Disneyland 2015: Digital Scrapbooking Pages Part 1

I've been hard at work at my scrapbooking of our Disneyland trip since we got back. And I'm enjoying every minute of it! Of course, I'm a nerd who loves documenting my trip just about as much as the trip itself!

These first few pages are my title page, traveling page, and pictures from our hotel. You can read more about the events from these pages here.

Materials Used:
Project Mouse


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The Weekend Report

Earlier in the week, Adam had told me he was taking me somewhere Friday evening for a little surprise. I was so excited. Adam rarely does anything to surprise me, and I usually plan all our activities (not that I care, I like to be in charge). 

He ended up taking me to a Food Truck Meet up in Huntsville, which was a super great idea because we love food trucks. We split a lot of food including a Pigmac (Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls covered in Pulled Pork & Bacon), white cheddar popcorn, fresh squeezed lemonade, and a Vanilla Thunder Cupcake Sundae from the Sugar Belle Cupcake truck. 

We didn't do much on Saturday, but Sunday we spent all morning cleaning, and I spent 2 hours at the grocery store because we were having a little dinner party for our Pastor and his wife that evening.  I set the table with new fall decor (which I loved), and I made up homemade lasagna and pasta salad. And both turned out really well.

We had a lovely evening with them, and after they left it was time for the Packers' game. For once Carrie Underwood got it right, we had been waiting all day for SUNDAY night. The game was against the Seahawks, which has been an intense rivalry for us the last three years. We hadn't beat them in forever, and we wanted the win so bad.

But spoiler alert, PACKERS WON! And it was awesome, a great end to the weekend. 

I have to say Link was such a trooper. We get so loud during the game, and he couldn't sleep, and he just looked so confused by it. He just kept sighing, like why won't my parents quit? 

We love that little dude.

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Disneyland 2015 Trip Report: Part One

My mother and I flew out to California on a Thrusday morning, and I'm telling you our traveling day was nothing but headaches. Our flight from Huntsville to Atlanta was A-OK, but we had a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. Which was fine, we split a meal at P.F. Cheng's, and killed time in the airport. And I love airports for the most part. But then the quickest storm ended up rolling through Atlanta, which delayed our flight two more hours. And we had to change gates 5 times, transversing different terminals like crazy!

So we got in really late to California, after Orange County airport was closed, which means we couldn't catch our shuttle for the hotel, and had to take an unplanned cab drive.

Although it was really late when we touched down in California, I couldn't help but fall in love with our home for the next week, The Disneyland hotel. I loved the blue facades of the towers (we stayed in the Frontier tower, which had a huge model of Frontierland in the lobby). There were little Disney touches all around: the statue of Mickey & Minnie, a huge map of the parks, and mad hatter tea cup chairs in the lobby.

The pool area was awesome. There were three regular pools, 2 hot tubs,  and a splash pad area that had two Monorail shaped slides.

Our room was just as nice inside. Our beds had these lovely, decorative pillows one said, "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes," and the one on the other bed said, "When your Fast Asleep." The headboard would light up when you flipped a switch and play, "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." It was absolutely lovely. 

There was so many little Disney touches. The Mickey head on the water facet and the Mickey hands on the lamps. The do not disturb door hanger was a picture of sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

We were so beat, so we went to bed. And I couldn't wait for the morning, as that would be our first day hitting the parks!

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Alive and Well

Its been over 2 weeks since I blogged and that has to be a first for me. After a week in Disneyland, completing my 2nd half-marathon (plus 10k), my niece's lovely wedding, and a 413 mile road trip. We came home to no internet service! 

Then, there was a week of headaches. We had to figure out where Adam would work (since he works from home), share ONE car (when we both needed it), and decide what to do with Link while we were both out. We alternated between doggie day care, and letting him stay with my mother. He was spoiled rotten at moms, and he manged to get some bites of caramel apple & some peach ice cream. We never give him human food, so all I can do is shake my head.

Last week, Link was a total latch key kid. 

We experienced the WORST, continuously bad customer service we have ever had in our lifetimes. But finally our internet was fixed on Friday morning. I'm telling you one week without internet service in the year 2015 is positively barbaric. 

