BUT. I’ve been watching lots of new TV. YAY! So some thoughts…

Scandal
HAHAHA. SO typical that I would watch this show. But I swear I had no idea it was a Shonda Rhimes creation. Until I watched the pilot. The rapid-fire dialogue, cliched phrases (“gladiator in a suit”) and quirky characters are a dead giveaway. And yet. I liked it. I always seem to be drawn to legal/political dramas, though. Interestingly enough, I haven’t warmed up to any of the characters. Not even Olivia (Kerry Washington). Ok, maybe Stephen (Henry Ian Cusick). I WANT to like Harrison (Columbus Short is a cutie) but ugh, he definitely needs to be developed because right now he’s all exposition and no substance. Anyway, what’s kept me around so far are the storylines. I’m intrigued by Olivia’s relationship with the President, his recent alleged affair with an aide (also, why can’t he seem to keep it in his pants? heh), and the firm’s war with the White House. Just the perfect guilty pleasure for me.

Veep
From a political drama to a comedy… I thought the pilot of Veep was solid. Smart. Funny. A hilarious take on the power of the Vice Presidency (or in this case, the lack of power). And oh man, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s line delivery is classic. My favorite lines -

- “Glasses make me look weak. It’s like a wheelchair for the eyes.”
- “Are you kidding? Do these not bend the fuck back?” – about her melted corn starch spoon
- “Did you just pencil fuck my speech?” HAHAHA

Only 1 episode so far but I have high hopes!

But OMG, maybe it’s just me but seeing Anna Chlumsky makes me REALLY feel my age. I will always remember her as Vada from My Girl (Thomas J!).

Girls
I’m torn. I like the premise of the show but it’s almost too… #first world problems. The girls, especially the lead character Hannah, aren’t likable at all. And actually come across as super entitled. Hannah’s reaction to getting cut off financially by her parents killed me (“I could be a drug addict! Do you realize how lucky you are?”). Argh. So frustrating. But I guess that’s the point. When you’re that young, and just out of college, your view of the world is still pretty narrow. I do like that the show “goes there” and isn’t afraid to cast the characters in an unattractive light. There’s definitely potential here (despite the cringe-worthy sex scenes) and I like the tone and voice of the show enough to continue watching.

Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23
I only tuned in to this show because after YEARS of hating Dawson (and by extension James Van Der Beek), I’m actually coming around. I think it was this Funny or Die video that finally made me separate him from Dawson. Heh. I’m only watching this show for him and it’s been worth it. I especially loved his attempt to out teach James Franco at NYU and his coffee shop act that ended with Dawson’s Creek questions (I want to know the answer to the question about him and Joshua Jackson being drunk during takes). The storylines with the girls are ok — a little over the top (Chloe setting up June with her dad) but entertaining. I do like Krysten Ritter so I’ll stick around at least for the rest of this season.

So that’s it. I’m also looking forward to HBO’s new Aaron Sorkin show, Newsroom. The trailer looks promising.

I’m behind on the rest of my shows… gotta catch up and write a big end of season wrap-up someday.

Any other shows I should be watching?

Back in February, Rob & I took a quick 2 night trip to Las Vegas where we spent the entire time eating and shopping. Really. Oh, and gambling for Rob. We scored a great deal at the Wynn by going Sunday through Tuesday. Our trip was right around the time that I was SUPER busy with work and was working late nights and weekends. So even though I ended up working for a few hours while we were there, it was wonderful to get away from “real life.”

Growing up in Southern California, I’ve been to Las Vegas many times. MANY. At LEAST once a year for as long as I can remember. So aside from checking out whatever new hotel has popped up on the Strip, there’s rarely anything I ever have to do while there. Not this time! I wanted to check out a few tourist-y things.

Like the Welcome to Las Vegas sign! Woohoo. In all my trips, I’ve never seen the sign up close before.

Elvis was there. LOL. He kinda reeked of alcohol. But he was really nice.

He even took our picture.

We also went to the Neon Museum for a tour. They collect and restore iconic Las Vegas neon signs and they offer tours of their Boneyard. Loved this place! It was SO COOL. Some of my favorite signs…

They’re opening a Visitor Center later this year that will include more exhibits and access to Boneyard tours. Next time I want to check out the neon signs at the Fremont Street Gallery.

