Is Disneyland Just for Kids?

All the pretty lights

I think I was in middle school the first time I went to Disneyland. I went with a friend's family, and we ran from ride to ride like psychopaths. When I was a cheerleader, Disneyland was our yearly team trip, and when I graduated from high school it was our Senior year grad night. I have many fond memories of waiting in endless lines for rides, buying candy from the old time sweet shop on main street, and searching for a souvenir cheap enough for me to buy with my meager allowance. That was before California Adventure, or Max Pass, and way before the Disneyland App or Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It cost $20.00 to get in and that felt like a lot of money to teenage me. It's hard to believe it could have ever been that impossibly low, considering the current going low rate is  $104.00 for a weekday during off peak season (like now January-March ish) for a basic, 1 day pass. It goes up from there with the addition of Park Hopper, Max Pass, and all of these other add-ons that weren't even a thought of back then. We live pretty close to Disneyland Resort Anaheim, but I never thought too much about going again. MJ had never been, and talked about planning a trip for a while, but I wasn't so sure. Disneyland is for kids. What's the point of two adults going to Disneyland? Especially, given how expensive it is now.

Fun fact: the Sleeping Beauty castle is inspired by Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. We got to see the real thing three years ago. I've also seen the real Thunder Mountain in Sedona Arizona, so now I need to see the real Matterhorn in Switzerland. Forget about Space Mountain. Not that I could ever go or anything, but the idea of being in space freaks me out.

Queen for a Date

About once or twice a year we end up renting a hotel room and having a mini getaway downtown. In year's past we've done it for a holiday party, a dinner cruise, Halloween, or a celebration with friends. We don't live that far. We can and do use Uber, but sometimes it's fun to have the option of walking "home" and getting to live that downtown lifestyle for a night when we're planning to be out really late. Downtown San Diego is such a fun place to be, so why not? We always have a great time.

The Catch

If you follow me on Instagram you have to be dying to know about this pic.  How did you do it? What was it like?  Well, wonder no no more.

We went to the Padre game on Tuesday.  It was just like any ordinary game day outing.  We try to go to at least on per year and always the Braves.  I was able to squeeze in a workout and we still had time for dinner downtown where I proceeded to negate every sweaty minute of Ripped in 30.  That's how it works right?  You can't out exercise a bad diet, but I have no regrets whatsoever.  Plus, in general my diet is not bad.  It was Taco Tuesday.  I did what I had to do.  The beer was cold, the tacos were tasty and the nachos were mucho delicious.  After we had our fill we walked over to the stadium and took our seats right behind home plate.

We're sitting there enjoying the game when all of a sudden there is a slight commotion in the crowd ahead of me and to my right in the next section.  I didn't even notice the ball being hit out, but the scuffle caught my attention and the next thing I know there is a baseball with flailing hands reaching for it coming towards me.  I was sitting at the end of my row.  The ball landed on the stairs at my feet and I scooped it up.  Easy as pie.  It was so meant to be I didn't even really have to get up.  I just lunged forward a bit from my seat.  I'd like to say that I caught the thing with my bare hands as it sailed towards my head but that is not the case.  I got lucky, but it counts because really, how often does this ever happen?  You have to be in the right place at the right time in a crowd full of people who all want the same thing.  It will probably never happen again in my lifetime so I milked the moment for what it was worth.  Once the ball was in my hand I stood up, arms raised high in victory yelled, "I caught it.  Whoo!!!!!!"  I think there may have been a few grumbles directed towards me.  Can't you see that lady in the background giving me the evil eye?  Some may believe I didn't deserve it and that it should have been theirs, but the ball ended up in my hands fair and square and it was awesome.

I was sure this would get me on the jumbo tron.  We took a selfie together and tagged it, but it never showed up so we tried again.  I was lucky enough to have already planned to get off early that day, thus paving the way for a fun weekday game night.  We were lucky enough to find street parking.  Lucky enough to get free tickets from MJ's job.  They get tickets to every single home game, but there are only two.  I was lucky enough to catch snatch the foul ball.  I was not, however lucky enough to make it onto the jumbo tron.  Not with two pics or with the roving camera man who was just a section away.  Denied, so that will be my next goal although, it will be tough with MJ throwing shade.  Even if I go out and buy a Padres shirt and dance around like a clown they are probably going to be less inclined to throw a random guy next to me wearing a Braves jersey at the Padres vs Braves game on the jumbo tron.  A girl can dream.

