"That’s not how the Force works!" - January 2017 Rebel Challenge + More! 3/14 Complete

[Dis_Yoda]

Warner Brothers Studio Tour - Closed Sets & Batman’s Vehicles!

After we loaded back onto the golf cart, we headed into the indoor stage area. This is where all the sitcoms, dramas and talk shows film. Certain long running shows get to have the stage named after them and it will forever be known as the “FRIENDS” stage or the Ellen Stage.

We were walked onto one sitcom set. For us, it was 2 Broke Girls. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the set but we were allowed to walk around on it! When we drove through the Woodshop we saw where they keep the swing sets for all the sitcoms as well - like Penny’s Bedroom from Big Bang Theory - basically the sets that aren’t always needed but still need to be around.

We then were led onto Ellen’s stage and learned how certain people that she deems her favorite have assigned seats if they were ever to show up - like her mother, Tom Hanks, etc.

Every part of the studio could be used on a movie/television show including the gates!

We then headed to the special Batman exhibit that housed many of his vehicles!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Warner Brothers Studio Tour - Prop Shop & Stage 48!

Across the street from the Batman Vehicles was the prop shop. We didn’t get to go too deep into the prop area because of another tour group and our tour guide trying to keep us away from them. This kinda disappointed me. We did get to see some props from Ray Donovan, the Matrix, Annabelle, etc.

And with that the tour was over! We were dropped off at Stage 48 to explore the exhibits inside there, including Central Perk and how they make Dobby and the whole movie making process.

With that, we headed through the shop where we all picked up a couple things. I got myself a FRIENDS potholder. Betsy got some Gilmore Girl stuff for herself and Pretty Little Liar stuff for her cousin. My husband got something DC comics related. Our drive home wasn’t bad as I kept on the same highway for the most part! We really enjoyed this as it was something different. For the most part, it kept us off our feet although there was some walking. A lot less than if we would have gone to the parks that day! Once back on property, we said goodbye to Betsy as we had dinner reservations at 5PM and wanted to relax a little before then.​

 

[TeeterTots]

Love the pics of you two at central perk! And your Oscar, of course!

 

[franandaj]

Huh? We did that tour for the first time a few years ago. You missed a few areas that we saw, like out first stop was a heavily forested area. They must have been filming there.

I think we need to go back as the stuff from Magical Beasts obviously was not on display, plus they did not have a Batman area, it had cars from a variety of productions including batman cars. The friends set was also it's own stop. It sounds like they moved it. At the time we didn't watch Big Bang Theory, but now I would have totally geeked out seeing Penny's bedroom, even though now it's Sheldon's and Amy's, although we are still a few episodes behind so maybe they've moved out. They talked about it in the last epsode we saw.

Glad you made it there and back in good time. That's a crappy drive most times of the day.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Love the pics of you two at central perk! And your Oscar, of course!

Thank you! I sometimes have to make sure I post photos of me to show I exist! I'm usually behind the camera .

Huh? We did that tour for the first time a few years ago. You missed a few areas that we saw, like out first stop was a heavily forested area. They must have been filming there.

I think we need to go back as the stuff from Magical Beasts obviously was not on display, plus they did not have a Batman area, it had cars from a variety of productions including batman cars. The friends set was also it's own stop. It sounds like they moved it. At the time we didn't watch Big Bang Theory, but now I would have totally geeked out seeing Penny's bedroom, even though now it's Sheldon's and Amy's, although we are still a few episodes behind so maybe they've moved out. They talked about it in the last epsode we saw.

Glad you made it there and back in good time. That's a crappy drive most times of the day.

We drove by the heavily forested area and they said they use it for filming but nothing major exciting about it. They probably were filming!

Its a good that they keep it fresh and update things from time to time.

One of the groups got to see the full Big Bang Theory set as we did have a pit stop in front of it when one of the group was outside the stage on the phone and our tour guide made him go back to his group as he wasn't allowed to be unsupervised! I'm sure if you emphasized that is what you wanted to see, they may take you on it. Its also filmed in front of an audience...you should try to do that one day!

Yeah, LA driving sucks especially when you are going to one side of the city to the other. I'm hoping next week - my drive from John Wayne to Whittier only takes the 45 minutes the directions tell me it will!

Hope you stayed dry with all the rain!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Steakhouse 55

When we got back to the room, we relaxed and got ready for dinner as well, we fully believe in dressing up for nice dinners. It is a shame that so many people don’t feel the same. A steakhouse isn’t a place for shorts and a t-shirt you know? At least not for adults.

