#like id seen a pic of the fountain but no one said it was the whole town thats wild

[the-unofficial-village-idiot]

Hey, hey, it wasn't just the fountain. It was the whole town. The whole town is dedicated to Max. An entire town in Mexico dedicated to Max's memory. That's fucking wild and really sweet actually

[yuukei-yikes]

do you have any headcanons about harutaka's cat(s)?

i think they have 1 spoiled as hell cat and my only supporting reason for it is haruka falling in the fountain. listen if ur gonna introduce a character thru "he fell in the fountain bc he was so determined to pet a cat" i am GONNA give him a cat.

i think harukas dreams in life are 1. not die 2. have cat and when she's settled in with takane post str hes like moaning and sobbing about how much he loves cats and takanes like then lets get one lol we can afford it and harukas brain rewires like Holy shit i am an adult with my own place I CAN GET A CAT???? and its Awesome

i think. cat is subject to his paintings for a long time. i think their place has paintings of the cat bc haruka keeps painting it. i think thatd be funny. i also think hiyori visits a lot to see the cat and also bc she and haruka have a sibling thing going on (both feel responsible for konoha being gone sry i got so many feelings abt this)

as for takane i thought maybe she'd be like Dads and the pet they said they didnt want but no wayyyyy like shes ene... they fucking love that thang. takane and cat having same personality and harukas like Wow when one hisses at me i can just go cuddle with the other this is awesome

i also think kano has like 5 cats though and the number keeps growing. i love kano just being a cat lady. seto is always fostering dogs plus is always hanging out with animals. mary has a service dog. shintaro has his bunny and continues raising bunnies. what i am trying to say the pics of the dan gc are awesome.

hibiya complains about all the cat pictures 1 time and gets hated so bad he has to beg on his knees to be added back to the gc 💔 as for kidomomo i think kido would want a cat but momo is into small ugly dogs and they fight abt it. thoughts??? wait this was a harutaka ask.

um They have a cat idk man i think they treat it like an actual kid. id say haruka and takane never have kids bc Have you seen them but also ratio + konoha reborn as their kid BEST headcanon the fandom ever came up with like OUGGHHKONOHA GETTING AN ACTUAL CHANCE AT A NORMAL LIFE OUGGHH srry the way its always compared to a kid gets me man... and konoha as an actual silly kid... sniff sniff also i think older dan spmehow finding out its konoha irl for reals is so hilarious to me. like how did you even DO that. shintaro kinda knowing bc of past timelines rubbing his hands together like The reveal never gets old. a lotta ppl have designed kid konoha but i wanna make my own too and give it so much nonbinary epicness (holds head) wait why am i talking abt this. oh yeah i had a point harutaka projecting all their insecurities of omg we will never have kids lol!!!! *put cat in crib* anyway spoiled as hell cat.

sorry i kinda talked about 1 million things but whatever haruka and takane have a spoiled cat and its awesome

[2traveldads-blog]

By now you know how much fun we’ve had through the years in Disneyland, and now especially with our kids in the Parks.  Both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure are loaded with fun experiences, but it really is smart to prep for a visit to either spot.  California Adventure with kids is non-stop fun (and perfect for adults too!).

So you’re visiting the Disneyland Resort with the fam.  Awesome.  If you’ve only got one day, do Disneyland.  If you have two days or more, you’ll for sure have to spend time in California Adventure with kids.  It’s a really fascinating park highlighting the many aspects of California, but then it’s also totally Disney with seamless integration of everyone’s favorite characters and theming.  Here’s how we recommend approaching California Adventure with kids.

Priorities in California Adventure with kids

Just like we said with planning a day in Disneyland it’s helpful to plan and prioritize your time in California Adventure with kids.  You only have so much time in a day and California Adventure isn’t open for all of your waking hours.

Picking attractions for kids

We’ve found that California Adventure with kids is most fun when you start your time there with a totally realistic expectation about the types of rides you’ll get to do.  We were just there with a 5 and 2 year old, and although tall enough for almost everything, not everything was a good idea.  Example:  when we did the Cars 3 Premiere and had an exclusive chance to experience Cars Land with very few people, we took advantage and did Radiator Springs Racers with our oldest.  Apparently the speeds and overall racetrack experience was just beyond his enjoyment level.

