Turning 26 was a big one for me. It may not sound like much to some people but this is the birthday where I truly started feeling "old." I know, I know, I'm still mid twenties BUT I am now officially closer to 30 than 20 and for some reason that hit me hard! It feels just like yesterday that I was roaming, studying, and having the time of my life at SMU. Fast forward 4 years and it's crazy to think that I've had two jobs, building a steady career, started a blog, and have moved to San Francisco! Time flies.
I was thinking very hard about what I wanted for my birthday from both my parents and Warren. I decided that I didnt need any material things as I do buy myself new clothes on a regular basis (I mean I do blog about fashion after all!) Yes, yes I can't afford to purchase myself anything expensive and your bday is the time to ask for such things but do I really need them? Gasp coming from a girl that loves designer things. I decided that I want to start experiencing new things and making memories for gifts versus getting something materialistic. And no, I'm not ragging on anyone else that does! But I had a "come to jesus" moment and decided that going forward for my birthdays, I want to make a fun new memory whether that be in the form of a trip or just a fun activity. Christmas is now the time for that new purse I've been wanting ;) haha.
So voilá the disney trip! I decided it would be so fun to go to Disneyland for my birthday as I have never been before. I've been to Disneyworld but never Disneyland. And it was even more fun than I imagined! W and I took a long weekend and flew down Thursday evening. We stayed at Hotel Indigo which I highly recommend if you plan to go anytime soon! The hotel has wonderful accommodations, friendly staff, great food, and is walking distance to the park! W did a little research and decided that the Park Hopper ticket would be best for us so we can experience both Disneyland and California Adventure while we were in town.
On our first day, we decided to spend the first half of the day at Disneyland and the second half at California Adventure. Of course I had to purchase Minnie Mouse ears the second I entered the park. I mean, when in Rome right?! We headed straight for Hyperspace Mountain as that was a "must" on our list to get a fast pass. Our fast pass time wasn't until early afternoon so we hit a few other rides while we waited -- the teacups being one of my favorites!
If you're unfamiliar with fast pass, it is seriously the best thing ever, where you get to come back to the ride within a specified hour time frame to basically skip the long line and go straight to the front! However the trick is that you cannot get a new fast pass until a certain time which is specified on your fast pass. Be sure to pay attention so you can get a new fast pass as soon as you are able for another popular ride.
These are in high demand as the lines can get quite long -- I saw lines where the wait was 90 min! Cray cray. However W did research and discovered that some fast passes are not connected so you are able to get two at once! It's too hard to explain here but if you do a little google research you'll be able to figure it out too ;)
After hyperspace mountain we headed over to California Adventure. Luckily the parks are literally right next to each other so you don't have to take a shuttle of any sorts. By this time we were pretty hungry so we grabbed a corn dog at Corn Dog Castle and an ice cold beer! What's great about California Adventure is that they serve alcohol whereas Disney is completely dry! We definitely had a beer or two while walking around the park and it was SO refreshing!
My favorite ride we did over in California Adventure was the Tower of Terror -- I just love the feeling of free falling. My other favorite ride was Soaring over the World which is a pretty incredible. It's a surreal experience where it feels like you're flying and taking a tour over the world. The sounds and smells match what you're seeing so it truly feels like you're there.
We headed back to Hotel Indigo after a full day at the park to change, rest our feet, and grab a cocktail before heading back to California Adventure for the World of Color show. My coworker recommended it so we had to check it out! It was truly spectacular and mesmerizing. It was a water show with lots of color (hence the name) and projections into the mist, a truly magical experience and the perfect way to end our first full day! Stay tuned tomorrow for details on day 2!
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