Tower of Terror 13k

On October 24th I participated in Disney's Tower of Terror 13k race. This is a night race and started at 10:30. Cassidy was with me for the race but was too young to do it. So she got to be my biggest fan and cheer me on. Sadly, this was the last year for this race. I really would've like to have done it again too since I ended up having an issue half way through it. You see, we ate a late lunch and I wasn't hungry before the race. But I did eat a PowerBar about an hour before it started. Well, about mile 4 or before I suddenly got really hungry. Hungry to the point I felt shaky and needed some sugar. I kept going and at one point a friend of mine was handing out water. I asked her if she had anything to eat and thank goodness she gave me a handful of nuts. This helped but only for a little bit. I could feel myself getting more and more tired since I had no energy. I was grateful when we entered Hollywood Studios because I knew the end of the race was near. I think those were the 2 longest miles ever.

My friend, Bonnie stayed with me the whole time and our friend, Andy caught up to us in The Studios. We all crossed the finish line together and when I raised my arms up my cell phone and Ipod fell out. I found my phone but not my Ipod. Cassidy and April were at the finish line and when I told them a volunteer had overheard me and sent her husband and son back to look for it. Thanks goodness they found it!! I was hoping that whoever found it would call me because I had my cell number on it.

After I got my bag, I went and changed clothes and then ran to get some food. A cheeseburger never tasted so good. After my very late midnight snack, we were going to ride Toy Story Mania but there was a 50 minute wait and Cassidy was really cold so we headed back to our warm, comfy bed at Kidani Village.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Have you ever wondered.........

......if you should be the one in charge of certain aspects of your life and not others? Think about it, your boss makes decisions for you, The President makes decisions for the whole country, your minister/pastor/priest/rabbi decides what is best for the congregation, the Senate decides what laws we should follow but what do WE decide? When do we get to have a say in how things should be? Maybe instead of electing or choosing representatives we should get a vote in every major decision made. Granted, I know what a pain in the ass that would be but sometimes don't you want to have a say in how something turns out? And I'm just not talking about political decisions, I mean many decisions, work, home, church......

So what do you think? Do you want to make your decisions or have someone do it for you?

Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize

I'm skipping day 5 of our trip and going right into the Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Event. I've never been to a Disney event like this before so I wasn't sure what to think. I think it was amazing, but then again, it doesn't take much to make me happy. I'm not going to go into all the details of the event but I'll list some highlights for you:

*Meeting Jim Shore. This isn't the first time I've met him but he's always so friendly.

*Meeting Jason Surrell

*The lecture with Jason Surrell, Kim Irvine and Tony Baxter.

*Seeing Alice Davis and X Atencio

*The "wedding" of Constance and George.

*Seeing Phineas, Gus and Ezra. Too bad I didn't get to have a picture taken with them.

*The food wasn't too bad, but I think I liked the cake the best.

*The highlight of all highlights was when X Atencio sang a part of Grim Grinning Ghosts. I found a clip of it on You Tube. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2njZd-US4Nc

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Disneyland Adventure: Day 4

I'm finding it hard to put into words our experience at Club 33. First of all, to be lucky enough to even dine there (for 4 hours) was amazing. The moment we walked through the door we didn't want to leave. Ever inch of Club 33 was gorgeous and the staff was so friendly. It seemed that once you get a job there, you never leave. Our waitress has been there for 26 years and the top person has been there for 40 years. While we didn't see any famous people, we heard wonderful stories about John Lassiter and others. It was nice that you could go out on the balcony and take pictures and enjoy the view. Plus, laughing at the people below you that weren't in Club 33 was fun too (ha ha).

I owe a HUGE thank you to someone that I've never met before but sprinkled me with some pixie dust and made a dream come true. I won't mention his name but THANK YOU, you are a wonderful person! I hope we get to meet someday...maybe at Club 33 (wink, wink)

You know by reading this blog that I'm not a great writer. So I thought the best thing to do is to copy here what is printed on the History Sheet.



Club 33, Royal Street, New Orleans Square, Disneyland


The colorful realism and the precise architectural detail of New Orleans Square in Disneyland captures the atmosphere of the nineteenth-century New Orleans French Quarter. Glancing upwards to the second balcony and the ornate iron railings hung with flowers, one would hardly guess that they surround the little-known but quite elegant Club 33.


Years ago, Walt Disney felt that a special place was needed where he could entertain visiting dignitaries and others in a quiet, serene atmosphere where superb cuisine and distinctive decor would complement one another. He asked artist Dorothea Redmond to provide watercolor renderings of what such a place might look like. Accompanied by renowned decorator Emil Kuir, Walt and his wife traveled to New Orleans to select many of the beautiful antiques that are on display. After years of planning, Club 33 became a reality on June 15, 1967. Sadly enough it was never seen by its creator because of his untimely death six months earlier.


