2015 Year in Review - Part 1

2015

JUNEAU
I had the opportunity to visit Juneau for a long work trip in April. I was really stressed out  in the first quarter of 2015 because of work and school. I remember constantly feeling emotionally drained. Even though it was a work trip, it was a nice breather to take in some new sceneries and unwind from the stresses of work and life. My husband also got to come along for the first week of my stay. Here are a few of my Juneau highlights:

• The Shrine of St Therese. I was in complete awe when I saw this church that I cried tears of happiness! It had been raining EVERY SINGLE DAY, but when we went, there was not a cloud in sight. It was an amazing religious experience for me. As you know, I had been very stressed out up until that point. I remember I prayed so hard to help get through my stress.
• Sean and I walked around downtown Juneau. I love how quaint and charming it is! We also visited the capitol, which was a pretty cool experience.
• I went to my first beach in Alaska that actually has sand! It was so pretty out there on Sandy Beach, I actually felt like I was almost in California.
• I enjoyed damn near every place that I ate at. Who knew Juneau was filled with so many yummy and unique places to eat at?!
• Something I learned while in Juneau is that you can’t wait for the rain to stop, otherwise you will never get to do anything fun. It reminded me of the quote about not waiting for the storm to pass, but to learn how to dance in the rain. It wasn’t until then that I realized how true that quote is. 

CALIFORNIA & LAS VEGAS
Our California and Vegas trip was definitely one of my best vacations ever!

• Vegas was awesome, as always. We used our MyVEGAS points for two free nights at New York New York, free buffet passes at Bellagio, and  free passes to the Shark Reef in Mandalay Bay. Even though the Observatory at Bellagio wasn't finished while we were there, the seasonal overlay was my favorite! It was very Finding Nemo-like. I wish I could have seen the finished version. We also visited where we got married, The Flamingo. :)
• We got to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for the first time.
• I never thought we would go to a Disney 24 hour event again (We went in 2014 and I broke a tooth and I also got sick! On top of that, I just never wanted to deal with the crazy crowds again), but I knew we needed a do-over. First off, it was the kick off event for Disneyland's 60th anniversary. Second, it was Sean's birthday. Third, it was also our engagement anniversary date. I am so happy we went! It was the best day of my life.
• We took our first Disneyland tour - the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour. It was an amazing experience! It was so cool learning more about Walt himself and we got to go inside the Dream Suite.

ALASKA STATE FAIR
The Alaska State Fair is always on my Year in Review list, but what made this year particularly special is that I won a gun from Friends of NRA! I chose a Smith & Wesson M&P15 APG that came in camo. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of camo, so Sean cerakoted it a beautiful Tiffany blue. :D


SPENDING TIME WITH GIRLFRIENDS
My girlfriends (Charlene, Michelle, CamTu, Ederlee) and I met up at least once a month this year. We enjoyed many dinners together at dining places we hadn't tried before and we also had two overnight hotel trips. Overnight trips are so much fun to me since I never got to do sleepovers when I was younger. I am so blessed to have solid friendships with these individuals!


DISNEY IN CONCERT
We got to sit up front in the second row. It was so cool! I hope they bring it back again next year.


ALYESKA ANNIVERSARY TRIP
Since Sean and I were traveling with my family on our actual anniversary, we treated ourselves to two nights at Alyeska a week before we departed. It was so romantic and relaxing! We knew we would need it since our vacations are always packed with things to do.


DISNEY CRUISE, DISNEY WORLD, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS 

• We sailed on the Disney Dream for 4 nights in the Bahamas.
• We officially became owners at Aulani in Hawaii. Best anniversary present ever!
• We stayed at our Disney Vacation Club home resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, for the first time! We stayed at both Kidani Village and Jambo House. It was just like how I imagined it!
• We visited all 4 Disney World parks and also Disney Springs. 10 days in the area was not enough time at all.
• Sean and I went to Universal Studios and got to meet up with our good friends too. Harry Potter sections were very cool!