Another thing to consider is that even the silliest rides are going to be more fun than you might expect.  As an adult riding a children’s ride I have to say that I always enjoy them, if nothing else but for the happiness of watching the kids have a blast.

Tip:  for the big ticket attractions, leverage the FASTPASS / MaxPass system and pay close attention to the time noted on the pass for when you’ll have another FASTPASS available.  This’ll help you prioritize and plan your day.

Planning for entertainment

California Adventure has a lot of entertainment options in terms of shows and parades.  Stage shows abound, which is actually super cool and also something to plan for.  On Buena Vista Street you’ll find jazz performers (including Mickey Mouse).  Within Hollywood Land there are superheroes on stage, or Frozen live in the Hyperion theater.  Paradise Pier is home to the World of Color as it overtakes the lagoon each night.

Note:  despite how much time we’ve spent at the Disneyland Resort over the years, we’ve never been able to catch the World of Color because we always prioritize other parades or fireworks over it, but we hear that it’s really incredible.

The entertainment highlight for us when we did California Adventure with kids was the Pixar Play Parade.  Showcasing the characters of Finding Nemo and Finding Dori, Toy Story movies, Monsters Inc, the Incredibles, and Cars films, this was right up our kids’ alley.  True, shows and parade change or leave and return to the Parks, but being aware of what’s available during your visit can really help you prioritize what you all want to experience.

viewing area for World of Color in Disney’s California Adventure

Parades and World of Color vs Disneyland shows

Like I said, we haven’t seen the World of Color yet, but this is why:  we always aim for the shows that could be cancelled if the weather turns.  If we have the chance to catch the fireworks in Disneyland because it’s not windy or raining, we’ll do that.  If Fantasmic is available due to the day of the week we’re there, we’ll pick that over a show that happens more frequently.  If there’s a limited engagement for a parade or a special event, that’ll take priority, such as the limited time return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

It’s all about prioritizing and what your family will enjoy more.  Our friend Erin, the Thrifty Travelista, provided some World of Color pics for us.  She digs the show and has us planning to catch it next time.

courtesy of The Thrifty Travelista

courtesy of The Thrifty Travelista

Family Guide to California Adventure with kids

We have hundreds of hours of experience in Disney’s California Adventure, so know that our tips are coming from that experience and not just what everybody else loves.  We like to enjoy the Park, not just do as much as we can as quickly as we can.

Hollywood Land

Over the years Hollywood Land has changed so much.  It’s a must visit when you do California Adventure with kids.  Hollywood Boulevard may not be that awesome to little ones, but there are great dining options along the way as well as cool attractions relating to animation and movie production.

The big ticket items in Hollywood Land are Monsters Inc and Hollywood Tower of… wait:  Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.  Monsters is fun if you’re a fan of the movie and kids LOVE it.  Guardians is a little different.  Just like the Tower of Terror was scary for it’s random elevator drops, Guardians is droppy and freaky, but now with all your favorite 80s hits!  It’s not one little kids are going to dig, but if you’ve got a tall child who’s brave, why not try it out.

The biggest hit for our family in Hollywood Land is Turtle Talk with Crush.  Who doesn’t love Finding Nemo?  So, you go into the theater and sit on the ground… and somehow or another Crush, the green see turtle, swims up and completely engages with the audience.  It’s weird and so cool!

Tip:  now that MaxPass has launched and Guardians: Mission Breakout is so new, it’d be worthwhile to get a pass for the attraction at the start of your California Adventure day.

Characters to meet

Kids who are into superheros are going to be super stoked in Hollywood Land.  From Spiderman to Captain America, Gamora from Guardians to Queen Elsa… because she’s kind of a superhero.  Also, there’s a great assortment of random other Disney friends to meet.

