Star Wars Weekend 2014

When I heard Mark Hamill was going to his first Star Wars Weekend, I knew I had to go. I packed up the Junkmobile on Friday morning and began the 3 hour trip down to Disney World. (I just know I'm going to end up lost in a swamp one day.)

I got to ride the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride which is nice but nowhere near worth a 90 minute wait. Dinner(a.k.a. homework time) was spent at the food court at Art of Animation while I finished up a paper. I ended up meeting a member of the 501st, Hi Bones!, and his son. We had a great time before they headed out to the pool and I headed for a night of camping out in front of Hollywood Studios.

The Seven Dwarve's cottage

I never thought I'd be one of those people spending all night in a line for anything but that's exactly where I found myself Friday night. I arrived a little after 10 and the line for Lando was already to bag check. Darth Maul was almost to the end of the roped area. There was a tent up, some dude sleeping on an air mattress, and a table with card games going on. Some lady even tried to leave her 7 year old in one line while her and her husband stayed in another line. It was a pretty crazy night until everybody crashed around 1:00am. The alarm clock could not have been better: Darth Vader showed up at 4:30am for pictures.

He also played Snake Eyes!

Meeting Ray Park was a great experience. He signed my lightsaber; I can't wait to compete with it now. He wears the same mask I wear for endurance training. How cool is that! I videoed the parade and as soon as I get it all combined into one video, it's going up on YouTube. I will be in that parade next year...Girl's gotta have a goal.

Darth Maul wanted Ray Park's autograph! ^_^

And now for the food, forget to get a picture of my spaghetti Friday night but I did check out the temporary Captain Cook's location at the Polynesian. The Big Ceremonial House is under renovations but the food is still good. The manager had to go "borrow" a pan from Kona Cafe to get a clean, safe one as they didn't have any he trusted in the kitchen. I always appreciate being able to get food that I don't have to cook.

Stitchy still can't figure out chop sticks.

Adult Silver Figure Skating Tests

A little back story: I first attempted my Adult Silver Moves in the Field test in 2009. Well, I knew there was one move that was iffy, I fell on it during morning warm ups. Short story is that I didn't pass the test. Fast forward and US Figure Skating decides to change the test and I had to learn 2 new moves. A bunch of other things came up and testing was put on the back burner in favor of learning all my single jumps the opposite direction. Almost 5 years later, I decided to finally get it out of the way.

The test was held at RDV Sportsplex in Maitland, that's about half an hour north of Orlando for those wondering. I drove down the night before since Maitland is a couple hours drive and I am NOT a morning person.

Morning practice was interesting. It was mostly those of us getting ready for testing but there was another adult out practicing her showcase routine and a few kids that clearly weren't testing. I quickly discovered that the kids at this rink were doing the 8 step Mohawk sequence starting at the opposite side of the rink. I joined the line and practiced without any further issues.

I had to pass the Moves in the Field test in order to take the Free Skate test I was also signed up for. Honestly, I didn't care so much about the Free Skate as I was so nervous about the MitF test. The FS test was a bonus. I passed the MitF without any issues.

Where did my camel spin go? It was right here yesterday and now it's gone! I did not pass my Free Skate test because my camel spin decided to go on a vacation during my test. That's the only reason I didn't pass! Grr, now I have to wait and see if I'm doing National Showcase this year or not before deciding when to retake this test.

Christmas in Disney

A couple of weeks before Christmas, my grandma asked about taking a trip to Disney World the weekend after Christmas. The holiday came and went and then we decided to go ahead for the weekend. Finding a hotel room was interesting, planning the rest of the trip was surprisingly easy. My grandma has a few health issues and she originally said she'd just sit on a bench while my grandpa and I went on rides...I don't think so.

