Addicted to Disneyland

Simple Act of Service

2011-07-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Most of my summer break has been spent getting ready for the upcoming school year. School is pretty much all I know how to do. It is what I eat, breath, and sleep.

A large portion of this prep work has been creating file folder games. Dozens and dozens of them. They take FOREVER.

I'm going to start working in my classroom this week, so I made a goal to finish my file folder games by today. It was a lofty and pretty unrealistic goal. I finished coloring everything yesterday, but I still had a rather hefty stack of papers that needed to be cut and glued. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to more than half of the work completed by my sweet husband who stayed up till who knows how late just to help me out. Suddenly my goal is not so lofty and unrealistic.

It's the little things in life that let us know we are loved. :) I'm grateful for a man in my life who cares so deeply about me, who gives with no expectations of anything in return, who sacrifices his own time just to see me smile. I love you, Nathan!

Top Ten...

2011-02-23T21:00:00.001-08:00

Places I Want to Re-Visit Right Now

In no particular order.

Can you guess any of these amazing locations?

* I can't shrink any of the pictures. :( If you click on the photo, it goes full-size. It also usually has the name of the place in the URL so if you are guessing, don't cheat! :)

2010 Year in Review: March

2011-02-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

I had an idea to start this post off in the following way:

Silly, teacher! Blogs are for people with time on their hands!

Then I realized that most of the blogs I follow are written by moms, people who work full time, pregnant women, etc. It's true that I'm in up to my ears in things to do, but somehow these amazing women (okay, and a few men too) find time to blog. I just haven't (and probably won't if we're being honest) made it a priority. It goes without saying that this post is long overdue, but truthfully, I'm surprised I at least made it to February before the Kindergarten tidal wave came rolling back in on my life.

Tonight, "lucky" readers, you get to take advantage of my lack of motivation to complete my homework for my SEI 45 class. Procrastination: 1 Emily: 0.

So back on topic...

March. I honestly have no clue what I did in March. Allow me to consult my photo library and I'll be back shortly.

Evidently, March was a month of randomness filled with super inexpensive dates. Fun. :) Cue the photographic evidence of our simple, awesome lives:

On a GORGEOUS Saturday, we went to one of Nate's mission buddy's rugby games. It was really interesting, but I had no clue what was going on. My wonderful public education never included rugby rules.

Inexpensive (aka free) Date Night: Game Night- Cities and Knights

Bowling with friends

More fun with friends: Ugly outfit night (Nate's was complete with lovely pit stains... Thank you missionaries of Cleveland, Ohio)

Inexpensive Date Night: Painting random pictures? Not sure why exactly we chose this, but we did have fun.

Hiking at Peralta (my personal fave)

Fun with family: Bowling and arcade games

Justin

Anna

Les and Nate

Hopefully I'll get to April before next year. :) Love ya'll.

You're welcome, Mom. ;)

2010 Year in Review: February

2011-01-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

In February, Nate and I spent Valentine's Day together. :) At the time, Nate was looking for a job and I was working for a preschool at an hourly wage. Being on a smaller budget just made Valentine's Day more fun. I can home after a long day of work to find Nate waiting for me in a suit. He had decorated the dining room. We had a nice dinner and danced in the living room.

In February, I also went to Disneyland with my family. We had a great time with lighter crowds. I got to visit my BFF, Morgan who now works at Disneyland.

Hidden Mickeys

2010 Year in Review: January

2010-12-31T10:41:00.001-08:00

I can't believe 2010 is nearly over. I'm starting a new blog, but until I can make it cute, I'm posting on the old one for now.

2010 started off with promises of a better year. And it certainly was! I started the year as a single gal, spending lots of time with my friends. I had a crush on my friend Nate and, like any single 23-year-old woman, reverted back to the lessons I learned in Junior High. I recruited my friend Tanner to find out if he was interested in me. Mature, I know.

Nate and I started attending institute together. I would pick him up and take him to class. After, we'd stand in my driveway and talk about religion for hours on end. We had a bad habit of staying up until wee hours in the morning talking about life, scriptures, family, church, everything. We talked about his mission and about my teaching. We'd discuss our beliefs, our goals, our fears, our shortcomings. He became my best friend. I'd never met any one I could talk to so easily. I found that even after staying up so late, discussing everything under the sun, I couldn't wait to talk to him again.

Nate finally asked me on a date. I completely misunderstood what he was asking (It was 2 am...I was tired) and I told him "Um, maybe." Ah, yes. True love. I awkwardly patched things up the next day when my brain turned back on and played back our conversation (which I relived in full horror).

On January 31st we went on our "second" date (depending on who you ask). Nate changed my life with the oh-so-romantic proclamation, "Um. So. I think I kind of like you."

Please excuse the awfulness of this picture. Nate's being a goof and I look as though I've just rubbed all the mascara off of my face. Lovely.

Happy New Year! Check back for new posts and the address of the all-new married person blog.

2009: Year in Review (Better late than never, right?)

2010-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

January

I started the year off right by taking a quick trip to Disneyland with my mom.

I started student teaching.

February

I had laryngitis. So exciting.

I was nominated by my cooperating teacher to be ASU Poly's Student Teacher of the Year.

March

My sweet cousin, Elise, left on her mission.

I finished my student teaching evalutaions.

I went to Disneyland over Spring Break!

April

I finished up my student teaching.

I became a certified teacher.

May

I graduated college.

My students threw me a surprise party. :)

I went on a girls (plus Landon) cruise to celebrate graduation.

I went to Disney World.

June

Another Disneyland trip

A quick day trip to Denver

I started swimming lessons. I love swimming lessons!

July

Did some hiking. :)

I broke my toe. Ouch!

Went to... (let's all say it together) DISNEYLAND!

I saw Wicked for the third time. :)

August

Went to Disneyland. Again. :)

Was sad about not starting the school year.

September

Another trip to Disneyland. :) ( I know, it's a bit excessive)

A day trip to San Diego.

October

I turned 23.

I lost my flight benefits.

I went to Disneyland for my birthday, of course.

I FINALLY got a job.

My computer crashed and took all my documents with it (which is why this post has been sitting as a draft for 3 weeks. I hate tracking down pictures. :) ).

November

I worked a lot.

I was sick a lot. (Due to working with so many little kiddos again. :) )

Thanksgiving! :)

December

Went to Disneyland and bought a new annual pass. :)

Had a blast. December was such a busy, crazy month. I love Christmas. :)

I had a great New Year's Eve with my family and Morgan's family.

All in all, 2009 was fine. Let's see what 2010 brings! :)

Of Weather Vanes and Tambourines: A Disneyland HoliDAY

2010-01-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Another month, another Disney trip. But, hey I didn't go in November, so you can't call me COMPLETELY insane yet. Morgan and I went the first week of December to see the Christmas decorations. Christmas at Disneyland is my absolute favorite. The park is gorgeous.

We left Arizona at about 3am, drove straight to Disneyland, stayed till about 11, went to our hotel, and slept! The next day we went to Company D, which had over a two-hour wait just to get into the building, so we drove back to Disneyland and did some shopping at Downtown Disney before heading back home. It was a short, but oh-so-fun trip.

Since we were only there for one (crowded) day, I thought we'd be rushing to get on every ride, but we both were in the mood to just take it easy. We watched lots of shows, were "chosen" to BE in one show, and walked around, taking lots of pictures. Of course, we also went on just about every ride at least once, but we went at a slower pace than usual. It was great.

Since we don't often go to Fantasyland, we decided to walk around and take pictures. There are so many little details that make Fantasyland what it is. One thing I noticed this trip was all the different weather vanes on the little buildings.

My camera does NOT like bright, sunny Anaheim weather, but if you look extra close, you might find a Hidden Mickey in this window outside of Peter Pan.

Can't see it? Well, let's ask Photoshop for some help.

See it? A red Mickey on a Teddy Bear's foot. :)

As we were walking from Critter Country to Frontierland to watch my personal favorite, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, I noticed a cast member asking families if they wanted to participate in a show. I knew immediately what he was talking about. In order to promote The Princess and the Frog, Disney created a show called Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. It takes place aboard the Mark Twain riverboat. Since Morgan found out about this show, (MONTHS ago) it has been her dream to be in it. I grabbed Morgan, and we walked over to the cast member. I told Morgan we should just ask him if we can be in it. After standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, the cast member asked us if we had a question. I got embarrassed and sheepishly said "No." Morgan, fortunately, said "Yes. Are you asking people to go on the showboat?" He said yes. Then Morgan said, "Can we?" He coyly responded "...Maybe." Then he pulled out a special ticket for us. It was great. We had a great time being part of the Disney entertainment team for an hour.

Receiving our instructions from the cast members

We got to meet Louis!

Act 1: Wave your scarf up and down during the chorus. Simple enough. :)

I got a little stage fright when I saw how many people were watching. Yikes!

The amazing jazz band

Morgan has all our pictures of Act 2, which involved shaking a huge wooden musical note. Look it up on Facebook. :) Here's Act 3: Put your snazzy costume on and shake that tambourine! Morgan and I got to be on the second level with a handful of other guests and a bunch of the actual performers. Morgan got to stand right next to Louis! :)

After the show was over, we had a private tour of the Rivers of America and got to meet Louis, Tiana, and Naveen.

They gave us these awesome beads for being part of the show!

I'm a slacker when it comes to taking pictures, especially when I'm with Morgan, who takes tons of pictures. So, that's all the pictures in my personal collection, but Morgan posted lots on Facebook. Check them out!

October Videos

2009-12-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

The Happiest Birthday on Earth

2009-12-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

So my birthday was in October... and I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

Since my great computer crash of conference weekend, I haven't felt like posting much. Anywho, here's some pictures from my fun, fun birthday weekend in Disneyland!

Disney is all about the details. :) Can you guess where these were taken?

Even American Idol contestants love Main Street, U.S.A.!

