Ever have one of those mornings?

Where despite the fact that you worked till 11 the night before at a job you can't stand, you stayed up late to watch one of your favorite shows, you have to get up at 6:40 to start your 12 hour day but it's a great freakin' day?

That's where I am today. I got up, got ready in what seemed like record time...perhaps considering my hair is FILTHY (darn you no free time from Saturday till Tuesday night) and I just put it into a bun so no one could tell...and then had time to make myself a mug of tea and dress myself relatively well for work and head off in a cloud of Sublime's self-titled album. The clouds in the sky only served to help my chipper little mood. I'm a fall girl. Always have been.

Just thought I'd share with you. Not all Mondays are bad. I'm sure I'll be grumpy catting it up in a week, but for now, I'm pretty content with life.

Cheers, friends. 

What's on my Christmas List?

About a week ago, I'm in the kitchen trying to find something to munch, as I so often do at all times of the day, and my mother comes downstairs and emphatically announces that she would like a Ped Egg for Christmas. That's it. She wants a Ped Egg. So I think to myself...if I get everyone's requests in now...I could be done shopping by mid October and spend the rest of the time in stress-free bliss, not having to worry about shopping or beating other people to the mall. So I'm goin' for it. That in turn though, means that I should have my own Christmas list ready to go so that I can provide other shoppers in my life that same, stress-free experience, right?

Now, to be fair, I expected to graduate around Christmas time, so my grad present/Christmas list has been standing for a minute. It's pretty short, though the items I chose are quality. So I figured I would share it with you folks as well, maybe you'll get into the Christmas spirit in September too.

Clark's Desert Boots in Beeswax Leather

This seems like a pretty random thing to ask for for Christmas but, to be clear, I've had my eyes on these babies since Christmas 2011. I am in LOVE. Considering how much of a plain Jane I am in the style department, burnished leather grandpa boots are right up my alley. Apparently, these were cool back in the day when my mom was my age....wellp Moms, they're still cool for this girl now. I have legitimately been coveting these for years and I'm finally going to ask for them for Christmas because well, two years is too long to wait. I could always have bought them myself, but it is so much more satisfying to not spend $110 on a pair of boots that I don't really need in real life. 

Marc Jacobs Honey Perfume

Sooooo this guy is currently hanging on by a thread on the list. Considering how obsessed I've become with Victoria's Secret's Coconut Passion perfume in recent weeks, that has definitely surpassed Honey for now. But I already own Coconut Passion so I'm going to go for something new for the early part of 2014 and switch it up maybe. We'll see if it actually stays though. 

This fragrance came out in the Spring and while I do like Marc Jacobs fragrances, I tend to lean more toward richer, more vanilla-y fragrances than he typically releases. In the case of Honey, I found that I really do like how light it is because there is a rounded out sweetness to it that I feel like tends to be missing for me when I've smelled the other fragrances from the brand. There's always a little something missing that I can't put my finger on and they fall just a little....flat. Perhaps its the honey element in the perfume that I'm responding to. Either way, I love it and if it makes it on the final Christmas list, I'm getting it. 

That's about it for now. My only FOR SURE is the boots. I want a gift certificate to get my hair done but I'm not super concerned about that right now. I still have to decide what I'd like to do with my hair by then. 

Ok...who the heck hit fast forward?!

Guys, I swear I say this every week, and I know it. But where do these days keep going? Despite the last 7 days feeling like some of the longest in my life, this week ended rather quickly and pretty quick here it'll be Christmas. Sure, I'm getting a little carried away, but forreal guys, this is just getting ridiculous. I feel like I'm waking up on Monday and then by noon, it's Friday already.

Speaking of, I've decided I'm just going to start calling it the Fess Up. No Friday. Sometimes I'm busy, and I can't get it up on Friday but I definitely do as soon as I can. So taking the deadline out cuts a bit of the pressure for me. To quote the YouTube community, with that being said, let's jump right in. I swear, they ALL say that in their videos. Guys, get a new catch phrase! I'm begging you!

