Portland- Part 3

The Wedding!  

Jan and Kelly had a uniquely them wedding! I was so impressed.  It was sweet, funny, and a kick ass good time. Dalan and all the groomsman had known each other since high school or before.  They are some of the most hilarious guys you will ever meet, and we had a really fun time celebrating with them.  

Congrats to the bride and groom! We love you! 

Portland Part 2

Our second full day in Portland, we met up with Jason and Toya in order to explore the city. We went to Powell Books, Voodoo Donuts, Portlandia, Target, and to the Chinese Zen Gardens. The weather was beautiful and it was a blast to hang out with our friends all day.  

That evening was the rehearsal dinner for Jan and Kelly.  It was a lot of fun as well. 

Portland Part 1

Dalan and I flew out to Portland for Jan and Kelly's wedding. We got into Portland late Wednesday night, and had to run to Walgreens, because we left the phone chargers at home. We got up early the next morning, and after confirming that Jan and Kelly did not need our help, we decided to drive out to Tillamook Cheese Factory and the coast. It was a beautiful drive.  The leaves were all changing and it was a drizzly, but not rainy day. We had icecream for breakfast at the factory, and then went for a walk on the beach.  We drove to the Octupus Tree and a lighthouse.  We saw whales playing in the ocean. So magical. Later that evening, Dalan and the boys were off to dinner and a bachelor party, and Toya and I had dinner together. 

Quinn stayed with mom/Ali while we were gone. She had a blast.  

Dalan in 2006ish and now- 

Disneyland Comparisons and Final Thoughts

Comparisons 2012 and 2014 

Final thoughts- 

I think this trip went really well. 

I would have liked to find better "deals" on hotels and tickets, but those are not always available, especially when you are have to be picky about the dates. We also really like staying right across the street and within (short) walking distance of the park. So, in the end I don't feel like we over paid, I just like paying less. Ha ha! 

I think we did a decent job of getting more snacks this time as well as balancing Dalan's dietary needs. Food is another hard thing to balance. We had limited space in the car, plus only a small fridge in the hotel, but no one wants to eat out all the time or get stuck without a snack. 

I think buying most of Quinn's souvenirs and clothing ahead of time worked really well. She had new surprises throughout the trip, and never asked for anything in the park. This could change as she gets older, but it worked for us this trip  

I liked having two beach days and not stopping Vegas worked better for us. Quinn is a great traveller and just getting there and back works much better for us. 

Next time, I would do a character breakfast again, and I was thinking the Bippity Boppity Boutique, but maybe not, I wasn't too impressed with what I saw for the price. 

We also one day may just buy some season passes and make several trips down in a year. It would be fun to do that for a birthday gift for Quinn one year. We'll see. 

Disneyland, 2014-Day 7

PLAN- Drop Ali off at the airport, and drive home. 

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED- We got up super early, and finished packing the car. We had done a lot of it the day before.  We dropped Ali off on schedule, and then had to get gas. We were lead astray by Siri, and ended up driving in a circle and not finding a gas station. We eventually found one, but we wasted about 20-30 minutes, and I was nervous about morning LA traffic. 

We finally got on the road, and luckily avoided any real traffic problems. Dalan was driving, and was tired. We ended up stopping not too far out of LA to get some food, and switch drivers. 

The trip home was good. We ended up making a lot of stops for bathrooms, and to switch drivers. We were just work out from our fun week. 

Quinn watched two movies, instead of just one, but whatever gets you home, right?  Quinn and my mom also had a lot of fun in the back playing with Quinn's new Little Mermaid figurines. 

We actually made decent time coming home despite the slow start and all the pit stops. We were happy to see Piper, and to be home, but missed Disney and the beach!!!!!!

Disneyland, 2014- Day 6

PLAN- Hit all our favorite rides at both C.A. and Disneyland. 

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED- We started the morning bright and early at California Adventure. Ali had really wanted to ride California Screamin' but it had been closed down.  And Quinn really wanted to ride Ariel. Ha ha. That is really all she wanted to do. We spent the morning riding all our favorites at C.A.  It was fun!  

We decided to go over to Disney for a couple of rides and lunch. We ran into the Evil Queen. And she was EVIL. We got in a couple of rides, but the lines were long and it was the hottest day yet. So we are lunch and headed back to the hotel. 

On our way out, we ran into Ariel. Quinn was so excited, but got too nervous to even talk to her. Ariel was very sweet. 

In the afternoon, we caught a parade at California Adventure. Quinn loved the parades this trip. We also hit all the rides we could. Quinn met Flick. She loves Flick. 

After dinner, we went back to Disney. We rode more rides and got some souvenirs and ice cream. Quinn was not tired, so she got to ride Buzz Lightyear for the first time. We knew we had an early morning ahead of us, but still ended up staying pretty late. It was a fun, fun trip, and we didn't want it to end. We love Disney!  

UP TOMORROW- the drive home.