My best friend, Morgan, is amazing. This is what I woke up to on my birthday. She colored a TON of Disney characters who each had a caption wishing me a happy birthday. For my birthday she gave me the adorable WALL-E backpack, which I LOVE, a six pack of Dr. Pepper, my favorite Disney snacks, a handmade beanie, and a new pair of Crocs. It was my "perfect day at Disneyland" package. :)

My birthday present from Disneyland: a Fun Card with $72! :)

It was a fabulous trip! If you'd like to see (oh-so-many) more pictures, catch me on Facebook!

Excuses, excuses, excuses

2009-11-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why it's so difficult for me to update this thing. I have several blog entries written in my head, but they just don't ever get posted. So for now I'll give you my ever-growing excuse list.

I Hate with a capitol h uploading photos to Blogger. It's the worst system. I'm envious of all my blogger friends who have the patience to upload several per post. You guys rock.
My computer crashed at the beginning of October and I lost all my files, settings, and programs. So that means no pictures to post anyways because I'm one of those dumb people who thinks, "I'll back up my files...tomorrow."
I'm feeling a little bit homesick for Disneyland and the blog doesn't help. I know, it's pathetic...

Really, I've just been too lazy to update the blog. It's not a matter of being busy or not having time. I do love you all and I still read everybody's blogs. I just have neglected my own. Here's to trying to catch up. :)

Grounded

2009-10-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. On October 1st, after 18 long, wonderful years of flying, the airline essentially told me to go to my room and never come back out. Oh, wait. Not that kind of grounded. But I did lose my wings. I was not supposed to lose them until I turn 23, which will be on the 10th, but I guess they decided to give me an early birthday surprise when they launched their new system on the 1st. Oh the joys of getting older.

Anyways, this week I did get a couple more day trips in before they stripped me of my benefits. The first, on Saturday, was to Denver to spend a day with a couple of good friends from high school. We had fun, enjoying the cool weather and just hanging out. I brought my camera and of course, forgot to take a single picture.

On Wednesday, my mom and I went to (you guessed it) DISNEYLAND! My annual pass expires on the 23rd. I'm going with a couple of friends and with my parents on my birthday, but I am DRIVING. So this was my last day trip to Disneyland, probably ever. Sad. Well, Disneyland must have known it would be one of my last trips for awhile, because they pulled out all the stops! The park was practically empty. It was a Disneyland miracle. Check out my mini-trip report and pictures below. :)

Halloween time just started at Disneyland and this is one of my FAVORITE times to be there. I absolutely love Christmas time, but Halloween time is a very close second.

Disneyland is all about the details. There are so many things that add to the ambiance that you walk right past without even noticing. I've been trying to be more observant of all the awesome details. The following shots were taken in the Haunted Mansion fastpass area.

Rancho del Zocalo

This is a new building in Fantasyland, by the Matterhorn. I think it's very quaint and cute.

Space Mountain has been invaded by ghosts this year! (Technically it's only one ghost and I've just learned that his official name is Bob. I wish I knew the reason behind that!) The Halloween overlay is a first and we were so excited to ride it! We absolutely loved the Rockin' in the New Year overlay that they did a few years ago, so this was really exciting. After getting into the park, the first thing we did was run straight to Space Mountain. We pulled fastpasses and then WALKED on the ride. There was NO wait. We ended up being able to ride 3 times throughout the day! I never saw the wait over 30 minutes, which shows you how very empty the park was. We loved the overlay, but if you are planning on taking your little ones soon, be fairly warned that it could be terrifying for them.

Ode to Rocket to the Moon

So, since we've been going, there has been this restaurant in DCA, the Lucky Fortune Cookery. It always sounds delicious, but has never once been open. (At least not while we've been there... I'm fairly certain it hasn't ever been open or that it hasn't been open since 2001 when the park first opened.) Anyways, this summer, they moved the Cucamonga Cocina over to the LFC and boarded up the old location of the CC. Then, they announced that they were building the LFC in the CC's former locale. And, folks, I'm happy to tell you that it's FINALLY open!

We didn't even eat here, but doesn't it look delicious? And expensive?

I found out recently that each popcorn stand features a different little character inside. I tried to remember to look at each one we walked by and snap a shot. I'll take some more when I go NEXT WEEK! :)

Haunted Mansion Holiday

Town Square

Matterhorn

The last few shots are of the awesome Halloween decorations. Love this time of year!

We had a wonderful time, walked on to practically all the rides, and accomplished a TON for only being there for about 9 hours. (Space Mountain 3 times (once on standby), Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion Holiday 2 times (once on standby), it's a small world, Tower of Terror (standby line!), Toy Story Mania (the standby line!) Finding Nemo Submarines, Splash Mountain (standby line!), Monsters Inc., Tortilla Factory, the Monorail, and several train rides to save our aching feet). See more pictures here.

I will miss flying to Disneyland for the day with my mom, flying with my parents to catch cheap, last minute cruises, flying by myself to head out on random, spontaneous adventures, flying with friends to go on fun vacations, and just FLYING. I will miss chatting with friendly CSA's who know my dad and used to work with him. I will miss the "ba-ding ba-ding" sound the non-rev boarding passes make. I will miss the way the little paper yellow ticket feels stapled to the back of the glossy white boarding card. I'll miss flying with Brad and making fun of Skymall. (I actually miss that already!) I'll miss being able to decide to go somewhere about 2 hours before my flight leaves. Part of me will miss the crazy "creative flying" that non-revs sometimes have to do. You know, things like flying to Denver to get to San Diego just because it beats sitting in an airport all day watching all the planes leave without you. I'll miss never having to check a bag. I'll miss showing up half an hour before my flight leaves. I'll miss calling my dad seconds after landing and telling him, "Yeah, looks like we'll be puling into Charlie 18, so take your time." I'll miss all that and more.

I won't necessarily miss watching flights pull away, full of revenue passengers as I sit and cross my fingers that I'll be on the next. I won't miss getting a boarding card with a big fat C32 written on it. I won't miss waiting in line to check in at the gate (maybe). I won't miss having hours and hours of airport appreciation time because I can't make any flights. I won't miss running from gate C18 to D8 because that's where the next flight leaves...in 15 minutes. I won't miss the stress of never knowing if you'll actually get to go on vacation or not or if you'll make it home before work the next day. I won't miss getting pulled off a plane in a random city because they've oversold.

{But I sure will miss everything else.}

Losing my wings

2009-09-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my flying days are numbered. I've been flying for free for 18 long, wonderful years. In just a couple of weeks, I will turn 23 and my wings will be clipped. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this change. I have loved being spontaneous with my mom and flying off to fun, crazy places (okay, let's be realistic... Disneyland) at a minute's notice. Obviously we've been to Disneyland quite a bit, but I have used my flight benefits to go other fun places including San Diego, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Orlando, Hawaii, Denver, Miami, Dallas, St. Louis, Seattle, and San Francisco, to name a few.

As my flight time dwindles away, my desire to see the world increases. Unfortunately, I have very limited funds right now, so seeing the "world" is probably not going to happen anytime soon. Irregardless, I've decided to make the most of these last few weeks by cramming in as many day trips as possible.

On Monday, my mom and I went to San Diego. I had not been for quite some time and it was loads of fun! We were there for about 7 hours. The weather was gorgeous!

While there, we took the bus to Seaport Village, which is a pretty cute tourist trap. We hung around Horton's Plaza, which is always fun. We ate at Anthony's and it was even better than I remember. We soaked up the sun, got chased around by an attractive surfer dude, and met some interesting people. Lots of fun. You can view more pictures here.

Starting to catch up... (Random, non-Disney-related post. :) )

2009-09-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

A while ago, some friends and I went to yet another dress-up YSA dance. For a person who does not dance well AT ALL, I sure go to a lot of dances! :) This was a 70s/80s dance. I was a little sick of my 80s costume and since 90% of the YSAs at the Blast From the Past dance were decked out in 80s garb, I decided to go for something different. Morgan is always a good sport and dressed up with me. We convinced Tanner to come and to wear some of my dad's old threads, along with some "awesome" jeans he found at Saver's. Morgan wore a dress her mom made in high school and I wore some of my mom's clothes with some of my own stuff thrown in the mix too. (I feel that I look a bit like a Maitre'd at a themed restaurant in Disneyland, but my mom assures me that my look is SO 70s. :) Feel free to weigh in with your opinion.)

Aren't my fellow disco dancers groovy looking? I LOVE Morgan's dress and neck tie. Awesome. :) The best part of the dance was saying hi to a friend of mine. He proceeded to introduce himself to me. It was really funny. I just stood there for a second, wondering if he was joking. When I realized he wasn't, I said, "Um.... you don't recognize me, do you?" I had to take off my sunglasses before he realized who I was. So at least none of my dorky dance moves will be contributed to Emily. Just to some weird mystery girl in a 70s outfit. :)

On a completely unrelated note, my dad was able to go to Mexico a while back and see Sabastian get baptized. He had SO much fun! We missed him at home, but enjoyed our girl time and we are glad he had such a great time with cute Karla and family. :) Karla sent some treats back with him. We gave some to Lexie and Landon and we had fun sampling some ourselves. I haven't had Mexican candy in a LONG time and it was fun to try all this yummy stuff! Thanks, Karla!

Hope everyone is doing well! Happy blogging!

So much for weekly posts...

2009-09-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been neglecting you, blog world. I can't lie and say I've been busy, so I'll simply say I've been preoccupied. :)

A few weeks ago, my mom and I went to (you guessed it) Disneyland. Rather than doing a full trip report, I thought we'd play a game of "Can you guess the location?" I tried to take semi-obscure pictures during the few hours I was there. Anyone care to venture a guess as to where these pictures were taken? They are all in Disneyland, of course. :)

You can view the rest of my photos here. :) Hope everyone had a fun, safe Labor Day!

