My 33rd Birthday Adventures

Okay. I really have to get up to date with the blogging. I have sooooo much to blog about it's not even funny. I'll try to recap the year fairly quickly, but before that I HAVE to blog about my amazing 33rd birthday trip.

So David said he was taking me on a surprise trip for my birthday and we left from Chicago after the Notre Dame vs. BYU game I posted about in my last post. He said it was a surprise trip, but I figured out beforehand where we were going. Not because I was trying to find out. I'm just very intuitive and I figured it out...well that and I ACCIDENTALLY saw an email in his inbox that we were flying into LAX and deduced from there.

Anyway, I was super excited regardless and we flew into LAX and drove down to the Anaheim Hilton on October 21st.

The next day, October 22nd, was my 33rd birthday! Hurray! Disneyland all day!

Here we are waiting for the shuttle. We got up early so we could get there before the park opens. I was very intent on taking the earlier shuttle.

Here we are inside!

And I got my birthday pin at guest relations and everything.

Waiting for the rope drop! Let me in! It's my birthday!

Panorama of the people waiting.

When the rope dropped we ran to Peter Pan first and walked right on. I hadn't been on Peter Pan in years because the line is always so long, but not when you are first and it's your birthday!

After Peter Pan I wanted to go straight to the Matterhorn while David got fastpasses for Star Tours, but he would have none of that. He INSISTED that we go get the fastpasses together and promptly started walking in the direction of the wishing well toward Tomorrowland. Little did I know that this is why he was so adamant that we go this way and go together...

Katie, my BFF (and her husband) had secretly flown into town from Utah to surprise me for my birthday at Disneyland! Now THIS was a real surprise as you can tell from the video and my tears! I did get surprised after all...and how! Best surprise ever. I never thought in a million years they would be there.

I guess Katie and David had been planning it since April. Best husband and best friend ever! Katie and David had been texting each other all morning so Katie and her husband could avoid being seen by me. I guess I didn't make it too easy for them and they ended up having to run and hide in bushes and things. Sorry! I was just so excited to get to Disneyland!

After the reunion and tears I was so excited I couldn't even contain myself! Katie and I hadn't been to Disneyland together in over 10 years. And we both LOVE Disneyland. Look at my face. Pure joy. We then ventured over to Alice in Wonderland, my favorite ride.

This has to be like my favorite picture of us ever. On my favorite ride, hubby's in the back seat, all smiles.

View from behind.

Katie gets a picture in front of this door every time she goes to Disneyland.

I still can't believe it.

Katie was so proud of herself. And deservedly so. She had pulled it off!

On our way to ride the Matterhorn.

Katie and her David (yes, we have been BF since forever and both ended up marrying Davids).

Perfect line up.

Katie and my David.

After that we headed over to California Adventure to get fastpasses for the new Cars ride.

Entering Radiator Springs. Exactly like the movie. Pretty amazing.

Lightening McQueen and me.

All the fastpasses for the ride were sold out (yes for the whole day and the park had hardly been open for an hour) so we just decided to wait in the 2 hour line.

It wasn't that bad because we just used the time to talk and catch up.

Finally one the ride. Still so happy!

A pic of our pic from the ride. Katie's hair!

After that we went on the Little Mermaid. All these rides were still being built last time I was there so it was fun to go on new rides!

We ventured back over to Disneyland for a very important date.

But first Mickey gave me a happy birthday greeting.

Another one of my surprises was that we got to go to the extremely exclusive Club 33 for lunch. Go to the link to learn more about Club 33 (which is extremely interesting if you ask me), but in a nut shell Club 33 is a 5 star restaurant Walt Disney had built exclusively for his friends and family. There are a very limited amount of memberships offered for the Club and it is not (and never has been) open to the public. In order to eat there or even enter the door you must be on the list or have a member call and make a reservation for you. This is how we got in. Katie has an old family friend that is a member. Katie had to call her up and ask her if she would call and make us a reservation. It's all very elite and exclusive.

I have never been to Club 33 before and had always wanted to go to Club 33 on my 33rd birthday because 33 is also my favorite number. It's been a wish of mine! And Katie made it happen! I was so excited and over the moon. I got to go to Club 33 on my 33rd birthday! Best day ever.

Here I am outside the very discretely marked door. It's just past the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square.

Ringing the doorbell to get let in. Very exclusive.

Here we are in the waiting area waiting to go up the old fashioned original elevator to our table.

So exciting.

Upstairs it is fun to look out the windows and wave to the people below.

Even the toilets in the bathroom are fancy.

Waiting in the other waiting area upstairs.

Getting hungry!

Finally at our table. I was all about taking my picture with all things "33".

The food is so good. You order your main course off the menu then hit up their salad and appetizer buffet while you wait. So good!

We all ordered the Chateaubriand (fancy name for filet mignon) because, well, you just have to order that there.

After the main course you get to go through the amazing dessert buffet. I was in heaven. Mini creme brulee! David was the most excited about the chocolate covered pumpkin pie on a stick. He just kept saying "It's pumpkin pie!" over and over again.

Club 33 on a sugar cookie.

In case you didn't know, it was my 33rd birthday, so they brought me this special birthday dessert too.

Yeah. I'm that special.

I was just a little bit excited...and sugar high.

Seriously the best ever. Best day. Best lunch. Best husband...

Best friend ever.

We had so much fun eating lunch. Seriously. It was such a good time. The highlight of the day for sure.

I was sad to leave the Club knowing I'd probably never be able to go ever again. It was so good. But it was so fun.

After lunch we did Disneyland stuff, like ride Pirates.

The Davids. That's what we call them.

Nice smile my David.

Playing around with the panorama feature on my camera can really conjure some hilarious results.

Back in California Adventure we went on Soarin' Over California and for some reason Katie thought she was a smaller aviator and didn't measure up to the height indicator on the seat and decided to use the safety strap that goes between your legs. It was a sore mistake, the results of which she felt immediately as you can deduce from the tears welling up in her eyes. The rest of us could. not. stop. laughing. Funniest things that happened all day. Seriously. So funny.

Later, the David's decided to go on the Grizzly River Run ride. We didn't want to risk getting soaked so we opted to do a selfie photo shoot instead.

Way better idea because the David's got soaked!

Back in Disneyland we continued to make dreams come true by letting Katie's David ride the Monorail for the first time.

I guess he's always wanted to ride it and Katie never lets him, so this time we all went. It's my David's favorite thing ever so we had to go.

One of our last rides was Splash Mountain, which I hate, but everyone else loves. Here is a pic of our pic. Click on it to glimps Katie's Splash Mountain face. She always makes that face on this ride for the picture! It was fun even though we all got wet.

Before the park closed we tried pulling the sword from the stone.

It was a no go. Just couldn't get it.

The parks closed early that night...BOO! But we had had an amazing day. We stopped at the Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel for dinner (best kept secret ever). The best corn chowder and bread.

We were all a little silly by then.

As you can see from these panoramic shots I took. I couldn't hold the camera still and was laughing so hard at the pictures.

It was seriously the best day ever. It went so fast, but was all so amazing. I can't thank David and Katie and her David enough for really making this the best birthday ever.

The next day we dropped Katie and David off at the OC airport so they could get home to their kiddies.

Until next time! I love all you guys!

David and I didn't leave California until that night was it? or the morning of the 24th? I can't remember. All I remember is that we had time to run down and see these cuties before we left.

What an amazing weekend. Thanks again for making my birthday so incredible. Seriously. The best.