December Trip Report -- in pictures

Instead of writing it all down, I'll just post some of the pics I took when the girls and I went on December 12.

The girls in front of the Christmas Tree at Downtown Disney.

Little Sis

What a drama queen!

Not as dramatic as her sister.

Our friend Gary and Little Sis. I have no idea why she's so sad.

Big Sis and one of the birds from Rainforest Cafe.

On the balcony of our hotel room at HoJo. We had a Park View room. Fireworks were pretty cool from that spot, except for the trees.

The water area at HoJo. Next time we go, we're bringing bathing suits!!

The view from our room.

On the tram, going to Disneyland!!!

Silly girl!!

Gary doesn't have any grandkids of his own, so he's "adopted" the girls!

Big Sis and Cruella. She had to promise not to hug her. LOL

Little Sis promised, too, but she's such a stinker!

Main Street at Christmas Time.

Isn't it beautiful?

On Tarzan's Treehouse.

Happy Un-birthday to Me! (Next day *was* my birthday)

Door STILL won't open.

Little Sis' first ride on Space Mountain. She did NOT like it.

Aboard the new Monorail.

Traditional pic in front of the "A" in California (both girls' names start with A). With the sun, though, the glare was so bad, I had to get creative. See my Little Drama Queen?

The Lagoon is empty because they're setting up the new "World of Color" show, similar to Fantasmic!

Jafar: "Genie, I wish for you to make me the Sultan!"
*chiming music*
Genie: "There. You're the Sultan. But if you're last name were Pepper Shaker, you'd be Sultan Pepper Shaker."
My favorite joke...and he didn't even finish it!!

This is my favorite show at DCA. I LOVE IT!

At this point, the girls and I headed over to a "Vacation Club" presentation. For 90 minutes of my time, they gave me $100 Disney Dollars. Score, right?

Pretty snowflakes.

Waiting to ride "Winnie the Pooh"

Pretending to be asleep. Little Sis couldn't control herself! Goofy.

Waiting for Fantasmic!

Pretty New Orleans Square skyline with the full moon.

Pretty fireworks.

IT'S SNOWING!!
Just don't eat the snow. LOL

Big Sis crying because Mommy was crying. This was the first time Little Sis had seen the Holiday fireworks and the snow.

Pretending to be scared by Haunted Mansion Holiday.

"Happy Holidays Everyone!"

Maybe she really is scared.

Really great shot of the grave yard. Love the High ISO/Low Light setting on my camera!

Disneyland Dream Suite entrance. I wonder what's going to become of it now that the "Year of a Million Dreams" is over.

Waiting to ride Pirates.

OOPS...the flash went off.

it's a small world Holiday, all lit up.

Pretty castle.

Big Sis and Goofy.

Main Street all lit up.

Big Sis pushing her sister back to the parking structure.

All in all, it was a great trip. A little more crowded than we're used to at that time, but I also have to remember that it was a Friday. The weather wasn't bad, either.

Big Sis and I have our Annual Passes already, and Little Sis will get hers in February. She and I will have a "Mommy and Me" trip to Disneyland all by ourselves to celebrate her first ever AP. I can't wait to use them on a more regular basis, especially when our friends Gary and Kathy come down in March.

Wordless Wednesday 1-7-09

For more Wordless Wednesdays, head over to MomDot!

I've Been Tagged

Tena at Punky Monkey's tagged me for this. I have to show you the 4th pic in my 4th folder. So, here it is:

I feel like I've cheated you. You've seen this pic before here. But this is a pic of the two ornaments my Sassy Mommy friend, Becky, sent me for our annual ornament exchange. The Strawberry Shortcake ornament there on the right I got at TRU at the end of the holiday season last year (07/08). Guess what? It smells like strawberries. The girls got a kick out of that.

So now I need to tag 4 people for this.

I tag:
Klucky at Horses Say Moo
threeundertwo at Lit and Laundry
Kelly at Baby Boogers (LOVE the name of her new blog!)
Danette at Everyday Adventures

Oh, it's so pretty and PINK!

So, how do you like it?

I am on Cloud 9 on how fast and awesome Rachel from Blog Candy Designs is!!!

So tell me, what do you think???????

Happy New Year!

Wow...it's been over a month since I last posted here.

The reason?

I haven't really been reading any books!

I've gotten busy, and since I've gotten the new laptop, I haven't really been motivated to pick up a book. I've been busy trying to catch up in the bloggy world.

I have one more week of vacation, then it's back to work. I won't have as much downtime at work as I did before, but I'm hoping that I'll at least get some books read.

Currently, I'm reading "Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits" by T.D. Jakes. It's a motivational book my mom sent me. I'm only on chapter one, but so far, it makes sense.

Hope 2009 is good to you!

Mmmm...Dole Whip

Hello from Disneyland! Man, it's crowded!

Mmmm...Dole Whip

Hello from Disneyland! Man, it's crowded!