Number One: Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea from Celestial Seasonings. Like I said, soon it will be Christmas, right guys? Might as well start with the seasonal beverages now. Anyway, I'm notorious for using tea as a hand warmer. I might not even want to drink the tea, but I make some so I can hold the warm mug and warm up my notoriously freezing little hands. In the case of Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride however, I'm all about drinking it. Yes, it warms my hands just famously, but it is also freaking DELICIOUS. I've gone through most of the remainder of the box I got around Christmastime last year in a matter of the last few days. I can't even tell you how nice it is to be sitting here writing this with the wafting scent of sugar cookie tea coming from my Disneyland Halloween mug right next to me.

MMMMMM Delicious! Plus, look how cute the box is!

Number Two: My new workstation. Over the last few weeks, I've managed to get really behind in life. Or at least feel like I am. Postmove, my room is still a bit of a disaster area. And while we're going to be working on it today, I needed to get a set workspace for myself because if I don't have somewhere to grade my papers and store my laptop, I'll be doing it in my bed and beds are not for working. They're for napping, cuddling, and watching Sons of Anarchy or Once Upon a Time in. Once everything is put together, I'll post pictures and do a description of what all we did, I'm just waiting to get my electrical situation figured out and my calendar and bulletin board hung up.

Number Three: Once Upon a Time. So other than the fact that I'm more than a little annoyed that Joanna Garcia is apparently going to be playing Ariel on the show, (I mean seriously, my favorite character is going to be played by Cheyenne from Reba?! Seriously?! There had to have been much better options to play a mermaid out there) I am so excited that Once Upon a Time is back on starting tomorrow. Over its runtime, it has managed to become one of my favorite shows and I can't wait to see how the new season progresses. Plus I am always super into Emma's style...or I was in the first season, subsequent seasons and their costuming has only managed to disappoint...and Mary Margaret's makeup choices. Bring on the magic!

Anyone else think that looks vaguely like the Flying Dutchman from the Pirates movies??

Number Four: My current hair care routine. Ok, ok, I'm not a beauty guru or anything. Nor do I claim to be. Trust me, I'm way too lazy for that. BUT after double processing my hair to achieve the ombre look I've been rocking for almost a year now, not to mention a pretty dramatic frying after letting a friend's mom color my hair with a box dye last November, my hair was a little bit on the freaking out side. However, I am happy to report that it is not nearly as strawlike and dry, nor do I have little broken pieces everywhere like I did. Thank you Macadamia Natural Oil! Woot!

Number Five: Sweatpants, leggings, and yoga pants being practically a seasonal requirement. I've noticed this week that because I'm not taking Communication classes, no one in my classes wears real pants. Everyone is constantly in workout gear. As a result I've decided that I clearly chose the wrong major coming into college. If I'd just chosen Kinesiology, I could have work sweats for the last four years, cuteness be damned! Too late now though, so I'll just hop on the bandwagon and give my jeans a rest unless I'm going out for a beer ;) I ordered myself two pairs of cuter, more girly sweatpants than the type I'm usually spotted in from Gilly Hicks this week because theirs were marked down to $25 and there was free shipping over $50. Done deal right there. 

Gilly Hicks Vintage Skinny Sweatpants. Hopefully they're as comf as they look.

Number Six: Getting published for the second time at work. After possibly the most boring 2 weeks ever at my internship, I'm getting another story published, plus some photos I took yesterday. All of which I did the photo editing on and I wrote the story and the Facebook blurb. No links yet but when I have them, so will you :)

Number Seven: Coconut Passion Perfume from Victoria's Secret. I'm in love with this scent. I got the body spray version in August with a coupon for a full-size free at Victoria's Secret. I become so obsessed with it that I had to buy the actual perfume as well. Now I've asked my little sister for the body wash and body cream for Christmas so I can smell like delicious dessert all the time.

Doesn't look like much but it smells SOOOOO good! 

Even my hair dresser asked me what I was wearing. 

Tattoos. Yes, I have them. Just some long, quick musings about body art.

What's Up with Tattoos?

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, not sure why. Perhaps because the itch to ink again has struck me, or perhaps because its been a while since I've had to explain them to anyone. There are a few things I've learned about people with tattoos as I've accumulated my own over the last 3 years. I have 5 myself. Each of them was somewhat carefully thought out. To be honest, I saw, heard, read whatever I got tattooed, it ended up on there because when I saw, heard or read them, I had an overwhelming connection to whatever it is and HAD to get it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Why They're Here

My tattoo philosophy is this: If you want it, get it. If you regret it, at least there's a story. Each of the 5 have been something that has struck me profoundly when I read, see or hear it, and thus, they ended up permanently inked on the surface of my skin.

