Five on Friday v.5

Who can believe that this is the last Friday of February?  I mean I realize that this is the shortest month of the year, but it's really flown by!  Beings that it's Friday, it brings us to another 5 on Friday link up with Natasha, Christina, April and Darci 

ONE:

Not again?!?!  #imoverwinter

 

TWO:

This weekend we were supposed to head to our old stompin' ground for Matt's AGR Founders Day Dinner, but the stinking weather has foiled our plans!  This photo was from our last Founders in 2007.  We were kids I tell ya!

THREE:

I don't eat Chipolte.  It's true.  I haven't tackled this topic on the blog because I get so angry, nothing sounds right!  Thankfully there are bloggers out there like Emily, Betsie and Crystal (here and here,too!) who put things much more eloquant than I ever could.  Please be open minded and check out what they have to say!

FOUR:

A good friend of mine sent me a link to this article last week and I've been thinking a lot about it.  Like the author said, my twenties have been great and they've taught me a lot too!  And even though everyone list of lessons learned will be different #8, #14 and #24 really hit home.   I also enjoy who Kate described how she will be approaching her thirties...I do have a damn plan: to be too busy defining 30 to let 30 define me.

FIVE: 

Technically, I don't need any new workout clothes.  But I couldn't resist the snarkiness of this Nike shirt when I saw it on sale at the store!  

Happy Friday!  Do you have something fun planned for the weekend?  Mine will now consist of cleaning... Ugh, super fun.

Cheers to the weekend!

Disney-A Trip in Photos

Disneyland was pretty epic!  It really exceeded all of my expectations!

I stayed with some family friends at the Disneyland Hotel, which is quite literally a hop, skip and a jump from the two parks.  It made it so convenient because we were up pretty early to take advantage of the early entry on Saturday and Sunday.  Never in a million years would I have guessed a room full of women would have willingly and with smiles on our faces, talked seriously about getting up at 5:30am to get showered and ready to go.  This is vacation right!?!?  A Disney vacation is unlike any other I've ever experienced!  Leaving LA, I boarded the plane quite literally at the brink of exhaustion!

Saturday we spent most of our day at Disneyland taking pictures and checking out the attractions.  Since we took advantage of the early entry, we were actually done riding all the big rides (Indian Jones, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain and Pirates) by 10:30am.  We also enjoyed the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Tea Cups, Winnie the Pooh, Autopia, and the Haunted Mansion! 

I was the only first timer, so the other four did a great job of telling me all about the park itself, the hidden gems and the little known facts!  My favorite ride at Disneyland, hands down, was Indian Jones Adventure!  The kid ride that I enjoyed the most was Peter Pan's Flight!  If you can't act like a kid at Disney, where can you?

Just hanging with the Princesses.  No big deal.

I enjoyed my Dole Whip while watching the fireworks.  Both were AHH-mazing!

Sunday morning we hit the ground running, literally!  After busting through the gates of Disney California Adventure at 7:01am, we hot footed it to Radiator Springs... er, Cars Land!  Hands down, bar none, without question... I hope I'm making myself VERY clear... this was my FAVORITE place we visited at Disney!!  I loved every freakin' inch it!  It was quite literally like stepping through your TV screen during the movie Cars.  I've had a special attachment to Cars since I had to opportunity in 2006, as a camp counselor at Victory Junction Gang Camp, to go to the movie premiere at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Working at VJGC that summer was simply one of the best things I've ever done and going to a movie premiere was just a wonderful perk!

Every last detail from the movie is brought to life on Rt. 66 in Radiator Springs!

After being drug out of leaving Cars Land we ventured deeper into DCA.  At that point in the morning, the lines were practically nonexistent!  We walked right on Ariel's Undersea Adventure and rode California Screamin' twice in a matter of 15 minutes.  The only ride we had to wait in line for was Toy Story Midway Mania and it was totally worth it!  Kelsey and I also rode Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Never. Again.  The sudden and unexpected drops had me as close to a panic attack as I'd ever experienced!

 

 Mr. Potato Head was out front entertaining the crowd.  And I totally bought a Bullseye pillow pet!

 We finally tracked down Mickey Mouse!

This trip was one for the books!  It was a whirlwind of excitement and fun for sure.  And now that I have my own embroidered MM ears, I have a perfect excuse to come back again for another visit.  Not to mention several of the classic rides (Thunder Mountain, It's a Small World and Splash Mountain) were closed.

I'm off to update my 30 by 30 list!  Check, check, check it off!

Tuesday Tea

Good morning!!

No tea, or coffee for that matter, for this girl today!  Although, I firmly believe that a Mimosa or Bloody Mary is an acceptable morning beverage, just maybe not on a workday....

Today I'm linking up with a few bloggers (Jenni, Khala, Samantha & Reneé) who've 'met' through the Friday link up I do every week, but this one is all about sharing what's going on with you right now!  Thanks to them for creating another outlet to meet new bloggers!

Well today I hit the ground running and haven't had time for much more than some homemade granola and milk for breakfast.  I'm just hoping to make it through the day without a face-plant into my keyboard.  I'm pretty much flat exhausted from all the fun I had this weekend at Disneyland, but I believe in the "Pay to Play" mindset, so here I am... with a smile on my face no less!

In short, Disneyland (and Disney California Adventure) was AMAZING!!  

If I ignore the ridiculous calamity that was my flight out to California, the weekend couldn't have gone better.  The company, hotel, weather, rides... so on and so forth were outstanding!!!  I will be doing a complete post about my adventures at the parks, but here are a few teaser photos...

I'm not a First Timer anymore!

My 'sis' and I at Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Mulan, she's my favorite Princess!

Cars Land was FABULOUS! 

I brought home another horse, but this one eats and poops WAY less!

Thanks again to the Tuesday Tea link-up hosts and thanks to you for stopping in for a visit! 

Book Review: The Book Thief

Way back last spring, I added The Book Thief to my 'to-read' bookshelf on Goodreads.  It was a suggested read from Amazon after I'd finished Sarah's Key and The Baker's Daughter, both of which are set during and/or discuss World War II and the Holocaust.

When my book club was looking for options for our February get together, it was at the top of my list!

The story is set in a small German town in 1939, the height of the Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death...

Liesel Meminger's mother has given her up and she is placed with a foster family living in Himmel, which translates to heaven.  After overcoming the shock of being abandoned by her mother, Liesel warms up to her accordian-playing foster father who teaches her to read the books she steals.  The family gets by on pea soup and a meager salary generated from being a washwoman and a house painter.  Things get tougher when the family agrees to conceal a young Jewish man in the basement of their home!

I thought this book was excellent!  It was beautifully written and the character development was wonderful.

Oh and if you're a sucker for a happy ending like me, it won't take much to imagine it for yourself!

So tell me, have you read it too?  What did you think?