Friday, June 12, 2009

Disneyland and Tikimama's Photo Debut (sort of)


This post took me an extra day to do, and I don't know if I'm going to get to my Paint Chip Fun because....I have been having all sorts of troubles getting my photos to import from my camera to my computer using Picasa, but after diddling with it off and on all day yesterday, I think I found the solution. I hate it when computer things don't work right, and I don't have the know-how to fix them!

On Wednesday, we went to California Adventure and Disneyland to celebrate Miss May, Miss June, and their now-2-yr-old cousin Mr. June's birthdays! My sister and her boyfriend both work at the Land, so we are lucky enough to get signed in for free, and are able to use their employee discount - still spent about $150. I was taking photos all day, with my blog in mind! Seems I'm always composing posts in my head these days...I wonder how you daily bloggers manage it!

When we finally managed to get all ready and in the car, it wouldn't start. Went to grab my car-savvy neighbor (husband was at work) and it started right up for him. Whew, problem solved, right? Ha! We were meeting up at a McDonald's near D-land so I wouldn't have to pay for parking and after a quick bite, same thing happens. My sister and Mr. June had gone on ahead, so my bro-almost-in-law did his best to figure out the problem. Finally called AAA (for you non-Americans, a membership car service) and they got it to start by banging on the underside with a big metal pipe! At least we were finally off. So, on to the photos....Here is how the day started.


We got into California Adventure, which we had never seen before. It was really nice, and we only ever saw a small corner of it - we'll go back another day. They were closing at 6 pm (!) for Grad Night.
I liked the snacks available in the Monsters, Inc. ride - Sugar, Salt & Fat! Finally truth in advertising!

We had a reservation at Ariel's Grotto for the birthday meal. It was expensive, but at least it was worth it. The food was delicious and the kids were beyond thrilled to meet, talk to, and hug the princesses!! I am going to try to select just a couple of photos (family can go check out my Flickr account for all the kid-overload you can stand).
Beautiful atmosphere, and under-the-sea theme.
Excellent chow. Nom, nom, nom.

Very happy kids!
Miss June, Ariel, Miss May and their cousin Miss August (almost 16!)

Little Mr. June - he's wearing a Jack Skellington t-shirt that says "Your Worst Nightmare"!

The one thing I had in mind to get done for sure during this trip was an official coming-out-of-relative anonymity photo. I say relative because of that photo I posted of me with my Crafty Pals a long while ago; not my best look. (Hope some of my good blog buddies will follow suit - it's fun to put a real face to a blog's personality!) Figured it was a good opportunity to get me dressed decently, hair done and makeup on. The plan was to get the Official Tikimama Portrait, where else but outside The Enchanted Tiki Room, with my two girls. Well, first of all, this happens, of course:

But Miss June happily posed with me (she never falls asleep when there's fun to be had):

Yes, for those of you who see me IRL, I took off my glasses because I'm vain.
Then, inside with a still-sleepy Miss May, posing by Pele, Goddess of Fire:
So there you have it. My hair is currently flaming red (husband does not like it so much, but I do!), I don't have any cool vintage clothes to wear, but I do have a fab new necklace and I'm carrying my amazing bag from Atomic Livin' that the familiy got me for Mother's Day. More on that later!

So what if this is how the day ended?!

Sitting in the parking structure in our car that wouldn't start...again. Miss June got it to start with her magic finally, after waiting about 45 minutes, just as the AAA towtruck was showing up with security. Headed straight for our mechanic, got hubs to pick us up, and finally bed at midnight.
But it was a wonderful day!
Tikimama with Miss June in The Enchanted Tiki Room

Stay tuned for more Tiki Goodness in an upcoming post!

21 comments:

  1. you are beautiful!!! and it looks like a pretty fun time. lucky you!

    hope your weekend is fab!

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  2. What a fun tiki filled day! You look beautiful and I don't care what hubs says...red works for you!
    Can't wait to see more tiki goodness!

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  3. Awwww - aren't you cute?! (I'm not feeling brave enough to show myself yet).
    The photo with Snow White is adorable.
    Sorry to hear about the car problems, but glad they didn't put a dampener on your day.
    I SO want to go to the Enchanted Tiki Room - I don't think they have it at Disneyland Paris.