I would like to say they serve as a road map to where I've been in my life, emotionally, geographically, whatever. But I'll be totally honest here, they absolutely do not. My tattoos are just something I wanted when I had the money and they happened. They're no more an indication of my journey through life than they are the coolest things on the planet. They meant something to me, I wanted them, I could pay, so I got them. I got my tattoos, not to join the club and be one of the "cool kids". I wanted them for myself and that was it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm damn proud of my tattoos. I didn't earn them or anything like that. I'm not in a gang, motorcycle club or prison where your tattoos are a visual cue to who you are and each and every one is an earned experience. I am however proud of my ink. It is a part of me, like my eyes, hair or teeth. My tattoos are a part of my appearance. In fact, I forget that they're there most of the time, they've become so ingrained into my person that I forget that there was a time when I didn't have them.

Speaking of gangs, though, tattoos are kind of like a club, if you think about it. The more you have, the more you belong, and while the membership is relatively diverse, it is also an exclusive, relatively judgmental sort of club. The people who don't have tattoos want to know all about them, the people who do have them see your tattoos, recognize you as another one, and then move on. No questions asked.

Why having Ink is Equivalent to Being with Child

To be honest, I have found that the most annoying part of having tattoos is the fact that while a lot of people will judge you for having them, your ink also seems to be an engraved invitation for people to invade your space, both  your physical and emotional . I have never had so many unwarranted experiences with people touching me (and I am NOT a toucher by nature. I don't even hug my parents unless I'm forced) as I have since I got my tattoos. The tattoo on my back is the worst. It goes across my left shoulder and I have had at least 10 different people grab the shirt I'm wearing and pull it out of the way to read it. It's kind of like being pregnant, but instead of people crowding your tummy and asking when you're due, they crowd your whole body, put their face real close and breathe all over you.

People want to "read" tattoos (I say "read" because I don't have any tattoos in English, on purpose) and ask all about them; they want to know what they mean and why I got them. Then they want to validate my choice with a hearty, "Oh, that's a good one!" or "I like that!" My internal response to this, every time that I hear it is, "I know it's a good one. I paid to have it put on my body for the rest of my life." and "Good for you, I don't remember asking how you felt about my personal choices, but I appreciate your validation of them." I don't think it gets more awkward than having your waxer ask you, mid appointment what your tattoo says. If you can think of a better one, be my guest. Can't say I've ever been more uncomfortable than in that moment though.

I don't ask people about their tattoos. I ask to see them. I don't ask what they mean, where they come from, why they chose it. I don't ask about religious significance or why they got a weed tattoo. It isn't that I don't care (ok, maybe a little...or depending on the person, a lot), but I honestly feel that my validation of your tattoo choice should not affect how you feel about what you chose.

I say all this about how tattoos are personal and that I hate the invasion of space, and then I'm going to turn around and tell you that I judge people's tattoos as well. Despite how personal they are, I look at so many people's tattoos and think, "You picked that out of a book, didn't you?" It isn't that the tattoo itself doesn't exhibit skill (although considering how many "bad tattoo" websites there are out there, you can see my assumption), but that a Bambi on your ankle or a dolphin on your ass is more likely to be a drunken Spring Break choice than it is an honest reflection of you.

Why "Thinking Out" Tattoos Isn't Always the Best Idea

My first tattoo came when I was ALMOST 19. I waited almost a year because I wanted to be sure that I did, in fact, want what I wanted. I'm now almost 22. Having thought out my first tattoo thoroughly, I can honestly say, it is the only one I would love to get rid of. It's small, on my left foot and says, "Joie de Vivre" in my ex's handwriting. We have long since stopped seeing each other, and despite still being friends, I hate the tattoo. Not passionately. I forget its there most of the time, but when I do see it, the small, awkward placement and small, awkward handwriting irk me.

I really wish that I'd started with my second tattoo or my fourth. The first one is just, meh. Unimpressive and the one I have to explain the most frequently because, despite "joie de vivre" being a pretty common expression, apparently, most Americans are much more ignorant of other cultures than I had supposed. The Hawaiian phrase on my back, yes, the Roman numerals on my forearm, understandable, the Spanish on my hip, if you're lucky enough to see, sure. But I don't even speak French, and I knew what Joie de Vivre was...as early as my late childhood. Sad day, America, sad day.

