The MultiPark Birthday Spectacular!

A good friend of mine was lucky enough to spend her birthday last year at Disneyland. This prompted me to jokingly ask Mr. Bear if we could do the same for my birthday this year. Proving he is the world's best bear, he not only said yes, he planned the most epic park-hopping birthday extravaganza ever!

Day 1: Vegas!

Blue Man Group!

Day 2: Still Vegas, baby!

Front row tickets to Phantom of The Opera at the Venetian!

Such a wonderful surprise on my actual birthday, he kept the show a secret until we actually arrived at the theater. Sneaky Mr. Bear...

Day 2: Universal Studios

It was raining that day, so we did all the indoor rides we liked over and over!

Day 3: Universal Studios

Luckily the next day was absolutely gorgeous and we did all the outdoor rides and the studio tour.

Day 4: DISNEYLAND!!!

Burlesque Minnie ears! So perfect.

Last time I was here, twenty years ago, the Indiana Jones ride was still in construction. It was nice to finally get to enjoy it!

We got to almost everything we wanted on our first day at Disneyland, and made a list of what we wanted to do the last day.

Day 5: California Adventureland!

Dug is a good dog. Don't tell Ponyo!

Mr. Bear won me a Dumbo and a Bullseye on the midway, and then I won him a Dumbo.

Other highlights included Turtle Talk with Crush(I can't believe Finding Nemo is ten years old!) and The Wonderful World of Color, which was the most incredible light and water show I've ever seen.

Day 6: Disneyland AND California Adventureland!

We spent the last of our three Disney days between the two parks, checking out everything we missed the first time around.

Boozin' it up at Ariel's Grotto, where the princesses come around to your table and take pictures. All the women playing the princesses were adorable.

And of course Belle is my favorite, being a bookish brunette.

The last day at Disneyland is always so sad, but we had an absolute blast and it made me feel full of childlike giddyness.

Day 7: Sea World!

A spectacular ending to the most amazing vacation and the most perfect birthday I could ever have imagined. By the end of the week our feet were killing us and we were dead tired, but it was so completely worth it.

It was amazing. I am soooo incredibly lucky to have such an incredible partner. I am so touched that he planned this entire vacation to make me happy. I am so ready to spend the rest of my life with this man.

A Winter in Review

Though the snow has melted now, we got dumped on a few times this year. I love the crist white contrast of the snow against the landscape, but the cold did keep me inside most of the winter, snuggled up with a bear and a corgi.

Welcome to our home!

Ponyo doesn't care for the snow either, and has to be coaxed out into it. She hates getting her paws wet.

Wedding preparations are nerve-wracking, but fun! We've been ordering and making decorations. The lanterns we will festoon the barn with arrived, and I told Mr. Bear we simply must assemble them all to see how they look en masse, to make sure there aren't any holes to fill, color-wise.

I think they look very fetching altogether, yes? After the wedding, I will create a chandelier out of them for the house.

Mr. Bear and I recently celebrated our anniversary(which one, you'll have to guess!) with a lovely dinner, a show, dessert, and gifts.

Such a handsome bear, writing a little love note. We left it in the
drawer of the little table we had dessert at in the restaurant.

Rice Krispie Bears for my Mr. Bear
made from my mother's vintage mold.

Flowers, chocolates, promises he intends to keep...

A silk handkerchief from WWII, given by
Air Force fellas to their gals back home.

With all the wind and cold we've been having, I find myself spending my time between classes wandering around the science building. If you take it in bits and pieces, it's almost like a Natural History/Art Museum.

Butterfly Display

Geology Display

Spiral Floor with Nautilus Mosaic Inlay

Had a lovely girls' night with my maid of honor, complete with silly beauty treatments. Seriously, if you've never heard of Curlformers and hate having to use heat on your hair to get curls, check these out!

Before

After