Disney Delights

A place for my thoughts and occasional rants.

The second day was the low of our trip. We’ll get to that when we get there though.

After another shorter night of sleep than we’re used to, we headed to the Grand Californian Hotel for breakfast at Story Teller’s Cafe. It is my favorite place to catch a bite before an exciting time in the parks. 

I got the absolute must have that is the buffet. They have everything you could imagine for breakfast and then some! The decorations all around are still based heavily on wood tones and a homey feel. And they have characters!

A look at the wall decorations at the Storyteller Cafe
I love the decor! 


We met Chip & Dale, Meeko (Pocahontas) and Kenai (Brother Bear). Some of you may not be as familiar with the last two friends. The family sitting at the table next to us thought Meeko was a skunk (he’s a raccoon) and had no idea who Kenai was. It’s a good thing he’s smiling, or I think their little one would have been more than a little afraid.

Suffice it to say, when I called to each of them by name, I could tell they were pleased to finally have someone know who they were. The cast member serving our table was kind enough to take pictures of me with a few of them as well as some group pictures. Here are my favorites:
Chip with the family next to us


Chip and Harry

Chip and I

Harry and Meeko with a "photo bomber"

Kenai and Harry

Kenai and I growling

Left to right: Me, Dale, and Harry
Dale! I'm kneeling while Harry is sitting.
We then stopped by the Grand’s gift shop Acorn’s Gifts and Goods for some bandaids and some sunscreen. While we had packed sunscreen, it was a very large bottle, and I did not feel like carrying it around with me, along with everything else I was carrying. As for the bandaids, the dress shoes I wore to mom’s wedding had rubbed pretty nasty spots into the back of my ankles, and I was also starting to feel the hot spot of a blister starting and wasn’t going to have any of that! (And I’m proud to say that we were both free of those the entire trip!)

We made our way through the hotel to the Resort Guest entrance into DCA. It was a pretty long line wrapping around past White Water Snacks just after park opening (We were geniuses!) Anyways, we rode the wonderful Soarin’ Over California (Before the Planes change). My love for that ride cannot be expressed enough! It’s a wonderful ride, and I would say that it is up there with other Disney classic attractions!

After seeing the impossibly long line of Radiator Springs Racers, we park hopped into Disneyland. Having gone under the left tunnel into Main Street, we made a point to go under the plaque and towards the Disney Gallery. (Have I told you how much I miss it’s old location above Pirates of the Caribbean?) I loved the gallery. All of the figures and artwork. I wanted to take so much of it home. But alas, none made it here.

I'd love to have my very own Jose!

We see a wall of figures available for purchase. Snow White. Alice in Wonderland. Ariel the little mermaid. Etc.
So many to choose from!


Sadly I was distracted by the wonders of the gallery by a cast member who had had the last straw. They have cast members hand paint cells that you can watch them paint and buy. I wanted to capture this man at work and took his picture. Two seconds to complain about my camera. It has flash bipolarness. Sometimes it will, and sometimes it won’t take a flash. I still cannot figure it out. Well, now of all times, it decides to flash on me. And the cast member, irritated, requested that I inform him before I take any flash pictures. While I know he was only trying to do his job, and probably has to say the same thing over and over again, it made me truly feel like complete crap that you could sweep up and put into the nearest “Waste, please” can. 

There is a man hunched over a desk meticulously painting cells.
I really do like the paintings though.



 The rest of the gallery went by as I tried not to be the little cry baby that I am. Suddenly, out of the blue, I walked in on a replica of the Capital. I had completely forgotten that the Disney Gallery had moved in with our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. What made this a delight was the fact that I had been meaning to find this and see the famed audio animatronic for myself. And bam! Without even looking, there I was. 

Detailed Miniature of the Capital.
Figures of some of our nation's greats.
A picture frame above a fireplace where the pre show video plays. To the right of the fireplace, a bust of Abraham Lincoln.
The pre show area.



Pictures of the exhibit do not do it justice. Seeing the film and presentation on YouTube fails to capture the sheer awe that I felt while watching Mr. Lincoln stand to his full hight of 6’4”. I do honestly wonder what he’d say if he saw the government today. As we exited the theater, it was interesting to see photos of recent powerful men and woman, accompanied by celebrities. While I feel that certain people of fame belong up on these walls, there is one who I will not name, that I feel needs to be taken down. Celebrities in the 21st century have sadly become fads, coming and going with time. A few stand that test, but not many.