I also think that thinking about it to the point of exhaustion takes all the fun, impulsiveness, and excitement out of the tattoo. If you've thought it to death, you could also think yourself out of wanting them. Sometimes, the
go go go" thing really helps.

Just Because I have Them, doesn't mean I Love Guys with Tattoos

My tattoos don't mean that I expect the men that I'm with to also be tattooed. Mine are a part of me, they don't need to be a part of the men that I date at all for me to be interested. 

As with all things, my theory on men with tattoos is that it depends on the man. There are some guys that look really good with them, there are some guys that look ridiculous with them, some who got them just to be cool, and some who have waaaaaayyyyy too much ink. Yes, that is possible...paging Joel Madden, leg tattoos are NOT cute. 

I can honestly say, the guys that I've been the most into didn't have any tattoos at all. The tattooed ones are good for a crush, or infatuation rather, but the ones that I legitimately am interested in, want to date are the ones who haven't made the leap into tattoos yet. Not that I would dump a guy because he got a tattoo while I was with him, but I don't go out of my way to find a man with tattoos to pair myself up with. Nor do I look for men without. I just look for men that I like. Tattoos or not don't have any weight in my decision; I've just noticed a trend within my dating life that the guys I've actually been into into, they haven't had tattoos at all. 

Friday Fess Up: Sunday Edition?

I'm sorry guys. This has been a rough week. I started this post on Friday like I was supposed to and then totally blew it off in my sick daze. I don't know where these weeks keep going. It literally feels like Monday. I suppose being completely dead to world, sick, can do that to you though, I suppose. After a week of being in death zone, I'm feeling a lot better but I still have a disgusting bark of a cough and I'm feeling kind of feverish and uncomfortable. All I want to do lately is go home, shower and get back in bed with Sons of Anarchy on my laptop.

Number One: Sons of Anarchy is my new show. This should come as NO surprise to anyone. I resisted watching for sooooo long and it never appealed to me. And then on Monday, I watched all of season one of Duck Dynasty on Amazon Prime and they had no more. So I went on to Sons of Anarchy and I'm hooked, guys. I can't help it. It's so good and all the drama isn't annoying Gossip Girl stuff, either. It's a really good, well written and well thought out show. I'm in heaven with 3 more seasons to go before I'm caught up.  

Number Two: You know that taste of apple cider when you're sitting around a campfire? Where it tastes so much better than it does anywhere else, any other time that you try and drink it? If you don't, go camping. If you do, I have good news for you. It's called an Apple Chai and it lives at Starbucks. It isn't on the menu anymore but your barista should know how to make it. If not, it's a steamed apple juice with chai spice in it. If they ask how many, just tell them you want the normal amount that they do with the size you ordered (grande is 4 pumps, just so you know). It's delicious. And it literally tastes like that magical camping cider.

Number Three: Football season is the loneliest of sports seasons. I don't have a football team. NFL that is. All my friends are blowing up Instagram with 49ers and Colts posts and I'm over here like, "Woot! Go 'Bama!" It makes for an interesting dynamic. I don't have any friends up here who are Alabama fans so I can't be all cool and go to games and tailgate. The struggle is real, friends. 

Number Four: I've already picked out my next hair color. Yes, I literally just redid my ombre last month. BUT hey, you always have to know what your next move is, right? It's gonna go a little something like this:

Number Five: This video of Charlie Hunnam on Conan O'Brien has been cracking me up all week. I initially searched him on YouTube because I read he's English in real life. Let's be real guys...his accent is friggin weird. It isn't so much English as Jax Teller with an odd sense of timing and inflection. He doesn't have that inherently fancy British accent like Benedict Cumberbatch or What'shisface who plays Sherlock Holmes on Elementary. I watched it two days ago and every time I think of it, I have a little chuckle to myself because he is just so casual about his "weapons" and confronting burglars. "Unfortunately I only have one weapon in each room of my house." You been playing Jax too long, boy. 

