Becoming a chicken...

I am not the most spontaneous, risk-taking person you'll ever meet, but I've never been much of a "'fraidy cat" when it comes to roller coasters. I'll get on (almost) anything.

Well..... Not so much anymore apparently.

I still have the hook-ups on free tickets at Magic Mountain, so my friend Jen and I decided to go this last Saturday. I hadn't been since I stopped working there 5 years ago. I hadn't been on the big rides in I don't know how long. I didn't think that my long absence from "Extreme" roller coasters would phase me, but I was wrong. So very wrong...

The first ride we went on was Tatsu. It's a newer ride that I had not been on. It's a flying roller coaster, which means that you get strapped in and then they flip you forward so that your tummy is facing the floor and you are in the flying position. Kinda cool. Yeah. Until you hit the pretzel loop (which involves "extreme postive G forces") that drops your stomach to your feet, feels like it's never going to end, and makes you think you might really die for a second there (I swear, I was this close to actually crying).

OMG.

I can't hang anymore.

I literally got off that ride feeling relieved to be alive and resolved to never do that again.

I used to make fun of my dad because when we were little he used to get on everything and he forced us to get on everything, but then a few years ago we got on the Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure and for the first time in my life I saw fear in my father's eyes. I thought it was hilarious. It's not.

I now know that with age comes fear. When you are young you have nothing to lose. Adrenaline is fun. Not anymore.

I'm officially old.

Mean is....

Your entire family going to Disneyland and not even inviting you.

Wow.

Kind of drives home all the feelings I had on Christmas day of feeling like an outsider in my own family. lol.

Kind of feels like this. Hahaha!!!

Deleted last post...

I know for a fact that no one I know reads my blog, but I decided on the off chance someone does that it's probably best to delete my last post about the bad ending to my Disneyland trip yesterday, which was entitled, "Money doesn't grow on trees..." As upset about the situation and the state of our spoiled kids these days as I was, I still don't want to put people I care about on blast like that.

I will reiterate what I said at the end, though: I am so grateful for the parents I had and for the values and appreciation they instilled in me. I realize more than ever that they loved me by saying "No" to me instead of setting me up with a false sense that I will always get what I want, when I want it, and in exactly the way in which I want it. They set me up for reality.

For future reference....

I thought I'd post the link to Disney's brand new wedding blog, Ever After, because it's cool and because I may want to refer back to it in the future.... One day. We can only hope. =) Enjoy!

Oh and Happy December. My favorite month is here!

(Almost) Best Birthday Ever! (Part 2)

So the second thing I did for my birthday was also Disney-related: Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure! The main reason we (Mandy, Baby, Mom, Dad, and I) went, beside it being my birthday, was to see World of Color. It was SO worth it. That show was AMAZING and it definitely tugged at my heartstrings. If you can, make sure you go see it.

Aside from World of Color, the highlights were:

- The Blue Bayou for dinner. Love that place. Another thing you must do if you haven't... and have the Monte Cristo. It's a heart attack on a plate, but so worth it. lol.

- The Mark Twain (the big river boat). I seriously haven't done that since I was a kid and it was pretty cool. Especially since they've had some changes to the things you see when you take a cruise on the Rivers of America. Pretty cool.

Overall, as I said in the previous birthday post, this was one of the best birthdays I've EVER had. Thank you, Lord, for another blessed year of life. =)


Below are some shots from my phone for your enjoyment.

Yes! Happy Birthday to me!

The Wonder Wheel at DCA. Later on this will light up nice and pretty like.

Mom and Dad had a blast on Toy Story Mania... it was the first time for both.

Mandy, Baby, and Me on Thunder Mountain

World of Color about to start.

Ooooooo. Pretty.

Fire!

Lady and the Tramp. =)

El amor

Love is a funny thing. Earthly love that is. God's love, however, is perfect and never failing.

Anyway, it's so crazy to see what God has done through HIS love to repair the love between my parents.

My mom has been living with us since around the first week of the year 2010. So far, everything is great. I can see that my parents REALLY love each other. God has restored their marriage and given them a love for each other that I don't think they've ever known.

Last week we took a family trip to Disneyland and I don't think we've ever had as fun and enjoyable a day there as we had last Thursday. We all couldn't help, but notice the love that my parents truly have for each other. That's were this picture came from.