Bug Land

Bug Land is the spot that was, I’m sure, created with parents in mind.  The over-sized cloverleaf shade structures and the subtle bug sounds make it a parental paradise, and then the rides are pleasant and mostly silly.  The highlight though is definitely the 4-D show, It’s Tough to Be a Bug.  We won’t give away the bug farm, but it’s awesome and hilarious.

Tip:  Bug Land is a great escape on hot days.  There are some great oversized garden hose fountains for kids to play in.  FYI, shirt and shoes are required.

Characters to meet

There aren’t a ton, but Flick and Princess Atta both tend to pop in and out of Bug Land.  There are lots of hidden bug characters all around the area though, so that’s a fun thing to play Eye Spy for with kids.  Really, Bug Land is for the relaxing parent experience over anything else.

Cars Land

OMG.  Our favorite land to visit as a family.  We got to have a super special experience in Cars Land when we did the unforgettable Cars 3 Premiere.  That was the first time the kids had visited Radiator Springs and it was seriously cool.  There are three primary attractions in Cars Land:  Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, and Radiator Springs Racers.  The first two are great for any age, but the last, the Racers, is a big kid ride.  Our oldest was tall enough to ride, but the speed was a bit much for him.  He loved the slow parts and seeing his favorite Cars characters, but at the end was insistent that he didn’t like the ride because it was too fast.  Use your judgement.

Tip:  Flo’s V8 Cafe is some of our favorite dining in either of the Disney Parks.  Great selection for all kinds of tastes and even their allergen-free menu was great.

Characters to meet

No trip into Disney’s California Adventure with kids is complete without meeting Lightning McQueen or Mater.  Now there are even more Cars friends to meet, including Cruz Ramirez, Red and Jackson Storm.  We loved seeking out our favorite friends.

Note:  don’t touch the cars unless their cast member hosts say you can.  Just like you wouldn’t randomly poke a stranger in the face, the Cars don’t like it either.

Paradise Pier

Paradise Pier is a huge land.  It goes from the Palace of Fine Arts in the San Francisco area to the Wharf and then all around the lagoon.  A large part of Paradise Pier has many of your standard carnival/pier style rides, but it’s also got some wonderfully Disney attractions.  

The kids enjoyed the Little Mermaid ride, which is one of the coolest animatronic ones the Parks, but us dads LOVE California Screamin’  While Screamin’ isn’t as intense as some of the roller coasters you’ll experience in a Six Flags theme park, it really packs a punch for a Disney coaster.

Toy Story Midway Mania is also a really great ride with kids.  It’s like an over-lifesized arcade game that you’re in and it’s all kinds of midway games that you normally could never win at in a pier setting… but here you can!  And the 3D factor of it is also fun.

Tip:  another attraction in the Paradise Pier area is Mickey’s Fun Wheel.  It’s huge for a ferris wheel and is worth the wait if it’s 20 minutes or less.  ALWAYS choose the line for the cars that swing.  So much more fun.

Grizzly Peak and rustic California

We’ll say this now:  do Grizzly River Run and be cool with getting soaked.  You’ll get soaked and it’s fine and fun.  California Adventure with kids isn’t complete without taking them rafting and watching the crazy fun they have.  If you’re littles aren’t big enough for it yet though, you’ll have to make the most of watching others getting splashed.

Soarin’ Around the World is another fun experience in the Grizzly Peak area.  What used to be Soarin’ Over California, the concept stayed the same but now you get an awesome IMAX-style adventure as you fly all over the world, feet dangling as you soar. Really fun.

Note:  the two main attractions in the Grizzly Peak area have height restrictions, so if you’re visiting California Adventure with kids smaller than 42” tall you’ll not be able to take them on these rides.

Tip:  if you’ve got a few adults and also a child who’s too small to ride, ask a cast member about doing rider-switch to handoff the little ones so big kids (aka adults) can still do some of the more fun stuff.

Staying at the Grand Californian Hotel

We were really fortunate to get to stay at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel when we took the kids.  We have a few ideas for where to stay when you visit the Disneyland Resort, but if you are able to stay at the Grand, here are some perks to it.

