California 2015 - Disneyland!

OKAY. This is going to be a looong post, so mentally prepare yourself if you feel like tackling it.

Somehow, by some magic, we managed to go to Disneyland twice in a years time. Just barely, but twice. Buuuuut, I think it was meant to be. We were there last December. We were watching the holiday fireworks show at the end of our one very long day at Disney and I was close to tears because I didn't want to leave and I didn't know when we'd be back, and Brendon hugged me and told me that he'd take me back soon. AND BOOM, look what happened. To be fair, we are very fortunate that my parents and step grandma asked us to come to Cali. That's the only way this happened. And because Brendon is the best husband to ever be a husband. But still. Meant to be, right??

We were staying a little north of San Diego, and Disneyland is obviously in Anaheim. Which is a good hour or so north. But we got up extra early and made the trip (we were one of the first cars into the parking lot) because I cannot be in California and miss out on Disney. My dad and step-momma played on the beach all day while we crazies went wild at Disney. We stayed aaaaall day long, and by the end of it we were beat. But it was worth it. We only did one park this time, because trying to do two in one day just isn't fair. We saw most of California Adventure in December, so we just did Disneyland this go round since we didn't get to see it all before. And this time we saw it ALL!

Last year when we went we got to see Disneyland all Christmas-ed out and this year we got to see it spookified! Pumpkins galore! It is also the 60th anniversary celebration so we got to see some of that magic as well.

And because I am an uber nerd and love a good theme, I made us Halloween outfits to wear. So we could match Disneyland, duh. I made Brendon a simple button up shirt with crazy pumpkin fabric and I made my dress (a highly altered version of the Hazel dress by Victory Patterns) out of spooky fabric also. We both got lots of compliments, but oh my gosh people lost their minds over Brendon's shirt. Strangers came up to him all day long and told him how much they loved his shirt. One of the cast members actually followed us out of a ride to ask about it. It was insane. I was like, but but but... I made my dress too! Note to self, brighter colors get noticed easily.

We broke a ride! Not us, personally, but Autotopia broke right after we got on it. Like they shut down the ride and made everyone get out of line. We had some good timing, we got to finish the ride! But dang, last time we were there the Pirates of the Caribbean ride broke and we were stuck on it for like 20 minutes. What luck we have!

I LOVE THIS RIDE! And that man. It's a Small World forever, y'all.

We got to ride soooo many rides this time. Last time we were only able to ride a few in Disneyland, we spent too much time in California Adventure. I couldn't ride the crazy rides this go round because preggo problems, which was a bummer but we still rode a TON. There are a billion kid/pregnant lady friendly rides, and we rode almost all of them. We missed a few, plus we've still never ridden a bunch of the crazy rides (the Matterhorn! Space Mountain! Thunder Mountain Railroad!), so we STILL have things to go back and do for the first time! I love that! And I say the first time, because we might have done these things when we were kids but we can't remember so it doesn't count. :)

Storybook Land! Super cute. Tiny models of magical lands from the films. Adorable.

The Teacups! I will never ride this. I think my dad and I rode it as kids, but as an adult, pregnant or not, this ride is nightmarish. Going in circles? No thanks! Cute ride though.

Mary Poppin's penguins! Eeee! We ate lunch at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, which was very vegetarian friendly, and dinner at the Carnation Cafe where we had a veggie burger and a reeeeeeally good chocolate milkshake. I love chocolate shakes.

SO! We were waiting in line to ride the Mark Twain riverboat, and just before they let everyone on TIANA PEEKS OUT! She's on the boat! And we get to ride with her! I'm pretty sure I said a bad word out of excitement when she showed up. It was so awesome! This was the only character I got to officially "meet", and it was too perfect! Not hectic or crazy or anything. Super bonus and again, excellent timing.

Grinning like a fool. She told me she liked my dress, so that means an official Disney Princess has complimented my sewing. Have I made it??

Congrats for the classiest fall decor Disney. You know how to spook it up right.

The haunted mansion was cool, but the line was insane. We got a fast pass for it. It was basically the same as it was for Christmas, which was kind of a bummer. I want to see the original sometime!!

