48 days till Disneyland 2014!

The prompt today is "what are you looking forward to" - and I think we all know what I'm looking forward to most - my Disneyland trip in September!

So what better way to celebrate that by giving you the "Cast of Characters" that will be going on this trip.

Probably my favorite set of Mickey ears EVER! Maleficent!

Tonichelle - aka, ME! This will be my fifth trip to Disneyland and 11th trip to a Disney park. The last time I went to Disneyland was in 2012 right after Carsland opened (we were there during summer vacation. Oh. My. Word. Do not recommend!). I'm pretty familiar with getting around the parks, but still haven't seen and done everything.

I am the trip planner/coordinator (by default). It's actually one of my favorite parts of a Disney trip - the planning. As much as it's stressful when trying to make sure everyone's wants/hopes get met or at least acknowledged, I just love doing all of the booking and coordinating. Crazy, I know. I have spreadsheets, and folders, and notebooks filled with the plans. It's the most organized part of my life!

I've been a huge fan of Disney my entire life, that I've gotten to go to the parks as many times as I have over the last few years (I only went once as a child, and once as a teen, the rest has been in adulthood!) has been a blessing. I love the history and nostalgia far more than the new stuff, so Disneyland holds a special place in my heart (as previous blog posts have shared). That I'm walking in Walt's footsteps makes Disneyland that much more special and I can forgive that it's less inclusive than Walt Disney World.

I am the first of our group that will make it into SoCal. I get in several hours before check in for the hotel, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll have our room ready early, otherwise I'm going to be smelling like airplane in their very small lobby for hours.

Gotta admit, they are pretty adorable together. Disgusting.

Erin & Wess - My "beastie" and her boy. Back in 2010 on the Road Trip From Hell we decided that to celebrate our 30th birthdays we would do a Disney cruise. It was something neither of us had done yet, and so we wanted to try something new. We also decided that since we went to Disney World on my birthday (January 2009) that we'd go around Erin's birthday this time. Considering Erin does not do birthdays very well (think Joey in "The One Where They All Turn 30") I figured she'd have more fun with the Mouse and company. It'd take her mind off of it a bit.

But as time drew near for the trip, we began pricing it out and it we kept wanting the park experience again. Then Erin met a boy. *cue dramatic music* Things changed. The two quickly fell in love (disgusting) and before long there were wedding bells. I headed for Montana and watched my best friend marry her best friend. But, before their wedding day I made the announcement to Erin and Wess that I thought that instead of a girls only trip, that Wess should come along with us on the 30th birthday celebration. I think I shocked both of them as I had been pretty adamant that it needed to stay a girls only thing. But, the three of us were getting along, and Wess has never been to a Disney Park.

We need to fix that. So the two of them are coming, and Erin and I just laugh like crazy evil people because we know Wess has NO idea what he's getting into with the two of us at Disney. The poor man. He'll need a lot of prayer this September for his sanity. But I have a feeling he will have a great time.

Erin and I met our freshman year of high school and became fast friends. We still don't know how that happened exactly, but Erin says it's too late for me to ditch her now. They say if you remain friends after 10 years you will always be friends. This year marks our 15th year of friendship. We're stuck with each other. And I am SO glad we are. I can't wait to celebrate with her. It's been over a year since we last gave each other a hug and smacked each other, we've only a month and a half left to go... the countdown is going to take forEVER.

Wess and Erin get in late on the 14th (many hours after me) so I will hopefully get to nap while I wait for them to make it to the hotel and then WATCH OUT ANAHEIM!

We've been great friends for 10 years, and we'll finally "meet!"

Aimee - my beautiful friend from Buffalo! We met online during our days as massive Star Wars fangirls (okay, well, nerds). It was about 10 years ago and it was through our greatestjournal accounts. It's crazy to think how much we've grown and changed and our friendship is soooooo unlikely, but thanks to "social media" and the interwebs here we are. I've made some pretty great friendships over the years online, but Aimee holds a special place in my heart. She's definitely one of the people I trust with a lot, and she keeps me honest! Ha ha. She definitely keeps me laughing.

Aimee coming on this trip happened rather... quickly... back in December. I blogged about it back in May. Aime and Erin share the same birthday so they will be the birthday twins on this trip. It will be Aimee's first time to the West Coast. We'd joked for years that we'd no doubt end up meeting for the first time at a Disney Park and now it's HAPPENING! I think I'm more excited for THAT than actually GOING to Disney!

