A Safe Landing!

We just got back from Florida last night.(**edited... I started this post last week and never finished it.. ugggh Now it is December 1st) We had a fantastic trip and were busy from morning until night every day. This was Sammie's first flight so she got to meet the pilots and sit in the cockpit too. The captain put his hat on her head!

Brad had to go for work and Sammie and I tagged along for fun. We went to the Magic Kingdom the first day. I have been there a few times before but it was her first time and so much fun to see it through her eyes. The parks are so enormous that all of Disneyland can fit into the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom. You have to take a ferry boat or the monorail to even get to the park. If you look in the distance you can see Cinderella's castle. The weather was cold/breezy during the day and very cold at night. One night it was 39 degrees!! BRRRRRR.. We went off season though, so there were practically NO lines! That was fabulous!

EPCOT.. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow

Yes, Yenny, you are exactly right! ( I know you went there so that helps!) Anyway here is Sammie in front of the famous "silver ball" which is a ride at Epcot called Spaceship Earth.
This was where we spent our second day. EPCOT is ginormous and you really can't experience it all in one day. It is divided into two lands.. The Future World and the World Showcase. The future world has rides and exhibits demonstrating the way things may be in the future and some really neat technology. There is a Finding Nemo ride ( different than Disneyland) and a ride called Test Track which simulates a vehicle crash test. It is a fast ride but very fun. There are about 7 buildings each with a different theme and exhibits/rides to go with them. We spent some of our day in the future world but then went to explore some of the countries. I wanted Sammie to see the Chinese acrobat show which is fantastic. We went to many countires in the World Showcase. Mexico, China, Norway, America, Italy, Germany, and Japan.

My pictures got out of order on this blog post so I will skip around a bit. As you read further, you will see a pic of what happenend in Japan.

This is a sign outside of Test Track. I loved that it had the number 4 and Sammie is 4 years old.. It was sort of symbolic to me as a scrapbooker!

The Test Track ride is sposored by GM and so when you exit the ride you go into a showroom with brand new cars to look at and sit in. Sammie went right up to this red Hummer and loved it.. ( She really wanted the sparkly blue pick up truck so she can pull her horsey trailer)

This is an out of order photo from Gatorland on our last day of the trip. This was fun because we got really really close to some alligators.

Hi Mickey and Minnie!

Okay.. now back to my narration of "Japan". They are famous for their pearl harvesting so I bought Sammie an oyster that she got to choose and even though I said, "what about this one?"... or"How about that one?".. or "Look in that tank there are more in there", she spotted the one she wanted from the get-go and that was it! She chose it because it had some pretty seaweed on it. Well, when they opened it up, it had 2 beautiful 6.5mm pearls inside!!! She was so excited she was jumping around. She got "twins" as they called it and said it is quite rare and happens only in 3 perecent of the oysters. Also, the average size is like 5mm. My plan was to save the pearl and someday when she gets married, give it to her as a gift, now I guess I can have a set of earrings made for her someday!

In Norway they have a really neat water ride that goes backwards down a hill and then forwards. They are known for their "trolls" so I had to snap this pic.. Although the little ham found the viking hat to add to the photo. That is not her braided hair but it sure looks like it!

Here is Sammie in China with a unicorn marionette. Yes, we did buy it.. It was really cute and fun to play with.

Wow.. this is a really mixed up post.. It is all over the place sort of like my brain right now from traveling!! LOL!

Before we left for our trip, Sammie had her last soccer game and we were losing as usual. The last quarter coach put her in as goalie for the first time. She was so excited and did a really good job. She blocked 2 balls and 2 went in but it was okay.. Here she is kicking the ball out.

This was taken at Gatorland. They had some great exhibits of snakes, turtles and birds. I love the amazed look on her face as the snake slithers up the glass. Sorry Christine. I know this is freaking you out right now and all you can say is blaaahhhh... disgusting!!!

These gators were in pond under a dock and I got these great photos using my camera zoom.

