I am eating, sleeping, breathing Disney right now (okay, for those of you who don’t know, that’s not too far off from normal but… anyway). I’m really looking forward to seeing the differences in the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror and the Jungle Cruise from the ones in Disney World. Unfortunately It’s a Small World will be closed, guess I’ll just have to sing the song on my own (iiit’s a small world af-ter all, iiit’s a small world af-ter all, iiit’s a small world af-ter all, it’s a small, small, world).
The plan is to go on every ride at least once and possibly more… ::eeek!:: I can’t wait, oh to be around Mickey and Minnie, see the princesses!
This video sums up all of my feelings for our upcoming Disneyland trip… It’s a commercial and It’s for Disney World but, you get the idea.
I hope the month goes quickly, I don’t know what I’m going to do if I can’t sleep for that long.
Yes that’s right, I’m writing a post about Tamagotchis. Yes I know, I’m 23. Yes I know it’s a toy.
Don’t Judge Me.
Chris and I went to Target today and they had the newest Tomagotchis V5. Since I am a big nerd when it comes to new electronic toys and I’ve always loved Tomagotchis (I’ve owned three since they were introduced), I was of course drooling. Chris being the nice guy he is, bought me one (now I’ve owned four) Thanks Chris!
It’s a little weird that this particular case has the Tamagotchi poops on it.
But they’re charming.
With the V5 you get a whole family of Tomagotchis to play with (3 to raise at the same time) and as with the last three versions you can go onto Tamatown and play games to earn new items.
So yeah, that’s pretty much it. I haven’t pulled out the tab to start it yet because I’m to excited about the new family and since Chris is leaving for D.C. in 16 hours I don’t want to neglect him. But soon… I will be in Tamagotchi heaven.
I said… Don’t Judge me!
“Our House” (by Crosby Stills Nash & Young) was going through my head on my drive home tonight. This song reminds me of home, my home that I share with Chris now, the home I had with my parents and siblings… And it makes me dream of the home I will someday have that will be not only for me, but for my future family.
Enjoy.
If you haven’t lately, allow yourself to slip away and think about your house, and all the things, people and memories that make it a home. Your home.
::voice of that Disney announcer guy:: They’ve been to Disney World twice together and multiple times before that, but they’ve never visited the place where it all started. The place where it’s Sleeping Beauty not Cinderella who rules and you not only watch Indiana Jones, you go on an adventure with him. Where King Triton has a garden and Mr. Toad still goes on his wild ride. But this Memorial Day weekend that all changes. Using their brains and the internet, one lucky couple scores big and lands a trip to California. On May 23, Chris and Melissa… Go to DISNEYLAND.
That’s right Disneyland! I can hardly contain my excitement. Chris and I have been talking about going to Disneyland since February (when I found out that my employer was not going to back pay me for the vacation I took in January even though I had cleared it with both my boss and HR and made sure that I would be able to have those days counted towards the vacation I hadn’t earned yet…. But anyway). Since I had some extra vacation time we thought, why not go to Disneyland? I’ll tell you why we almost didn’t.
California is way further away than Florida from Illinois, so airfare is more expensive. Tickets to get into the parks are just about as expensive as the tickets we buy for Disney World. And! Unless we stayed in a motel (not my idea of a magical Disney vacation) hotels near Disneyland are much less affordable.
Here’s the breakdown,
Through Disney’s Website 3 nights at the Hilton Anaheim (two blocks from Disneyland) and Park Hopper tickets to the parks were $864 (cheaper than reserving the room alone and buying the tickets, but still pricey). The cheapest airfare I was finding was about $250 round trip (without taxes, just for one of us!) with connecting flights and spending most of the day on a plane, or $400 without connecting flights. For two of us to go it was going to cost us between $1364 – $1664, too much. I can’t justify spending that much money on one weekend, especially when we spent about 1300 to go to Disney World.
I searched everywhere, Expedia, Orbitz, Southwest Airlines, Air Tran. I kept hoping that Southwest or Air Tran would send me a deal (I’m on their mailing lists) but no such luck. Then on a whim I checked priceline.com It was the best move I’ve ever made.