We ordered our meal and drinks (a liter of sparkling water for me and diet coke for my husband) and didn’t have to wait long for the Amuse Bouche to be given. I felt this amuse bouche was a bit uninspired as it was mint, greek yogurt and a piece of serrano ham. I ate both mine and my husbands though as he said he didn’t want it.

Amuse Bouche

For my appetizer, it wasn’t hard for me to decide what I wanted once I saw this on the menu! Pork Belly with grits? Count me in! I totally was a member of the clean plate club after this course.

Pan-Roasted Pork Belly - Cheddar Cheese Grits, Zinfandel-Plum Beurre Rouge, Micro Pea Shoot

My husband went with two appetizers to start. He wanted a salad (his usual caesar) and he wanted Onion Soup. I ended up stealing some of the salad. We love these as stables here as you can’t go wrong with a classic steakhouse caesar or french onion soup!

Opps! Forgot a photo as I was so happy with my dish!
Chopped Hearts of Romaine - Parmigiano Reggiano, Pesto Croutons, Caesar Dressing

Onion Soup au Gratin - Rustic French Bread Croutons, Gruyere Cheese, Micro Thyme

I went with one of the specials for dinners - the Wagyu Flat Iron Steak Frites! This was so good! Even with being a flat iron, it was still tender (especially because it was Wagyu) The fries were fine (my husband stole a good amount!)

Mishima Ranch Wagyu Flat Iron Steak Frites - 8 oz Wagyu Beef, Pommes Frites, Bearnaise Sauce

My husband went with the half chicken as it was safe for him. As he only stopped being a vegetarian about 2 months ago - he hadn’t eaten any red meat so he wasn’t going to risk it the night before a race! He loved his chicken!

Pan-Roasted Mary’s Farm Half Chicken

He also ordered mashed potatoes as it was a safe option. He loves mashed potatoes so this worked out well!

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

We skipped dessert as nothing seemed that interesting to us. We paid using our DVC discount and headed back to the room. Back at the room about an hour later, we had ate some desserts from the day before and I put a foot mask on that was super refreshing!

We were asleep by 8PM!​

 

[TeeterTots]

I agree with you on proper attire!
And.....
I'll take one of everything, please!!

 

[kastoney]

All caught up on your adventures. Thanks for all the shoe porn! Showed Jason your hubby's shoes and he totally wants some now. Guess he'll have to do another race Speaking of race congrats on the 10K. Hope the 1/2 goes great!

Loving all the Disneyland pics. I haven't been in 10 years so totally forget all the nostalgic rides they have.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I agree with you on proper attire!
And.....
I'll take one of everything, please!!

Glad someone else agrees on me on proper attire!

Steakhouse 55 is one of our favorites! Everything is so good there!

All caught up on your adventures. Thanks for all the shoe porn! Showed Jason your hubby's shoes and he totally wants some now. Guess he'll have to do another race Speaking of race congrats on the 10K. Hope the 1/2 goes great!

Loving all the Disneyland pics. I haven't been in 10 years so totally forget all the nostalgic rides they have.

Glad you enjoyed the shoe porn! Does he want the Toy Story or the Space Mountain? I think the half is still available for Dark Side again. You know you want to!

The half was um, an experience to say the least!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - The Start

The alarm was set for 3:30AM but I woke up earlier than that around 2:30AM with a stomach that was not happy. I ate a banana to see if that would help and shortly after, I spent the next 20 minutes emptying my stomach of all contents. I felt like utter crap. My husband had woke up during this and we had a talk. I had no idea if I should even attempt the race today. We ended up deciding on me at least trying since otherwise I would lose legacy and the fact I was in Corral G meant I had at least a 30 minute buffer between the balloon ladies and me. This meant I should be able to just walk the half. I wasn’t even sure I should do this though. My stubbornness won through though and I was going to attempt it. We left the room at 3:30AM and on our way to the corrals, my husband stopped by the RunDisney Merch tent and discovered they had the pre-order jacket for sale! He bought one and at that point we said goodbye. He was going to take it back to the room and then head to his corral. I’m glad he got his jacket!

Husband Pre-Race

Dis_Yoda Pre-Race


In my corral, I met my first really bold corral jumper. I even called him out on it to which he said he was confused and was going to go back to the right one. He didn’t. He tried to hide from me after I called him out. RunDisney got an email from me about him. I wasn’t feeling good and being angry at him distracted me!

I was right at the front right of my corral.