And of course, we stopped to watch the Bellagio water show one night when walking back to the hotel. It always reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven. The George Clooney version. Hee.

But a Robokel trip wouldn’t be complete without lots of NOMMY food.

Brunch at Mesa Grill in Caesars Palace upon arrival. Bobby Flay’s southwestern-inspired restaurant has been around for awhile but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it. I made sure to check this off my Las Vegas bucket list. It was worth it. Their free bread basket was AMAZING.

Dinner at Estiatorio Milos in the Cosmopolitan. The most amazing seafood. My brother-in-law somehow knows people here so we had a super yummy comped dessert. It’s pretty pricey but we thought of it as a belated Valentine’s Day dinner to ourselves.

Lunch off the strip at Lotus of Siam. Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines and this meal didn’t disappoint.

Couldn’t resist stopping at Serendipity 3 for their Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Our last meal was brunch at Bouchon in the Venetian. Tried and true. This is a must-stop. Along with a trip downstairs to their bakery to pick up a package of macarons.

We also had a tapas dinner at Jaleo in the Cosmopolitan but I didn’t take any pictures. Trust me, it was GOOD.

There’s still LOTS of food to conquer in Las Vegas. We barely made a dent.

The Wynn was FABULOUS to us. Can’t wait until next time!

To see more pics, check out our Flickr here.

Ever since I saw The Hunger Games last weekend, it’s been on my mind. Seeing the movie rekindled my love for the book. Maybe it’s time for a re-read.

It definitely wasn’t a perfect movie and it didn’t elevate the source material but I think it did a great job of bringing Katniss’s world to life. I absolutely loved both Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta respectively. Neither actor was exactly how I pictured when reading the book (Peeta in particular) but I rarely get hung up on looks so long as they get the character right. And I thought they did.

Some quick thoughts…

Nitpicks
- I never thought I’d say this but the movie was too faithful to the book. It was almost like the filmmakers were worried about backlash from book fans so they didn’t take any creative license at all. And that’s probably why…
- It was a touch too long. I can’t pinpoint exact scenes now but there were a few in the first half of the movie that seemed to slow the momentum down.
- Ugh, shaky camera work. I understand the use of it during the action scenes, especially at the cornucopia, but at the reaping too? There was no need and it just gave me a headache.
- There should have been more backstory about the isolation of each district.
- Even though I was bawling at Rue’s death, I didn’t feel that connected to her relationship with Katniss. Their bond came across much stronger in the book. I know I just complained that the movie was too long but I would have loved just a couple more scenes to show more of their interactions.
- The BIGGEST disappointment of the movie for me was that they didn’t show District 11 sponsoring the bread for Katniss after Rue’s death. This scene is so important to show Katniss as the spark for the rebellion and would have set up the next movies nicely.
- I felt like there needed to be more admission from Katniss that she was playing the game. In the books, the reader has the advantage of being in her head and understanding the motivations behind her actions. I wasn’t always clear about that in the movie, especially when it came to Peeta. I think the movie tried to show the debt of gratitude she felt for the bread he gave her when she was starving. But the intensity wasn’t the same — it’s too bad because this really conflicts her during the games.
- Of all the scenes to change, I wish it wasn’t the ending. I would have liked for Katniss to admit the truth to Peeta in the end.

