Food and Wine? Sounds Divine! An October TR - 12/2 A PTR Link!

[Dream426]

Omg I haven't been on the Disney boards and haven't been able to read anyone's updates in a few weeks.. Great updates and can't wait to hear about your anniversary trip.

 

[heathsf]

So sorry your DM wasn’t feeling well. That shouldn’t be allowed in Disney!

Great photo shoot at Dumbo! Those pictures were heart-meltingly adorable. DS and DH look so much alike.

LOL at your use of the Office gif

Good for you standing up to the line cutter at the PP! And I love how proud DH was of you afterwards!

Sleepy Hollow is on my list for August. I MUST get a Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich. I was actually thinking about it this morning while making breakfast. I didn’t want eggs. I wanted a Nutella Waffle Sandwich! And ugh that strawberry waffle just looked SO amazing. I'm drooling.

You had so many great family pictures in there. I'll just lump them all together and say they were all super!

Can’t wait to read about your DL trip!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome back! Looking forward to the mini-TR.

 

[BebopAngel88]

Yahh... joining and I am all caught up! Your family is gorgeous and I love how you include your mom in your trips. I read the TRs during breaks at work and the one pic of the lil girl smiling just made me crack up out loud.

 

[glaserjm]

Whew...all caught up! It's been months since I posted on here, but I finally read all the entries. Your son is so cute!

Good for you for standing up for yourself. I too generally won't confront people but sometimes you just have to say, "enough!"

Looking forward to more updates.

 

[heathsf]

Alicia! I'm finally caught up with everything on the DIS and I've been on regularly and you're not updating! I need more! I'm just so antsy waiting for my trip to come, I don't even know what to do with myself! In all seriousness, you've been away for a while and I hope everything is okay and that you're just busy enjoying your summer

 

[Leshaface]

When the cleaning mood hits you, it cannot be fought!
Welcome back

Lol! Thank you!

Ok. I remember reading your last update back before our trip, but clearly I forgot to comment. My bad.

I do that all the time!

I'm right there with you...

Phew, glad we're not the only ones. DH told DM not too long ago, that she would have to put him back on the gift list, if she ever wants another grandchild from us

Next best thing??? I thought that was the best thing?

You got me!

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you do get to do a TR on it. You know. For those of us who are planning Disneyland trips soon.

Your plans really do look like a lot of fun, so I'm sure the trip turned out great!

Yay! That will be a fun TR to read.

welcome back! I'm glad that you had such a great trip

Thank you! Had such a fun time!

I'll look forward to the Mini-TR too! I have two mini-TRs (one finished, one in progress) and two more I could do....maybe I'll leave this one to you. Most of my readers are following your thread as well.

Well you took some pics right?? Maybe you can post them at some point either on yours (if you do decide to do one that is!) or on mine!

Glad your trip went so well an definitely would enjoy reading a mini-TR!

Coming right up!

Welcome back!

Thanks Pam!

Glad your trip went so well! Can't wait to hear all about it.

And could you send your DH over here to clean next, please?

I can't believe how well it's going at home! He must have read our spouse discussion on your thread or something, cause he's a completely different dude!

Omg I haven't been on the Disney boards and haven't been able to read anyone's updates in a few weeks.. Great updates and can't wait to hear about your anniversary trip.

Hi Gina! Well you're probably busy ironing out all the details for your trip coming up!

So sorry your DM wasn’t feeling well. That shouldn’t be allowed in Disney!

Great photo shoot at Dumbo! Those pictures were heart-meltingly adorable. DS and DH look so much alike.

LOL at your use of the Office gif

Good for you standing up to the line cutter at the PP! And I love how proud DH was of you afterwards!

Sleepy Hollow is on my list for August. I MUST get a Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich. I was actually thinking about it this morning while making breakfast. I didn’t want eggs. I wanted a Nutella Waffle Sandwich! And ugh that strawberry waffle just looked SO amazing. I'm drooling.

You had so many great family pictures in there. I'll just lump them all together and say they were all super!

Can’t wait to read about your DL trip!

Hi Heather! I'm so happy your trip is already in a week! I know you were fiending for a trip and so glad it's finally here! Look forward to hearing about that.

I need to give Nutella another chance. I had it way back in my younger years when I was expecting a full-on chocolate taste, and it didn't taste at all what I thought it would. I think I would probably appreciate it more now that I have better taste buds.

Welcome back! Looking forward to the mini-TR.

