Little Mermaid ride Sneak Preview

The Little Mermaid ride is brand NEW at CA Adventure.

We are so excited and cheering during the ride because it is a Preview Ride!  The ride is not supposed to open until June 3rd and we are on it a week early!!  We were so happy!  I didn't think we were going to make it back up to the park until June 7th and that was if the kids didn't have anything else going on.

You enter your clam shell.
Scuttle is talking and introducing you to the story.  It gets dark as the clamshell turns backward and you go downhill backwards as the ocean waves crash on the walls and the clamshell that was behind you is now in front of you as a screen.

Part 2 of the ride
Ariel singing in her Treasure cave, "Whozits and Whatzits Galore"
Then the "Under the Sea" musical with all of the underwater animals.

Part 3 of the ride
Ursula singing!   Ariel transforming into a human.
The "Kiss the Girl" boat scene with Prince Eric.

END of the ride
King Triton, Fireworks, Wedding couple: Ariel & Prince Eric.
Scuttle saying "They lived Happily Ever After"

As you enter the line the gorgeous mosaics are on the ground.

This blue stone was so pretty, and it smelled so new!

Happy Birthday in the Happiest Place on Earth!

Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes!!!

We had a fabulous time. Actually we spent more time at California Adventure!!
I drove my 3 kids with Heidi and her 2 boys and met MaryBeth and her daughter.
So a total of 3 moms and 6 kids!

I got to see the "Happy Birthday" on the screen at the turnstyle, but didn't get a picture of it. 
We got our Birthday pins (Heidi & I). I didn't like mine!! Heidi's was Black sharpie, mine was thin blue sharpie and hard to read. Plus I wore a pale green Tinkerbell shirt and the whole birthday pin was hard to see and I think it got missed a lot. Heidi's was on her brown shirt and was noticed easily by lots of cast members.
NOTE : Don't wear a pale blue or green shirt when you are going to get a birthday pin! 

First we went straight to CA Screamin' and got right on.
3 of our group got in line for Toy Story so they were just entering the building when we got there, so that wait was super short. 

The boardwalk to the Swings is CLOSED from that direction so we had to walk all the way back across the Boardwalk. But we stopped for Ice Cream because it was so warm out, such a warm beautiful day! 


We took the short cut through Bug's Land to Tower of Terror. I don't ride that ride and 3 others in our group didn't either. We waited in the gift shop.
I bought a car sticker and a key cover ... THEY Changed the AP Discount to any amount (it was $10) for purchases... whooo hoooo!

Next:  Soarin' over California and then Silly Symphony Swings

3:30 over to Disneyland

Got a FP for Space Mtn. for 4:35 and waited to ride the ride for about 20 min. When we got off the ride, we were able to go right back on with the FP. However, the ride shut down and there was a good 20 min delay with the lights on and adding 5 new cars.  The second ride was smoother than the first and I liked it better.

Rode Matterhorn, girls went on the left side, boys on the right.  That was terribly rough!!

Small world was closed.  

Next The Haunted Mansion Ride. WOW it is so empty looking when it is Not Nightmare before Christmas!!

Dinner at French Market. First time having dinner there, had the Roast Beef dinner with mashed potatoes and vegetables... EXCELLENT. Next time I could share it with my husband. My son had a fruit box, the other 2 kids shared the chicken nuggets & fries from Stage Door cafe.

The rest of the group went to Indiana Jones and I walked back to Critter Country to Pooh Corner. There I bought my highly desired, anticipated Hunny Pot Caramel Apple!!!
Also a Tigger Tail for my daughter and Character Gummies for my son.

Met everyone at Indiana Jones and then back over to CA Adventure.
We walked back to CA Screamin' but it JUST Closed. booo hooo
so we rode King Triton's Carousel.
Then it was time to go. We were exhausted and I had a blister on my toe. yikes!

We did have tickets for the 8:15 Color of Wonder show, but we were all just too tired and the kids were still getting over colds.
We had a 1 1/2 hour drive home which was fun with the kids playing guessing games while Heidi & I had a wonderful chat.

What a Great Birthday!!!

Fiesta Island with kids & dogs

Took the kids and dogs out to get some fresh air and a fun walk on the beach.  Derek was riding his bike.  

The dogs love being able to run free and go for a ride in the car.

It was 73 degrees and very windy.   We've had an odd summer here with cool weather.  Which is better than having the heat.

Dressed up

Going to our first Bat Mitzvah for James' friend Eliana.


Masquerade Ball

We took the curlers out in the car after we arrived.
The curls fell out within 15 minutes. boohoo.

Adam's Happy Fault! Merits our Redeemer!

The phrase is sung in the Exsultet of the Easter Vigil: "O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem," "O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer." 
Theologian Thomas Aquinas cited this line when he explained the principle that "God allows evils to happen in order to bring a greater good therefrom."   
Uniting Original sin and the Divine Redeemer's Incarnation.  He concluded that a higher state is not inhibited by sin. 
Saint Ambrose also speaks of the fortunate ruin of Adam in the Garden of Eden in that his sin brought more good to humanity than if he had stayed perfectly innocent.


More lines from the Exsultet:


For Christ has ransomed us with his blood, and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast, when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first you saved our fathers: you freed the people of Israel from their slavery and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin!

This is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us, had Christ not come as our Redeemer?
Father, how wonderful your care for us!   How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says: "The night will be as clear as day: it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and man is reconciled with God!


HAPPY EASTER!!

A New Catholic!

Congratualtions to Katherine a New Catholic!!
I was her RCIA Sponsor.
Here we are at the Easter Vigil with Bishop Brom.

James' Birthday

Derek, Chris & James 

Grandma & James

cake by mom for his classmates at the learning center

Cookie cake by Heidi, Blake & Jackson!  Thanks!

Baking Artisan Bread

I mix the dough in the plastic ware, then let it rise for
about 2 hours.  ... I used half of the dough for the 2 loaves.

Half way through baking.

All done! The cooling time takes forever!
Can't wait to break into and have some Lemon Curd on a huge slice.

Bread baking with the book "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day"

Ski Mammoth!!

Our Trip up the CA Coast.

Grab a piece of pie and a drink .... I've uploaded our pictures from our trip up the California Coast last week.

Visit my shutterfly web site called “CA Coast Trip” to see the pictures.

You might have to be a member of the site.

http://cacoasttrip.shutterfly.com/

I'm working on the travel diary and will post it soon.

We visited:
Santa Barbara - The Mission, Natural History Museum & Pier

Mission San Buenaventura

Mission Santa Ines

Hearst Castle

Mission San Luis Obispo

Monterey - the Aquarium, the beaches, Dennis the Menace Park

Mission Carmel = San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

Mission Santa Cruz

San Francisco - Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower

Mission Dolores = Mission San Francisco de Asis

Enjoy!!

Thank you God!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sunset in Monterey, CA

Sunset, Carlsbad Beach

After Legoland, we had dinner. Then I realized it was sunset so we hurried out of the restaurant and down to the coast. I pulled over as soon as I could to park so we could catch the sunset. This is Carlsbad Beach.

These photos are moments apart. I'm not sure why one is blue/purple and the others red/orange.
I think I turned on the flash. I don't know how to get those bubbles out of my photos?

A man walked by so I had him take our picture. I am always the photographer, so seldom in the photo.
I'm so glad it turned out well.