As the Skywalker saga comes to an end this year, it made me think of how Star Wars has effected me in my life.

It started as something I watched with my dad, who's been an avid fan from the beginning, and bond with him to something that means so much more to me than I thought.

A big factor in that development was the year I spent at Disneyland working in Tomorrowland in Star Trader surrounded by Star Wars merchandise, fans, lore, characters and people that genuinely loved this story. (I have a funny story about cast members that portrayed both Darth Maul and Darth Vader but another time!!)
 
I learned and "trained to be a Jedi Knight" as I helped younglings and Padawans build lightsabers and tell them stories of the Jedi before them that had the same color saber or answered questions they had about various characters. It was truly then I think that I realized how much Star Wars meant to people and how magical it could be and it changed me too.
 
Yesterday I watched as "the circle [was] now complete[d]" and it left me in tears. Our beloved Rebel Princess and Resistance General Carrie Fisher left us too soon but the way they paid tribute to her is worthy of everything she built.

"A thousand generations of Jedi now live in you. The Force will be with you.....Always" Watching Rey, Poe, Finn, and the Resistance fight against the First Order against all odds is something to wonder and respect. The story completes in a perfect way and I truly hope all fans can come together after this  and rejoice in the amazing 40 year journey we've all taken together.

J.J. Abrams promised to surprise us, and that he did. Be sure you're paying attention to details  and see some of the subtle tributes he pays to the fans. Music cues also pay tribute to Jedi, Sith, and stories past which helped enhance the experience.

As for kids, I won't be taking my kids to see this in the theater ONLY BECAUSE  there are some older themes that I know my 7 and 5 year old will need explained and a theater is not the place to do that hahahaha So when it comes out we will do a big movie night so we can pause  and answer questions as needed 

As you go out and watch this conclusion, remember #MayTheShushBeWithYou as Mark Hamill himself posted on his Instagram. Let all enjoy this final chapter.

May The Force Be With You


Always.

So y'all know I love Star Wars. It's in my blood man!
 
The classic characters have always kept me interested and I've grown up knowing them. So when Disney announced they were doing Solo: An Origin Story...
 
I cringed.
 
Guys I love Disney, I love Star Wars. But this for some reason just felt wrong to do.

And as time went on and I saw trailers or promos for the movie, I still didn't get excited.
 
Then I saw it.

Now, for me, this wasn't as good as Rogue One. I liked it though. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I did like it!
 
It's got some humor that's a bit off color so might not want to take younger star pilots to see it. BUT if they can handle Guardians of the Galaxy, they can handle this movie as well.
 
The cast did an amazing job portraying the characters as we already know and love them while still being able to put their own spin on them. Donald Glover is pretty spot on with Lando and Alden Ehrenreich as Han is truly fun to watch.
 
I left the theater happy to have seen how my favorite "scruffy-lookin nerfherder" started out before he meets Luke and Obi Wan. I look forward to a few more of these stories!

"Something inside of me has always been there,
and now it's awake"
 
I am of course talking about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. You all know how much of a Star Wars fan I am, and how strong the Force is in my family. Or if you need reminding:

I have 6 lightsabers in my house: one for each family member and I, personally, have 2 heehee (it's only right considering I'm a Certified Jedi Knight after all) I've passed down the knowledge of the Force to my younglings and they seem to take it in stride and outdo me hahaha

Andrew and I got to go see Last Jedi this week before it released, which first off IS SO STINKING COOL! As we watched it, I couldn't help but wish we'd been able to bring the kids with us. We knew how much they'd love to see it! We'll just take them on a family date night sometime to see it.
 
The Last Jedi was so well written! Andrew and I kept quoting things or remarking on how well Rian Johnson spun his tale and kept so many of the best elements of Star Wars whilst adding more depth and complexities to these new characters. The relationships in this movie are just incredible. The effects are seamless. I mean really, if I didn't know they were special effects I wouldn't have known. They looked natural and made the First Order all that more formidable. The new planets we visited and got to know better were just stunning. At one point I leaned over to Andrew and said "Isn't this just so pretty!?" The cinematography was spectacular and I enjoyed seeing all of the new and wondrous things we hadn't seen in the galaxy yet.
 
The music!  Oh my heart the music! John Wiliams strikes again with his genius and mastery of sound! Andrew really enjoyed the use of NO SOUND in a few places and felt it added to the overall feel of the film.
 
Daisy Ridley shines in the film and as I watched it, it made me want to just jump up and follow whatever my heart said I needed to do! I cried more than a few tears to see my favorite princess-turned-General Leia Organa on screen for probably the last time. Her character has developed such depth and she's stronger than ever, broke my heart to know that we won't see her again.
 
The new characters of Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) were amazing! It felt like they had always been part of this story. Dern's characters shines as she finds her place among the Resistance, and Rose makes the perfect teammate for Finn as they go on their mission.

I will say one thing I LOVED about this movie: They put strong, powerful women at the front! AND Rian wrote that BEFORE all of the Hollywood drama surfaced! This just proved to me that there are good men out there that understand the power that women have AND how much young girls NEED to see powerful women as lead roles in movies. As our heroes strive to find the balance needed to fight the First Order, and Rey struggles to know "[her] place in all this" we go on an amazing
adventure worthy of the Jedi and Sith of the past.

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?? ;)

I don't know how many of you know exactly what today is, but I will tell you all now!

May the Fourth be with you!

I know. SOOO geeky but I do love me some old-school Star Wars ;) (not a fan of the newer ones) So to commemorate this holiday, here are some of MY personal favorite quotes:

"Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder!"

"Someone get this walking carpet out of my way"

"I find your lack of faith disturbing"

"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now. 
I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."

"That's great kid, don't get cocky!"

"C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.!
Han Solo: Never tell me the odds."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

"Obi-Wan has taught you well."

"I love you.
- I know."

So there's a few ;) 
Hope you all have a great May Fourth!! ;)

Yes friends, I'm working in Tomorrowland. And as much as I hate the outfits I'm gonna ROCK IT! Plus after a little bit of time I can switch lands! Fantasyland here I come!!

But here are some cool things about Tomorrowland:
We have a station called: "Build-your-own-lightsaber" (Oh yeah! I'm totally gonna make one peeps!)! We have a picture station where we put your face onto a classic (or new) Star Wars character. It's way cool! Plus in the Store Command (after Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters) we have tons of pins! And it's just fun!

Oh! And fun fact #1 in Star Trader (the store you have to exit Star Tours through): look up the bins and the number on one of them is 07171955. Anyone know that date?? Yeah that's the day the park opened ;)

Fun fact #2: On another bin in the same area has the number 07211969 This is the date of when the man walked on the moon! Cool huh?? They actually had monitors set up outside the Star Trader and broadcast Neil Armstrong walking on the moon! ;)

Just a little taste of some of what Tomorrowland holds and I hope y'all come see me!