Magical Moments from our Disney Trip Part 2

We began our second day in California Adventure, with a ride on the trolley (another first for us.) 

Then we headed over to Cars Land for breakfast at Flo's V8 Cafe. 

Of course we couldn't leave without riding Radiator Springs Racers at least once or twice. 

Sunglass selfie in Ramone's House of Body Art!

 Mom on California Screamin'! (They went single rider.) 

Rachel and Cindy on California Screamin'! (I was the volunteer bag holder.) 

 Later we went to the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe for coffee and cookies. We had learned on the trolley that morning that the cafe was named for the three little pigs: the fiddler, the fifer, and the practical pig. It was Rachel's first fancy coffee. 

One of the highlights of the day was all the Frozen Fun! 

 We didn't actually go into Olaf's Snow Fest. 

 But we did spend some time at the Dance Party! 

As the grand finale to our second day, we went and sang along with the Frozen Sing-Along.  (Can you see the photo bomber?)

 What was once Muppet Vision 3-D, has been completely redone as the Arendelle Theatre.

 

 Inside the Arendelle Theatre.

End of day two.

Magical Moments from our Disney Trip

Sometime in the later half of last year, Mom, Aunt Cindy, Rachel, and I decided to plan a trip to Disneyland! Our home away from home, Uncle Waltie's house.

 Elizabeth was starting school and couldn't be with us. We greatly missed her and her shoe. ;) 

It's kind of become a tradition to take at least one silly hat picture.

We're here!

Our first ride of the first day was a new experience for all of us: The Sailing Ship Columbia!

Going below decks.

Later we all had another new experience: a Dole Whip at the Enchanted Tiki Room. 

 They were so tasty. Even the members of our party who don't like pineapple (which was pretty much everyone except me) loved them. We ended up having one every day! 

Tropical deliciousness! 

The new experiences just keep coming! We even went to Asgard and had an audience with Thor! 

 It was pretty awesome. 

I touched the hammer! *Swoon* 

Then we came back to earth and visited Captain America, all except Rachel who was a little tired of the "Meet n' Greet" thing. (She later regretted that she did not get her picture with Captain America.) 

 But she did pose with Iron Man Mark Whatever-You-Call-It.

And Baymax. All Rachel wanted on this trip was a stuffed Baymax. He was surprisingly hard to find. Just about every store we tried in Downtown Disney or Main Street was all sold out of Baymax in his white cuddly form. We found plenty of Baymaxes in his red super suit (it's that Iron Man thing again,) but everyone wanted the white cuddly one. 

Finally we found Baymax in the Tomorrowland Startraders, and Rachel has been carrying him around with her ever since. I've never seen her so in love with a toy. Can't wait to see the movie again. 

  End of day one.

The Refrigerator has Moved!

Some time ago, it was unanimously decided that the new refrigerator was too big and bulky for our little kitchen, (not to mention too noisy. When the ice maker kicks on it sounds like Buzz Lightyear is in there shooting a ray gun! Trip to Disneyland anyone?)

So a week or so ago we finally moved it out of the kitchen and into the pantry. That may sound weird having the refrigerator on the other end of the house as the kitchen, but it actually works really well, if you don't mind walking when you forget to grab the pickles for the tuna salad.

Then yesterday Mom finished putting all the spices, temporarily being stored in her bedroom, in the rest of the pantry space.

All in all, a happy pantry and kitchen makes a happy home and family.

I Did It!

This evening, I accomplished my personal challenge and finished reading Jane Austen's Emma. Thus I have read each of her novels, some of them multiple times.

Now the question stands: What should I read next?

Just Too Tired

Maybe it's the fact that it's August, nearing the end of a long, exhausted summer. Or it could be all the cleaning, reorganizing, and putting-things-away going on around here. But no matter how much stuff gets put away, either in an old place or a new place made specially for it, there is always more stuff to be taken care of. The mountain of mess just keeps growing!
 
Whatever the reason, everyday I wake up tired and can't wait for night so I can go back to bed. I've taken to napping in the afternoons. Today I climbed back in bed, still in my nightgown, at 12:01 p.m. and did not emerge until almost 1:00.

Another reason I want to be a Jane Austen heroine: They have servants to clean up the mess. The external messes at least. Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse had to take care of the emotional messes themselves. (Let's not even get started on Marianne Dashwood!)

I've had Jane Austen on the brain lately. I finally picked up Emma again, after I-don't-know-how-long, and am determined to finish her this time. Last time I read Emma I got a little more than half way through. When I finish I just might reward myself by reading Sense and Sensibility again, which may even surpass Pride and Prejudice and be my favorite of Jane Austen's works.  
  

Look What I Found!

I was reading a post on the Disney blog, Oh My Disney, when I came across this Easter egg in Tangled.  If you look very closely you can see the Little Mermaid on one of the books: 

Next time we watch the movie on our huge movie theater screen, we need to pause it on this scene and look around. I think I might see some more hidden treasures. 

A New Day

This has to have been the longest summer of my life. In fact I think this has been the longest year of my life (and it's not even August!) Everything has happened: life, death, weddings, funerals, work, play, happiness, sorrow; you name it, I'm sure it must have happened here.

But now it's all behind us. All the events laid out for this season have ended, all the major ones at least. Stretched out before me is a blank slate, a story not yet written.

College turned out to be less enjoyable (and useful) than I had anticipated. (Although I did get an A in the class.) So I'm taking this next semester off from school, at least class room school. I'll keep up with my homeschooling, reading, writing, and music. I may even try to get a job this fall.

And now that I'm out of school, the Harold B. Pricklepants society will begin meeting again. I have requested we read Gone With the Wind (one of my all-time favorite books) even if I have read all 700+ pages of it two or three times before!

Life will continue. Even if sometimes I wish it would slow down and give me a chance to catch my breath!