Disney Contest: Day Two

Check out yesterday's post for the answer!

Here are the official rules:
I'm going to post a picture of something- somewhere- within the Disneyland Resort. If you guess where in the park you think it is, and at least get within the same general area (Fantasyland, Cars Land ect...) then you get your name in the drawing once. If you can tell me exactly which ride/store/attraction the object belongs to, you'll get your name in twice.

You get 24 hours to guess. After that I'm going to post the answer so you can't guess any more- and I'll know by the date I receive your email. So remember to check back every day for a new picture. I'll try to get things posted the same time every day (around midnight Pacific time).

Do NOT post your guess in the comments on this blog. You are still free to comment, I don't want to ever EVER discourage comments, so still feel free to comment and talk to me- but don't post your guesses here because I don't want to ruin it for other readers. I want everyone to have a fair chance.

That's a nice segue into the next rule. Please please PLEASE don't cheat. Don't try to google the answer or something. I will not know if you are cheating or not- but I prefer to believe that I have honest, fun loving readers- so this is totally on your honor.

Please email your guesses (One guess per day per person) to bakeshow77 (at) gmail (dot) com

Again- don't post your guess on the comment board here. In the subject of your email, put the day you are guessing on (Ex: Day One). The names will be put into my Mickey Ears hat and drawn at the end of the contest. The prizes will be something awesome from Disneyland Resort. There will be a drawing of all correct guesses, and then a prize for the person who gets the most accurate guesses. In the event of a tie, I will keep the present for myself. Haha! Just kidding.... mostly.

With all that crap out of the way- here is today's mystery picture:

Good Luck!

Answer:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant in Fantasyland.

Disney Contest: Day One

Here it is kids! The much anticipated (by me) Disneyland Resort Contest!

Here are the official rules:

I'm going to post a picture of something- somewhere- within the Disneyland Resort. If you guess where in the park you think it is, and at least get within the same general area (Fantasyland, Cars Land ect...) then you get your name in the drawing once. If you can tell me exactly which ride/store/attraction the object belongs to, you'll get your name in twice.

You get 24 hours to guess. After that I'm going to post the answer so you can't guess any more- and I'll know by the date I receive your email.  So remember to check back every day for a new picture. I'll try to get things posted the same time every day (around midnight Pacific time).

Do NOT post your guess in the comments on this blog. You are still free to comment, I don't want to ever EVER discourage comments, so still feel free to comment and talk to me- but don't post your guesses here because I don't want to ruin it for other readers. I want everyone to have a fair chance.

That's a nice segue into the next rule. Please please PLEASE don't cheat. Don't try to google the answer or something. I will not know if you are cheating or not- but I prefer to believe that I have honest, fun loving readers- so this is totally on your honor.

Please email your guesses (One guess per day per person) to bakeshow77 (at) gmail (dot) com

Again- don't post your guess on the comment board here.  In the subject of your email, put the day you are guessing on (Ex: Day One). The names will be put into my Mickey Ears hat and drawn at the end of the contest. The prizes will be something awesome from Disneyland Resort. There will be a drawing of all correct guesses, and then a prize for the person who gets the most accurate guesses. In the event of a tie, I will keep the present for myself. Haha! Just kidding.... mostly.

With all that crap out of the way- here is today's mystery picture:

Where is this?

*answer*

World of Disney store- Downtown Disney

Vegas, Baby!

We're here! We're on vacation! Our first stop on the way to Disneyland is Las Vegas! Vegas, Baby!

I've been here before... but I've never beeeeen here, ya know? I have seen Excalibur- but that was 20 years ago on choir tour so it's not like I did much. And a few years ago my family insisted on Circus Circus... which made me have a rather low opinion of Vegas.  But this time, we are actually staying here. We're in an off the strip casino hotel, but after we had our obligatory buffet dinner, a few of us piled in the car and drove down to the strip.

Wow. What a trip. That place is unreal. Literally. What a dirty, icky place. Don't get me wrong, it was hilarious amounts of fun walking through the casinos. But eew. A kid at work told me a few weeks ago that Vegas is his Disneyland. Sad. I mean, I can see the appeal, but it's just so... not magical.