Loved
- Oh, man. When Katniss volunteered in Prim’s place, the tears would not stop streaming down my face. That scene was so amazing. I also loved how Prim stopped to tuck in her shirt… just like in the book. So effective.
- Effie screaming “That is mahogany!” when Katniss stabbed the dining table with her knife. HILARIOUS.
- Peeta waving to the capitol citizens as they arrived on the train. This scene, along with the moment when he was seen crying on the train, is what sold me on Josh Hutcherson.
- Stanley Tucci was PERFECT as Caesar Flickerman. AMAZING.
- Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was MUCH less drunk than I pictured him to be but I loved his reaction after Katniss shot an arrow at the gamesmakers at her evaluation. LOL.
- Rue stealing Cato’s knife during training with Katniss and Thresh smiling up at her. Gawd, she was downright adorable.
- Cinna is one of my favorite characters and Lenny Kravitz wasn’t *quite* how I pictured him to look (I imagined him more over the top or something) but I loved the quiet intensity he gave to the role.
- Katniss stepping into the tube that would take her to the arena and the look of absolute terror that she gives Cinna… I got CHILLS.
- Cato’s death scene and his realization that he was only a pawn in the games.
- Peeta touching Katniss’s braid just before they’re about to eat the nightlock berries. ILOVETHISSOMUCH. He’s about to die with the girl he loves in defiance of the hunger games and instead of giving her a hug or a kiss, he touches her hair. LOVEHIM.

It was a difficult movie to watch (I could barely watch the bloodbath at the cornucopia) but I’d like to see it a second time to soak in more details I’m sure I missed the first time. Highly recommended!

The holidays were the perfect time to visit. All the parks and resorts were decorated and everything was so festive. LOVED IT.

We had a total of 9 full days in the parks which, I know, is A LOT of time at WDW. But seriously, we could have used a few extra days. In hindsight, I think we would have been much happier skipping Miami and staying at WDW the full 2 weeks. There’s just SO MUCH to do! While we visited each of the 4 main theme parks and played mini golf (not to mention took a day to leave Disney property and visit Harry Potter at Hogwarts), we didn’t have the chance to rent bikes and ride around the grounds of our hotel or take the segway tour around Epcot or even visit one of the water parks. I guess there’s always next time!

Since it was Rob’s first visit to WDW, I figured we might as well go all out and book a deluxe hotel (the other hotel categories are moderates and values). We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was a fantastic home base for our stay. Just look!

The entrance gate… seeing it for the first time got me SO excited.

First look!

The gorgeous lobby.

The grounds are so beautiful. I miss it SO MUCH.

Another great feature of the Wilderness Lodge is the boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom (in addition to buses to all parks and destinations). So even though we rented a car, we took advantage of the boat system a few times. So fun!

We also booked a dining plan for our stay. It sounds really strange, right? Like why would you want to have a dining plan for meals that would probably consist of burgers and fries? At least that’s what I thought at first. But I discovered that dining is an experience all its own at WDW. Each park and all the resorts have a variety of options that aren’t the typical theme park food you might expect.

I also learned that WDW periodically offers free dining promotions to the public for package reservations booked for specific dates. I normally like to do all the planning for our trips but tracking these promotions is a full time job in itself. So THE BEST decision I made was to work with a travel agent, Mouseketrips. They did all the legwork and when free dining was released, they applied it to my reservation and I used the savings to upgrade to DELUXE dining. It’s a RIDICULOUS amount of food but we were going to take FULL ADVANTAGE. Food is an important part of our vacation experience, after all.

We had 20 (!!!) table service reservations over the course of 10 days plus the 3 snacks we were allotted each day (we used these a lot for fruit, croissants and orange juice in the morning). There were definitely a few meals that were forgettable, some that were average but many were spectacular so I’d like to share some favorites. Beware lots of pics (I can’t help it – I take pics of food – it’s a thing)…

Best Overall Experience

Le Cellier in EPCOT. We had the most amazing service here. AND the food was fantastic too. Pretzel bread, the most amazing lobster salad, filet with mushroom risotto — all capped off with pina colada rooibos tea. YUMMERS.

Favorite Meals (From Start to Finish)

Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Bold & unique flavors. My braised beef short ribs were to die for.

Yak & Yeti at the Animal Kingdom. Asian fusion. Yummy rice!

Favorite Breakfasts

Buffet at Boma. Offerings from all over Africa. They had a delicious frunch juice, which was a mix of lemonade and orange, pineapple, mango juices. SO GOOD.

Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Hawaiian-inspired. How can you go wrong?

Kouzzina by Cat Cora at the Boardwalk. Truly a hidden gem. Plus they had amazing iced coffee.

Favorite Appetizers

Lobster chopped salad from Le Cellier at EPCOT.

Smoky Portobello Mushroom Soup from Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. Scrumptious.

