Disneyland Memories

When I think about my early visits to Disneyland when I was a child, the Main Street Electrical Parade is one of the first things that comes to mind, after Mickey and Minnie. In fact, if I’m being honest, I never even realized it went away….there definitely was a time lapse between my childhood, to now being a parent where I hadn’t visited Disneyland in YEARS!

Last year when I took my boys to Anaheim and Disneyland for the first time, I didn’t realize the night parade was not the same one I was accustomed to seeing during my visits as a kid. And, while the parade(s) we saw were awesome in their own right, it was very exciting for me to hear that the Main Street Electrical Parade is lighting up Disneyland once again!!!

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There sure is something about it that’s very nostalgic to me, and being able to share that experience with the kids is very cool, not to mention maybe I won’t feel so “dated,” as the characters and visuals that amused me as a child will have the same effect on them today! All this being said, I got to do an interview about this excited (limited time) event at Disneyland. I spoke to Disneyland spokesman Eddy Collins and the man mouse himself, MICKEY MOUSE even dropped in on the interview I did for Bay Area LIFE.

If you want to see it and “relive” that childhood experience or maybe see it for the very first time, be sure to visit Disneyland Resort by June 18!!

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Repost from 53 Weeks

KaBoom! I Helped Build a Playground

There are so many events happening around the Bay Area this week related to Super Bowl 50, and while I will do my part to socialize and network at the various parties around town, I also took some time out to lend a hand in a KaBoom playground build in San Jose. I got involved, since ESPN invited some of the Disney (parent company) affiliates to pitch in, including ABC7 where I work part time. Also in the mix were other local community members and members of the Raiders and 49ers organizations too.

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What brought this experience even closer to home is that fact that it was happening in my hometown San Jose. To have the opportunity to construct a playground for kids that are growing up among the same streets I did, made it all the more special. Not to mention that these days as a Mom, I spend A LOT of time hanging out at neighborhood playgrounds with my kiddos. I can’t wait to bring them by this one to show off what I did! 🙂

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At any rate, I didn’t really know what to expect. I’m not particularly strong and while I was my Daddy’s little helper in construction projects growing up…my handy-ness is limited to the “basics.” Anyhow, this is how it went down, all the volunteers, showed up bright and early and we were divided into groups with a team leader. Each group was responsible for  a specific component of the playground.

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The group I was assigned to was in charge of 2 directional sign posts. We had to paint arrows and think of what we were going to write on them. We decided on one post carrying “location” tags and the other would have inspirational “directions.”

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I was fortunate not to be mixing and pouring concrete aka “getting dirty,” (although I did some, to secure our post in the ground), and other groups were assembling the play equipment, painting a mural, erecting gazebos and sitting areas, etc…

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And, I think my assignment was extra special because I got to work with some of the kids who live in the community and took the initiative to volunteer to help make it happen. I was impressed at the efforts by these young men.

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The whole playground was constructed in about 6 hours. I mean of course they will properly inspect it and make sure it is sound for youngsters to start using it, but I was truly in awe of how quickly it all came together. It was a great day of teamwork and community service.

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Prince of Persia

LIKED  IT…a lot! Walt Disney’s Prince of Persia is an action-packed adventure that’s SO MUCH fun to watch. I definitely expected it to be good, and it surpassed my expectations. The film had great pictures, cinematography and special effects, while Jake Gyllenhaal did a fantastic job as the bronzed hero figure! I will say the story was nothing too new…it had that epic feel of “once up on a time, in a land far, far away” and at times it felt reminiscent of Gladiator, where only one man can save the day. During the film I found myself clenching down on my jaw and all tensed up as just when you thought it was going to be okay….something had to go wrong! Ha!! Nonetheless, it kept me on the edge of my seat and was interesting enough to keep me guessing which direction it’d turn to next. Not only is there action and adventure, but there’s quick wit and romance too (between a prince and a princess), all the ingredients of an epic fairytale. I tend to enjoy period pieces and films that fall in line with 300, Gladiator, Braveheart, etc… so now I can add another one to that list!

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a visually stimulating, fun-filled ride into a beautiful world of fantasy. Right off the top, the vibrant colors and unique characters suck you in with 3D visuals. Tim Burton’s spin-off from the original tale works very well and Disney has a hit once again! I know going into it, it seemed like it might be scary for the little ones given the trailer, but I can assure you..it’s not too “scary.” I just really enjoyed seeing all these characters come to life with such authenticity and personality. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway in character as the White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter playing the Red Queen, all do fantastic jobs playing their parts. The story is so captivating and never was there a dull moment, again from the stunning visuals which keep you captivated from start to finish, cute dialogue, beautiful costuming and action, adventure, comedy and drama! Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb were also very charming in a “clueless” way! A few of my favorite things from the movie: the “EAT ME” cake in the film looked so yummy I wanted to try it – figures my sweet tooth always consumes my thoughts, I also loved Johnny Depp’s carrot orange eyebrows and winter wonderland (white) castle, landscaped with so many cherry blossom trees – SO Pretty!! So my suggestion is see it in 3D, see it in IMAX, it’s fun, it’s fantasy, it’s a must see!