california – Page 3 – Redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

What an amazing treat! We had the opportunity to fly on the special Star Wars Transport to Disneyland from Alaska Airlines ⭐️

Not only did the porgs fly on the winglets but we also watched as the sun was rising .. absolutely amazing and we were completely geeking out ! So cool!

A huge thank you to @friendlikemisty for the heads up about the special plane ⭐️
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If you are wanting to try to find the plane to book your own “Star Wars” adventure, call Alaska and tell them the plane registration number is N538AS. You can find where it’s going next by using flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
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And if you book a @disneyland flight through @alaskaair then be on the lookout … you may be flying in this one of a kind plane ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out our reel below ⬇️

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Gathered thoughts

Reality Kick

April 12, 2024April 3, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

True that 🙌 Happy Friday!

American Girl Doll, california, Disneyland, family adventures, Review

American Girl Doll Store ~Los Angeles ~Review

April 8, 2024April 6, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

American girl just released their Disney Doll Collection and it was perfect timing with our trip to Disneyland. We knew we needed to plan a detour here to not only visit the flagship store but also to treat our little to some Disney Magic for her doll . She loved it all!

After checking out the whole store, she was able to narrow down her choices and pick a beautiful new Cinderella dress for her doll to wear for Disneyland ✨It was so much fun! Have you seen these sets? They are so beautiful and come with so many unique accessories. They are $55 each set and considering the quality and the accessories I feel like it’s a great deal . The dolls are $125 each but again such a great value for what you are getting!

Our little has been on her own agenda with wanting to visit all the @americangirlbrand stores when we travel and so Los Angeles ofcourse was on her list! The Los Angeles store is located in Westfield Century City and is absolutely beautiful! .The mall is in the heart of Los Angeles so grab coffee before driving there as traffic is almost always crazy. This past year we also visited the Nashville and Washington DC stores.

There are two floors ..the main floor is where the salon and shopping is . And the salon has ear piercing and hairstyles for both the girl and their doll. There is also pet pampering too!!

Check out our reel ⬇️

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The second floor is the cafe where you can have brunch, lunch or our favorite Teatime❤️

Have you visited the American Girl Doll store in Los Angeles? What did you think? We would love to hear your thoughts on it so comment below ⬇️

Disneyland, family adventures, Gathered thoughts

Teacups at Disneyland

April 7, 2024April 5, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “It’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
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One of the best rides…ever!

Disneyland, Money Saving, Starwars

Disney Photo Shoot Ideas for Senior Pics

April 2, 2024April 1, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

My son had his own personal photo shoot right in the middle of Galaxy’s Edge which was so cool!!

We were doing his Senior Trip @disneyland and knew we wanted some of his Senior pics taken there. Thanks to the amazing PhotoPass Photographers Team @disneyland that made that dream a reality. The Photographers were so creative and had lots of ideas to bring the pics to life! We loved how they stayed in character as they did the photoshoot.

Here are the details on the photopass⬇️

⭐️ It is part of the Genie ➕.. so for around $30 a day you get all day pics ,lightening lane on select attractions and audio tales from behind the scenes including fun facts of the park . Definitely the best value!

⭐️ Another option … for around $25 a day you can purchase the photo pass .

This is such a fun way to take special pics and either option is so affordable!!

Have you ever thought of taking special photos like this at Disney? Or have you? Let us know in the comments!

Check out the finished results ⬇️

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disney, Disneyland, Hotel, Review, travel

Pixar Place Hotel

March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

Pixar Place Hotel is only a few months old but is absolutely beautiful! . It opened in January 2024 and was originally the Paradise Pier Hotel.
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The hotel is full of art and sketches of some of your favorite Pixar characters. There are hidden Mickeys in the ceiling lights and hidden Pixar characters added to the floors .. so look up and down as you venture through on your way to the parks . There is also an “Up” inspired elevator .. so cool!

The Pixar Place Hotel is also one of the more affordable Disneyland Hotels so what’s not to like? Beautiful, fun and affordable! Oh and it has its own secret entrance into California Adventure..yay!!