Pssssst

2009-08-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hey you. Come here. Do you want to know a {secret?}

I don't feel like blogging about my recent trip to Disneyland. Still. And not because it wasn't fun. It was a BLAST. Because I hate uploading pictures on Blogger.

I know. You were expecting something much grander, I'm sure. Well. Sorry to disappoint. :)

Stay tuned, faithful readers. Stay tuned.

DCA Top Ten

2009-08-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

I'm still putting of my trip report because I don't feel like uploading all the pictures yet. Lo siento. :) So today's post takes us all the way over to Disney's California Adventure. Here's my current top ten list:

10. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! The wait time for this ride is usually about 3 or 4 minutes and it's worth the "wait." It's a cute dark ride that is pretty entertaining for adults as well as for kids. Plus, it's not terrifying like so many other Disney dark rides (Hello Snow White!). Cute ride. :)

9. Disney's Electrical Parade: Loved this as a kid and I still love it today. We actually don't see this that often. I've only seen it once or twice since it changed to Disney's Electrical Parade (as opposed to Main Street Electrical Parade), but it's on my "next time" list. :)

8. Disney's Aladdin- A Musical Spectacular: Wow, this show is amazing. Most of the cast members are incredible. Although, truthfully, there's at least one.... weaker... member for each role and when each of them acts in the same show, it gets a little hard to bear. (Like the time we saw it with whiny Jasmine, lispy Aladdin, spitty Jafar, and tight-pants Sultan). It's only about an hour long and it really is incredible.

7. Disney Animation (I could have sworn this was called the Animation Studio...): Home of the Sorcerer's Workshop, Animation Academy, Turtle Talk, and Character Closeup, the Animation (Studio) is a great place to relax after walking all day. Turtle Talk is adorable and the Animation Academy is fun too! The Character Closeup is currently featuring the Toy Story Zoetrope, which is still awesome. In the Sorcerer's Workshop, you can draw an animated cartoon strip, visit the Beast's library, and visit Ursula's Grotto. Fun, roomy, air-conditioned place. :)

6. Grizzly River Run: This ride is pretty fun, especially if it's hot. Well, really, only if it's hot. Because being wet and cold is never all that fun. However when it is cold, the wait time is about five minutes. When it's hot outside, expect to wait 75 minutes, single-ride, or use a fastpass. I would suggest fastpass, as half the fun of this ride is riding with friends and seeing who gets soaked first! (By the way, the fastpasses are now connected to the rest of the park, so you can no longer "cheat" and pull two at the same time. Sad.) Not to mention, I got stuck single-riding once. It was ridiculously hot, I hadn't gotten splashed once, and we were in a very bright, unshaded area. AND I was stuck with 7 annoying teenagers for 45 minutes. Oh joy. I got to listen to commentary about my actions the entire time. "Hey, look! That girl is reading a book!" Yes, yes I am. And guess what? "That girl" has ears and is sitting a mere three feet from you. Thank heavens for iPods and good novels.

5. Mission Tortilla Factory: Is it embarrassing that this is so high on my list? Admittedly, this wouldn't be in my number five slot if it was always spitting out corn tortillas... but the delicious warm flour tortillas (or the "tortilla kind" according to Jake Coleman)... mmmm. Did I mention it's free? FREE food at the Disneyland Resort! Free. Delicious. LOVE the Tortilla Factory. And hey, the video ain't half bad either. (Even though I have it memorized in its entirety.) Maseca!

4. Soarin' Over California: My mom's favorite ride! The first time I rode this, I was AMAZED. It is incredible. But I'm a roller coaster person and the high speed loops, drops, and thrills of Tower and Screamin' attracted me much more than Soarin'. Now, I'm falling in love all over. The ride really is incredible. Last time I rode, I sat next to an adorable family who had never been on the ride. I had forgotten how magical this ride really is the first time you experience it. Visually stunning, and technologically quite impressive, it's definitely in my top five. I suggest fastpasses or single-ride. If you do wait standby or use a fastpass, be sure to request front row, middle section (Gate B1) for the best seats in the house.

3. California Screamin': This one is fairly self explanatory. I love coasters, so I love Screamin'. Besides, this attraction is the birth place of many genius Brad ride pictures, including, but not limited to, "Tortilla Face," and "Shoe Phone."

2. Toy Story Mania: Words cannot describe this ride, as evidenced by its ability to out seat Screamin' for a number 2 spot in my book. This ride is number 2 for me because of its innovation and just how amazingly FUN it is. It's slightly reminiscent of a dark ride, but it seems faster and more exciting than your average dark ride. It is slightly similar to Buzz in Disneyland, but with better targets, more accurate shooting, and a completely different skill set. And it has the added fun of 3D glasses. It's a ride! It's a game! It's a show! It's FUN! And! It's a different adventure each and every time. Definitely made for the one-time rider and the person (like me) who will ride it over and over. There are hidden targets, targets that spray you with water or trigger some other kind of reaction, and plenty of different tracks to take. It's a GREAT attraction. (2 pictures because I just love this artwork! :) )

AND... (I bet you already can guess) my number one attraction at DCA is...

1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Not recommended if you have a SERIOUS fear of heights. I love freefall types of rides. This ride is....AWESOME.

Honorable Mentions include: Mickey's Fun Wheel (I refuse to ride in the swinging gondolas), Mulholland Madness (But be warned, everyone I know except for me hates this ride), Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar (Especially if you are an AP, visit yearly, or are a fellow fanatic), Muppet Vision 3D (This would probably be my number 11. Great show!), Heimlich's Chew Chew Train (Don't wait more than five minutes, as it's about a 45 second ride, but it is a fun, cute ride), Princess Dot Puddle Park (This area is where we spend most of our time on unbearably hot days), Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (Fun place, especially for bored little ones who need to get rid of some of that excess energy!), Pixar Play Parade (Fun parade, but prepare to get wet if you are near the front!), and Delta Daddios

I cannot wait for World of Color to start! And Ariel's Under the Sea Adventure (is that the official name?)! And Cars Land! Exciting changes. :)

Please leave a comment with your favorites. I loved reading them last time!

(P.S. Marie, I have bad news for you. McDonald's is no longer a sponsor at Disneyland and that means no more McDonald's Conestoga Fries Wagon. Sad day! And Jen, I love Disneyland food! And Mom, I can't believe I forgot about Saturday night jazz! Love it!)

My Disneyland Top Ten

2009-08-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Disneyland with my friends, Morgan and Kaytlin. We had a blast! Look for a trip report, coming soon. (I don't have pictures to post yet) :)

Today's post is dedicated to my Disneyland (not including DCA) must-dos: my favorite top ten. Here they are:

10. Haunted Mansion: I have been converted. I must confess that I was not the biggest Haunted fan, although I have always enjoyed the seasonal version of the attraction based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. I now enjoy both versions quite a bit. The technology used to create the ride is extremely impressive and c'mon: who doesn't enjoy a good chorus of Grim Grinning Ghosts? :)

9. Enchantment: This is a new one for me. Running every fifteen minutes, and only taking a couple minutes of your time, I highly recommend stopping for this. Enchantment is a music and light show that runs all night at Pixie Hollows. It's AWESOME.

8. Peter Pan's Flight: If you visit one attraction in Fantasyland, please make it this one. I love the whimsy of this ride. Although, I do attach a warning for you. Peter Pan is almost never under 45 minutes. It is not worth waiting 45 minutes. In fact, I would argue that NO ride is worth 45 minutes. If you want to ride this, and I assure you that you do, get to the park before it opens and head here first.

7. This one is a tie. I know. I'm totally cheating. Tied for 7th are the two B's: Big Thunder and Buzz. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: Hang on to them hats and glasses 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness! Love this ride. It's even better at night!

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: This ride, simply put, is just plain fun. Can you become a Galactic Hero? I've gotten (close) with the rank of Cosmic Commando, but I'm usually a Ranger, 1st Class and sometimes even a Space Scout.

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: A trip just isn't complete without a drop down to the Caribbean. Pirates is a classic. It's a short wait for a long ride and you always notice something different.

5. Billy Hill and the Hill Billies: Bar none, the best live entertainment in the park. Check it out.

4. Magical: I know the arguments against watching fireworks. It's crowded, it takes quite a chunk of time, fireworks are the best time to ride attractions because the lines are shorter, etc. But I love Disneyland fireworks. If you've seen Magical once already, I highly suggest watching them from in front of "it's a small world." You won't be able to see Dumbo, but the show is INCREDIBLE.

3. Splash Mountain: Even though I don't always enjoy getting wet, this ride is fantastic. It has many elements of a dark ride and the added thrills of fun roller-coasterish drops. Plus, the music is so fun and catchy! 2. Indiana Jones Adventure: Tourists? You had to look didn't you? Next time, you're on your own! Amazing ride, {nearly} worthless fastpass (Don't get me wrong. It still beats standing in the standby line. It's just not the best fastpass line.), and an awesome single-rider line. It's a must-do.

AND FINALLY...

1. Space Mountain: Space Mountain is my number one must-do attraction right now. I absolutely love this ride! It's my at-the-moment favorite. :)

What are your top ten?

My Honorable Mentions include Star Tours, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (again, if you plan on riding Nemo, make it your first ride of the day. Other wise the wait is ridiculous), Matterhorn Bobsleds, Alice in Wonderland, "it's a small world" (Usually less than a ten minute wait) Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Railroad, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island (Not very fun when its hot and sunny), Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Usually a wait time of less than 3 minutes), The Dapper Dans, and Jungle Cruise.

Oh no! I just realized that I left Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room off the list! How ever did that happen? It definitely needs to fit into my top 10... er... 12. The Tiki Room is an incredible display of history and a fun-filled show!

Leave a comment about your favorite thing(s) to do at Disneyland! :)

{9 Little Piggies}

2009-07-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

this little piggy went to the market,

this little piggy stayed home,

this little piggy had roast beef,

this little piggy had none,

and this little piggy went...