Club 33, so named after its address, 33 Royal Street, is comprised of two dining rooms and several adjoining areas, all of which hold a wide array of magnificent antiques and original works of art. After ascending in the French lift to the second floor, guests enter into The Gallery. Here they find interesting items such as an oak telephone booth with beveled leaded glass panels adapted from the one used int he Disney motion picture "The Happiest Millionaire" and a rare console table which was found in the French Quarter of New Orleans. In The Gallery, as elsewhere in the Club, are many original works by Disney artists and sketches done as design studies for New Orleans Square and the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.


The Gallery leads into Lounge Alley which serves as a vestibule and also the buffet for the Main Dining Room and Trophy Room. One wall displays several conceptual sketches of New Orleans Square, and directly across from these sketches is a custom-designed harpsichord decorated with a hand-painted scene depicting New Orleans harbor in the nineteenth century. The furnishings are a combination of antique and reproduction pieces.

The Main Dining Room is decorated in First Empire, recalling the era of Napoleon and the early nineteenth century. Three glimmering chandeliers and wall sconces illuminate the entire room. Much of the framed artwork on the walls is again, the work of Disney artists. Fresh flowers, parquet floors and antique bronzes create an atmosphere of serenity and warmth.

The Disney Room is the second dining room and offers a more informal atmosphere. The design of the room incorporates the use of microphones in the center of each chandelier and a vulture with the ability to speak. Walt Disney's intention for this concept was humorous in nature, as the vulture was to converse with guests during dinner. The pictorial time line that blankets the east wall offers an intimate view of Walt's life and highlights of Disneyland history. Brass plaques on each picture name the scene.



Today, Club 33 functions as an exclusive private club where members or their guests may enjoy a gourmet meal complemented by the finest wines. Tradition, accompanied by gracious hospitality, has been the hallmark of Club 33 since its opening day...and will continue to be for many years to come.

The history sheet refers to the second dining room as The Disney Room but I was told that it was called The Trophey Room. I'm not sure when the name changed or how up-to-date the history sheet is. If you would like to know more about Club 33 you can visit a nice website I found: http://www.disneylandclub33.com/ Here you'll find some fun facts and more photos.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Disneyland Adventure: Day 3

Day 3 brought about the half marathon and the We Wants The Redhead meet. I already blogged about the half marathon and posted a slide show about it.

After the half marathon, we met up with some friends at Storyteller's Cafe for brunch. This is where I met Mark Taylor. Mr. Taylor was the country club manager in High School Musical 2. He was very nice and had also ran the half marathon.

But the second best thing about the day was my first We Wants The Redhead Meet. I handed out buttons and Blow Pops to everyone that attended. There was about 18 of us that meet up to ride Pirates. And then Jonathan picked up 2 more strangers in line to join our group. I asked the CM nicely if he could put us in 2 boats by ourselves but he wouldn't do it so he put all us together in one boat.

Let me just say that I was in the front row and when we went down the first drop it was like being on Splash Mountain. Needless to say, we laughed, we sang and had a pirates life.
Thanks to everyone that came! I really appreciate your support!

Coming up next: Day 4...mom's first ride on any Space Mountain and CLUB 33!!

Our Disneyland Adventure: Day 2

You would think that after being up for almost 22 hours one would sleep in. NOPE! Thanks to the time difference I was wide awake at 6 am. I turned on the TV in hopes that I would fall back to sleep. Instead I got up and checked my email and Facebook page. Next time I'm rolling over and going back to sleep.

Here are the highlights from Day 2 (Saturday)

*I went to the expo to pick up my race packet while mom finished getting ready and ate breakfast. Getting my race packet was easy except for the part when the guy didn't give me my waiver back and I had to go back to get it to get my shirt. This would be easy if everything was on the same level but it wasn't. You picked your packets up in the "basement" of the Disneyland Hotel and the rest of the expo was upstairs. At least when I went back the guy remembered and knew he had it.

*If you are there to participate in the Coast to Coast challenge go to packet pick up the first day. When I went to buy a shirt they were sold out the first day and that was all they had. I can't believe that over 1,000 people did the challenge and the only item they sold was a t-shirt. What about the pins and magnets??? Disney dropped the ball on this one!

*After I had my packet, I ran it back to the room where I met mom in the hallway. Then we went shopping at DTD for awhile. I picked up a cute dress, a few gifts and a photo album.

*Then we went to DCA and shopped some more. Actually, I had been looking for the Haunted Mansion version of the Game of Life and found it in DCA. After lunch we went ran into Mickey and Minnie. The CM with Minnie commented on my redhead tattoo. Minnie wasn't too happy that I didn't have a tattoo of her. Sorry Minnie!