Let us know if you have stayed here and your thoughts! Did you love the remodel into Pixar theme or miss the Paradise one?

disney, Disneyland, Gathered thoughts

Gathered Thoughts

March 22, 2023March 24, 2024 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

Good Friday & Easter –Why Both are important

“Unless there is Good Friday in your life , there can be no Easter Sunday ” -Fulton J.Sheen

Yesterday was Good Friday . It’s a somber day remembering the sacrifice that was made for all of us. I often want to fast forward and focus on the celebration part of Jesus’ Resurrection instead of sitting in the uncomfortable space of what took him to the cross and what he endured for my sake and yours.

We decided to watch the Passion of Christ as a family last night and oh my was it hard to watch. The movie starts with Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to God intensely asking him to take this cup from him but if not then his will be done. These moments of prayer are gut intrenched and brings you to your knees. These were the moments I would think any human part of Jesus knowing the sacrifice he would make asked for it to not be that way but still willing to do it if it was the Fathers will.

A few moments later , Jesus is betrayed and then arrested . As the disciples start to fight back , one of them cut off a guards ear . You see the guard in such agony and Jesus gently touches his ear and heals him in that moment. The other guards called to have him help them but all he could do was sit there in awe. I couldn’t help but to think about that scene . What was the guard feeling coming into the scene to arrest Jesus?How did he feel when his ear was cut off? What did he think when this man he came to arrest touched him and healed his ear? I wonder how that changed the guards life after that moment?

The progression to the cross begins and you see our Savior beat and spit on by his own people . We witnessed the scene where one of his disciples that walked with him ,denied him three times in a short time . We saw the dilemma of Pontius Pilot and the struggle he had with pleasing others and maintaining his position while also having the sound wisdom of his wife play against those.

Pilot commissions for Jesus to be disciplined to please the people but tells his guard to not bring death. The beating that came from the Roman Soldiers was difficult to watch .Those persecuting him wanting him to die and be crucified watched as the skin was tore from his back . We couldn’t help but turn away and stopped the movie at this point. It was so hard to watch .

One moment that really struck me through the movie was the way Jesus responded. He didn’t fight back,he didn’t ask his followers to fight ,he instead told them to put their weapons away, he didn’t curse or put them down and he didn’t try to run away or talk his way out of it . He willingly took it all.

I often think if I was living during that time , how would I have responded? Would I have been so caught up in the crowd cheering for his death? Would I have been a follower that loved him but when this time came deny him in front of others in fear of what they may do to me? Or would I have fought, trying to take on the whole world even though this was foretold ?

This weekend is way more then just celebrating .. it’s also about remembering all that his sacrifice was .

Hotel, Review, travel

Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina ⭐️ Family Review

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

We were excited to be visiting San Diego for the first time and knew we wanted to stay close to the water and close to Sea World. The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was an easy choice since it met both of our criteria.

We arrived later in the evening to check into our room. First impression …The hotel lobby was beautiful and welcoming. They had valets out when we pulled up as well as a luggage clerk on the ready .

The foyer was beautifully decorated, clean and welcoming.

At check in , they offered to upgrade us to a tower room with a marina view for a minimal cost. We considered it but asking more questions we realized it would not meet our needs so we declined. We then went over our details of the room we booked and at this point knew something was not right. It took quite awhile while the employee tried to work it out and then went to get a manager . When they returned , we were told the room we booked was not available that it was under renovation.

The manager offered us the tower room with a king bed and sleeper sofa or they could try to get the a room we booked together while we waited. We chose to wait to get the room ready so we would have the space we had planned on. We were exhausted from traveling and had already had a full day of adventures and were ready to just relax and swim.

After about 45min-1hour we went back to see the progress and the room was still not ready . At this point we were approaching 9 at night so we took the the first option the Manager Monica had offered us . It was a Tower room and she had a rollaway bed brought in as well.

She also offered us a room credit for breakfast for our whole family for the duration of our stay . She was amazing.She stayed calm and professional and tried to make the experience a good one despite all that had happened.

Upon entering the room we were quite surprised at the amount of space ! It fit us perfectly and had plenty of room even with a rollaway being brought in. I wish we would have asked to see it earlier vs waiting. It was more then enough space , clean and had stunning views.

Finally, we were ready to head to pool and relax a bit before bed .