Best Comfort Food

Fried Chicken from 50′s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios. NOMMY.

Favorite Seafood Entree

Cedar Plank-Roasted Wild King Salmon from Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge.

Favorite Snacks

Caramel corn, caramel & chocolate-covered strawberries, caramel rolls with marshmallow cream… Mmm Mmm Good.

Favorite Desserts

Caramelized Banana Napoleon from Flying Fish Cafe at the Boardwalk.

Creme Brulee from Les Chefs de France at EPCOT. SOLID.

Bread pudding from Ohana at the Polynesian. OH. EM. GEE.

Best Ambiance

California Grill at the Contemporary. We had an amazing table right by the window with this view!

Annnnndddd… that’s all folks! Thanks for indulging me.

We had an unbelievably magical vacation. Until next time WDW!

Work is still a nightmare but what else is new.

Let’s talk Happy Things!

1. Rob & I are heading to WonderCon this Saturday. WHEEE! It’s local this year (in Anaheim) so we figured why not. I just want to check out the exhibition floor and maybe go see a panel or two. It’ll be interesting to see how different the experience is compared to Comic-Con. If it’s a bust, there’s always Disneyland right across the street.

2. Discovering amazing local restaurants. We live in a part of Orange County where chains and big box stores are the norm (not knocking these establishments — I LOVE Target and have a weakness for Chipotle) but every once in awhile, we stumble upon a real find. This past weekend we had brunch at Break of Dawn in Laguna Hills and I cannot wait to go back!

I had the Sausage and Rice (DAMN GOOD) and Rob had the Creme Brulee French Toast (F*ING GOOD). We want to try everything else on the menu. Hehe.

3. I’m going to be a godmother to my niece (my cousin’s daughter!). Damn, I’m getting old. OK OK. I *am* old.

4. Getting back to the swing of things and working on the house. When we moved in back in 2010, we went a little crazy painting and buying furniture that we burned out pretty quickly. We haven’t done anything major since then. This year, we have plans to paint the guest room (leaning towards gray), move Rob’s office upstairs, look for a buffet to reside near the kitchen, and possibly invest in a new sofa/sectional. Rob even managed to install the ceiling fan we got for Christmas. So pretty. YAY.

5. I have constant wanderlust. CONSTANT. So I’m excited that we have our next vacation lined up! We’ll be spending 9 nights between NYC & Washington, DC in early May. I haven’t been to either city since I was around 10 (possibly younger) and Rob’s never been to either one so they’re pretty much new destinations for us. If anyone has recs for attractions or dining, I’d love to hear them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Revisiting my Florida vacation takes my mind to happier places so onward with my Walt Disney World trip report…

The last of the theme parks we visited was the Magic Kingdom. We spent 2 days touring the park, 11/29 and 12/6, and 1 night attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on 11/30.

If you’ve been to Disneyland, then the Magic Kingdom will be familiar to you. It’s just that nothing is in the “right” place (I kept wanting to go in specific directions because “that’s where it is at Disneyland”) and everything is bigger (just look at how HUGE Cinderella’s Castle is compared to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland). It’s like the most bizarre feeling of “déjà vu.”

SQUEE. The main entrance.

On our first Magic Kingdom day, I made reservations for breakfast so we could get into the park earlier than the general public. I wanted to get photos of the park without the crowds! This was before they installed the enormous Christmas tree in Town Square. So empty!

For the record, here’s the Christmas tree a few days later.

Back to the empty park. And the first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle!

Getting closer to the castle. I love it!

GORGEOUS. I absolutely loved the gardens surrounding the castle.

For the most part, all the rides and attractions are similar to those at Disneyland with just a few exceptions –

Space Mountain never had more than a 5-10 minute wait. UNHEARD OF AT DISNEYLAND.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is normally a favorite but OMG, it was such a disappointment at WDW. The guns are attached to the ride vehicle and you can’t move them around. GAH.

There’s no Indiana Jones ride but there is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!

Fantasyland is one of the areas that looks completely different. I didn’t care for the exterior facades. I mean, It’s A Small World is indoors (on the right side of the picture above)! It kinda loses its grandeur.