Thank you!

Yahh... joining and I am all caught up! Your family is gorgeous and I love how you include your mom in your trips. I read the TRs during breaks at work and the one pic of the lil girl smiling just made me crack up out loud.

I'm glad that it makes one person on here laugh, while it freaks another one out! (sorry Pam! )

I love including DM on trips. I think that if my Dad was still alive, they would be traveling all over doing amazing things. I know she would NEVER travel alone so even though DH and I will never fill the void that my Dad would have given her, hopefully we're giving her some good times, and trips to look forward to in the future.

Whew...all caught up! It's been months since I posted on here, but I finally read all the entries. Your son is so cute!

Good for you for standing up for yourself. I too generally won't confront people but sometimes you just have to say, "enough!"

Looking forward to more updates.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Alicia! I'm finally caught up with everything on the DIS and I've been on regularly and you're not updating! I need more! I'm just so antsy waiting for my trip to come, I don't even know what to do with myself! In all seriousness, you've been away for a while and I hope everything is okay and that you're just busy enjoying your summer

Agggh! You're so right it's been a little busy around here and then I always feel guilty posting an update on my TR when I haven't caught up on my subscribed TR's. I got caught up last week and then it got busy, so now i'm behind again But i'm just going to post an update right now anyway and then go off to read

 

[Leshaface]

***I'll be making links in my Table of Contents post for easy access***

We left early on Sunday morning, sooner than we expected actually because the World Cup was showing at 12 and there was no way we were going to miss that. DS got dropped off at the IL’s around 8am and we were soon on our way to Long Beach for the day. Originally, this day was not in the plans, but the more I thought about it, I thought we would have a lot of fun driving around Long Beach and checking out old places that we used to visit when we lived there.

It takes about 2 ½ -3 hours to get to Long Beach depending on how fast you drive We made excellent time (with a breakfast stop!) and arrived in Long Beach at 11am. DH wanted to drive around now before the game but I thought it would be smarter to head straight to the bar. Yes. A bar at 11am on a Sunday.: Aye! Took this picture from the 405 freeway. The pyramid is Cal State University Long Beach where we both graduated and walked together in 2008.




Managed to take a bad picture of the school sign



Once we arrived at our final destination, it was time to find a spot. Now it’s always difficult to snag a spot on 2nd street. It’s such a busy place filled with bars, restaurants and fun shops but today was nuts. We drove around 2 times and couldn’t find anything, so DH let me out by the bar at 11:15 to grab seats for us and a friend we were meeting up with. Oh. My. There was a line to get into the bar. And they weren’t even open yet. 10 mintues go by and more people are lining up behind me and DH still hadn’t showed up yet but they let us in a few minutes to 11:30 where people were RUNNING to grab tables and seats. I was so lucky, I had snagged 2 seats at the bar, put my stuff down and stole another chair from a table. Now just to wait on DH. I didn’t want to call and bug him when he was trying to find a spot so I did the next best thing and ordered a beer. A German beer because we were rooting for Germany today. DH called and said he was lost because he parked at least 5 blocks away. Directions were given and he showed up 5 minutes later looking exasperated. But he was happy that I was able to get some seats. People were already standing behind us and the game hadn’t even started yet.


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So this place, Murphy’s, is really cool and fun, but the problem is it’s terribly small. That and it’s upstairs from a gym. It was hot. Upstairs = heat rises And they wouldn’t turn the fan on that’s directly above the bar area because the fan mixed with their neon lighting has caused seizures in there so we would just have to deal with the heat.

We had texted our friend and he said he would be there in 10 minutes. Yeah sure, with the parking situation we were thinking more like 30 minutes. 10 minutes later he showed up! Turns out he lives about 3 minutes from here, but he owns a golf cart that he made completely street legal so he was able to park between 2 cars. Cool! We stayed for the whole game eating, drinking and catching up P.S. Yay Germany!



Aside from driving around Long Beach, we had no other plans. So our friend asked if we wanted to drive down to the beach and he would take us. Sure!



It felt so cool and weird to be driving on a busy street in a golf cart, but no one seemed to care.















It was so much fun getting to tour the beach area without having to battle to find parking. We went back to his house for a second and he gifted us a couple T-shirts of the company that he works for, Space-X, and he drove us right back to our car. DH was right, it was definitely 5 blocks from the bar. Goodbyes were said and we were off to our next adventure...an unexpected adventure!