That's literally the first time I've ever seen my parents holding hands like that.

Please know that ONLY GOD could have done this. ONLY GOD could have restored such a ravaged marriage. God can restore anything, including you. If you are suffering and broken and have no where else to turn, cry out to Him and see what He can do. I dare you.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8

Because you deserve it...

So I've been trying to think of something special to do for my step-niece, Maddie, as her Christmas gift. God put it on my heart to pay her some special attention this year. And she really needs it, I think.

Maddie has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). She can be hard to handle sometimes. It takes a lot of patience. On top of that, she is a pre-teen girl, stuck in between two families, and I would bet money that she doesn't feel like she completely belongs in either one. Her dad (my brother-in-law) and her mom divorced when she was still a baby. They both almost instantly remarried and both have a child with their new spouses. Maddie has a brother via her mother and a new baby sister via her father.

Needless to say, Maddie is not the center of attention in either of her families. In fact, just by the frequent loss of patience by her parents, I wouldn't blame Maddie for feeling like they don't even want her around sometimes, even if it's NOT the truth. (It literally brings me to tears thinking about it.)

This child is so happy and friendly. She's one of the most encouraging and kind little girls I have ever met. I don't know why she has this disorder--God only knows--but I wish people would stop and remember that 1) she isn't choosing to be this way and 2) she is a good girl despite her disorder.

All this to say, this is why my other sister and I want to do something special for this kid. We want her to shine and to feel important for the first time in a long time. We want her to feel wanted and accepted. We want her to feel like she belongs.

So, I think we are going to take her to see the Broadway musical, Mary Poppins. I'm excited. I've been wanting to see it. I'm more excited for Maddie though. She's going to get to dress up and be important.... because she deserves it!

Fireworks is right...

Some cell phone shots:

Yesterday, Mandy and I went to Disneyland in the late afternoon so we could catch the new Halloween fireworks show featuring Jack Skellington, Zero, and a plethora of Disney Villains. It was pretty awesome and we got a great view. We were almost right in the front--right in front of the castle--probably 5 people deep. I'll post up more pics later, if and when I have a chance. =)

That show was amazing, but I have to say not as amazing as how rude the people were that were waiting for the show. It pretty much was almost ruined because of the rudeness. Seriously. Since when does Disney + Fireworks = Hostility? Sheesh!!!!

The worst bout of rudeness came when some of us in the crowd were encouraging this little 5-year-old kid, who's mother was too small to lift him up and who couldn't see anything, to move up to the front so he could see better. There was a gap where no one was standing and we figured it wasn't a big deal to make a way for him to go up there... by himself, mind you--not with a giant group of people who were gonna follow behind. Well, this lady up there went off and actually physically pushed this child back. When people started to try to explain to her that we were just trying to help him see better, she turns around and starts screaming that she's "been there since 5PM saving her seat" and blah blah blah! (Really? Because at 5PM you would have been run over by a trolly or horse-drawn carriage sitting in that exact location.)

Wow, lady. Wow. You seriously put your hands on someone else's child all for a 20-minute fireworks show, which you apparently had already seen since you were describing it to the people around you in such great detail a few moments earlier. You are a grown adult, lady. This is a child... Isn't Disneyland really supposed to be for the kids anyway? But no, you have your "rights," which means everyone needs to stay out of your way... even the kids.

Now if she had been waiting there since 5PM because someone was gonna come around passing out $100 bills, I would understand why she might lose her head (shoot, I need that money too... lol), but come on! We all--a bunch of strangers who didn't even know each other--were trying to do a nice thing for this kid, which was not going to affect this lady in any way. Just like Mandy said, I'm sorry your knees were going to be blocked from seeing the fireworks by this not-even-4 ft. child. What on earth? Talk about un-called-for and rude!

Thankfully, it turned out well for the kid. Despite being man-handled and then frightened and subequently caused to cry by this witch (guess it's fitting for Halloween), he got to enjoy the show how every kid should. Another nice elderly couple made room and both he and his mom were able to move to the front. Thank goodness there are SOME nice people in this world. I hope that lady's heart was burning with guilt and shame for how she behaved, but I doubt it. Then again she was still running her mouth at the end in defense of herself, which tells me she probably did feel guilty and didn't like it. Ha!

