Lincoln City, OR Family Trip: Part 2

The morning of the second day Ken thought it would be fun to go pick sea shells on the beach at 6 AM.

 

Needless to say, the thought of waking up that early on vacation was not very appealing.

 

But we did it.

 

And I'm so glad we did!

 

We didn't score a lot of good sea shells, but being on the beach as the sun was rising was very peaceful.

 

Moral of the story? If you get the chance to go to the beach, suck it up and wake up early to explore.  You won't regret it.  Trust me.

 

 

 

Beautiful.

There was an island out in the ocean.  How cool is that!

The hubby.

I LOVE this picture.  The pockets of water in the hill laden sand were so cool to look at.  I also love the clouds in the water showing through.

This picture is one of my favorites.  I guess I'm a sucker for reflections because the clouds are sooo neat in the water!

This pocket of water was so deep! Over night, the ocean created this huge "lake" of sorts when the tide had come in.  You could have seriously swam in it.

Another view of the "lake".

Little bird feet in the sand.  Adorable.

Birds at the beach.  I also really loved the style of houses there.  All of them were beach-y looking and unique.

The waves and Ken.

My shadow and the waves.

I grew up in California and miss the fog.  Seeing it at the beach made me feel at home now that I live in Utah and we have fog once every 4 years. 

Lincoln City, OR Family Trip: Part 1

 

Recently I went on a family trip with my husband's family to Lincoln City, OR.

 

And I have fallen in love with Oregon's coast!

 

It is lovely!

 

This girl does NOT like the heat and so going on this trip was all sorts of fun for me.  I enjoy bundling up, the cold, fog, etc.  I was not built for Summer.  I was built for cold.

 

I hope you enjoy these installments of our trip!

 

 

 

First picture of the trip.  We drove in on a Sunday and walked down to the beach to explore.

I love seeing footprints in the sand.

Walking down.

I was in awe of how nature could make these consistent ripples in the sand. 

Tanner playing in the sand.

I love that my husband is growing out his beard.  He loves the show "Duck Dynasty" and I think he was inspired.

I love the way the clouds reflect in the water on the sand.

The ocean.  Beautiful.

Some spectacular cliffs.

The house we stayed at.

Our view from the house down to the beach.

Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

This cake is off the chain!

The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman and this girl sure knows what she's doing.  It is as delicious as it is impressive. 

It is filled with dense chocolate cake, fluffy whipped cream, delicious Nutella and strawberries.  In the culinary world, this hits a home run. 

I can't wait to make it the next time we have guests over.  Actually, who needs to have people over to make this? Make it for fun one night and ENJOY!

Happy baking!

Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake:
For the cake -
2 sticks butter
4 T. (heaping) cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. Nutella

For the strawberries-
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

For the whipped cream-
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 round baking pans with parchment, then spray the parchment with baking spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the cocoa and stir it until smooth.  Pour in boiling water, let mixture bubble up for about 20 seconds, then turn off and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together buttermilk, baking soda, eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and salt.  Stir in the hot chocolate mixture, stirring gently until it's halfway combined and less hot.  Pour in the buttermilk mixture and continue stirring till it's all combined. 

Pour batter evenly among pans and bake 17-20 minutes (I had to bake mine MUCH longer so keep that in mind and keep an eye on it till it's done).  Let cool completely. 

Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries by stirring them with the sugar and vanilla.  Let that sit for 15 minutes, then drain the excess juice off.

Whip the cream with the powdered sugar.

To assemble, lay one cake on a platter and using an offset spatula (if you have one) smear half the Nutella on top.  Layer with half whipped cream and then top with half the strawberries.  Repeat process.  Enjoy immediately.  This cake does not do well after 20 minutes sitting out.  My tip is to make it RIGHT before you serve it.  If there are leftovers then put it in the fridge as soon as possible and it should stay good for a day. 

* Cooks note - when putting the Nutella and whipped cream on the first layer don't spread it to the edges because when you put the second layer on it will smash everything out the sides, and we don't want that!

The Best Disneyland Resort Tips: Part 1 Travel

After I had posted many, many, MANY installments of our last Disneyland trip I promised to compile a post about my favorite tips and tricks for going to The Happiest Place on Earth.  I never did it though! Better late than never right?

This post will be broken down into smaller ones because I have a LOT to say about Disneyland. 

Let's start from the beginning shall we?

TRAVEL

You need to be able to get to Disneyland so you typically have 2 options.  You can either a) drive (yuck) or b) fly (yahoo!).  Either method will get you there and I have done both.  Truth be told? DRIVING SUCKS.  If there is any way to drain a vacation of some fun it's to sit in the car for 11 hours.  I know, I know.  All of you are thinking "but driving is way cheaper!".  Yes sirree it typically is but I have some tips and tricks to help you fly there on some what of a budget.  At the end of this section I will also mention an incredible website for great road trip ideas if you have to go that route.

Research wonderful credit card offers!
There are some AMAZING offers out there for points and sky miles.  Put in the research and look at different websites and see what they are going to give you if you apply.

