disney days

we went to disneyland to celebrate the end of school, the beginning of summer and to spend some time together - just the five of us.

we were able to score a room at the disneyland hotel thanks to our personal disney travel agent ; ).

it's the original hotel and has that disney feel that i remember when i would come here with my family. the room was perfect for the five of us with two queen beds and a daybed.  we loved all the magical disney touches.

our first stop was the pool. the kids went down the water slides and swam in all three pools.

bobby and i sipped cocktails, read books and hopped in the jacuzzi for some much needed relaxation time.

then we went to downtown disney.

 a very cool display for the movie inside out.

not taking it too seriously.

we saw fireworks, ate ice cream and went into a bunch of stores. it's a fun place to hang out on a friday night.

we dropped the kids off in the room and turned on the fireworks headboard.  it was so pretty.  then bobby and i went downstairs to check out trader sam's enchanted tiki bar.

we waited outside for a bit because they were over capacity. when we finally made it in we enjoyed the fun vibe.

we sat with a couple that was in line with us. they are teachers in san diego just like some of our cousins. we chatted and had a couple of tiki drinks with them.

the next morning jord, sofia and i met grandpa tom at disneyland at 7 am to get into the park early. we  wanted to ride matterhorn, then we zipped over to big thunder and pirates before the crowds got there. the early entrance is such a great bonus to staying at the hotel.

bobby and andrew got to sleep in because they weren't going to the park. we met them at goofy's kitchen for breakfast. this was a little over priced and not really a must for our kids who are older but it was still a fun thing to do. and now i have to dig up photos of the boys when they were younger and we came here.

sofia had to get one more swim in the pool before we checked out.

then we said goodbye to andrew and bobby. they took the train back to chatsworth so andrew could play in the championship baseball game. he was really bummed to have to leave but he also didn't want to miss the last game of the season. and he's so happy he didn't.

they won the game and were the tournament champions!!

 back at the park the kids and i went to california adventure and rode california screamin'. i've been trying to convince anyone to ride with me and finally they did.

we did toy story, soaring over california and the little mermaid ride.  then we went to the wharf for some soup in a bread bowl.

our goal was to go back to disneyland and watch the parade and fireworks, but it was so crowded when we went back and we were exhausted from getting up early. we just wanted to go home.

next time around we need to book two nights to have more time and get some rest in between.  we'll have to contact our travel agent to see if there is room later this year.

photo adventure

for a while i have had this idea: me + camera + adventure.

i want to stretch myself as a photographer and keep myself open to creativity and seeing things in a different perspective.  my plan is to go out with a purpose and theme of things i want to capture maybe flowers or things around town or food (obvious).

sometimes the sole purpose of the outing will be to take pictures and sometimes the pictures will result from the outing.  i am looking forward to seeing what adventures me and my camera will go on.

this time around we were at disneyland.  we are lucky that we get to visit the happiest place on earth a couple times a year thanks to grandma sue.  each time we go i take my camera and try to capture something that we've never seen before.

on saturday we went to celebrate andrew's 10th birthday - gotta love the birthday button.  i decided to use just my iPhone + instagram to capture the signs of the rides/places we went to.

i have to admit that after experiencing the traffic to get into the parking lot and seeing the long ticket lines i was skeptical as to how much we could fit into the day.  but looking at the pictures i realize we got to do a lot.

i also realized that i never really looked at the signs of the rides before.  have you?  looking for them as we went on each of the rides made it fun and new for me.  no matter how many times i've been on pirates or autopia.  i'm looking forward to going back and capturing a few more.

here's how the day went:

some words

and us

can't wait for the next adventure.

magical

we are lucky.

we get to go to disneyland quite often.

we've been going since jordan was a baby.  well i think he was 15 months?

my lovely mother-in-law works for disney so we get in for free (well, most of us do).

i don't know how a family can afford it.

we always bring our own food, lunch and snacks.  we've been doing this since i was a little kid.  my mom would pack egg and chorizo burritos and hide them in her purse.  it's ok, you don't have to sneak it in anymore.

it sounds good now, but back then i just wanted to get hamburgers like everyone else.  but we were a family of 6.

seriously, i don't know how a family can afford it.

this time we went with bobby's dad and step mom, sister and brother in law.

we had the best time.

even though we are here a lot there is always something new to do, or discover, or taste.  and going with someone that hasn't been there in a while makes it all new again.

watching them take pictures.

taking them on pirates because that's traditionally the first ride of the day.  it kind of sets the mood and gets you singing the song for the rest of the day.

riding on big thunder railroad, all nine of us.

having lunch at the golden horseshoe and watching billy hill and the hillbillies.  if you haven't seen this show, i highly recommend it.  it's entertaining and funny and just a good place to rest your toesies.  these guys are talented.

taking them to pooh's corner for the traditional "pooh pig out".  they have chocolate covered pretzels, big glorious cookies, the largest rice krispies you have ever seen and tigger tail marshmallows.

riding the train around the park.

daring the rapids.  it was sofia's first time and she was sooo excited and drenched.  i missed taking their picture as they came down "the big drop" but they look like they had fun.

a friendly competition at toy story mania.  i'm not telling who got more points here, but better luck next time angela.  

eating dinner at the golden vine winery.  we had never eaten there before and it was really good.  i had shrimp and linguini, the kids had spaghetti and meatballs.  it's a pretty restaurant in california adventure and i've always wanted to eat there.

celebrating my birthday one more time.  who can pass up tiramasu?  not me.

and sharing it with everyone at the table.

waiting for fireworks in front of the castle.  i don't know why it is, but it always makes me cry.  all of the songs, the audio from the haunted mansion, the sounds of walt on the day the park opened.  it brings me back to being a kid. (not that i was there when it opened but i can imagine what that was like.)

riding space mountain.  andrew's first time.  he was nervous but really wanted to do it.  i wasn't sure how he would do.  this kid throws up if you take a turn too quick in the car.  but i think it was too fast for him to react. yes, i have my arm around him, making sure he doesn't slip out.  it was a blast!

and then it's goodbye and goodnight.  a fun and memory filled day in the magic kingdom.