The great thing about the Magic Kingdom is that there's plenty to do even for those with medical issues. We drove down Saturday morning and parked at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The lines to get them tickets was crazy so we rode the monorail to the Polynesian for lunch and bought tickets at the resort. First thing in the park we got a DAS card. We only had to use it once but it worked for what we needed it for. Grandma didn't think she was going to be doing anything but taking in the atmosphere; I wasn't going to leave here out of the fun. We ended up going on the Jungle Cruise, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carousel of Progress, and the train; watched the Enchanted Tiki Birds, Country Bears, the Christmas Parade and went on a hunt for fudge that ended up being snack time at the Circus. She had a wonderful time and was happy that she got to participate with my Grandpa and I. There is a good chance that she'll never ride the TTA again but the look on her face as the car sped up will be something I will cherish forever. Unfortunately my phone died, completely died, after dinner at the Wave so I have no pictures from the trip.

We spent Sunday sleeping in and visiting the Grand Floridian. There is a gingerbread house in the lobby that is large enough for a store. It was a fun, relaxing weekend. My grandparents are awesome. We've always been close and it was nice having them to myself for a couple of days.

It's a Disneyland Halloween - Days 4 & 5

Today was my last day in California, tomorrow it's back to Florida and back to work. I started out the morning navigating the public transportation system in Anaheim to get to the ice rink. The ice was nice and hard just like at my home rink. Nobody but the lady at the register said a word to me the entire couple of hours I was there. No luck with my Axel though my flying sit spin decided to finally make an appearance.

Since I went skating early, I had a late breakfast, which ended up being an early lunch, at Surf's Up at the Paradise Pier Resort. Stitchy finally ran out of good behavior during breakfast. He met up with big Stitch and they made a huge mess while I was talking to the chef.

The badness level is rising...

I was disappointed that I couldn't get Mickey waffles because they didn't get the safe mix in. Instead I got tacos, fresh fruit, and breakfast potatoes. It took so long to get my tacos that Stitchy and I were some of the only people left in the restaurant. One of the men in a different group started to make a big deal about my meal until I explained my allergies and then he looked kind of mad that I didn't get breakfast food. It was a little funny that this stranger was getting upset for me. I understand that my allergies come across to many as being impossible to deal with but it doesn't usually bother me anymore.

Chicken tacos

Mickey's Halloween Party Time! Disneyland lets people in 3 hours before the official start of the party. Stitchy and I got in a few rides before the party activities started.

Quick ninja-nap on Space Mountain

The Trick or Treat lines moved quickly and they had snacks I could eat, bonus! They pass out bags at the front of the park and mine was full by the end of the night.

The line for Haunted Mansion Holiday never seemed slow down but it was worth it. Disneyland does an amazing job on the overlay; another thing Disney World should really consider bringing over. The rest of the ride lines were nowhere near as busy.

One thing the parties are noted for are the rare characters. I ran into Aladdin and the Genie in the Oasis while getting ready to eat dinner. We got to talk for a good 10-15 minutes before anyone else realized they were there. It was a rare treat having characters all alone without a line waiting.

Stitchy's trapped in the backpack because I don't trust him alone with my food.

The one character I really wanted to meet was Jack Sparrow. He only comes out for parties now so this was a one time shot and I got lucky. Jack stayed in character despite me not saying a word during the whole meet. We had the groups behind me completely in stitches the whole time. Jack tried for a good five minutes to try getting anything out of me and gave me one of the best complements ever. According to him, I am a really good ninja.

I got a hug; Stitchy wasn't so lucky.

The only thing left after that was to watch the parade or cavalcade as they called it. It was short but the floats were nice and the characters were in Halloween costumes. The whole event was fun and I would do it again if given the chance.

Bai bai California. All that's left is to shove my Halloween candy in my suitcase, sleep for a few hours, and get back to the airport.

Okay, for all the complaints, security at LAX was not difficult. I got to my gate with plenty of time to check in back home and get early boarding. I really don't want to sit in a seat area that could have potential allergens so I request early boarding and wipe down everything around me. The trip was uneventful and now I'm back in Florida.