Compare and contrast EVERYTHING you can
You need to compare and contrast MANY offers and websites to get the best deal.  Period.  Before your relaxing trip can begin you need to put in the work.  For me it literally was like a part-time job before our vacation. I won't even make a list of the websites I look at because there are so many.  You know what all the travel websites are.  Look at them and look at them often.

One thing I can say is that Delta tends to be a more expensive airline but sometimes you can find SMOKIN' deals.  They have the right to change their airline prices by the hour though and I have seen this happen.  For our last trip the Hubby and I found round trip tickets to Long Beach (which is about 25 minutes from Disneyland) from Salt Lake City for $177 ROUND TRIP.  That is insane! We waited too long though and missed out. 

If you know the dates you are traveling and spot a good deal then DON'T WAIT.  Book it right then.  The moral of the story is to research as much as you can to find the cheapest flight but when you find a good one, don't let it go. 

I also need to add that any time you fly you need to include your frequent flier number.  I don't fly Delta often but just by putting in my skymiles number from each previous flight I have taken I have about 7,000 skymiles.  That's equivalent to about $70 towards a flight! I think you need 10,000 skymiles to start redeeming but I have a good start for not much work.

Also keep in mind that there are two airports close to Disneyland.  There is Orange County SNA and Long Beach LGB.  Orange County is significantly larger and Long Beach is the tiniest airport I have ever flown  into.  Both are fine.  You may save money by flying into Long Beach but if you prefer larger planes and more security than definitely do Orange County.  Both are about the same distance away driving-wise from Disneyland.

Once you've arrived at the airport, for the love of all that is good on this green Earth do NOT take Super Shuttle, take a cab. 
Let me tell you a story.  On our last Disneyland trip I pre-booked Super Shuttle to come pick us up from the Long Beach Airport.  On their online form it asks when our arrival time was.  Once we arrived at the airport we found out that the airline lost one of our bags.  We had to put in a claim to have them deliver the luggage later on.  I walked outside to talk to the driver of Super Shuttle to let him know there would a slight delay and he told me we were already late.  Excuse me sir? Yes, LATE he said.  Because we had arrived after our flight ARRIVAL time I put in their online form he said he was going to leave us.  And that he did.  We were stuck at the airport with a piece of luggage lost and no way to get to Disneyland.  What a great way to start a vacation (said with major sarcasm)! Needless to say the driver from Super Shuttle was rude, the customer service hot line we called later on was very unhelpful and when we arrived to our hotel later on another couple we met in the lobby had also been abandoned by a Super Shuttle driver.  They have a bad reputation in general and I can see why it was earned. 

We ended up getting a credit from the airline to take a cab to our hotel.  There is a LONG line of cab drivers eager for your business right outside the airport.  Is it a little more expensive? Yes.  Is it beyond worth it.  YES.  Once in the car with the cab driver we were to our hotel within 25 minutes.  Take my advice and take a cab.  Amen.

If you HAVE to take a road trip to Disneyland make it as fun as you can
As I mentioned before, driving for 11 hours in a car to Disneyland is the worst.  However, there are some things you can do to make it more enjoyable.  Research some fun Disney websites like Merry Weather's Cottage (thanks Kathryn for letting me know about that site!) for great road trip ideas.  Here is also a list of my ideas for making your Disneyland road trip fun:

Listen to Disney music.  Listening and singing to those tunes will make you so excited to get there!

Stop at various gas stations and pick out snacks and drinks you've never tried before.  Hey, you've saved some money by driving, spend a little bit on something fun to eat and drink in the car! 

Clean your car before the trip.  I think too often people say they will just clean their car after their trip because it will get so dirty.  Big mistake.  Clean it before.  Who wants to sit in a dirty car hours upon hours? Clean it outside to inside and enjoy it on the trip.

Watch some Disney movies.  If you have any sort of portable DVD player definitely bring it so you can brush up on some details in some fantastic Disney movies.  My major recommendation is to purchase more obscure or older movies such as the Mr. Toad series or Dumbo.  The park and the rides will make so much more sense to you which will enable you to have a more enjoyable Disneyland vacation. 

Check-out some Disney themed books from the library.  Here in Utah we have a wonderful library system and recently I checked out a biography about Walt Disney.  It was HUGE so I didn't finish it but I recommend looking online and finding some fun Disney books to take with you to read in the car.  There are so many interesting facts about the parks, rides, Walt Disney, etc that are very informative and fun to read.  Amazon.com also has some great deals on Disney books.  Order a few and enjoy on the trip.  The more you know about all things Disney the more fun you'll have.  Trust me!  On our last trip we purchased "The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland".  It is a very fun read! You can get it on Amazon for about $5! Here is a link to it on Amazon.  I also highly recommend you get "Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's".  It is a wonderful guide book to almost all the hidden Mickey's hidden in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.  Click here for a link to it on Amazon.  This one runs about $6 on there.


* I hope you've enjoyed this first installment! In the coming days look for MANY more posts about my tips and tricks for traveling to the Disneyland Resort! *

Disney Trip Comes to a Close : The Final Chapter

 

 

Have you ever eaten at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in Disneyland? If you haven't you HAVE to go one day.  It has some of the best grub there.  It also has an amazing atmosphere.  It is completely decked out in Western decor and there is usually live entertainment performing as well.  I'm not doing a full review of it today because I didn't take a lot of pictures of the food but we are going in December so I will take lots of pictures then. 