Number Six: Those "take at a certain time" medicine prescriptions are bullshit. I have had my scrip for a week and I have not once taken it on time. It's been roundabouts seven every time....but never on time. Why do I need to take it exactly 12 hours apart, anyway?? I mean I've been stuffed up for a week, my right sinus is still bleeding every time I blow my nose, how is amoxicillin every TWELVE hours going to fix that? I answer myself, it isn't. I feel less like a mack truck hit me and more like a disgusting snot ball...so I guess that was good. But still. Take twice a day, whenever you feel like it, seems like good enough instructions to me.

FINALLY, swear this has been the longest post coming. It was HARD coming up with seven things to talk about this week. Which is sad because I am sure that seven things worth talking about did, in fact happen, I just can't remember them. Don't do drugs, kids. It's bad. 

Number Seven: Sleepy Hollow! SO GOOD! GAH! CAN'T MAKE WORDS. Basically, for someone who likes creepy crime shows, AND period pieces, HOME RUN. Although, I have distinct memories of watching the Disney rendition of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as a kid and Ichabod Crane was not nearly as hot or manly in that one. He was a useless, dweeby school teacher who was in love with a blonde girl he couldn't have. The whole thing was just...sad. This Ichabod is A. HOT and B. decidedly more British and weapon-wielding, therefore making him much better at kicking headless horseman ass and not ending up dead like he does in the Disney version too. 

Wellp, that's all folks. That's all my little snot-filled brain can handle right now. Better late than never, right? 

Just had to share with you...

...I heard this song on Friday morning when I was listening to my Hunter Hayes Pandora station and it has been stuck in my head ever since. Normally, that's because the song has some kind of mystical prophecy about my life. Sounds weird, I know. But I'm someone who associates music to things much quicker than anything else and so because I have found myself singing to myself in the shower, as I do the dishes, and my makeup each morning, I thought it necessary to get it stuck in all of your heads as well.

It's Friday, Friday, Friday!

Anyone else excited? I know I am. I hope y'all enjoyed the Disneyland post that went up Wednesday night. I started it in the car on the way home and didn't start on any of my homework until it was finished and posted. It was really important to me to get it up before I forgot everything anyway ;) 

Anyway, this week has been vaguely crazed. Between starting it in Disneyland and now being back on the grind at my internship and at school, it's super weird. 

This weekend won't be any different. I'm officially moving home so my room at my parents' is currently a disaster area while we rearrange things, touch up paint and get things ready for me to move it all back in. 

Luckily, this time I have a clear vision of what I want it to look like and I have no problem making that happen now. I'll be sure to do a post once I'm up and running at home again with pictures of everything coming together.

But, now the reason we're all here, right? Friday Fess Up. 

Number One: After spending most of this year not wearing makeup...or wearing as little as possible, I've decided to be more of a girl going forward. At least making myself look presentable before I leave the house, fixing my hair, you know, putting in SOME effort.

 I think holding myself accountable for the way I look will help me get better about being in a routine for my skin care and things like that. 

To that end...

Number Two: I plan on eating much better and hitting the gym. Remember how they say love is blind? Well I wasn't in love but dating someone who treats you like you're perfect gets you in the habit of not looking in the mirror or paying attention to what you eat. I'm getting a little...squishy. I need to tone back up. I don't wanna look like Po from Kung Fu Panda as cute as he is. 

I want my booty to look like Karena's from Tone It Up

Number Three: I'm obsessed with Halloween. Christmas and Halloween are tied in my heart for favorite holiday. Yet I don't like Nightmare before Christmas as much as the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong, I like the movie and I'll watch it but it isn't the first thing I pick up, ya know? 

My adorable Disneyland Halloween mug ❤

Anyway, I'm so excited for fall and Halloween right now. I love the clothes, the season, and all the cool things you get to do when it cools down. 

Number Four: I own way too many phone cases...aaaand I just bought another one. But come on, guys! I was at Disneyland for 2 full days and I didn't even buy a $40 Disney case! I did buy this really cute Tangled one though. 

Stinkin' cute, right?!

Number Five: I am the WORST girl about nails. As part of my new "taking care of myself" kick I was gonna try and start getting pedicures more often but I just CAN'T. I'm the queen of walking around barefoot. Hell, I take my shoes OFF when I get home from the grocery store to go back out and unload the car. I just hate shoes. So I give up on pedicures. I cut my nails better than they do anyway. 

