D23 party

Some of you may remember I entered a photo contest with the Orange County Register to win tickets to the private D23 First Anniversary Party in Fantasyland, after Disneyland had closed (this past Wedensday night). Well, after a day or so I started to see the writting on the wall that my photo wasn't going to get enough votes (others had people voteing round the clock for a week.....and lets face it, not too many of us have that kind of time : ), so I looked into it, and it turned out you can just buy tickets to the party!! Who knew?

Here is a short little video of the start of the party before they let us all in to Fantasyland---with fireworks and all! They made everything so special

Waiting out in front of the castle, for it to be time to go in and party!

They had a D23 sign on the castle.

I loved all the little touches they had around for the night.

(Brody jumping)

As we walked in we were met with these awesome food tables they had set up EVERYWHERE. It seemed like every 6 or 7 feet there was a big food table. Full of sweets and hot drinks (and water, which is what we mainly had)

First thing I saw was these HUGE cookies, bigger than my head (if I had just moved it up a bit, it would have covered my whole head! I barley even had half of it) : )

Mmmmm rice crispy Mickey heads.....

On Peter Pan.....the only time you could just walk right on it. You could pretty much walk on all the rides, there was enough other things going on that everyone was pretty spread out. : )

They had characters there that are normally not around the park, which was really fun! : )

The Mad Hatter and Alice were really funny. This is when he told her that the flowers behind her were talking to her and she should go answer.....so she did.

These were SO good! Better than the ones they normaly sell in the park...I don't really know why that was....

Kinda dark, but behind us is Cinderellas glass pumpkin coach :)

This lady was the original Tinkerbell

This was one of our most favorite parts of the night!! We got on Tea Cups a little before midnight, and after our first ride, we got off and then looked back and only a couple people were getting on and there was a guy who just stayed in his tea cup.....so we ended up just going back into a tea cup from the exit & they let us stay on the ride for about 4 runs!! : ) Don't know if that will ever happen again, but it was such a blast!!

Putting all my might into getting it to turn : )

Brody laughing too hard to continue spinning it : )

As we left, we were given these pins as "parting gifts"! Too bad we aren't pin collectors! But I am sure I could find some pin collectors on Ebay who would love them! : )

Our wrist bands, that we had to have to get around the park to the different areas

A short video of walking through the party, and the last bit is on the Tea Cups! : )

It was such a fun night!! We are so glad we were able to go and get a different experience than we normally do at the park! : )

Toshiba Classic

Things are starting to get busier, and that's a good thing! This past week we got a call from Mike & Laura (who used to live in our ward and now live up north) inviting us to 'The Toshiba Classic', we are SO happy they thought of us, I think it was JUST what we needed this weekend. It was so fun and relaxing (just what you need after a very busy week)!

We got to hangout in the Toshiba Box on the 18th hole. It was perfect, we got to just hang out together, eat free food, watch the groups come by and finish up their round....and pretty much cleaned them out of Diet Coke. : ) Plus they would come out with new food every once in a while. Sounds like a perfect day on the course huh? : )

Our view

(Brody and Mike)

Golf courses are so beautiful---and this looked more like fall than almost spring huh? : )

Watching one of the groups approach us....

Fred Couples thinking about his next move

Sometimes I just can't help taking this type of photo---you can see so clearly in his glasses : )

It was such a fun day and it was great to see them again!

Thank you guys again for such a great time!!

We also had the opportunity to chaperon the Irvine Dance. We always have such a great time, helping make the dance a fun experience for the kids and remembering the days we used to go to them....and sneaking a slow dance here and there ourselves. : )

This time around......I had to go out to the car to make sure it was locked, and as I was approching the door, this is what happened:

Door Leader: "Where are you going?"

Me: "Oh, I just have to go out and make sure my car is locked"

Door Leader: "Well you have to have a leader walk out with you!"

Me: "Really? Why?"

Door Leader: "It's the rules, we can't have you out there alone"

Me: "oooooook"

Leader who walked me out: "So what ward are you in? Are you having fun?"

Me: "Oak Creek....yaaa, Brody just put his sweater in the car and wasn't sure if he locked it so I was just running out to check...." (saying that, because I still wasn't sure why I had to have a leader walk me out)

Leader who walked me out: "OH! You're Brody's wife?!?! You're a leader?!! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!"