We next entered the hat shop, where Harry and I tried on several Goofy looking hats, hehe. And then another surprise greeted us as we exited the shop. It the Mad Hatter himself along with Alice from Alice in Wonderland. 

Harry wearing a green hat that looks just like Goofy's with Goofy written in orange letters across the middle. Black Goofy ears hand from the sides.
Harry looking a little goofy.

From left to right: Alice, a mother smiling with her young daughter in her arms, and the Mad Hatter posing for a picture.
Alice and the Hatter!

The Mad Hatter sticking his tongue out, and miming holding a cup of tea with his pinky out.
You're as mad as a hatter.

As we headed towards the Main Street Train Station, we saw Pinocchio and a very long line to get pictures at the giant Mickey Jack-O-Lantern.

I love all of the fall colors.


The cast on the train made everyone laughed after he scared us with “ALL ABOARD!!!!” I mean, it was very loud but so funny to see people around us jump. They added funny bits of banter with the prerecorded spiel as we headed around towards Tomorrowland. Our first stop on the way was New Orleans Square. The decorations there are so intricate and detailed. You see someone’s laundry pass over head, and in the distance, you can see someone’s porch with their personal affects.

A porch on the back side of New Orleans from the train

The detail they put into every knook and crany of Disneyland is astonishing and truly adds to the overall feel.


Our second to last stop was Mickey’s Toontown. I’ve always loved this section of the park, and it’s only gotten more magical with the addition of Mickey and the Magical Map. But this stop was made extra special by the conductor of the train himself. I’m getting teary just thinking about it. There was a boy with special needs who wanted to get his picture taken with the conductor. The conductor of course obliged, but made it a magical moment when he placed his hat on the young mans head. Speechless, I grabbed my camera to capture this truly wonderful moment.




I’m sure that made the boy’s and his family’s trip. After some applause, the train whistled and we were on to the future! I don’t pay nearly enough attention to Tomorrowland. For starters, the layout has always confused me. I can get around fine, but I’m pretty certain that any first time guests would have to study their maps to figure out which way is up and which way is down here. It seems that the other lands have logic to them, but not Tomorrowland.

Case in point: The queue for Space Mountain. I couldn’t direct someone how to get up there even if I wanted to. YouTube has plenty videos of the queue and it’s maze, so I won’t go on and on about it. More on that later.

First stop was Autopia so that Harry could learn how to drive. With a small mix up from the cast members, we were soon in our very own gas powered cars. I wish they would update this cute attraction with more fuel efficient vehicles. Sadly, there were issues with the cars ahead of us, so a majority of the ride was me driving instead of Harry. We meant to go back and ride again, but didn’t get a chance to.

Our second stop was Space Mountain. After the before mentioned head ache of the Space Mountain queue, we both agreed to find the handicap entrance. With a little guess work, and some help from a cast member, we found our way to the launch pad. Now here is where I wish I had had the brains to use my camera! We were all loaded onto a separate space ship and then shifted over seamlessly to another space ship ahead of us. It was a rare mini ride. 

Space Mountain was in it’s Ghost Galaxy makeover. Some say it’s scary. I have to disagree. It is noisy, especially in the beginning. The loud buzzing sound was enough to make me cover my ears in surprise. Every time we rode after that, I made sure to cover my ears before the effect started. But Space Mountain proved to be every bit as fun as it was hyped up to be. However, my body no longer wanted to agree with the fun my brain was having. I didn’t feel sick, but I had slight motion sickness. And then, we were told we were riding again. Normally, I’d be 100% onboard with that. But Harry didn’t feel all that great either. All that to say, we rode it again. And boy did we have a headache after the fact!

We stumbled out of our rocket and took a breather outside of Captain EO and the gift shop. We drank water and relaxed for a bit. It made both of us upset that we couldn’t handle Space Mountain. No, the double wammy didn’t help, but we both looked forward to trying it out. We had later confirmation that this just wasn’t the ride for us. But more on that when we get there.

