FA+
Shop
Back from 30th birthmascation
6 years ago
Wowza! It's been a while since I've posted up a journal on FA ^^;
and I just made it back from a California adventure theme park run! I just turned 30 a few days ago and I wanted to do something special since it was a big milestone for me. I figured Disneyland is my favorite place ever so why not spend my birthday there? We decided since we were already down there might as well make a big trip of it. Boy oh boy did I need a vacation. We hadn't left town since we moved into it January 2017 ^^; I'd lost touch with my little self, the Cody inside me full of adventure and joy. More on that later. Let's get into the deets :3
First off, here's an album of photos I took on the trip: https://sta.sh/277u910q1oa
We left on Saturday the 16th from Salt Lake. From there it was a 12 hour drive allllll the way down to Ventura county in California where we stayed the first few days. We stopped at Raising Cane's for some yummy chicken tenders in Vegas on the way down. By the time we arrived we were crazy bushed. We ended up taking an alternate backroad toward the end because of a nasty crash causing delays. We were on this road that was all windy and I decided it was called "Mom's Spaghetti" *nods!*
St. Patrick's Day was the first day we were in a park. We started with Six Flags Magic Mountain which was fun as ever. The water rides were closed and their food quality sucks now! Okay got the bad stuff out of the way now on to the fact that weeeeeeee rollercoasters :3 We got to re-ride some of my favorites including Goliath, Twisted Collosus, and Tatsuuuuu! I was getting a little nauseated at times but all in all it was a fun day. :) Something else to note is that the valley is so greeeeen now because of all the rain and it was beautiful! I've never seen Southern California so full of life. It was a nice change from when I used to live there.
Monday we went to Universal Studios which was pretty alright but the lines were longish for such a short day (the park was only open 8 hours that day) and Jurassic Park is STILL closed. For real, they closed that before we left California over a year ago XP That's my favorite ride but oh well *huffs* We did get to eat in the Three Broomsticks and check out all of Harry Potter land and we even got Chocolate Frogs as a souvenir. We did Waterworld and the Backlot Tour and all that fun jazz before cruising the City Walk. We ate at this super yummers pizza place called Blaze Pizza and Cody got a "rainbow cloud drink" which was a boba tea with a whole bunch of cotton candy draped over the straw and crushed up Fruit Loops on top of that. Great experience on City Walk :)
Tuesday was a rest day so we didn't get too tired walking and standing in all the parks. We went out to Ventura Harbor and ate at a familiar haunt called Andria's Fish House. They have great fish and chips and their onion rings are amazing. ♥ We got ice cream at a local shop and ate it around an outdoor fire pit because it was a little bit chilly. After that we went down the Pacific Coast Highway which goes right alongside the edge of the Pacific Ocean for miles. We always loved going that way to get to Disneyland :) I hit a toll road on the way down but it wasn't too bad and we avoided it for the rest of the trip. Our hotel was pretty dang nice and we got a sweet deal with Cody's discount.
Wednesday through Friday were all Disneyland/California Adventure days. That was alright I guess. Next.
.....LOL LOL. I had so much fun going back to the parks. I really mean it when I say Disney is my favorite place in the world to be. I forgot what it's like to go to the park for a 3 day ticket instead of just going for a day with an annual pass. You get to slow down, take your time, check out the shops...it's just a way better experience than going for a day. We spent most of the first day in Disneyland. They retroed Space Mountain back to the way it used to be instead of making it Star Wars themed. I ran into my old coworkers in the elevator for Haunted Mansion which was so super awesome. I got to see all my favorite coworkers and we caught up for a bit after the ride too. :) The entire first day was a blast. We got really lucky at the end; the fireworks started right as we got on Big Thunder Mountain so we got to watch them from the ride <3
This birthday was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. It started off a little bit crummy because it was raining all morning and we were kinda miserable with the rain, especially at lunch when the rain was pouring on us in the outdoors. The rain finally cleared in the afternoon and things got a whole lot better. I finally got to meet Nick Wilde and we took some pictures with him *blushes* Oh my god it was so embarrassing to meet him! I literally ran away after the photos and hid behind a wall! D: I wore a birthday pin all day and all the cast members kept wishing me happy birthday which was really nice. For dinner we ate inside the Blue Bayou because I made reservations before the trip. I had a delicious rack of lamb and the best mashed taters I've ever had in my life. For anybody who has never seen the Blue Bayou, the restaurant is inside Pirates of the Carribean all dark and lit with small lamps and lightning bugs. It's a really neat environment. :3 All in all this was a really great birthday.