I have just one question though.  What do I do with the ball?

Bloglovin' // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

Amazing Quest & The Guys

Team #9 AKA Lay off my Biscuits (long story...inside joke)

I could hardly believe that we were doing this again.   Last year's amazing quest took us about 3 1/2 hours, involved a trolley ride to an entirely different part of town and had really hard challenges.  This year it was definitely watered down.  It was only about 2 hours, kept us right in downtown and had much easier challenges.  The take off point was a bar called Barley & Mash.  When they yelled GO we opened our first clue and took off running our little hearts out and trying to get through each challenge really fast.  It was in the 80's so we were HOT, sweaty and out of breath. 

They had us break at the half way point back at Barley & Mash.  Big mistake for us because we found out that even with all of our hustling we were still in 13th place!!  How did the #1 team do it so fast?  We couldn't figure it out so we took it easy in the 2nd half.  There was no way we would win or even come in the top 3...or even 5!  We took it so easy we skipped the last challenge because we were already over time and finished dead last.  We were tired, hungry and all we wanted was our free happy hour.  By the time we got back the other teams were probably on their 3rd drink.  The last round of the food was being put out and devoured within minutes.  I got a glass of wine and for the first time ever ate french fries so sloppy they required a fork.  Awesome by the way.  While everyone else was still partying it up in the reserved area downstairs the four of us ordered some food at the bar upstairs.  We were THE losing team so we got ran out of there.  No not really. We just got there so late we didn't get enough food. I was so worn out that night.  By 8:30pm I could barely keep my eyes open.  I felt so bad for Mj because he got busy writing a 10 page paper while I got busy falling asleep on the couch.

One of Mj's good friends L is moving out of the state so we planned a day at the park on Sunday for one last time all together.  It would have been nice if we could have flip flopped Saturday and Sunday's weather but even in California you can't always get the weather you want when you want it.  Saturday was in the 80's while we were running around the city but Sunday at the park the temperature dropped to the 60's.  It was still high 70's where we live but this was closer to the coast.  We ordered Pizza and ate this yummy cake with L's face on it.  I'm not even gonna tell you how many pieces of pizza I ate.  I was freezing for most of the day but I zipped up my hoodie, sucked it up and had fun anyways.  I got some laughs when I busted out the gloves but I didn't care. If I was smart I would have joined in on the volleyball and wiffle ball games so I could burn some calories AND stay warm. 

The Guys (L is the one on the right with the baseball cap)

Mj has a really great group of friends.  They don't just stay in touch on Facebook; they make sure that they hang out and see each other in real life too.  They bike, do dinners and take trips together.  I don't have friends like that.  Gosh, I can remember meeting all of these guys and their wives five years ago and hoping that they would like me and now I feel like part of the group.  L is really the center of the group and so good at bringing everyone together for Bar B Q's and gatherings at his house.  It's a part of life that things change and people move on but it's so sad.  It's going to be a good move for him but he will be missed by everyone.

 
Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

The Amazing Quest

Our team dressed up for the costume contest

Mj's job hired a company to come in and organize what is called The Amazing Quest.  I'd never done anything like it and I was really excited.  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather.  It was a warm but not too warm 78 degrees.  We met up at a bar where everything kicked off with a team costume contest.  Then we were instructed to open our first clue and were on our way.  

This race was not easy!  The puzzles and challenges were well....challenging

Trudging through the city

There were brainteasers, puzzles, and challenges throughout the entire quest and it took as all over the city.  It was really well planned out.  Each team had to stick together and complete one task before getting the next clue that would send us racing off to the next location for our next challenge.  I lost count of how many clues that we got along the way.   It was way more rigorous then any of us expected.  Everyone contributed something to the team; even the pregnant one who couldn't run much.  Okay well, maybe all of us except the drunkard.  Mj killed it all over the place with his quick thinking brain.  My shining moment was balancing six dice on a tongue depressor in my mouth in less then a minute on my first try.  I also had to be blindfolded for about 45 minutes walking through the city and then on the trolley.  Very bizarre experience and a little scary.  I held onto Mj's arm really tight and trusted that he wouldn't let me fall off of a cliff...or a curb.

