Disneyland and California Adventure

Post two of three in the California Trilogy.

We checked into the Grand Disney Hotel where we were given the opportunity of adorning ourselves in Disneyland buttons. the benefits of said hotel were the ease of access to both Downtown Disney and California Adventure. Fortunately for us we were able to take part in a most anxiously awaited event. The viewing of a group of men and women with exceptional abilities as they put their skills to the test in order to save the world from an angry Norse trickster. We had planned to take part in said event later in the week but could not in good conscience wait. Alright so it was the anticipation of how awesome it would be that drove us to change our plans.

After swimming and dinner we wandered around Downtown for a few hours, waiting for the movie. We got to see the Lego store there (totally WICKED!!!) and there was a live band playing as well. Actually, there were a couple of musicians playing at different places around Downtown. Kayla's parents eventually went back to the room but Kay and I continued our wandering.We took some pictures of ourselves standing in front of the giant pin-ups of the Avengers (as we tried to get one in front of Iron Man this nice guy asked us if we wanted him to take it). We soon got bored of wandering and decided to explore the hotel, taking a few photos along the way.

Our movie started at 10:00pm and oh my freaking goodness it was SOOO worth it! I absolutely LOVED it! If you have not seen it yet, DO IT!

We made it back to the hotel at 1:30am, ready for sleep.

Day Two

First day at Disneyland! The first ride I went on was Snow White followed by Pinnochio. I must tell you, going on all of the Disney movie rides made me realize just how much I need to re-watch the films! We also rode the Jungle Cruise (pretty cool), The Haunted Mansion (cool the first time, but in my opinion not as cool the second time. Kind of like how I feel about watching I Am Legend), Pirates of the Caribbean (SO worth going on over and over again), and...I can't remember the others. Hmm.

During our adventures we went on It's A Small World. I have decided that it is a classic Disneyland ride that everyone needs to go on at least once. Honestly, once is probably all you'll ever need. The constant repetition of "It's a Small World" playing over, and over, and over tends to get a bit annoying. Unfortunately for us, right as we were about to come out of the ride it stalled. We even started to go backwards a bit! Kayla and I just hoped they wouldn't make us do it backwards...fortunately, they didn't.

I got a picture with Mickey Mouse! I felt super awesome. Ha ha ha. I also got a signed photo of Donald Duck for just graduating. What can I say, I love all the Disney characters, but Donald is my favorite.
NOTE: The Mickey picture was taken by one of the park's photographers, and therefore will be posted at a later date (when I get it).

That night we saw the World of Color show. It was way awesome! And, like a total theater geek, I thought about how awesome it would've been to do the lighting for it. Lol. But even though I mentally geeked out, it was still an incredible show and I am so glad I had the opportunity to see it!

Day Three (day four of trip)
More adventures in Disneyland. I believe this was the day we did Grizzly Peaks at California Adventure though. Oh. My. GOSH! I've been on Rattlesnake Rapids at Lagoon (popular theme park in Utah for any of my readers who may not know) and I absolutely love it. But I have to say, Grizzly Peaks was pretty AWESOME!

To be perfectly honest, everything after this point pretty much just blends together in my memory, so I'll just give a general overview of everything rather than the day by day. ;)

It's Tough to Be a Bug. Now, I have to say, THAT surprised me, and I even knew what was coming! I won't spoil the surprise for anyone that hasn't done it yet (but those of you who have, TOTALLY know what I'm talking about, right?) but I will say that it's a bit heart stopping, at least for me anyway! We also saw the Muppets 3-D adventure. Oh I love the Muppets...I still need to see the new movie though! Can you believe that?! Anyway, we're talking about California. So, we also did the Monster's Inc. ride and as I have already mentioned, riding the movie rides makes me want to watch the movies! :P

Oh! Indiana Jones! HOLY CRAP! That was AWESOME! Another favorite, by far. It is my hope one day to take my family to Disneyland so they can enjoy all of these rides, by the way.

We also went into the Enchanted Tiki Room, something that has been a long time coming. I have heard the song at least a hundred times as a kid and now I have FINALLY been there! It was a lot of fun to watch and the animatronics were amazing.