After relaxing for a half hour, at the request of Harry, we became Space Rangers with Buzz Lightyear on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters! It was a lot more fun than I remembered, and we got decent scores to boot. Next up was Star Tours. The queue is just as fun as the ride, if not a little more so. I loved the not to Captain Rex on the side, and the banter between C3P O and R2D2. I don’t remember the journey after that, but it included Darth Vader and a LOT of shaking.

We were so thankful that there were benches just outside of the ride. We sat down and didn’t move or talk for the first 5 minutes. Now we both had head aches and our stomachs were yelling at us. Add that on top of: not sleeping well for the past 3 nights, no routine for 4 days, and less than optimal nutrition. We were a mess. After sitting down for a while, we decided to stick with mild rides for the rest of the day.

So, we paced ourselves, took the train back to Main Street through the land of the Dinos and hopped back over to DCA to ride The Litte Mermaid Ariel’s Undersea Adventure for the very first time. It was a beautiful ride and I enjoyed it to the last drop!

We were a bit hungry so we headed over to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta that opened shortly after I left in 2009. It was large and spacious, and there was hardly anyone there. I chose a salad with a ranch packet and water. When I sat down in the shade to eat it, my body shut down. I put my head in my hands and sat there. We had reservations at Arie’s Grotto in 4 hours so that we could get premium fast passes for World of Color. Not to mention World of Color started in 8 hours. 

My body laughed at me and said, “Not today.” After discussing our options and how we both felt, we called it quits. We shuffled over to Ariel’s Grotto to try to reschedule. I wish we had called in advance, because their computer system was down, and there was nothing they could do for us. We were asked to call Disney Dining to reschedule our meal. Despite our best intentions, we never did. 

We went through Downtown Disney and into the World of Disney. One, it was cool inside and didn’t have much traffic and two, I was a smart person and only packed three shirts. So, I had to go shopping for at least a few more. Being in the crisp cool environment did me a world (hehe) of good. After buying a few shirts ($$ ouch!) and a few other small goodies, we crawled up and up to our tower and sank into the bed. 

The cleaning ladies did an amazing job each and everyday, and it made the return to the hotel that afternoon so welcoming with the bed made, and everything so fresh and nice. I can still smell the cleanliness of the air and the texture of the patterned carpet under my feet. Stepping on the hidden Mickeys also had a different feel than the rest of that carpet.

Originally we planned to take a small restful nap and then head across the way to the Rainforest cafe. After an hour, we decided to rest up and get room service. It was about 7:30pm on a Monday when we ordered, and it arrived just after 9pm. We were more than a little hungry! Harry got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and I got the French Dip. Both were good, and had we had the chance, even though it was pricy, we would have gotten room service again.

And so our second day at Disneyland came to a pleasant close. I cannot wait to share with you the rest of our trip.


What do you think of the trip report so far? Am I too wordy? Do I give enough description. Do you want me to give more detail about what we ate and the prices? Any comments are welcome. Have a magical night!

I’d love to start this trip report with our first day in the parks, but I have to take a few steps back and start at the “beginning”.

At the beginning of this year, my mom toyed with the idea of sending myself and my fiancé to Disneyland for my birthday. I was ecstatic. However, due to several issues, that plan fell through the cracks.

Then my mother and her boyfriend of a few months surprised us with the news that they were getting married in September. That came as a complete shock to me. As the only child of a single mother, I had never seen my mom in a relationship, let alone married. But I was happy for them and helped with as much of the planning as possible.

June rolled around, and the possibility of a Disneyland trip reappeared. We called my mom and asked for the date of the wedding, and planned the trip around it. We soon had a room booked, flights purchased, and tickets hot off the press. 

We originally planned to bring my mother with us, but the addition of both her and her fiancé made prices unmanageable, and the idea was soon tucked away in the wish fulfillment drawer. 

The day before the wedding, Friday the 13th of September, I got up early to pick up my rental car and headed down to my home town. 

While the hotel I had booked for my mother, fiancé and I had some issues, it was a pleasant stay over all and the wedding went off without a hitch the next day. It was a large gathering of friends but was a rather short ceremony. 


After our pictures were taken, we went up to the reception and I helped play hostess. Then with several wonderfully fun hours behind us, Harry and I were able to go home and get some much needed rest for the big day.

