Thanks for Playing!

This past labor day weekend, Kayla and I made the 6 hour drive down to LAX to pick up my mother. From there, we ventured to Anaheim, California to the happiest place on earth: Disneyland! Two days in this magical place flew by as we met characters, rode roller coasters, ventured into mystical lands, and ate yummy chocolate. All in all, Disney was AMAZING and every one had a good time. I'll try to summarize everything using the below million pictures.

Day 1
On Saturday we went to California Adventure. This park focuses more on the Pixar movies and is the newer of the two parks. We started bright and early, in the normal silly style.

 There were a lot of adorable rides that went through the story of various Disney classics. One such ride was The Little Mermaid. It was pretty hard to capture pictures in the tunnel atmosphere, but Kayla caught this beauty.

Kayla and I also went on a roller coaster called California Screamin'. It had tunnels, a 360 degree loop, and all of normal stomach plunging drops. Here is a shot of the coaster with the famous Mickey Mouse Ferris Wheel.

We had lunch at a little restaurant near the ferris wheel. Near the end, we were entertained with some live music. ...this may be my favorite picture from the trip!

The parade was pretty awesome. I was honestly far too excited by the characters. As I said, this park focuses more on the Pixar movies. So, we've got:
1) Monsters Inc

2) The Incredibles

3) Finding Nemo

4) A Bug's Life

5) Toy Story

 

5) Cars

We also ventured to Cars land, and saw a hilarious performance of Aladdin. But the highlight of the day was by far the World of Color show. Disney used fountains of water and light to put on the most mesmerizing water show I could imagine. Not only that, but using the water, they were able to display disney scenes from famous movies such as the Lion King, Brave, Pocohantas, and more. I would recommend this for everyone!!

Day 2

On Sunday we went to the original Disney Land park! The quintessential princess castle can be seen below for proof.

We went on many rides, including Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Toy Story. The highlight in terms of pictures (and perhaps overall) may have been meeting Eeyore, Pooh, and Tigger too :)

 

 

There was also a parade on this side of the park! This one focused more so on all of the Disney classics.

1) Mickey and Minnie Mouse

2) Aladdin

3) The Little Mermaid

4) Princesses: Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Cinderella

5) The Lion King

 

6) The Princess and the Frog
 

7) Peter Pan
 

Unfortunately all of the rides we went on were sort of impossible to get photos of. Also, we seem to be missing pictures of the chocolate dipped pineapple, chocolate covered strawberries, and general awe inspiring Disney stores. HOWEVER, I think I have inundated you all with enough photos. So --

One Year Later

One year ago (plus the month that it took me to write this), Amanda and I headed across the country in a Beetle with a rather annoyed cat in the backseat.  The past year has been awesome in so many ways, and we decided to celebrate in a couple different ways...

First off, we celebrated with a Foster the People concert.  This band was one of the CDs we listened to quite a bit on the drive over (what's impressive is that we actually had a CD...who uses CDs anymore?!), and they will always remind us of that long road trip to our new life. (To be fair, this song will always remind me of that drive as well.)

It was a great concert in a great venue. We only got lost 2 or 3 times on the way there. Seriously.

 We also participated in a Color Run, which is a fun 5K that takes place nationwide. It was so much fun! To the right, everyone is getting excited for the race to start.

Amanda and I were making sure that we got doused in blue. Really, it's the best color ever (GO BLUE!!!)...no bias.

Nearing the finish line!

Alright, I know I look ridiculous here, but it one of the only "after" pictures I have that has both Amanda and me.  Not sure how that happened.

This year, I also met a pretty amazing and special guy.  He is so great :)

And how can I not highlight our newest hobby? This was the spread for our one-year celebratory pool party: Strawberry chocolate chip, Mango-Pineapple, Mimosa, Peanut Butter Cup, and Banana Nutella. They were all a hit!

So there it is: one year later, and we're still going strong! Here's to hoping there are many many more equally awesome years in our future!

Daddy Sosne Trip!

Back in February, I told my Dad I required his presence in California the weekend of July 27th. I was surprising him for his birthday, father's day, and basically any holidays this year. Working with Mom, we booked him flights and hotels to venture out to CA!

The beginning of the trip was rough. Two delayed flights and a traffic jam later, he arrived in San Jose on Wednesday evening, ready to consume the Scotch and Costco shrimp he had well deserved.

