The Day After Christmas

I don't think it's a secret here that I absolutely LOVE Disneyland. I'm just happy that I grew up only 30 minutes away so I could visit the happiest place on earth whenever! We had the grand idea of hitting up Disneyland the day after Christmas, thinking that instead of being at the park people would be sleeping in and hanging with their families. When driving in to the parking lot we noticed "huh, there aren't many cars...so it probably isn't busy." Then we walked to the trams and also noticed the lack of people waiting, SCORE. We are so smart. 

Then we walked into Adventureland and the place was completely PACKED. There were Disneyland workers herding people along on the walking paths with their orange light up sticks. Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, which usually only takes about 15 minutes in line...our line had 5 switchbacks and we waited for an hour. It was crazy!!

After Pirates we hit up Haunted Mansion, Teacups, Storybook, then ended our night with Star Tours. When we hit the Teacups ride we barely fit into the dang cup, our knees were all stuffed together around the spinning wheel. The boys had our cup spinning at a ridiculous speed, getting off the ride I was soooo dizzy! Afterwards, when walking over to the Storybook ride we were shoulder to shoulder in a crowd that was moving at a snails pace. In all my years of going to Disneyland, I had NEVER seen it this crowded! Plus it didn't help that I was still getting over my dizziness from Teacups, I felt like I was on crack and drowning in a crowd of foreigners who didn't know English and didn't know how to read the Disney map. NOoooOOooooooo!

After an hour long wait for Star Tours, some churros, and becoming sufficiently nauseous while being rebel spys...we ended the night with snagging some pictures in front of the Christmas tree on Main Street. Even though it was an insanely busy day, we had a total blast racing from ride to ride and snacking on Disneyland classic treats as a family :)

My Blogger Date With Bree

I can't even express how absolutely STOKED I was to finally meet my blogger friend Bree Pair from The Thing About Joy. We have been going back and forth via blog comments, email, Instagram, and Twitter for over a year! She is a blogger from Houston, TX and I've been back and forth between California & Utah, so when she texted me that she would be at Disneyland for the weekend...I hopped to it and drove my bum down there! We hit up Earl of Sandwich {pretty delish} and talked about family, religion, life, blogging, and everything else in between for 3 and a half hours! We seriously talked like we had been best friends for years and we were just catching up after a long time apart. It is completely CRAZY how this blogging world works! We totally clicked & I couldn't have been more grateful to finally meet one of my good friends in real life :) 

Thanks for the awesome night Bree! <3

P.S. I'm wearing an Anthropologie romper in this pic...never would have guessed huh?!

a perfect d-land day

I just realized that I haven't posted any pictures from my California trip from almost two weeks ago!

That's what happens when school is about to start, I'm cleaning the house whilst figuring out not only my school & work schedule, but Ryan's too!

My brain is frazzled & I'm losin' it. 

Time for a Diet Coke?

I was uber bummed that Ryan couldn't come with me to Cali this time around, but he promised me next time to take me on another romantic Storybook ride at night.

{It's his favorite ride, random huh??}

But my brother Evan, offered to drive and go with me to Disneyland.

Sometimes I wonder how I'm so blessed with such an awesome family.

Seriously.

Evan made sure I was fed, he drove, and we hit up practically every ride!

It was such a good day for D-land.

It wasn't too flaming hot, there was hardly anyone in the park, and we got to do all the main rides!!

Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, the train, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr Toads Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and we got our favorite...

DISNEYLAND CHURROS.

Sooooo good 

Now that you have had a sufficient D-land picture overload, happy Friday :)

<3 Bri

The Story of Us: A Disneyland Newbie {Part 9}

On December 1st, 2010 we became Facebook official.

Gosh. Even the fact that we feel we have to do that is lame.

Anywho.

We drove the ten hours from Provo, UT ---> Corona, CA.

The whole time filled with conversation, movies, and hand holding.

Ryan & I get to Corona, CA at about 1am, where my family was still awake to greet us.

Ryan, even though he was exhausted from driving, is all peppy and excited to meet my family.
{He insisted on driving the WHOLE TEN HOURS. Now there's a man if I've ever seen one.}

I really didn't know how much I appreciated this until after the fact.

That I would be able to leave him in a room with practically anyone, and he would be able to not only hold his own, but make that person his bff five minutes later.

We hurried up to get some zzzzzz's and woke up the next day ready for Disneyland!
It was my first time touring the park with a D-land newbie, suffice it to say I  was pumped! 

His first ride on the Teacups!
Oh, and if it looks like he hardly had any hair.
It's cause he pretty much shaved all his hair off before Cali.
Without telling me.

