Disneyland

last week my mom, my sister Brin and her kids and I went to Disneyland. we got two day Disneyland/Cali Adventure park hopper tickets and we had a great time! they had already put up the Christmas decorations which I had never seen before and they looked great. they even completely changed a few of the rides to Christmas theme like It's a Small World, the Jungle Cruise (called "Jingle Cruise") and the Haunted Mansion Holiday. the Haunted Mansion's theme was the Nightmare Before Christmas which I probably enjoyed more than the regular ride. they decorate for it in late September for Halloween and keep it up through Christmas. it takes them 2 1/2 weeks to decorate so they have to close it down for that long.

we stayed at a hotel directly across the street from Disneyland and it was so convenient being so close. we went to Disneyland the first day and right when we got there we took the kids on a Snow White ride. we didn't realize it'd be so scary for them though and afterwards we found out it was Snow Whites Scary Adventure. oops! they seemed to be a little cautious after that with which rides they'd go on but they seemed to get better as the day progressed. it seemed to be a great time to go because it wasn't very busy and we didn't have to wait very long for most rides. we actually walked right onto A Small World which is the first time I've never had to wait. that night they had a holiday parade, then fireworks show with surprise fake snow at the end.

 

 

 

the next day we went to Cali Adventure. the park has greatly improved since I went for Orchestra when it first opened in 7th grade. I think I might enjoy it as much as Disneyland now maybe because the rides are newer so more exciting. the Cars ride was our favorite and we were all able to go on it a few times without waiting too long thanks to a fast pass, the parent switch pass, and the single rider line. I was disappointed we didn't go on the rollercoaster Screamin' because it was closed for half the day and then the line was too long when it opened. my mom couldn't go on it anyways because last time she got sick and threw up. the day sped by and that night we watched the awesome World of Color show before heading back to our hotel.

 the morning before we left we stopped by the beach and spent about an hour hanging out there. it was a fun trip but it's always sad leaving Disneyland!

 

 

 

the Black Keys

last week Jason and I saw the Black Keys at US Airways sports arena. I usually prefer smaller more intimate shows but they're more popular than a lot of bands we listen to. it was still an incredible show and I was glad they played some of their earlier more bluesy songs along with their newer more mainstream songs. singer Dan Auerbach's guitar playing was excellent and Jason and I both agree he is the best guitarist we have ever seen live. Jason loved the show so much and said it was his favorite, or top favorite concert we've ever been to.

the opening band was Jake Bugg an english singer. while he was a little hard to understand due to his thick accent he was pretty good and had a sound that slightly resembled Bob Dylan or another classic folk artist.

this song "Lightning Bolt" by Jake Bugg was pretty great.

the Black Keys' set started out with this vintagey curtain and then after a few songs it was pulled up to reveal screens and cool stage lighting.

 

 

they played this the last song of the encore. it's one of my favorites.

they didn't play this song but I wish they did. it's a great cover of a Kinks song.

it was a really great night!

though we live on the u.s dollar, you and me we've got our own sense of time

I've been listening to "Hannah Hunt" by Vampire Weekend a lot lately and after each listen I love it more. the song depicts a road trip (from Providence to Phoenix) and it brings me back to our cross country trip which I am already nostalgic for. the song gives me feelings of adventure and nostalgia, similar to another one of my favorite road trip songs "America" by Simon and Garfunkel. in the song America it tells a story of a man and woman traveling and their adventures. they are out seeking to find America and they believe that it will help them to understand themselves and their place in the world. both songs are bittersweet maybe because their traveling brings some introspection about their relationships and what they want in life.

my favorite line in Hannah Hunt is "though we live on the u.s dollar, you and me we've got our own sense of time". I didn't quite understand it at first but now I have my own interpretation. to me it means that although traveling the country spending money is a necessity, they are not bound by doing things according to u.s time. in some sense they are outsiders to society. they don't have to be anywhere and the days and nights can blur together as they do things when they want. although our road trip was fast paced it was freeing to be able to decide where we wanted to be and when. our idea of time was according to our own constructs rather than a planned schedule. to me that is how life would be ideally but it is not always practical. it is nice to forget time every now and then though.

I love songs that don't have easily accessible meanings but the tone of the song helps in telling the story. near the end of the song his voice changes and the emotion in his voice makes the song for me.



 

Halloween

Jason and I were on the committee for our church Halloween carnival this year. we were actually the committee for our ward since it was combined with two other wards. my brother and sister in law were the committee for another ward and they were the ones that told them to put us on it. we all thought that we would have other people in the ward to help plan but it turned out that the responsibility was all on us. there was some stress and drama but the carnival overall turned out to be a success. we had carnival game booths, a bounce house, train, and pony rides. it was a fun night that went by in a flash. 

with all the planning Jason and I didn't come up with costumes until the last minute. I ended up getting ready in the church bathroom because I had to go early to help set up. we put our costumes together mainly from things we owned. the only things I bought were my wig, tights, and steampunk goggles. I decided to be Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I knew most likely no one would know who I was but I really wanted to have blue hair and I liked her style so I went with it :). my costume really wasn't complete with everything she has in the movie but I think I did a pretty good job last minute. Jason put on an old army jacket and helmet he had to sell and called it good.

I didn't have my camera so I only have these grainy phone pics. I really need to update my iPhone 4. 

 

we wanted to have a photo area so I painted this head cutout backdrop. I found one online and copied it and I like how it turned out. I plan on keeping it for future Halloweens.  

 Jason set up a little angry birds sling shot game and it turned out to be the most popular booth! he wasn't able to enjoy anything else since he was working the booth the whole night. 

Brin and her family were the cutest dragon family!

I really liked having short blue hair! I wore the wig around everywhere on Halloween. I am seriously tempted to chop mine off and dye it blue :) 

Butterfly Wonderland

for my dad's 60th birthday my dad wanted to go to Butterfly Wonderland a butterfly atrium. a lot of the family was able to go and everyone from my grandma to my little nieces and nephews seemed to love it. you weren't supposed to touch the butterflies but it was OK if they landed on you. my little niece was so frustrated that not one landed on her. I was tempted to pick one up and put it on her shoulder :). there were some butterfly causalities as my dad found one on the bottom of his shoe.