Disneyland

Finally!  We are using the free Disneyland tickets that we earned back in January when we cheered for the runners in the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.  What a fun day we had in the Magic Kingdom!

We started off in California Adventure . . .



California Adventure

The three of us (plus a photographer who prefers to remain anonymous)

First ride of the day -

Soaring over California - a favorite for sure!

Next we took a little stroll through Cars Land - all decorated for Christmas.  I'll just let the camera do the talking . . .

Don't you just love the Disney creativity?  We didn't know which way to look first, it was all so wonderful.

Next ride -

Radiator Springs Racers

The 3 of Us Under the California Adventure Christmas Tree

A closer look

Next we headed to Disneyland . . .

Disneyland

The poinsettias were absolutely gorgeous

The Disneyland Christmas Tree - Humongous

Strolling along Main Street and looking at all the decorations on our way to Frontier Land and lunch at the Mexican restaurant there . . .

Main Street

After lunch we went on all our "must do" rides one by one . .  Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and . . .

Indiana Jones

We followed that with . . .

The Jingle Cruise - Renamed for the Season

Then we headed over to Space Mountain and through  . . .

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

to one of  our very favorites . . .

It's a Small World

I absolutely LOVE how they transform this ride at Christmas time.  By the time we got off it was dark and everything was so pretty, all lit up with lights . . .



We were just in time to watch the Christmas parade . . .

The parade was magical, and when it ended with Santa himself, I was just so happy and thankful that I NEVER have to grow up!  The little girl inside me just loves loves loves this stuff!  And it never ever gets old.

And then . . . . . fireworks . . .

Followed by  . . . . . . .

Snow!  All over the Castle and all over us
as we were standing in the middle of Main Street.
Awesome!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Definitely worth getting up at 3am to cheer on the runners.  There is no place on earth as special as Disneyland!  Can't wait till next year!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

We're back at the Center Stage Theatre again, this time to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  We are very familiar with the Biblical story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, but it's very different to see it set to music of all kinds, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock'n'roll, and in such a fun tongue-in-cheek way.  We thoroughly enjoyed the production! 

Center Stage Theatre

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

As always, we enjoyed our delicious lunch before the show began . . .

Dixie, Carol N, Seema, Joy, Carol L, Debbie

And then the curtain went up, and we were transported back to Egypt in approximately 1876 BC . . . and introduced to Pharoah . . .

Elvis?

Jacob has been sold into slavery by his brothers,
is imprisoned, and eventually brought before Pharaoh (still Elvis?)

Pharaoh makes Joseph his second in command

Later, Joseph's brothers come to Egypt looking for food, and don't recognize Joseph.

Joseph reveals his identity and is reunited with his father, Jacob

Joseph wearing his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

The End

What an awesome show!  I hope we can see it again someday!

We didn't get a photo with the cast, but we did get one with the camel!

Outreach Project Day

We've been getting ready for this day all year.  We've been collecting items to put in the shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  We've purchased fleece and pre-cut it so it's all ready to tie into blankets for the Boy's Republic.  And today we're going to put it all together.  This is one of our favorite events - the day we focus outward and do for others.  It's our way of giving back, or maybe it's better to say we're paying forward the blessings that God has bestowed on us.  It's such a great feeling to know you are helping to put a smile on the faces of some kids who really need some love and blessings in their lives.

We gathered at Carol N's house, and Queen Debbie got the day started by having us tie the fleece blankets.  We had tied some a few weeks ago when we had our Project Prep Day, but there were plenty that still needed tying.  So we spread them out on the table and we all gathered around and started making knots . . .
 

 

With so many hands, it doesn't take long to get the job done

Look how many blankets we made!

Oops- Forget our hats!  Let's take another photo!

One project finished.  Time to break for lunch . . . Everyone headed to the kitchen for our delicious potluck soup and salad feast.

Yummy soup and salad lunch!   Delish!

After lunch we cleared the table and started laying out all the goodies for the shoe boxes . . .

We were aiming our shoe boxes at boys and girls in the 10-14 year range, and we had collected everything from personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap and wash clothes, to useful things like tools, sewing kits and school supplies, plus some games and of course, candy!  Do you know that some of the kids who receive these boxes may have never tasted candy in their entire lives?  It breaks my heart to think about how much stuff the kids in this country have, and how little stuff kids have in some of these 3rd world counties where the shoe boxes go.  Truly makes you realize how much we take for granted - very humbling!

Praying for our boxes and for the kids who will receive them.
 We know that God will find the perfect child for each box.

And then we passed the boxes around and started filling them up . . .

Trust me - those boxes were filled to capacity!

14 Shoe Boxes Done!  7 Girls, 7 Boys

Some of the ladies had to leave at this point.  The rest of us spent the remainder of the afternoon playing a silly (and very fun!) game called "What's Yours Like?"  Lots of laughs for sure!

What's Yours Like?

Front Row - Linda, Carol N, Joy
Middle Row - Carol L, Debbie, Sharon
Back Row - Robin, Seema, Barbara L, Tina, Annie 

Good job ladies.  Let's do this again next year!

Outreach Project Prep Day

We have an Outreach Project Day scheduled for later this month where we plan to tie fleece blankets for Boy's Republic and fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  So today we decided to get together at Debbie's house and cut some of the fleece fabric and get it ready to tie into blankets.  Amazing how much we can get done when we all work together. 

Debbie set up two work stations in her living and dining rooms, and everyone gathered around with their rotary cutters and rulers and it didn't take long to go through a whole pile of fleece.

Showing off a few of the blankets that are ready to be tied -
L-R - Carol N, Barbara L, Dixie, Debbie, Lupe, Sharon, Seema, Joy

After the work was done, we relaxed around Debbie's pool and had a good time just chatting and laughing together.



Oh that water feels so good on a hot summer day!

And just look at how productive we were !

Good job ladies!  We're all set now for our Outreach Project Day later this month!