Number Six: I'm currently obsessed with finding a pair of camouflage pants. I'm not talking full on Duck Dynasty status fatigue lookin things. I'm talkin' cute, fashionable camo pants that I would legitimately wear in real life. You know, with a slouchy top, some boots or vans and a scarf. But the pair I found on American Eagle's website have TERRIBLE reviews so...the search continues. 

Number Seven: Sometimes you just can't stay mad at someone. I tried guys, I tried to be good and angry but I can't stay that way. Not this time. I don't know what it is about this guy but I do not have it in me to be worked up about things that have happened for more than a few hours. 

You know that scene at the beginning of PS, I Love You where Holly and Gerry are fighting and screaming at each other and they're pissed? Like slamming doors, throwing shoes, yelling in awkward Irish slang kinda pissed and they just walk out of the room, slamming the door as they go. Then there's 30 whole seconds of silence, Holly sticks her head out of the bathroom where she ran off to and Gerry walks in and says, "Are we done love? Can I come back now?" and they make up right then and there. That's how I feel. I have all this hot air, I get all pissed, I slam the door and then 30 seconds later, all is forgiven and all the piss and vinegar I had coursing through my veins is completely gone. 

Disneyland: Part 1

Considering that the plan currently has me returning to The Happiest Place on Earth at the end of next month, I've decided to title this entry part one, with part two coming after the second trip. Hope you don't mind ;) 

Monday: Day 1, California Adventure

Monday was our first day in the parks and the only day that we had a park hopper pass. We started the day picking up our tickets at Guest Relations and then making our way into California Adventure. 

I got Sulley on my ticket. Not necessarily relevant but I like him so I was excited. 

I'll be 100% honest, it has taken some getting used to the new face of California Adventure. I know they were going for a more classic Hollywood thing to reflect what Walt would have seen when he got here in the 1920's but I still miss the huge fountain that used to be in the main area of the park and the huge California sign that used to wait outside the park. It felt more quintessentially "California" to me. That being said, we still love going there and given the chance prefer California Adventure to Disneyland nowadays. 

 As has been our practice the last two years, my dad and I raced over to get FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers, the new Cars themed ride, so as to actually get on without waiting for 3 hours. It's usually a 30 or so minute wait, but at least we get on the ride and we get on it faster than standby people. 

Once we got all four FastPasses, we headed over to Toy Story Midway Mania over on Paradise Pier. Always a good time, this is one of my mom's favorite rides and we usually try to do it first because it too can have a pretty hefty wait time.

For those who don't know, the premise of this ride is that Andy has received a midway-themed games set and as usual, his motley crew of toys just can't keep themselves from trying it out. 

You as a rider put on 3D glasses and board a 4 person car that takes you from game to game. 

I won't even feign grace in this. I kick major ass at this game. I think I inherited my penchant for shooting games from my dad and have spent a great deal of my childhood trying to beat him at games like this. In the last few times, I've succeeded as evidenced below. 

I'm the green player on the right. I only ever seem to earn the beaver prize. 

For some reason my mom loves this game even though she never beats anyone. She's convinced she can beat my sister though and we've decided to allow her this delusion. 

We went back a second time later on in the day and I had to play by myself. I did, however, beat both parents. 

Once everyone had been sufficiently convinced of my potential for midway domination, we headed over to one of my favorite rides: Ariel's Undersea Adventure. 

Having followed the production of this ride on Twitter a few years back, and being more than a little obsessed with The Little Mermaid, I was SO excited to ride it last year when we went and I was not the least bit disappointed in the ride itself. 

Scuttle the Seagull greets you on the ride as you board your clamshell and head into the immersive story of the Little Mermaid. 

While, as usual, the ride doesn't necessarily fully encompass the story of the film, this one certainly does well enough to keep me happy. 

Just a little photographic rundown for you guys. It really is a pretty impressive recreation of the movie, unlike some of the rides in Fantasyland. 

The rest of the day went on in a blur. We rode Soarin' Over California, (which is personally pretty underwhelming for me but the rest of the party enjoys it) and wandered through the shops and things on our way back to the Hollywood Backlot section of the park to have lunch at the Carthay Circle restaurant. 