Mj made 5 baskets in Bub's bar so that we could get our next clue

We had to stop for a break right??  No.  This has nothing to do with why we didn't win.

I couldn't see a thing but I could hear everyone asking what the heck we were doing

More brain teasers to complete

Almost there!!!!!

We knew we weren't in last place as we approached the home stretch.  We also knew there was no way we were going to win but at that point I didn't care.  It was more about finishing what we started and that's exactly what we did.    It took us 3 1/2 hours to get back!  There were about thirteen teams and we finished somewhere in the middle.  We were supposed to be back at our starting point by 5:15 pm but I think there were only a few teams that made it.  The challenges were hard!  With all the stuff we had to do I have no idea how they did it so we all just assumed they cheated!!  My legs were killing me by the end.  We were all exhausted but we had such a blast.  Just the experience alone was worth the effort....and the fact that they fed us!  Cheesy Quesadilla's....yes please!!  We were served Mexican food appetizers buffet style for us at the end and we got our drink on so even though we didn't win the costume contest or the race itself that was reward enough for me. 

Girls & Baby Family Weekend

Out at happy hour Friday night

When it comes to spending time with family there doesn't need to be a plan.  Just being together is enough.  Mom, big sis, and little sis came down and spent the weekend at our house while Mj was away at drill.  The bonus is that my little sis was able to fly down from SF and join us when we didn't necessarily think she would be here.  The only real set plan we had was for Friday night and we would just play it by ear for the rest of the time.  Friday they all met at up my house while I was at work.  Once I got off my sister's joined me and my friends for happy hour at one of our favorite hang out spots while mom stayed home and watched the baby.  We had a great time there drinking and eating then got home around 9:30pm and stayed up watching TV and talking until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore and had to go to bed.

The girls

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning for no particular reason.  I was just so excited to have them all at my house. It was so cool to finally have a place big enough to invite them over to.  Mom, big sis and I did P90 Yoga and then we all got dressed to meet the carpet guy at my rental property.  Too bad he was a no show but we got a chance to take a peek into my recently vacated condo.  Sadly, it's a wreck.  After that we went back to my house and brought out the stroller so we could walk over to Outback steak house for lunch.  It's a short walk and such a perfectly beautiful sunny day that we wanted to get out and enjoy it a little.  We were too early!!  They don't open until 3:30pm so we walked to Blockbuster to get some movies stopping at 7-11 along the way to get Slurpee's.  We spent about an hour and fifteen minutes walking all together.  By the time we made it back to Outback we were all STARVING!!

We all got Slurpee's for the walk

Mom and little sis

We enjoyed a nice lunch then walked to CVS for a few things.  Back at my house we watched gymnastics that I DVR'd earlier that day.  It was the American Cup.  Mom is usually too busy running around to catch it and little sis (who is also a former gymnast) is usually at work so it was awesome that we could all sit there together and watch it.  After that it was movie time.  We got our popcorn, candy, wine and other munchies together and watched Life As We Know It and Love & Other Drugs back to back.  Big sis had to tap out and take the fussy baby up to bed but the rest of us managed to barely stay awake and finish watching the last movie.  For not really having any plans it turned out to be quite a full and fun day.

We love this kid. 

Sisters & nephew DJ

We lounged around eating breakfast, chatting and watching TV until late afternoon on Sunday.  There is never a shortage of things to talk about.  Then all too soon it was time for everyone to get moving and get dressed.  They had to get on the road and head home and I needed to go grocery shopping.  We stopped at Wendy's so they could grab a bite to eat.  I'm usually the one who isn't ready to eat yet so I just held the baby and snatched some fries for myself.  I wasn't even going to go but I just didn't want the weekend to end and was trying to spend every last minute with them that I could.  I was so sad to see them go.  I love spending time with them and I'm so glad that we got to do just that for an entire weekend.    I already started missing them as soon as they got into the car and drove away.  I love them so much!  I feel so incredibly lucky to have each one of them in my life and am glad we are so close.  We didn't do anything spectacular but it was still a spectacular weekend just because we were together. 