Anyway, we walked a lot and got very lost. I got to see a few new things that I'd never seen before. When I was here in high school the Luxor was just being built so it was fun to go inside it. We saw the Excalibur

and New York, New York.

 

We walked across the street to the M&M and Coke stores. 

 

We watched a weird 3D movie in the M&M store- which my aunt greatly needed.

 

That was a LOT of walking. And in the Coke store I bought a "Round the World" sampler tray.

They had sodas from all over the world. Some were really good. Two tasted like mouthwash and one tasted like dirt. But for the most part they were good.

We celebrated National Donut Day with a free donut from Krispy Kreme (they had to twist my arm, but I eventually gave in- and ate as many as I could).

When we got everyone back to the hotel and tucked into bed, my cousin Sharon and I hit the slots. I've never gambled before so I wanted to. I had a twenty that was just dying to be spent. Plus I was wearing my lucky shirt (which by the way, like 10 people commented on at various times throughout the day and it even got me some free stuff. hahahaha!). We did a circle of the casino and finally came in for a landing at some lady bug themed game. Mine wasn't working and Sharon had already won a few bucks. When she got back down to twenty, she cashed out and we found some Mermaid games I'd spied earlier and had a feeling about.

We sat there and played this stupid game for maybe... I don't even know. I have no idea how long we were at that table. I just laughed and laughed the whole time. It's so dumb and I can't believe people are addicted to something so silly. The cards, craps and roulette maybe are a different story. But to sit and play for hours and days losing your money in nickle increments is just silly.  We vowed we'd play till someone won big, or we were out of money. Sharon kept losing, and I would play, then win a little, then lose some more, then I accidentally hit maximum bet... oops, and lost like, five bucks in one go. But I just kept pushing the button (they don't even let you have the dignity of pulling an arm any more. lame). Sharon finally ran out- so I cashed out at $21.50. That's right, baby! I'm a winner! I left with a surplus $1.50 in my pocket. $1.75 if you count the quarter I found on the floor.

This IS a lucky shirt!!!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Ok, I'm giving you heads up now for the giveaway! I am going to try to start in on Sunday and have a new thing for each day I'm at the park. It will go Sunday-Thursday. You'll just have to check back every day for the new pictures, and I'll post the rules and stuff when I do them.

This is the Place

This weekend my parents came down for a reunion. I wasn't invited- but I wouldn't have gone anyway. Hanging out with people I don't know just because they're somehow related doesn't sound very fun to me.

HOWEVER

I called and asked my sister if her kids could hitch a ride and come play with me- she decided to join them (which was totally fine with me- I just thought she might like a mom-cation) and they all came down to see me.

There are a lot of things on my Salt Lake To-Do list but some of them I really don't want to do alone. Going to This is the Place Heritage Park was one of them. I remember as a kid seeing the big ol' monument across from Hogle Zoo, but I'd never actually been to it. I still haven't. Ha! But now they have a village and visitors center there for people to learn about life as a Utah Pioneer.

We started out by taking the train around to the first stop- Brigham Young's Orchard Home.

You know, I've been to the Beehive house several times, and I've always said I would love to live there. Yeah. You can have it. I'd rather have the Orchard Home. Especially where it's located right now. It's goooorgeous! (but I didn't take any pictures d'oh!)

Then we went on to the Heber C Kimball home replica but they were setting up for a wedding. Still, it was quite lovely.  The little village across the street is where things started get interesting. First we ran into this guy.

My nephew asked him if he was from another time- to which he replied in the affirmative (Myself, I thought he looked like he belonged in an episode of Dr Who... but whatever).  He was selling miracles! My nephew was DYING to get one and I talked the guy from a dollar down to ninety cents- because that's all the cash I had other than a twenty and i sure as heck wasn't buying twenty bottles of "elixir." He was promised that he would run faster and jump higher when he drank it. Poor little soul. I think he honestly believes it. Shame that someday he'll lose that innocence and realize that the fanciful world around him isn't entirely real. :(

I tried to get my niece to sit for the barber- but she wasn't about to have that! The barber guy was really funny. And personally, I thought HE needed a barber more than the rest of us!