 

[afwdwfan]

I was so lucky, I had snagged 2 seats at the bar, put my stuff down and stole another chair from a table. Now just to wait on DH. I didn’t want to call and bug him when he was trying to find a spot so I did the next best thing and ordered a beer. A German beer because we were rooting for Germany today.

I'm glad you were able to at least secure some seats. Having a beer while you wait seems like a great idea.

Turns out he lives about 3 minutes from here, but he owns a golf cart that he made completely street legal so he was able to park between 2 cars. Cool!

That. Is. Awesome!!!!!!


Looks like it was a fun afternoon and a nice start to your trip.

 

[Pinkocto]

Glad you were able to score some seats and enjoyed the game


That golf cart is too funny. How fast does it go?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I can't believe how well it's going at home! He must have read our spouse discussion on your thread or something, cause he's a completely different dude!

if that's the case if we ever meet he's going to be like "hey buddy, thanks to you now I have to clean all the time!"

 

[franandaj]

I'll play tag team updates! Good thing you had a fun afternoon! Little did you know what fun awaited you that afternoon.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like a fun day and must have been cool to be back at your old stomping grounds (and perhaps a bit weird too). That's pretty cool about the golf cart ... I know there are a lot of communities in Florida that people use them, but not sure if I have ever seen one that was fully street legal - looks like it came in handy though!

Nice picture of the two of you on the beach

 

[MEK]

Glad you were able to get a seat and belly up to the bar for the game! I love the golf cart. That looks like perfect transportation for the beach area.

Nice that you got to see your old alma mater, even if it was just for a second.

 

[FancyNancy]

That golf cart is so cool! Love the little mini TR.

 

[Dugette]

Great start to the mini TR! Nice to visit some places from your past. How cool that your friend had that golf cart! Anxious to see what's next.

 

[BebopAngel88]

I love the pictures of the beach!! I used to live in Torrance, CA so I really miss going to the beach and the ocean smell.

 

[Leshaface]

I'm glad you were able to at least secure some seats. Having a beer while you wait seems like a great idea.


That. Is. Awesome!!!!!!


Looks like it was a fun afternoon and a nice start to your trip.

Isn't that golf cart too amazing!? That is the best way to get around, especially in that area.

Glad you were able to score some seats and enjoyed the game


That golf cart is too funny. How fast does it go?

I think he said it goes up to 20MPH. Not too fast but it was the perfect beach touring speed. And other cars were really good about going around him

 

[Leshaface]

if that's the case if we ever meet he's going to be like "hey buddy, thanks to you now I have to clean all the time!"

Who knows, maybe he'll buy you a beer for his new found hobby!

I'll play tag team updates! Good thing you had a fun afternoon! Little did you know what fun awaited you that afternoon.

That's coming right up

sounds like a fun day and must have been cool to be back at your old stomping grounds (and perhaps a bit weird too). That's pretty cool about the golf cart ... I know there are a lot of communities in Florida that people use them, but not sure if I have ever seen one that was fully street legal - looks like it came in handy though!

Nice picture of the two of you on the beach

It totally comes in handy for him, especially in that busy area. That area is loaded with bars and restaurants, with not much street parking and pretty much no parking lots. You really have to rely on parking in the residential areas which is a huge pain. But with the golf cart, he just squeezed in wherever he could!

Glad you were able to get a seat and belly up to the bar for the game! I love the golf cart. That looks like perfect transportation for the beach area.

Nice that you got to see your old alma mater, even if it was just for a second.

Definitely the perfect transportation! DH has always wanted a golf cart to travel around in, but there's really no need for it in our area.

Driving by there brought back so many memories. Memories of arriving to class hungover lmao and bittersweet memories as well. School, I think, really saved my sanity when my Dad passed away while I was living there. Going to work was tough so I took a few months off, but focusing on school, taking more classes and filling up time to keep me preoccupied really helped me deal. So that school, i'll always love.

That golf cart is so cool! Love the little mini TR.

Isn't it though! Now all he needs to do is set up some speakers in there to connect to his phone and he's all set!

Great start to the mini TR! Nice to visit some places from your past. How cool that your friend had that golf cart! Anxious to see what's next.

Thanks! Another update coming right up!

I love the pictures of the beach!! I used to live in Torrance, CA so I really miss going to the beach and the ocean smell.