Aimee is just as big a Disney nerd as I am, so I want to make sure that Disneyland is a special event for her. I'm sure it will be, but I have a feeling Wess and Erin will judge our fangirliness on all things Mr. Disney ha ha. Aimee gets in the day after the rest of us, and is only spending a few days (she has something called a job, psh!) but they'll be jam packed with Disney as well as the beach and a little bit of Hollywood. Gotta make sure that if she comes all this way she gets to experience the Pacific!


So there you have it! 48 days till DISNEY and BIRTHDAYS and FRIENDS!!!!!!!

Favorite Recipe - Cowboy Cookies

Since I've been asked for this recipe many times in the last week or so, I figured this would be the one that I'd use for today's prompt.

They are the bestest and biggest cookies EVER.

Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies 

3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 tablespoon baking soda 
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon salt 
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter (at room temperature) 
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
1-1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar 
3 large eggs 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 
2 cups sweetened flake coconut 
2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces) 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

NOTE: For 6 dozen smaller cookies, use 2 tablespoons dough for each. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 18 minutes.

An Old Picture of Me

In honor of Ted Stevens Day in Alaska, I'll share an old photo of me enjoying the best of Alaska. I was five, I'd broken my arm (hence the missing right arm and dad holding on to my sunglasses-that are really his glasses), and I am driving the boat while fishing on... I'm not sure if it's Eagle River or the Kenai. We still lived in Anchorage at the time, so anything is possible.

The late Senator Ted Stevens is still a powerhouse name in Alaska. He fought to get us into statehood and fought for our state until he was illegally prosecuted and thrown out of the senate a year before his death (on his way to a fishing trip, plane crashed). Uncle Ted is a true Alaskan Patriot, and a few months after his passing Alaskans began honoring him by getting out and playing in the state that he loved. Every year on the last Saturday of July we come together to remember the man who made Alaska into the state that it is today.

So, come on, Alaskans, lets GET OUT AND PLAY!

Favorite Blogs

I have to post my five favorite blogs today... I have a confession, I don't read too many consistently. I spend most of my time on twitter and facebook (which is kinda used like a blog by many, including me, even though it's "frowned upon").

But there are a few that I do enjoy when I read them, so here we go...

1. Disney Parks Blog - the official blog of Disney Parks. It keeps me going as I count down to the next Disney trip (51 days!).

2. Roots Before Branches (Casey Chappell) - I grew up with Casey's family. Casey is the oldest of 9 children, her dad was the pastor of the church that my family was saved and "raised" in. The Nichols' household was a second home to I think every kid at First Baptist Church of Kenai in those days. I love and miss all of them. Growing up as an only child their family was overwhelming and yet such a blessing at the same time. I love Casey's blog (when she has time to share, with 5 kids under 6 she has her hands full!) she is a gifted photographer and her work always inspires me.

3. Nelson Family Journey (Amanda & Darryl Nelson) - Friends from my days at Anchorage Baptist Temple, Darryl and Amanda recently adopted their daughter. Amanda is the main author of the blog, and I LOVE her heart in this journey! Adoption rocks!

4. Disney Tourist Blog - Photography in this blog is so inspiring. They share some of the best photos of the park and considering that's one of my favorite things to do in the parks, too, it really helps get my creative brain working in how to better my shots.

5. Kristin Shyla - Kristin is one of Casey's best friends. I met her in 2010 when we visited the Chappells for a few hours on our road trip to Disney World (aka the Road Trip From Hell). Kristin is a fellow photographer and another inspiration of mine. She shares her heart so openly. She's a beautifully creative person.



And there you have it! My five favorite blogs.

Support Setnetters and be declared UnAlaskan

So apparently if you support the setnetters in the great salmon debate currently being duked out on the Kenai, and you DARE to suggest Anchorage fish IN ANCHORAGE when it comes to Dipnetting, then you are declared a "lower 48 scumbag" who needs to "move back to where you came from". I just got told that several times by internet idiots.

To them I say:

I was born and raised here. The media is reporting that 90% of those that are dipnetting on the Kenai DO NOT LIVE ON THE PENINSULA. Knowing what I know, that means 90% are from Anchorage and the Valley (anyone further North most likely dipnet in their rivers). 15,000 people are reported to be dipping this year ON THE KENAI. Not total in state, but IN ONE LOCATION. To suggest that THAT is not a factor in the smaller salmon runs is to be in denial. The crowds have gotten out of control, when my family dipped it was not HALF this size peoplewise. That was just a decade ago (if that). The numbers are growing exponentially.

Setnets have been around far longer than dipnetting. Between Dipnetters not following the rules, and more guides and commercial fishermen there is going to be a smaller number of fish returning. It's simple math. But as always the setnetters are the ones that the people focus on. Why? Because it's easier.