Ready For Some Football

I always thought football was boring and watching it was mostly a confusing experience that I only went along with because everyone else was so annoyingly captivated.  About three years ago I figured if you can't beat 'em join 'em and put my mind to it to discover the magic and joy of football. Ok, so I wouldn't go that far but I started watching it with people who know football which is mostly everyone and asking questions until I finally got the gist of what the heck was going on enough to enjoy it. I may have been a cheerleader in high school, but up to that point the only thing I knew was that a touchdown was worth 6 points and that they usually kick the ball for a field goal after scoring one.  Now I can partake in all the fun social gatherings surrounding this popular game with actual interest in what's going on.  When people stand up and cheer or boo I know why whereas before I was always a few seconds late and cheered just because everyone else was.  I am not a fanatic.  I find myself spending many a lazy Sunday's alternately watching and falling asleep to whatever football game is on, but now that I have a clue as to what the heck is going on it is fun to watch.

Pre game.   "Foreigner" sang the national anthem

 

Thursday night I went to my first NFL game ever.  It was so cool seeing the ABC booth where Deon Sanders and company provide live commentary for TV.  Being December there was a really fun holiday vibe going on.  The Charger girls were decked out in blue Sexy Mrs. Claus outfits and they had Santa Claus as their cameraman. It was comical and slightly odd watching them gyrate their booties suggestively to "Santa Baby."  I saw something I have never before seen in my entire life.  A line for the men's bathroom.  I looked back and forth between the entrance to the men's bathroom and the trail of men curving around the corner several times in disbelief before I believed it to be true.   That's what they get for drinking all that beer!  I only had about three ladies in front of me in our line.

It was cold.  So cold that I could not drink a beer even though I wanted one and I didn't bat an eye at spending $5 on hot chocolate.  It actually saved me money because the beers were $10 and it was well worth it for the rush of warmth it sent through my body, if only temporary.  Being at the game was fun and exciting.  The stands were packed, the crowd was pumped, and the home team beat the 49ers 34 to 7.  It can be hit and miss with the Chargers, so I'm really glad we picked a game where they blew the other team out of the water and got to experience a winning game.  These games are loud and you get to yell and scream as much as you want without anyone looking at you sideways...as long as it's for the home team.

The trolley line

On our walk back to the trolley my toes were actually numb.  I know that Cali weather's got nothin' on all the madness that's going on in the Midwest but so what.  I'm a Cali girl and I was freezing.  We packed ourselves into the trolley like sardines in a can for the ride back to our cars.  It smelled like stale beer and I almost fell over a couple times, but at least it was warm.

It sure is different watching the game live.  At first I felt a lost without the running expert commentary and bright blue line showing me where the next down is, but my efforts have paid off.  I am a football fan now.  Kind of.  I know enough to follow along, MJ filled in the blanks, and fun was had by all.

Tuesday Night Ball Game

Perfect View

We went to the ball game last night.  On a Tuesday night of all nights.  If Mj gets the tickets for free from work then we go and if it just so happens to be on a Tuesday at 7:00 pm then so be it.  This is our 3rd game this season.  We went in April to see his Braves and in June with my parents.  Aside from the fact that the trolley ride back to our cars took way longer then usual I enjoyed this one more then the others for the following reasons:

1. I wasn't freezing my butt off.  It's really hard to focus on the sometimes anti climatic game of baseball when your nose feels like an ice block and the breeze feels like it's biting through your clothes.  I am always amazed when I see people wearing tanks and shorts and trying to look all cute while I am wearing gloves and a double layer of shirts. I get cold easy and being cold sucks. It's a form of torture for me and if I am being tortured I am likely to care more about how soon I can leave then what is actually going on in the game. 
2. Our seats were awesome.  Our April seats were close but these were close, at the perfect height and right beside home plate.  We had a nice view of the entire stadium and the field.  The guys didn't look like tiny little figurines that I should just ignore and I felt so close to the action that I really wanted to become interested in what was going on and follow the game. I even learned a little bit more about some of the rules.
3. The game was actually exciting!  Someone got out while trying to steal a base and the home team scored two home runs.  One of which I missed while in the restroom changing into a warmer top.  The chronically cold have to be prepared.  The score actually got up to five which means there were five times in the game that there was some real action going on which is not often the case with baseball where it can go on and on forever and finish 1 to 0 with not much in between.

You will never catch me watching baseball on TV.  It's just way too boring for me.   But I really enjoy the experience of going to a live game.  You get to watch people make a fool of themselves on the jumbo tron and at this game they even had a croquet demonstration before the game started.  You can actually order food right from your seats in this section but we chose to use our own legs instead to save us the 15% service charge.  The food is already expensive enough.  I didn't get my usual beer and a giant over sized hot dog this time.  I enjoyed my $8.00 turkey wrap while Mj ate his $6.00 hot dogs and we shared his his $4.00 water. 