And there’s a Liberty Square (so patriotic) instead of New Orleans Square.

But Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are the same.

One of the things I really wanted to do was dine at Cinderella’s Royal Table inside the castle. It’s a character meal but I dragged Rob to it anyway. Hehe.

We were seated at a great table by the window overlooking Fantasyland. The meal was nothing special and it can be awkward meeting the princesses as an adult (LOL) but I enjoyed the novelty of the experience. They even gave us toys that you’ll see in an upcoming picture.

I wanted to make sure to get LOTS of pictures of Cinderella’s Castle…

The photographer wanted us to make Mickey Mouse ears. Can you even tell that’s what we’re doing?!

Here are those toys we got at Cinderella’s Royal Table — a sword for Rob and a wand for me. No, we weren’t carrying them around the park (I’m not THAT silly) but we thought it would be funny to bust them out for a quick shot. BWAHAHAHA.

Right around sunset during the holidays, the castle is lit up in a cute stage show called Cinderella’s Holiday Wish.

Waiting for the show to start…

Love how the castle changes colors.

And here it is after Cinderella’s wish comes true!

SO PRETTY!

Despite having 2 days dedicated to the Magic Kingdom, I also wanted to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party one night. This is a hard-ticketed event and features special holiday entertainment…

Like Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

They’re looking right at me!

The toy soldiers are my absolute favorite.

There’s also no shortage of characters to meet…

The Seven Dwarfs!!!

They only appear together at the Christmas party so I didn’t want to miss the chance to get a picture with them. And yes, that meant waiting in line for an hour.

I think Duffy is adorable.

And of course we had to meet our hosts for the evening — Mickey & Minnie Mouse.

We had a magical time!

Magic Kingdom Rides/Attractions Count:
Jungle Cruise – 1
Pirates of the Caribbean – 1
Big Thunder Mountain – 3
Liberty Square Riverboat – 1
Haunted Mansion – 1
It’s a Small World – 1
Peter Pan’s Flight – 1
Mickey’s Philharmagic – 1
Snow White’s Scary Adventures – 1
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – 1
Space Mountain – 3
Tomorrowland Transit Authority – 1
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – 1
Stitch’s Great Escape – 1
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor – 1

For more pics from our time at the Magic Kingdom, check our Flickr –
Day 1
Day 2
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Chuck
*SOB* I can’t believe it’s over. What I loved most about this show is its heart (I know, so cheesy) — but seriously, despite some of the questionable mythology (all the details about the Intersect made my head spin), the through line of the show was always Chuck & Sarah.

And they’re the reason why I’m SO TORN about the series finale. SO. TORN.

Immediately after I watched the finale, I was satisfied. I liked that the show didn’t spell out the ending and left some of it up to the viewer’s imagination. But now that it’s been a few weeks, part of me is a little sad that they *didn’t* wrap everything up neatly. The storyline of Sarah losing her memories could have been incredibly compelling. If it was done a few episodes in advance of the finale. As it was, it felt rushed and unexplored. But my biggest issue is that the last image we have of Sarah isn’t the Sarah that we’ve watched and loved these past 5 seasons. Not really. She’s back to the Sarah we met when the show first started. Sure, there are indications that she’s starting to regain her memories but DAMN IT, can’t she and Chuck just have their happily every after?

All that said, I absolutely loved the last scene of Chuck & Sarah at the beach. It was a wonderful call back to the pilot, except that now their roles are reversed and Sarah’s the one who needs to trust Chuck. LOVE.

See? I’m torn.

I guess I just wanted to have a more lasting image of their happiness. I’m a sap, I know. I miss this show!

Smash
There was a lot of hype surrounding this show. Maybe a tad too much. So unfortunately, my expectations were pretty high and I finished the pilot feeling a little underwhelmed. (I haven’t watched the second episode yet so maybe my opinion will change). I just couldn’t get over how predictable everything was. I mean, casting couch (come on, is Karen really that naive?!)? Debra Messing as the straight half of her writing duo? And the experienced veteran pitted against the beautiful new ingenue for the lead role? REALLY?! But admittedly, the production value and musical numbers on this show are spectacular so I’ll be sticking around for at least a few more episodes. I’m a sucker.

