What is kc to the kingdom all about?
There are three elements that I feel the most passionate about at this moment in life:
My faith and continually working on my relationship with Jesus.
Working towards raising a family with my husband here in Kansas City while making KC feel like home for us.
My deep love and enthusiasm for Disney! (And making Disney feel close to home for me and my family)
Bringing all of these interests together in one place where I can write and express myself creatively, mentally and emotionally.
What in the world do these things have in common? THE KINGDOM.
The KINGDOM of heaven + KC Chief’s KINGDOM + Magic KINGDOM
Just a little play on words that helps to incorporate all of these important aspects of my life and hopefully it helps connect with others out there that have aligned passions. You might be thinking, “Hey Mikayla! What kinds of things can I expect to find on this blog? Why are you even doing this?” Well, I’ll answer one of those now and one of those after.
When you hop on KC to the Kingdom, you’ll find a collection of whosits and whatsits:
Disney park tips/info/facts/personal stories and ways to keep that magic alive when you live far from the parks
Travel
Documenting my family/children’s memories
Food & restaurant reviews
Fashion
Home decor
Candid discussions on relatable subjects
Chats about marriage and relationships
Discussions about kids/babies & being a mom
Family topics
Just getting real sometimes about stuff that matters!!
I’m all about transparency, authenticity, and not fluffing anything up to save face so all topics are good topics in my opinion. I’m searching for a community of people who are also tired of the “fluff” and I want to simultaneously create sort of an online scrapbook/diary of sorts where I can document big and small moments of our lives to look back on one day and share with our families that live in Nebraska so that they can keep up with our lives.
Another reason (and arguably the most important) that I wanted to start this blog was because I genuinely love and enjoy writing. It’s cathartic for me. I genuinely LOVE writing and putting my thoughts to paper (or keyboard) and wanted a place to collect/share all of these sweet, meaningful moments I have been blessed with that I never want to forget. I attribute my love of writing, storytelling, and cultivation of imagination to Walt Disney. Disney is not just something I am a fan of. It's a lifestyle. It's a community. It's magic. It's that unexplainable feeling you get when you watch a fireworks show paired with that perfect song from your childhood that brings it all flooding back and full circle. I love sharing my love of Disney with anyone who will listen. I love wearing Disney things and adding little subtle (or not so subtle) touches of Disney magic around my house so that it never really has to feel like I'm away from the parks and dumping copious amounts of Disney facts, history and knowledge onto anyone who will lend an ear (apologies to all of my friends and family that I have subjected to this).
I wanted to create a place to share how I thread Disney magic into my every day as a Christ follower, a mom, and a KC local, while being able to connect with other people who may also be Christian Disney lovers/moms looking for ways to feel that Disney magic when living far from the parks. Ways to put touches of Disney in your home, in your clothes, in your day to day activities and finding things to do in your own city that mimic that feeling you get when you walk down Main Street and see that first glimpse of the castle.
One of my biggest rules and stipulations for myself when starting this blog was that I wouldn’t get caught up in the unachievable, idealistic life that social media has capitalized on encouraging people to portray on the internet. I’m so incredibly tired of all of the made up rules about how you can and can’t use social media and I’m even more tired of how social media is used to portray certain lifestyles that are impossible to achieve or live up to. I’m tired of Instagram feeds showcasing gorgeous filtered photos of families perfectly posed with their kids on a beautiful beach when there is concealed hurt, conflict and trials playing out behind closed doors that everyone just pretends doesn’t exist. We need to start conversations and being real with one another. That is the only way we are going to stop this toxic cycle of making each other feel bad about one another’s lives. I cannot play the comparison game any longer, it has taken such a toll on my mental health and I refuse to contribute to it in any way. I am not perfect, my family is not perfect, my life is not perfect (this is quite a gigantic leap of a realization for someone with perfectionism related anxiety lol). And I have been continually working on being at peace with that.
So I guess I’m making this a sort of a welcome and disclaimer: Welcome to this hodge podge of a blog! You have no idea how happy I am that, whoever you are, you are reading this and that something about what I’m passionate about has brought you here. But know that by no means am I a professional/expert in any of these areas, I am NOT a professional photographer (most of my photos are either candid/taken by my husband or family member/taken using self-timer) and most importantly, I am always unapologetically and authentically myself and I refuse to pretend that I’m any other way.
Welcome and thanks for being part of KC to the Kingdom!