This photo, I was actually standing there next to these gators with the zookeepers as Sammie fed them big chunks of raw meat. ( She had a glove on). The zookeeper had a big pole but I dont think that would really stop the gators from eating us if they wanted to. They just sit there and lurk.. They look friendly with their big teethy smiles but no way!!

Anyway.. sorry for this long, choppy post. I am being super wordy so I can recall the details and have this as a memory/journal for myself later on so bear with me. :) We also saw lorikeets which are beautiful colorful birds ( like parrots) that you can feed. You buy some nectar in a cup and go into the aviary. They land on you and sip the nectar right out of the cup. It is a little scary at first because they land all over you like on your head, arms, shoulders, etc. One bit my hand and Sammie's finger but only because they are trying to get to the nectar. ( I had my hand over the cup and was trying to reposition and the bird was very impatient!) It only hurt for a second and we were all okay. I got some great pics that didn't end up in this post. Maybe my next post.

Wednesday we went to the Animal Kingdom. That was a great park too. Brad and I went years ago but were so exhausted and hot ( summer time) that we didn't really give it a lot of effort. It was fun this time to walk around and see it again. They had the Lion King show which was a snippet of the broadway production and just wonderful. Our favorite part of this park was seeing the animals on the safari van. We saw a lion prancing around and many other jungle animals like giraffe, elephants, okapi, zebras, deer, monkeys, hippos, rhinos, etc.

Sammie really liked the "It's tough to be a bug" show. It was a 3D movie with some cool special effects.

Thursday Brad was able to play with us. We went to MGM/Hollywood studios which is similar to California Adventure. He and Sammie rode their favorite ride Tower of Terror. I went on Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster. We rode Toy Story Mania and saw the muppets 3D show. Sammie got her pic with Woody and Buzz Lighyear. The Beauty and the Beast stageshow was fabulous too. We ate dinner at a retro restaurant called "The prime time cafe". It was great. It was like the 50's and so was the decor. There were tv's at the tables and the waitresses all wore uniforms and sat down to take orders. It was like sitting in someone's living room in the 50's. There was a lot to see and do at MGM studios. Brad and I were there in 2001 so things have changed a bit.

Friday we went back to Epcot for more fun and to see the exhibits we missed on Tuesday. That park is so enormous you have to spend at least 2 days to see everything. We were very lucky to go when it wasn't crowded.

Sammie had a fantastic time. We were on the go from morning until night every day and she was a trooper! No meltdowns at all. The airplane ride coming home was a bit challenging. We had a connecting flight in Utah and only had 20 minutes to get there. We landed and ran as fast as we could to the gate. It was really far. I saw a security guard riding a cart and asked if we could have a quick ride so we could catch our plane. When we got to the gate, the entire flight was boarded and waiting for us. They wouldn't even let us go to the bathroom. ( which we were dying to do since we just got off our 4 hour flight. We made it home safe and sound and were quite exhausted on Sunday.

I worked the 3 days before Thanksgiving and am still trying to catch up with everything and it now been a week. I have more to write but that will be another post since this one is LOOONG!!

November Already??

Well it is already November and I am still in Halloween mode.. I just took down my decorations today. I guess I am sad it is over because my camera decided to act up. It says my card "needs to be formatted" which means I can't access my pictures because it wants me to delete all images to format it. I will lose all of my Halloween pictures that haven't been uploaded to my computer yet.. WAAAAHHH
I took it to a camera shop and they weren't able to recover the pics either. This is the 2nd time it has happened to me so I am really bummed. I guess you have to "format" the card each time you take it out, upload, and then put it back in the camera or it gets fragmented and then the files get corrupted. ( I learned this from the camera shop) Painful lesson learned since now I have NO pictures of Halloween and this was the first time my parents went trick or treating with Sammie.

This picture is from Boo at the Zoo. It was a lot of fun. I think we will go again next year. It was a good event and reasonably priced. We saw Donna and her family there and the kids got to play together. This pic is one of the only ones I have from Halloween this year. Sammie was a unicorn. She found the costume when we were at Target and she said.. "that's it.. that's what I want to be". It is really cute and the great thing is that she plays with it now. She trots around the house wearing it so at least I got the money's worth.


