Thanksgiving Weekend at Disneyland- Day 3

Our last day at Disneyland was great! We were expecting the park to be extremely crowded because it was Saturday and a holiday weekend, but it really wasn't at all! In fact, we rode more rides this day than the last two!

We arrived at the park by 8 am and went to Jolly Holiday for breakfast. Jolly Holiday is my favorite bakery at Disneyland, and their hot chocolate is delicious. Afterward, we rode Buzz Lightyear twice (this is one of Jaren's favorite rides) and then Star Tours. Emily is amazing at Buzz Lightyear- she beat everyone with a score of 328,500!

Afterward we rode Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise (Jingle Cruise this time of year), and Pirates of the Caribbean. We basically walked onto every ride... The lines were so short! (And we used the fast pass system on Indiana Jones, so there was hardly any waiting!)

For lunch we ate our favorite fried green tomato sandwich at Cafe Orleans. Afterward we rode Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain broke down while we were on the ride so we were given a free fast pass to anywhere (which we later used at the California Adventure park).

We looked around the stores and my mom (who was feeling much better, thankfully) bought some treats to give to each of my grandmas. Afterward, we went home for a little while to get our warmer clothes (the temperature at night was around 45 degrees during our trip, and around 65 degrees during the day).

When we went back to Disneyland we watched the Christmas Fantasy parade, which I absolutely loved. This parade is adorable and so fun! It definitely got me in the Christmas mood.

Pics from the Christmas Fantasy parade...

These snowmen were adorable...

When the parade was over we headed to Downtown Disney for our favorite restaurant, Rainforest Cafe! After dinner we walked around Downtown Disney for a little bit and then went to California Adventure park. While there, we went on Tower of Terror twice and Soarin' California. We enjoyed walking around the park, looking at the Christmas lights and decorations while browsing through the shops.

We went back to Disneyland and rode Star Tours twice. Jaren was pretty tired after that and went home to go to bed. My family and I stayed up late and rode It's a Small World. Then we watched the Paint The Night parade again (my mom and dad didn't see it when Emily, Jaren, and I watched it the first night because my mom wasn't feeling well). We all loved the parade, Disney puts on such good shows! Once the parade was over my mom and dad went home, but Emily and I stayed up even later to ride Peter Pan. (This ride is always a must for us!) After our last ride everything closed (the rides closed at midnight). Emily and I walked through the shops on Main Street and then went back to our hotel.

Emily and I took these pics late at night... (Disney has tons of photo ops like this all over the park!)

This Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful and memorable! I loved spending time with my family at Disneyland. We all had such a great time, and we were always laughing and having fun! Sometime in the future I would love to visit Disneyland during the holiday season again! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thanksgiving Weekend at Disneyland- Day 2

We spent the day at California Adventure park. I love the old-Hollywood feel of this park, and the Christmas decorations make everything even better. The crowds were surprisingly light today, which was not what we were expecting the day after Thanksgiving.

Today we rode Tower of Terror (another ride that everyone loves so we rode this a few times), Soarin' California (twice, another favorite), California Screamin', Toy Story Mania (I beat Jaren at this game), Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and Heimlich's chew chew train (more adults than children on this ride, not joking). We also saw a preview for Disney's new movie, The Good Dinosaur.

There were costumes on display that were used in the TV series, Once Upon A Time. Even though the series can be pretty cheesy, it's clean and family-friendly. I watch the series so the costumes were fun to see up close!

There were carolers singing on Buena Vista street. I loved listening to them sing and play songs using their bells. They did a great job!

"Bell Ringers" (Buena Vista street's Christmas carolers...)

My favorite time to be in the park is at night! All the lights come on and the atmosphere is so fun! We went to the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5:00 and then went to see what Viva Navidad was all about. Viva Navidad is a fun Mexican holiday celebration that goes on throughout the whole day in the park. There was a mariachi band playing and yummy Mexican food being served nearby. During the day there is also a fun little Mexican party/parade and crafts to do. The atmosphere was awesome!

Viva Navidad...

All-female mariachi band! They were so fun to listen to!

Christmas tree on Buena Vista street...

We spent a little time at the Mad Tea Party. This is basically a band that dresses up as the characters from Alice in Wonderland. Tonight they were playing hits from the 80s (with a few songs from the 70s and 90s as well). I had never seen the Mad Tea Party before during previous visits... And I was surprised by how good they were! They played some songs from Guns N' Roses, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, U2 (one of my all-time favorite bands), and No Doubt among others and they sounded amazing! I would have liked to spend a little more time at the Tea Party, but there were so many fun things to do!

