Recently we were lucky enough to help Carol celebrate her big 4-0 birthday!
We are so glad she chose to spend it with us, and we are all determined to
make it a birthday celebration she will never forget. From Sunday morning to
Wednesday evening we have 4 days to celebrate her 40 fabulous years!
We've got some big things planned and can't wait to get started!
Upon her arrival Saturday night the kids have decorated her guest bedroom
at our house, streamers and balloons and posters, but no one took a picture.
She also gets to wear the fairy Birthday Crown whenever she wants!
The kids keep her up way too late, but soon it is time to rest and get
ready for all that her celebration holds.
Celebration Day One!
Sunday morning we say goodbye to the kids and Pete and set off on
a day to ourselves with some activities requested by CD. First stop is in Laguna
Beach for a delicious brunch at Las Brisas on the cliffs overlooking
the Pacific Ocean. Fruit, steak & eggs, delicate chicken crepe enchiladas,
papas de la casa, it is all delicious and a great start to our birthday celebration!
Flashback: The lovely red seatbelt purse CD is sporting was a gift from
me to her after she treated me to a weekend in Vegas for my 40th
birthday several years ago.
After we finish our yummy meal and a stroll around Laguna
we jump in the car and head down the coast all the way to San Diego Country and
the La Jolla Playhouse, located on the campus of UCSD.
We are seeing a brand new musical called Hands on a Hardbody,
based on a documentary of the same name following the events around
an endurance contest at a car dealership, with an eclectic group of people
trying to win a brand new hardbody truck by keeping their hand on
it the longest. Sounds like an odd premise for a musical, but hey,
what isn't? That's why I love musicals. This one was actually really good,
we had second row seats, and the actors were great, including Hunter
Foster and Keith Carradine, who we met afterwards and took a picture with.
His character of Special FBI Agent Frank Lundy is one
of my favorites on one of my favorite shows, Dexter,
so I enjoyed meeting him.
After the show, on the drive back up to Orange County
we get some great views of the solar eclipse in action - so cool!
Celebration Day Two
Today is CD's actual 40th birthday!
Today's celebration destination is DISNEYLAND!
We drop all of the kids off at their respective schools, then we
are on our way! First stop is at Main Street City Hall on the way in
to get CD's birthday button. Here she is on Main Street,
all "buttoned" up and ready to go!
Feeling like a Disney princess in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle
and me in front of the Matterhorn
(which was closed) :-(
One of our first activities is a visit to Tom Sawyer's Island - haven't
been here in years, and it's just a short raft ride away!
Apparently there are a lot of rope bridges in Tom Sawyer
The Steamboat Mark Twain passes by on it's journey
up the Rivers of America
The rest of the day is pretty much non stop on our favorite
rides, with a stop at the Cafe Orleans in the French Quarter for some gumbo,
fried cheese sandwiches, and delicious Mickey shaped beignets.
pretty sure the Disney Dream is the happiest cruise that ever sailed,
but this is a close second...
Yes I'm in the very back blocked by CD's arm,
but I'm the only one who didn't get soaked!
We rode Big Thunder Mountain twice in a row
Later in our day we take a trip on Autotopia -
CD stays close behind while we enjoy the ride
until the car in front of us has engine troubles...
and requires some roadside assistance...
We are soon on our way and finish up our ride, to find out
they have closed it for whatever reason - this is the scene we
see as we leave - traffic worthy of Southern California!
We take the perimeter train back to Main Street, stroll up one side
and down the other, and after some souvenir shopping we are ready
to head home to celebrate with the kids!
Happy 4-0 to our favorite CD!
Celebration Day Three
Thanks to our two-day Park Hopper passes
(1 park, 1 day) today we spend the day
just across from Disneyland enjoying
A California Adventure within A California Adventure!
Getting the white glove wave on our way in
(hustling towards Tower of Terror for the
first ride of the day)
Picture perfect on Paradise Pier
(California Screamin' and Mickey's Fun Wheel in
the background. Also, Greg Ostertag had just passed by us)
Big River Rapids (our soaking for the day)
California (not) Screamin'
From the top of Mickey's Fun Ferris Wheel we can
see over into the new attraction CARS LAND which
is set to open in just a few days. Can you spot
Radiator Springs and some giant orange cone motels?
Happy Disney Birthday CD!
The kids and I have planned a special dinner for CD's last night in town -
they didn't want to tell her where we were going,
but we've told her she will be "treated like a queen".
It's on to another castle in Orange County...
but we've told her she will be "treated like a queen".
It's on to another castle in Orange County...
We surprise her with tickets to Dinner and a Tournament
at Medieval Times!
Before-show activities include getting our crowns and
visiting a medieval museum
posing in our crowns at the royal thrones
meeting a local and borrowing his sword for a photo
Soon it is time to be seated for the feast and the tourney,
we are lead to our ringside seats.
We are on the Green team, cheering for the Green Knight, Don Temple.
Place setting and menu on a napkin - notice anything missing?
(hint: any type of eating utensil whatsoever!)
Not long after we start sipping our Tomato Bisque soup from the bowl,
and tearing into the Focaccia bread with our bare hands, the
show begins! There are some beautiful displays by the show horses,
aerobatics and some feats of skills by the riders. There is also
a sort of plot with a stranger coming to claim the hand of the princess,
which leads to a tourney among opposing forces, complete with
jousting and hand to hand combat.
Knights and their horses showing fealty to the King Don Carlos
Stranger addressing the King and Princess
Knights and horses
Jed eating half a roasted chicken with his bare hands
While we cheer for Green knight Don Temple he showers us with attention too,
here he is throwing a flower to Harriet.
Harriet with her tourney flower
`
CD, aka the Birthday Queen, has her name read aloud by the
King and the crowd cheers for her, and then she is presented with
a certificate in her honor. (Tourney flower from Don Temple
behind her ear). Medieval Times was a blast! Although our
previously undefeated Green knight doesn't win tonight's tourney, we
have a great time and enjoy the entire spectacle, and take home quite
a bit of leftovers for Pete.
Celebration Day 4 was a more quiet day, spent around town. We meet up with our cousin and
his wife for breakfast, then shop a bit before it is time to pick the kids up from school.
Henry has gymnastics and then it is time to return CD to the airport as our
birthday celebrations came to an end.
Thanks again, CD, for spending it with us!
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