Any other new shows I should be watching?

I’m more than ready to get back to normal, though, and I’m going to continue on with my Walt Disney World trip reports. I have about 3 or 4 more entries planned. Bear with me.

Today I’m revisiting the 2 days we spent at EPCOT on Mon, 11/28 and Sat, 12/3.

You know you’ve arrived at EPCOT when you see the park’s icon, Spaceship Earth.

The first area of the park that you come across is Future World. I have to admit that a lot of the rides & attractions in Future World are either boring or SUPER outdated. But we gave (almost) everything a chance and found a few that were particularly memorable…

Like Test Track. My favorite EPCOT ride. It’s a vehicle simulation ride that ends in a high-speed drive around the exterior track. SO AWESOME.

Living with the Land is a boat ride through the Land pavilion’s greenhouse where you can see the various crops grown on site. Look at that 9 pound lemon! I have really distinct memories of going on this ride when I was 10 with my parents so I love this ride for the nostalgia factor.

Over at the Innoventions pavilion, we went to Club Cool to sample Coca-Cola products from around the world. Free of charge!

Krest Ginger Ale from Mozambique (much stronger ginger taste than I’ve found here in the US) and Lift Apple from Mexico were the stand-outs to me. Stay away from the Beverly (Italy). Trust me. It is TERRIBLE.

Innoventions also features various interactive exhibits and rides, one of which is a video game playground where we created a game starring… ourselves.

Here we are on screen. LOL. We had to perform a series of actions (running, jumping, dancing) that were then inserted into the game. HILARITY. We got such a kick out of this.

Spaceship Earth (aka the ride inside the giant golf ball) was a pleasant surprise. The ride itself is ok at best (it takes you back in time to track advancements in human communication) but the end is pretty entertaining. The ride is equipped with interactive touch screens where you answer various questions and somewhere along the way your image is captured. Then your future is revealed to you in a series of images. Ours were HIGHLY AMUSING. Well, technically, it was Rob’s future because my picture didn’t get taken for some reason. It ended up being MUCH better this way.

OH MAN. This was THE BEST. We could NOT stop laughing.

After we had our fill of Future World, we made our way to the World Showcase, which is my favorite part of EPCOT. I LOVE to travel so this part of the park is right up my alley. Plus, there’s such a wealth of dining options. There’s only 2 rides in the World Showcase (in Mexico and Norway) so we did lots of exploring. Just taking in the sights, checking out the food & drink offerings, and browsing in the shops (that actually sell non-Disney merchandise!). Some of my favorite pics…

The Canada pavilion is so beautiful.

We had dinner at the signature restaurant in Canada, Le Cellier Steakhouse, where we had the BEST service. From start to finish, it was a great experience — all our courses were timed perfectly and everything we needed was anticipated. I wish I could remember our server’s name because he was outstanding. I also discovered pina colada rooibos tea here and I’ve been looking for some ever since.

Hopping over to the UK!

I’m a sucker for France. The view on the bridge as you approach the pavilion is so gorgeous.

On our first day at EPCOT, we had lunch at Les Chefs de France where we had yummy onion soup and we also got to see…

Remy! He goes by really fast so I only got this blurry shot of him. Grrr.

Making silly faces in Morocco.

My favorite pavilion — Japan! It’s so peaceful. It also doesn’t hurt that there’s a sizable Mituskoshi store where you can find all kinds of Japanese items — from toys (Domo and Hello Kitty!) to candy to kitchen accessories (chopsticks, delicate plates and teapot sets, etc).

From the World Showcase looking across the lagoon to Spaceship earth.

Ciao!

Germany is easily my second favorite pavilion. It’s so picturesque. And I just love the energy here. Because of the lack of rides in the World Showcase, many adult guests participate in drinking around the world where you have to consume an alcoholic beverage in each country before moving to the next one. That means 10 different drinks! As you can imagine, Germany has a variety of beers to choose from so the crowd is really spirited and happy. LOL. Because I don’t drink, I was drawn instead to…

Karamell Kuche! It’s a Werther’s store that’s packed with not only packaged treats but FRESHLY MADE goodies. It’s like heaven. Seriously. We went a little crazy in there and bought fresh caramel corn (sinful), a caramel & chocolate-covered strawberry, caramel roll with marshmallow cream (AH-MAY-ZING), and a chocolate with sea salt. It was all FANTASTIC. I want to go baaaaack.