OUCH!

So of course I failed to take pictures of this, but last Monday, I broke my toe. As you all know, I am a very graceful person, full of poise, balance, athletic ability, and visual/spacial reasoning skills. Oh WAIT. That's right, I'm a big {klutz.} :)

The story isn't exciting (like the time I broke my foot pretending to be Kristi Yamaguchi when I was six. )

I simply stubbed it on a night stand. And it broke. But you can tell people that I got into a scuffle with some pirates if it makes you happy.

So, if you are ever doubting the importance and functionality of your ten little toes, try walking around on only nine of those little piggies. It's harder than you may think!

I'm sad I broke my toe, but I sure am grateful for nine healthy, happy, fully-functioning toes. :)

A Wickedly Rad Weekend

2009-07-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I got to see Wicked for the third time. I went with my friend Jesse, his mom, and his sister, Emily. We ate at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant and then headed to Gammage to see the show. Even though Fiyero was not played by Adam Lambert this time, the cast was great, especially considering that two huge roles were played by understudies (Elphaba and Boq).It was a great night!

My crazy shoes and my playbill. I love excuses to dress up!

On Saturday, I spent some time at Jen and Sean's. I love hanging out with my sister and her amazing family. Here is my cute little Lou Lou Belle hard at work trying to be like her daddy. :)

On Saturday evening, I went to a YSA party with some fabulous friends, Morgan and Kaytlin. It was a Blast from the Past party. We sported the 40s, 60s, and 80s. Morgan looks amazing and so classy in her 40s inspired dress, her gorgeous shoes, pearls, and that INCREDIBLE headpiece. Her hair and make up were perfect too! Kaytlin looks super cute in her totally mod sixties get up. And me? Here's my recipe for 80s garb that's "wickedly rad" (or totally ugly, depending on how you want to look at it!):

Bright blue eyeshadow
Light pink lipstick
Odd gold dangley earrings
Crimped hair
A poorly placed pony-tail, complete with scrunchy
A tacky gold heart-shaped necklace with red heart-shaped beads
A turquoise baggy top
Yellow tank top
Hot pink pencil skirt
Black leggings
Vans
Checkers (in the form of a sweatband and painted on my finger nails)
A snap bracelet
And finally, a blue plastic belt

All in all, it was a great weekend. :)

Dear Disneyland,

2009-07-17T00:28:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday!

54 years ago today, on July 17th, 1955, Disneyland was born.

"To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

(Yes, I have that speech memorized.)

I sure wish I was in the park today! (But at least I get to go see Wicked tonight! :) )

Honestly...

2009-07-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to try to blog once a week now. And not just about Disneyland. If you have a Disneyland question though, feel free to ask! Anywho, I feel like I have nothing to blog about today, so I'm stealing an idea from a scrapbook page I once saw.

Honestly,

I can never answer the question, "What's your dream vacation?" There are just too many places I want to go!
I love my phone. I know it's bad to love material things, but my phone is my security blanket.

I hate peanut butter, except occasionally in Reese's.

I don't keep a journal, but I wish I did.

I am secretly in a band called As We Know It. I don't play an instrument. I sing harmony on ONE song. We've never had a performance or done any recording. And my other band member currently lives in another state. I definitely think this is going somewhere. :P

I think I could live off of bread and pasta. I would NOT do well on a low-carb diet!

I'm not really an animal person, but I love my dog, Maggie. I'm sad that she is getting old.

I kind of hate texting. I mean, I think it has its benefits and I think it's very convenient sometimes. I just miss the old days when people would actually pick up a phone when they wanted to just talk. (Or even talking face to face! Wow, those were the days!) :)

I love palm trees. I think they are so beautiful.

I love books. I love that brand-new book scent. I love how they look lined up on a bookshelf. I even love when the pages are all bent, the corners are tattered, and the spine gets so worn that the pages start falling out. That's the mark of a truly beloved book. :)

School and office supplies make me happy.

I enjoy scrapbooking, but I don't scrapbook. I really just collect scrapbooking supplies with the intent to scrapbook later. It doesn't ever happen though. :)
My family is hilarious. No wonder I like to be silly!

I love to laugh and smile. Who doesn't?

Well, that's all for now. I will try to be back next week!

Disneyland June '09

2009-07-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

For the purposes of this blog post, we are going to pretend that I wrote this letter to Disneyland at the beginning of June.

Dear Disneyland,

I have missed you. These three long months away from you have been almost unbearable. I have heard you have changed. New fireworks show, new Fantasmic, new Woody's Roundup, and a new dance club as well? So many changes, such a little amount of time! I must come see you soon. Please save a place within your gates for me and my mom. I'm missing you so!

Love,
Emily

P.S. I visited your younger, larger sibling in Florida. They said to say hello!

I did finally visit and here's what I discovered:

A walkway that we've either forgotten about or yet to discover.

Wonderful live music. (As always)

Construction on the Wonderful World of Color lagoon, as well as the "new" Mickey's Fun Wheel (formerly known as the Sun Wheel).

Revamped Sun/Fun Wheel cars.

People making poor fashion choices. (I took this picture because of the shoes but now that I look at the outfit as a whole, I'm concerned on a whole new level!)

Beautiful flowers, like usual.

A creepy sign I've either never noticed, or forgot about.

A new parade.

People wearing jeans that are much tighter than they should be, way too colorful, and altogether unflattering.

More interesting fashion choices.

(At least she'll always know what time it is!)

Big Thunder breaking down.

(Here we are stuck on the ride. I love breaking down on rides. It is fascinating to me!)

That Big Thunder has giant spotlights they turn on when the ride breaks down.

That Billy is still my favorite show in the park.

That my mom is a great butterfly photographer.

Woody's Roundup. (New BBQ place)

Patriotic goats.

And some not so patriotic ones too.

That Pongo can jump.

That Pancho has brown fur.

The old stage coaches.

Hidden Mickeys.

Strange contests and even stranger contestants.

The old Mine train.

The Skyway station.

The man himself.

That construction on the new Dark ride is underway. (And that Whoopi's reign of weirdness is finally over!)

"New" Boardwalk games.

That the face of Screamin' has been made less cool.

That people sure chose to do odd things with their hair sometimes.

That I'm no longer creative when it comes to taking ride pictures.

That my mom is pretty convincing when it comes to playing a role. (Just joking mom. :) )

And that you, Disneyland, are still full of magic and discovery.

I discovered many things after my three-month-long absence. And now it's time for a new letter:

Dear Disneyland,

I miss you already. I immensely enjoyed visiting you last week. Why didn't you tell me about all the other new things? And why were so many of your new features broken? I enjoyed Magical, the new fireworks show, but Dumbo did not fly above the castle. (Although I do love Tink, too.) I loved Fantasmic, but wished I could have seen the new dragon and Flotsom and Jetsam in action! I didn't even know that the Electrical Light Parade had been redone and that Tinkerbell now has a float! And there is new music? And! I just found out about Enchantment, the new water and light show at Pixie Hollows! I know only one solution to this problem... I'll just have to visit you again!

See you soon!

Love,

Emily

What a way to end a great trip!

2009-07-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally almost finished blogging about Disney World! Yay!

So, after visiting Hollywood Studios, we traveled back to the Magic Kingdom. Day 2 involved lots of traveling: Hotel shuttle to Animal Kingdom, Disney bus to the TTC, Monorail to Magic Kingdom, Monorail back to the TTC, Disney bus to Hollywood Studios, Disney bus back to the TTC, Monorail back to Magic Kingdom, Monorail back to the TTC, Monorail to Epcot, and finally, the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. Whew.

The traditional Mickey flowers. Loved the vintage-ness of these flowers, but Disneyland's birthday hat Mickey with Mickey balloons is just too cute!

Main Street is still so awesome. Wow.

Disney World has the other two quadruplets. ;)

Slightly different party hats than Disneyland.

Tomorrowland

Nessie

Tomorrowland entrance

Buzz! We pulled fastpasses for this (I think?) but never found time to ride it. :(

Unfortunately, we DID go to Stitch's Great Escape. I would never, EVER, EVER recommend this to anyone. Some Disney attractions get labels like "lame," "boring," "okay," "not my favorite," etc. but I've never given an attraction these labels until this attraction: "horrible," "terrible," "worst attraction ever," painful," "made me want to puke," "hated it," and "almost cried." I know that sounds dramatic. But honestly. It was the WORST. I HATED it. I am slightly claustrophobic and I can't handle having my shoulders pressed down. You know how when you are swimming, sometimes people will playfully push you under the water by coming up behind you and pushing your shoulders? I hate that. It gives me little panic attacks. Even though this isn't a ride, per say, they lock you into your seats by pushing a shoulder restraint thing over your head. I thought I was going to die. I really did almost cry. And I tried desperately the entire time to push the shoulder thing off of me. There is a point that Stitch "jumps" on your restraints, which pushes them down further and I was seriously freaking out. I thought I was going to have to be wheeled out of there and taken directly to Disney World's Nut Farm.

After going on the attraction from you-know-where, we decided to have a "nostalgic" experience and headed over to the Carousel of Progress. Obviously, I never saw this as a kid. It left Disneyland in 1973. But my mom talks about it often and sings the song all the time. "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow waiting at the end of every day! There's a great big beautiful tomorrow and tomorrow is just a dream away!"

This attraction made me smile. :)

Disney World has the People Movers! They weren't running, but they were there!

Teacups. I refuse to go on this one, but I thought the setup was cute. Love the teapot in the middle! :)

Winnie the Pooh is in Fantasyland here and it a very popular ride. They actually have fastpasses for it. Totally weird. In Disneyland, the wait time is generally 3 minutes.

Peter Pan Fastpass! So cool!

I had TOO much fun in Liberty Square.