Our last day was just as fun as the first two. We rode the remaining rides we hadn't yet, went on Indiana Jones because it had been closed till Friday (they had a little explorer theme thing going in the meantime with the line) and rerode a bunch of rides too. :) The big highlight of Friday was definitely the Fantasmic show. Holy. Cow. That show is sooooooo good! Bleu always talked it up but now I definitely see why he wanted to see it so bad. I can't really describe it; you just have to see it. We also got monte cristos from the Cafe Orleans on the last day as well. Mmmm mmm! We got souvenirs and I am a little ashamed how much I spent on pins but...they're for my desk to give me smiles! It was a good decision! Hehehe
Saturday was spent driving back to Vegas and staying the night. We cruised the strip and checked out all the shops there, got some yummy Hawaiian cookies, Cody got a daquiri slushie and walked around with it, then we headed back to the hotel after we all got tired. So much walking adds up on your feet after time. On Sunday we went to a huge swap meet and looked around. I was tempted to buy a few things while we were there but I resisted. We ate at a place called Pepe's Tacos twice (don't judge; super yummy foods!) and then we finished the drive home.
****
All in all this was so incredibly needed. I lost my little self and going back to Disney helped bring that back. I know Disney is big and evil but they make great products, great productions, and amazing experiences. They also help remind adults that it's okay to be a kid and to never lose that joyful part of yourself. I'm forever a Disney kid and, though I'm glad to be back, I already look forward to going back again.
and I just made it back from a California adventure theme park run! I just turned 30 a few days ago and I wanted to do something special since it was a big milestone for me. I figured Disneyland is my favorite place ever so why not spend my birthday there? We decided since we were already down there might as well make a big trip of it. Boy oh boy did I need a vacation. We hadn't left town since we moved into it January 2017 ^^; I'd lost touch with my little self, the Cody inside me full of adventure and joy. More on that later. Let's get into the deets :3First off, here's an album of photos I took on the trip: https://sta.sh/277u910q1oa
We left on Saturday the 16th from Salt Lake. From there it was a 12 hour drive allllll the way down to Ventura county in California where we stayed the first few days. We stopped at Raising Cane's for some yummy chicken tenders in Vegas on the way down. By the time we arrived we were crazy bushed. We ended up taking an alternate backroad toward the end because of a nasty crash causing delays. We were on this road that was all windy and I decided it was called "Mom's Spaghetti" *nods!*
St. Patrick's Day was the first day we were in a park. We started with Six Flags Magic Mountain which was fun as ever. The water rides were closed and their food quality sucks now! Okay got the bad stuff out of the way now on to the fact that weeeeeeee rollercoasters :3 We got to re-ride some of my favorites including Goliath, Twisted Collosus, and Tatsuuuuu! I was getting a little nauseated at times but all in all it was a fun day. :) Something else to note is that the valley is so greeeeen now because of all the rain and it was beautiful! I've never seen Southern California so full of life. It was a nice change from when I used to live there.