I wish I'd taken more pictures of lunch because that restaurant is absolutely gorgeous, as was the food. I did take a picture of my drink though. A tequila daisy might be the prettiest drink in existence and I really did enjoy it. 

Lunch was fantastic and the Carthay Circle restaurant has a fair bit of history attached to it. The restaurant's design is  based upon the theater where Snow White originally premiered. The lush interior not only reflects the design style of the Golden Age of Hollywood but takes some cues from the movie as well. 

Our corner table (as do all the four corner tables in the restaurant) features a silhouette of the Evil Queen in the wood grain. It's hard to spot initially but once you have it pointed out to you, impossible to miss. 

The center of the dining room also features a fresco of the forest scene in the movie and a crown chandelier that make the inspiration for the decor unmistakable. 

As for lunch, we had a fantastic time and our server, Jennifer, was some of the best service we've ever had in a restaurant and our food was phenomenal. My mom, lightweight that she is, ended up a little muddled from her Derby drink, and that in and of itself was worth the trip to lunch. Drunk mom: hilarious. 

After lunch, some of us more than a little tipped, we headed over to CarsLand to make use of our FastPasses. Personally, I don't understand the fascination with this ride. I like Cars, don't get me wrong. But the ride itself is pretty boring as far as I'm concerned. 

Snappin' pictures as fast as possible, really hard on this ride. You don't move slowly at all. 

I can't fault them for the recreation of Radiator Springs. Both the ride and the section of the park devoted to the movie are impeccably done. 

The ride though it just very...eh for me and I don't actually care whether I ride it or not. 

After leaving the ride and having a solid chuckle at our picture, we went back out to shop for a bit before grabbing a Starbucks and heading across to Disneyland for a couple of hours before the park closed on its shortened hours for off season. 

We only rode a few things: Pirates, Indiana Jones, and the Disneyland Railroad. It was enough to wet our appetite for the next day when we'd be in Disneyland from opening till closing. 

As first days go, it was pretty solid. 

Tuesday: Day 2, Disneyland 

After our first day with our Park Hopper Passes, Tuesday was our full day at Disneyland. 

This trip was significantly more laid back than previous trips. I'm getting older and so are my parents and it showed this time. The go go go of the first day was replaced by the let's take it easy of the second. 

We rode Indiana Jones again but you try and take pictures on a bucking jeep. That is HARD. I gave up real quick. 

Next though, we hit my favorite ride ever. Pirates. The last ride Walt Disney actually worked on himself has got to be some of the best rideage in the park. 

Look at that audio animatronic goodness!

I'm not gonna lie, I am It's a Small World's smallest fan. It may be the most boring ride in the entire world. I can't stand it. But with most things, I tolerate it for the people I'm with. 

If you haven't been back since they renovated it a few years ago, they not only made the trenches wider and deeper to accommodate the growing girth of America. 

They also added some of the more recognizable disney characters to the ride to keep it more current. 

Ariel, her sisters, Lilo and Stitch, Woody, Bullseye and Jessie have all found permanent homes in It's a Small World. 

We rode that once and I have NEVER in my life gotten STUCK on a ride like that. There were literally 8 boats end to end, butting into each other at the end. I think waiting to get off the damn ride was longer than the wait to get on and the entire length of the ride combined. I finally bolted and ran up the stairs the second we could disembark. Never again, Disneyland. Never again. 

I stopped to buy some souvenirs after lunch. My friend Sara and I share a mutual love of mermaids and refer to each other as "Mermates". And since the store at Frontierland where you purchase custom engraved leather goods had the butt ugliest keychains ever, I bought us matching bracelets. 

We'll be wearing them when we hit Disneyland again next month for her birthday :)

The lady finished up with my bracelets just in time for our lunch reservations at the Blue Bayou. The story for that is far too long for me to recount here and mostly involves my mom being really good and complaining in her old age and using her Type A personality to her advantage. 

I can't even lie, this is a TERRIBLE picture of us.

I am against the Blue Bayou. Categorically, I do not want to go there. Ever. It's dark, it's EXPENSIVE, and I am generally just fine going across the way to Cafe Orleans for the same food at half the price and a prettier view of outside. I have however never been as FULL as I was after that lunch. Miserable doesn't even begin to cover it. The food was delicious but my tummy just couldn't handle it anymore. 