Airfare (American Airlines, no connections, for both of us) and reservations at the Hilton Anaheim (same hotel, through priceline), $735 (with taxes). Park Hopper tickets for the two of us, $280. Total cost $1015, a savings of $349-$649. Now that, I can justify.
So I booked it, and we’re going. I’m sure that priceline isn’t right for every vacation (I’ll still probably book Disney World through Disney because I love staying on property), but this time it worked out well. We were ready to give up on the trip and thanks to that site, we didn’t have to.
So if you’re trying to get away and find good deals check it out, it’s worth looking. And stay tuned, because as we get closer to Memorial Day, I’ll let you in on more of our plans.
Amazing Photo of Sleeping Beauty Castle (not taken by me)
Isn’t it funny how I just saw Princess Aurora dancing
and now I get to visit her castle?
ABT recently re-worked their “Sleeping Beauty”, not story wise, but some of the choreography and Sunday I was lucky enough to have the chance to see the American Ballet Theater Company preform “Sleeping Beauty” (thanks Mom). My younger brother Patrick was more lucky, he was a super (ballet extra) for the show and got to be on stage with the dancers! It was incredible.
Although ABT is not my favorite company (Joffrey holds that spot) and “Sleeping Beauty” is not my favorite ballet (I LOVE Romeo and Juliet) it does have one of my favorite variations, the Lilac Fairy variation. I love it dearly and “Veronika Part” was lovely dancing it.
Veronika Part
Paloma Herrera also did an amazing job at her role (Princess Aurora). I’ve seen her perform three times now and she is one of my favorite dancers to watch.
Paloma Herrera
As was Angel Corella (Prince Desire)
Angel Corella
But perhaps my favorite dancer of the afternoon was Jared Matthews who played the Blue Bird. The height on his jumps alone made him one of the most impressive male dancers I have ever seen, and the suspension in his turns… He was just… What’s the word I’m searching for? Captivating.
Jared Matthews
All in all it was a beautiful performance. I often like to sit close during Ballets so I can truly take in all of the dancing. However, being in the last balcony has it’s advantages. It’s like watching a screen, you get to see everything all at once, and perhaps best of all, you can take in the beauty of the theater.
I’ll leave you with some photos I took (full of good memories though some lack detail), of the amazing Civic Opera House, and the very talented American Ballet Theater.
The Round Lake Area Park District just put a on a cute little 45 minute show “Peter Pan”. Since I know the most of the cast and crew (and since this is the last Dance/Theater show they will be doing for awhile) I decided to go and watch. This version incorporated Disney Music, both from the movie and the covers that various artists have done on Disney Mania.
The choreography was very fun and the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves (which I think, in a show like this, is the most important thing).
Some of my students and former students were in the cast. The 3 Choreographers were also my students (and class mates). Well done ladies! You really made the kids come together and it was a joy to watch. I hope you enjoyed it as much as the kids seemed to!
And now… Photos from the show.
Waiting for the show to start
The Stars Dance (with flashlights… look at the pretty patterns!)
Smee tying Tiger Lily up
Wendy Pouts because Peter Flirts with Tiger Lily
The Lost Boys and the Children Captured
Wendy Tells a Bedtime Story
I was out with Chris the other day and we got on the topic of being grown ups, and whether we are ones. I realized that I don’t truly “feel” grown up. I feel a lot like how I did when I was 14 (although much less hormonal thank goodness for that) I just don’t feel like a grown up. But how can that be?
I’ve been out of my parents house for 8 months, I’ve had a full time job for the same amount of time. I’ve been to New York on my own, been a teacher since I was 16… I do my dishes, clean my house, pay all of my bills on time. So when do you become a grown up? When you act like one? Or is it when you feel like one?
If it’s the latter than I am certainly not a grown up…Hmmm… Let’s take a look at a few things I use most days to try and figure this out…
Car/house keys: Pretty Grown up
Winnie the Pooh Stuffed toy (that I still sleep with): Not grown up
Jewel Card: grown up
Glasses: Either/or
Book (not necessarily this one, which happens to be The Tipping Point): Either/or
iPhone: I think grown up?
Credit Card: Grown up. But wait… It has Tinkerbell on it… Less grown up?
Well… that didn’t help much.
Truly though, when do you become a grown up? When you turn 18? 21? When you move out? Get a job? Have kids? Is it when you act and think maturely? If so does that mean children who are very mature and make better decisions than some adults are “grown ups”?
