Adventures Found in Sunriver Oregon

Welcome to World of Color Wednesday! For those of you unfamiliar, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was a broadcast television series that showcased the new technology of color television. Today, Disney California Adventure plays tribute to that part of Disney history with a spectacular nighttime entertainment show featuring jets of water, lights, lasers and of course music. My own way to pay tribute to the show is by creating a color board every week, inspired by a different land from Disney Parks or character from Disney films. Join me every Wednesday in celebrating the Wonderful World of Color! My definition of adventure includes exploring new watering holes, making new furry friends and finding what's around the river bend. Sunriver near Bend, Oregon is the perfect place for a summertime adventure. It has been my other happy place from a young age.

I was lucky to spend the holiday weekend with my family in Sunriver Oregon. It was the perfect escape from our busy schedule, but we ended up staying very busy from the moment we arrived! Our vacation was filled with canoeing and biking along the Deschutes River, finding dog friendly breweries, being schooled in putt putt by my Dad and visiting my furry friends at the horse stables. We were lucky to spot several deer throughout our adventures, and the cutest family of ducks swam up to our canoe!

Watering Holes to Explore in Sunriver Oregon

We were pleasantly surprised by how many dog friendly restaurants there were in Bend, Oregon, which was named one of the most dog-friendly towns in America by Dog Fancy Magazine. We had lunch at 10 Barrel Brewing, then spent an afternoon staying cool on the large lawn area attached to GoodLife Brewing. Within the Sunriver Resort, we could take the pugs on all the patios around the lodge (and through the lobby for an AC break!).

A Sunriver vacation isn't complete without a trip to the Village. The Country Store has all your staples, and you must stop at Goody's for the sodas and delicious ice creams (I recommend the floats!). We tried two new watering holes; the Sunriver Brewing Company for a relaxing dinner to try even more beer, and Brewed Awakenings for our morning coffee (a nice stroll from our room at the Lodge).

Biking is our preferred mode of transportation around Sunriver, but this was my first time exploring with my dogs. I had seen dogs in bike trailers before, and hoped we could teach our girls to enjoy the ride. After lots of reassuring (and tightly strapping them in) the girls learned to love being transported via their own personal chariot. We also got to teach Maisy how to swim for the first time in the Deschutes River. The girls were just too much in their life vests, we couldn't stop laughing.

Also, if you are planning a canoe trip with your pugs (or other breathing challenged pet) bring life vests with handles for easy dunking, an umbrella for shade, a spray fan for misting (yep, it's from Disneyland) and lots of drinking water. You can see more snaps of the pugs on their PNW adventure on their Instagram.

The next time you are planning a summertime adventure, I highly recommend adding the Sunriver Resort in Bend, Oregon to your list!

What adventures do you have planned for this summer? I'd love to hear about them, past or future!

The Dumbo Story (as told by my Dad)

Visiting Disneyland has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. I have experienced the park with my grandparents, my aunt, my husband's family and of course, my parents. They made it possible for me to visit the parks almost every year growing up (which I see as an adult was not easy with young children!). The Dumbo ride in Fantasyland will forever hold a special place in my heart thanks to one of my Dad's favorite stories from our early days in the park. To set the scene, I would have been about 3 years old, before my younger brother was born, visiting the park with my Mom and Dad. I'll let him take it from here:

One day long ago in Fantasyland, there was a father and a very excited young Disney fan. They toured the park and came upon a true Disney classic. They joined the throngs of other admirers in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant. They entered the queue and slowly made their way along the long line. Eventually the young Disney fan fell into a sleepy trance in her father's arms. The father entered a zen line trance as he trudged his way through the line. And then, magically, just as they reached the end of the line, Elaina the young Disney fan comes awake. And she and her dad gleefully enjoyed a ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Family with Red

Thanks Dad for carrying me through the entire Dumbo ride, and enduring many more Disneyland queues to make my dreams come true.

Happy Father's Day!

Adventures Lately #2 + FREE Father's Day Card

Lots of action has been happening behind the scenes around here, from exploring new lands at Disneyland to being a full-time Pug Mama. I've also been digging deep to create unique, innovative products that will make your life so much easier. More to come on that soon! In the meantime, here's a glimpse at some recent adventures that are fueling my creative energy. Disney recently rethemed the Grizzly Peak Airfield area, formerly known as Condor Flats, to fit the rustic, Northern California mountains vibe of the nearby Grizzly River Rapids. This is the area around the Soarin' Over California ride that you may have flown by on your way to your next attraction. Well fly by no more.

The Imagineers put so much thought into this redesign, adding hidden details and back stories that a complete land in Disneyland deserves. I was especially enamored with the National Parks details, being from a family that loves to visit Parks around the country. This area now blends nicely with the Grizzly River Rapids ride and one of my favorite hidden areas, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

National Donut Day on June 5th was certainly a reason to celebrate. I'm a big donut fan (maple bars are life) and an even bigger breakfast lover, so of course I had to plan something special for this momentous holiday.