My parents were in town for the weekend. We had a nice time. They took Sammie around the NEIGHborhood to trick or treat. ( Sammie's favorite joke.. Why did the horsey cross the road?
It was looking for it's NEIGH borhood.. )
Saturday Sammie had a soccer game and my mom and dad were able to watch her play. After that, we went to see my brother's new house in Aliso Viejo and then we all went out to dinner.

In other news, we are getting ready for a nice trip in about a week and a half. Brad has to travel for work to Florida and Sammie and I are tagging along. We are very excited to fly on an airplane and go to Walt Disneyworld and EPCOT. By the way.... do you know what EPCOT stands for?? It is an acronym.. I do, but I will see if you can guess.. post a comment and let's have some fun.. I will be back in a few days with the answer.. Jenn K, i'm sure you know being the huge Disney guru that you are but you can still guess if you want..

I have been to DW a few times before.. I really enjoy it. I can't wait to take Sammie for her first time and see it again through her eyes.
Hopefully I will have my camera working by then!
Here are a few recent pics at Disneyland. Sammie got to meet Tinkerbell at their new "Pixie Hollow" exhibit. Tinkerbell gave her some pixie dust so she can fly.. It hasn't worked yet but we are going on the airplane so that's how we'll fly.

Snow white waiting to see Tinkerbell.

The new fairies from the Tinkerbell movie.. I don't remember their names.


Sassy Tinkerbell and Sammie.

I have scrapped a little at home. I have a lot of little projects I am trying to finish up.

I guess that's all for now. Don't forget to guess what EPCOT stands for. :)

Apples

Well I'm a little behind on this post since it has been about 2 weeks since we went apple picking but it is still Fall, and I like the pictures and wanted to share them. I was having trouble with my photo program and couldn't get the pics to upload.. Anyway.. here they are. We went to Oak Glen which is a wonderful place to go. It is so peaceful up there and the air is so crisp. Sammie loved picking apples. This was our 2nd time up there. Last year we went with Christine, Nicholas and Adam. They kids all had a great time running and playing in the apple orchards. This year we went as a family and had a lot of fun as well. It was a very cold day so we were glad to have our sweatshirts. We walked around the village, ate some yummy, fresh donuts and rode the train. We found some ponies so that was great for you know who!! She remembered last year's trip because there was a horse named Duke there. We didn't got to "Duke's orchard" this year. I guess we will go there next year.

You're not supposed to eat the apples in the orchard.. OOPS!

We got a ton of apples. Gala, Golden Delicious, Rome, and Granny Smith. I even made apple crisp which was devoured the first day!

Yes, she is hugging the pony's leg!!!

Let's see.. what else have we been up to?? Just keeping busy as always.. We've had soccer practice, games, pizza parties, riding lessons, pony club, etc.

I cleaned out my scrap armoire and now I can actually work there again.. I have tons of projects I need to get finished so maybe now i will be inspired to get to work. Yesterday Sammie said to me, "Mommy, this house looks like a scrapbook store". Hmmmm how does she know?? LOL!!

Last night we went to "Boo at the Zoo". We really enjoyed it. They had 10 trick or treat stations set up around the zoo and many activities like crafts, storytelling, animal presentations, etc, not to mention the animals we saw along the path to trick or treat. Another Sammie quote, "I saw a real porcupine.. I have never seen a REAL porcupine before". This was a great event. If you have never done it, I recommend it. Great for kids and a fun family outing.

We saw Donna and her kids there too. They all played on the playground and had fun.

Today I took my Nana out to lunch and shopping. We got Sammie a new fish since her beloved "Crabfish" decided to go be in the "big ocean". She picked out a new fish and named it Belle. It is a male Betta fish but she thinks it is a girl. Not that it matters but she calls "him" a "her". He/She is very pretty. He is red and blue and will live in our "little mermaid" tank just like "crabfish" did. Crabfish was named after "Sebastian" the crab from Little Mermaid and since her tank has Ariel in it, that's where she got the name.. Now Belle, I'm not quite sure except she loves Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast and wants to name her "horse that she will get someday", Bella. ( Her words of course)

My parents are coming in town this weekend to take Sammie trick or treating for the first time which will be fun for them. It is hard having them so far away, especially on fun days like Halloween so this year will be a treat ( no pun intended) to have them here to celebrate. I used to love Halloween as a kid. It was always so exciting.

