Week-in-Review-- Disneyland Vacation!

It's been an uber crazy October with our trip down to California! We got it all in from Disneyland, Mickey's Halloween Party, California Adventure, LegoLand, the beach, and Universal Studios! It was a zany, fun, stressful, memory-filled 10 days. I also brought along my aging parents so they could experience Disneyland and a good vacation one more time before they're too elderly to really enjoy it.

Like all vacations we had highlights and some major lowlights like when the key to our rental van gave up the ghost and the alarm was set off with no way to disarm it! Our first day to Universal Studios was ruined but we relaxed the rest of the day and took a Pokemon walk to Angels Stadium and made the best of it. We got a new car and by the next day we were set to see Universal Studios! They were very nice when we explained out situation and they gave us free express passes for all the rides! It made the best day ever for us and we had a wonderful last day of vacation.

We learned quite a few things about what our limits are and what we'd do differently if we come back in a few years. Legoland is off our list since G will definitely be too old for it and it would be out of our way.

Mickey's Halloween Party was amazing and if we come back during October that is the only way we'd see Disenyland....

All in all despite some of the setbacks, we all had a wonderful time and so many memories were made!

And now all the pics...it's long. More at the bottom on how this last week of recovery has gone and my reading and watching updates and Halloween progress!

1st Day at Disneyland!

2nd Day with my parents. We even rented them scooters!

Halloween Party was amazing!

I absolutely adored all the Lego figurines and cities and buildings. Worth a visit no matter what your age!

Balboa beach was so pretty!

Last day for Disneyland at California Adventure. Lots of waiting in lines...

Visited the second largest Lego store in the country!

Harry Potter! Hogwarts! I'd go back again to explore more!

We met the Scooby Gang! So fun! Velma even found my missing earring for me.

I met with the Gods!

Books Finished: 

The Changeling by Victor LaValle, Scream All Night by Derek Milman, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson, The Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scary Tales by Kiersten White, Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh, and PenPal by Dathan Auerbach.

Books I'm Currently Reading:

Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cartero, Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, and More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World by Arielle North Olson and Howard Schwartz (reading with G)

Books Acquired: 

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky, The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Life in an Inauthentic Age by Gordon Marino, Ph.D, Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino, The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, Belly Laugh: Scary, Spooky Halloween Jokes for Kids by The Sky Pony Press editors, Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon, Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn, and We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations that Matter by Celeste Headlee

Listening to: 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, the podcasts Spooked Season Two from Snap Judgement and Lore. 

Watching: 

I finished up The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and oh boy, that is such an amazing series. They did an excellent job of making the story their own and incorporating Jackson's novel on a metaphorical level. I cannot sing the praises of this show enough. Also it was as scary as hell! I had at least one or two bad dreams from this!

I also just finished Making a Murderer season 2. While not as good as season one, I was impressed by the defense attorney's attention to detail and just a look at how one goes about getting new evidence introduced. It's a tough criminal justice system. 

I am still working on Maniac on Netflix...

And I'll be starting The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina probably tonight! I've heard all the good things about this one.

Making: 

I will be making chili, tortellini soup, corn bread and honey butter, mulled wine and cider, jelly shots, and other treats for Halloween night! It's my one big night that I don't mind going all out and getting a bit crazy!

We also made spooky candles and carved our pumpkins this weekend!

Looking Forward to: 

Halloween, of course! My favoritest night of the year!