Hidden Mickeys are always on the brain. I love this photo. :)

We also we to the (LAME) Tiki Room: Under New Management. Here is the (LAME) pre-show.

The windows were the only cool thing about the Tiki Room here. I am apparently a Tiki Room purist because I was angry that they tried to change it to make it more "hip" and "modern." Hey if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Fun Florida wildlife. Or. Just a duck.

Adventureland

Random mask

Shakka!

Stupid Kanye glasses. I hate these glasses, by the way.

Loved this hat! Too bad I'm too cheap to actually purchase it. :)

Blurry, but so beautiful!

Yes! Talk about a blast from the past!

After fireworks. :) I loved the fireworks show, even though it's very similar to Remember! Dreams Come True but without Julie Andrews. I hated their Fireworks system, or lack thereof. In Disneyland, you can only stand in certain places. All of the walkways are kept open and moving. Not so much in Florida. I will never again complain about having to walk ALL the way around the hub to get from Frontierland to Fantasyland. At least you can move!

Bye bye, Magic Kingdom!

After this, we ALMOST missed our shuttle. We got to do about a mile-long sprint. We barely barely made it. We were late but luckily, the shuttle driver saw us sprinting across the HUGE parking lot and was nice enough to wait.

Goodbye, Florida!

Thanks for stickin with me! Next up: June Disneyland trip with mom!

Hollywood Studios Day 2

2009-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's going to take me a year to finish getting this trip posted!

As stated earlier, after a fun morning at the Magic Kingdom, we headed back to Hollywood Studios. It was a Star Wars Weekend (which is AWESOME!) so lots of pictures ensued. :)

We take the silliest/weirdest pictures....

A day time shot of the Sorcerer's hat. :)
Tower of Terror! The first thing we did was grab fastpasses for Tower. It's in my top 3 at California so of course we had to ride it in Florida! Then, we headed over to Rock 'N' Roller Coaster where we actually stood in the STANDBY line! I know, shock of all shocks.

I loved this ride. It was definitely my favorite ride at this park and one of my favorites, if not most favorite, at Disney World. The closest thing to this ride at the Disneyland Resort would be Screamin' over California. I can't really chose a winner for this one. Rock 'N' has several loops/corkscrews, is indoors, plays Aerosmith, and is kind of dark. There is a story line and there are things to look at during the ride. It's a blast, but it did make me pretty dizzy. Screamin' has one loop, is outside, plays a very Disney-sounding song (except for the four AWESOME months when it played Red Hot Chili Peppers), and is "just" a roller coaster. There is not a story line. It is fun and doesn't make me so dizzy. In the end, my verdict is "Both good. Both favorites." (Thanks Brain Regan!)

Next, we walked over to The Great Movie Ride.

The ride was fine. It wasn't bad. It did earn the nick name "The Not-So-Great Movie Ride" by us though. Take that for what it's worth.

Next, we went to Pixar Place to check out the wait times for Toy Story mania. At 160 minutes we opted out of waiting and instead, took pictures. We can always ride it in California!

We like the queue area for Toy Story Mania better in Florida. We also like the fact that they have a Fastpass for Toy Story Mania!

After exploring Pixar Place, we went to an exhibit called Walt Disney: One Man's Dream

It was more entertaining to us than the Caspian exhibit but still an exhibit...

We were still waiting to use our fastpasses for ToT, so we headed over to Star Tours to see all the Star Wars Weekend mayhem.

We met the Cantina Band, which made me miss Brad tons!

Tatooine! I love Star Wars.

Then we ventured out to find some lunch. We passed by the Muppet Vision Theater and Morganhad to take a picture. We love Muppet Vision.

We ate at the Pizza Planet. From Toy Story. It was awesome.

More Star Wars fun:

Headed back to Tower to finally use our fastpasses!

Tower is actually slightly different in Florida which was really cool. I'm not sure if we just didn't get a very good sequence of drops or if Cali's is more fun, but I vote for California on this one. Although, the Tower in Florida was very interesting and totally worth riding.

One more post coming your way then I can post my most recent DisneyLAND trip! Yay!

Magic Kingdom Part 1

2009-06-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Day 2 found us more tired, but still extremely excited. I was super stoked for the Magic Kingdom.

Here's up waiting for the shuttle at the hotel. The shuttle took us to Animal Kingdom, where we caught a bus to the TTC. From the TTC, you can take the monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom. We went with the monorail, assuming it would be faster. I don't know which actually IS faster.
Waiting for the monorail...
The ferry boats we never took.
We're HERE!
Morgan's awesome vintage ticket.
About to enter the tunnel!
MAIN STREET. Oh my goodness, it literally took my breath away. Florida's Main Street is definitely more impressive than Cali's. Though Disney's is special because it's so quaint and cozy. :)

The Castle. WOW!!! Again. Took my breath away. So so so beautiful and so HUGE!

The whole day went like something like this:

"Oh my GOSH! Morgan! Look at their castle!"

"I know! Look at their Adventureland!"

"Holy crap that's Big Thunder!"

"Big Thunder is actually BIG here!"

"Morgan, I think I'm going to cry."

"Ok, I'll take a picture."

I think the first fastpass we pulled was for Splash, knowing it was hot and the line would be long.

Pirates was closed when we walked by, so we had to wait for later. Don't let the awesome queue deceive you. Disney World Pirates is LAME.

Haunted Mansion was our first ride of the day. It doesn't even look scary though, huh?

The comparison? Disney World's Haunted is much cooler. It's awesome.
Disney World has Liberty Square instead of New Orleans square. I loved Liberty Square, but New Orleans is prettier. In my humble opinion.
Fantasyland

Small World was our next ride. The queue and ride are 100% indoors. Weird, huh? It's also in the middle of Fantasyland rather than way in the back. Also weird.

Small World is better at Disneyland, especially since they recently added Disney characters to the California version.

The castle is seriously so beautiful. It is absolutely breathtaking.
Next, we saw Mickey's PhilharMagic. It was a very fun show!

Disney World has the Swiss Family Treehouse! Talk about a trip down memory lane!

Of the treehouses, I prefer Swiss Family Robinson to Tarzan. Maybe it's just nostalgia talking, but I loved that treehouse.

Next, we headed back over to Pirates which was open this time. The queue really is fun, but the ride? I'm serious when I say it sucks. It was very disappointing. Disneyland wins this match hands down.

Then, we headed over to Splash to use our fastpasses.

I was clearly getting pretty tired. :)
On Splash SIDE BY SIDE. So weird. I liked Splash Mountain at Disney World better. We sat in the back row and got incredibly soaked by water jets that shot us as we passed by the big drop. So random!
Hey look, it's the Diamond Horseshoe! Disneyland fanatics will know that at Disneyland, they have the Golden Horseshoe. We didn't actually go inside, but I think the Diamond's lack of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies automatically gives the Golden Horseshoe the win.
Why, it's the Liberty Bell!

One more glance at the castle, post being soaked by rain and Splash Mountain.
Goodbye for a few hours, Magic Kingdom. We're headed over to Hollywood Studios for awhile!

Stay tuned for at least two more Disney World posts. Then I can finally be done posting about this awesome trip!

Hollywood Studios Day 1

2009-06-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, to finish off the day, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. Upon arriving, we discovered that with only a little over an hour until closing time, the lines were insanely long and fastpasses were obviously no longer available. We decided to go ahead and familiarize ourselves with the park.

This is basically what DCA will look like in the future, post- billions of dollars remodel. I was obviously unaware that this picture was being taken, haha.

After walking around the park a bit, we decided to go to a Prince Caspian exhibit. If you go to Universal Studios and don't have much time to spend there, I would HIGHLY suggest NOT seeing this. Haha. It was fine. Just. Lame.

Then, we went over to Star Tours, which was only a "ten" minute wait. Actually, we walked right on. Star Tours is exactly the same, but the queue in Florida is definitely cooler.

Until tomorrow DHS, we bid farewell!

Epcot Part 2

2009-06-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Alright, let's see if Blogger can play nice this time...

After visiting the amazing country of Italy, we trekked on over to our homestead, the United States of America! When I saw USA on the map, I was like, um, lame? But no worries. This is Colonial America. So that makes it un-lame. Anywho. Picture time.

America was pretty cool. There was a show, which we opted out of seeing. Maybe next time.

Next up was Japan.

This one's for Brad. :)

Japan was beautiful, slightly overwhelming, and (I presume) somewhat realistically claustrophobic. I really liked Japan but it was the most expensive area in the park (at least that I noticed) and it had the most shopping. We didn't see everything because the stores were never ending. I was okay with not seeing everything because I had no idea what I was looking at anyway. For example, what am I to make of a box that looks like one of those little laundry detergent boxes you can buy at laundromats with a picture of a very happy cartoon carrot followed by several exclamation points? Or a bag of hard (candies?) with a picture of birds on the front? Is it bird-flavored candy? Candy-flavored bird seed? Anyways, Japan was cool. Next time, I'm taking someone who can read Japanese and tell me what the heck they are trying to sell in those odd packages.

We had only made it halfway around the World Showcase when we decided to head back over to Future World to use our fastpasses for Test Track. Future World closes much earlier than the World Showcase. It had been raining on and off in the afternoon and basically poured on us as we walked back across the park. It was lovely. But it also caused Test Track to be closed. Apparently, they don't run it during rain. So we headed over to Spaceship Earth, hoping Test Track would be open after.

Spaceship Earth is a hilarious ride. I am not sure that its comedy is intentional, but I laughed the entire second half of the ride. Check it out:

Yes, that is my face on an oddly unisex cartoon figure body. This ride predicted our future. The coolest part of this ride, aside, of course, from the obviously AWESOME cartoon versions of you doing creepy things like chillaxin in underwater outer space or whatever we were doing, is that the ride is in the Epcot ball. Cool, eh?