Rest? What rest? We had a cat nap of roughly 4 hours and were up and ready for the big day ahead. We returned the car and were about to enter the airport when I remembered that I had left my binder at home. It had EVERYTHING in it. I mean EVER-Y-THING!! Reservation numbers, the tickets to the park. I was in a panic. Good thing everything was on my phone as well. Phew! 

We enjoyed a nice breakfast after the breeze that was security. then went to a part of DIA (Denver International Airport) that I had never been in before and boarded a tiny plane. The flight was smooth, and both of us caught some extra shut eye. 

Supershuttle took us over to the Disneyland Hotel. Having never been there before, I was a tad lost, but there were plenty of signs to lead us to the correct check in desk. The cast member was super friendly, and told us that while our room wasn’t quite ready, we could leave our bags with the Bell Hop and come back for them later. 

We stopped by the business center to print off our park tickets. My advice? Try your best not to need to print anything!! Each page was $1.50 and was $6 for 10 minutes of internet time. It added up extremely quickly, and the most irritating part was that a few tickets weren’t coming out right and had to be printed multiple times. 

So after that, I needed to kill some built up steam on a bit of shopping for sunscreen, a hat, and a pair of sunglasses. I am by no means trying to brag, but the Disney Cast Member discount is SO nice! (But boy do you earn it.)  

I got a text saying that our room was ready. After a tiny mix up with the room, (they directed us to the wrong tower, but correct floor) we unpacked and finally made our way through Downtown Disney and into Disneyland. 

First stop was to City Hall to pick up First Visit buttons, PhotoPass+ (oops), our check in items for Fantasmic!, and to get a Handheld Audio Description Device. We got a bit more than we asked for! Because we were “The most prepared guests” the cast member had ever had, we were given two “Honorary Citizen of Disneyland” pins. After the rather hectic start to our trip, that made the start of our time in the parks amazing. 

Before we rode any attractions, our first stop was at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. We were seated near the stage, and enjoyed the country cookin’. I’m not a huge fan of BBQ, so I stuck to the chicken. I did try a rib, but it wasn’t to my taste. Thankfully the Big Thunder Mountain Trail was open so we were able to go from Fantasyland past Big Thunder Mountain (which was sadly closed) towards the Rivers of America. 
Because it is my favorite attraction,  our first ride was on the Haunted Mansion Holiday, celebrating its 13th season. We headed towards the standby line, but were directed towards the handicap/FASTPASS line. It was an unexpected kindness. If you have never seen the Mansion during the holidays, I say it is well worth it. Even if you’ve seen if before, this is a perfect excuse to go and ride it again!


Our next stop was to Splash Mountain. Harry heard the screams of those riding it, and demanded we ride it next. Again, we went to the stand by line and were shown to the FASTPASS line. While very kind of them, the queue proved challenging to navigate two people through. Narrow twists, turns, stairs, and turnstiles with the added punch of impatient guests behind us. Not the greatest way to experience the line, but not horrible either. 

The ride proved to be as good as I remembered, and Harry loved it. We got pretty wet, but not soaked. We wanted to get our picture onto the PhotoPass+, but the gentlemen in front of us put up their hands and blocked our faces. Oh well!

We stepped into Pooh’s corner to see what was inside. I thought it was a very cute space! You’re basically inside Pooh’s house during his birthday. There are banners hanging saying things like, “We Love Pooh” and “Cheers For Pooh”. 

Before we went anywhere else, I made a point to stop and show Harry the Court of Angels and the little ornament shop nearby. This is truly a gem of a space, with a small fountain across a staircase that leads to a cast members only area. It’s a shame that the area is now closed.

We then went through Adventureland to ride it’s a small world and then crossed by the Matterhorn to journey into Wonderland with Alice in Wonderland. I had forgotten how short the dark rides were. But IASW was a nice, gentle cruise surrounded by smiling children and Disney characters. The gift shop is a lot smaller than I thought it was as well, and had nothing but toddler toys. 

We stopped by the new Fantasy Faire area to see all that was new. Belle was telling her story in the theater, though we didn’t stop to watch. I headed straight for Clopin’s Music Box to try it out. It was a fun and cute detail in the otherwise Princess infused area. We also said hello to Figaro as we passed under him and the bird.

