I'm Thirty!

"You've had a birthday; shout 'Hooray!'

We want to sing to you today.

One year older and wiser, too,

Happy birthday to you."

On March 31 I turned 30. Yikes! Actually, I wasn't that fearful of 30. Sure, there are things I would've liked to have accomplished by this point in my life, but everything happens when it should, so I'm content with my own personal timeline. It's an age that sounds like an adult, but I still feel like a kid. My 30th birthday was actually one of my very best. I spent it at Disneyland! :)

My dad is the best! He treated the two of us to a quick three-day trip. We started on Sunday at Disney's California Adventure. A lot of the park was under construction (big things are coming!), but we still found plenty of fun things to do. We started at the park's newest attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania, an interactive 3-D ride. Lots of fun!

One of the highlights of the trip for both of us was the Pixar Play Parade that we saw that day at California Adventure, featuring characters from the Disney/Pixar movies. The floats and costumes were so great!

We spent the next two days at Disneyland. My favorite! We started bright and early in Fantasyland and worked our way through the park in our traditional fashion. Some highlights of that second day of our vacation included the flag retreat ceremony held in town square, featuring the Disneyland Band, and catching a little of the "Celebrate!" Street Party which had made its debut just three days earlier.

Our third, and final, day at Disneyland was my actual birthday. There were plenty of other people in the park to celebrate with me, as a few southern California school districts were out on spring break. But we didn't let the crowds discourage us. Luckily, my dad and I are very savvy Disneyland visitors, so we knew what to do when and how to use Fastpasses to limit the time we spent waiting in line. That day was all about fitting in the attractions that we wanted to repeat and catch some that we had missed.

I was happy that we were able to get a second ride on 'it's a small world' on my birthday. It had been closed for about a year for renovations and had recently reopened with some changes. The addition of Disney characters in their respective countries has been very controversial with some Disney purists, but I saw the changes as harmless improvements. It was cute!

I can't thank my dad enough for the perfect memories of my big birthday. I also appreciate Rusty for being so willing to let me go while he stayed home to hold down the fort. It was a fantastic celebration. Going to Disneyland only makes me want to return all the more! I just don't think I want to add another year each time. ;)

Thanks for Reading, Thanks for Writing

First of all, I want to thank anyone reading my blog.  I appreciate you taking the time to check in.  But, more importantly, I want to thank those who have blogs of their own.  I have enjoyed keeping up with many friends and family that I don't see or talk to as often as I'd like.  It has been a great way to stay informed on what everyone is doing.  I know that we all have busy lives that pull us in a lot of different directions, so I appreciate the time and effort it has taken all of you to put your sites together and keep them up.  Your work doesn't go unnoticed.  Thanks for giving me an online glimpse at your lives through the stories, thoughts, and pictures--keep up the good work!

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! I always remember that April 22 is Earth Day, but this year I've thought about it more than I ever have in the past. Simple steps really can make a difference. My "Earth Day Resolution" this year is to be more responsible in the disposal of my old magazines. They sure seem to pile up fast in our house. (Thanks to frequent flyer miles--we don't have enough to actually travel anywhere, but we can order random magazine subscriptions by the mailbox full!) Every once in a while I gather them all up and toss the heavy stack into the garbage can, but I am going to attempt to make better use of them. My mom can take some of them to use in the waiting area of her office, and I will try my best to get the rest of them to a recycling center.

Happy New Blog!

Welcome! I am usually behind the times on things--something will become popular and I catch on just in time to see it go out--so let's hope blogging sticks around for a while now that I have finally jumped on the bandwagon. Rusty has thought that we should have a blog for quite some time so I give him credit for its existence. I think it will be kind of fun and hopefully entertaining to anyone who chooses to look in on us. I apologize for not having cute and funny kids or cute and funny pets, so readers will have to endure stories and pictures of Rusty and me for the time being. :)