Now that we live in the Greater LA area, our options for famous donut shops have grown exponentially. In Portland, you were either Team Voodoo (wacky, unusual flavors that were not always delicious) or Team Blue Star (my personal favorite). I heard about Sidecar Doughnuts from Hilary Rushford because they have an incredible, drool-worthy Instagram account. When I heard they were in Costa Mesa, I knew I had to check them out.

I went totally overboard and got one of almost every available flavor. My favorites were Saigon Cinnamon Crumb, Apricot & Sour Cream, and Raspberry. These are gourmet, freshly-baked donuts that are best eaten right away, but I couldn't help but bring some home (in the fridge) for the next morning. If you are at Disneyland, Sidecar is worth the 25 minute drive.

On May 30 we celebrated another important holiday for our little family, Chloe the Pug's birthday. Our first-born furchild turned 5 this year (they grow up so fast!) and we celebrated with a trip to the Huntington Dog Beach. It's been a tumultuous time for little Miss Chloe. We finally saved up enough pennies to pay for her eye, nose and throat surgery. She has several different issues from her extensive wrinkles and flat face. Her fur was rubbing her eyes, slowly causing clouded vision from the pigmented scar tissue. She also suffers from brachycephalic airway syndrome, causing her to work twice as hard to breathe through her tiny nose holes, and choke when her soft palette or everted saccules covered her airway.

Thankfully we were able to have these three surgeries completed at the same time, and Chloe seemed to recover perfectly. Until a week after her stitches were removed. One night she was unable to open her eye and became extremely lethargic. It turned out that one of her stitches had been missed during removal, had flipped in, and was now rubbing her sensitive cornea. After another emergency surgery, they removed the missed stitch, and now she is back in the cone for another week.

Being a full-time pug mama can be very trying! I've spent a lot of nights lately worrying about my furbaby, our bank accounts, and all the work that's falling behind. I'm so thankful we have the means to pay for her surgery, and that I can rearrange my schedule to be available for her appointments, post-procedure monitoring and extensive eye drop regimen. But I certainly hope things slow down now!! So if things have seemed a little quiet around here, it's because I've been fighting this little bronco on her latest eye drop application.

Get ready for Father's Day with this free printable card! For personal use only, please direct any shares back to my site!

How I got lucky at the Disneyland 24 Hour Party

On Friday, May 22, I attended my first 24 hour Disneyland event with my husband. We planned to arrive midday after dropping our dogs with his sister, but before the local crowds got off work. The following is a timeline of how we got lucky at one of the craziest days in Disneyland history.

1:12 pm

After being diverted to the Toy Story lot and waiting in our first line queue of the day to board the bus, we arrive on Buena Vista Street! We decide to enter Disney California Adventure first to get Fast Passes for the 3:00 am show (which were easily available at Grizzly River Run) since there was a short line to enter Disneyland. Thankful the crowds don't seem bad at all to enter either park. We admire the new diamond decorations added to Carthay Circle, then head to California Screamin' to grab some Fast Passes.

2:05 pm

Board California Screamin' for a wild ride!

2:11 pm

Wait in line at the Cozy Cones for the special pulled pork & coleslaw cone exclusively for the 24 hour party. While checking Twitter, discover that the Disneyland gates have closed. Panic ensues.

2:35 pm

Exit DCA and join the thousands of people now swarming in the Esplanade. People are getting rowdy and rude real quick due to the extreme lack of communication. Find out that they are only letting people into Disneyland who have previously entered the park that morning. I walk up to a Cast Member at the Disneyland gate and ask what to do if we have a dining reservation. Thankfully, we find out that we will be able to enter the park one hour before our lunch reservation. Breath a HUGE sigh of relief.

3:20 pm

Enter Disneyland through the Special Event gate after showing our reservation confirmation. Do a happy dance.

3:22 pm

Ask a friendly Cast Member if there was a parade at 4:00 pm to explain the massive crowds lining Main Street, U.S.A. Find out they are all camped out for the 8:50 pm debut of Paint the Night.

3:40 pm

Watch some young Padawans battle Darth Vader in Tomorrowland to escape the crowds while waiting for our lunch reservation.

4:20 pm

Lunch at Carnation Cafe means fried pickles, root beer floats and a special fried chicken sandwich with a tangy honey mustard coleslaw.

5:10 pm

Consider riding the Matterhorn. Decide otherwise after seeing the switchbacks and two hour wait signs.

5:15 pm

Line up for the Mickey and the Magical Map show at 5:45 pm. A welcome excuse to avoid the crowds and sit down.

6:08 pm

Exit the show and decide we should really find a spot for the nighttime parade/fireworks. Leave my husband on a little square of real estate by Small World while I set off to try and find a better spot.

6:15 pm

Find out our little square falls within the Small World queue and get kicked out. After wandering hopelessly, find a roped off area in front of Adventureland that is empty. After confirming with the Cast Members, we are granted magical access to the area. And now the waiting begins.

We make new friends with our fellow area members, jokingly assist the Cast Members with crowd control and try to prevent the stiffness from setting in. Apparently we have stumbled upon the best spot to watch the fireworks, according to our Cast Members.