After discovering the mysteries of our future life, (I'm so stoked that I get to ride around in my ugly red car rocket with Morgan making weird faces my whole life!) we headed back over to Test Track. And this time, we got to ride it. This fastpass line was amazing. We got right on.

Test Track was a very fun ride. It was my favorite ride in Epcot. :)

For Dad. It's a hydrogen-fueled car.

For Sean. Hummer truck.

For Elise. Because I THINK that might be Swedish. Otherwise... for everyone!

After Test Track, we went back over to the World Showcase to finish visiting the world!

Obviously, we had to stop to take some quick pictures first. :) Check out the Hidden Mickey in the picture directly above. It's awesome.

Our first stop this time was Canada.

I'm not sure why I look so unhappy in this picture.

This one's mostly for Brad, but also for anyone who has ever been on a Canada/ Alaska cruise with the Woods clan.

Oh Canada! You are so beautiful. And you also host a Circle-Vision 360 theatre. We didn't go because we didn't really feel up to it. But maybe next time, Canada.

After visiting Canada, we walked on over to Canada's big brother, the United Kingdom.

Another one for Brad. This entire store consisted of Beatles merch. He would have spent quite a bit of time here. :)

England was fun. They had all the cool candy bars that we sometimes buy when we go to Canada. Like Aero.

Next on our tour was France.

France had this aroma garden thing and they had plumerias. Plumerias are like my all time favorite flower. They are not the prettiest flower in the entire world, I know, but they have the best smell in the entire world. I love love love plumerias. I was so tempted to steal one, but I was nice and let Disney keep it. At least until some kid walks by it and snags it. I was also tempted to run to the nearest airport and hop on a plane to Hawaii, but i didn't do that either. :)

France was fun. The cast members were stand-offish, but their costumes were cool. And for the record, most of the cast members in Florida were rude. Disneyland definitely has nicer cast members.

Finally, we visited Morocco, which ended up being quite eventful.

We were just about done visiting Morocco when Morgan decided to duck into this little shop to look for a souvenier for one of her brothers. It was in this shop that she was stopped, almost immediately, by a Moroccan cast member. (She's going to be really ticked if she reads this. :) ) I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but all of the cast members in each area are from that country. So when I say "a Moroccan cast member" I mean that he was a cast member working in Morocco, but he was also actually FROM Morocco. Anywho, this guy immediately started flirting with her, inviting her to a club, asking for her number, and writing her name in Arabic. Alright, fine, so he wrote my name in Arabic too, but it was a total afterthought. He only had eyes for lovely Miss Morgan. Here's Morgan with her name:

After visiting Morocco, we had finished out the World Showcase. It was amazing. We decided that since we were pressed for time, we'd go over to Hollywoods Studios for an hour or so to finish out the day.

Of course, we had to take plenty of pictures on the way out.

Goodbye Epcot! I WILL come again!

Stay tuned for Hollywood Studios and for Day 2 at Disneyworld! :)

Epcot... Part 1 (Thanks to Blogger)

2009-06-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

After visiting the beautiful Animal Kingdom, we took a Disney bus over to Epcot. By the way, park-hopping is a totally different experience in Disney World. It's easy enough to figure out, but it takes forever! Even though security lines tend to be longer at Disneyland, I do appreciate that you only have to go through security once there. We went through at least three security checks each of the two days in Disney World. Slightly annoying.

While we are on this topic, let me also say that Disney World definitely has a better ticket-scanning system. At Disneyland, you stand in line, hand the cast member your ticket to be scanned, show your hand stamp if necessary, and walk through the turnstile. This process requires one cast member per turnstile, leaving many turnstiles closed on less busy days. At Disney World, they had every turnstile open because you scan your own ticket. You put it into a feeder which scans the ticket by itself. Then, you may have to put your finger on a fingerprint scanner. I don't know how it decides this. We had to do it once (at Epcot) and then once the next day when we re-entered the Magic Kingdom. Then a little light flashes green and the turnstile unlocks for you to walk through. Or, it flashes red, which I assume means you have a problem. Anyways, there are no hand stamps, and since they can open more turnstiles, it seems to go much, much faster! There are also less lines to get into each park since people are spread out in different parks and don't all hop parks around the same time. In California, there is usually a line to get into California Adventure starting at around 1pm. Then there is a huge line to get back into Disneyland between 6pm and 9pm. Usually. I guess when you have four huge parks, people either park-hop less, or just at different times. ANYWHO...

Epcot.

Epcot was awesome. We had been warned that it was a "boring" or "old person" park, but we both enjoyed it. No, there are not a ton of rides. But it is very interesting. I can see the World Showcase being something you either think is totally lame or totally awesome. I thought it was totally awesome. Anyways let's get to some pictures.

We grabbed fastpasses for Test Track when we got into the park. Then, we rode MISSION: Space. I rode the Green Track (aka the Wuss Track, Chicken Track, Sissy Track, take your pick) while daring Morgan rode the Orange Track. The difference? The Orange Track spins you around to make you feel like you are in zero gravity. The Green Track doesn't make you puke your guts out. I do NOT do spinning. It was a pretty fun ride, but I wouldn't wait over 30 minutes for it. Epcot and Disneyland have the least in common so I'm not even going to bother with Disneyland ride comparisons for this park.

Then we headed over to the World Showcase. Oh my goodness. LOVED this place. Wouldn't recommend it for the kids, but I personally loved it. It's not very "Disney" and you kind of forget that you are in a theme park, but I did feel like I was traveling the world. :)

First stop: Mexico

Mexico was awesome. I was laughing at all the stuff they sold that I hadn't seen since... well since I'd been to Mexico! Mexican vanilla, those ugly painted cat things, blown glass, leather wallets, turquoise necklaces, goat's milk candy, those huge paper flowers, mu-mus with the pretty embroidery, etc. It was awesome. There was a mariachi band and they were DANG good. There is also a ride, "Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Gay Caballeros." It was a boat ride and was actually a lot of fun. :)

Next up: Norway

Norway was fun. There is a ride called Maelstrom. It was... wow. It was hilariously un-Disney. It was like a history lesson on water. It was interesting though. I just thought it was weird. I was slightly confused the whole time. Probably because I missed the History of Norway lesson in school. Must have been absent that day. AFTER the ride, there is a movie. AFTER. That is soooo weird. The movie was a bit less confusing, but a bit more "made-in-the-80s." Hilarious. Overall though, the ride was fun.

Moving on to China.

China was cool. Did you know Disney World still has Circle-Vision 360? Well it does. In China, we watched "Reflections of China" in Circle-Vision 360. I do not remember Circle-Vision from my childhood, but I learned two things. 1. It's really awesome. 2. It makes me kind of sick.

We also ate in China. Morgan and I split a thing of potstickers and egg rolls. I think it cost us about $4 each. Not bad for Disney. (Disney World has much more affordable meals than the land. They also tell you right on the map what kind of food each restaurant serves and the price range of the menu items. So smart!)

We then headed over to Germany.

Evidently, Germany didn't make that big of an impression on me because not only do I not remember this picture being taken, I also scarcely remember visiting Germany. I DO remember that they sold Happy Cola candy. This is Brad's favorite. I almost bought some for him, but then remembered that you can get it at Target for $1.50 or so.

Next was Italy. This country DID make a big impression, as evidenced by the amount of pictures we took. I LOVED Italy.

The thing that impressed me most about Italy was the architecture, although the Italian cast members who spoke only Italian and all the Ferrari merch was pretty impressive too. ;)

Alrighty, well after working on this post for over four days, Blogger decided to erase the rest of it. So I'll get to the other half of Epcot later I guess. THANKS BLOGGER! Uhg.

Disney World!

2009-06-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, my best friend and I decided to be ultra spontaneous and go to Disney World. We literally planned the trip two days before leaving. It was so fun! I had never been to Disney World in my life and neither had Morgan, even though you know we are Disneyland FREAKS. (By the way, anyone want to accompany me to Disneyland soon? ;) )

Morgan had a free flight on Southwest and two park hoppers. We found a 3-star for $28 a night. It had a free shuttle to the parks. We found a shuttle to take us from the airport to the hotel for fairly cheap. We bought another 2 day park hopper and split the price. It was all set!

Morgan took this awesome shot of our flight to Orlando. :)

Our $28 hotel. The one directly above is me studying the Magic Kingdom map. Gotta be prepared!

We walked to Walgreen's so I could buy some Dr. Pepper. You know me, can't live without the Dr. Pepper!

Tired, but excited to go to Disney World. This is us waiting for the hotel shuttle to Animal Kingdom.

The first day, we went to the Animal Kingdom. It is so beautiful! We were only there for about three hours since the plan was to do all four parks in only two short days. The park really is beautiful and I hope I get to spend more time there some time in the future!

The Tree of Life. This is Animal Kingdom's "central hub." I loved how they kept a version of the hub at each park. It's just so Disney!

I'm so excited to be at Disney World!

One really awesome thing about Disney World is that there is water EVERYWHERE. It is so pretty!

Our first ride of the trip was DINOSAUR It is the same exact ride as Indiana Jones (which they don't have in Florida), but themed more like Jurassic Park. It was kind of hilarious, slightly cheesy, and super fun.

A quick side note: A ton of people have asked me "Which is better Disneyland or Disney World?" I think it's impossible to answer that question for several reasons. I've been to Disneyland probably at least 100 times. I've been to Disney World once. For two days. Disneyland and Disney World are very different. There are definite pros and cons of each establishment. So in order to compare the two, I'll take a second to compare similar rides.

DINOSAUR vs. Indy: In my opinion, Indiana wins this one. DINOSAUR was fun, especially since it was completely new to me. But Indy is faster, has a better storyline, and is such a classic!