Now, for the big thing. I, who am completely and utterly HORRIFIED of roller coasters, went on California Screamin' That's right ladies and gentleman, I went on one of the biggest roller coasters I have ever seen, WILLINGLY! Granted, my eyes were closed and I was screaming my head of the entire time, but I did it! And, confession, I might consider going on it again if the opportunity arises...no promises though. I also went on a Ferris Wheel for the first time in my life too. It wasn't so bad as long as I didn't focus on the fact that I was in a steel cage being held by nuts, bolts, and welded metal high above the park...yeah...can't believe I did that...Lol.

We did go on two Toy Story rides, both were interactive shooting games. The one in California Adventure was more...I guess "Woody" oriented, while the one in Disneyland was Buzz Lightyear oriented. Both rides however I desperately want to take my sister Maddy on because she LOVES Toy Story! I did get to see Buzz Lightyear while I was there, which was awesome.

Speaking of space...SPACE MOUNTAIN!!! Another favorite I must say. It was SOOOO cool! Anyone that has yet to go on that ride, GO WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE!!! It is totally worth it! While we are speaking of mountains, yes I did go one Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. The drop for Splash Mountain nearly killed me, but...Ha ha, just kidding. It was scary, but I did have fun.

I forgot to mention, we did go on the Winnie the Pooh ride the first day and I got to see Pooh Bear and Tigger (yay for Tigger! :P).

Kayla and I also rode Rodger Rabbit and Mr. Toad. We wanted  to do Peter Pan but the line was ridiculously long.

Star Tours. AWESOME! 3-D experience and whether you like Star Wars or not, it's tons of fun to go on! I really enjoyed it. Another good one, Soarin' Over California in California Adventure. I had to close my eyes for the first little bit (you go up high!) but my eyes were opened for the rest of it and I fully enjoyed myself.

Hmm...let me see...what have I missed...? We did go on the riverboat, which was neat. Oh! Turkey Legs! Oh My Heck I have NEVER seen a turkey leg that was SO BIG! Kayla and I had to share it, that's how big it was! Another picture to be posted once it is uploaded to my computer.

I think that pretty much covers rides and such. People of importance that I saw--Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Buzz Lightyear, Chip and Dale, Cruela D'Evil, Phineas and Ferb (alas, I did not see Perry the Platypus), and Captain Hook. Oh, I also saw Master Windu and Darth Vader (SOOO wanted to get his autograph, but didn't...oh well).

Friday night we saw the Disneyland fireworks. One of the best fireworks shows I have ever seen. When Tinkerbell came out, flying over the park, Kayla and her mom informed me that it was a real person doing that...I would not want that job and I applaud the girl brave enough to do it.

Aside from rides there were a couple of other things that happened that I wanted to mention. After we were done with California Screamin' Kayla and I were waiting by the bathrooms for her parents and we saw the cutest thing. See, there's a merry-go-round right there next to the roller coaster, and there was this big tough guy (seriously, he looked like he could take you out if you so much as looked at him) riding on it, knees against his chest, alongside his little girl. It was ADORABLE! Guys, it doesn't matter how big an tough you are, you're adorable when you're good with kids, just so you know.

Second, while using the restroom in California Adventure there was a little girl in the stall next to me talking to her mom. She told her that she was making a good poop and that she was doing it because she ate good food. Ha ha ha! I love little kids!

That's all for the Disneyland and California Adventure portion of this trip. Stay tuned for the third and final installment of the California Trilogy: Japanese Gardens and the Ocean.

Long Drives and Coming Home

This is the first of three posts that I'll be writing about my Cali trip last week.

When I was younger my family took a vacation up to Yellowstone National Park. I don't remember much about the drive but judging by where we lived and where Yellowstone is I would imagine it was a long one. In high school my family (at least those still living at home) took another trip only this time to Vegas. That drive I remember, probably because it is more recent.

But, I have to say, this one takes the cake for being the absolute longest drive of my life.

I was up at 4:00am Monday morning and we were on the road by 4:30. We reached the hotel by about 3:30 that afternoon, nearly a full twelve hours later.