Tigger! We spotted quite a few characters while there, and although I only got to meet Tiana, it was still awesome to see them out and about! We saw Mary Poppins and Bert (we were stuck in a line, otherwise I would have loooved to meet them!), Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame (creepy!), Aurora, Jack Skellington and Sally, Goofy, and Tigger! Plus basically everyone in the parades. But there's something really neat about finding them just walking around the park. The Big Princesses you have to wait in line for, they're treated like a ride, which I think is not so fun. Although, I'd totally do it if we had more time!

The Castle at night! Heart eyes!!!

Rapunzel's Tower! We love love love Tangled.

Mainstreet USA is a MADHOUSE at night. There's a parade and then fireworks at 8:30, and people started lining up at like 5! It was crazy. We just rolled up and snuck in to a spot, which worked just fine. The Paint the Night Parade is insane. We saw another parade during the day, and it was really good, but this one... Dang! It's kind of like the Electrical Light Parade they had waaaay back in the day I guess? Lots of lights and so many neat effects. It was really something. And then after the parade everyone moves into the middle of the street for the fireworks. Which are hands down, my favorite.

Because it was the 60th anniversary, they went all out. The effects were insane. Lights, music, fireworks, actual characters flying over the castle on wires... I mean, it was so good. Disney knows how to do it, they don't miss a detail. And because they were celebrating 60 years, there were so many throwbacks to older movies. I feel like the Christmas fireworks we saw last year revolved around Frozen, which is cool and they were soooo good, but I adore the older movies. That's what we grew up with! So seeing the fireworks and the show pay homage to the older films literally brought tears to my eyes. They did a little Step-in-Time bit from Mary Poppins, and I lost it. I think there was some Jungle Book? And When You Wish Upon a Star? It was over. All the tears, and I can't blame it all on the hormones. It was just so good. 100% worth the bazillion people crowded in with us, the exhaustion, the blisters, the ticket price! It was worth it all.

The magic you guys. You can't help but love it. Even ol' rational pants Brendon was getting into it. We were driving back home and remarking on how pricey Disneyland is he said, "I forget that it's worth it." WHICH IS A BIG DEAL YOU GUYS. I am obviously a Disney freak and wouldn't think twice about dropping cash on all things Disney, but Brendon, I always figure he just goes along with it all because it makes me happy. Which is so so sweet. But to hear him say that it was worth it!! Gosh! That's far better than any souvenir. Putting that one in the memory bank.

But seriously, we did get matching sweatshirts. And Brendon got a stuffed Stitch!!! He looooves Lilo and Stitch! It's adorable, because I never really thought much about the movie until he saw it and loved it. And I love it because he loves it. So now we have a stuffed Stitch next to our bed, to match my Pascal. BECAUSE WE ARE CHILDREN. And I never want that to change. :)

Such a FUN day. Going for just one day kinda stinks, but it also makes it that much more special. We don't have season passes and we don't get to go for a week at a time, so we've gotta cram a lot of magic into that one day. And we did! And just thinking about how much fun we had is making me grin like a kid. I'm so glad we were able to go and I'm so glad I have a partner who will do this sort of stuff with me (and puts up with my fanaticism). AND THEN WE CAN TAKE THE SEAHORSE. I can't even. It's going to be so awesome. She's going to love it, and I can't wait to watch it all.

Congratulations to you if you made it through this post. I apologize for the length, but you can't cut corners with this kind of stuff if you're me! Here's last year's trip if you wanna check it out: California Adventure and Disneyland!

Holiday photo 2014

Compared to last year, this Holiday Photo might seem a little weak, but you guys, it was so perfect. Because it was more than just a picture, it was an experience. A memory, y'all. So here's the story on how we met Santa:

While walking to Dinseyland on the most wonderful day ever, we stopped at the Paradise Pier hotel so Mr. Hogan could use the bathroom. At first I was like oh no, lets not stop there, you can hold it (ha, rude), but then I was like, what the heck. I wandered around the gift shop and then as I was walking into the lobby while texting Brendon I heard someone say, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" And I was like "OH GOD, they know I'm not staying here!" I looked up and lo and behold, it was Santa. "Who's on the phone?" he asked. I'm beet red at this point, "uhhh, my husband." "Your husband? Let me talk to him, I'll leave a voice mail." "Eh, heh, heh, I'm just texting him." "Oh okay. Well have you been good this year? I remember you from when you were a little girl. You know, I think we need to take a picture, you look like a candy cane!" And then, I took a picture with Santa. And giggled a lot. He told me that Ariel and Flounder helped him decorate the tree but Sebastian wouldn't help because he was too crabby (eeeeee!). Then some little kids came out and did their thing and then Brendon came back and Santa was like "BRENDON! Where have you been?" And then Brendon met Santa, we took a photo together, and the rest is history. It couldn't not be our Christmas card photo.

