40 Hour Box People Contest

October 1, 2011

This was a date I was looking forward to for months. To hardcore Disney fans, this date meant the 40th anniversary of the opening day of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World!!  That is what it meant to me, but also it meant that it would be the start of Lou Mongello's WDW Radio 40 Hour Show!!

I had planned to try to be "in the box" for most of the show during the weekend, and that plan worked out pretty good. I only missed a couple of hours total.

That morning I woke up at 6:57am CST here in Chicago, and immediately turned on my laptop and pulled up the Ustream feed. Still half asleep I was so happy to hear the audio connect first, then the video popped up and I was greeted by Lou, Beci, and the WDW Radio gang just inside the turnstiles near the Mickey Mouse flower bed. I quickly woke up and became focused on enjoying the live coverage from my favorite place in the World and started tearing up. It was such a special day in Disney history, and I was there too, albeit in my pajamas in my bed in Chicago! It just made me feel like such a part of history that day. I enjoyed watching Lou and gang throughout the day as they toured throughout the MK and met and talked to so many fans. I got to see some of my Disney friends "outside the box" and it was so fun, especially the ones who I had seen their FB/Twitter updates about being at the MK..and then I see them on my computer screen! :)

There was a method behind Lou's "madness" for the 40 hour show. He was doing it in conjunction with a online auction for the Dream Team Project , which is an organization that supports Make a Wish. Box People were able to bid on items during the 40 hour show and the ones that had the highest bid won the prize at the end of the show. The results were amazing...over $17,000 was raised over 40 hours for MAW. Just incredible!! Congrats again to Lou and the entire WDW Radio team and winners!



Lou had announced a few days prior to the 40 hour show, that there would be some sort of contest that they would be holding during the show for the box people. I was so excited to see what that would be and kept a watchful eye and ear out. When it was announced that there would be a trivia contest during the show, so I made sure to pay as much attention as I could so that I could try to enter when it was announced. At the end of the live show, it was announced that in a few days the questions would be posted and the deadline to enter. Trivia Contest  I was hoping that I would have a fair chance in this contest, but with over 400 people usually watching the live show, and not sure how many would enter, I was unsure on my chances. But I prayed for the best and waited the long week until the winners were announced.


That next week, during Lou's live Newscast, everyone kept wondering when the winners would be announced. Finally, in the "after chat"...Lou announced the 2 winners, which at this point, I was getting annoyed with my Ustream connection, because it kept dropping in and out. I heard Lou announce John as the 1st winner and I started to get butterflies in my stomach because I knew there was only 1 more chance...and then my video started chopping as soon as Lou said the 2nd name. UGH! No!! But then, I heard "she is my FB friend and I know she is here tonight" and I started seeing my name pop up on the chat screen over and over...and my heart jumped in my chest. I couldn't believe it! I had WON the 2nd trip!! OMG!! I started crying and Kayla looked at me and asked "what's wrong Mommy?" I told her "Mommy won the trip" and hugged her! She started laughing and smiling and saying " we are going back to Disney". It took me a few minutes to re-connect and I was able to say thank you in the chat room and email Lou and Beci! I was in shock and amazement!

I have been having a really rough year, I was laid off of my job of 7 years back in April and was so fortunate to of been able to pull off a trip a few months ago in August thanks to some savings and Uncle Sam....and I had told Kay during that trip that we would come back to Disney soon, but I wasn't sure if it would be for another year or two, but that we would come back. She asked me every day since then, 'when are we going back to Disney'..and it was so hard to tell her that I didn't know. I sat many nights checking prices and asking my travel agent for quotes to get an idea of what I would need to save up. I figured it may take a good year until we could go back, especially since we are going on the Dream 2.0 Cruise next fall with Lou and that would be all I had money for. Now, this wonderful blessing came and I am able to go back to my favorite place in the world with my daughter and my mom again!!


We chose our dates to go back after a few days of debating, planning, and strategizing. Our days will be May 22-28, 2012!! I am so excited, especially since I am 99% sure that Star Wars weekends start that weekend, and that is something I have always wanted to do!! We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and have the dining plan included and 7 day Park Hopper tickets!!

I am soo excited for this. I have thanked Lou and Beci a million times so far, and probably will another million until then!! I hope I get a chance to meet them before the Cruise, so I can give them a big hug and thank them not only for this amazing trip, but also for the great job they did on the 40 hour show, as well as everything they both do for the Disney community!!

Be sure to check out Mei/Mousefan Travel if you are planning a trip to anything Disney!! They are the best!!

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