Leaving Dinoland, U.S.A. This bridge made us laugh. It's the "Olden Gate Bridge," of course. :)

Our next ride was the Kilimanjaro Safaris. I am not really an animal person. I don't find zoos all that exciting and animals just kind of frighten me usually. That being said, this "ride" was incredible! It was definitely about as close to Africa as I'll ever get. I got to see so many cool animals in such a short amount of time. And they all get so close! It was totally awesome!

So cool! After the Safari ride, we explored the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail which was a little more like what you might do at a cool zoo. We saw some gorillas. :)

There is nothing comparable to either of these things at Disneyland, so I guess Disney World wins this match? :)

Next, we hiked on over to Asia to ride Expedition Everest. We had gotten Fastpasses earlier in the morning. I think it was the very first thing we did!

Expedition Everest is most similar to Matterhorn, although the two are like night and day in comparison. Matterhorn is a bobsled ride through the mountain. It's queue and music are Swiss-inspired. You sit single file, in some one's lap (unless you request otherwise). It's a fun, if somewhat painful ride. The Abominable Snowman makes a few appearances and unless you are under the age of 5, he's really not that scary. Everest, on the other hand, is a train ride through the mountain. You encounter a Yeti, who's much more realistic-looking than our lovable Snowman in Disneyland. You sit side by side, which personally, I find preferable. The queue is inspired by ancient China. So which mountain do I prefer? This is a toughie. Matterhorn is a classic. It reminds me of my childhood and the fact that they don't even have a Matterhorn at the Magic Kingdom in WDW is sad. However, Everest is going to have to win this match. It was SO fun. It was definitely one of my favorite rides at Disney World.

There are so many things we didn't get to do at this park that we would have liked to. Next time! On my list is:

The Wildlife Express Train
The Maharajah Jungle Trek
Kali River Rapids (we planned on doing this but the line was insane)

After we visited the Animal Kingdom, we made our way over to Epcot. Stay tuned for more pictures, Disneyland comparisons, and stories of my adventures in Florida!

Last Day Blues

2009-05-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

So my student teaching experience is over. It was probably the shortest 16 weeks of my life. I seriously enjoyed every second. I hope hope HOPE I can find a job teaching next year because It is definitely the career choice for me. I LOVE it.

I am officially a certified teacher in the state of Arizona. I am so excited! I got my certificate last Thursday!

Last Friday was my last day in the classroom. The kids were so sweet and well-behaved. They threw me a surprise party after lunch and in the true Chapman girl style, I cried. I really am going to miss them. They are wonderful students!

In other news, I am graduating Wednesday and Friday. Convocation is on Friday the 15th at the Mesa Arts Center, 9:00 AM. Everyone is invited to that and to my open house which will be that evening at my house at 7:00. :) Come and enjoy some yummy treats. :)

And one final item: a shameless plug. I am teaching swimming lessons again this year. If you or someone you know is interested, please call me ASAP to get on my schedule! Thanks!

Overdue

2009-04-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

So here it is. My long-awaited picture post.

Like I said in my previous post, Disneyland always has new things. Here are a few:

I got my best score ever on Astro-Blasters and moved into LEVEL 6! Woohoo! It was a happy moment.

We found a really fun, practically secluded place to eat our lunch one day and Morgan had a blast photographing the entire experience. ;)

I found some guys to flirt with. They are great guys. They are ALWAYS there for ya. ;)

This one was a little short for my taste...

We toured Sleeping Beauty's castle, while wearing princess crowns.

We got SOAKED on G.R.R. It was hysterical.

This one's for Brad. It says "The big yellow one is the sun!" (Yay for Brian Regan!)

And as promised, we were met with a whole slew of poor fashion choices.

Exhibit A: Ok. Not only does this young woman have a talent for picking out the most unflattering colors, patterns, and sizes, she was also a very talented mom and daughter. "SHUT UP!" was her favorite phrase. Aw, bless her heart. Ha, did you notice that the leggings have buttons? What kind of weather requires flip flops and a mini dress, but also button up leggings and a short-sleeved sweater?

My next victim's dress was totally made by her mother. Which there is nothing wrong with of course. Unless the dress pattern said mom used was from 1982 and the fabric looked like wallpaper from 1968. Oh and its even better than it looks in this picture because those aren't just roses, folks. Those are roses, cats, and dogs. Hahahaha.

You know, when it's ridiculously hot outside, I too sometimes think it would be best to wrap my legs in skin-tight garbage bags before leaving the house. It just seems so sensible.

This picture is literally saved as "Holy colors, Batman!" on my computer.

Those are not shorts, as you might think. Nor are they tights. No, no. This, my friends, is what happens when you combine SOCKS, with the shortest skirt known to exist. On a breezy day, no less. So. If you need to wear a skirt so short that it shows off every inch of your legs, but then pair that skirt with the world's longest pair of socks, what in the world is your purpose other than to confuse me???

So you tell me. Do you think these are socks? Or...?

Ok, I literally have no words for this next one. One can only laugh.

This was the sweetest lady ever. She was so nice. And she does work for a space-age-y kind of ride, so her hair makes sense, I think. But still. Her hair. It's hilarious.

And now I give you my favorite picture of the trip. See if you can figure out why. (Hint: Look at the name of the car.)

In case you can't read it, it says "Toady."

Thanks for reading. Hope it was enjoyable!

The basics (Part 1)

2009-03-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, blogging world!

I am back. At least for today. How have you been? Have you missed me terribly? Okay, enough small talk. On to bigger and better things.

When I started this blog, I envisioned it becoming almost travel guide-esque. It would be a place that I, and perhaps even others who are (almost) as obsessed with Disneyland as I am could share our tips, tricks, and.... something else that starts with t... (t)secrets. Hah.

So, in the spirit of my original vision.... here is my first attempt at a truly Disney-inspired blog:

Chapter 1: Why Disneyland?

Before I get into all the Disneyland-know-how, I thought I'd address the question I'm asked most frequently: Why Disneyland? This question comes in different forms, including, but not limited to: "Why do you go so often?" "Why don't you ever go to Magic Mountain?" (Gag!) "Don't you ever get sick of it?" and, occasionally, "Are you clinically insane?" (Not to my immediate knowledge...yet.)

So here it is. Here's your long-sought answer:

My alarm clock buzzes and I bolt out of bed. I've only gotten two hours of sleep. I'm still not fully packed and we're headed to the airport in less than an hour. I hurriedly throw some clothes and toiletries into my suitcase (and/or backpack, depending on the length of the trip). I look at the clock and realize that I have about 45 minutes left. I debate with myself for a few moments, trying to decide whether 45 minutes of sleep is actually more important than hygiene, but ultimately, logic wins and I jump in a shower. I don't bother with hair and make-up because where I am going, it doesn't matter. My hair will be drenched during a log ride and then whipped around at high speeds, my makeup will be washed away, either by sweat (ew), or water, and my clothes will become dirty and wrinkled, so why try? Besides, in this magical place, there is ALWAYS someone who looks at least 90 times worse than you. (For proof, read my upcoming entry about Disneyland fashion faux-pauxs. Coming soon to a blog near you!) I finish getting all my things in order just in time and we are off to Sky Harbor. It's still dark outside.

I'm on the airplane and I'm too excited to sleep, even though heaven knows I could use the one hour and 15 minutes of shut-eye.

I'm in the rental car cruising down the 5. I'm here in California and the street names all look familiar. I associate each exit with a familiar place. Here's where we exit to go to Wenchell's, that's the exit to get to the Doubletree with the crappy parking lot that's always full, here's the exit for Company D, etc. Before I know it, we are parking our car and waiting for the tram to take us to Disneyland. I'm pretty excited while riding the tram, but it's a little difficult to be truly ecstatic whilst being squished between a camera-happy Asian family and a smelly, fat girl who seems to have forgotten that leggings are NOT a substitute for pants.

We step off the tram and are facing the long lines waiting to go through security. I can really start to feel the excitement as I start to play the mental game I almost always lose: The Choose The Shortest Line Game. I always pick the line with the least amount of people, obviously, but it never seems to matter. I always get stuck behind the people who either want to bring in their entire kitchen with them, or the people who, after seeing thirty people in front of them have the contents of their backpacks examined, can't grasp the procedure. They finally get to the front and their backpacks with at least 800 billion compartments and zippers are still attached to their backs. They take them off and unzip the first compartment and then act confused when the cast member politely asks them to unzip the rest. I'd suck at this job because I don't know how I'd be able to refrain from adding, "you MORON" to the end of each request. I, with my backpack off and already unzipped, bite my tongue. These are always the same people who act shocked that 0.02 cents worth of neon yellow ink smeared across their hand isn't going to get them into the park without an accompanying ticket. Uhg.

We make it through security and I half run, half skip-leap to the Disneyland entrance gates. I know the routine well. Hand my ticket to the cast member. Enter through the turnstile. Veer left. Head immediately for Space Mountain fastpass machines. I am on a mission. But I go through the gates and it hits me like Christmas morning. DISNEYLAND. I get tingles from the excitement and I know I'm at the happiest place on earth. I hit Main Street and the smells attack my brain. Vanilla, Churros, Popcorn, Waffle cones...It smells like Disneyland. Or rather... It smells like happiness. I am finally here. The castle, the smells, the hoards of people pouring in like sardines. Disneyland!

I'm not totally sure when my obsession with Disneyland begun. I know that every time I go, it becomes more exhilarating. It never ceases to surprise me and it never, ever bores me. Disneyland truly is a magical place. When I go to Disneyland, it almost feels like coming home. No matter how often I go, it still feels like a long anticipated reunion. At Disneyland, I can be myself completely. I can run, and skip, and dance, and sing cheesy Disney songs at the top of my lungs. I can eat mediocre, high-priced foods that smell better than they actually taste and not even mind. I can take a million stupid pictures and care less that people are gawking at me. I can walk until my legs scream in protest and then walk some more.

Every Disneyland trip presents a new experience. There are always new, subtle things in the park. Even if it's as simple as "Hey, those are new flowers!", something is always different. There are always new people to make fun of under my breath and new outfits to laugh at, more often than not, out loud.