The sad thing is... Well, actually there are a few sad things:

1) After posting up my frustrations on Facebook, I find out that this is a regular thing during the fireworks show. People!!! It's Disneyland. We are all there to have fun... not fight each other.

2) The way in which society has become so obsessed with personal rights and self-centeredness, has caused us to become absolutely disgusting people. We have no self-control and can't even bite out tongues anymore--sadly, myself included at times. Any little thing that makes us mad and we will verbally assault a stranger.

3) People think it is okay to cuss each other out and be rude to each other in front of children. This goes back to point two, but I think it needed it's own category. What makes us think that a) it is appropriate to use foul language in front of kids (which I admit I have been guilty of in the past... shameful) and b) it is okay to completely forget that there are children around who don't understand what's going on and can become scared, all because we are offended. Wow, and then we can't understand why our kids act up and show no respect.

4) Disney himself was a man of morals and good, old-fashioned American values. I don't think he would have stood for this type of behavior in his park. He made Disneyland a place for ALL of us to enjoy and as a way to, for one day, forget about the stresses in our life. He did NOT intend for it become a battle zone!

Come on, people. We can do better than this!

Disney's Official Blog

Disney has created it's own blog and it includes some insider info. Check it out.

I personally am happy to have information "straight from the horse's mouth." Sometimes you hear rumors about stuff going on, but can't always rely on the other blogs and sites to confirm. This is good. Now that I have the Premium season pass and no blackout dates, I really want to take advantage of the cool stuff going on at the park. Well, as much as financially possible.

Cool... One more thing for me to check out when I'm bored at work. lol.

One birthday down... One to go...

Kim's birthday was this weekend. We took her to Disneyland, and of course, we had a blast. Baby was a rockstar, as usual. She got on all the big rides: Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones.

Next weekend is Katie's birthday and we are going to the Pirate Adventure show, which is like Medieval Times, but with Pirates. Can't wait. Looks pretty cool...

Anyway, here are some pics of our trip:

( Baby, Maddie, and Me on the famous Tea Cups)

( Mike, Kim, Mom, Me, Baby, & Maddie in front of Finding Nemo)

(Getting on the Matterhorn)

(Baby and me on the Matterhorn)

(Baby and me killing it on Buzz Lightyear)

More fun times...

Selso (with his Mickey hands...lol) and Me in line for Space Mountain

Katie and me in line for Space Mountain (I got a mad sunglasses tan... haha!)

Fun times...

Tirsa, Nick, Selso, and Me (Rock on!) - Splash Mountain

Me.... SOAKED!

Me (hiding) and Selso, Katie & Nick (kissing), and Tirsa... Space Mountain

Space Ranger

(Click for Larger Image)

Disneyland always makes it better...

So, yesterday I tagged along with Katie, Nick, Tirsa, and Selso to Disneyland for Selso's birthday. We were there for only a little while, but we had fun.

Unfortunately for me, I made the stupid decision to sit in the front on Splash Mountain and I got fricken DRENCHED. 90% of my body was seriously covered in water. I literally had to take my jeans off in the restroom and wring the water out. It was definitely very uncomfortable. Then I never really got around to drying completely off before sunset and I was freezing. I had to buy a sweater, but it really didn't help because it got damp from the contact with my wet clothes. Now as a result, I totally have a cough and have been feeling crappy all day. Oh well... Like I said, we had fun.

I sure pigged out too. I was eating a little bit of everything. Bad, Kristina! I really need to stop. I think because of all my stress lately, I've been eating a little too much crap and it's starting to show. I really got to get back on that step machine. I am not going to Ireland looking like a fata$$.

Anyway, fun times. I love Disneyland. That place will never get old...

For my fellow Disneyland fans...

Those who know me even minimally know that I am obsessed with Disneyland. I love the place. There isn't a year in my life that I can recall not going to Disneyland at least once. I know where every restroom is. I know where every drinking fountain is. I know where every ride is. Etc, etc. I love DISNEYLAND!!!

Anyway, every once in a while I will surf the net for sites run by other Disney fans and boy are there good ones. So, I decided to share my findings with anyone who might be interested in the history of and the behind-the-scenes info on Disneyland:

Yesterland.com
This site has pictures and descriptions of all the now-extinct rides and attractions at Disneyland. Do you remember a specific ride you used to get on when you are little, but can no longer find it at the park? You'll find it in Yesterland. I love knowing all the history of Disneyland and the way it used to be when my mom was young... this site totally feeds my need for that knowledge.