I made him grow the faux hawk and scruffy beard back after the trip.

We ate at Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside the Pirates ride.

I was having fun trying to get Ryan smile "normal" for the camera, instead of one of those fake smiles that makes you look slightly ticked off in pictures.

 I win!

After spending the whole day & night with him, I started to realize that I have a lot of fun with him.
We are like two peas in a pod and get along swimmingly.


Best friend material?
No doubt.
Husband material?
I was still in denial.

We stayed at Disneyland all day, ate delicious Monte Cristos, rode all the classic rides, and watched the fireworks before we headed towards the tram to go home.
On the tram with his arm around me, my head buried in his shoulder, and the scent of his cologne in my nose.
I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I could get used to this...

<3 Bri 

Randomites

Random + Bites= Randomites!

1. I introduced myself on Life as Twiggy, she has a really cute blog and I'm excited that I've been able to swap sponsor with her! She had us write up a lil quip about ourselves and include our favorite picture.

Mine is below, I will buy it one of these days off of Etsy!

This lady draws and paints all the princesses! How cuuuuuuute.

{Wild & Free Etsy Shop}

2. I'm currently making flashcards for my Interior Design class on Quizlet. Seriously the best thing ever. I type in the flashcards, I can upload them to a Flashcards app on my phone, and on the computer they give you different ways to study/memorize them! 

3. I've just picked up "Once Upon a Time" again and have been watching it on the ABC site. 

It is so mega corny, but I really enjoy it. 

Then again I like anything fairytale-ish.

Hence the pictures above and my obsession with Disneyland.

4. I was in Winco a few days ago, about to grab my groceries head out, I'm walking out the grocery store when I see this little girl {about 4/5 years old} trailing behind her mom who is walking in.

I just came out of a job interview and was totally high on life. Lookin' good & feelin' good.

I walk past the little girl and look down and smile at her.

2 seconds later she does this half whisper/yell thing:

"Mom! She is so pretty!!"

Holy moly I smiled the whole rest of the night.

5. What would I do without Ryan? My internet is slow/doesn't work all night.
He comes home, looks at my computer, then at me.
"Bri, when is the last time you updated your computer?"
Uhhhhh

AND

6. If you go to BYU/are Mormon/know Mormons/know anything about Utah...you will get a kick out of the picture below.

{Seen @ BYU}

<3 Bri

A Fairytale Christmas

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disneyland.

I don't care how old I get, or how many times I've been there, it's always so magical.

Plus I still have this delusion of one day being Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel.

So the Grossman & Rios clan decided to hit up Disneyland on Christmas day after the opening and enjoying of presents.

Being from Southern California, you are able to gauge how busy the freeways will be at certain times and places, and when to go to Disneyland or not. 

Being so close to Disneyland {40 minutes}, it's not a big deal to drive all the way to Disneyland, only to turn around and hit up Newport or LA instead.

Coming into the Disneyland parking structure, we noticed that it wasn't that full.

SCORE, or so we thought...

But as soon as we hit the tram and they announced that all the: wheelchairs, lockers, and strollers were already rented out. 

We knew we were in trouble.

Regardless, we pressed on with our day. 

Rode the train all around the park, ate up at the French Market, and I coerced the boys into taking pictures with me.

We also hit up the newly re-done 'Star Tours' ride.

SO GOOD. It was the bomb! Highly recommended.

But, as always, don't ever eat before riding it. Motion sickness to the max.

We rode all the classics: Star Tours, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, the train, and finally Indiana Jones.

Ok, so here is a new tid-bit about Ryan.

He knows freaking everyone. Or so it feels like it.

We always run into some old friend of his in the most random of places, and Disneyland was no exception.

My family heads ahead of Ryan and I to get in the hour long wait for the Indiana Jones ride.

We start to head into the line when Ryan's face suddenly lights up and he starts attacking and hugging the random 'front of the line' guy dressed in the Indiana Jones-y attire.

Come to find out it's a guy he knew from his LDS mission from THREE YEARS AGO. 

WHAT THE HECK. 

The friend proceeded to laugh and say "Your family doesn't need to wait in line, get them up here!"

He gave us all fast-passes.

Muahahhahahaahahha! 

Pretty much straight to the front of the line, a whole 15 minute wait.

Now that's a Christmas miracle if I've ever heard of one ;)

The castle at nighttime. SO gorgeous!!!

What did you all do this Christmas? Any new traditions out there?

Hope you all had a good break!

<3 Bri

P.S. Stay tuned for a guest post from Amanda who pens at Little Tranquility!

A fun lil' questionnaire coming soon.