Monday we went to Universal Studios which was pretty alright but the lines were longish for such a short day (the park was only open 8 hours that day) and Jurassic Park is STILL closed. For real, they closed that before we left California over a year ago XP That's my favorite ride but oh well *huffs* We did get to eat in the Three Broomsticks and check out all of Harry Potter land and we even got Chocolate Frogs as a souvenir. We did Waterworld and the Backlot Tour and all that fun jazz before cruising the City Walk. We ate at this super yummers pizza place called Blaze Pizza and Cody got a "rainbow cloud drink" which was a boba tea with a whole bunch of cotton candy draped over the straw and crushed up Fruit Loops on top of that. Great experience on City Walk :)
Tuesday was a rest day so we didn't get too tired walking and standing in all the parks. We went out to Ventura Harbor and ate at a familiar haunt called Andria's Fish House. They have great fish and chips and their onion rings are amazing. ♥ We got ice cream at a local shop and ate it around an outdoor fire pit because it was a little bit chilly. After that we went down the Pacific Coast Highway which goes right alongside the edge of the Pacific Ocean for miles. We always loved going that way to get to Disneyland :) I hit a toll road on the way down but it wasn't too bad and we avoided it for the rest of the trip. Our hotel was pretty dang nice and we got a sweet deal with Cody's discount.
Wednesday through Friday were all Disneyland/California Adventure days. That was alright I guess. Next.
.....LOL LOL. I had so much fun going back to the parks. I really mean it when I say Disney is my favorite place in the world to be. I forgot what it's like to go to the park for a 3 day ticket instead of just going for a day with an annual pass. You get to slow down, take your time, check out the shops...it's just a way better experience than going for a day. We spent most of the first day in Disneyland. They retroed Space Mountain back to the way it used to be instead of making it Star Wars themed. I ran into my old coworkers in the elevator for Haunted Mansion which was so super awesome. I got to see all my favorite coworkers and we caught up for a bit after the ride too. :) The entire first day was a blast. We got really lucky at the end; the fireworks started right as we got on Big Thunder Mountain so we got to watch them from the ride <3
This birthday was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. It started off a little bit crummy because it was raining all morning and we were kinda miserable with the rain, especially at lunch when the rain was pouring on us in the outdoors. The rain finally cleared in the afternoon and things got a whole lot better. I finally got to meet Nick Wilde and we took some pictures with him *blushes* Oh my god it was so embarrassing to meet him! I literally ran away after the photos and hid behind a wall! D: I wore a birthday pin all day and all the cast members kept wishing me happy birthday which was really nice. For dinner we ate inside the Blue Bayou because I made reservations before the trip. I had a delicious rack of lamb and the best mashed taters I've ever had in my life. For anybody who has never seen the Blue Bayou, the restaurant is inside Pirates of the Carribean all dark and lit with small lamps and lightning bugs. It's a really neat environment. :3 All in all this was a really great birthday.
Our last day was just as fun as the first two. We rode the remaining rides we hadn't yet, went on Indiana Jones because it had been closed till Friday (they had a little explorer theme thing going in the meantime with the line) and rerode a bunch of rides too. :) The big highlight of Friday was definitely the Fantasmic show. Holy. Cow. That show is sooooooo good! Bleu always talked it up but now I definitely see why he wanted to see it so bad. I can't really describe it; you just have to see it. We also got monte cristos from the Cafe Orleans on the last day as well. Mmmm mmm! We got souvenirs and I am a little ashamed how much I spent on pins but...they're for my desk to give me smiles! It was a good decision! Hehehe
Saturday was spent driving back to Vegas and staying the night. We cruised the strip and checked out all the shops there, got some yummy Hawaiian cookies, Cody got a daquiri slushie and walked around with it, then we headed back to the hotel after we all got tired. So much walking adds up on your feet after time. On Sunday we went to a huge swap meet and looked around. I was tempted to buy a few things while we were there but I resisted. We ate at a place called Pepe's Tacos twice (don't judge; super yummy foods!) and then we finished the drive home.
****
All in all this was so incredibly needed. I lost my little self and going back to Disney helped bring that back. I know Disney is big and evil but they make great products, great productions, and amazing experiences. They also help remind adults that it's okay to be a kid and to never lose that joyful part of yourself. I'm forever a Disney kid and, though I'm glad to be back, I already look forward to going back again.
It seems like only yesterday
You were just a child at play
Now you're all grown up inside of me
Oh, how fast those moments flee
Once we watched a lazy world go by
Now the days seem to fly
Life is brief, but when it's gone
Love goes on and on
On a side note if your ever in Salt Lake again we need set up some kind of meet just to Chill like old time