Good thing the tickets were free.

Way Too Much Fun

This is me holding onto my ancient cell phone before the incident although I imagine I didn't look too much different afterwards.  I certainly felt a heck of a lot better that's for sure.  My friends and I met up for happy hour/club night at our favorite local spot on Friday night to celebrate a birthday.  What with moving and wedding planning I hadn't really been out with the gang in a long time and I've been looking forward to it for weeks.  Everyone is so busy living their life that these outings have become fewer and far between.  We drank, ate, laughed, danced and had a grand old time.  Just like old times.  There was wine, champagne, and then a shot of patron that magically appeared in front of me.  When I say I had way too much fun I mean I found myself in the ladies bathroom with my head over the toilet at the end of the night.  I was having fun and feeling great....until I didn't.  I can't remember the last time that happened and if everything goes according to plan this incident will soon be a long forgotten memory as well.  I swear there have been plenty of times that I drank way more then I did that night and had a totally different outcome.  Oh yeah...didn't I just say that it had been a long time since I went out like that? Perhaps that would explain said inability to hold my liquor.   That combined with a sort of empty stomach sealed my fate but it certainly didn't ruin my night.  I was able to pick up right where I left off minus the booze plus lots of water for the last hour that we were there.  And no hangover the next day thank you very much!

Anyhow, I had a blast hanging out with my friends.  Yeah, yeah, yeah I may be way too old for such shenanigans but hey...it happens.

Make New Friends But Keep The Old

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." We used to sing that song in Girl Scouts. I don't know about the whole silver and gold thing but it's so true about keeping the old friends.

My oldest and best friend was in town over the weekend. We had such a great time yesterday hanging out. She hasn't been home for an actual visit since she joined the military about two years ago although, I did see her when I went to go visit my sister in May earlier this year. No matter how much time or distance has passed between us it's just like old times when we do finally get together again. I picked her up around 3:30 and we drove downtown to grab a bite to eat but not before walking into a tiny boutique "just to get change for the parking meter" where we happened to do a little shopping on the way out! After that we walked over to the mall and shopped some more there. From store to store constantly talking along the way about anything and everything. No topic is off limits. There is really nothing that we don't feel comfortable talking to each other about.

We bought Ugg's at Nordstrom's and wore them right out of the store. The sales lady was getting really irritated with us because we kept asking her to bring out different ones and couldn't make up our minds! I got the short ones even though she tried to convince me that the tall ones looked better. Good thing too, because we spent the rest of the now chilly night on our feet. The casual daytime atmosphere has been replaced with a night time party vibe. The sound of loud music filters out as we walk past club entrances where the bouncers in all black have taken up their positions for the night. We went to a coffee shop for mocha frappuccino's and gelato. Then, wandered aimlessly about the city wandering into whatever little store that caught our attention. We didn't leave downtown until about 10:00. Oh, boy can we ever hang out!!

When it comes right down to it I don't have a whole lot of friends and of the ones I do there aren't too many that I could do that with. We had a great time remembering old times and catching up on new ones too. We've been friends since 8Th grade. We did cheerleading and gymnastics together and lived in the same neighborhood for years. She used to pick me up for school every morning in her old blue Corolla and I will never forget our wild party phase when Tijuana twice a week was standard. We are very different in personality but have always gotten along. Our lives have taken so many twists and turns over the years. We have drifted apart and been in and out of touch over the years but have always maintained our friendship nonetheless.

Incidentally, she just so happens to be the person behind setting me up with Mj. She took one look at him at a random chance meeting in AZ of all places and knew that he would be perfect for me and she was right. It is only fitting that my oldest and dearest friend would set me up with the love of my life. I am very disappointed that she won't be at our wedding. She'll be back home for Christmas and then after that I won't see her again until 2011. She'll be spending 2010 in either Iraq, Kuwait, or Afghanistan-wherever the Army decides to send her. It'll be nice to have her back for good in 2011.

Regardless of how little we might speak or how few times I see her I know she thinks about me just as I think about her. It's just that kind of rare and true friendship. I am so glad that we have stayed in touch over the years and I know that we always will.