(Both of us realizing what just happened, cracking up and walking back in side)

Leader who walked me out saying to Door leaders: "She's a leader NOT a youth!!"

(everyone laughing and saying they are sorry)

Haha. Love being mistaken for a youth! : ) Always exciting at a Irvine dance.

Sweet Surprises!

Brody has been super busy with work (as always), and this past week he was up toward (and beyond) San Luis Obispo area---seeing accounts, writing orders and helping the business grow in the area.

On his way home, he remembered that there was a cupcake shop (by Santa Barbara) in a town called Montecito, that I LOVE!! It is a really cute shop with the best cup cakes in the world---they taste ten times better than they look (SO much better than dry 'Sprinkles' cupcakes)!! : )

Well, he stopped in and got some for me, and some to take to my parents house for my Mom's upcoming Birthday!

It was SUCH a fun surprise, since we rarely get to have them!!

The shop is called 'Whodidily' and the website is {here} for more info---if you are ever in the area, it's a MUST!! : )

Weekending....

Brody mentioned that it seemed like it had been awhile since we had a Disneyland (not California Adventure) night---So we went Friday night, it was a great night to go. The big rides had longer lines (30mins+) so we headed to some of the shorter lines....like Haunted Mansion, which looked pretty cool that night with the moon over it mixed with fog (which I don't think you can really see in the photo---but there really was creepy fog around it).

I have this APP for my iPhone called 'GotPlans', for Disneyland. It tells you the up-to-date wait times (that people at the parks submit) for rides and many other things (has all the menus for the restaurants too---came in handy for us that night) that make your trip to the park easier.

Since I help out some by submitting wait times and other info while in the park ---they sent me (and many others) a $5 dollar gift card to the park! I was so excited. It may not seem like much, but hey, it's always nice to have some free money to spend at a place you spend money at anyway. I assume it is a little incentive to all of us App people to continue to help keep the ride times up to date so it continues to be useful to everyone. : )

After we had a nice dinner in New Orleans Square (Sorry AZ, no 'food photo' of dinner) and went on several rides.....it started to rain!

...but we started getting flashbacks of about a month ago when we were there during the BIG rain storm and got soaked to the bone......so we left! haha : )

...and stopped off at 7 Eleven---one of our new favorite spots for hot chocolate, to warm up! It is hot, creamy, milk chocolate that you can serve yourself and add fun flavors---I love adding Hazelnut to it!

And you can get two of any size for less than one Starbucks! It's more fun too! : )

Saturday night was our 2nd stop on our little Broadway ticket package, "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber". It was much different than we were expecting it to be. It turned out to be more of a concert, and not really what you would think of as being put into the Broadway Play category. After we separated it from the "Broadway Play" thought, and accepted it as more of a concert.....there was a lot to love.

The music was amazing and the voices even better. It was really fun to hear songs from other plays we didn't know (some we liked, some not so much), and songs we have always loved. Our favorite part (and by the reaction of the theater, everyone elses as well) was when it came time to hear 5 songs from "The Phantom of the Opera". They dropped the curtain and projected the mask on it while they played the overture.....and then lifted a couple other curtains until the stage was again revealed all covered in smoke. The guy who sang the Phantoms' part had played the role on Broadway for a record-setting 2,500 times. He was SO good. When he would come out before, and sing songs from other plays (before he came out as the Phantom), Brody and I were like, "Oh, there's Phantom again"---he just had that distinct 'Phantom voice'! : )

It was a great weekend.....

Yesterday was...

one of those lay by the pool afternoons....

(happy sigh) can't wait till more summer days! : )

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

We had a fun low key weekend---and it was just right. We went to dinner at one of our favorites, Pei Wei then got some Hot Chocolates and headed back home to watch the Olympics! : )

Brody is SO good at Valentines, Birthdays, Anniversary's and so on...He always picks the perfect cards and writes the sweetest things in it, everything is so very thoughtful. I do my best to keep up with him, and return the love : )

This year's idea: I got some heart post-it's and while he was at soccer I wrote some of the things I love most about him onto each one and stuck them all over his desk---with a balloon, candy and a single rose (a little inside joke). I kinda ran out of time (since he was on his way home) but it got pretty well covered. I also got him a really nice iPhone cover and holder he has had his eye on! I couldn't help but to take some photos while we were exchanging gifts....and then post them....he's just so cute! : )

Happy Valentines Day love!!! I love you so very much! : )