It was getting hot and we wanted to cool down, so we decided to experience the Enchanted Tiki room. While I was entering the Tiki Room, I had the privilege of briefly meeting the legendary cast member Maynard. Although he didn’t open the show it was still great to catch a glimpse of him at the park. The show was very cute, and it didn’t hurt that it had excellent air conditioning. 

We decided to grab a snack at Edelweiss (across from the Matterhorn) and sat at a table on the nearby dock. It used to be a smoker friendly area, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case when we were there. 

We then went back to Fantasyland and road Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. There wasn’t a line for either, and they went by extremely fast! I am sad that WDW lost their version, but am looking forward to the Dwarf’s Mine Train. Harry tried to pull the Sword out of the Stone. I would have loved to ride the carousel as well, but it was closed for refurbishment. 


We hung a bend towards Frontierland and stopped by the Boot Hill shooting gallery and then poked around the Golden Horseshoe. Having never been inside, I tried to imagine what it would have been like when it was first opened with The Golden Horseshoe revue. It’s a lovely building, but was almost a ghost town. 

We wanted an adventure, so took a trip to the Temple of the Forbidden Eye with everyone’s fave archeologist Indiana Jones. We had gotten fast passes, so we took that line. Again, much like Splash Mountain, the queue was rather difficult to navigate through, but was much more enjoyable. This has got to be one of the best queues in all of Disneyland. The new voice didn't bother me at all. Yes it's closer to the original, but I didn't feel that it necessarily added or took anything away.

We then had a bout with pirates on Pirates of the Caribbean. Personally, I prefer to the older version of Pirates of the Caribbean without the characters and the original music. However, I know that many updates are overall for the better, and were an excuse to update the attraction in several ways. 

By now, it was time for us to check in for Fantasmic! There was a rather long line, as 8pm was the check in time for both the 9pm and 10:30pm show. We made friends with the couple ahead of us, and would later sit next to them during the 10:30pm show. 

We bought churros from the cart that was next to the Fantasmic! line, and went for another frightfully good time with Jack at the Mansion. I’m going to elaborate a tad on the effects. The stretching room was fantastic. I loved the fact that it was a projection and that Jack actually moved. There was a reason now for why Jack’s face filled up the entire ceiling. The changing portraits had the nice touch of Zero going through them, changing them from their regular states to their Nightmare versions. It didn’t always work, but it was the first weekend it was up, and they might have fixed it by now. The gingerbread was amazing as always, and smelled delicious. (It was a blast of gingerbread aromas in your face as you entered the ballroom scene).

Over at the hub, we got our PhotoPass+ and watch the middle to the end of Wishes! Sadly, that was my first encounter with a very rude guest, but it was minor at least, and we were able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the show. The castle looks magnificent at night, and everyone was taking pictures in front after the fireworks were over.























Back through Fantasy Faire to Rancho del Zocalo with their Dia de los Muertos decorations we went. 

There was a huge party going on there with TV crews and a large group of people all dancing to rather loud music. It looked like fun, but it was for invited guests only. 

We detoured to Adventureland and took a night time spin on the Jungle Cruise. I had always heard that doing it at night was an experience, and I have to agree/disagree. It was certainly an experience, but it creeped me out. I didn’t remember where anything was, and it felt as if everything was jumping out at me. The skipper was good, and kept us laughing all the way. I admire those who can do that job!

It was nearly time for Fantasmic!, so we meandered back over to the reserved seating area and were taken to our chosen seats. The dessert plate was simple, nothing to write home about. The seats were good and the view was nice, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t mind waiting a few hours for a good spot or don’t mind waiting until the end of the first Fantasmic! and then swooping in as the crowd is leaving. But personally, we wanted to explore the parks up until the last minute, and have seats, so the reserved seats were worth it to us.

We ended our first night in the parks by slowly making our way towards Mainstreet USA and out towards the esplanade. We stopped by City Hall to return the Handheld Device and give our feed back about how it worked. It didn’t always work picking up where we were in the parks, but it always worked on the attractions. 

Before we could take a load off our feet, we had to walk with the crowds through Downtown Disney back to the Disneyland hotel.  DtD looks beautiful at night and is full of music pumping through the speakers. There were both prerecorded pop hits as well as no less than three live acts going on. The first two were nice but didn’t leave much of an impression. However, the last one in front of Rainforest Cafe caught our  attention, as well as a rather large crowd. Their name is Alturas, and I highly recommend them to anyone who likes Latin American music. They were playing each night we were there, and we bought one of their CDs the night before we left because we loved them so much. 