If our actions dictate whether we are grown ups or not, than I suppose I am. But just because I am a grown up, doesn’t mean I have feel that way.
I fully intend to act like a kid whenever possible, playing in the rain, swinging at the playground, running through Disney World, watching movies over and over and over again.
This reminds me of when I turned 13 and became a teenager… Secretly I still played with Barbie’s, because, a teenager wouldn’t do that. But I would.
Maybe a grown up wouldn’t sleep with a Teddy Bear, and maybe she wouldn’t have a Tinkerbell Credit Card, and maybe she wouldn’t have to ask whether or not she was “grown up”…
Then again. Maybe most grown ups don’t feel “grown up”.
Chris and I just made a trip to Wisconsin.
First stop? The Prime Outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie…
They have tons of stores there… Zumiez, Fossil, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, a Le Creuset. As the name implies they are all outlet stores, though some have much better deals than others… We stopped at most of the stores and these are some of the highlights.
Converse…
I love high-tops so we thought it was a great place to stop in. Unfortunately most of the shoes were full price and so we passed up the opportunity to buy any. They did have some cute key chains though…
I almost bought one… Then I snapped out of my consumer trance and we went on our merry way.
Next came Gap…
Here Chris bought 3 nice black polos and I found inspiration in some very colorful spring shirts…
It looks like color is in for this season.
From there we went to Le Gourmet Chef.
Along with a few other things we bought the most awesome peeler here (click the picture for a link to their site)
It’s contoured and is so natural to peel with, it makes me want to go out and buy a carrot or cucumber just so I can have the pleasure of peeling it.
I also found out that not only is color in for clothing this season… The trend also applies to Ice Cream Scoops.
Once we were done browsing all of the stores it was time to call it a day. But not before stopping at Mars Cheese Castle, because, you really can’t visit Wisconsin without buying cheese… Can you?
Well I know I can’t…
Among the cheese we bought were two surprising cheeses… Buffalo Cheddar (tastes like buffalo wings) and Sharp Provolone. Both are excellent and I highly recommend them.
So that was our big trip… I’m sure I will be heading back soon. When I need to buy something, just browse, or when I run out of cheese.
My intention for this entry was to post one of my favorite songs, from one of my favorite musicals. The opening song from The Sound of Music. But, as it always happens when I look for something on Youtube I ended up finding something I didn’t even know existed. The inspiration for this post.
I was intrigued by the preview photo in the list and thought it would be a clip from a stage version of the show. It turned out to be a clip from the Royal Variety Show 2006 which I didn’t know anything about until tonight. According to Wikipedia
“The Royal Variety Performance a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally the reigning monarch. The performance showcases a variety of family entertainment, including comedy, singing, dance, circus and other specialty acts, with many of the performers being popular celebrities. The event is organized on behalf of, and all proceeds are donated to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund.”
So here is the clip from the variety show, of Connie Fisher and the children who played the Von Trapp children in the London production in 2006. I think it is simply wonderful. They all seem to be having such a good time on stage and I love Connie’s voice
I am always amazed at the things I can find/learn about without ever leaving my desk (or, as in the case this evening, my bed).
As the clock ticks over tonight I think of all the people who will be pranked on this the first day of April… I think about the fact that my co-workers just found out how deathly afraid I am of spiders (there was a giant one in the Art room trying to get away from a storm). My office is full of pranksters normally, and today, they can do it all in the name of April Fools Day.
When I was younger I thought it was great, though most of my pranks involved telling someone that I had a new bike or something and then shouting APRIL FOOLS!!! However, it seems to me that this holiday just invites people to be cruel and nasty. Do I really want to be like that? I’m hoping and hoping that I don’t find spiders on my desk, or worse, in my coffee. UGH.
Why do we delight in the frustration, confusion or just plain torment of others? Why is it that on April 1st, when the weather is finally getting warmer and the flowers will soon bloom, we have adopted a tradition that takes away from all these things? I don’t understand it, I will not be participating this year (at least not willingly).
So if you are reading this and you are going to see me soon, or talk to me, please be kind. I won’t April Fools you, I hope you’ll do the same (but just in case I’ll be taking my cup with me everywhere).
