 

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Robin and Danielle: Robin has been my mom’s best friend for what seems like forever. She encouraged me to join the Disney College Program and pushed me towards moving to Florida. I don’t think she counted on her daughter following me, however. Danielle moved down here a couple years after I did, and she’s a super talented photographer. You guys might remember her from the Pirates League Proposal. 

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Malcolm: Malcolm is my dad’s best friend, and basically my Uncle. Like Robby, he may not be blood but he’s family in my book. He and Dad used to build props for my film shoots, now they build stuff for my house. When I had my very first job, Malcolm was dating my boss, so it was like I had my real parents and work parents. It was so fun, because I’d do something stupid, and then all four of them would make fun of me for it. 

The Bears

(Technically it’s two bears, two cats, a bunny, a puppy, a turtle, a lion, and a mouse, but that’s a mouthful, so it’s “The Bears”.) 
Duffy: Unless you are brand new to this blog, you should know who Duffy is. If you’re unfamiliar, he’s Mickey’s teddy bear, made by Minnie, and my best friend. I was adamant from well before we got engaged that Duffy and his friends be in attendance at our wedding. 
Shellie May: Duffy’s girlfriend, also made by Minnie, and the first addition to the Duffy family at our house. I got her for my birthday in 2014, shipped from Aulani, because they weren’t selling her in the parks yet. 

Nip: The Baby Mickey I’ve had since I was a baby. Well. Except I lost him when I was three or four, and Nana got me a replacement, and now Toy Story 3 gives me nightmares. He’s been to Disney with us many times. 

Gelatoni: An Italian cat that likes to paint. He was created for Tokyo DisneySea. 

Stella Lou: A purple bunny that dreams of being a ballerina. When I saw the announcement for her, I screamed so loud I scared Jay, the dog, and the cat. 

Cookie Ann: Originally just “Cookie”, this puppy is a master chef. She was created for Hong Kong. 

‘Olu-Mel: Originally just “’Olu”, this Hawaiian turtle is shy and likes to create beautiful music. He was created for Aulani.

Braveheart Lion: A Care Bear cousin that Jay has had since he was a child. The very first time Jay and I hung out, I spotted him on his nightstand. “Why do you have a Braveheart Lion?” “Why do you know what that is?” 
Chelsea: So, this was a last-minute addition. Everyone else had outfits, but I didn’t want Polly to have to extra work last minute, so I asked her how hard it would be to make extra ear bows. Thankfully not hard. This stuffed cat belonged to Nana, and was named before I was. That’s right folks, I was named after a stuffed cat, not Chelsea Clinton. This cat was one of the first things I took from Nana’s after she passed, and it only seemed right she come to the wedding. 
That is a brief overview of our cast of characters for this wedding adventure. The Wedding Adventure Reports start next week! I have a total of fourteen articles detailing our crazy wedding week, so subscribe now if you haven’t! (Some of the days ran really long so I broke them into two or three parts.) 

Moving to Orlando in 2013 to join the Disney College Program was the start of the Great Florida Adventure for Chelsea and her best friend Duffy Bear. Now they spend their days exploring all there is to do in the Orlando area and seeing what adventures life where the rest of the world vacations brings.

Author Chelsea leaning on a fence at Disney.

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