Character Breakfast at Makahiki

Anyone who knows me, knows I love food. The other thing I love are Disney characters. So you know I'm like a kid at Christmas when the two are combined. The first morning of my trip, I scheduled a Character Breakfast. My mascot, Stitch, joined me as well.

The breakfast was similar to other Disney breakfasts, but they also had local favorites. I was determined to eat as much fresh pineapple as I could. When I saw what they did to the bananas and Goldfish crackers, I thought, "Why haven't I thought of that?"

So, now the embarrassing part...for me. See that lovely Mimosa?
 

Well, I saw that Minnie and Pluto were making their way over to my table for pictures. I got so excited to hug Minnie, I knocked over my Mimosa and broke the Champagne flute on the floor. You would think I'm three, not fifty three. Minnie giggled, and a nice Cast Member came over quickly to clean up my mess.

 To make your reservations for the Character Breakfast at Makahiki, click here:

https://www.disneyaulani.com/dining/table-service/makahiki-buffet/

It's All About the Status

If you do any amount of travel, you know how important it is to achieve and maintain your status. Not in society, however that can be argued, but with your frequent flyer program. Mine is with Delta and its SkyMiles Medallion program.

This has happened to me before, so I am used to it. Around mid-December, I was on my last scheduled trip. When I checked my SkyMiles status with Delta, I discovered I was $32 and 2 segments (a round trip) short of reaching my 2017 member status. Crud! So while I was in Colorado Springs, I booked a quick, turn-around trip from MSP to ORD and back.

Now a few years ago when I did this, what started out as a short trip turned into a nightmare due to weather delays. However, I was confident that this time would be different since I knocked on my head for good luck.

So I flew out to Chicago with no problems. I didn't book the immediate return flight just in case of any delays. I tried to catch an earlier flight, but I was too cheap to pay the $50 to fly standby. Instead, I just hung out in the SkyClub Lounge and had coffee and something to eat. They had grits there!

As I was looking out the window, reading my Star Wars Catalyst - A Rogue One book (I highly recommend it!), I glanced out the window and saw a Star Wars BB-8 ANA jet! It was unexpected. And while I wanted to fly and see a C-3PO jet, I was happy to have seen this one. I then hopped on my flight back to MSP and scored my 2017 frequent flyer status. All in all, it was a very successful and fulfilling day. It was a nice way to end 2016.

Star Wars and the Power of Costume

One of my good friends decided to surprise me and treated me to a day that will live on in Galactic history. We went to see the Star Wars and the Power of Costume exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (DAM). It was brilliant! I've gone to other Star Wars exhibits in the past, but there were so many costumes I hadn't seen as well as behind the scenes stories and artwork. It truly was an amazing day.

The collection spanned costumes from Episode I all the way through Episode VI.

We learned about symbols representing Auerbesh and Naboo languages, and saw the different types of fabrics that were used to make the elaborate costumes. They even had some beloved and recognizable characters on display. (Not me).

 

It's one of those exhibits where you can go many times and see something new every time. I sure I can see it again! If you have the chance, add this to you bucket list you must. Yes, mmmm!

To learn more details about the exhibit, click here.

My Favorite Dream

Probably a lesser-known Disney character that is still one I hold dearly is the Golden (or Singing) Harp from Disney's Fun and Fancy Free, the 1947 animation 'package' features, which was a collection of shorts. The big piece of trivia from this movie is it the last time Walt Disney himself would voice Mickey Mouse.

A few years ago, a few dear friends gave me the Walt Disney Classics Collection version of the Golden Harp. I just love her!

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine at Disneyland told me about pieces of his artwork that are being sold. When I saw his version of the Golden Harp, I knew I had found the backdrop to match the WDCC piece!

Star Wars Socks

I was at Nordstrom in Chicago when I found these must-have socks! I bought these for me, and a pair of Chewbacca socks for a friend. Now I want the 'location' socks you see in the background!

Click here to go find more socks!

Hot Dog! (Or a Hot Italian Beef)

Anyone who travels to Chicago knows there are many staples you must eat when you're in Chi-Town. One of those is Portillo's. I'm always up for a hot Italian beef. Mmmm.

On this trip as I was driving to our Chicago office, I just about caused a traffic accident when I discovered they opened a Portillo's blocks away from our office! I was more than elated! I'm in heaven!!!

Click here to learn more about Portillo's, and click here to see a menu!

Lost Stars

I just finished reading, 'Lost Stars', by Claudia Gray. Don't let the category of 'Young Adult Novel' scare you away from reading this. It was a great read!

The only downside I had without giving anything away, is I was expecting a cliff-hanger. I wasn't prepared for how much of a cliff-hanger with which I was left. Good thing I'm ready to read the next book! You can find the book here.

Anyway, only the die-hard geeks will understand what I found amusing. Don't worry. There's nothing here that will spoil anything.