8:50 pm

Finally time for Paint the Night! At a very far away distance. See the tops of floats but no dancers or details of costumes. Therefore, underwhelmed, but willing to avoid passing judgement until I see the parade up close.

9:30 pm

FIREWORKS! Best firework show I have ever seen. The projection mapping technology on the castle and Matterhorn are awe-inspiring. Feel like a little kid seeing Tinkerbell fly for the first time.

10:00 pm

Ushered into Frontierland immediately following the show but granted access to a special little roped off area to regroup with our newfound friends. They arrived at 10 pm the night before and are therefore ready to throw in the towel. I am ready to party down, but in a very slow manner as my husband's cold is rearing its ugly head.

10:24 pm

Head towards our late night dinner reservation and discover NO LINE FOR PIRATES! Walk right on the ride.

10:41 pm

Conveniently exit right next to Cafe Orleans. Order the bananas foster french toast available just for the 24 hour event. Slightly underwhelmed by the dry brioche bread. Dream about the chicken and waffles that I could have ordered at the Plaza Inn.

11:48 pm

Realize the park has cleared out and get in the 30 minute line to meet the new Yeti at the Matterhorn. Remember how jerky the ride is.

12:22 am

Head up to Toon Town for Mickey's Pajama Party. Groan as we discover the event features karaoke. Find Lacey (who I previously met at the Springtime Roundup as an egg decorator) and get my face painted. She is the best!

12:47 am

Walk through the castle to the swing dance party in Fantasy Faire. Sad to see there aren't more attendees for this Disneyland Park tradition. Enjoy watching some true pros swing dance to the big band music. Think about how that would make Walt Disney happy.

1:03 am

Walk right on to Haunted Mansion to meet the reinstated Hatbox Ghost. Impressed by the crisp imagery and new technology.

1:20 am

Walk right on to Winnie the Pooh (my favorite Disneyland ride). Feel like the lights are a little too bright and the music a little too loud. Realize I am getting my husband's cold, and that it's probably time to get home to my bed.

1:46 am

Get in line for Space Mountain because "it's only 30 minutes" and we frequently have horrible luck getting on this ride. Get to the main room when they shut down the ride and turn the lights on.

Watch as they cycle through the ride without riders, then cheer when they let riders go back through the ride. Thankful to not be the first group of riders.

2:50 am

Check out our sleepy picture (which I had to spend half the ride doing to make sure I didn't miss the camera). Feel happy with our decision to head home.

See hoards of crowds headed into Disneyland, only further affirming our decision to leave. Later find out they had finally reopened the gates, very happy for all the people waiting!

3:20 am

Get home to my warm bed, a little sad I missed the new World of Color show, but thankful we even made it inside the gates at our first (and last?) 24 hour event.

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Well it only took 48 hours to recover from my cold and the 24 hour event, but I finally am starting to feel human again. After reading all the horror stories of people stuck outside of security, I am so so thankful we were able to make it inside Disneyland at all. Luck was on our side for our first 24 hour event, and it truly was a magical experience.

But I'm not signing up to do it again anytime soon.

Did you make it to the 24 hour event at Disneyland or Disney World? How was your experience different? Did you stay home and watch the live streams? Share your stories in the comments below!

P.S. I designed our t-shirts for the Diamond Celebration and was excited how many shout-outs we got! For the people that asked how to order them, you can get yours here on RedBubble. Lots of different shirt styles as well as totes, pillows, prints and phone cases!

P.P.S. You can find even more photos from the event on my Instagram account!

Adventures Lately #1

Happy Monday Dreamers!  Anyone else in denial that it's already May?? Things have been very busy over here, both for business and life, so I thought it'd be fun to share some of my recent adventures with you all! You can take the girl away from Disneyland, but you can't take the fantasy out of the girl. I tagged along with my husband, who had a tech conference in Vegas, for a mini-escape last week. What did we do while we were there? Attend the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. Knights, horses, fair maidens and merriment? That's our kind of Vegas.

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably heard about my latest creative adventure, Art Journaling the Magic. I haven't even gotten to the actual park tutorials and I already LOVE. THIS. CLASS. This was the perfect way to finally dive into the world of watercolors because I love to learn in a semi-structured environment. You can follow along live as the classes are posted, or like me, work at your own pace. No pressure to be perfect, and lots of room to let your creativity flow. I love it! I'm looking forward to diving in to the Disneyland Park tutorials.

On Saturday we drove down to the Del Mar Fairgrounds for the 24th Annual Pug Party hosted by the Pug Rescue of San Diego County. While we are very sad to be missing the Pug Crawl and Doggie Dash hosted by the Oregon Humane Society this year, we were excited to meet some new pug-lovin' friends.

Just like pugs know when they meet other pugs, I feel a certain unspoken camaraderie with other pug owners. We briefly ran into Chloe Bisou, who I later found out has her own blog and is an Instagram star! Something my own Chloe & Maisy strive for with their daily post updates. Now we are obsessed with her adorable outfits and exciting social calendar.

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Adventure Club Members: Know a dog mama who deserves recognition in your life? Download the free Mother's Day card from the Clubhouse! Check your inbox for a link to the Clubhouse from the May newsletter.

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