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  4. Oh... I thought you were the one posing with Miss May in Ariel's Grotto. You know, in the Snow White get-up. Had figured you were just really into the spirit that day! Well, Miss June IS dressed like Minnie Mouse, after all...
    My bad! You're pretty, too.

    Hee-hee! You soooo know that I'm kidding! I think you're a REAL beauty! And those little ones didn't fall far from the tree.

    Looks like y'all had fun, despite the annoying car drama. Btw, what sort of vehicular hocus-pocus did Miss June use?

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  5. P.S. - Love the hair color, too!

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  6. Hello Tikimama, I'm Jem N' Tonic nice to meet you! Glad you had a nice day.

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  7. How fun! Sorry about the car... but the rest of it sounds fabulous! And your Atomic Livin bag looks great with your hair. :)

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  8. Hi Lisa!!
    I have been enjoying your blog a lot! I am glad to hear that kids had a great birthday event. And it's always very nice to see you here, you look wonderful! Please hug and kises for your princesses and say hello to Cat!

    Mari

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  9. How wonderful! We took our squids there last November. The Enchanted Tiki Room was our first stop, just as it was mine back in 1969 when my grandparents took me for the first time! Sorry about the car troubles; looks as if you had a great time :)

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  10. You and your kids are adorable!! I'm confused how you got that section of the park clear though? I've never seen it open! It's usually packed with one million people when I'm there! :P

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  11. what a fun trip! your hair is gorgeous. i love red heads. you pull it off so well!

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  12. That picture of you, the girls, and Pele is my favorite! It's flattering, and even Pele looks like she's having fun chillin' with the girls. Love the red hair! (I think Pele approves) Hope you guys get the car fixed without too much trouble.

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  13. Wow! That looks like an incredible day. Glad you had a good time. I loved the pictures. Cheers!

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  14. what a fun day!!! oMg is that you?!?!? girl you are one hottie. a total MILF!

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  15. TikiBabe, LOVE the hair! You and the girls are beauts!! :)

    Love the Tiki pics, too! Can't wait to see more photos. ~

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  16. Oh, been meaning to tell you...the Great Gift Ideas For Dads button on the left doesn't work. Bummer! I still don't know what to buy my Atomic Honey!

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  17. Thanks, everyone for the lovely compliments! And for the Red-Hair Support! I've done different shades, but I always end up going back to red - it just feels right.

    MoonDoggie - just get yourself and Ebbo to SoCal, and I guarantee you'll see the Tiki Room!

    Anthony - Miss June was sitting in the car, quite patiently, and after about 30 minutes, in this very calm voice, she said, "Mama, just try it one more time." Bam, it worked.

    Mari! I'm so glad to see your comment. You never know people are reading your posts until they leave a comment. I've never been good with phone calls or letters, so at least this is a way we can keep in touch! Love to your boys, too!

    Trixie - when Tikimama arrives, they clear the area just for me :) No, really, we had to wait for 10 minutes to get a shot that clear. The High School Musical parade/show had just ended and there were a bajillion people! I have another shot with a huge guy standing right behind us, looking at the camera!

    Awesome Sara - you made me blush! You are too funny - thanks for the compliment (you know that I'm NOT the one in the Ariel nor the Snow White costume, right? Those chicks were disgustingly cute....) ;)

    Atomic Livin - well, thanks, but I couldn't have pulled it off without such a fab bag!

    And the Gifts for Dads isn't really a link button - just a reminder. Shop from any of the artists I've got links to, or RetroPlanet, or Etsy. You are guaranteed to find amazing ideas!

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  18. Well, hello Beautiful!

    Looks like fun was had by all.

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  19. Glad to hear you have a fab time!
    Disneyland is a geart place.
    How'd you like the Tiki room?
    It was always one of my favorite stops.
    LOVE the hair color!!

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  20. Great photos! It sounds like you had a great time (aside from the car troubles - so sorry to hear about that!). I want to go back to Disneyland!

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  21. Boy am I behind in my reading! It looks like you had a wonderful day at my favorite place. Your daughters are beautiful and so are you. I love the red hair! If I had to pick one place in the world to have a car break down it just might be the Disneyland parking garage. :)

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