Walking to Disneyland I was just like "omg omg omg Santa. Did that just happen??" Truly, the most excellent timing. I think I mentioned in the Disneyland post how lucky we were with timing, and this was what started it all off. I mean, how often do you meet Santa? Not often enough I say. Not often enough.

And for a walk down memory lane, holiday photos from 2013, 2012, 2011. 

Disneyland

Writing this post is making me emotional. YOU GUYS I LOVED THIS PLACE. And I did not get to spend nearly enough time here. As much as I enjoyed California Adventure, this was what I was all about. Disneyland. This is the magic. It was older and kitschier and I loved all of it. At least all of it we saw, which was about half (SOB). I had vague flashbacks from my childhood (the Enchanted Tiki Room!), but it was still all so new and I was totally enchanted. I'm such a sucker.

Also, the Christmas game at Disneyland totally spanked California Adventure.

Fully prepared to kick Sleeping Beauty out and move in.

The Enchanted Tiki Room! I think this gets written off as silly and outdated, but I LOVE IT. I love the cheesy animatronics and the corny songs. (Mom, do you remember me and Julie singing the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room song forever? I do! I think we had it on tape.)

The Jungle Cruise was turned into the "Jingle" cruise; a plane with Christmas decorations crashed in the jungle so now all it's inhabitants were graced with holiday goodies. Our jungle guide made puns the ENTIRE time. It was cute, but I think I'd skip it next time. The line was WAY too cray cray.

Oh, the Pirates of the Caribbean. They have totally integrated Jack Sparrow into this baby. He was not there when I was a kid. Also, we got stuck on this ride. The ride broke down. For like 15 minutes we sat in the same spot next to this drunk animatronic pirate trying to give rum to a cat. We got to hear him say "here kitty kitty, be a nice pussy cat", like a thousand times. Classic old ass ride move.

The Haunted Mansion was redone Nightmare Before Christmas style. Pretty cool, but I'd like to see what it was originally. We also rode the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom ride and it was SO BOSS. There's this big ass snake and it's like the freaking Chamber of Secrets. I LOVED IT.

IDGAF what anyone says I love this ride. I love that obnoxious song and I love all the little dolls. However it was CHRISTMASED OUT. Like they sang a chorus of "It's a Small World" then a Christmas carol chorus. Next time we go back, it wont be around Christmas so I can see the real deal! Don't get me wrong though, I love that holiday magic. It was beautiful!

They had this little show that we happened to walk into (Something must be said for our luck and timing at Disney. We just so happened to walk into this show, a Christmas parade, and someone just happened to hand us a fast pass for Radiator Springs as we were walking up to it! The mouse must have been looking out for us.) in front of the castle, it was a cute little song about snow, and at the end it started "snowing" and they lit up the castle with snow:

This photo does not do it justice, but I mean, come ON. So pretty. I think it was at this point that panic set in, I realized I had to leave this place soon and I did not want to.

Waiting for the World of Color to start, which as I said before was a total waste of time! The fireworks show at Disneyland however, was not:

They turned all the street and Christmas lights off for the show and then they call came back on towards the end, except this time they were dusted with white lights, snow! And it started snowing on Main Street!!!

SO MANY EMOTIONS! I was dead tired, a little stressed because there were a gazillion people around me, beyond happy to be right where I was, but sad because we were leaving, happy because I had the loveliest day full of magic, but sad because I know I didn't see it all. But mostly, so so so happy. So happy to be at the happiest place on earth during my favorite time of year, with the sweetest boy in the world.

So, this is a thank you. Thank you Brendon Hogan for going on this adventure with me and putting up with my love for all things silly and magical and Disney. Thank you for hugging me and promising to take me back at the very moment when I felt I was going to fall apart from having to leave the happiest place on earth. And thank you for tracking down the shop that embroiders Mickey Mouse hats and getting them for us right before they closed. THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME EVEN THOUGH I AM A CHILD. You're my favorite ever and Disneyland with you was so so very perfect.

For real though, can't wait to go back. Two days+ next time.