On Thursday started our activities. I took him to the Santa Clara library where we, as expected, laid in the grass for a bit. There is a lovely park behind the library with paths, fountains, grills, a baseball diamond, and a gaggle of annoying geese. After some nice relaxing, we made our way to the cinema to see The Dark Knight Rises. Michael met us there, and we got some dinner post-movie.

Friday we ventured to Henry Cowell Redwood State Park to go on a little hike. The little hike quickly turned into a strenuous one as we climbed deeper and deeper in search of the water we hoped we weren't imagining. At the bottom we were rewarded with a little creek to dip our feet into.

Of course, then we had to journey back UP the very steep hike. And also find our way back to the car. ...I can't say we set out expecting that difficult of a hike, but both of us worked up a massive sweat and heart rate that afternoon.

We got back home and collected a hodge podge of food from the store, and settled in to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Not a bad Friday at all.

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the city! We started our day at Muir Woods, a state park north of San Francisco that we also visited when Mom was here. This time, we adventured on a path less traveled, and also some old favorites. Muir Woods is amazingly beautiful. I'm mainly a fan for the cool temperatures :) Red woods are Dad's and my favorite, and this doesn't disappoint. It is quite crowded at the main walks, but the real trails have virtually no one. We took our time and spent a few hours at this gem.

Afterwards we headed to our family's favorite lookout point, Marin Headlands. There are a few amazing views of the bridge and also a nice beach area with a small hike. We spent a few hours here just chatting and enjoying the views and weather.

Finally! The time had come for Dad's big surprise. After a lovely sushi dinner in a pretty sketchy part of SF, I took Dad to see Les Miserables. This is Dad's favorite musical, and honestly, mine as well. He took me when I was young, probably about 7, and I've listened to the music with him ever since. Even though he has seen it many times, I knew it had been a while since his last show. I decided to surprise him with floor seats at the Orpheum Theatre in the city. 

The show was wonderful! Javert had an amazing voice, and he isn't generally the strongest lead. More impressive were any songs that had the entire ensemble. The clarity and articulation of this cast was stunning. It isn't often the ensemble rivals the individual voices of Jean Valjean or Fantine, but they were incredible. I, personally, also enjoyed Eponine's voice. But perhaps that is just because she is my favorite character :)

All in all the trip was a huge success! A nice mix of activities and relaxation. I drove home with the fog creeping over the mountains (Dad's favorite).

Next stop: Hawaii!!

Colorado, Waldron Family Reunion

One of the best things about being a part of a large family are the family reunions! This year, the Waldrons decided to convene in Colorado, where we all spent a few days in cabins in the mountains. Activities included (but were not limited to) eating, drinking coffee with Baileys, more eating, general socializing, hiking, and then some more eating.  In lieu of the rough summer that Colorado seems to be having, I thought I'd share some of the happy memories that the beautiful state left with me.  

On our drive to the cabins, we passed through Poudre Canyon, one of the areas devastated by the recent forest fires.  This particular stretch was contained the mere weekend before our drive-through.  While the destruction was vast, it was beautiful in its own way.

My sister, mom, and I with my aunt and cousin.  It had been far too long.

On our hike to a secluded mountain lake, we encountered some beautiful wildflowers.

It's one thing to carry your child on your shoulders during a hike.  But it's a completely new ball game to do it at 10,500 feet.  Talk about dedication!

 Edel surprised me at the airport (best surprise ever)! And, of course, everybody loved him.  That part didn't surprise me.

Haley (who I met for the first time) splashing in the lake.  This is just a small sampling of the Waldron clan on the right, enjoying the scenery after a short hike.



When my dad fell ill, Edel stepped up and took over grilling duties. He passed with flying colors, and he never even let on how nervous he was!
On the right, a bigger chunk of the Waldron family enjoying a good meal.  

The young ones, posing nicely for the cameras

On the drive back to the airport, we drove through the scenic Rocky Mountain National Park.  The scenery produced a plethora of pictures, including this gem of my parents.  Aren't they so cute? 25+ years of marriage, and they are still going strong!

It was only appropriate that I stand on the Atlantic side and Edel stand on the Pacific side.

Colorado's scenery never ceases to amaze me.  So beautiful.