Couldn’t resist taking a picture in front of the Christmas tree!

And of course another picture in front of Spaceship Earth for good measure.

Even though we had almost 2 full days in EPCOT, there’s still so much we could have done. I would have loved to check out other restaurants in the World Showcase (Via Napoli in Italy, Biergarten in Germany). And I wish we had time to sign up for the segway tour around the park. I guess these are things that will go on my list for “next time” (whenever that will be).

EPCOT Rides/Attractions Count:
Spaceship Earth – 1
Ellen’s Energy Adventure – 1
Mission: SPACE – 1 (green/mild version)
Test Track – 3
The Seas with Nemo & Friends – 1
Turtle Talk with Crush – 1
Living with the Land – 1
Journey Into Imagination with Figment – 1
Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros – 1
Maelstrom – 1
O Canada! – 1
Impressions de France – 1

For more pics from our time at EPCOT, check our Flickr here and here.

Early Thursday morning I was woken up by a phone call from my aunt letting me know that my grandma (on my mom’s side) passed away just a few hours before. I guess it’s because I was still half asleep but I lay in bed in a total daze. I was stunned. It wasn’t until I woke Rob up to tell him that it really hit me. It’s like it wasn’t real until I shared the news.

My grandma lived with my parents and me growing up and she practically raised me. She introduced me to the Lakers (I know, can you believe it — that wasn’t Rob’s influence), soap operas (the ABC soaps were our favorites – One Life to Live, General Hospital), and books — all still some of my very favorite things. I’m not very good with words and it’s even harder for me now to express how much she means to me. I will miss her very, very much.

I’d still like to share my original Happy Things post — I write so infrequently nowadays that I can’t let it go to waste…

1. Dinner with Friends. Last Saturday night, we had a few friends over to watch the Lakers/Clippers game — Rob made gumbo, I made rice krispies treats, and our friends’ brought over alcohol and 50 McDonald’s chicken mcnuggets for appetizers. There were only 5 of us and we managed to eat ALL of the nuggets before dinner. LOL. For the record, I only had 2. Possibly 3.

2. The aforementioned rice krispies treats. Even this non-cook can’t mess them up. Nommy.

3. Belated Christmas celebration with BFFs. Lunch, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and the Golden Globes. Super low key and easy. And I can’t forget the presents! I am so spoiled…

4. Going to a basketball game at the Staples Center for the first time. Thank goodness for job perks because we had AMAZING lower level seats. Too bad it was a Clippers game, LOL (hopefully someday I’ll get to see the Lakers!). It ended up being a pretty boring game (they were playing the Dallas Mavericks and both teams seemed a little low energy) but it was a lot of fun to watch a game live.

5. My blog turned 10! TEN!!! I’ve been blogging at this domain since 2002. WOW. Happy Blog-iversary to me.

Hope all of you are well! *HUGS*

I LOVED Animal Kingdom.

There will be a ridiculous amount of photos in this entry.

Like Hollywood Studios, this park doesn’t have a huge number of rides or attractions but there is such an INCREDIBLE level of theming and detail that it more than makes up for that deficit.

I pretty much walked around in a constant state of awe. Like with my jaw to the floor. It’s AH-MAY-ZING.

We made a beeline to Asia to hit Expedition Everest first thing in the morning.

I had a feeling I would LOVE this ride…

And I did! It’s a roller coaster but it doesn’t throw you around like some older coasters do. It’s a very smooth ride. The ride vehicles even go forward AND backward! So exhilarating. It catapulted to my Top 3 rides EVER (for the record – Space Mountain at Disneyland, Forbidden Journey at Wizarding World of Harry Potter and now Expedition Everest).

GAWD. THIS PARK. It’s just gorgeous.

We made our way to Dinoland to ride DINOSAUR.

