Archive for April, 2010
11 Apr
Appreciation fail
It’s the little things that make a big difference in a marriage. Often, they go unnoticed, but I am trying to do a better job of showing my appreciation.
Bryan hand-washes (two!) to-go cups of coffee everyday without complaint. He upgraded my cell phone plan to include unlimited texting. And, most recently, he plugged the holes on the valve boxes throughout our yard. Of all of the things he does for me, this means the most.
I have an unnatural and totally overblown fear of snakes. I KNOW it is unreasonable, the mere thought of a garter snake keeps me on the concrete for weeks. Thanks to the waterway in our backyard, we seem to have an overabundance of unwanted visitors.
After listening to me grouse pretty constantly last year, Bryan put down snake repellent. However, he put it on the perimeter of the yard, which, if you think about it, really only keeps the snakes we have IN the yard. And, do you know where the snakes in our yard love to hang out? Sprinkler system valve boxes.
So, I was thrilled to see Bryan’s creative solution. I was completely relieved . . . but only for a few moments. Now, I have no idea where those beasts are hiding.
So, while I contemplate what’s rustling the bushes over there, I’ll make good use of my new texting package. Thanks, Bry!
9 Apr
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
When we started to plan our trip to Disneyland, I asked our friends what we shouldn’t miss. Alisa and Melissa insisted the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique—a “beauty salon where little girls are magically transformed into little princesses”—had to be at the top of our list. The boutique is owned by Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother and operated by Fairy Godmothers-in-training.
I was a bit disappointed Olivia missed the cutoff age of three, but as my fellow first-born friend Alisa noted, “That’s what she gets for being born second.”
So, early that Thursday morning, we pulled out the Cinderella costume and Ava and I headed into the park. A godmother-in-training whisked her over to a salon chair and began task of piling her short blond bob into a neat little bun on the very top of her head. (Ava had the choice of three hairstyles, and I held my breath until she passed up the “Miley Cyrus,” opting instead for the “Classical Princess.”)
While one godmother worked on her hair, another painted her nails a sparkly pink.
They used–and this is a conservative estimate–a half cup of gel in Ava’s hair. See that glob on the godmother’s hand? That was for ONE SECTION.
Ava picked out a blue and silver ring, telling the godmother that her “favorite finger” was actually her thumb. News to me!
A can and half of hairspray provided the foundation for a good sprinkling of fairy dust.
As Ava made a wish, the godmother said the magic words. A twinkling mirror appeared to reveal the newly-minted princess.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!
As we walked through the park that day, staff members stopped to greet Ava with, “Thank you so much for visiting the kingdom today, Your Highness.”
Life back in Kansas as a commoner has been a bit of an adjustment!
5 Apr
Tinkerbell!
Meeting Tinkerbell was on the top of Ava’s Disney to-do list. She’s been a big fan for quite a while, even dressing as Tinkerbell last Halloween. She insisted that we pack the costume my mom made for her, and she donned it the morning of our first full day in the park.
We arrived at the entrance to Pixie Hollow relatively early that morning, and there wasn’t even a hint of a line. So, when Ava wanted to take time for a bit of face painting, I didn’t argue.
It was at this point that I realized I had been looking at the exit to Pixie Hollow—not the entrance—which explained the lack of a line.
As we made our way around to the entrance, we found a line filled with toddlers and preschoolers that appeared to be at least 2.5 miles long. (Disney has mastered the queue–Bryan and I debated if queuing was an art or a science, but either way, there must be a significant amount of research that goes into how people determine that 75 minutes is indeed a reasonable amount of time to meet a fairy.)
I don’t have any photos of the wait, mostly because I spent the entire time trying to prevent Olivia from ingesting the hand sanitizer provided at every turn in the queue. She had disinfected every inch of exposed skin she could find, not stopping at her own. (By the way, Doug bestowed the nickname Stinkerbell on Liv this weekend–pretty appropriate, don’t you think?)
After almost an hour and a half, we reached the first fairy in Pixie Hollow. None of us could remember her name, but the mere sight of a Disney character made us feel as though we were making some progress. The girls hugged her in celebration.
By the time we rounded the next bend, Olivia could hardly contain herself. When she caught site of Tinkerbell, we literally had to hold her back so she didn’t crash through the rest of the people in line.
Finally!
In the end, Olivia was too shy to commit to a hug. Ava, on the other hand, would have listed to Tinkerbell preen over her costume all day.
Olivia warmed up just as we were ready to move on and allow the 1,200 people behind us a chance to meet Tinkerbell.
Ava, who had been on the lookout for pixie dust all morning, received just enough from Tinkerbell to find herself on Cloud 9 the rest of the day.
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