Aw I so know how you feel! I miss it all the time! Not the traffic or having to pay to park my car at my apartment, but definitely having the beach nearby and the awesome shopping, experiences, etc

 

[Leshaface]

Finishing off the rest of this day so I can get to the Disney parts


In the original plans for today, we were going to meet up with Alison (franandaj) and check out her new home. But first a little back story. We met here on the DIS in either 2009 (at least I think it was 2009). We started chatting back and forth on each others threads and one day she had told me that she has a friend that lives in my town who she goes and helps from time to time, which is a small world because our town is pretty much non-existant to most Californians. So when she asked if I would want to meet up, I was totally for it. We set up a time and place and had some margaritias at one of the local Mexican restaurants. This was only a few days before I took off for my first Disney Cruise in June 2011 and sealed our meet with a picture!



After that, we met up I think maybe one or two times after that. My brain is getting old, I can’t remember very well. But the last time I had seen Alison in my town was when she was helping her friend pack up and move her to Long Beach. We weren’t able to hang out for too long since she was busy but that was the last time I had actually seen her. I believe it was right in the middle of being pregnant, so Spring/Summer 2012. Then in October 2013 (during this TR that I PROMISE i'll be finishing here soon!) Alison and a lot of other DIS'ers would be in WDW at the same time and they had planned a DIS cookout at the BCV and she told me the dates. I extended our trip by a day to bring us there earlier so we could meet up again. No DIS meet pic! So sad that no one got a full group shot!

Fast forward to months before this trip, she suggested stopping by her place if we were going to be around, and of course this was a must.

So right around the time our friend dropped us back off at the car, I noticed I had a missed call from Alison and then a text saying the car they had taken that past weekend to a car show (Alison you should post a picture of your gorgeous Ranchero!) had died right on the offramp. She told me where it was and we made our way immediately to help out in anyway we could.

We found Fran sitting in the car on the side of the street in no time. DM had given DH a Portable Jump Starter for Christmas (it's pretty nice! It's also a tire compressor and a cell phone charger ) and this was the first time he was going to be able to use it. Worked like a charm! We eventually got the car to a mechanic, left it outside the shop and followed them back to their gorgeous home to take a tour and meet their awesome kitties!

We stayed at the house talking and touring for at least 1 1/2 hours perhaps. Their home is amazing and they have some amazing projects in the near future, including a Haunted Mansion Theater Room. If you're not already over there, you should check out her Disney Dream Home thread and her current TR Sleepy and Grumpy Visit Tatooine. She always has amazing TR's filled with food porn and tons of pics and information. Anyway, we were there long enough for all of us to get hungry, so Fran and Alison suggested taking us to Lucille’s BBQ. I LOVE that place and so does DH! I was actually really excited to be going there. I wish I had asked our server to take a full group shot at the end.





After our terrific meal, it was time to head out. Poor Fran and Alison had such a looong day and I was just so happy to hang out with the both of them for a long time. But knew we had to make it to our hotel in Anaheim at some point.

Goodbyes were said (although we would be seeing Alison the next day at DLR!) and started driving. Now, there are a few ways to get to Anaheim from Long Beach:

1) 22 to the 5
2) 605 ->91->5
3) and then the scenic route, 605 to Katella all the way

Why we did it, I have no idea, but we took the scenic route, aka the longest route, IMO, especially if you hit all the lights which of course we did. It’s so funny, you drive through not the best looking areas and then all of a sudden you see these gorgeous hemmed bushes and lighted trees and know that you’re approaching the Disneyland Resort. Of couse I took my camera out



Mickey’s Fun Wheel, or Wheel of Death as most like to call it



And this is where we were at for the night



By booking this room through Rocketmiles, I was able to score 4,000 points towards my Southwest Credit Card. And just a side note to anyone who's interested in booking through this company, it did credit about a week after our trip, so it was very fast.

I checked us in and got instructions on where to park and look what was happening as we were getting out of the car





Perfect way to end such a great day.

I took pictures of the room but I’ll just show a couple. I always take massive amounts of hotel room pictures for future reference. The room was very decent sized with a fridge, microwave and single maker keurig. A really good location, but perhaps a bit far for some folks, maybe a 10 minute walk to the main crosswalk to the resort off of Harbor, but it was a lot cleaner than some of the main Harbor hotels I have stayed in. Plus we were only there for the night so it didn’t matter where we stayed.





As much as we missed DS, it was so nice not having to set up a pack-n-play, change a diaper or prep the diaper bag for the next day. We just showered, got into bed, played on the iPad for a bit and then eventually fell asleep. An exciting day coming up!