I am SO done with this debate. Dipnetters need to GO HOME, and ADFG needs to get a grip on the situation. The Kenai King is DEAD because of piss poor management that was more about the dollar than about sustaining ANYTHING. Now look where we are.

CSI: San Antonio

We all have the horror hotel story. Where you book a room, get to the hotel and check in, walk to your room after a long day of travel only to realize - this place is a hole.

If only our experience in 2010 was that good.

Erin and I traveled, basically across country and back in 2010 for our yearly besties trip. Originally we were going to head for Canada and take in a bunch of the sites they had to offer, but because of scheduling conflicts, we couldn't go during the summer and we didn't want to roadtrip in the winter time. So, Erin suggested we head back to Disney. We'd visited WDW in January of 2009 and she'd gotten hooked on Disney travel.

I still wanted to road trip, so we compromised. I'd fly to Seattle, she'd drive over from Montana and we'd head down I-5 and across the southern states to end up in Disney. Though we never finished our blog posts/trip report you can kinda get an idea as to how that went from our travel blog.

Anyway, on our return trip we managed to make it into San Antonio - we wanted to stop there (okay, I wanted to stop there) because our pastor (well, the pastor we had while were growing up) calls me "San Antonio" since when I was little I hated when people called me Antonio (for the record it's "Antonia"). So I wanted to visit the Alamo and get a picture of me under a "Welcome to San Antonio" sign. We did both (and have nothing to show for it because Erin lost her camera!), but not before we had a nightmare of a night at San Antonio Travelodge - Alamo.

So, why am I sharing this now? It all started with a conversation started by a friend sharing this satire piece. It reminded me SO much of Erin and my experience. We "lovingly" refer to it as CSI: San Antonio and we're still convinced there was a dead body in one of the rooms.

So, let me set the scene. We pull into this hotel that looks nothing like the promo pictures they had on their website (or gave to Trip Advisor). It was in desperate need of paint, half of it was taped off, the pavement was shoddy at best... this should have been our clue to get outta there, but we were tired and we didn't want to get hit with a cancellation fee. So instead we drove up to the office, got out and checked in.

Check in was difficult, the man at the desk was no where to be found so we stood around for several minutes before he came walking in. Check in was simple enough. He gave us a key, told us about the complimentary continental breakfast (that was found in the same area as the pool, which was closed for renovations. Yeah, seems legit.), and where we needed to park. Off we went to the room.

We walk in and it looked like a brawl had just taken place in the room.The tv sat on not just a rickety old dresser, but one that was falling apart in front of our very eyes. There were stains on the carpet, and a fresh wet stain of something coming from the bathroom. I wouldn't venture into the bathroom itself, but Erin said the sink was very dirty/disgusting.

Dissatisfied with where they put us, we walked back to the office to get them to switch our rooms. The guy at the counter looked at us in disbelief when we told him what we'd found. He apologized and then had the nerve to ask "and you don't want to stay in that room?" Um, no, we want a CLEAN and well kept room. So with a huff, he switched out our keys and told us what our new room number was.

Back across the parking lot to the door. Erin puts the key in the lock and turns the doorknob and... the door wouldn't open. No amount of pushing would get it open. So back in the car we go and we drive over to the office. Yeah, we weren't doing any more walking in the heat. Besides, we figured we'd be doing this at least one more time.

Once again he is shocked, and this time walks over to the door with us to make sure we weren't pulling a fast one on him. He tried several times, even trying to kick the door in. Nothing. So he said something about the hotel being remodeled and perhaps that was the reason the door wouldn't open. Okay....

Finally the third room we walk in and... well... while it wasn't what we'd consider a GOOD hotel room, it was fairly clean, everything seemed to be in working order, and we were done trying to get a decent room. As long as the beds looked semi-clean we were in for the night. We brought in the bare essentials and hunkered in. But, not before we documented the more humorous parts of our room (which was a handicapped room at that).

Oh the irony! An ashtray in a non-smoking room.
Gotta love Texas, eh?

Erin having fun in the handicapped shower.

They spared no expense with the furniture.
This one was in the bathroom.

...and this was the chair by my bed.

I was super excited to be in this room.
(note we slept on top of the bedding.)

We watched Skating With The Stars on TV (making fun of judge Johnny Weir because, well... he was pretty ridiculous)... and then the news broke in. Highways headed to Salt Lake City were closed due to a snow/ice storm. I was planning to fly out of Salt Lake. So Erin did some quick travel agent work and got our hotel booked in Dallas Ft Worth and we changed my airline ticket and we were going to head that way instead.