 

Enjoy this last installment of our wonderful Disney trip!

 

 

 

 

Here is the desk where you sign in for dinner.

View of the restaurant.  I love that it is all outdoors, under canopies and you sit at picnic tables.  Makes it feel so much more Western.

This is across the way from the restaurant.  I just thought it was cool looking.

Dad enjoying the last day and dinner of our trip.  I love how relaxed he looks!

Towards the end of the trip my Mom was getting sick of me taking pics. 

Earlier I talked about how I collected the pressed coins at Disneyland.  Here is a close-up of what I was talking about.  I know I am a nerd but they are seriously so cool! Such a fun thing to collect and show to my kid's one day.  If you are interested in doing this on a future trip (I highly recommend) then ask for a map of all the coin presses in one of the stores.  We got one from a very nice man in the store across from Soarin' Over California and it helped a TONNN in finding the machines.

Cheers!

Cheers again! Lemonade always tastes better in a mason jar.  Especially lemonade in a mason jar AT Disneyland.  Now that's a triple threat.

My Mom wanted me to take a picture of the butter because it was so weird looking.

Ken gettin' down and dirty from the BBQ.

At Big Thunder Ranch BBQ everything is served family style, meaning that they just keep bringing out cornbread, coleslaw, ribs, sausage, chicken and beans as much as you like and you just pass it around the table to serve your plates up.  It's so much fun and DELICIOUS.  It's kind of pricey but my husband and I highly recommend it.

This picture makes me laugh.  We asked for some napkins and our waiter came out with a HUGE stack of these fabric feeling ones.  My Mom was in awe over the quality and feel and kept using them and kept telling us to use them.  I think she took the whole stack home! She thought they were the most amazing thing she's ever come across.  What can I say.  In this family we're easily amused.

You will get dirty if you eat at this place but it is sooo worth it! On a later post I am talking about all of my top tips at Disney and one of them is bringing a cheap pack of baby wipes whether or not you have children.  This restaurant is a good example of why.

After we ate at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ we headed over to Casey Jr. Circus Train.  Here is Ken being weird.

Standing in line for the ride admiring the BEAUTIFUL tree.

Amazing flowers.

View of Fantasyland and King Arthur's Carousel.

A Disney duck.

On the train enjoying the relaxing ride.

This ride is called Storybook Land Canal Boats and is fun to go on during the day but a million times better at night.  It has miniature scenes of famous Disney movies and I don't know about you but anything is cuter when it is small.  Small shampoos, small lotions, etc.  This was no exception! There is a guide that takes you through all the scenes and music drifts from the individual vignettes as well.  At night it is all lit up and looks so magical.  We rode this at the end of our first day at night and it was just the perfect cherry on top for the evening. 

King Arthur's Carousel.

One of my favorites! Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  We always laugh a ton on this one. 

Me trying to imitate Mr. Toad.

Here is a window display.  I wish I had taken more pics of the displays because they have some amazing ones and although this is cute there are much better ones there.

Above the display I noticed some fun details on the building.  Here is Smee from "Peter Pan"!

And Captain Hook.

And the crocodile!

This place was just plain adorable.  It is called "Bibbidi Bobbiti Boutique" and located in Fantasyland.  Little girls can go do things like pick out a princess dress, get glitter designs on their face, get their hair and nails done, etc.  Seriously cute, cute, cute.

If you're over in Fantasyland you also need to check out the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough.  You make your way through the castle and get to view some amazing interactive, unique window displays telling the story.  I can't even explain it but it is one of my favorite things to do in Disneyland.

Another picture of one of the window displays.

Having fun on Space Mountain!

Our last go on Peter Pan.  What a good note to end on!

One of my last views of the castle from the Fantasyland side.  This is one my favorite pictures I took the entire trip there.  I love the lighting at night.  So magical.

I had never noticed these before.  There are some pretty murals on each side as you walk through the castle.

Admiring a fun window display on the way out on Main St. to get our ice-cream.

Our last snack at Disneyland.  A tasty Gibson Girl ice-cream cone.  Why does ice-cream taste SOOO much better in Disneyland? One of life's big questions.  My Dad had looked forward to getting an ice-cream here the ENTIRE trip.  I'm so glad he finally got one.

Mom getting annoyed that I'm trying to take her picture.

A VERY tired looking Kellee.  I will have you know I finished off every last morsel of that Disney mint chocolate-chip ice-cream cone.  So delicious. 

What a WONDERFUL trip we had.  So many fun memories and new things to see.  I can honestly say that Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world.  Whenever we talk about vacations it is the only place I ever want to go.  My husband had never gone before he met me and we have the best time there.  It is a place where we laugh, sometimes cry (don't judge! World of Color and Fantasmic are beautiful!) and just have an all around fun and amazing time. 

I hope you enjoyed these installments of our Disney trip!

I will have another HUGE post broken down into installments when we make our journey there again in December.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for my best Disney tips and tricks post in the next few days. 

Have a good one!