Becoming a Disneyland Annual Passholder = Best Day Ever

Today is a big day. I have officially joined the Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders Club. Dreams do come true. And that means lots more Disney goodness will be coming your way soon!

Technically we'll be picking up our passes on Wednesday, but after clicking "purchase" online and printing our e-tickets, I couldn't wait to share the news about the BEST DAY EVER.

I have dreamed my whole life of living near the parks, dancing in the parades, and being an expert on all things Disney. Visiting Disneyland is a family tradition that started for me at age 2 by my grandparents.

This is me on my first trip with my mom and grandpa (right) on what looks to be the People Mover. As a little girl I would create our itineraries and map out our paths. I even created a bootcamp to train my brother for our trips. Disneyland trips were serious business in my world.

For all the girls & boys, young & old, that are dreaming of a Disneyland-filled life, I can't wait to share photos and designs inspired by visiting the parks as much as possible. I know I am very lucky to become an Annual Passholder, so I hope to pass forward that joy through my little home here on the blog.

Why we decided to become Annual Passholders

For those of you trying to decide whether or not to purchase an Annual Passport, there are several options available that may fit your budget. Make sure to check out the blockout dates for each level, it could be a deal breaker between deciding.

Because we will be visiting the park for 3 days in the next 2 weeks (during peak days), and knowing we'll want to visit the parks during peak days in the future, we opted for the Premium pass level. I know we'll be visiting more than 10 times in the next year, so it made sense economically to choose this pass type.

To help offset the cost, we opted for the monthly option, available for Southern California residents. There are no additional fees, and it's much easier to budget for a monthly entertainment expense than pay the high Annual Passport cost up front.

There are lots of different options from 5-day passes with reduced daily rates to Annual Passports, so I definitely encourage you to check out the Disney website to find an option that works for you!

And don't worry, I love Disney's California Adventure almost as much as Disneyland, so you'll be seeing inspiration from both parks!

Tips about Visiting Disneyland

I will sprinkle in tips here and there, but for the most part I'll be sharing inspiring photos and designs. There are many great websites out there dedicated to helping you plan a Disneyland vacation that you should definitely check out, like The Happiest Blog on Earth and Disney Sisters.

The first AP adventure will officially begin Thursday with my parents and husband. Which means 3 sleepless nights! :)

When are you hoping to next visit the Disneyland Resort?

Thursday Thoughts: On Being An Aunt + Olaf Quote Free Download

I love children. Correction: I am obsessed with children. I am that person that will volunteer to hold your baby and immediately get on the floor to play with them. My mom taught elementary school when I was growing up, and I frequently helped out in her classroom. This clearly contributed to my obsession. Some people see screaming and chaos, I see joy. While I didn't always think it would be the case, I have realized in my adult life that my #1 goal is to be the best mom ever. I have no doubts that I will have children. Someday.

In the meantime, I have displaced those feelings on my very spoiled pugs. And now that my sister-in-law only lives one hour away, I get to be the Best Auntie Ever.

My first niece is almost three years old, and obsessed with Olaf (like every other three year old in America). She has two stuffed versions of the character, and made sure to keep both of them right by her side while we watched movies the other night. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees Olaf on our first trip to Disneyland this month. In honor of her obsession, I had to share my favorite Olaf quote about the people you love.

The holidays mean spending extra time with your loved ones and friends. It's a time to share gifts and make new memories. I think we sometimes forget to show our loved ones how much they mean to us in all the hustle and bustle. So take a moment and share the following thought with them.

As you can probably guess, my niece is absolutely worth melting for in my world. I am so excited to spend the holidays with her this year and celebrate her third birthday. And take her to Disneyland!! We will be going to the park the week of Christmas, so it is sure to be magical.

Do you love Olaf and this heartfelt quote? Download my free desktop and smartphone background to keep those warm fuzzy feelings around. Click on the images to view the full-size versions, then right click to save to your computer!