Guests staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel have their own security line for getting into Downtown Disney as well as directly into California Adventure.  It’s wonderfully convenient.  An option to add to your reservation at the Grand is Craftsman’s Club access (depending on availability).  They’ve got you set for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert, as well as fireworks viewing from their balcony, complete with music.

And it’s not like you’ll want to be hanging out at your hotel when you’ve got Disneyland right outside your door, but if you do want to the pools at the Grand Californian are awesome.  We enjoyed the water slides and  shallow pool to break up our days a bit.  Oh, and they have life jackets for little kids in case they’re not the best swimmers.

Staying at Disney’s Grand Californian is really a treat if you have it in your budget.  There are lots of other great Good Neighbor Hotels for you to choose from though, so don’t think that your experience at Disneyland or California Adventure with kids must including staying on property; it’s just nice if you can.

Now, doesn’t it sound awesome to pack up the fam and head to SoCal for a Disneyland trip?  You should feel good picking and planning what you want to spend your time doing.  California Adventure with kids is super fun and if you’re going to be doing Disneyland for more than one day it’s totally worth your time.  Go, have fun, meet characters and then tell us what your favorite memories are!

And feel free to pin this for later when it’s time to plan your own trip to Disney’s California Adventure!

Dads in Disneyland: a guide to California Adventure with kids By now you know how much fun we’ve had through the years in Disneyland, and now especially with our kids in the Parks.  

[prettiestrice]

Jour 33: Woah oh oh oh oh Mona Lisa, I pay to see you frown. Vendredi, 23 Juin 2017.

Today I went to the Louvre. But first, I woke up sharply at 7 when horrible construction men brought their trucks right outside my window and started raging their engine for 2 hours. It was miserable. But I got up. My host family ran out of bread so I had half a piece (very hungry) and then I met Morgan at 9:15 at the Louvre. We went in. (Stupidly bought 15 euro tickets when if we had SHOWED OUR FREAKING ID’S INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE MACHINE LIKE I TOLD HER TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we would have been free) It was cool though. I’ll go back for free def! I saw some pretty cool paintings and sculptures. We started with older sculptures. Like 1200′s. Back then, they made everyone ugly. Weird faces. 

Here is a pic of me in front! I’m cute! That pyramid thing was kind of cool. It was humongous. 

Here is a pic of me with the filter for the 12e arr. That’s where the Louvre was. Once again, I am cute. 

We started with sculptures from the 13eme siecles (13th century). This statue is of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus and is from somewhere between 1325 and 1350. It is crazy to me how they can date it so precisely like that. I specifically took a picture because I wanted to know what the ball in his hand symbolized. 

A lot of sculptures back then of Jesus and Mary were kind of ugly. They had weird faces. Getting later in time, they get more attractive. 

This is of the Resurrection of Christ from the XVIe Siecle. Look at how amazing that detail is. Just so insane and it’s so old and was preserved so well! 

After I saw this, there was an old incense holder. My thought was “wow! This looks just like the one Dad bought in Disney. Lemme take a picture and I’ll send it to him later!” It’s amazing to me that it’s been almost 7 years and moments like this still happen when I just completely forget that he is dead. It made me very, very sad. But Dad would have been happy for me, for being in Paris and traveling and he wouldn’t have wanted me to be sad. I assume he can probably see everything I am seeing anyway. God is cool like that. 

This is literally a chess board from the 15th century. THATS SO COOL!

These lil homies look like coppertone models. I wonder if they are related?

This was worn by Louis XVI. HOW INSANE IN THAT. A man who was killed during the French revolution by guillotine wore this. Just, wow. 

Reminded me of the dog from His Master’s Voice. 

Then we went into the art section. My apologies for taking so many pictures instead of just listing. The titles were so generic on a lot and there were no artists that it would have been more difficult just to try to look it up later like at other museums. 

Just thought this room was cool! 

This is a painting of Jesus by Giovanni Bellini (as you guessed we were now in the Renaissance painting section of the Louvre) vers 1465-1470. I liked this painting very much not because it was particularly attractive, because frankly it is terrifying, but because Jesus looks so in pain. I find that in a lot of representations of Jesus, his ribs may be showing that he is skinny and he may look dead or whatever. But this one just showed more than that. I felt that in this painting, he really really really looked ill and tiny tiny skinny and his eyes were sunken in and he looked weak and like he had suffered. And I think that’s so much more accurate to post-cross Jesus….That being said he was dead after he got off the cross and then was resurrected so I mean should he have looked ill? IDK. I ain’t no theologian. 

