Guys I just realized I never blogged about our latest Disneyland trip! WHAT?!?!?!?! Who even am I now? Don't worry, it is now fixed!!
 
We had so much fun but I will admit that the weather was a real downer when we went. It was randomly super nasty humid, we were all sweaty before we even got on the tram people!

​BUT it was a lot of fun hanging out with our little family, my family and even part of my extended Bowler family!

One super highlight of the trip was Rory deciding she wanted to do Jedi Training! I was one super proud mama!! When they initially said who was gonna fight whom, she was in the line to fight The Seventh Sister (from Star Wars Rebels) but halfway through the lines, Darth Vader came down so she got to fight the ultimate Sith Lord! When she saw him walking down her eyes got so big! But she went up to him and fought him so well! I definitely teared up a bunch cuz yeah, I'm THAT Star Wars mom hahaha

​Immediately after that, Jade begged me for a lightsaber like her sisters, so she and I went and built her a lightsaber that lights up and makes noise! Yeah, I only a little regret anything hahaha

​We were exhausted by about 7 each night so we would go home a little early but get to bed and get to decompress a little.

​Food highlights:
CAFE ORLEANS will probably always be my favorite hahaha can't beat that Monte Cristo sammich friends. The Grey Stuff from Red Rose Taverne is ALLLL of the heart eye emojis! Redd's Apple Freeze in DCA is amazing! (honestly, I love the regular frozen apple juice too, but holy cow!)

This trip was one for the books and we loved it so much!! I'm already planning the next trip whenever we can go again haha Jade wants to do Jedi Training now too and Rory's begging to do it again so that's a definite must for any kid that likes Star Wars! Rory'd been begging to go back on Big Thunder Railroad which is now her favorite ride just like her Daddy.

So who's up for sponsoring another trip for me?? ;)

Last week we went on our family vacation to Disneyland, my favorite place of course, and I shared most of our adventures on my InstaStories! If you don't already follow me,  you really kinda should cuz I'm hilarious haha
 
SO! I wanted to show you the Disneyland swag we were sporting while we visited the parks!
 
First up I painted these shoes to help make the girls' Minnie Disneybounds (aka, dressing up but not in a costume) more authentic and look perfect!

shoes/paint
 
Initially I thought I would just buy yellow shoes for them but to be honest, kids shoes are so expensive and I was able to make these at a fraction of what already-yellow shoes would cost. I got their dresses from Alyx who used to do a children's clothing boutique! The shirts and leggings are from Children's Place!

We also got the AMAZING opportunity to work with Magic on Main and we got some super cute stuff!!

The bracelet was ALLLLLL the heart eye emojis guys! If you're relatively new to the blog, I had the privilege of working at Disneyland for a year as a college internship in 2010. I worked in the stores in Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and ToonTown. I also was a hat writer for a few months of that time (writing names on hats was literally the BEST!) Tomorrowland though is my "homeland" I was trained and learned the ways of the Force there so it holds a very very special place in my heart and I rarely see anything celebrating this spot of Disneyland.

So as soon as I saw that bracelet, I HAD to have it! The girls were more than excited for their pink princess shirts! "After all, if you dream a thing more than once it's sure to come true"  (points if you know which movie that's from!)

I got some other amazing Disney bling from another shop on Etsy that I fell in love with. These bracelets are so fun, easy to put on too! I will say though I somehow lost one of the charms for the Disney Parks themed one and I was super devastated! The stroller had gotten knocked over and the bracelets flew off! Luckily I found them but my one casualty was that charm :(

These ears have been so much fun!! I ordered these when the owner was still on the team for Fantasy Ears Co but she has now broken off to do her own shop: Castle Design Co! She's the sweetest and I have LOVED these! I got stopped so many times and asked about them!

This shirt was also super popular! The most I got asked about it was when I was sitting at Red Rose Taverne eating The Grey Stuff  (which by the way, IS totally delicious!!). I got this from Kind Hearts Vinyl and Decals!! She's so nice (and lives close by thank heavens!) and it's amazing quality!

Next time you're on the hunt for some good Disney gear, check out these AMAZING shops!!

​So remember how we went to Disneyland like 3 weeks ago??

​And I never mentioned it again? Hahaha consider it mentioned and documented now!
There are a TON of pictures, so prepare yourselves but they are all worth it I promise!
 
