A Very Rocky/Disney Birthday!

Hey everyone! I know it's been, like, a week since I've posted, but we've had a lot going on and, in my down time, I've wanted to just chill. I can't seem to relax. The stress and anxiety of the big changes that have taken place are really taking a toll on me. I've been having issues with sleep and my social anxiety is the highest it's ever been. That being said, keep in mind that I am going insane here. Back in Michigan, I was almost completely independent. The only thing I wasn't able to do was pay rent to anyone, but other than that, I took care of everything. I fed myself, worked, paid my bills, and drove everywhere and anywhere whenever I pleased. Here, it's different. I'm letting Patrick pay for small things because we know the next step (which is me saving what money I have left for bills so that I have something to work off of while I job hunt) could really go any way and we have no guarantee of when I will land a job. I'm also bored. Even with everything we've been doing, my life lacks schedule and routine, which kills me. Lately, I've been in a rut, and, for me, that means I'm losing control of my emotions. The biggest sign of that is that I have a really hard time remembering anything, like what day/date it is or what I did the previous day. I'm really hoping that getting back into blogging will help with that because it will force me to remember what I did by recalling events, even if that means I have to ask someone for help. It's better than nothing.

Alright, now that we've gotten through that intro, here comes the fun part! After a few "I'm not leaving this house, I'm going to nap on the floor and eat whatever I want" days, Patrick's birthday weekend started! I'm going to make this post as short and sweet as I can since so much happened, but the upside is that you get to scroll through a lot of fun pictures at the end! So, anyways, Patrick officially went on vacation starting last Wednesday, however, we didn't "do" anything until Friday. Friday we went to a local pub called Cameron's. The cool part about Cameron's is that they have the world's ONLY Smoking Buses! When the smoking ban passed in California, Cameron, the owner, had English double decker buses brought on site. He then ripped out the insides and put in tables, chairs, and booths, and dubbed them "The Smoking Buses!" It was a really quick and easy to allow patrons to smoke in a sheltered, comfortable area. You can even bring your drinks/food out there, however, you have to order them inside first. Cameron's was really super neat and we had a wonderful time.

After Cameron's, I drove home, which was a big deal because I had to drive through some pretty big hills with a lot of sharp turns, in a car I've never driven before, at night, with no guard rails, and to top it all off I have really terrible night vision. However, though I knew Patrick was fine to drive, I wasn't comfortable because I knew if we had been pulled over, he would not have passed a Breathalyzer test. So I insisted on driving. We were both really proud of me when we got home.

Saturday was a Rocky day! The first and last Saturday of every month are dedicated to Rocky shows, but this time, Patrick didn't have to work because it was his birthday show. Early in the day we drove around, running little errands, stopping by Patrick's friend James' house to get Patrick's birthday present (a bacon-themed "Man Crate" from mancrates.com where James works) and stopping for lunch at Chipotle (which I've never had before. It was alright, but I still prefer Qdoba). Later, we got ready and headed out for Rocky! We didn't stay for the entire show, however. We were there long enough for Patrick to get up on stage, be spanked by myself and a lot of the cast as part of their tradition, and then he was surprised by his directors with a lap dance from a Disney princess, aka Jared, aka Riff Raff in full Riff Raff costume with a pink princess dress costume on top. Everyone thought it was hysterical.

Patrick was, I think, most excited about the tiny crow bar that came with his Man Crate.

Bacon themed! Unpoped bacon popcorn, already popped Bacon Ranch popcorn, two types of bacon jerky, bacon flavored sunflower seeds, and bacon peanut brittle (which was delicious)!

Chipotle!

Missing home, rocking that MSU shirt! 

Princess Riff Raff!

We said our goodbyes and headed off to Disneyland at 1am and rolled in around 6am. We got breakfast, parked, and headed straight to the park. We went ahead and got my annual pass (Thanks, Patrick! Sorry I ruined the surprise!), and then midday we checked into the hotel, napped, and then got ready for our fancy dinner at Carthay Circle. We stopped at Mad T for a bit before dinner, and then after we ate we headed to World of Color, which is a beautiful light/water show in DCA.

Breakfast at Denny's! Hot chocolate mmmmm :)

Yay, annual pass!

An entire Disney store dedicated to hats :)

Waiting in line to meet Tinkerbell and all of these little duckies were in the pond. Patrick thinks it's hysterical, but I just love birds and ducks and other little critters! I probably took about 20 pictures of the ducklings.

Fawn!

She was so super sweet. I love to see the little ones interacting with the characters. 

Patrick calls me Grumpy Cat because I have mastered the frown. Tink posed with me and we didn't even coordinate it!

Snow White! I was super excited to see her. She was my favorite princess when I was younger and we couldn't find her when we last visited the park!

Snow was actually standing in front of this gorgeous waterfall with statues of all of the characters from her movie. 

I like Tigger...

BUT I LOVE POOH!

Getting ready for dinner :)

Awesome dancers at Mad T in DCA! I wish Gabe (my best friend's brother) would do something like this, it would be so fun!