Finally, at long last, our day came to a close. The view from our room was wonderful at night. To our left, we could see the back side of Splash Mountain and the tip top of Big Thunder Railroad. You could also see the Matterhorn and the Dssnyeland Train station. Right across from us was both the Paradise Pier Hotel, and the Grand Californian. Between the two was Disney Californian Adventure, with the tips of Radiator Springs showing, and the Little Mermaid ride visible. We had our kiss goodnight from the head board and quickly fell asleep. 

I've been asked about it so I'll say this again to clear it all up. :)

 I am a member of LivingSocial Deals, and get a few emails from them everyday. I usually get anywhere from 60-100 emails a day, so I normally glance over the deals of the day and go on checking everything else. However, I thought, why not, and looked through one of the emails. I spotted 12 Months of Meal Planning via eMeals. It was for 50% off.

 Harry and I have had issues planning out meals for the entire week, and have tried to only go grocery shopping twice a month. That wasn't working. We tried planning around the coupons that were available through our local Safeway, or trying to remember what we ate last week and what we'd like to have again.

 We would shop, get home, and within the week either be out of ideas or we would want something specific and would eat out. When I saw that deal, I knew I had come across something that would change us for the better. Nearly a week later we're still going strong!

 I highly recommend going over to eMeals.com and seeing if they're right for you. You can choose meal plans for two, or a family of four. You can also choose what kind of a menu you'd like. From family favorites to portion control, they've got something for everyone!

 Happy eating!
Kiki

eMeals Day 2

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Yesterday, instead of making one of the recommended Lunches, I chose to eat the left overs from last nights dinner. I love shrimp, so didn't mind having it twice. The fruit salad held up as well. The secret I've found to keeping fruit salads fresher longer is to squeeze a small amount of lemon on them. That may sound weird, but it works and doesn't affect the taste.

 For dinner, we had the pork chop dinner with Easy Parmesan Potatoes. The recipe called for Baja chipotle marinade, but I wanted something that didn't have as much of a kick. So, sticking with the same brand, I got Lawry's Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice.

 Harry thought the half pound boneless pork loin chop cut in half for the two of us wasn't enough, so he added two chicken breasts. We're currently using eMeals "Portion Control Plan for Two", and I wanted to stick with their suggestions, but didn't push it. 

The marinade was SO GOOD! The pork was actually tender, and the lemon added just the right amount of zest. The potatoes on the other hand weren't as good. We baked them in the oven as directed, but they didn't seem done. We put them back in for a few minutes, and they turned out hard and crispy. Oops! I didn't have many, but I know that if it wasn't for the slightly burned aspect, they would have tasted fine. I did however forget to snap a picture before I dug in. Sorry!

 We started eMeals because we as a couple couldn't get it together and really have a plan for what we wanted for dinner during the week. We would go to the grocery store and buy what we thought would last for a week or more, finding out that it wouldn't last us but about 5 days. 

 When I saw the deal on LivingSocial, I knew that we had finally found someone or something that would help us. You pay up front for the year, but I know that it's the best money we've spent all year.

 Why do I already know that? Because we LOVE to eat out, and this is going to put a stop to that. I can't thank the people at eMeals enough, even after only 2 days! 

 I am going to try one of their Lunches today; Turkey, Cheddar and
Bacon Sandwiches. I will write a review of that, as well as one for our dinner tonight. 

 If you would like to give eMeals a try, click here. 

 Happy eating!
Kiki

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Rise and shine everyone! This blog is being sent from my mothers laptop. I'm attempting to figure out why it says she's using half of her computers memory when she doesn't use the computer but for the most basic of needs. Oh well.

Do I have any Disney news? Not really. But I just finished watching The Princess and the Frog, The Emperor's New Groove, and now Mulan. All really early in the morning. Why? Filling out paperwork is really boring and back ground noise is nice. My next film will most likely be Memoirs of a Geisha or The Incredibles. I love both films, though I won't say equally because each is extremely different.