I saw a friend while she was entering the corral at 5:20am.

After the initial corrals were off, we made our way towards the front

When Corral G went off, I still wasn’t feeling hot. I hadn’t eaten anything else since my visit with the porcelain god and I was scared to do my normal routine as I didn’t want to get sick during my very long walk. As the corral start is major crowded, I did jog a bit for the first quarter mile until it spread out more. I found the sign in Cars Land to be really appropriate for me!

And slowly I reached Mile 1 and onto Paradise Pier! They had this area more guarded today probably as the way they had it set up for the 10K would have made it really easy for someone to course jump.

Star Wars Rebels

As we went towards Hollywood Studios, I was really happy to see what they had on the Marquee! Very appropriate!

Then it was Mile 2 & 3! I got the text message as I went over the 5K marker that my pace was at 18:17. Not bad considering I was walking!

It was time to go through Tomorrowland & the Castle! My photopass photos show how ‘happy’ I was. I actually did a side by side comparison of my castle photos on instagram. I look so pale during the half! I still hadn’t had a single gu yet as I was scared to take it. I was getting powerade and water at each water stop though to keep myself going.

Mile 4

After we left the parks, a fellow runner started talking to me. I think the struggle was on my face and she was nervous as it was her first half marathon as she was also walking. We chatted for a while and kept trying to keep going. We hit Mile 5!

Shortly before I hit the 6 Mile Mark, I got a message that my husband had finished in 2 hours & 10 Minutes. So about 10 minutes slower than his goal but come to find out - he stopped for a photo and decided to enjoy the race! He said it made him enjoy the race more! He just wished he would have decided to stop for characters before Chewbacca. Maybe next year since well, it will be a week after the marathon so he may just want to be slow and use it as a recovery run.

He looks so happy!

A little before Mile 6, I finally took a single gu to see how it would work out for me. I think because my body had already used whatever was left in my system, it was immediately used up once it hit my stomach. We hit Mile 6 and I crossed the 10K marker at at 18:24 pace

Around this time, my temporary running friend was moving faster than I was. She kept on going and I just kept walking along.​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Star Wars Half Marathon - The Finish

At the halfway mark in the course, Mouseplanet had set up a Red Vine station and photo op. I didn’t take the Free Candy from Strangers as well, still wasn’t going to risk it despite having a gu not destroy me!

It was then Mile 7 and Mile 8!

After Mile 8 comes the best part of the half-marathon! It was all the fan groups out with their awesome costumes.

And the awesome character fan group stretch ended once we hit Mile 9!

Immediately after this though is my least favorite part of the race. The crazy protester who wanted to let us know that Star Wars is all a fantasy world. Well, crappy feeling Dis_Yoda totally flipped out on her. I think I scared the people around me! Whatever filter I had was long gone.

My two friends I finished the 10K with passed me at this point (they started in the 2nd to last corral) and tried to cheer me up. Well, it was a nice effort on their part but I was really just trudging along. My 15K text message was at an 18:52 pace. Mile Markers 10, 11 and 12 were for the most part a blur. The only thing that kept me going was my husband messaging me some really nice encouraging things. I knew he would be waiting for me when I passed by Disneyland Hotel.

Mile 10

Mile 11

Mile 12

It was after I turned into the parking lot behind Paradise Pier hotel did I finally see the balloon ladies and they passed me. At this point, I wasn’t worried. I knew I had less than a half of mile left in the race and there was no way Disneyland was going to sweep at this point unless I requested it. I was going to make it.

Balloon Ladies

Mile 13

And right at the Disneyland Hotel was my husband to cheer me on! I gave him a hug and kiss and worked my way to the end.

I see him!

Close to Finish

Shouldn’t I be happier?

My finish text message stated I was at a 18:53 pace. When I looked at the official results. I was like 35th from last place! This is officially my worst pace! I’m ok with this as well, I felt like crap and shouldn’t even had tried to do the race.
I trudged to getting my metals then my powerade, water and snack boxes.

I really wanted to get a massage when I was done as my glut was screaming at me but the booth was done for the day already. I slowly moved back to the hotel and was really sad to see the hot mess that was the re-entry point to Downtown Disney. They really needed to have a runner’s only line!