It's a Disneyland Halloween - Day 3

I spent the morning with a dear friend who lives in the area. We met on the Disboards and joined a group on Facebook that ended up with several of us becoming great friends. The morning was spent on a few rides, my first trip on the monorail in years, and shopping at Downtown Disney. One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting new people and finally getting to meet a friend in person just made my day. Mickey's Wheel of Doom is one of my favorites now!

 

We found Tinker Bell!

Stitchy and I were alone for the afternoon and evening so we spent it at California Adventure since it was our last day there. We got to meet Mater and Lightning McQueen and Stitchy actually behaved himself. (He's been surprisingly good on this trip.)

He's remarkably lifelike...for an anthropomorphic car that is.

We stayed late to watch World of Color. Words cannot describe WOC adequately. The show was phenomenal, absolutely amazing. I really want to skate to that opening number one day. Disneyworld needs to do a show like this at Epcot or Animal Kingdom. Tomorrow is my last day and the Halloween Party.

It's a Disneyland Halloween- Day 2

I may not like getting up at home but vacations are totally different. (The time zone change helped.) I know that if I want to be able to do anything in the parks without a mask on, I have to get it done before 10am and the restaurants start cooking lunch.

One of the rides I had to do was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.This ride closed down years ago at Magic Kingdom and I've missed it. I also did the Nemo Subs early. The subs were what I remembered from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Nemo was a fun addition that really didn't take away from the ride.

I hopped over to DCA before having to re-mask and ran into Flick from Bug's Life. He really liked Stitchy.

After another ride on Radiator Springs Racers and Luigi's flying tires, it was time for lunch. I stopped at Taste Pilot's Grill while waiting for my Fast Pass for Soarin'. Lunch was a plain hamburger patty and applesauce. The manager and chef were at a loss as to feeding me with all my allergies. I'm just glad I walked away without a reaction. The queue for Soarin' at DLR is way better then in Epcot but the ride's exactly the same.

I went back to the hotel for a break. The evening was spent at DL riding the Indiana Jones, the original Pirates,  Jungle Cruise,  It's a Small World, and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. They need to put the add-ins on the rides at WDW.

Fantasmic is much, much better at Disneyland then at Hollywood Studios. If they could put the DL show in the DHS amphitheater, it would be perfect.

It's a Disneyland Halloween - Day 1

Why did I booked a 7am flight when I hate waking up in the morning? I'll remember not to make that mistake again. After checking luggage and getting through security, I almost didn't make it on the plane. Lunch in Atlanta was okay; I did my research and knew where to find safe food. People kept glancing over at me but I'm used to it since it's rare to find someone eating with a mask on. Oh, right, that's why I did the early flight...so I wouldn't have to wear the mask on the first flight. Guess I will have to remember to make that mistake again.

The flight from ATL to LAX was uneventful. I boarded early to wipe down the seat and area around me, not taking chances in a plane. My seatmates were a mom and her little boy, who also had food allergies. His mom had just given him Benedryl so he slept most of the flight. I read until we got to the mountains and then I was glued to the window. It's been too long since I've seen the mountains.

LAX was just as crazy as I remember it. There was a short wait for the Disneyland Express bus. The driver was nice and gave us a little tour on our way to Anaheim. The only thing I didn't like was that the bus drop of for my hotel, the Castle Inn & Suites, was half a block away from the lobby.

I went to Disney California Adventure first. Last time I was here, this was a parking lot. I like the park better. Radiator Springs Racers was an amazing ride; Disney Imagineering at it's best. The whole of Carsland really makes you feel like you're in the movie. Having the cars actually driving out for meet & greets made it seem all the more "real". Dinner was at Flo's Cafe- roast beef, Spanish corn, and roasted potatoes.

Once it got dark, I wandered over to Disneyland. When I was 5, I swore I would never forgive my parents for making me ride the Matterhorn. First thing I did after riding Matterhorn was to call my folks and  tell them I'm no longer traumatized by the ride...but it's still is a crappy ride.

I wanted to get up early the next morning so I headed out and watched the fireworks from Harbor Blvd. There's a 7-11 at the corner that carries snacks. I picked up munchies for the morning, and called it a night early.