Something Patrick had never seen before in DCA, this was a suspended gymnast act! It was awesome!

\

The White Rabbit DJ plays while the band takes its break.

The Mad Hatter

The Mad Hatter & Doormouse

Alice!

World of Color!

The second day, we headed into San Clemente, which is one of the cities that Patrick has previously lived in. He's really trying to sell me on moving there, but I think I'll take my time in making that decision. I just moved! We spent the morning at the local mall, checking things out, having lunch, and making a candle. That's right, a candle! There was this awesome little candle shop in the mall where you could go in, choose your candle shape, color, scent, and decorations, and then make it yourself! It was probably the coolest thing that we did that day. Later, we had snacks and drinks on the pier and then dinner at Carbonara with Patrick's two very good friends, Jen and Fred, and headed back to the hotel. San Clemente is much more small-town than I thought it would be. Patrick stopped into almost every single shop down the streets we walked through to say hello to old friends!

Potted plant at the mall...

And me next to it, for a size reference!

Patrick's OCD made the candle making a little challenging, but we managed :)

Our lovely instructor, Dana, and the yummy-smelling selection of scented oils that go into the candles!

Our "love" candle. It smells so good, we can't wait to light it!

Drinks on the beach :)

Day three was more Disney, but we mostly spent the day in DCA. It was a really nice day, but we could both tell that we were getting worn out from so much activity and we, again, napped and headed back after resting for dinner and souvenir shopping. It was a really great weekend trip.

The new Lone Ranger train that sits outside the front of the park

The back of the train...

Anyone who is familiar with Disney parks knows that the creators and imagineers put "Hidden Mickeys" everywhere in the park. It's a fun game to look for them! My challenge given to me by Patrick was to find 5 on this trip by myself. Unfortunately, a cast member told us about this one, but I did end up finding 5 by myself!

Lining up to meet Mike Wazowski in front of the Monster's University setup

No detail is left undone in Disneyland. Just look at that varsity jacket!

And these bikes!

We even got to see Mr & Mrs Incredible! Here, she's high-fiving me while Patrick snaps a picture.

 Unfortunately, just as we were almost to the front of the line, they went on break, but I still got a hug from Mr. Incredible! This was taken just after he "kissed" me on the forehead. He even made the smoochy noise!

Again, no detail is left undone! Look at these awesome popsicle stick benches in A Bug's Land in DCA. 

Another Hidden Mickey while waiting in line for the Little Mermaid ride!

Even the chairs sport the mouse ears :)

"Buzz Lightyear!" is what I actually shouted when I saw him walking away to take his break. I was pointing and giggling. Hey, Disney brings out the kid in all of us!

Anna, if you're reading this, this one's for you! They were also about to go on break so they stopped the line where it was, but I managed to get a shot of these two goofballs for you :)

Pineapple Dole Whip! Something I insisted on so that I could get a taste of home :) I miss my Han D Dip family!

The most exciting part of my day... Meeting Tim! Tim runs a blog on Tumblr (thedisneydifference.tumblr.com) and we knew that he was in the park because of his recent posts, so Patrick and I were keeping an eye out for him. We didn't see him the entire day, but as we were leaving the park, we both spotted him and shouted "IT'S THE DISNEY DIFFERENCE!" in unison. A little embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as the fact that the only reason I knew it was him was because I recognized the messenger bag he was carrying that he posted on Tumblr a few weeks ago. I have this weird habit where I only look at the ground when I walk (which is apparently a European habit, because Patrick does the same thing, but I caught on to it because of my Polish great grandmother and he caught on to it because of his Italian grandmother). Patrick, however, recognized him by his shorts, which I didn't realize until later when I remembered that Patrick announced to me that morning "The Disney Difference is in the park today, he just posted a picture. Look for a pair of red shorts." He may not be a super celebrity, but it was still really awesome to meet him! He's Tumblr-famous, to me, and Patrick and I love his blog! Tim, if you're reading this, thanks for being so sweet! 

When we got home, I spent the day cleaning the kitchen, which I've been wanting to do for a week or so now, and then we relaxed. Starting today, Patrick and I are going to be eating pescatarian (which is vegetarian, except you still allow yourself to eat fish) for a short time. We both agree that we could use a good cleansing and that we've been eating a lot of junk lately. Now that all of the big events have calmed down, I can finally start settling into a routine! Thank goodness! Hopefully that will help with my memory. I miss you all and remember that I'm thinking of you! Just because I don't remember to text 30 different people each day doesn't mean that you aren't on my mind :)

Patrick, I'm so glad to have spent your birthday weekend with you and I hope you enjoyed it, I know I sure did! And thank you so much for everything you've been doing for me, from cooking, to making sure I'm doing alright, to doing everything in your power to ensure that I feel comfortable and at home here. You are the best and I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. Happy birthday, hunny!

P.S. Props to me for smashing an entire week into one short post with a lot of cool pictures, eh? I tried!