When I got back to the hotel, I was happy to see that the room had already been cleaned for the day (it happened while my husband was waiting for me by the Disneyland Hotel Entrance) and he had drawn a bath for me! He had even placed his cookies & nutella for me! Best husband ever! I added in my cookies & nutella along with my bag of chips. Soaking felt so nice!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

What a huge bummer that you felt so badly for the half, but that's amazing that you powered through like that. What a accomplishment. And now you have a story to tell, which you can embellish every year

 

[Dis_Yoda]

What a huge bummer that you felt so badly for the half, but that's amazing that you powered through like that. What a accomplishment. And now you have a story to tell, which you can embellish every year

I do have a story to tell! I finished so I'm happy even though it wasn't pretty!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

ESPN Zone VIP Party

After my bath, we relaxed in the room until noon when it was time for us to head towards ESPN Zone for the special VIP Lounge party. We had selected the 12:30PM party over the 9:30AM as I knew I wouldn’t be finished by 9:30AM. I’m glad we had selected it as being able to get cleaned up after the race and relax some was nice. We slowly moved to through security and into the party. What wasn’t nice was the fact that the party was upstairs and we had to walk up them. We probably looked super special waddling up those stairs.

It was still early and Betsy hadn’t yet arrived. I realized when my husband and I got there, I had actually left my cell phone in the room charging. I would have to hope my husband and Betsy would take enough photos for me! I just kept having to remind my husband to take a photo!

We started with some air hockey where my husband kicked my butt. I also played some alpine skier where my skills I had when I was younger was only slightly lost as I got 3rd place at the end rather than 1st!

Betsy still hadn’t arrived but I was starving as was my husband. We got ourselves a seat at one of the tables and figured she would head towards the food when she got there.

Caesar Salad

Sliders

Mixed Vegetables

Buffalo Wings

Penne Pasta w/ Sauce

Tri-Tip

Fruit Salad

Cookies/Brownies

My initial plate consisted of caesar salad, buffalo wings and pasta. All of this was standard bar fare but after finishing 13 miles certain foods just taste good and buffalo wings are one of them. I probably ended up eating at least a dozen! My husband had a lot of salad and cookies after he got his fill from of buffalo wings. While we were eating our first plate, Betsy arrived (she took the food photos) Another lady that was solo joined us at our table. She had bought herself the package as a treat and was fun to talk to during the event. We all had seconds and thirds from the buffet! Around 1:15pm, we decided it was time to start playing games and we went around. My husband and I played some Pac-Man Air Hockey where we each won a round.

We then played against each other (with Betsy and the lady) in some race car games. My husband beat us all! We played some basketball and skeeball and realized that playing basketball could be painful when your body is wiped from the race! My arms were sore afterwards. After 2:00PM, my husband and I were about done. We both wanted a nap and relaxation! We parted ways with Betsy and our temporary lounge friend and headed back to the room. I put on a foot mask and a face mask to relax and eventually took a nap!

 

[Mom2m&k]

Love that you still did the race and finished it! Your hubby scored some points that day too...that was really sweet! As I'm reading I realized I lived only a few miles from Warner Bros and never did the tour! Maybe some day on a vacation. Disneyland has changed so much so I was there last. I think it has been almost 10 years!

 

[Mom2m&k]

Okay and does the ballon lady really hold up the balloons like that the whole race??

 

[kastoney]

Congrats on finishing the half, especially given the circumstances. I'm surprised you even tried it, so amazing job!

No races in our near future (at least not the disney kind). Our annual passes ran out last week, so I think it will probably be a year before we go again. So sad. So no space mountain shoes for Jason, but he did find some ones from last year (don't recall which) at the outlet by our house so there is always a chance

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Love that you still did the race and finished it! Your hubby scored some points that day too...that was really sweet! As I'm reading I realized I lived only a few miles from Warner Bros and never did the tour! Maybe some day on a vacation. Disneyland has changed so much so I was there last. I think it has been almost 10 years!

He totally scored points that day! Its amazing how you can live so close to major tourist attractions and never do them! I live so close to the Everglades but I never visit them. Same goes for Sanibel Island.

Disneyland is always changing. I can't wait for Star Wars land to open!

Okay and does the ballon lady really hold up the balloons like that the whole race??

Yes they do! All 13.1 miles! There are two of them so maybe they switched off during the race?

Congrats on finishing the half, especially given the circumstances. I'm surprised you even tried it, so amazing job!

No races in our near future (at least not the disney kind). Our annual passes ran out last week, so I think it will probably be a year before we go again. So sad. So no space mountain shoes for Jason, but he did find some ones from last year (don't recall which) at the outlet by our house so there is always a chance

A Dead Last Finish is better than a Did Not Finish!