I got this image from Google of the Mad Tea Party...

At the end of the night we watched World of Color- Celebrate. There was also a Christmas themed World of Color earlier in the night called Winter Dreams, but we wanted to see the Celebrate one because it was specifically made for the 60th anniversary celebration. We all loved it and had a great time!

Today was such a fun day. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. My mom is sick with a cold, though, so I hope she gets feeling better soon!

Thanksgiving at Disneyland

For Christmas this year my parents wanted to make some fun holiday memories at Disneyland. I LOVE Disneyland and spending time with my family so I have been looking forward to this trip! 

We have never been to Disneyland during the holiday season before. Even though the park is more crowded this time of year, the fast-pass system, extended hours, and Christmas festivities have made this my new favorite time to visit!

Disneyland's Christmas Tree on Main Street...

Both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) are decorated for Christmas! They each have huge Christmas trees and decorations everywhere! Several rides we went on had holiday themes and changes. Other rides have been updated since we were last here. Some of these rides include...

Jungle Cruise- This ride is called "Jingle Cruise" during the holiday season and has a Christmas theme with decorations. Our guide was hilarious and I loved the quirky, fun jokes!

It's A Small World- This ride is lit up beautifully with Christmas lights at night. Inside, everything has a holiday theme. This ride was adorable and I LOVED the Christmas changes!

The Haunted Mansion- This has a "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme. The whole mansion is re-decorated (outside and inside) during the holidays!

Space Mountain- Now called "Hyperspace Mountain," this ride has a new Star Wars theme!

Other rides we went on during the day...

Star Tours (this is a favorite of everyone, so we rode this a few times), Indiana Jones, Matterhorn (this one has also been updated), Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Tea Cups, and the Disneyland Train! We also explored Innoventions, which has set designs and costumes from the upcoming Star Wars movie!

On Pirates of the Caribbean...

Disneyland also has its 60th Anniversary celebrations going on. The fireworks show was amazing! (The best place to watch is right in front of the castle.) We also watched the "Paint the Night" parade. All the floats were glowing and bright. I love the parades at Disneyland. I feel like such a kid... But they really are so fun to watch.

Rapunzel has magic hair that glows when she sings!...

For Thanksgiving we ate dinner at La Brea Bakery. It's just outside Disneyland in Downtown Disney. Yum!

My dinner...

I'm so grateful for such a wonderful family! I love them more than anything and I am so happy we can all be here together! This is definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

Happy 7th Anniversary!

Have we really been married for 7 years (and together for 8)?... I can hardly believe it! Time had FLOWN by, but at the same time it seems Jaren and I have always been a part of each other's lives.

I met Jaren on Halloween night 2007 at a Weber State dance. We knew a little of each other in high school (when he was a Senior and I was a Sophomore) but not much. I had just turned 20, and Jaren had just turned 22. Jaren asked me to dance, then asked me out on a date... and we saw each other nearly every day after that Halloween night.

Our first picture together! Taken in December 2007...

Jaren proposed to me on August 10, 2008 at Bloomington Lake while we were spending a weekend at Bear Lake with my family. On November 22, 2008 we were married in the Salt Lake Temple.

The day we became engaged...

I remember our wedding day was cold, but sunny and beautiful! As we sat together in the Celestial room waiting to be sealed, I felt calm and happy. I loved the person beside me, holding my hand. We knew we loved each other then, but our love at that time was nothing like it is today. Our love has grown into so much more!

Wedding day...

Marriage, like anything worthwhile, is work. We have been through so much together. We have seen each other go through many trials and challenges. We have seen the best and worst in each other, we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and we still love each other! I'm so grateful for a husband who cares about our marriage just as much as I do, and is willing to work on our marriage together, everyday.

I love Jaren, and I feel so loved in return. Marriage is beautiful, a gift from God that I am thankful for every day.

We decided to take family pictures this Summer. For the past (almost) 4 years I have been waiting for a baby to come along to take them. While we are still hopeful there will be children in our future, we decided to take family pictures as we are, just the two of us. Despite our longing for children, this has been a good year. It was fun to take pictures of us at this time in our lives!

This year we kept things simple and celebrated our anniversary at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! We walked around Temple Square and City Creek beforehand.

Jaren makes me laugh every single day and we have so much fun together! I love our life and look forward to eternity!

Quick selfie at Cheesecake Factory...

City Creek at night after dinner...