Disneyland is always clean and it always smells good. (Except when people vomit... then it's neither...) There is always something to do, even when the wait-times are too long. (By the way, anything over 30 minutes is too long.) The live entertainment is exceptional and the rides are always fun.

Disneyland is always there and it's always a happy place. Yes, bad things still happen at Disneyland. People don't say thank you, they run over you with their strollers, they give you dirty looks, they are rude and obnoxious. People still make you cry or break your heart or yell at their children. It isn't magical enough to make these things stop happening. But its magical enough to make the little things count. It's a place where 100s of people will greet you with a smile and tell you, "Happy birthday, Emily!" It's a place where any little girl can be a princess. It's a place where free tortillas grow on trees and calories don't count (not that I care, I eat like a pig no matter where I'm at.... haha). It's a place where couples hold hands and wear funny-looking hats. It's a place where, even when things in life are tough, you just can't help smiling.

So why Disneyland? I love Disneyland. That's why.

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to hopefully what will be the first of many Disneyland blog posts. Stay tuned for pictures from my latest trip, including my favorite fashion DON'TS with a capital DON'T.

Have a great Sunday evening everyone!

On (Temporary?) Leave...

2009-01-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

So let's face it. My life is just not that exciting. I think it's pretty fun, but no boyfriend + no social life + student teaching all the time = nothing to blog about it. I could blog about my Disney trips, but I feel like that's just getting redundant. So. I'm taking a break from the blogging world. I never have time to write and when I do, it's boring anyways. I'm sorry to those of you who actually read my blog. I'll still try to post every now and then, but for now, I need to just take a break. One less thing to feel guilty about for not accomplishing in a timely manner, eh? :) Take care ,my friends. I'll still be reading your blogs every day! (Yay for Google Reader on my phone.) :)

Ok, I know.

2009-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I said I'd update a long time ago. I got so far behind that every time I looked at the blog, I thought.... eh... I don't feel like catching up on Christmas, New Years, Eve, Disneyland Trip #10,000,000,000 (Just kidding...maybe), AND student teaching!

So guess what? I'm not updating about all that. I'm only blogging to say, "Hello faithful readers of the universe's second most boring blog? I'm still alive. I'm sorry I've abandoned you for awhile. I will try to be better."

Ok. Fine. I'll tell you a little more. Let's go backwards, shall we? That means we are starting with student teaching.

I started student teaching on January 5th. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! My teacher is amazing.

Stay tuned for more.... I don't have time to finish right now, but I will TRY to get to it later. Sorry ya'll.

Finding it hard to believe...

2008-12-24T00:53:00.001-08:00

...that 2008 is nearly over.

I know that this is a bit premature, but I was reflecting on the many things that 2008 brought with it and I thought I'd share a few of the major events in my life during 2008.

January:

-I rang in the year 2008 with Morgan at Polar Ice.
-Brad turned 19.
-I went to Utah with Morgan's family. I lost my travel card and got to drive back with Morgan and her mom. We drove through Vegas and I got my foot ran over, which was one of the most hilarious things that has happened this year. No worries, my foot was fine. In Vegas, I saw the Bellagio for the first time. How is it that I hadn't been to Vegas in that long?

-I started my sixth semester at ASU and I started interning with Shelley at Towne Meadows. So fun!
-Brad turned in his papers and received the Melchezedec priesthood.
-President Hinckley passed away.

February:

-I went to Vegas with my mom and Brad for 5 hours one day because we were bored.

-I got stuff for Valentines Day.
-I went to Disneyland with my mom.
-President Monson became our prophet.
-I had a little longboarding accident. It was nothing major, but I still have the scars to prove it. Yikes!
-I went to an awesome 80s party.
-I got called to work in the nursery.

March:

-Jennifer's birthday- I watched the kids. So fun! :)
-Landon's 1st birthday- We had desserts at Jen's.
-Spring break (Disneyland!)
-Easter- which was apparently "pretty low key" according to my journal.... whatever that means.

April:

-Lexie's birthday- She had a combined party with Landman and it was a BLAST!
-I went to Disneyland and saw the Alexanders and the Colemans there!

May:

-We took Brad to the MTC.
-The semester ended!
-Learning Safari graduation. My kiddos were so cute!
-Disneyland with Morgan

June:

-I started my two summer jobs: Swimming lessons, Learning Safari
-Disneyland with Alexis, Landon, and Jen. Jesse and fam were there as well as Morgan and fam.
-Havasupia with my dad. So so so so fun.
-San Diego for Kjerstin's shower. What a fun trip!

July:

-4th of July- We watched fireworks with the Alexanders. It was very fun.
-My "last" Disneyland trip before my annual pass expired. I went with my mom.
-Cabin Trip
-Natasha's wedding (I was a bridesmaid.)
-I got a new phone and a new number.

August:

-Sean's birthday
-Semester #7 started
-California trip- I saw Wicked again with Sage and the beach with the McCleves. It was way fun.
-The Olympics took over my life.
-Cabin Trip #2

September:

-Tanner came home.
-I went to Utah twice to visit Tanner.
-I started interning at Hull Elementary in 2nd grade.

October:

October was a crazy month. Can we leave it at that? ;) Naw, here we go:

-October 8th was a big day for me. Most of you know why.
-My birthday. It was interesting. I turned 22. I got to have lunch at Gecko's with my wonderful family. I got some awesome, awesome gifts from family and friends. I had dinner with some of my most favorite people. :)
-I went to Disneyland with friends, after planning and organizing the trip most of the year. My mom jokes that I had my first true experience as a parent because despite your best efforts, it's inevitable that at least one person won't enjoy the trip. :)
-My cute cousin, Elise, got her mission call to Sweden!
-Halloween - I went to a party at the Ellis household and to the ASU institute dance with Elise and some other friends. It was very fun.

November:

-I went to Utah for one day to hang out with Sage.
-Dad's birthday
-I watched Jen and Sean's kids
-Thanksgiving - We had it at our house for the first time in my life. It was nice.
-I went on a couple of dates. They were fun.

December:

-I went on a few more dates. Fun fun!
-My last semester of actual classes ended.
-Mom's birthday- Disneyland of course!
-I got my student teaching placement at Canyon Rim and met my teacher and future students!
-My sweet Aunt Marianne passed away and I was able to attend her funeral. It was beautiful.
-Christmas parties, which are always fun. There were so many this year! :)
-Christmas! I will blog more about this later, but it was a fabulous Christmas!

So, overall, 2008 was quite the year. I read tons of books, I went to Disneyland a lot, I taught dozens of children, I worked on countless lesson plans, projects, presentations, etc. for school, I attended some wedding receptions and a funeral, I gained a few friends and lost a few friends too, I felt lots of joy and a little heartache, I learned lots about myself and about life, I attended institute and loved it, I went to lots of YSA things and didn't hate them, my testimony grew, and hopefully I grew as a person. I'm excited to see what 2009 brings!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I hope to see pictures soon! I'll blog more about Christmas sometime this week.

Happy New Year! Have a safe one!

Christmastime

2008-12-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I spent the day in Disneyland. I know, shock of all shocks. We had a great time even though it was crowded as all get out. For more pictures, click here.

In other news, Christmastime is turning out to be pretty awesome. So many little miracles have happened in my life recently. Perhaps our first Christmas miracle was this little incident:

Yes. Our Bethlehem village had a bit of an accident. So why it this a miracle? Well, for one, we were able to retrieve and fix every piece. Well, almost. One girl has a chunk missing from her wrist, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. (Haha, she's actually a beggar too. Ha.) Okay, but anyways, I had fun performing surgery all night and listening to my mom make sacrilegious comments.

On a more serious note, I got my student teaching placement! I'm headed to Canyon Rim Elementary, home to the Cougars. I'll be in a 2nd grade classroom and I'm very, very excited! I start January 5th. Wish me luck!

It's become clear to me that miracles happen every day. Life gets crazy and things can seem pretty bleak at times. But I don't believe the Lord ever closes one door without opening another. I'm pretty excited about everything that has been happening in my life and about all the daily miracles I experience.

As Christmas draws closer, let's remember all the miracles we experience. And most importantly, let's remember why we celebrate this day. Because of a small, humble miracle. The birth of a baby boy in a manger in Bethlehem.

I love you all. Merry Christmas!

Smiles

2008-11-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of things to be thankful for. A lot of things make me smile every single day. Here are just a few things that made me smile this week:

My family

Friends

The gospel

Playing Clara Barton in a Social Studies lesson plan one of my peers presented. Haha!

WALL-E

Waking up to Landon saying "Emmmm-eeeee!"

Leaving "my" room to find Lexie sitting in the hall, staring at my door, waiting for me to come out and then hearing her say, "Yay! Emily's awake! I didn't even have to pester you!"

Subbing at the preschool and seeing many of my former kiddos.

Grant telling me that I can still come to his birthday party, even though I'm a girl. (Grant is 4. His birthday is not until April)

Knowing that my cute little brother is going to be fed on Thanksgiving.

The Office

Marcus (the "island boy" in my intern classroom... I'll have to explain what "island boy" means I guess. :) ) calling me over to help him, then explaining that he really didn't need any help, he "just wanted attention." (Okay, so one of my professors always talked about "island boy/girl" and he explained it like this: "You know when you walk in a classroom and everyone is sitting in these cute little pods or tables or three or four desks or maybe even long rows? And then there's that one kid who's sitting all by himself in some forsaken corner? Most teachers call him the trouble student, but I like to call him island boy." I found it humorous and use it all the time now.)

Institute

Text messages

Really good jazz music

Pandora (Thanks, Sage! I'm totally hooked now!)

Finishing The Grim Grotto, Book the 11th of A Series of Unfortunate Events

Cheesy forwarded emails

Playing mom for the weekend

And so much more!