While it was a long drive, and I did sleep for a good portion of it, it was interesting to watch my surroundings change. Seeing the Utah landscape fade into Nevada, Arizona, back to Nevada and then finally to California was really neat. They all have different attributes about themselves that make them unique from Utah.

Our snacks of choice for the drive were Gummy Bears (we ate a few chips and nuts too, but GB's were our main source of energy). Kayla and I got so bored we even did Frankenstein-Surgeries, rearranging the heads and bodies of various GB's. We even stuck a few of them together and Kayla tried skewering a few with a straw (she was less than successful). 

The drive back seemed longer than the first one, probably because we did leave later and therefore it was dark by the time we got back.

I have to admit, that while I enjoyed my time in California, coming into Utah and seeing the mountains and the landscape felt so good.  It felt wonderful coming home.

I missed my Utah.

Finals Week and Graduation

So last week was Finals. My first final was Oceanography, the one that I was most worried about. I got a D in that class, but it still counts for credit and towards graduation (woot woot!). That was Tuesday. Wednesday was my Human Biology lecture final which I got 194/200. Yeah yeah! Thursday was my last final, Mat 1050, which I passed. I found out also that I got an A in Human Bio (both the lab and the lecture) as well as in Bowling (which let's be honest, isn't that hard). My final grade for Math 1050 was a C-, not too bad.

Graduation was fun. My roommate Connie and I stayed up late (all night actually) watching the new Knight Rider series (and by new I mean the 2008 series). We went to the graduation breakfast just before eight o'clock Saturday morning and enjoyed some french toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage. Mm mm mm! We then went back to the apartment for our caps and gowns then returned to the student center. We stood there waiting for who knows how long before they finally got us all out of the building and ready to start the processional march.

The march took longer than I would have liked (I was tired, wearing heels, and they were making me stand outside waiting for something. I threatened to eat someone...ugh...) but a cool part about it was when we reached the AC a bunch of the faculty and staff were lined up on either side clapping and cheering for us. It was also cool to come into the gym and see all of the parents and families standing for us. I looked around and found Betty and my Dad, along with Maddy and Amanda. Later my Dad told me that he didn't recognize me (I curled my hair).

It was weird to sit down amongst all of the graduates. In high school I spoke at my graduation so I was on the stage with the other speakers, looking out over the graduates and the audience. This time, I was actually sitting among them. It was neat. :)

Our commencement speaker was a guy from Juliard that works with the college music program. I can't remember all of what he said, but he had a great sense of humor and he was really inspiring (he talked about doing what you can to help others and giving back to the world).

As we were sitting there listening to all of the speakers it hit me. I was graduating from college. After all of this was over, I would have a degree in Theater Performance. I turned to Connie and told her that and she was like, "Yeaah..." and kinda gave me a funny look like Duh Steph. I knew it was happening, but it didn't do that whole hit-you-in-the-face realization until then. It was crazy.

Waiting for my turn to walk across the stage took FOREVER! At least, it felt like forever until my row was finally able to stand up. Then it all went by rather quickly. I kept praying that I wouldn't trip in my heels. no worries though, I was able to get across without humiliating myself, thankfully. 

During the ceremony poor Connie had to use the bathroom, like REALLY bad. When the Dean stood up at the end it seemed as if his speech slowed down as time dragged on. I kept telling Connie to just hold on a little longer because it was almost done. Finally we were able to move our tassels and it was all over. Connie scurried away to do what she needed and I located my family.

After the graduation I went with my dad, Betty, and Maddy over to the reception thing that the college was holding at the practice field. I got a free t-shirt for it too. Yeah, yeah! We then met up with two of my brothers (Steve and Daniel) and enjoyed some time together.

With graduation over (and when my siblings left) it was time to get the apartment ready for final inspections. It was stressful, as per usual, but we got it done. My roommies and I said our goodbyes (trying really hard not to cry and being less than successful). Then it was off to home.

There are a lot of things that I have learned in my three and a half years at college, academically and otherwise. I am so extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to take part in the college experience and encourage everyone that is able to do the same. I promise, it'll be well worth it.