Category Archives: Disney

Good-bye 2012, Hello 2013

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Good-bye 2012, Hello 2013

By Erin

As the clock ticks away into the first hours of the new year, one often wonders what the New Year has in store. Maybe this year will change your destiny. Perhaps you are meandering through the path of life, seeking answers to your deepest issues. Whatever your future may be, you must welcome the New Year with an open heart and open mind. Make the best of today, so that your tomorrows can be better. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do right now. TODAY! Otherwise you’ll be in the exact same spot you are right now, this time NEXT YEAR in 2014 wondering the EXACT.SAME.THINGS.

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.”–Thomas S. Monson

I love that quote immensely, and it fits the new year and all of its hopes, dreams, and desires that it brings all of us perfectly.

So first the past. Here is my recap of 2012 in pictures.  I am still in my first year of blogging, so I am going to start with the month of April, since that’s when my blog was “born” and came into this world. On April 10th, 2012 to be exact. Along with Mary’s brainchild, Along Comes Mary.

APRIL 2012

 Horsing Around In LA was created.

In 2012 I wanted to explore more tea houses, salons, and rooms. I was able to visit quite a few of them! This is something I wish to explore further in 2013. So far my favorite place for tea is Paris In A Cup in Orange, CA. Their Summer in Paris tea has won me over.

I was able to make great use of my Disneyland Annual Pass in 2012.
I was able to partake in a fun ocean adventure on a sailboat.
MAY
A fun day was spent at the spa in Glen Ivy with friends for my birthday.
Allie joined the barn. I LOVE this horse!!!! <3 🙂
 Stroll & Savor adventures on 2nd Street that I look forward to every year in Long Beach. If you are a foodie like me, then you have to check this out!
JUNE
Celebrating my Grandparents 65th Wedding Anniversary and my Grandma’s 90th Birthday
A yearly tradition I hope to continue into 2013! Our 3rd annual Girl’s trip out to the river! So much fun!! 🙂
Lake Havasu/River Trip with the Girls
Disney Fireworks. Yes, I went there a lot this year! I just can’t get enough Disney in my life. 😉
 JULY
What kind of Disney fan would I be without a trip to go visit Carsland at Disney during the summer?

 I was lucky to be able to fly out to Minnesota/North Dakota for 2 weeks to go visit family. This was at my cousin Bethany’s wedding in Medora, North Dakota. It was a beautiful wedding, fit for a princess. White Horses and Carriage included. 😉
Out at my Uncles Farm House in Minnesota. Can you see why I love it out here?
An Experience of a Lifetime at a Dodger Game with fellow friends and bloggers, Jamie & Mary for one of their blogger nights.
AUGUST

Of course, to be fair, we had to hit up an Angel’s game as well!
Trip out to the Black Hills, South Dakota for an exciting celebration for another cousin getting married by spending the week before in an amazing cabin in the hills! This is a place I want to come back to! The cabins here were just out of this world. Wish I could live in one of them!
The Cabin
The Lovely Couple Erin & Andrew at their wedding.
The Wedding Party
Crafted–Blogger Event At Crafted. Tons of hand-made goods that are made local here in the Los Angeles, CA area.
SEPTEMBER
We made it down to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center to watch a Grand Prix. This gorgeous Friesian horse and his rider performed during the National Anthem and after the event. I just love how beautiful they both are turned out! I would LOVE a headstall as shiny and blingy as this guy has to go riding around in.
OCTOBER
One thing I have been wanting to go to was to Disney’s Halloween Party. This year I was finally able to make that happen.
The year of weddings. My good friend from college, Kellie and her new hubby Ryan. I wish one of them were my own… but no such luck there…
Be on the lookout for a post on Grimmway Farms soon! I was ever so blessed to be able to visit them up in Bakersfield, CA and I learned all about carrots and where much of our produce comes from in CA! This was definitely a highlight of my year in 2012 as I LOVE the country/farm life and food in general if you have not noticed. It reminded me so much of being back in Minnesota/North Dakota!
NOVEMBER
CHILL!! With fellow blogging buddies Jamie & Mary.
DECEMBER
Another tradition I started and hope to be able to continue is a Holiday Dessert Exchange with friends and family. You get to sample so many tasty goodies and take some home with you. It’s been a highlight of the holiday season for me.
Helping my grandparents get their tree and house ready for Christmas. This was the first year that they weren’t able to do it all by themselves. So I treasured every minute with them since I never know if they will be here with us come next Christmas. Especially since my grandfather has been in the hospital again since this past Sunday evening and was also in the hospital for few days earlier in December. He gave us a major scare back in September when he had to have an emergency brain surgery.
Celebrating Christmas Eve with my grandparents.
There’s nothing like Disney at Christmas time! I love all the decorations, music, and holiday cheer at the happiest place on earth.
In a nutshell that was my year. The good, the bad, the ugly. A lot has been learned and many memories made. May 2013 bring better health to my family and friends, better opportunities, more good times than bad, important lessons learned, and growth in the right direction to make all of our dreams come true. In my next post I will continue with my goals, resolutions, aspirations and where I hope 2013 will take me. As we say our good-byes and close the door on 2012, I say hello to 2013 with open arms.