But now I can get to recapping Disney, the races, all things wedding, and general life stuff. I can't wait to get my memories written down here, so I can remember them for years to come. So stay tuned!

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Project Life 2015: Week 35

This is the first layout in a while that I'm not head over heels in love with. I don't hate it, I just don't love it! Part of the reason is I got my pictures from wal-mart this week instead of ordering them from persnickety prints like I usually do. I did that because I wanted to get week 35 in the album before I headed off for vacation. But I'm not such a fan of the quality. But oh well. There is stuff about this layout I do like. Especially how I embellished my running picture. 

This side I used the picture of us getting first place in trivia, a picture of the I'm voting Yes! sign to represent our recent local election (plus my "I voted' sticker), my last long run before my half-marathon,  and because I loved my recent read lately, I included a photo of the book cover. 

On this side, I featured my DIY project of painting my dresser for my craft room, a screen shot of Adam's flight path since he was out of town last weekend, and a picture of Link on his walk that I loved, so I blew it up to 6x8. 

I also included an insert this week (A big one). This is the paper where we write all our trivia questions, plus a copy of our prize (A $35 dollar gift certificate), and one of the answer sheets that I stamped the date on!

Materials Used:

Project Life: 5th and Frolic Edition (Retired)

Cameras and Arrows Washi Tape 

Studio Calico: Reading Stamp

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Girls Just Want to Have (Disney) Fun

Is there any better feeling in the world than wrapping up the work day, knowing that the next day you are leaving on vacation? It is like that Friday afternoon feeling times about a million. Yes, tomorrow is finally the day I'm heading out to Sunny, Southern California. A good 3 years since I last stepped foot in the Golden State.

I've struggled some with my training, but I still feel confident about taking on the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge, as my recent 10 miler went better than expected. 

There is so much about this trip I'm looking forward to: dinner at the Blu Bayou, checking out Carsland (and California Adventure for the first time), seeing World of Color,  and going on the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. But most of all I'm looking forward to spending time with my mother. We haven't done a mother/daughter trip since NYC.

So I will be gone for a week and a half (after California and a whirlwind trip to Texas for a Family Wedding), and then get ready for Disneyland overload!

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Month in Review: August 2015

Books I've Read:

1. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

I have mixed feelings on this book. At times, the story seemed so slow, and I did not even know what the plot really was. But then it kind of turned into a Great Gatsby tale, as told from the perspective of a female Nick Carraway. A "normal" girl living among messy and wealthy people.

2. Sin, Shame, and Secrets by David Yonkie

This is a non-fiction book recounting the murder and prosecution of a priest who murdered a nun in a sanctuary. A really tragic tale, but intriguing none-the-less. This book kept my attention until the very end.

3. The KingMaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

This is the 4th book in the series on the Cousins' War I've been reading. I really loved this one, the Neville Sisters led such interesting lives. And I couldn't wait to hear about the disappearances of the princes in the tower from Queen Anne's perspective.  

4. The Duchess by Amanda Foreman

I wanted to read this book after watching the movie The Duchess! I knew little about the Duchess of Devonshire before that point, but I knew she had one wild life. A lady in the 1790's, who spent most of her life living a menage a tois, had a gambling addiction, had an affair and got pregnant by another man while married, and was an ancestor of Princess Diana! Sign me up. I really enjoyed this book, especially reading the letters written by Georgiana. The political stuff dragged a little for me, although it was interesting that she was so involved in politics. 

5. In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume 

I love the books that Judy Blume writes for adults. Her book, Summer Sisters, is one of my all-time favorites. It had been such a long time since she had released something new. I was thrilled when I found out about this book. And I was not disappointed! This is a fiction book, but it draws from Blume's real life experiences of living in a town that experienced 3 plane crashes in the span of 60 days. The way Blume tells everyone's stories is just pure artistry. I read this book in one weekend. 

Movies I've Watched:

1. Ricki and the Flash 

What a great movie. Written by Diablo Cody and starring Meryl Streep, I doubt you could go wrong. It really was a sweet family story about a woman who left her family to pursue her dream of being a rockstar, and then comes back to reconcile after her daughter gets a divorce.  I love stories like that, family stories, with heartfelt endings! 

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