For personal use only. Do not sell, redistribute or claim the artwork as your own. Because stealing is not nice.

If you enjoyed this download, I would love you to share it with your friends!

The California Christmas Tree Experience

Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest my entire life, I was slightly nervous about finding an authentic Christmas tree experience in Southern California. I have spent several Christmases in California, and remember my grandparents finding the tallest tree possible... at the local Sam's Club parking lot. The holidays just wouldn't be the same without being able to strap on my boots and hike through the hills to find the Perfect Tree. After some searching I found Richfield Pines. I was instantly smitten. Their story of starting a business to reconnect with family time was so heartwarming, as was their commitment to being environmentally friendly. I knew I had found our forest. But I didn't know how AMAZING our experience would be.

These people were the friendliest, happiest, most helpful tree farmers I have ever met. They even directed us to the nearest trash receptacle when the girls decided to share their fertilizer...

The most interesting part about tree hunting in California is that we were surrounded by palm and orange trees. HOW COOL IS THAT!

We have had some pretty horrible experiences in Oregon, but this was the complete opposite. They were right there to greet us, chop down our tree, carry it down the hillside and strap it to our car. No wait. No hassle. Tons of happy feelings. And you can tell that they all LOVE what they do. Win. Win. Win.

Thank you Richfield Pines for making our first family California Christmas Tree Experience perfect. It smells incredible and brings a smile to my heart every time I walk around the corner.

The evil cold prevails (finally stumbled to the doctor for meds), but I'm so happy we mustered up enough strength to harvest the annual Christmas tree. Now to find the energy to decorate it...

This week will be full of holiday card creating and new free printable designing. Stay tuned!

Inspired: Thanksgiving in Tahoe + Surprise Snow

This past weekend we embarked on a great adventure to Lake Tahoe in Northern California. We met up with my husband's family and cooked the grandest of Thanksgiving feasts in our cozy cabin near Truckee. Spending the weekend bundled up in scarves, huddling around the wood burning stove was a nice change from the (usually) warm California weather. This was a very different experience from my last trip to Tahoe during the summer, we even woke up to snow in the morning! The lake was choppy and windy but beautiful as ever.

We didn't expect the snow to arrive in Tahoe until after we left, so waking up to a winter wonderland on Saturday was magical. Chloe, our pug, is obsessed with snow (similar to her obsession with sand). She sprinted around like bullet train and hopped in circles around her poodle friend Buddy like a bunny rabbit. And of course, sneaked little nibbles of snow along the way.

Maisy isn't a fan of snow or wet weather of any kind, but she greatly enjoyed toasting by the fire and playing tug-of-war with her human cousin.

I hope your holiday weekend was festive and filled with warm memories. Now hopefully I can kick this evil cold so I can finish up some exciting goodies for you all!

Thursday Thoughts: On Being Thankful

Turkey day is almost here! I know how crazy Thanksgiving day can be, so I wanted to share this week's Thursday Thoughts one day early to help you get in the zone. With all the chaos of traveling, prepping food and preparing for the arrival of guests, it may be hard to think about what you are thankful for. But I hope you can find a moment to feel the love around you and remember what this day is all about.

We will be breaking tradition this year and traveling up to Tahoe to meet up with my husband's family for the weekend. 10 hour drive with a turkey (in a cooler), two pugs, two poodles, two babies and questionable cell reception. It should be quite the adventure!

I must say I am very excited to go back to Tahoe. My aunt and I drove down Route 395 a few years ago (gorgeous!) and she took me to the town where my grandmother grew up near Tahoe. We were there in the summer, so this will be a very different experience. You can faintly see some swimmers in this picture I took during that trip, which I doubt we'll be seeing this time around.

But there is something about that part of California that I absolutely love and can't wait to experience this time of year. Bring on the rustic!

I hope you are surrounded by family, friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for all of you, so don't forget to download your copy of my free gift to you.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!