Grandpa’s Great Escape

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Here are a few pictures of my grandpa that I was talking about the other week that had the brain bleed. Even when he was in the ICU he wanted nothing more than to come home, although he never lost his sense of humor. Joking (I think?? lol) about ways to get out of there, stories of the crazy people at the hospital and how they wouldn’t leave him alone, and asking for the check at the end of his meal so he could tip the waitress and finally leave this restaurant that he was in. I am very lucky to still have all four of my grandparents, but he is the oldest of the four.  He will be 93 next January! I am happy to say he is doing well, and is getting better everyday.  🙂

Grandpa’s first evening back at home from the hospital! He was VERY happy to be back home if you couldn’t already tell from his smile. 🙂

This is his souvenir from the hospital. Grandma and Grandpa were joking that it looked like two eyebrows and a tiny nose. Grandpa was also joking that he was already for Halloween as Frankenstein. He has already gotten his staples out though, so he will have to find something else to be this Halloween. 😉

This is an older one of him, but one of my favorites that I’ll cherish forever. Here he is celebrating his 90th birthday a few days early back in December of 2009. You can tell by the look on his face that this roller coaster is a piece of cake for him. He’s ready to go on California Sceamin’ next. 😉

Who knows how much longer I will have my grandparents for, so I hope I can make the best of the time I have left with them. What are some of your favorite memories with your grandparents that you will treasure forever?

The Wonderful World of Disney World Dining!

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I’m a BIG Disney fan as you may all I know. I had asked my friend Kate (who I met on a Contiki tour to Europe back in 2008) and who is also a Disney fanatic as well and is actually lucky enough to work for the Mouse at Walt Disney World if she would like to write a guest post here while I am in South Dakota for the rest of the week for my cousin Erin’s Wedding (Yes, I know we have the same name! She was actually named after me and has a middle name after another cousin or so we say anyways 😉 Who better to ask than her about tips on places to eat while at Disney World? I would LOVE to take a trip to Florida and visit Disney World again (as well as go on a Disney Cruise again!!!) I hope you enjoy her ideas and tips on how to plan out your dining adventures while in the parks at Disney World! Thanks Kate for the great ideas!

Disney World Dining Tips
By Kate

Planning a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort can at times be a daunting task. This is with good reason, with 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping district, over 20 resort hotels and countless (and I mean countless) numbers of dining options, it’s no wonder people sometimes get overwhelmed. After countless family vacations and years of working at the parks, I can offer one small piece of advice. If you are anything like my family you will treasure this little nugget like it is real gold. Base your day on food. I’m serious. I know, Florida’s hot and the thought of eating a big, heavy meal before going on Space Mountain might not sit well with some, but trust me. The dining options the Walt Disney World Resort offers are some of the best meals and experiences your family and you will have while visiting. The only sad part is, as one of my friends said on her first visit, you can’t hit them all.

Regardless of the vast options, there are simple ways to go about eating your way through the parks. First, know that several dining options are available, from fast food to fine dining. With something that will please everyone’s palette, from traditional Italian, to world class steak houses, authentic Japanese sushi and even standard mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids, everyone can walk away happy and satisfied. Second, when planning, don’t automatically assume that Day 1 will be at Magic Kingdom, Day 2 at Epcot, etc., check out what dining options are available and plan your day in that park. For example, if you choose to eat in Italy at Epcot’s World Showcase on Day 3, plan on visiting that park as well so that you aren’t running from park to park just to make a dining reservation. Speaking of Italy, the dining options in Epcot’s World Showcase offer some of the best and most authentic cuisine. Here’s another tip, I always ask my waiter or waitress what their favorite dish is, or what on the menu seems most like “home” to them. In Norway I once tried a dish that resembled a personal meatloaf all because the waiter said it reminded him of home and his mom. It was delicious! Remember the waiters and waitresses are from that country. They will not steer you wrong, I promise!

While some of the sit down restaurants offer pricey dishes, even the thriftiness of vacationers can find something to revive their energy after a long day of park hopping. One way to get the most “bang for your buck”, is combining dinner and a show such as the Fantasmic Dining Package. The set price includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, beverage and priority seating to the nighttime show Fantasmic for each person in the dining party. What better way to introduce a first timer to the park than a filling, gourmet meal followed by an exciting show? The savings comes in the combination of paying a set price versus a la carte pricing¸ and you also get the benefit of preferred seating.

Big sit down meals are not the only option. If that’s not on the agenda, no worries, there are still plenty of tasty options throughout property that you can enjoy. At the Magic Kingdom don’t miss getting a Dole Whip in Adventureland. This tasty pineapple treat is refreshing and one of the most popular items in the park. Casey’s on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom offers delicious hot dogs and fries (cracker jacks too!) at a reasonable price and right across the street in the ice cream parlor is the most delicious sundae served with a mountain of hot fudge in a waffle bowl. That’s a great meal! If you had to ask me what my favorite find in the Magic Kingdom was though, I’d have to say a hot baked potato at the fruit stand in Liberty Square. At just around $3, this potato comes with all your favorite toppings and is definitely satisfying. Even the resorts have great options. The Polynesian has a fantastic sushi bar on the upper level of the main building and the new quick service restaurant at the Art of Animation Resort puts a new twist on a sandwich with the Surf and Surf burger. It’s a crab cake topped with fried popcorn shrimp. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I could really talk for days about all the wonderful dining options the Walt Disney World Resort offers. While I might have glossed over the options, there is some advice that will work much better than any restaurant recommendation I can give. Sift through the menus on the Walt Disney World website, most restaurants offer them. Choose something new and exciting for at least one meal. If you’ve always wondered about escargot, then book that reservation at Chefs de France! The Cast will do everything in their power to make sure you have an enjoyable dining experience and I can bet you won’t be sorry for exploring something new on vacation. Bon appetit!