Our spot in the restaurant was literally right against the railing. And I had a full conversation with a guy going by on one of the boats. It was magical, haha. 

First stop after lunch, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. Again, I'm really good at this game and have no problem admitting it. I SMOKED everyone but Dad. I only rarely beat him at this game. But I try and that's what matters. 

Look at that concentration. I'm not playin'. 

After Buzz Lightyear, we sort of split up. My dad and our other guest went on Finding Nemo's Submarine Voyage. My mom and I, who are not exactly enamored with the ride, decided to skip it and hang out in Tomorrowland for a little bit while they were on the ride. To be fair, the man who designed the original submarines for the ride was a friend of the family so it's near and dear to The Dads. His name was John E. Mariner, in case you care. 

Mom and I were bored out of our skulls at that point, and after an hour, we finally met back up again and split off: Dad and I headed down to Main Street to watch the flag retirement ceremony that they apparently do every night. We had stumbled upon it, sans dad the night before when we came into the park as it was happening. So considering he hadn't seen it, I took him back over to watch. It really is cool and you can ask anyone in the park what time they'll be performing the ceremony that day; they all have little cheat sheets in their pockets so they can give you a straight answer. 

Photocredit: The Dads

After the ceremony, we met back up on Main Street where they'd just retired the flag and who to my wondering eyes should appear? But a girlish mouse and her red vested handler. (See what I did there? hehe) Not being one to typically take pictures with characters after getting my head stuck in Pluto's mouth on my first ever Disney trip, I couldn't help but rush over to get a snapshot with Minnie Mouse. After all, that lady should write a book on keeping a man around for over 80 years. She's magical ;)

How stinkin' cute is Minnie?! I love her. She kissed everyone who came up. 

Post picture, our party of 4 became a party of 3 and my parents and I shopped a bit on Main Street as we walked down to Fantasyland and Frontierland to pick up souvenirs and gifts for friends. 

Once we got done buying things, we headed over to the new Fantasy Faire area in the park. They put it in in January and its basically an expansion of the Fantasyland area where they house the princesses on a more permanent basis. 

Two things about this place: 

1. Go to Maurice's Treats and get yourself a boysen apple freeze. It's DELICIOUS! You won't be sorry. 

2. If you have little girls with you, it's a great place to be because firstly there is  lots of shade there. And secondly, it means you don't have to traipse around the whole park trying to find Snow White or Cinderella. They're just right there in the Fantasy Faire, waiting for you. 

The Tangled Tower is so cute. I love that movie, too. It was time for a bad ass prince. 

Basically, at this point, the day was over. We got in line for Peter Pan's Magical Flight one last time and after 30 freakin' minutes of waiting, we finally got on it. To be honest, I think that might be my last time. I'm not a big girl, but that thing was making some scary noises when it brought me in to "land".

Buuuut at least there's mermaids, right?

The last attraction of the night was one I hadn't actually done before but I've seen it a million times on the Travel Channel's Disneyland documentary: Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walk Through. I've been wanting to check it out for a while but no one ever wants to go. And last night was no exception. But I talked dad into it and we did the walk through together. It was pretty cool. The effects were awesome.

I had a book when I was little that had the same illustrations. I read it to DEATH!

By some stroke of luck...or not so much, we came out of Fantasyland just in time for the parade. I don't know which one it was. But we did stop to watch for a bit. 

With all the flipping around she was doing, I am personally convinced that Ariel was a stripper before getting hired on at Disney. 

Don't I just look SOOO excited?! I do like my new hat, though. 

I made it through about...ten minutes of the parade before I was bored outta my too old for this skull. So I convinced the parents to head back up Main Street. 

Mom refused to leave the park before she absolutely had to, convinced as she is that she won't be back to Disneyland until grand kids exist (not happening for this girl, let me tell you). So we sat on a porch on Main Street while the park cleared out and then headed down the street through the Emporium and its many places to shop.

Shortly after 8, we finally finished up. We didn't buy anything but we spent as much time as we possibly could inside the park. And as we left, I had to turn around and snap this picture. 

Bye bye, Disneyland. See you soon. 

It was a nice trip, as family trips go. There were a few blow ups and parts were more boring than watching paint dry, but I suppose as last family trips go, it was pretty good.