Rory met: Ariel (twice!), Cinderella (twice!), Snow White, Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana, Mickey,  Minnie (both Halloween Minnie and normal), Goofy, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Elsa, Anna, Pluto, Doc McStuffins, and Sofia the First!

Funny anecdote: the Rapunzel we met was the SAME Rapunzel we met last time we went and she and Flynn tried to steal Rory! Remember that picture?? Yeah it was adorable, no she didn't remember us and we couldn't really explain to her who we were or our connection to her cuz she can't break out of character (duh!) but it was super cool nonetheless!

And Jade really only met Ariel, Belle, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Cinderella when we ate at Ariel's Grotto, which by the way is TOTALLY worth the money and I honestly would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do it again!

Jade came alive at Disneyland! Her facial expressions were fabulous and she started talking and giggling! Rory was a crankface until she met people or went on a carousel hahaha She LOVED the carousels and I'm pretty sure she went on them cumulatively 20 times at least! If I could get her to sit in the stroller, she'd fall asleep finally and not be AS cranky but ya know, little sleep and LOTS of interaction is hard for little people ;)

So my mom and I went to Disneyland on Monday for about 8 hours, and we had a blast!


We had three goals:
- Little Mermaid ride
- Soarin Over California
- Star Tours
and we acheived them in about 3 hours hahahahaha
and then we had to figure out what to do!

So we mostly walked around just soaking in the magical atmosphere and of course went on Peter Pan and the train ;) BTW Star Tours was AMAZING!!! I loved it so much!! Still had the lovable cheese of the old ride, but with much better effects and the speeder actually moves like it should hahahaha ;)

We LOVED our hotel! I didn't take any pictures of it of course cuz we went straight to bed when we got back from the Park hahahahaha But we stayed in the Hilton Anaheim and got a breakfst buffet also. They did a deal where you could pay $10 extra for two breakfasts so we totally did!

And it was a TON of food! I was still stuffed all through our trip home!

Now a trip to Cali would not be complete without visiting Tito's Tacos in Culver City.

It's about an hour away form Anaheim but only 10 min from my grandparents' old house and they have the BEST bean and cheese burritos on the planet! And their chips and salsa - to die for! We also stopped by Diddy Riese in Westwood for their amazing cookies (only .35 each! And 3.75 a dozen!) But I didn't get a picture cuz I had t jump out and get our cookies and then jump back in the car (no parking hahahaha)

Overall, awesome trip and we had a blast! So glad we were able to get out of town and re-charge our batteries ;)

Ok so I have a talented friend out in South Africa named Chantelle.

She's a brilliant artist and just plain hilarious! When I worked at Disneyland, she drew a picture of me based on a picture I took at Disneyland:

And her rendition:

Isn't it awesome!? I love it!

So as Andrew and I were getting ready to get married, I asked Chantelle if she would be willing to do a drawing of us that we could put up in our house. She was more than happy to do it! This is the picture I gave her:

We took this at my birthday dinner. I told her that my hair was shorter now but that was the only difference, and so here's the finished product:

I absolutely love it! I'm gonna print it out on something nice and hang it up! I love displaying things from my friends in my home! Of course I'll post picutres later of it hanging up ;)

Oh and check out Chantelle's DevianArt page! It's amazing and I love her work!

Thank you so much C!

Ok so since my family and I are going next week, I'm making my top list of things to do at Disneyland!

