It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Josh and I took a little trip to our happy place this month to see it decorated for Christmas!

The photographer told me to show my muscles and told Josh to act like a princess

I have now only experienced Disneyland at Christmastime three times...and each time I fall in love a little bit more. I love Christmas as it is, so to see my happy place all decorated with lots of pretty lights and garlands and trees? It's the best!

 Main Street tree in Disneyland

Buena Vista Street tree in California Adventure

The day we got there happened to be one of the days they were doing the Candelight Processional. This is something I have wanted to experience for quite a few years now. My parents took a trip to Disneyland soon after my sister got married and they were able to see it. I didn't even know it existed before then. So when I found out after we planned our trip that we would be there during the Processional, I was super excited!

For those that have never heard of it, it's a beautiful performance. They have singers from local high schools and choirs, as well as cast members from Disneyland, that perform Christmas carols on the steps of the train station on Main Street. A guest celebrity narrator is also asked to read the Christmas story...from the Bible! It was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. I was tearing up quite a few times as I looked around at the thousands of people that were hearing the story of Jesus's birth in Disneyland. It was such an incredible performance and I'm so glad we were able to get a spot to view it! The narrator for our performance was Lana Parrilla from Once Upon a Time (Regina/The Evil Queen).

Earlier that day, Josh and I walked through the new Star Wars Launch Bay to see what they had in there. It was filled with lots of really cool movie props, character meet and greets (we got to meet Chewbacca, as the line happened to only be about 5 minutes when we walked by), and a gift shop with tons of really cool (but expensive) Star Wars stuff you could buy.

The following day, we got a text in the morning that our friend S.W. was going to come join us for the day! He is an amazing photographer and happened to be in the area for a photo shoot, so he decided to come and hang out in Disneyland with us! We had a really fun day and were able to experience a lot of cool stuff, including the recently updated Star Tours and Hyperspace Mountain (a Star Wars overlay on the current Space Mountain).

The only group picture we got with S.W.

Star Wars Cantina in the Star Wars Launch Bay

The next day, we had a couple of things on our list that were very important that we do. One was to see the Aladdin Musical one last time, as they are replacing it next year with a Frozen show (don't even get me started on my feelings on that one). It's a show I've probably seen four or five times now, but it never gets old. The Genie is always hilarious, and his jokes often have to do with current events (like Justin Bieber crying at the VMAs and references to Shake It Off from Taylor Swift). I'm so glad we were able to see it again.

We also made reservations at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, as it is closing for good for the new Star Wars Land they are building in Disneyland. Josh and I had never eaten there before, so we wanted to try it out before it was too late. And man, was it good! It's an unlimited buffet of chicken, ribs and sausage, as well as coleslaw, corn on the cob, baked beans and biscuits. We also had to order dessert, even though we barely put a dent in it. It was delicious! If you are planning a trip to Disneyland before January 11th, I highly recommend eating there!

Josh also really wanted to see the bartenders in the Carthay Circle Lounge make the ice spheres that they put in some of their drinks, as they have this fancy way of doing it, but he wasn't able to see it. He did order a drink, which came with an ice sphere, but it ended up being diamond shaped for the Diamond Celebration. It was still cool, but I suppose we will have to try and see the ice spheres another time.

We also made a point this trip to go on the train one more time, as it will be closed for over a year during the Star Wars Land construction, and we rode on Soarin' over California one last time, as it will become Soarin' over the World (or whatever they end up calling it) next year. That has been one of our absolute favorites and I really hope they add some good smells into the new version.

We were also able to see the Good Dinosaur preview, and decided on one of our nights there to see the movie in the theater in Downtown Disney. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It made me cry quite a few times, and it is a really powerful story. Josh and I both really enjoyed it.

I was also able to get some more pressed coins to add to my collection. I discovered earlier this year that they put out new machines for the 60th, so I've been trying to collect at least one coin from each of those machines. I think I am only missing one or two currently, as I forgot to stop by a couple of them on this trip. Pressed pennies used to be one of my favorite souvenirs as a kid and I've recently re-discovered my love for them. Besides, they are much cheaper than most souvenirs you will find at Disneyland.

We also found the Little Man of Disneyland's house! If you've never heard of him before, there is an old book called The Little Man of Disneyland about Patrick Begorra, a leprechaun who took up residence in a tree in a secret location in Disneyland, after finding out that Disneyland was going to be built where his current home in an orange tree was located. The imagineers of Disneyland recently "added" Patrick's house on a tree in Adventureland. If you ever want to try and find it, I suggest hanging around Indiana Jones.

We didn't go on every ride on this trip, but we did everything we really wanted to do. And since we got to do a lot of extra stuff as well, I'd say this was a very successful Christmastime Disneyland trip!

Until next time!

Twenty Fifteen Part 11

It's so hard to believe that we are less than a month from Christmas!

This month was such a good one, filled with lots of love from friends and family. It's really ranking up there with some of my best memories of this year (so far).

We started off the month with a fun dinner out with some friends. We discovered a recently opened restaurant/wine bar and wanted to try it out. The food was delicious! We had a great time with our friends.