*We made our way to Monsters Inc. This ride is very cute. So much so that we rode it twice.

*Next was the Aladdin stage show. If you are ever in DCA you MUST see this show. It was amazing!! I wish we could've gone back to see it again. Genie is hilarious!

*After the show we walked around DCA a little and then headed out. We were meeting up with a few new running friends of mine at Mimi's Cafe. On the way there we found the best thing... PEPSI!! Let's just say we stocked up.

*Dinner at Mimi's was so much fun. I think there was about 20 or more of us there and Jeff, our host, was great. He had prizes and gifts for everyone. Thanks Jeff!! You rock!!

*After dinner it was time to call it a night. I wanted to get my race stuff ready for the next day and get to bed early.

Coming up Day 3: race day and the We Wants The Redhead meet!

Our Disneyland Adventure: Day 1

I posted about the race and did a Disneyland slide show so I thought now is the time to start telling you about my trip. I'll try and keep it short and simple, just highlighting on what mom and I did while we were there. (See mom, I mentioned you already).

Day 1:

*Flight out of Pittsburgh around 9 am with a layover in Phoenix. Phoenix airport is HUGE and of course after we got to our gate they changed it and we had to trek all the way back to where we started (or just about). The worse part was that no airport at all had any Pepsi! What is this world coming to.

*Arrived in sunny, hot Anaheim at 11:45 and jumped on the Super Shuttle. And then the culture shock kicked in. I should not be able to see Space Mountain while sitting at the Ramada Inn. After a few stops, we arrived at Disney's Grand Californian Resort. The doors alone were gorgeous and so was our room. We were in room 5152.

*After changing we walked through Disney's California Adventure (known as DCA from here on out). You can enter DCA from The Grand, which is nice. We stopped by Guest Relations to pick up our Fantasmic Dessert Party tickets for the night and received our 1st visit buttons and Disneyland Honorary Citizen buttons.

*We left DCA and walked over to Disneyland. It's amazing how close together these parks really are. Closer than it looks on any map. The minute I crossed through the Disneyland (known as DL from now on) gate I started to tear up. I was thrilled to be where Walt had once been; to see where it began and to feel his presence. It's hard to put into words what I was feeling at that moment, but for those of you that have been there you probably have a good idea of what I'm talking about. I think the only thing that stopped me from a full out crying fest was that I looked at the castle and said "Holy cow, the castle is small."

*The first place we headed to was Pirates, of course. Actually, mom had to stop along the way and make the trips first purchase. We pretty much walked onto Pirates. I was so excited. I had heard how much better it was than WDW and now I was going to see for myself. Let's just say this: PIRATES IS FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! And I'm going to leave it at that.

*After Pirates, we ate at the Blue Bayou. We split a Monte Cristo. I will say it wasn't bad but I don't think it's something I would order again. Sandwiches shouldn't be deep fried. Then it was time to find my favorite T-I-DOUBLE-GRR!! We didn't find him but we did find Pooh and Eeyore. And then rode Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I know many people hate the fact that Pooh took over Mr. Toad's place in WDW but I really enjoy the ride. And the one in DL is better than in WDW. Maybe if they would refurb the one in WDW people wouldn't be so upset about it. Who am I kidding, yes they still would.

*We couldn't believe how early people were lining up for Fantasmic. They had their spots held with blankets for hours before the show. I'm actually surprised Disney allows that.

*We walked around for a few hours trying to get the lay of the land. It's hard going into a new place when you are use to being able to walk around and know where everything is. I'm thankful my friend, Lee, came to spend time with us on Sunday and Monday. He was like our personal tour guide. It was great!

*We checked in for the dessert party and then rode the train around the loop. That actually took longer than we thought it was going to and by the time we got back the place was packed with people waiting for Fantasmic. We got to where we needed to be for the party about 5 mins. before it started. The dessert box they give you has a nice variety of cheeses and desserts. Mom and I were smart and only opened one to share and saved the other one to snack on a different day. They offered you pop, water, coffee and tea to drink. I was nice to have a place to sit and not worry about waiting for hours to hold a spot. The only down side was that in front of us was a railing so it obstructed the view a little. Fantasmic was amazing and the dragon was to die for!! I'm so glad the dragon was working when were there. Our attendant told us we could stay there for the fireworks. The view wasn't bad. We could still see Tink and Dumbo flying.

*Once Fantasmic was over and we fought the crowds out of the park it was time to go back to The Grand and crash!! We figured with the time difference we had been awake for almost 22 hours. YIKES! I needed my beauty sleep...it's hard being a redheaded pirate on only a few hours of sleep!