- Indiana Jones: It's my absolute favorite ride. I mean of all time! Hence the hat on my head in this picture. I took this on Indy's 15th brithday at Disneyland when I worked there.
- Small World: Yes the song is annoying BUT now there's Disney characters inside the ride! Oh yeah, makes it worth it ;)
- Space Mountain: It's become a family tradition to get our pictureon Space Mountain. Not buying it of course, but at least going a couple times ;)
- Build-your-own lightsaber: Oh how I loathed thee when I worked there! But I might be building myself yet another lightsaber....making the grand total 3 hahahahaha I like Star Wars ok??
- Haunted Mansion: One of my other faves. I like it more when it's just the regular Haunted Mansion,
not all done up for Halloween/Christmas. I like either version but I prefer the original.
- Peter Pan: We took this on our way to class one morning and it's the only time when there's no line, but I wait regardless of how long it is ;) It's my favorite Fantasyland ride.
- Sleeping Beauty: I really really hope I see her again. She's my favorite and I rarely see her,
so it's a goal for me ;)
- Pin trading: My mom got me started when we went for my 21st birthday, and I've been hooked! I have a ton of pins now......a whole book 3/4 full and I can't wait to get more! Plus trading is just so fun!
- Picture taking: This is where my husband proposed and I'd like to get a picture of me and him standing here rather than my bro. Not that I don't love him too but ya know. I loved taking pictures with the PhotoPass people. They are so funny and creative, and nice. The service is free peeps, and you can view your photos for free and they can take pictures with your cameras too. So utilize them. I plan to ;)
- Visit Mickey: I mean, he is technically still my boss. So I should probably visit and say hi to him ;)
- Splash Mountain: I'm kinda bummed that this will be under refurb when we go but oh well. I like this ride, even after climbing all the way up there, and getting soaked, and getting that annoying song stuck in my head. This picture was taken my first time on it hahahahahaha see the terror?
- Morgan: I'm super excited to see my former roomie! She still works there and we're still good buddies, I'm excited to hopefully get to spend some time with her! She's also a PhotoPass photographer, so say hi if you see her!
- Fantasmic!: My favorite show!I love this so much! If you haven't seen it, youtube it and then go see it for real. It's 10x better in person!
- Tower of Terror: My husband doesn't particularly like this ride, but he's going with me whether he likes it or not mwahahahahaha!
- Turtle Talk with Crush: So hilarious!! If you loved Crush in the movie Finding Nemo, he's even better now. He comes swimming up and answers all your questions and fun stuff happens too! It's a must-see in the Animation Studios in DCA.
- Beast's Library: In this part of the Studio, you can discover who you are as a good guy or villain. I've gotten many different responses: Nala, Mushu, Lady, Ursula, Yzma, etc.
- Toy Story Mania: But only once. I can only stand in that freakishly long line one time! It's always like 45 minutes long......ugh......so once is good ;)
- World of Color: The new water show in DCA. It's amazing! All water, lights, and music. So good! Again, YouTube it then go see it for real!

So here's my list! I'm stoked to go for Spring Break (even though most of the state of Arizona is going that week) and I can't wait to see everyone!!

P.S. Another happy thing is I get to wear this all around the park for those 3 days:

Woot! Oh yeah and Andrew will be wearing one too ;)

Ok so I've been feeling very nostalgic and jealous of everyone that's gone to Disneyland in the past 4 months! I have been dying to go back and visit. I am feeling the definite need for some Mickey in my life hahahahaha ;)

So most of you know I did the Disney College Program from January to August 2010 in Disneyland and loved it! (well it was a love/hate relationship as with all jobs) So I want to relive some of those awesome memories with you ;) Ready?? OK:

The College Program official picture - can you see me???

I finally saw Sleeping Beauty after 8 months of working there! (and she's my favorite!)

My dad took this picture when my family came to visit. Those letters are now gone cuz of the new entrance being built at DCA (Disney California Adventure for those not cool enough to know the acronym hahahahaha)

I worked at the Grand Californian hotel for a pin event (it was huge!! And way fun cuz I'm a pin person)

This was when my family dropped me offin January. We got to stay in the Disneyland Hotel cuz of Cast Member discounts! And we ate at the character dining breakfast at the hotel (Goofy's kitchen)

One of the best parts was getting to be in the park with no guests around! This was taken after we toured the Fantasyland dark rides (Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad) My favorite thing was to walk around right before the park opened and just enjoy the music and to be able to not be jostled as you walked to your store to work.

The Partners Statue in the "Hub"

Inside the Dream Suite above Pirates of the Caribbean! Morgan and I were geeking out the entire time (and I might have cried a little bit....NBD)

My favorite Fantasyland ride is Peter Pan. The ONLY time this doesn't have a line is when the park is closed. Hence the picture ;)

Riding Space Mountain with the lights on!! Best, coolest, awesomest thing ever!

First time on Splash Mountain. Can ya tell by the terror on my face hahahahaha

Morgan and I liked to take pictures on rides. This would be on Big Thunder Railroad and yes, we are nuts ;)

Ok so my friend Chris (the white guy) had never been on Indiana Jones which is MY favorite ride of all time (I even loved it so much that I left my phone in it somewhere, luckily Indy found it and gave it back) so we dragged him on it and took a picture in the pitch black queue blinding us and everyone around us for a good 30 seconds hahahahahahahaha

Morgan and I bought the carmel apples in Critter Country cuz they were 50% off and were delicious! Yay for being Cast Members!!