We took the kids to the Saddlery and they let them design their own leather swatch. 

I would have shelled out for a bracelet because I'm a doting aunt who has to buy the love of children she's related to- but no one asked.

We visited a teeny cabin that once housed nine people. Yikes. And I complained when I had to share a room as a seven year old! How spoiled am I?

In the back of the house we tried our hands uh.. feet? at some pioneer entertainment. Stilts. I got up on mine for like, 1/30th of a second.

Around the bend we found a little creek (not crick) where we panned for gold. Ugh. I'm such a purist. I wish they'd teach kids the difference between gold and fool's gold.

Not that I expect them to allow kids to walk off with real gold nuggets, but come on...

We also visited a mountain man camp and learned how to set a beaver trap.

I'm no avid supporter of PeTA, but seriously- animal traps are just wrong. Ugh.

We also visited an Indian Village (and I'm going to say Indian and not Native American because they themselves were calling themselves Indians and if they can do it- so can I! P.C.ness be damned!)

The kids got to bead their own arrowhead necklaces and visit a Navajo hogan. The young lady inside was very nice and answered all of our ridiculous questions. And she taught the kids how to grind corn.

There was also a landlocked replica of The Brooklyn and a miniature train.  We took a little jaunt around the pond.

 Then we walked off into the sunset.

My sister was the one behind the camera for most of the day- which is why there is only one picture of her here. But that one picture is proof that she was there!  For the few moments I had control of the lenses I had to take the obligatory selfie.

You're Welcome.

Seriously, it was such an awesome day. And it didn't end there. We went to the City Creek Mall and the Disney store and ate connolis and mousse domes sigh... it was just wonderful! I miss them already and I think they should come visit me a lot more often!

My Lonliness is Killing Me

I honestly never thought my life would relate to a Britney Spears song- but it totally does, that line of it anyway. I feel like this loneliness is a disease that has developed in the last two years while living in Utah. I've never had it before. I don't like it. I have never been so without friends before in my life. I've always been surrounded by people.

I always had singles wards to go to, and activities and volleyball- sigh... volleyball... but here? nothing. (I was going to a co-worker's club for volleyball there for a while, but I was uninvited because I'm not good enough). I wish I could explain to you the anxiety of going to things alone and meeting new people gives me. Sure, it's easy for you to say, "Bakeshow, just go to a singles ward. Just go to activities. Just go to firesides."  I wish the solution was that simple. Seriously. The last time I made myself to alone to an activity- volleyball- I was so excited to play, but I cried all the way to American Fork because I was so scared to go alone. Turns out it was cancelled anyway and they didn't bother to update the calender. So I had my mental breakdown for no reason.

I've made myself go to firesides- but as soon as the final Amen is said- I hit the road. I can't stay around and pretend to be excited about meeting people that I have no desire to make the effort in getting to know. If I had a wing man- that would be different. But going alone to these things is really hard.

My Denver friends suggested I try the site meetup.com- where everyone is the new person and everyone is on the same, oh-crap-I-don't-know-anyone footing. But when I looked at it, all the groups for the Salt Lake area are either alcohol related, or anti-Mormon. Why? Because any activity around here involving people of my demographic- is organized by the wards.

And then today I have barely said three words to anyone. I go to church and sit alone. One or two people perhaps will say hello but nothing more. I've been in this ward almost two years and I only know like, five people's names. I come home as soon as the final Amen is said and sit at home. No one here talks to me either so I do what I can to entertain myself appropriately on a Sabbath afternoon.

I guess I'm just extra sad today because yesterday my sister and her kids were here and we had such a fun day and it was so busy and nice to be out and about and not sitting on my bed watching reruns of Robin Hood (which by the way, is a horrible show and the only reason I watch it is for Richard- because no matter how evil he is, he's still the most beautiful thing on screen).

But enough sadness for now. I'm just waiting for my sister to send me pictures so I can blog about our adventures yesterday! Yay! And by this time next week I'll be in Disneyland! So hooray for that!