The next day, L.B. and I went to an adoption shower for our friend C.M. She and her husband are in the process of taking in foster children that they hope to adopt. It was so nice to see them and to celebrate this new journey they're taking.

Later the following week, I headed to Colorado to spend time with our friends there! You can read more about that trip here.

A few days after I got back, we had our second annual Friendsgiving with some of our friends. We had a great night spent around a table with incredible food in front of us. I'm so thankful for the friends that we have and the ways they've continued to touch our lives this past year.

All the ladies at Friendsgiving

The following morning, I had breakfast with some girlfriends before heading to the theater to see Mockingjay Part 2. If you haven't seen it yet, bring lots of tissues. It was so good and such a great end to this amazing series. I highly recommend the books if you haven't read those either.

 Our whole group ready to see Mockingjay!

Later that day, we did Thanksgiving with my family. Since my sister and her husband were out of town for the holiday, we decided to spend it all together ahead of time. We had such a great day reflecting on our lives, as well as celebrating my mom and Josh's birthdays a little early.

The following day, we headed out to do some wine tasting after church with some friends to celebrate Josh's birthday. We went to one winery we'd never been to before, as well as a couple of our favorites, so that was a lot of fun. It was a really great day that ended with a pizza night at our place. It was really nice to celebrate my hubby with some of the people we love.

All the ladies

And all the guys

The evening before Thanksgiving, we went out to dinner for Josh's birthday with a couple of friends and then watched A Muppet Christmas Carol! It's one of our favorite Christmas movies and it's become a tradition for us to watch it each year with K.W. and S.W.

On Thanksgiving, Josh and I watched the parade and dog show in the morning. It's become a tradition for us to watch together, if we are able to. After that, we headed to Josh's parents house to spend time with his family. It was great to spend time with all three of our nieces and our nephew. Later that evening, we watched Home Alone, which is a Thanksgiving tradition for me. I remember it playing on TV every Thanksgiving when I was younger, so now I have to watch it every year on Thanksgiving.

Some cute pics my husband took of the kiddos

The following day was Josh's and my mom's birthdays! Josh and I went out later in the afternoon to see if there were any good Black Friday deals and we ended up getting almost all of our Christmas shopping done! We also stopped by a local winery and did a little wine tasting. We know some of the family that owns the winery, so we got to do a cheers with a couple of friends for Josh's birthday. Later that evening, we went out to dinner with our families to celebrate Josh's birthday. While we didn't get to go to the restaurant Josh initially wanted to go to, because they were really busy, we got to go to one of our favorite BBQ places instead and had a really great time. After that, we took our niece and Josh's oldest brother to see Mockingjay.
Also, my bestie had her new baby on Josh's and my mom's birthday!

The following day, we decorated our house for Christmas! I love getting the tree up as soon as Thanksgiving is over so we have the maximum amount of time with the house decorated. After we finished with that, we went to a Star Wars movie night with some friends. We got started late and were only able to watch the first movie (Episode 4), but it was still a really fun night.

We finished off November watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.


Some other highlights from this month:
I started reading through Harry Potter again! I was missing the series and decided I needed to re-visit it.

They started selling Rainbow Chip cake and frosting again! It's true what they say, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. It's seriously so yummy!

I got to enjoy some of my favorite Christmas candy, white chocolate peppermint M&Ms, and I had my first red cup of the season: a chai latte with eggnog added in. If you've never had either of those, I highly recommend them!

We also had other hang outs with family and friends, and we excitedly watched some of our favorite shows (The Walking Dead, anyone?).


Things God has been teaching me this month:

I think one of the biggest things this month for me has been trying to live with a mindset of thankfulness. I was thinking earlier this week about how thankful I am for the friends I have in my life that are like family. I have some incredible people that I can depend on no matter what. I also have an amazing family and am so thankful for their constant support and love. I'm thankful for my husband and his job and how hard he works to provide for us. But most of all, I'm thankful for my Savior and the fact that He loves me in spite of me. Our pastor was talking about how hard it is for us sometimes to grasp that we don't have to do works or good deeds or be a "good person" to be saved. We think we need to earn it, and all we have to do is accept Him. I'm so thankful that He loves me and wants a relationship with me, even when I'm a mess and keep making mistakes.
Being thankful shouldn't just be a Thanksgiving thing, it should be a day-to-day thing.

Well November, it was a lot of fun! Can't wait to see what December brings!

Blizzards, Besties, and Baby Animals

I spent some time this past week in CO with our friends there.

We had originally planned to go out together in May of this year, but we had to change our plans. I missed my CO bestie a lot, so I text her a couple of months ago to ask what November looked like for her. It just so happened that she had a lot of free time, so I was able to plan a trip to see her!

I definitely didn't feel like the trip was long enough by any means, but I am so thankful I was able to go out there and spend time with them. Their kiddos are so big now and they have another one on the way!

I just love how beautiful it is there 

We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which was really cool. The zoo was built on the side of the mountain, and they had a lot of animals there. The kids were most excited to show me the lion cubs and the baby orangutan.