Best part though was getting engaged at the park! Sunset in front of the castle. Yeah you can gasp and "Oooooh precious" cuz it was awesome!

This is where Andrew officially proposed but we forgot to get a picture of US there. But I figured a picture of me sufficed the need ;) It was mostly for my parents to see where it happened ;)

I can't wait to go visit in March!!! I've been having serious withdrawal issues of both Disneyland and my former roommate Morgan so I'm super excited to go visit both!! Woot!

Anyone have any special memories of Disneyland or just Disney in general to share??

(P.S. For more info on the Disney College Program go here For more of MY adventures go here And why I love Disney so much, go here)

**Emily Merkley let me just say thank you for kicking me in the butt to write again hahahahaha**

Well back home that is ;) And boy is it NICE!

I missed my bed, my cats, my family, homecooked meals hahahahaha. I'm so glad I went to Disneyland but I'm so glad to be back ;) Back in kindergarten with crazy kids, soon-to-be back at the Disney Store workin with crazy characters.

So I officially graduated from the Disney University with 2 Mousters degrees and a Duckterite. Yep, you can call me Duckter Bowler ;)

Proof of me graduating:

I was so happy Andrew got to come!! It made it all perfect ;)

My BFF Sally-Marie from the program ;)

I was very sad to leave my apartment though. I loved living on my own but soon I will be again ;) Of course we had to do a couple roommate pictures before we left now that Morgan has new rommates ;)

Such a fun experience.Thank you Morgan for dragging me out there ;)

Now that I'm home though, wedding stuff needs to actually start! AHHHH! So much to do and so little time.
Next on the list:
- flowers
- engagement pictures
- announcements
- dresses (bridesmaids)
- fabric (for ties)

At least for now. Of course the list goes on and on but it's exciting too ;) I couldn't be more happy ;) I get to marry my best friend and love of my life. Life doesn't get much better ;)

So remember how Andrew came this week (as in yesterday)? Well I was already super happy with just the fact that he was coming and we had so much fun! We spent all day together and I loved having him with me at Disneyland ;)

That was one dream come true right there.

Then last night at around 6, we were walking to Fantasyland and I wanted to go by the wishing well cuz there's less people to have to battle. But Andrew said "Nah let's just go this way instead" I was too happy to argue so up we went to go through the castle. We got to the bridge part and he stopped me right before we went through it.

He asked me "Do you remember your dream about this castle?"
I said, "Well I want to live in it."
He laughed and said "No no the other one."
I said I didn't remember what it was.
He said "Well let me remind you."
And he dropped to one knee and I started hyperventilating.
"Ali, will you marry me?"
"Yes yes yes!! Y-y-y-ye-e-e-es-s-s-s"
I yelled it and stuttered and he put the ring on my finger ;)
And he kissed me and hugged me right in front of the castle ;) ;)

Within minutes we had "Just Engaged" buttons called my mom, and texted people ;) Andrew was very cute and would hold out my left hand for people to see the ring ;)

I have not been this happy ever!!
I'm so excited and I haven't been able to stop smiling!
I love him so much and I can't wait to get married to him!!! ;)

Holy cow guys! 4 weeks left and then I get to come home forever!! Hahahahaha YAY!

This truly has been an amazing experience for me though. I mean, I got to work at Disneyland for 8 months. I got trained as a Jedi Knight, a Princess, and a Toon! How many people do you know that can say that? ;) I got to work with some crazy characters, met some amazing new friends that I will forever be in contact with. Learned how to be a hat writer and I love it!

Got to work inside the castle, which was a goal of mine. Will be riding Star Tours one last time before it goes down, Indiana Jones is still my favorite ride of all time ;) Fantasmic! is still my favorite show of all time. And I still get emotional when I see Mickey hahahaha (I think that's pretty good considering I've seen him in all kinds of ways hahaha)

I'm sad to be leaving my Disneyland family, but I'm excited to go home to MY family ;) And back to the school to work with kids again. And back to the Disney Store (cuz honestly, I can't NOT be a cast member now).

Only 4 weeks left!
Those 4 weeks include:
- Andrew coming to visit!!
- My Aunt, Uncle, and cousins coming to visit!
- The Ellsworths coming to visit!
- My family coming out for one last Disney hoorah!
- A semi-formal dance! (which I have to buy a dress for...)
- Work, work, and more work.
And finally:
- GRADUATION!!!!

It's gonna fly by! ;) ;)