Disneyland Birthday

It's almost my birthday!  We're heading to Disneyland to celebrate!

What's taking the Earl of Sandwich so long to get done?  Compass Books closed down in March.  We were hoping to be eating sandwiches here this summer.  It looks so far away from being done. 

Belmont Shore Stroll and Savor

On July 19th, Theresa, Rita and I joined Jacob down in Long Beach for the Belmont Shore Stroll and Savor.  We did this last year as well, and it just so happened that Rita was visiting then too.  

From the Stroll and Savor website:

A "taste of Belmont Shore", Stroll & Savor is one of the most popular events on 2nd St.  Savor delicious cuisine from over 30 restaurants and specialty food merchants.  

It's a great way to try a lot of different kinds of food without ordering a whole meal.  

We just so happened to park right by one of my favorite spots from last year.  It's a lemon gelato with balsamic vinegar on top of it.  Mmm. 

Disneyland Dream Suite - Back at the Suite

We said goodnight to Michelle and Leandra and headed inside.  So the plan was to not go to sleep the whole night...

We'll see how that works out.  Previously I had thoughts of just sitting out on the balcony and watching all the goings on of Disneyland at night.  Sadly though, the balcony is locked and won't be opened until morning.  The windows have curtains across them that we probably could have pulled back and stared out, but that's not exactly the same as standing on the balcony. 

We'll have to just enjoy the inside of the suite, and of course we had to experience the amazing master bathroom.  Theresa and I drew a bubble bath and soaked in the hot water, enjoying the jets, and loving the ambiance of the room.  Just gazing up at the stars and listening to the calming music was wonderful.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Our After Dark Disneyland Tour

It was requested that we leave the room so they could turn down the beds.  We walked over to the Haunted Mansion and walked right on the ride.  It was here that I heard the first complaint from Theresa.

Theresa - My cheeks hurt from smiling so much!

Not that much of a complaint I guess.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Hallways and Hostess area

Back when this was the Disney Gallery, this hallway did not exist, but because you needed a way to get into the Master bedroom, it had to be enclosed.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Balcony and Patio

The Balcony is a fantastic place to not only people watch, but also to watch Fantasmic and Fireworks.

A New Orleans tradition is to include your initials in the railing.  You can see in gold that WD and RD are included on the rail here.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Master Bathroom

One of the most amazing parts of the Dream Suite was the Master Bathroom.

My favorite photo of this room is the scrollable panorama.  I used my tripod and wide angle lens to capture this in super high detail.  

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Adventureland Bedroom

The Adventureland bedroom is just off the parlor to the left.  It's the room Theresa and I stayed in.

My favorite photo of this room is the scrollable panorama.  I used my tripod and wide angle lens to capture this in super high detail. Click on the photo below and drag it to look around in 360 degrees!

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Frontierland Bedroom

Just off the Parlor is the Frontierland bedroom.  It's probably my favorite room in the whole suite.  There is just so much detail here, it's amazing. 

My favorite photo of this room is the scrollable panorama.  I used my tripod and wide angle lens to capture this in super high detail. Click on the photo below and drag it to look around in 360 degrees!

Disneyland Dream Suite - Exploring the Rooms - Parlor

The Parlor is the first room you see as soon as you enter a Dream Suite

My favorite photo of this room is the scrollable panorama.  I used my tripod and wide angle lens to capture this in super high detail. Click on the photo below and drag it to look around in 360 degrees!

Disneyland Dream Suite - Fantasmic

The evening was passing more quickly than we would have liked. It was already close to 9pm and time for Fantasmic.

The view from the balcony at dusk is very nice.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Friends arrive

Not long after 7pm, our first guests arrived! Monica and Scott!

Disneyland Dream Suite - Welcome to the Disneyland Dream Suite

It was almost time to get this party started!

We made it to the lobby of the Grand Californian and sat in front of the fire until 2:30.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Dinner

After having been at the Dream Suite for way too short of a time, it was time to head to dinner. Why did we book reservations when we could stay here in this suite longer? Anyway, it was 4:15pm and we had 4:30 reservations all the way over in California Adventure.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Breakfast

July 14th - The day our biggest Disney Dream comes true!

The day started bright and early at 6:45am. I woke up and was too excited to go back to sleep. Theresa and I finished packing and we headed to Jacob's house at 8am. At 8:30, we left his house to meet Ruston for breakfast. Since we'd be in the parks for so long, we decided to meet at The Original Pancake House. We got there right at 9am and Ruston wasn't far behind. At 9:20 we were seated and we all got a big breakfast.

Disneyland Dream Suite - Two months of anticipation

Quick! What's the most amazing incredible experience you could ever do at Disneyland? Club 33? While that would be nice, hundreds of people dine there regularly. Seeing Walt's apartment above Main Street? Getting closer, but there are a few Disney sponsored tours that can get you up there.

You've read the title, so you already know my answer. Experiencing the Disneyland Dream Suite! This ultra rare and exclusive prize was given out during the Year of a Million Dreams in 2008.

Hermosa Beach Jose Cuervo Beach Volleyball

Also while Rita was out here, Jose Cuervo hosted a Hermosa Beach volleyball tournament.

Batman with Eliza and Chris

Ready for the final Batman?  Even though Eliza (my office mate) has been on maternity leave, she texted us and asked if we'd like to go see The Dark Knight Rises with them.  We decided on an early showing at the Howard Hughes IMAX, so why not get together and do breakfast first?

Maui, Hawaii - Day 9 and 10, chilling at the hotel

We just wanted to take a relaxing last couple days at the hotel.  We've been running around a bit, and felt like relaxing.  Just off our porch there was a hammock that Theresa enjoyed.

Camping at McGrath State Beach

It's been a really really long time since we've gone camping.  Back in early June, Theresa decided she wanted to go camping over the July 4th weekend.  Unfortunately, every beach camping site we were interested in was fully booked through August!  We kept pursuing it though and just happened to find a campsite that had been scheduled to close permanently, but just happened to get more funding and was allowing reservations starting July 1st. 

July 4th painting with friends and fireworks

It's July 4th and our entire street is closed off for a block party!  Most of the neighbors hang out in their driveway while people come by.  We just did some painting a couple weeks ago, and not everyone was able to finish, so we invited people back to hang out for the rest of the day.

We hung out in the driveway again, and of course we brought out the Lego Mickey mosaic to show off.