It might be hard to tell, but that's the baby orangutan in the midst of all that hay-looking stuff. She's already a year old but she's still so tiny

The kids were feeding the giraffes. This was right before Em and I got sneezed on by this very giraffe!

We also went up to see Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. My lungs were burning because of the altitude when we got to the top, but the shrine and the view were so worth it!

View from the shrine

Emily and I had tea with her sister at a place called Monteague's. I tried a Spiced Apricot tea there and it was delicious! It was so fun being able to visit with her sister.

She also took me to her favorite Mexican food place, Costa Vida, which was delicious! I highly recommend the fish tacos.

We had some great conversations while I was there, spent a lot of time with their kiddos, started on an Aladdin Thomas Kinkade puzzle, ate Emily's delicious cooking, watched a couple of movies, went to church and heard John lead worship, and just enjoyed each other's company. I almost didn't make it home the day I left, as a crazy storm came in right before I left, but after sitting on the runway for an hour, the plane was able to take off.

This was also at the zoo. It was super bright so we took this picture quick

I am so glad I was able to go out there and spend time with them, but I miss them so much already. I can't wait to go back!

Twenty Fifteen Part 10

It's hard to believe that Halloween is over and the holidays are just around the corner!

I started off this month with a wine night with my friend L.B. We each brought some of our favorite foods and ended up having a grand feast of yummy treats...and of course, good conversation.

The following week, we headed to our happy place! Josh's brother and his family decided to do Mickey's Halloween Party to celebrate our niece's birthday. We spent a few days at Disneyland and an afternoon at the beach. It was a lot of fun to see our niece and her little friend experience and enjoy our happy place. Our friends K.W. and S.W. were able to attend the party with us and it was awesome! We were able to go on a ton of rides, walk through treat trails, and take fun pictures. While it was super hot again this trip, we made the most of it and had a great time.

This was almost our whole group. We had awesome seats for Paint the Night

 This was early on in the day so we didn't look quite as sweaty

 My precious niece. She loved the Mad Tea Party ride a lot.

This photo spot is awesome! Such a fun picture to take

 With our friends S.W. and K.W. after Mickey's Halloween Party

With my sister-in-law and her amazing mom at the beach

After we got back, we went to a corn maze with some friends. It's been a tradition of ours for many years to go through this corn maze with friends and we always have a good time. After we got through the maze, we went and got frozen yogurt. It was a really fun night.

We found out while we were on our trip that Josh got a new position at work! He interviewed for it before we left and he got the phone call a few days later. I am so incredibly proud of him and how hard he works. So I surprised him with a congratulations dinner with a few friends. It was a fun night and he was genuinely surprised!

The next day, I went on a wine stroll with a few girlfriends. We had planned to go wine tasting and found out this event was happening on the same day, so we opted to do the stroll instead. They were also having a Halloween costume contest, so we all decided to dress up! It was a really fun night.

The following day, we attended the wedding reception of our friends K.N. and L.N.'s daughter and her new husband. I was feeling pretty sore that afternoon (still residual from our trip) so we didn't stay for very long, but it was a very nice event.

Later that week, I hosted a wine night with a few ladies. It was a really fun night and I think most of the ladies enjoyed being able to try a couple of different wines without having to commit to having an entire glass of anything.

And we ended the month by going to our friend's annual Halloween party. This year's theme was Villains, and of course Josh and I had to be Disney villains. Our plan was to wear the same costumes to Mickey's Halloween Party, but since we knew it was going to be so hot there, we decided not to wear our costumes then. Which is why S.W. and I made shirts for Mickey's Halloween Party. You might notice that we made them based on our villains of choice!

 Cruella de Vil and Smee

 Mrs. Lovett, Poison Ivy, Cruella, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Ursula, and Tinkerbell

 Smee and Captain Hook

 S.W. and I repping our Disney villains of choice

Selfie with the party host, Two Face

Other highlights from this month:

My BCBs and I read The Martian this month. While it took me awhile to get into it at first, because there's a lot of math and science stuff that made no sense to me whatsoever, the rest of the book was really interesting! I was dying to know what happened at the end, so I kept trudging through until it got exciting. I definitely recommend it! I'm excited to see the movie as well.

I also had some lovely coffee dates with friends, as well as fun hang out nights and time spent with family. It was a busy month as always, but it was a great one!


Things God has been teaching me:

I wrote last month about some different directions God was leading me in. I think sometimes we have to move in a direction for Him to re-route us to go a different way. Or maybe sometimes we have to take steps in one direction because the process is more important than the outcome we think we are going for. In other words, the direction I thought I was supposed to go in, I pursued...but things changed. I had to learn through this process that sometimes a good situation can still be something I have to say no to. I'm in a hard season of life right now, where sometimes my pain and my body issues come before commitments. It's a harsh reality for me, because I like to think that I can still do everything...but sometimes I can't. I always know when I push myself too hard, after it's too late. I was getting ready to make a big commitment to something when I realized it's just not wise for me at this point in time. I won't be able to keep up my end of the commitment right now. So, maybe it's something I will be able to pursue again in the future, but if not, I'm happy I went through the process and was able to experience it for a short time.

And that was October! What a busy whirlwind it was!