Hey, Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Why yes, yes we do.  In fact, we did…at Disney California Adventure!  We made our first Disneyland trip of the year in January and it was a fun filled busy trip, with Frozen Fun being at the top of our to do list (everyone takes a to do list to Disneyland right....right?).  We experienced snow in 70 degree weather, got a warm hug, learned how to draw a Marshmallow, and had enough time to sit down and hear a good story while singing songs completely out of tune. Whew, what a whirlwind.

Stage 17 has been transformed into Olaf's Snow Fest

First things first, California Adventure is hosting Frozen Fun now through May and, as you probably guessed, highlights a little-known movie called: Frozen. Are you on Frozen overload?  Perhaps these attractions are not your cup of hot cocoa, but we recommend giving it a try before completely dismissing it. Just follow the giant snowflakes to Hollywood Land and you will find several different experiences and attractions to keep the whole family excited.

The main attraction is in Stage 17 (remember Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - yeah, pretty sure that’s the last time we were in this building) with Olaf's Snow Fest - which is pretty awesome.  When you enter the building you are instantly transported into the castle courtyard of Arendelle. Snacks are offered at Arendelle’s Warmer Uppers, musical entertainment with live performers set the mood, and a courtyard of snow all welcome visitors to come and play. There is also a small sledding hill where you can race your friends and family at high speeds down the snow - just kidding, it’s not very fast but it is fun and we did it more than once. Here is also where you can get your first glimpse of everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf!

We like warm hugs

Not surprisingly, Olaf attracts a huge crowd. The line was consistently two hours long - which kept us out of it for most of our trip. On the last morning of our stay we were finally able to make it to the park for rope drop and meet Olaf first thing - which is really the only way we were going to get this done. The snow was still fresh under our feet when our pager went off and it was our turn to meet the summer lovin’ snowman. Seriously, it took us fifteen minutes to get through the character meet and greet and we could not have been more thrilled. What is great about this kind of meet and greet is you really get a good amount of time to spend with Olaf. There was time for hugs, autographs, and selfies - all the while having the cast member snap candid shots of the experience. In the end, Olaf’s Snow Fest left us feeling all warm and fuzzy.

No Muppets here

Next door is the Crown Jewel Theatre (aka Muppets Theater), where For the First Time in Forever:  A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration is playing. Make sure to pick up fastpasses for the show because there is no standby line. While we waited for our show time, we headed over to the Animation Building.  This is where you can meet and greet Anna and Elsa (again a long line kept us away) but we headed over to the Animation Academy to learn how to draw some very special snowmen. During Frozen Fun you have two characters to choose from: Marshmallow and Olaf. This time around we learned how to draw Marshmallow, which is what we were hoping for because we have learned to draw Olaf as he had already been added to the regular rotation of characters.  The Animation Academy is a favorite attraction of ours and is something that we do pretty much every time we come to the parks. We do not claim to be artists, so if our sketches resemble the character we’re happy.

Marshmallow sketch

Once Marshmallow became part of our portfolios, it was time for our fastpasses and we headed back to The Crown Jewel Theater. The Muppets Theater has been completely redecorated to resemble the inside of a beautiful theater built for a queen. The Sing-Along is the Frozen story being told by two Storytellers, clips from the movie and Frozen characters appear on stage.  There’s even a snowdusting during the finale. Basically, it is a condensed version of the movie taking out all the dialog and leaving only the songs. We definitely had our diva moments and Let It Go while we belted out the words with Elsa right on stage. When we exited the theater, dusk was falling and Freeze the Night was in full swing.

Freezing the Night and carving some ice

Freeze the Night is the new family friendly dance party that has become all the rage for Disney California Adventure nights. We did not find the party to be as high energy as the Mad T Party, but it was fun and got our toes tapping. We watched the ice carvers while a live dance troupe hyped up the crowd. Our favorite aspect of the party was the Marshmallow photo op - and as you can see, we had a little fun with our picture.

All in all, Frozen Fun is a great addition to the park - especially during this time of the year when there are a lot of closures after the high-traffic holidays.

Hey marshmallow lady!

As mentioned before, we love a good race. 5K, 10K, or the occasional half marathon - whatever the case may be - between the two of us we have completed all these distances. We like to try out new races, especially ones that have a unique aspect - or awesome swag…yeah, we like the goodies too. Don’t get us wrong, the physical accomplishment of completing these races is also a major plus. Getting a personal record is amazing and always gives us a goal to work towards, but a well designed race shirt or a fun medal is really what gets us to spend our money. Does that make us serious runners? Maybe not, but hey - we’re out there doing it and that’s all that matters!

Team Agent P excitedly waiting for the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K to begin.

The first race we ever completed was the 2012 Cars Land Rally 5K at Disneyland and we have not stopped running since. In 2013, (which we dubbed the year of the 5K) we completed at least one 5K every month - not the cheapest of hobbies, but that’s neither here nor there. One of our favorite races is the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K held in San Francisco every January, in the beautiful Golden Gate Park. This race is becoming a yearly tradition of ours. 

Each time we’ve participated in this race we have come away feeling the same way and bestowing the highest possible compliment we can give: it feels like Disney hosted the event. Well organized and executed, the Hot Chocolate race is great for beginners and seasoned pros. The one aspect of the race we have not quite mastered (which is our bad and not the race organizers’) is our timing for arriving at the event. The first year we were too early and this year we barely made it by the skin of our teeth - hopefully we will find the middle ground with next year’s race.

Highlights include: a scenic course, chocolate chip stops in addition to the water stops, a chocolate fondue finishers cup, and a fantastic jacket to wear with pride. Even with all the chocolate around, the runaway hit of the day was Tina’s hat - seriously, everyone was taken with it. The idea for this hat sparked from one of our daily chats and the result was adorable. In keeping with the chocolate theme and the craft marshmallows she had laying around (because who doesn't have these laying around?), Tina transformed a brown beanie into a cup of hot chocolate. Because of her hat, she was named the marshmallow lady by several passersby who recognized her from the course. This hat is what we try to bring to the races we run - just a little added whimsy.

Maybe we will see you out there on the course sporting your own marshmallow beanie. ‘Till then we raise a cup of hot chocolate to you! 

Enjoy the sights of the Hot Chocolate Race. Fact: bottom left picture was taken seconds after we decided to start a blog.

Hey there, hi there, ho there!

DBFF...what the heck is that you ask? Everyone (well, everyone fluent in texting) knows that BFF stands for best friends forever. The D stands for Disney. Put ‘em together and what have you got? Bibbidi-bobbidi-uhhh...no wait, that’s not right. You’ve got: Disney best friends forever. Got it? Perfect!

That’s us - Tina and Julia, DBFFs. Actually, that’s really only part of our friendship, but an important part and the reason we are here - starting a blog to document our adventures. Having fun, being creative, and sharing laughter with everyone around us are top priorities of ours.

5K’s, Disneyland trips, and visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum (to name a few) - we hope that you will enjoy our shenanigans as much as we do. Happy reading!