Tag Archives: Disneyland

Try This! Winter Haul

Posted in Accessories, Announcements, Beauty, Beauty Review, Disney, Haul, Make Up, New Products, Sephora Treats, Shopping, Unboxing, Vlog, YouTube by

Hi everyone!

Today’s post is the start of another Series for MissAl-Leigh.com – Try This!
Try This! will be posted on Thursdays, as often as I can get them out.
TT will basically be Hauls with products I think are worth mentioning, first impressions of Samples, full product reviews, or even an exciting activity I think you should try.

This first video is a Winter Haul covering some products I’ve purchased or been gifted over the Winter season. This doesn’t cover everything as I cut out quite a few products in order to shorten the length. Let me know in the comments, how long do you prefer vlogs to be? Are you willing to watch a 10+ minute video, or is 10 minutes, or less all you have time for?

Please let me know your thoughts on the Try This! Series & this Haul especially. I thought of this like an overview of my “Winter Purchases”, so I wanted to wait until Winter was officially over, but would it have made more sense to do this video earlier? Please discuss in the comments below. I hope you enjoy the video, thanks for watching, & please remember to SHARE, LIKE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE!

 

My Favorite Disney Treats!

Posted in Adventure, Disney, Family, Favorites, Food, Food Review, Friends, Review, Travel by

 

Hi everyone!
As many of you know, I was a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort for about 3 years. During that time I grew quite fond of certain foods served around the Resort. Now that I’m no longer a CM, I obviously don’t have access to those foods whenever I want – so when I’m able to make a trip to the park I make a big MUST EAT List! Read below to see what items are on my list & what new snacks I tried on my most recent Disneyland trip!

My Must Have Snacks
Disneyland
1. Clam Chowder Bread Bowl from Royal Veranda in New Orleans Square – Yes, the Bread Bowls from Boudin Bakery on the Pier in Disney California Adventure are fresher. However, I enjoy the atmosphere in NOS way more!
2. Jalapeño Pretzel with Spicy Banyan Sauce from Bengal BBQ in Adventureland – I used to work at this location & this was one of my favorite snacks to eat for lunch!
3. Caramel Apple from Main Street – Caramel Apples are available in many locations in many fancy flavors. I like the plan ol’ regular Caramel Apple & I usually get one on Main Street as I’m leaving the park for the day.
4. Funnel Cake from Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland – Another location I used to work & the only location you can get a Funnel Cake! They come in a few flavors, chocolate brownie, powdered sugar, strawberry, & this holiday season – peppermint. I prefer the Strawberry with whipped cream & I always eat it while watching Fantasmic. Sadly, this tradition has ended now that they’re closing Fantasmic due to the construction of the new Star Wars Land. If you plan on squeezing in a Disneyland trip before the construction begins make sure you get in line for your Funnel EARLY. Many Guests share this tradition with me & the line can be extremely long, sometimes resulting in a 15-20 minute wait for a Funnel Cake. Although waiting is the name of the game at Disneyland, if you’re not a fan of that, you can always go after Fantasmic. SDC is one of the few locations that stays open after Fantasmic, so you can still get your sugar fix without the long wait.

Disney California Adventure
1. Chili Cone Carne/Dipped Ice Cream Cone from the Cozy Cone area of Carsland – Not something I MUST eat, but if I’m going to eat in DCA, these are my preferred food choices.
2. 21+ Drinks at Mad T Party – The drinks at Mad T are a tad expensive for my taste at $11 & up, but I always have to make a visit to this area & what Party is complete without at least one drink!? My last visit I had “The Queen’s Red Rose” – Rum and Hawaiian Punch, & my mom had the Mudslide. It might have had a Disney name, but I can’t recall. Both were excellent but for $11+ next time I’d go with the Mudslide because $11 for some Rum & Punch is a little wild. This is my FAVORITE place to people watch & SnapChat, haha!

Downtown Disney
1. Beignets from Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen – These are also served in New Orleans Square, but I think they’re fresher & tastier at Jazz Kitchen.

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Tigger Tail from Pooh’s Corner, Jalapeño Pretzel with Spicy Banyan Sauce from Bengal BBQ, Rose & Raspberry Macaroon from Jolly Holiday Cafe

New Treats
Disneyland
1. Tigger Tail from Pooh’s Corner in Critter Country – This is the only location in the park to get one of these sugary treats! A Tigger Tail is marshmallows covered in caramel & white chocolate with orange sugar & a chocolate drizzle. While this was tasty, I won’t be adding it to my list of favorites. It was just like eating a candy bar, not a huge thrill for me.
2. Raspberry & Rose Macaroon/Macaron (?) from Jolly Holiday Cafe on Main Street – I’m never sure the difference between a Macaroon & a Macaron, but whatever the case, this was delicious. The raspberries gave the Rose Macaroon an extra kick. I’ve also heard these are called Matterhorn Macaroons/Macarons, but the sign at the bakery just said Raspberry & Rose Maca…whatever, so I’m not sure about the Disney name. 

