A Disneyland State of Mind

I was born and raised in a world revolving around Walt Disney. Besides the (awesome) fact that Walt himself is a famous Missourian, my family eats sleeps and breathes Disney. I'm almost certain that my blood type is Disney Positive. If you happen to visit my childhood home, you'll find this gem hanging in the hallway to this day. 

My family just wrapped up a vacation out west to Disneyland. Since I've been singing along to my favorite Disney classics all day, I thought it would be a great idea to share my Disneyland recommendations. Before I begin, please remember that these are based on mine and my 4-year old nephew's opinions. Someday I'll post my top picks for a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  A truly magical place that everyone should experience once in their life. :)

My Main Squeeze, July 2013

Fact: There is no age limit in Disneyland. Just ask my 81 year old grandma who dressed up two years ago and went trick or treating there. I'm 25 and still woke up every morning soaking up the magic of Disney. 

The benefit to Disneyland is its size. Compared to Disney World, it's a fraction of the parks in Orlando. We stayed at the Grand Californian which is built right off of Downtown Disney. From our hotel, we had an entrance to California Adventure and easy walking access to Disneyland. For the five days that we were there, we didn't have a car or even leave Disney property. Because of both parks (California Adventure and Disneyland) and Downtown Disney, there was plenty to eat and keep us more than entertained. 

The MUST List For California Adventure:

Cars Land 

I was blown away walking through the brand new Cars Land. I felt like I was walking in the actual town of Radiator Springs. The hot ride is Radiator Spring's racers. While we were there, fast passes would sell out by roughly 11:00 AM. I would get to this ride FIRST or at least get your fast past quickly. My bf and I wanted to ride so we stood in the "Single Rider" line for about 20 minutes opposed to the 120 minute wait in stand by. I even caught myself saying, "Wow! This is cool." outloud... Oops! 

World of Color (show)

Hint: If you dine at Ariel's Grotto (or other restaraunts at the park...) you get a "Preferred Viewing" ticket for the show. We had the best seats in the house and definitely should have packed ponchos. 

Tower of Terror

Soarin' Over California 

A virtual simulation ride over California. Feels just like you're in a hang glider!

The MUST List For Disneyland Park:

(Top 3 According to BDE, 4 years old)
Pirates of the Caribbean 

A new addition to the Pirates ride and New Orleans Square is the Blue Bayou restaurant.  The restaurant sits inside the pirates ride and you can see the boats and (sometimes) hear screams as riders plunge into the depths of the world of pirates. Why not dine with the pirates? It was a big hit with our family, plus the food was excellent. 

Haunted Mansion

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

You can't go wrong with those three attractions, and here are a few of my favorites:

Space Mountain

Splash Mountain

Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln 

You may be familiar with the Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom, but this animatronic show focuses on Abraham Lincoln and the entire hall is filled with the history and development of Disneyland. 

Last but not least, a few tips and fun things to do around Disneyland:

Pull (or try to) the sword from the stone.

Visit Mickey and whole gang in Toon Town. You can even walk through Mickey's house!

Visit Disneyland around Halloween. The entire park is transformed into a spooky and autumn scene that is truly magical!

Plus, all of your favorite characters are dressed for the season as well. 

Whew! Well, that's all I've got for today. Share your Disneyland favorites below as well!

Wanderlust

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Grilling Season is Here!

It's officially grilling season! Guess who is a wizard with the grill? Not me. Look elsewhere! Lucky for me, my boyfriend is quite the grill master. On Sunday, while I sat back and enjoyed the beautiful weather, my boyfriend tackled the grilling. 

One of my favorite summer dishes is grilled corn. We covered the corn in butter, salt, and pepper. To add a little extra flavor, we added chili powder and lime juice to each cob. We wrapped the corn in foil and grilled them to perfection. 

Summer

The past week was filled with many emotions and oodles of hugs. On Thursday, I wished all of my students a happy summer and made them promise to come back and visit. For the time being, my alarm has been shut off and I'm going to take full advantage of what summer brings. :)

Enjoy the end of your school year teacher friends! 