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

I cannot WAIT!

I am going to be getting a blog make-over after the 1st of the year!

Rachel over at Blog Candy Designs is going to be playing Ty and moving the bus on my blog. I've already sent in the initial information she needs, I'm just waiting for the New Year to get started!

I don't think I get a week-long vacation at Walt Disney World while she's doing all the fun designing, though.

So, if you need a new custom blog layout, head on over to Rachel's site and take a look around! She does great work.

Ummm...what??

It's the day after Christmas. Is there something wrong with this picture?

I bet Tena's happy!

Merry Christmas!!!

From my house to yours, I hope you have a Happy Christmas.

Please be safe and have FUN!!!

MomDot Stocking Exchange

Back in November, Trisha at MomDot assigned us all Secret Stocking Exchange Pals.

My pal was Alyson from Three P's in a Pod.

Today, I got a package from Amazon, and it was an adorable Disney day-by-day calendar! The pic below is of January 1.

So, because I have a little tidbit of info about Disney everyday, I'll be posting it on My Disneyland Vacation.

Thanks again, Alyson!!!!!!!! I hope you got your gift already! USPS has been SLOW!

Blizzard!!!! What? In SoCal?

Well, here I am, trapped in Ranchita because we're in the midst of a blizzard. I was on my way to work this morning and it was raining. As I got to where I turn off to head to Borrego Springs, it started snowing. It was coming down so fast and thick, that the roads were getting caked. I have to drive down a very windy and steep mountain road, so I called a friend who lives in Ranchita, hoping I could wait out the snow.

She sent her husband so I could follow him to their house, and I did. When I got there, it was becoming a pretty wicked snow storm.

So now here I sit, 8 hours later, with about 10 inches of snow on the ground, stuck. Another wave is about to hit, so it's looking like I won't make it home tonight. I just hope I can make it home tomorrow.

I missed work today. Big Sis missed school. After missing 7 days, all of which were excused because we signed an independent study contract, she has to miss, probably, the next two days too. There goes her perfect attendence!!

Friday is the start of vacation, as it's a minimum day, but I think once I get back to Hemet, it's not going to be possible to get back to Borrego before the weekend.

I should have stayed in bed.

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

So, I finally put up my Christmas stuff! With the move and everything, it's been difficult finding a place for everything. I cleaned off one dresser in my room, and that's where my "display" is.


This is an adorable snowman I bought when I worked at JCPenney. He lights up with different colors. I can't believe that after 2 years, he still works, and better yet, he hasn't been broken!!












This is my whole tree. You can see a reindeer that Big Sis made me in Kindergarten. It's at the bottom. And the Strawberry Shortcake ornament? Smells like Strawberries!

















This is one of the gifts from a friend of mine, Becky. She and I belong to a group of Sassy Mommies, who met when we were pregnant with our now-7-year-olds. Every year, we do an ornament exchange, and this is one of them she sent me. I have a great pic from Disneyland of the girls in front of the Christmas Tree, which I may put in that frame.














This is the other ornament Becky sent me. It's glass, and the picture just doesn't do it justice. It's "scaly," like a lizard, but it's multicolored with red, green and blue. Very pretty. And very heavy! I have it wrapped around the whole top of my tree, since it tried to take it down!















And of course, one of the girls. I managed to get them dressed somewhat matching for my birthday. Big Sis has her winter concert at school tonight, too.

Updates -- Vacation, Disneyland, Job

Well, it's been a hectic couple of weeks.

On December 3, the girls and I flew out to Colorado. My sister got married on the 5th. We flew back on the 7th. It was a gorgeous wedding, and I have tons of pics. I'll be sure to share them soon.

When I returned to work on the 8th, I had a job announcement in my box. It was for the same position I have now, except at the Elementary school. I currently work 3.75 hours a day, and this position was for 6.5 hours a day, including full benefits. I jumped all over it. I turned in my application before the December 10th deadline.

On the 11th, I was on vacation for another couple of days. The girls and I headed to Anaheim on the 11th, and stayed at the HoJo across the street from Disneyland. We went to the parks on Friday the 12th, and came home that night. We got home at 2am, and ended up having to sleep in the car until 6am because my grandparents locked the door into the house from the garage.

Once we woke up on the 13th (my BIRTHDAY!) we got up and headed to Borrego Springs again. My ex-bf asked the girls and me to come over. He was going to BBQ and he had cake. Since no one else had planned anything, I went. We ended up with hot dogs and coconut cake. The cake was yummy. I would have preferred chicken.

The girls and I went home that night, and I spent Sunday cleaning my room and reorganizing. My sister used to live in this room, and when she left a year ago, my grandma's stuff managed to multiply. I've got most of my stuff put away, well, what's not in the storage unit anyway.

I get to work today, and go check my box. I find the HR lady (very nice lady), and she says she needs to talk to me. So I go back during morning break, and..

I GOT THE JOB!