I get that if your APs run out, waiting a year to go back as you have a lot of travel plans in your future! It also costs you a good bit more to get to Disney since you have to travel much farther! Hopefully you luck out again at the outlets next year!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Napa Rose Chef’s Counter

At 4:45PM, I woke up from my nap and got ready for our special dinner. We had done the Chef’s Counter the previous year. We were excited to do it again! We didn’t have to wait long to be seated once we arrived at the Grand Californian. We were sat at the exact same two seats we were at the year before.

We ordered a bottle of wine to share and expressed our dislikes and likes to the chef. We were soon given our amuse bouche. It was a tuna over a cauliflower puree with roe.

Amuse Bouche

Bread basket

For our first course, we actually ended up switching the dishes once we were served them as my husband really liked the look of mine and I didn’t care that much between the two as they both looked good. My husband ended up with the Kingfish after our exchange. He devoured it quickly. The best part he said was the razor clam that was chopped up with ham and baked.

Kingfish w/ Bay Scallop Chowder and Razor Clam Ham

I ended up with the Grilled Diver Scallop. It was very tender and flavored well. I’ve finally admitted to myself, I do like scallops - at least diver scallops that are properly prepared. The squash puree felt like a hearty side for the winter months!

Grilled Hand-Harvested Diver Scallop w/ Harvest Squash Truffle Puree

On the second course, my husband and I didn’t switch meals as we both were perfectly happy with what we were given! My husband was a big fan of his beet salad. He had taken to eaten beets a lot when he was a vegetarian as they are a filling item! You also can’t go wrong with a cheese fritter!

Heirloom Beets Roasted in Embers w/ Bellwether Farms Sheep’s Milk Yogurt, Taleggio Cheese Fritter and Sherry-Orange Vinaigrette

I had the lighter second course with the hamachi carpaccio and octopus. The octopus wasn’t too tough even if the texture is still off for me.

Hamachi Yellowtail Carpaccio & Oak-Roasted Tender Octopus w/ Artichoke-Pine Nut Caponata & Yellow Tomato Sauce

The next course was the absolute winner of the evening for both of us. My husband did feel a little bad when he was served the rabbit sausage because of rabbits being cute but as soon as he tasted the dish, that went out the window. He no longer cared! It was tasty, especially with the side items they had!

Country Rabbit Sausage - Green Apple, Rapini Pesto, Ricotta Salata

I was given the weekly special for the pots and had the pot roast. It was so tender and flavorful!

Pot Roast

For the soup course, neither my husband nor I can remember what exactly he was served. He ate all of it so we know he enjoyed it but it wasn’t memorable enough for either of us to remember!

Unknown Soup

I had the mushroom bisque. As a mushroom hater, this wasn’t bad to eat as I was able to avoid the chunks of the portobello and just enough the warm creamy broth. It was definitely a soothing dish!

Portobello Mushroom Bisque “Cappuccino”

As the soup course was cleared, we were given our palette cleanser. It was refreshing and citrusy.

Sorbet

Watching Them Cooking

Our mains ended up being the only main misstep of the night. As we were by the meat station, we got to watch our dishes be finished. My husband had went to the restroom when I saw his pork come up to the pass by the junior chef and in turn, the more seasoned chef noticed it was well still raw. He had to cut it into strips and refire the dish to make it safe to eat. It was fixed by the time my husband returned from the restroom. He still found some of the pork to be underdone though but he was full so he didn’t say anything.

Hickory-Smoked Heirloom Red Wattle Pork Chop

My lamb also was a misstep for me not because of the lamb but because of the seasoning on the outside. It was so thick that it made eating it feel gritty. I also was getting really full so I just ate the inside of the meat and avoided that crust.

Lamb Porterhouse

We were allowed to pick our own desserts and I knew exactly what I was going to get after watching the desserts leave all evening on the right side. I went with the doughnuts, not realizing I was also going to get a show with it! The marshmallow opened up as it was placed in the hot chocolate and bloomed! It was adorable!

World’s Best Hot Chocolate w/ Doughnuts

My husband went with the chocolate and peanut butter dessert. He was really happy with this as chocolate and peanut butter just go together!

Peanut Butter Croquantine w/ Manjari Chocolate Ganache

We settled our bill and left really stuffed! We also were exhausted at this point as well. After a quick stop to Sephora (I have a problem) we walked back to the hotel and went to bed shortly.

More Sephora Purchases​

 

[Mom2m&k]

You dinner looked delicious! I think I'm going to have to give those masks a try!