Waking up the next day was breathtaking! The view of the Marina and the sun rise was spectacular and one of our favorite memories overall! It’s amazing at all the beautiful colors of the sky that God paints it.

We headed down to the breakfast buffet that was included with our stay ,courtesy of the manger. The event room was clean, well lit and nicely decorated. There was an assortment of fruit, muffins , cereal, bagels, as well as eggs, potatoes ,bacon and sausage . The waitstaff were all super friendly and attended all of our drink request. At one point in the meal, they came around with little shooters of fruity mock-tails to try which the kids loved!

This was our first experience with a Hyatt Hotel .The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was conveniently located to Sea World , a beautiful hotel and had stunning views. Overall, we would love to try this hotel again under normal circumstances. At the time we traveled,many airports were shut down and guest were over extending their stay which is why there were not as many options for the other available rooms. If you are looking to stay in San Diego then we would recommend this hotel . The Manager,Monica,went above and beyond to provide great customer service.

Update:We did contact the hotel as well as Costco travel to let them know what had happened and they graciously took care of us. I value companies that take responsibility and make it right. We are looking forward to staying at another Hyatt .

family adventures, travel

Carlsbad Beach 🏄

March 15, 2023March 15, 2023 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

Carlsbad beach is simply breathtaking 🌊

The view captured there was absolutely amazing!

There were surfers 🏄 riding the waves as the sun was setting which was so fun to watch.

The ocean was captivating as the tide started to move in and we couldn’t help but get caught by it as it came in. Such a beautiful moment ❤️ I wish we would have had a whole day here just to enjoy it .

family adventures, Review, travel

Family Tour of the USS MIDWAY

February 5, 2023March 2, 2023 redeemingbeautyfamilyadventures

One of our first places on our must see list in SanDiego,Ca was the Uss Midway . The Naval Aircraft carrier is bigger then life and is located in downtown San Diego at the Navy pier.

Finding parking was not the easiest . The parking in the Uss Midway parking lot is small but very affordable ( around 10$ a day) but hard to find. Thankfully we were able to drive around the block and find an open lot to park. The cost was around 30$ for the day .

Once parked, we looked for a Starbucks to grab coffee since it was almost Tea Time . Thankfully, right on our walking path to the pier there was a Starbucks . Yay!

The walk on the waterfront is beautiful! Just walking to the Uss Midway was a treat. It felt like a warm summer day at Christmas 🎄

The cost of the Uss Midway for our family of 5 was around 115$. More then we would normally pay for a Museum but now that we have done it .. we would do it again. It was well worth the money. Just to note ..active Military and law enforcement/ firefighters are free admission ….love this!

Upon boarding the ship, you are offered an audio device to wear around your neck or to use your own device. This allows you to hear more hands on experiences as well as sounds to bring the displays alive .

Once you walk into the ship , it is a visual overload. There is so much to see! Not quite sure where to start, we did the typical right to left plan.

One of the displays that we really enjoyed upon entering was being able to hear the biography of different heroes of the Midway.

One of our favorite finds was the used bookstore hidden behind a display. There were so many unique books in here! There were used and new books and some that can only be found there so it was so hard to choose!

We then climbed stairs to explore ( you will climb LOTS of stairs) . There was something to see everywhere we went. Amazing! Even our littles were so engaged in all the displays . Something about walking through a living history museum like the Uss Midway that is so exciting . Just being there makes it all come to life!

There were so many interactive displays that our whole family was able to try . So cool!!

We then headed to pick up our Uss Midway junior pilot activity sheet for the littles to earn their pilot wings. Kelly was great in helping us get started! Tip: This should be your first stop when you enter ship.

Another thing we loved about the Midway was most of the crew were volunteers! There were so many that had served in the Navy on other ships or in some way that just taking the time to thank them for the service and hear little tidbits of what they experienced was so much more then any history book could offer. Priceless❤️

We then headed to the flight deck to do the island tour and oh my was it amazing! Definitely want to experience this if you are going to visit.

The boss and mini chairs were fun to get pics in❤️

There is so much history here as you tour. You can’t help but learn a little while having fun.

On the flight deck there were so many helicopters and planes that we were able to walk in or sit in. The littles enjoyed being able to look at their own pace and explore.