I Bid You Farewell, Sweet Summer. (Well... Almost)

In four days I'm...

back in action! 

on the clock! 

ready to rumble!

back to workity-work!

setting my alarm and waking up early!

drinking lots of energy drinks again!

sleeping less and stressing more!

starting my third year of teaching!

Whew. 

As the last weekend of summer approaches quickly, I am caught thinking about the spectacular summer that I just experienced. It feels so wonderful starting a new year knowing that I took advantage of every opportunity.  I squeezed in vacations, family time, relaxation, sleep, road trips, and everything in between into the past three months. Plus, I spent all of my time with the best people on the planet. Perhaps I'm biased, but I'd like to think that I'm the luckiest. 

Here's a few snapshots that reflect the amazing summer that quickly passed by. I wish I could post the hundreds of pictures I took, but I had to pick a few (or two or three...). 

Hanging out with this little man and his vibrant personality takes the cake. Even if he's only three, the kid can still crack me up and fill my heart with oodles of joy.

Plus, we got to celebrate his third birthday! Who else can say they hung out with a bunch of pirates one Saturday afternoon?

We skipped town and headed out west to sunny San Diego, California. It was a trip for the memory books! Plus, we got to spend time with two of my very best friends who happened to get hitched!

There was never a dull moment in SD. We rode bikes, kayaks, boats, cabs... you name it, we tried it out. Besides all of the sightseeing, we got to hang out with locals! 

Ali & Brian said their heartfelt and emotional I do's overlooking the beautiful water. Of course, I cried. A lot. 

These two love birds made me cry one too many times. Let's be honest, I cried waaaay too much at their wedding. I can't help it! They're just too cute to say dry-eyed. 

As a bonus, I talked this handsome gentleman into hopping on a plane with me. Lucky me, huh?

San Diego proved to be the perfect reuniting place for two of my favorite gals! I guess this means I'll have to go back to California soon so I can see you both again. 

 My BFF (yes, that's Best Friend Forever) came back to the Show Me State one weekend and I got to spend quality time with her on a boat one afternoon. Murphy hung out too!

My seeester had a birthday and we celebrated with ice cream cake and family time. Perfect!

Kenny Chesney couldn't get enough of Missouri last year, so he had to come back to Arrowhead with his good pal Tim McGraw. A year later, it was still an awesome show. 

I spent many weekends playing hostess to these lovely ladies and many wonderful friends. It gave me several opportunities to test out recipes and an excuse to fold my laundry. 

I became an aunt again!!! As if having a nephew isn't great enough, now I'm the happy aunt to an adorable baby girl, Libby. 

Needless to say, Grandpa and I are just eating her up. She's too cute not to love. 

She's definitely my favorite niece. 

My grill was used many many times this summer - except only by me once. I let other (knowledgeable) people test her out. (Jason, I know you're reading this...)

I spent lots of time with my girlfriends celebrating another bride to be. Our pink shades and lei's made us a popular bunch at the water park!

I spent several days participating in professional development with my lovely coworkers in STL!

One lucky water proof camera managed to survive kayaking, floating down the river, and several lake trips. Developing that bad boy was a treat!

We celebrated America's birthday in all the hot spots in STL. Actually, let me rephrase: We celebrated America's birthday in the air conditioning at all of the hot spots in STL. 

I cooked, we cooked, I ate, we ate... it was a glorious summer of food experimentation. 

My beautiful friend, Kelley, said "I do". Of course, I was waterworks that weekend as well. I'm uncontrollable when it comes to my emotions apparently. Don't invite me to your wedding unless you supply a box of tissues. 

Speaking of crying, I might burst into tears right now. Maybe it's the Olympics? I don't know, but all of this nostalgia is getting me mushy. I need to lock it up before the primetime events begin or I'll be boo-hooing all night long.

Thanks for reliving the past few months with me. I sure enjoyed it!

What was your favorite memory from summer 2012? Do share!