Big Trouble on Big Thunder

Towards the end of day 1 at Disneyland, Jesse and I decided to ride Disney's fast moving train ride Big Thunder. This was probably the longest line we stood in (about 15 minutes) but I assured Jesse that it would be well worth it. We finally got on and began our adventure through the Old West. As we neared the finale of the ride we ascended a small mountain at a nearly 45 degree angle, and stopped. There was an announcement over the speakers that there was a small delay, but that we'd be back on track shortly. About 5 minutes later another announcement came over the speakers that the ride will have to be shut down and asked everyone in line to go. In the meantime Jesse and I were still stuck in the train near the top of the mountain. There were two gentlemen in front of us, I'd say from England, that we started talking with to help pass the time. They had asked if this was common. It wasn't. Finally a few staffers came by and started helping out people of the train. It was a little tricky since we were so high up, but they finally got everyone off. We then got a rare look at a Disneyland ride by walking through the highly detailed decor of the place. Then, to finally get out, we had to walk through the power plant. We entered into a door, went through a long hallway then got to see all the machinery used for the ride. It was pretty cool! I wished I had a camera with us to take a few pics at something I'll probably never see again. Once outside all the passengers went their merry way. I didn't think too much of it since we knew what was going on, but when we finally got back together with Melissa and the now awake Owen, I didn't realize to think that they had no idea what was going on. Melissa was near panic mode and was beginning to assume the worst. We had a happy reunion, was given 2 Fast Pass tickets for our inconvenience, then went on our way back to Space Mountain.

Dark Side Defeated -- for dummies.

I'll try to rewrite my last blog for the Star Wars impaired :)

At Disneyland about once an hour they have a fun event called the Jedi Academy. When it starts a few people dressed up as Jedis (the good guys that can use the Force) and go around asking for volunteers. Jesse was hesitant at first, but after some encouragement he stood up, made some noise, and got picked. Once all the kids were chosen they received a little Jedi cloak and a green lightsaber (sword). The main Jedi (a Jedi master) then began to teach all the kids how to use their lightsaber and a few moves.

After the training was over a few stormtroopers (bad guys dressed in black and white armor) came in while in the background the Imperial March (Main theme from the movie The Empire Strikes back - the best of the Star Wars movies) began to play. The center stage began to rise up with smoke and lights. Darth Vader (the main bad guy in the Star Wars movies) stepped out and began to be menacing to all the Jedis. Then Darth Maul (the main bad guy from Star Wars Episode 1) also came out. The kids then lined up and had a chance to fight either Darth Vader or Darth Maul. Jesse was able to fight Vader. After everyone had a chance the bad guys ran away and the good guys celebrated! All the kids then got a certificate for completing the Jedi Academy and became Jedi Padawans (the lowest level of being a Jedi, Padawan > Knight > Master)

Jesse had a great time doing it, but honestly I was geeking out much more than he was. I had a silly grin on my face the whole time and wished they had something that cool when I was a kid.

Dark Side Defeated!

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

It was a dark time for the dark side. In a land known as the "Happiest Place on Earth" a group of young Jedi learners began to start their training as defenders of the galaxy. Among those was a young Jesse Sugden, a bright student who was unusually strong in the force.

After starting his lightsaber training in the Jedi academy from Master Windu, Jesse soon would have to put his lessons into practice. Stormtroopers entered into the academy and were soon accompanied by none other than the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. Vader had a surprise of his own by bringing another Sith Lord Darth Maul. The two menances began taunting the Jedi's and invited the younglings to join them.

Not wanting to join them, Jesse drew out his lightsaber and defended himself then attacked Darth Vader. Realizing that Vader had met his match he and Darth Maul left in defeat. Young Jesse and the other younglings proved their valor and became Jedi Padawans.

Saddest Birthday Song Ever

Owen's Birthday was on Monday and we just had a little family party for him. Little did we know that our big tough guy really really really doesn't like the Birthday song.

Vomit at the Virgin River!

Day 2 of our vacation had us waking up at our hotel in Mesquite, Nevada at a fairly normal time without any incident. Melissa and I slept in a small squishy bed, Jesse had his own bed and Owen was in his travel playpen. We met with Judy Winchester, Melissa's family friend from forever ago, at the breakfast buffet in the casino. This would mark the beginning of way too much food consumption on our vacation. The food was fairly tasty and we all ate our fill. The boys really stocked up on their favorite food watermelon. After breakfast was over I took the boys back to the room to get dressed for a quick dip in the pool before we headed over to the Winchester home. Once we all got to the pool I noticed that it was not your typical pool. I've never been in a more briny chlorinated cesspool in all my days. The water had a super nasty taste to it, which made water from the ocean seem sweet by comparison. We played in it for about half an hour when Jesse accidentally swallowed a bit of it. He reacted by returning all of the morning's meal back into the pool in a steady stream of puke. I was horrified at the sight but more worried about Jesse's well being. In the meantime the life guard had cleared out the pool and instructed us to get out and keep an eye out on Jesse. I'm glad we finally left as that was just a poor place to swim in to begin with. We got back to the hotel room, scraped the brine and chlorine from our bodies, and got ready. More than likely the hotel just had the pool filtered for a few hours, added more chlorine, and called it good. I don't think we'll be going back into those waters...

Back from vacation

Last Saturday we returned from a week long vacation we took to Nevada, Arizona and California. The highlight of the trip was the three days we spent at Disneyland. It was way fun and I was amazed at how much technology that place has compared to our local amusement park Lagoon. Overall we all had a great time and I'll try to highlight some of our more interesting events when possible.