DoomBuggies.com
This site has everything--and I mean EVERYTHING--you want to know about the Haunted Mansion. Check it out. First time I found this site, I spent hours going through it and I learned so much. You'll definitely never see the ride the same again. WARNING: Don't read if you don't want to know how they do some of the special effects.

TellNoTales.com
All you need to know about The Pirates of the Carribean ride. Just like DoomBuggies.com, this one gives you all the info and history on the awesome ride that inspired the movies. Did you know that Pirates was originally going to be a walk-thru ride with a miniature pirate village? Check out this site for that story and more.

LaughingPlace.com
This site provides info on all Disney parks around the world. Every rumor, tidbit, etc. is addressed. This one's been around a while.

There are others, believe me, but there are too many to list. Enjoy these ones though.... They have mountains of info and media. Enjoy!

It's play time!

Wow, this last weekend was too much freakin' fun!

First we had Baby's "fake" birthday party at this awesome place called Scooter's Jungle in Santa Clarita. It's basically a giant jungle gym with a bunch of blow up slides and bouce houses and other cool stuff. We had so much freakin fun! Mandy, Jessica, and I spent most of our time sliding down the giant slide. (I will add video links to us sliding as soon as I upload them.) Mandy had so much fun on the slide that she split her shorts down the crack and had to go to Walmart and buy new ones.... LMAO!!!!! Ah man, I think we had more fun than the kids! Plus, the place is awesome because you get a hardcore workout and you don't even realize it because of all the fun you are having.

Sunday, Baby and I went to Disneyland. We got there right when it opened, and as soon as we got through the gate, we booked it to the Finding Nemo line. It had already wrapped around the Matterhorn. We were told that it was going to be a 5-hour wait. We got in line anyway and I told Baby that it was a good thing we have already been on practically all the rides at Disneyland already. After only waiting 3 hours (haha... only), we made it to the ride. I'm not going to give away any details, but it was definitely awesome. We LOVED it! If it wasn't such a long line, we would have gotten right back on and did it again. They did such an amazing job on it. The technology and special effects are really cool and the whole ride overall was awesome.

After that we hit up Star Tours, one of our favorites, and then we ate and headed over to Disney's California Adventure (DCA) to talk to Crush (the turtle from Nemo). Baby loved that and thought it was awesome. She was giggling the whole time. Then I took her over the the Grizzly Bear Run (I think that's what it's called), which is a Roaring Rapids-type ride where you get into a giant raft and go down some rapids (duh). Baby absolutely LOVED that too. She swears that it was her favorite ride. After that one, I we got on some other stuff before we went to get her face painted and then got in line for California Screamin', baby's very first upside-down ride. She did it like a champ and of course loved it. Gosh, that kid is a gansta when it comes to these rides; she's only just 7 years old!

Here is a video of baby with her face painted and doing her hilarious "evil genius laugh" that she had me rolling on the floor with the whole day.

After DCA, we headed back over to Disneyland and got on the Matterhorn... Baby loved it, of course. After all those roller coasters, she didn't want to go on any of the little rides. They were too "boring." Haha.... Like I said: Gangsta! We only ended up staying at the parks until 7PM, but we definitely got a lot in and had a great time. I can't wait until the next trip!

The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

is almost open! Call me a nerd, but I am really excited! This little article on the Disney Insider website, explains the awesomeness that will be this ride. Here are some excerpts:

"Kevin explains that as we board the subs, 'We're visiting this undersea
exploration company -- the Nautical Exploration and Marine Observation
institute. Put those letters together and it spells Nemo! Guests go along
for the ride as this institute explores an underwater volcano.'"

"And a trip to Mount Wannahockaloogie is indeed in the cards -- but on the
way Guests will encounter Marlin and Dory, ride the East Australian Current,
meet a couple of sharks face to face, survive a mine explosion that plunges them
to the depths of the sea, traverse a hazardous school of jellyfish, and even be
ejected from the spout of a whale before they return safely to shore."

Sounds freakin' awesome! Can't wait!