Happiest Day On Earth!!!

Words will do little to express how wonderful this year's Disneyland Day was but I will do my best to capture the magic that everyone brought with them on this wonderful trip. First of all, we would like to thank all of you for making the effort to be there, we know this day would never have happened without each of you.

Every Disneyland Day starts with the Mouse Hunt championship breakfast. This year we went with a Star Tours theme since Star Tours was revamped this past year.

Brit gets some help making the breakfast

Brit came up with some wonderful food ideas which included Princess Leia Cinamon Buns, Jabba Juice, Storm Trooper Scramble and more. We ended up having 26 people come this year and everyone got there very own gift bag. The bags were painted with a custom DLand Day Storm Trooper with Mickey Ears stencil. Inside they had everyone's shirts, last year's blocks (if you went last year), puzzles, Chewie Chewbacca home made cookies and more. 

The 3 finalists were Kim, Cheryl and Marianne. After weeks of questions and a close battle, it all came down to this years championship.

Is that Obi Wan??

No... it's the return of Zapperman!!

 This year's game was Jeopardy themed and it was VERY close. Mighty Mouse Marianne narrowly beat Zapperman and Princess Leia in a championship that will go down in history as one of the greatest!

Finally, it was time to head for the park. When Brit and I decided that we wanted to start an annual holiday centered at Disneyland, we knew it would be more about family then rides. This year we hit up some awesome rides, but by far the best part was spending that time together! Our first ride all together was Pirates of the Caribbean!!

waiting in line

Even Jon and Savanna surprised and showed up this year!!!!

We filled 2 boats with our huge group!!

This was Gabby's first ever trip to Disneyland!! Nice face Brit

Zach at his favorite place in the park, no not Tomorrowland... my shoulders

These aren't the droids we you're looking for... they're too pretty

In line for Buzz Lightyear

Is it just me, or does Lucas look like he's going to kill that Indian

I love space mountain!!

Marianne with her 2012 Mouseketeer championship crown!!

I am SOOO happy Grandma and Grandpa were there!

Star Tours was this year's theme, so we had to ride it!

It is now in 3d and features over 54 different random variations!

What a FUN group!!!

I can't imagine how this year's Disneyland Day could have been any more enjoyable. Thank you all so much for making the trip, but more than that, thank you for being you. Every one of you brought a unique light to the unforgettable day. Brit and I are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. I'm glad that our first born child will have such a fun and supportive family. We love you all so much and we had such a great time!!! We can't wait until March 9th when we have the 4th annual Disneyland Day!!

Star Wars Pictures!!!

These are so great!!

HERE COMES DLAND DAY!!!

Well, we are off to a solid start guys! We are so excited to see everyone that is going. I love this time when we get all these emails from friends and family!!

You guys rock. Looks like Savanna is off to another good start! Now that we finally have internet we will try and keep the points updated regularly.

A Legacy of Making Memories

This past Sunday, the world lost a truly great and inspiring man. Mike Rodriguez passed away October 16, 2011. Mike loved his family, and he loved to make memories.

One of Mike's lifetime goals was to take his entire family to the "Happiest Place on Earth," Walt Disney World. Two years ago he fulfilled this goal and took each of his five children, all of their spouses and children, and his wife Darin to Florida to experience happiness as a family. Mike may be gone, but those memories he made during his life will live on with those he cared for. Those cherished moments will serve as a reminder of his love and of his pursuit of happiness.

At his funeral service, as I was listening to each of his children stand and honor him with words of appreciation and respect, I couldn't help but hope that someday my children would speak similar words of me. I hope that Disney World, Disneyland, road trips, or whatever may end up being my go to memory-maker, will truly be what my children remember me for. Because it is during those trips, and those experiences, that we get as close to perfection as possible while on this earth.

The place we decide to make these memories is irrelevant, but the effort and devotion to make them is essential to their existence. Mike knew this, he lived his life making eternal memories with those he loves.

"The world has not lost such an imaginative mind since we lost Walt Disney" -Jon Rodriguez

Avatar at the Disney Parks!!!

That's right, you heard it. Avatar is going to be a new "land" in Disney World's Animal Kingdom. Everything is in the Blue Sky phase right now so there are little details on what exactly a Disney/Avatar experience would entail.

Granted not everyone loves the movies, and many people probably think that Avatar doesn't really fit in a family-oriented Disney world, but I don't think that any of us can argue that the world of Avatar (Pandora) is a magical one that we all wants to visit, and who better to do that than Disney.

If you think about the integration of Star Wars and Indiana Jones into the parks, they have provided some of the most beloved Disney attractions, yet they aren't from Disney. So this isn't something new for Disney to adopt popular material into their parks.

I am personally pretty excited about the potential of Disney's Pandora, especially with the technological mind of James Cameron being so heavily involved. What do you think???

To read more click here for the official announcement and here for a follow up FAQ or here for a fun list of "suggested rides"

History of Disneyland

Check out this really cool infographic of the history of Disneyland. It highlights all of the major events in the parks history since it's opening.

A NEW REASON TO CELBRATE DISNEYLAND DAY!!!!

Watch the video before you read anything



So, we are going to be moving Disneyland Day for 2012 to January 27 & 28th since the baby is due 5 days after the previous Disneyland Day in March (currently set for March 16th). The reason for this date is that Brit (hopefully) will be "power walking" her 1/2 marathon still on the 29th.

We are so excited to add to our family. We are excited to celebrate our baby's birthday (and Savy's) every year by continuing to have Disneyland Day in March, but for obvious reasons it'll be different this year.

This means that the Mouse Hunt challenge will start sometime in early December to get ready for an awesome ROUND 2 of the Annual Mouse Hunt challenge.

Thanks to everyone for your love and support!