There was a couple more Bellini’s and a couple Da Vinci’s that I really liked. Then came the most overrated painting of all time. You guessed it. 

Selfie Central. La Joconde. Monna Lisa. Mona Lisa. People were massed around this pathetic thing. Of course I got a selfie. Post this trip, I am going to start a blog that’s just dedicated to me with selfies with famous pieces of art work. It was so tiny!! It was hilarious because it was the only painting on this gigantic wall and there were signs for it all around and in the room there was a million other more amazing photos. For example, across from it is...

You can’t tell by my photo how big it is. It’s Paolo Caliari’s Les Noces de Cana. Or, the Wedding at Cana. It’s like as tall as 4 people probably and doubly wide. And it is amazing. Theres like 14 million dogs in this photo and it’s beautiful and a million times bigger than the Mona Lisa. And yet?! 

I saw some more photos. Plenty religious, because Italian lol. Also, at the Louvre was the biggest abundance of American accents I have heard since coming here. I barely heard any French people. Only American! 

So. I’m going to tell another story now. There was this 9 year old boy and his dad. He saw a photo of a an angel (St. Michael) fighting a demon. And was like “whah! Cool dad! Look at that angel fighting that demon!” and the dad said “Yeah! That’s Saint Michael the Archangel. It was painted by [I don’t remember who]. Do you remember what I told you about him? He uses a lot of contrasting colors and likes to illuminate people’s faces. Can you see it here in this painting?” It was so cute. He then talked to his son about Saint Michael the Archangel and the painter etc and it was just the cutest darned thing. I stood there and listened and the dad saw me smiling at him and he smiled back. I love hearing dads (or parents in general) teach their children about art or history or art history. It’s so beautiful. 

I walked away from then and then looked at this painting seen below. 

Then I heard the little boy’s voice again. He asked his dad what this painting meant. His dad explained to him that it was a painting of the Passion of Christ by Antonio Campi. If you look you can see all the different parts and stations of the passion. He explained them all and pointed them out one by one. So cute. 

Honestly, after being so sad about my dad earlier and truly believing that God makes everything happen for a reason, I do think that God made me look at those paintings at the exact moment I did so that I could hear that man talk to his son so that I knew that dad was with me even though he isn’t physically there. The dad’s words reminded me of my dad so much and his patience and love for his child. It was so beautiful and it made me so happy. 

Then I saw this painting. It was cool. All the little paintings inside the big painting are of things in Rome. On the bottom right you can see the Trevi fountain. The reason I took a picture though, is because on the bottom left you can see a lil painting of the Rzym Fontanna Czterech Rzek (Fountain of the four Rivers) at Piazza Navona in Rome. When in Rome, Theresa explained to me the symbolism of the fountain and the four men and the obelisk. I won’t explain it because it would take very long and this post is long enough, but you can read and use the internet so here is the wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona

Oh apparently this is a famous sculpture of Cupid (l’Amour) and Venus (I think?). 

We grabbed lunch and then I had to go meet my sociology class for the Italian Immigration exhibit at the Musee d’Immigration. That last around 2 hours and Morgan decided not to come back since we saw everything that was interesting (a lot of other stuff was grecque and egyptian .. I’d like to com back though). 

Then I went home and went on a VERY DIFFICULT 7 mile run. It hurt. I’m still in pain. 

I ended up walking over 30 thousand steps for the day. 

Later, we went to a restaurant (me and Morgan). We walked to go Italian but it was all booked so we went to a traditional French place. I wanted to be adventurous so I had beef tartare for the first time. Ya know, considering it’s like raw, cold ground beef it wasn’t bad. Morgan and I also talked about important things and it was a very nice night with her. She’s so sweet. 

On the way home I saw Cinderella. 

Then sleep. That’s all.