I start on January 12, after the winter break. My benefits kick in on February 2. I can't wait. I think this job is going to be better suited to the education I have, and will better prepare me for teaching in the future.

I also want to see a doc about my allergies and my headaches. And the girls need to see a dentist and eye doctors!

Hello from Disneyland!

I finally made it! Well, we've walked from HoJo to Downtown Disney. We'll be in the parks tomorrow. I'll check in then!

Kira and The Santa Clause 3

So Kira and I finally met up so I could give her the copy of "The Santa Clause 3" that she won right here on my blog!

We met at Juice It Up! and I had the Lava Flow. It was yummy. We sat and talked for a while, about work and Disneyland. It was great to see her again.

Enjoy your movie, Kira!!

The Front Page!!

Big Sis made the front page of the town newspaper!

She danced with her after-school Mexican Dance group at the Tamale Festival on November 29.

My friend Maris took the pic, as she works for the newspaper. I have pics on my own camera, but it's been slow going getting them all off (they're on there with the pics from when we went to Downtown Disney on the 30th, and from our trip in Colorado).

FINALLY!!! Disneyland TOMORROW!

Disneyland, here we come!!!

We will be leaving today after work and school!! We'll be heading to my grandma's house, so we have less to drive tomorrow. We'll leave tomorrow morning for Disneyland bright and early! I am so ready to go!!!!

Disneyland Countdown: 2 Days!!!

2 Days to Go!!!!!!

I just cannot concentrate anymore!!!! One of my girls' favorite things to do is to meet the Princesses. Both girls are always a hit with the Princesses, I think because they watch the movies so much, they seem to have a lot to talk about!!!

Disneyland Countdown: 3 Days!!

3 Days to go!!!!

One thing that has made all my previous visiting to Disneyland, since July 17, 2007, has been the presence of some awesome LaughingPlace friends! I meet at least one for a ride or a show on each visit. Last December, four friends, Gary, Kathy, Rod and Ruthie, were there with me to celebrate my birthday. This pic is of Gary and Big Sis while we were waiting for the fireworks on Main Street. Gary and Kathy have "adopted" me as their Disney Daughter, and the girls are like grandkids to them. I can't wait to see them in THREE DAYS!!!

I'm home!!

Ok, so I didn't post anything while I was gone. I'm sorry.

However, the wedding was gorgeous. I have TONS of pics to share. Once I get them out of the camera, I'll be sure to post them. I have work this week, so it may not be until the weekend.

Speaking of which...

My birthday is Saturday. I was supposed to be going to Disneyland. I can't go now. :(

I spent waaay too much money in Colorado, and while I can afford the tickets, I wouldn't be able to get much else, including gas.

So, if you're feeling generous, I need three tickets to Disneyland. Otherwise, the girls and I will probably just go in January, after payday, but also after the holidays are over...so no Holiday decorations.

I had fun, though!

Disneyland Countdown: 4 Days!

4 Days to Go!!

Another pic of the amazing decorations on Main Street!

Disneyland Countdown: 5 Days!

5 Days to Go!

One of my favorite things about going to Disneyland in December is the decorations. No one decorates for the Holidays like Disneyland!

Disneyland Countdown: 6 Days!

Less than a week to go!!!!

In January, when it was time to take down the holiday decorations, it's a small world closed, for a major rehab. It's been closed since, and my last few trips have been missing something because I was unable to ride it. However, it should be back up this holiday season for it's a small world Holiday. After the season, it will reopen with the new additions!

Disneyland Countdown: 7 Days!

7 Days to Go!!

Disneyland is my favorite place to be. I love the magical touches you can see and feel around every corner.

Last December, for some unknown reason, Big Sis was unhappy. One of the cast members at Santa's Reindeer Roundup saw that, and asked her if she'd like to watch the show with Pluto. Of course, she didn't turn it down. Again, this is one of my favorite Disneyland memories.

Disneyland Countdown: 8 Days!

8 Days to Go! Are you as excited as I am???

Every time we go to Disneyland, no matter what time of year, I always get a pic of the girls in front of the last "A" in California, outside the front entrance to California Adventure. It's like a tradition, and I would eventually like to put all the pics I have in one scrapbook, to see how they've grown. I just hope they don't remove the letters with the DCA overhaul.

Disneyland Countdown: 9 days!

9 Days to Go!

Have you been to Disneyland lately, and been dreamed?

Big Sis and I have been dreamed several times, but the best time was last December when we received Dream Fastpasses! Of course, the crowds were so light we never needed them! But wow, what a thrill!!!!

Disneyland Countdown: 10 DAYS!!

Happy December!!

Disneyland is calling my name! I can smell the gingerbread men!

For the remainder of my countdown, I will be posting pics from my trip last December with Big Sis. This first pic is of Big Sis decorating a giant gingerbread man at Santa's Reindeer Roundup. While it was a bit pricey, it was SO yummy.