Hated it. It uses the same ride vehicle and track layout as Indiana Jones at Disneyland but it is NOT nearly as fun or exciting. Not to mention that the “storyline” is also pretty lame. Oh well.

Each of the Disney parks has its own “icon” — and at Animal Kingdom, it’s the Tree of Life.

Again, so much detail. Look at the animal carvings on the bark!

We even found Simba as we were admiring the tree.

Over in Africa, we experienced the Kilimanjaro Safaris where we toured the savanna to see various African animals.

The trip through the safari is aided by a guide who points out the animals as you approach them. And in between scouting for animals, they’re also keeping up with the ride’s storyline that has you trying to save a baby elephant from poachers. It’s pretty cheesy, I have to admit. But luckily, we had a really great guide who embraced the “cheese.” Heh.

I was amazed at how close we were to the animals.

The next land we visited was Camp Minnie Mickey (kind of a lazy name, or is it just me?) to watch The Festival of the Lion King, which is a 30-minute stage show featuring singing and dancing (it’s more of a variety show versus a retelling of the story).

It was entertaining but sadly, none of my pictures turned out. Too much movement!

Another reason for visiting Camp Minnie Mickey was that I wanted to see all the character Christmas trees. They’re sprinkled throughout the land — and they’re so cute! A few of my favorites included Minnie, Pluto and Chip & Dale…

Stitch, Pocahontas, Meeko, Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy and a few other characters had trees as well.

While there, we also got to see…

Thumper and Chip & Dale! Love these guys. I REALLY wanted to get a picture taken with Thumper but I was feeling really awkward and self-conscious that day so I passed. UGH. I regret it.

After the fuzzy animals, we went to see real animals along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek.

By this point in the trip we’d been at WDW for 5 days and had gone the entire time without having some sort of Asian food or rice. Hey, we’re Filipino, rice is a thing! So luckily I had the foresight to book our lunch at Yak and Yeti, which serves Asian-inspired cuisine.

OH MAN. THE FOOD TOTALLY HIT THE SPOT.

We had rice with our meals! SO NOMMY. AND THE DESSERT! Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons drizzled with a honey vanilla glaze. INSANELY GOOD.

We walked off our lunch by exploring Asia. Seriously, this land is like candy for the eyes — it’s so visually interesting.

I mean, the detail on that truck! It’s just an ice cream stand!

I wanted to get another ride in on Expedition Everest so we headed in that direction. Like the rest of Asia, this ride is so gorgeous…

I can’t remember why we were posing like that. I think we were supposed to be scared. We just look crazy. LOL.

To cap off our time at the Animal Kingdom, we decided to take in a couple of shows. Flights of Wonder was an amazing show featuring exotic birds but sadly, Finding Nemo – The Musical was SUPER disappointing. And I’m pretty easy to please! The singing was fine but the acting made me cringe. It was so bad that I was actually happy when my boss started sending me text messages during the show. We took that opportunity to leave early so I could take care of some work. CRAZY, I KNOW.

We missed Rafiki’s Planet Watch (an area of the park with a petting zoo and a peek behind the scenes) and Kali River Rapids (no interest in getting drenched) but otherwise we covered the park pretty well. Looking back I would have loved to have another half day here. Hindsight and all that.

After leaving the park, we headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at their signature restaurant Jiko.

It was pretty dark in the restaurant but it was a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of the park.

From start to finish, this was probably one of the best meals we had at WDW. The menu is inspired by African, Indian & Mediterranean cuisine so flavors are bold and unique. Everything was scrumptious.

Sharing a pic of our dessert because it’s my favorite part of any meal. Here we had coconut bread pudding (front) and chocolate/coffee mousse (back).

And a parting shot of the lobby of the Lodge. I loved that all the parks and resorts were dressed up for the holidays. It was such a great time to visit!

AK Rides/Attractions Count:
Expedition Everest – 2
DINOSAUR – 1
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail – 1
Festival of the Lion King – 1
Kilimanjaro Safaris – 1
Maharajah Jungle Trek – 1
Flights of Wonder – 1
Primeval Whirl – 1
Finding Nemo: The Musical – left early

For more pics from our day at Animal Kingdom, check our Flickr here.