I like PatF (Princess and the Frog) as a whole. Funny plot, lovable characters, and a good villain that doesn't get nearly enough screen time. Naveen has to be one of my least favorite Disney Princes but is a good one in his own right. Tiana is a hard working girl who, like most Disney Characters do, lost her father and keeps his memory alive with her dream. I like her as one of the most realistic of the Disney Princesses. I know that's what Disney was going for, but I don't think many liked that a fairy tale princess scorned wishing upon a star.

The Emperors New Groove is one of my favorite Disney comedy movies. It has a lot of heart and wit. I absolutely love all the characters! Especially Yzma and Kronk! Heck, Kronk is hilarious and even got his own spin off movie! Also a good film to check out if you have the time. Pacha is the most lovable character to me and I love his wife and kids! I kind of wish they had a sequel besides Kronk's and the okay TV series but whatcha gonna do?

Mulan was one of my favorite movie as I was growing up. I saw the Disneyland parade featuring Mulan to promote the movie. It is a very good film. I love character development, and I think that Mushu has one of the best. He goes from someone who is selfish and only thinks of himself, to someone who wants to help Mulan. Cri-kee is one of my favorite characters. He's so cute and mischievous! I finally found one described so that Harry and I could watch it together. That was really nice. As an added bonus, it was on pitch.

I'm not too sure what I'll watch next, but there are SO many to choose from!


Have a great day!
Kiki

eMeals

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Yesterday, I came across a wonderful sounding offer from LivingSocial Deals titled "12 Months of Meal Planning". I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but I stink at planning meals. Even for the day of with everything we have. I usually settle for Hamburger or Tuna Helper, or cereal. So, I really liked this idea. I looked at their website eMeals and slowly fell in love with what I was seeing. 

 Before agreeing and paying for the service (half price through the LS Deal), I asked Harry what he thought of it. He enthusiastically agreed, and we signed up for it.

 It was easy to sign up, and quickly received emails from them containing my weekly Dinner Meal plan as well as a Lunch Meal plan (which costs just a bit extra). 

 So today we went grocery shopping with the lists that came with the plans. It took a long time to find all of the different ingredients. We're familiar with our store, but not for all the lists were asking for. Even though it took a while, we were both excited to try all of the new dishes. Once we were done shopping, got home, and put everything away, we decided to try out one of the dishes.

 The dish we tried was called Caribbean Shrimp and rice. We couldn't find Zatarain's Caribbean rice mix, so we got Jambalaya rice mix instead. It called for raw shrimp that needed to be added to the rice just before the rice finished cooking. eMeals suggested a fruit salad on the side made of mangoes, pears, oranges, and strawberries. It was the first time I've ever cut up mangoes, and I don't look forward to doing that again any time soon. 

 The dinner was really good. I know that sounds simple, but it really was. I look forward to trying more recipes from eMeals again and highly recommend them to anyone who gets frazzled trying to come up with dinner week after week.

Jambalaya Shrimp and Rice with Fruit Salad

Hello!

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Holy cow! It has been far too long since I've last posted. And I've noticed that I say that a LOT. It makes me sad, but that's how life is. Usually it's filled with school and work and figuring out where my life is going. That takes a lot out of you. It's late, and I have a few things I want to talk about.

 First, I did fantasticly this semester. Spring 2013 to be exact. Also, on Valentine's day of this year, I was proposed to by the love of my life Harry. It was a beautiful moment, and I won't forget it. 

 Also, I recently celebrated one year at the Disney Store. I may be getting my year pin soon, and I'm very excited for it.

 In just over a week, I'll be headed to my summer semester, and that is going to take up nearly all of my time, but I'm excited for it.

 I do have a few other things I want to talk about, but I will save that for another post.

 And if you're wondering about the Disney movie posts, they are making a come back!

 Kiki

I watched Darby O'Gill and the Little People on the 31st, but I "officially" watched Tangled yesterday. So we'll go with that, and I'll review the former at a later time.

Tangled is Disney's 50th animated film. And it does that honor proud. It is computer animated film, staring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. I know her from Princess Diaries and him from Chuck. All that being said, I really did enjoy this film. The music, and basically everything else about the film. Character development, something I think is really important, is done really well with Flynn and Rapunzel.

If I have anymore thoughts on this film, I'll be sure to come back and edit this.

I know it's January 2nd, but as I did watch a movie yesterday, I think it still counts. I am going to try to watch and write a little blog about each movie I watch. Let's do this!


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