Disney California Adventure
1. Lobster Nachos & 21+ Drinks at Cove Bar on the Pier by Ariel’s Grotto – This is somewhat of a hidden gem right now as the Pier is undergoing some construction that’s blocking the entrance to Cove Bar. I’ve heard the Lobster Nachos get hyped up for a LONG time now, but honestly they were just okay. The drinks on the other hand!!!! YES PLEASE. We ordered off the “Secret Menu”, the “Neverland Tea”, “Zombie”, & “Earthquake”, all of which were Long Island Iced Tea type drinks, so LI/Tokyo Tea/AMF lovers – these are the drinks for you. They were priced around $11 which seems like a fair price to me for a Long Island based cocktail.

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Cove Bar in Disney California Adventure – Lobster Nachos, Neverland Tea, Zombie, & Earthquake

Of course there’s corn dogs & churros & Mickey Mouse ice cream – but what do you think of my list? Am I missing any of your favorite snacks? Please let me know in the comments below what treats I should try on my next Disneyland trip! Thanks for reading 🙂

Event Recap – Charity! TAPS – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors at the Disney 1/2 Marathon

Posted in Charity, Disney, Event Recap, Volunteer Work by

Hi everyone!
Some of you may recall I mentioned TAPS – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors in Vlog #2 when Jeremiah & I went to Sevenly. For the sake of space/time, please watch Vlog #2 or go to the TAPS website, I linked both above, to read more about their mission. Long story short, they are a military charity that provides support to those left behind after a member of the military passes away. I was really interested in getting to know their program better, so I drove down to the Disneyland Resort to help out at their booth at the Disney Half Marathon. Below are a few pictures I took at the event!

Day 1 with Carol & Marie – Team TAPS Race Directors, & other Team TAPS supporters!
I got to write the caption for this picture! My Social Media skills come in handy even when volunteering!

Overall I had a wonderful experience volunteering with TAPS. I handed out race packets to the runners on Team TAPS, answered general questions, & helped out where I could. I learned a lot about the people behind TAPS, the survivors the program benefits, & the program itself. I appreciate that TAPS provides support no matter how the military member passed away, it doesn’t have to be battle related. It can be anything from car accidents to long term illness, etc. I also appreciate that TAPS reaches out to more than just immediate family. They support ANYONE who is suffering after experiencing a military loss, from unmarried partners to best friends to civilian coworkers to church friends, etc. That’s really important because for the most part, support goes toward immediate family, which obviously is not a bad thing, but there are more people to think about. I’m not talking about monetary support, I’m talking about emotional support. Death affects everyone differently & you never know who is able to handle these types of situations on their own or who might need more help. The person that sat next to a military member every Monday & Wednesday night for English 101 might be feeling their loss almost as intensely as the immediate family – & certainly not for the same reasons, but does that make their feelings less meaningful or make them any less deserving of help? I don’t think it does.

I truly feel inspired after this experience. I have previously volunteered with the Wounded Warrior Project & have met special people through those amazing events, but there’s a bit of disconnect because I’m not a veteran or really associated with the military other than through my volunteer work. With TAPS however, I got to meet survivors, a position I can identify with more easily. While not military related I’ve experienced the loss of members of my immediate family & for a brief time, I was part of a military family & lived with someone that was working through PTSD. I watched him struggle & I know how helpless you feel as a bystander. It’s hard to watch someone you love be plagued by demons brought on by something that’s a huge part of their identity, they can’t just shake it off, it’s part of who they are no matter how much pain it brings them. One of the families I spoke with this weekend lost their military member to suicide & it just broke my heart. A majority of the military members being remembered this weekend looked like they were around my age. It’s one thing to hear the statistics, but to be face to face with survivors that have lost someone I could’ve dated, been friends with, gone to college with, worked with etc…makes me cringe to think how much we all take for granted. These military members will never see a beautiful Southern California day, never volunteer for a cause they’re passionate about, never run, never see their families, never go to Disneyland, never go on vacation, & their survivors will never experience these things without a tinge of sadness for the person they’re missing. Yet all of those activities occurred this weekend for other people & they probably didn’t give them a second thought. It’s crazy to think that I could have met any of these people under completely different circumstances, yet we were brought together because of the tragedies in our lives which have shaped our lives & led us to this place. To me, that’s the mission of TAPS. Yes, bad things happen & we all experience loss, but we’re never truly alone, we just have to find people on a similar path.

With all of that being said, I am HIGHLY motivated to continue volunteering at future TAPS Events & even to join Team TAPS…as a runner! I know! Me, running!? If you know me at all, you’ll understand this event must have really been special if it’s motivating me to start running, haha! As soon as I get medically cleared to start working out again, I’m going to start the “Couch to 5K” Training Program & get my butt out there! Click here to Join Team TAPS if you’re looking for a team to join for an upcoming Race Event – maybe I’ll see you at a race! Thanks for reading 🙂