As we got ready for bed, talking of the plans of the next day (Alamo and Riverwalk), the door started to open. Someone was trying to get in! So we shoved all remaining furniture, suitcases, and what not against the door (the latch and lock were a joke)! The rest of the night we drifted in and out of sleep as a bajillion pizza flyers kept coming through the crack in the door.


And that's my horror story of the night. MUWAHAHAHAAHAHA! Stay away from San Antonio Travelodge.

Updated Itinerary

No big changes, just adding times as I get them... Disney doesn't have its hours up for our part of September, but the other parks we're visiting do. So I'll go ahead and add those as well as the times for our reservations.

September 14, 2014 –Travel Day!!!
Fly into SoCal

September 15, 2014 – Lazy Day and Disney!
9am - Erin's Pedicure - Mandara Spa (Grand Californian)
Aimee arrives ~ 2pm-ish
4:30pm  - Dinner @ Crossroads at the House of Blues (Downtown Disney)

September 16, 2014 – Disneyland!!!
9:40am - Breakfast @ Carnation Café (Disneyland Park)  

Tour parks
6:30pm - Erin & Wess Date Night - Steakhouse 55 (Disneyland Hotel)

6:30pm (ish) - Aimee & Toni - Dinner at Flo's (Disney California Adventure)

September 17, 2014 – Disneyland Birthdays! (Aimee & Erin)
5pm - Birthday Dinner! - Goofy’s Kitchen (Disneyland Hotel)

September 18, 2014 – Beach & Hollywood
Pick up Rental Car early.
Hollywood first? Beach?

September 19, 2014 -- Disneyland

September 20, 2014 – San Diego Zoo (Aimee leaves :’()

Park Hours: 9am - 6pm

7am - Head for San Diego (Erin, Toni, Wess)

September 21, 2014 – Universal Studios

Park Hours: 9am - 7pm
BubbaGump Lunch/Dinner

September 22, 2014 – Disneyland

September 23, 2014 – Travel Day :’(

"My favorite book!"

I've gushed about my all time favorite children's book multiple times. Danger The Dog Yard Cat was my favorite book to read when I was small. Libby won the Iditarod in 1985, and this book came about 5 years later. Libby won the year I was born, and I was a huge fan of all things Iditarod. To have the first woman win the year I was born meant I was instantly a huge fan of Libby. She was one of my sports heroes as far back as I can remember.

I had the audio tape that went along with the book (it's now on CD, I need to get me a copy!) and I wore the book and the tape out. I knew the book by heart, and could sing the songs without the music. I was obsessed. Danger looked like my cat, Scooter, and Mudshark was an interesting crosseyed dog. That these characters were all "real" (though the story is pretty near made up) made the story that much more fun.

I think every child from my generation living in Alaska had a copy of this book (as well as others written by Shelley Gill, one of the best children's authors EVER), it's so popular it's still in production 25 years later. If you have a youngster (past 2nd grade it's too easy a reading level) this is definitely a book worth having in your personal library!

"A dream is a wish your heart makes..."

My dream job since high school has been to be a tv/film director. I've pretty much given up on that dream as really I have no way of really learning the craft (or maybe I just don't have the drive it takes to learn). I have a lot of creative ideas and what not, I just don't ever have the focus to get something done.

So my other dream job is the one I have at present. It's not going to make me millions, but I get to tell stories through my pictures and I get to watch families grow and change through my lens over the years. So that's a joy in and of itself.

Still, if I ever could make a movie... it'd be a "biopic" of the First Iditarod. I'd want to do something Alaskan, and hey, the Iditarod's a great subject... I've had a few ideas for casting in my head for years... though I'm pretty sure the actors I have chosen would be very anti the project (Hollywood is the home of PETA afterall) but it's still fun to dream.

Joe Redington Sr. - John Krasinski

Dan Seavey - James Marsden (I've thought he'd be perfect to play a Seavey since 2007 lol)

Dick Mackey - Michael Raymond-James (and not just because I'm an obsessive fangirl)

Dick Wilmarth (first champion, controversial history lol) - Eion Bailey

That's all I've got so far in my dream cast ha ha... tell ya what, it'd be a good cast of good lookin' guys, that's for sure (a whole lot better lookin' than the actual group LOL). It'd be a whole lot of fun filming it in Alaska with actual sled dogs... stunt coordinator and stuntpersons would be real mushers... it'd be just... yeah... awesome.

Best thing to happen this year?

 Hmmmm, well... maybe it happened today? When one of my favorite actors retweeted one of my tweets (granted a gush tweet about the tv show he starred in, but still).

It's been a pretty lackluster year, don't judge me. It'll get better come September though! 54 days to go!