Happy Halloween to you!

Winner, Winner!!!

Okay.. I know I said I would choose a winner on Friday night and this post is going to show up as "Saturday" but it is 1:30am, and to me it is still "Friday night" because I am still awake with a "second wind".. Anyway.. Here is a photo of the RAK that I am giving away. Thank you to all who stopped by my blog and for your friendly, kind comments.. Don't be a stranger, please stop by again. I enjoy seeing new people and it is fun to go to your blogs too!
I printed out all the names of those of you who posted comments and cut them all apart. (Sorry the photo isn't so clear)


I put all the little strips on the floor, closed my eyes and chose one and here is the winner...










Congratulations Jennifer!!

Scrappy Goodness!!

A HUGE thank you to my friend Jennifer K for this RAK!! I answered a Disney trivia question on her blog about the Haunted Mansion and she gave me this awesome Cosmo Cricket Halloween assortment with yummy ribbons too!! Jenn has worked at Disneyland for a long time and knows all sorts of fascinating information about Disneyland and especially the Haunted Mansion. Thank you so much for this generous Random Act of Kindness Jenn!! I will put it to good use. As a "pay it forward" gesture, I will send a Halloween RAK to a lucky winner for posting on my blog. Leave a comment and I will choose a random winner on Friday, Oct. 19th to receive some Halloween goodies from me!!


Just a random share of Sammie's handprints and how she is writing her name at age 4.

Here are some pics of the incredible projects we did at Inspiration Unlimited. This is a book by Layle Koncar from Scenic Route. Layle is awesome. She is a very sweet person too. We had a lot of fun chatting at the event. I still have to put photos in this book but here are a few pics.




This is the album we made in Teresa Collins' class.. Isn't it beautiful??? I love all the pink and black and of course, THE BLING!! Teresa autographed my book. She is so sweet and genuine. What talent she has too! I can't wait to put my pics in it.



Today is a windy, stay home and clean the house day. I'll be back again soon with some pics from our Apple Picking Adventure this past weekend. Post a comment so you can be entered in the drawing for my Halloween RAK!

We had a blast!!

I am back from IU and we had a wonderful time!! I went with my friends Christine, Donna and Jennifer. All 3 teachers were amazing and inspiring! We sat right in front ( thanks Donna) and were able to laugh and talk to Teresa, Layle and Janna. I even had them sign my projects at the end of the night. We first day we made several make and takes, jewelery, bling rings, Halloween pin decor, mini books, cards and a layout. There was a crop that night and tons of prizes too!! The next day was 3 workshops, one taught by each teacher and the brilliant thing was that the teachers rotated, not us, so we could stay in the same place all day!!! I will post some pics soon of the incredible projects we made taught by these talented girls!!
Did I mention prizes??? We all won prizes, and there were tons of goodie bag prizes too. Met a bunch of nice people from all over and even a group of "my peeps" at the end of the night! That was fun chatting with Lisa, Jules, and their buddies!


Donna was so happy to win this paper pack from Layle & Scenic Route!



Christine won these flowers and a big prize too!! Go on her blog and check it out!!! She was so excited!!



Lookie lookie at these prizes!!! They had over 300 prizes donated by some fabulous manufacturers!!



Ginger was the event coordinator and she did a terrific job doing everything!! I will definitely go to this event again!! It was so much fun and a great girlie weekend!!!


Layle, Teresa, and Janna posing for the "scrapparazi" . Be back soon with some pics!!

On My Way!

Yippeee!!! I am on my way to Inspiration Unlimited!!! This is going to be such a great event!! Can't wait to see what these awesome teachers have in store for us! I'll tell you all about it when I get back!! :)
Congratulations Christine for making the DT at Tallyscrapper! WHOOOO HOOOOO You rock girl!! You are going to be a busy girl on two design teams!!!