Characterpalooza at Hollywood Studios

In the past year, Noland and I have been going to Walt Disney World a lot. We both have learned so much about how to navigate the parks and meet characters that we can even have a full day with several rides and character meet and greets during the busy times. We've also gone for an afternoon and accomplished more than some people do in a whole day.

Have you ever watched the TV Show called The Middle on ABC? Well, on their 2014 season finale, they won a trip to Disney World. It's a long story and I don't want to ruin the episode but the first day they go to Disney, they run into many misfortunes and don't end up riding anything. In fact by the time they agree to get into one of the many long lines, they jump into a line of people who happen to be walking out of the park. It made me laugh so hard because I know that I've been to Disney and felt that way before. Have you  ever gone to Disney World and felt completely overwhelmed? I know that the first few times I went to Disney's Magic Kingdom, my mom only managed to get me to ride a couple of rides. I met a few characters too but that may have been around the times when characters would just walk around. And according to the pictures, my brother and I rode Dumbo...

And here we are in front of the castle.

It can be hard to navigate a place if it is your first time going or you have only been one or two times before. After all, each park is large, it's hot outside, crowded, you are trying to read this large map to figure out where to go, and what is the best way to get there, all while your toddler/ little one is (or multiple kiddos are) crying because he/she is hungry or thirsty. Okay so that is a little bit over-dramatic, but it can be challenging. I get it. Since we've managed to figure it out, we have decided to start sharing some Disney World tips and tricks on this blog occasionally.

Today we are going to talk about Characterpalooza at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios (previously known as MGM). I'm starting to believe that Hollywood Studios could be one of the best places to meet characters. As an adult, it has two of the best rides (in my opinion) in all of Walt Disney World Resort: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller coaster) and it has a TON of characters and a secret meet and greet that I'm going to telly you about called CHARACTERPALOOZA.

What is Characterpalooza? Well it is a gathering of characters that happens at Hollywood Studios! It will not be listed on the map or times guide but it happens almost every day.

Up: Noland and Noland Jr. meeting Stitch Below: The Evil Queen from Snow White, and Pocahontas.

What characters will be at Characterpalooza? There is no telling which characters will show up at Characterpalooza, I hear it changes from time to time but, we did see some characters that you could not see anywhere else. We happened to run into Characterpalooza on Tuesday, July 24, 2014. They had about 14-15 characters out. Here are the list of characters that were out when we arrived: Stitch, Evil Queen (from Snow White), Pinocchio, Gepetto, Queen of Hearts, Mary Poppins, Penguin (from Mary Poppins), Chip, Dale, Pocahontas, Meeko, Minnie Mouse, Mulan, and a couple of Army Men from Toy Story.

Above: Here is Minnie Mouse interacting with some people in line and the Queen of Hearts posing for a picture. Below: Mulan ran out of time to meet with all her fans so she went by and talked to each of them before she left. We met Chip. Noland Jr. didn't look at the camera but he was smiling!

 










When is Characterpalooza? According to Kenny the Pirate, it all depends on Fantasmic (a nighttime extravaganza featuring music, pyrotechnics, video projected on water, fiber optics, lasers and many more effects at Disney's Hollywood Studios).

• If Fantasmic isn't scheduled, Characterpalooza will NOT happen.


• If one Fantasmic show is scheduled, Characterpalooza will occur at 4:30 p.m. near Echo Lake, and 5:30 p.m. on the Streets of America.


• If two Fantasmic shows are scheduled, Characterpalooza will happen only at 6:00 p.m. on the Streets of America.

So the next time you travel to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, make sure to check out Characterpalooza and meet some characters that you may not see anywhere else in the parks. 

Below is Noland Jr and I meeting Pinocchio. Gepetto was there too but stepped away by the time is was our turn in line.

How long is Characterpalooza? Characterpalooza is usually in about half hour increments. When we met the characters, they were out for about 30 minutes. We didn't get pictures with every character but we did get to interact, meet and take pictures with about 4-5 of them. 

Hollywood Studios has many other characters that can be found on the park's times guides such as: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Green Army Men, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sophia from Sophia the First, Phineas and Ferb, Wreck-it-Ralph, Vanellope von Sweets, Woody, Buzz, Sorcerer Mickey, Mr. Incredible and Frozone from The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars, Sully, Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc/Monsters U.

This is outside of Toy Story's Midway Mania. The green army men hang out there.








Here are the Nolands meeting Jake from Jake & the Never land Pirates by the Disney Junior Stage show.

Hope that helps in planning your vacation!

-Jen

Just Be Happy

The beginning of this post is going to sound negative, but please stick with me.

If I'm being honest with myself, this summer has been a bit of a whirlwind. I graduated with my Masters in early May and for some reason, I was under the impression that I would have a job right away. I mean I started applying for jobs in March... so that would mean I would have a job upon graduation right? Well, it turns out that this was not the case. Silly me.

On top of the lack of a job, we found out that we have to move. We are currently renting a beautiful house and the owner did not want to renew the lease because he wants to sell the house. I completely understand because he is getting older and lives up north. I'm sure it will be nice for him to not have to worry about a summer house that is being rented out in Florida. I'm sure it didn't help that our air conditioner recently died and had to be repaired. The neighborhood is really nice and has a community center with a Toddler's Tuesday, which Noland Jr. has enjoyed in the past few weeks. 

Finally, my husband has a shorter summer because his school is switching to year-round schooling. This will mean that the kids will still have 180 days of school but it will be spread out throughout the year. Instead of a long summer, they will have a week break at the end of each quarter which also means longer Christmas and Spring breaks. This summer will only be about 6 weeks for him.

 

It seems like the first few weeks of summer, we had all these plans and they were stomped on by the move. We found ourselves a little sick (cough, stuffy nose, etc) sitting around the house being a little bummed out because we had to move, and summer was shorter. And I was bummed because I did not have a job yet. After kicking myself in the face.. not literally, I realized that there is no reason to mope around and feel sorry for ourselves (mostly me, I was pretty down). If summer is shorter, than we need to get up, get over this sickness and enjoy this time that we have..because in a few weeks it will be gone. 

"If you want to be happy, be." 

So we did. 

Actually, I scheduled all three of us doctor appointments.  We all were given antibiotics which helped us start feeling better right away. Then we started planning things to do. Monday, we went to the pool in the morning, and Tuesday was playground time, and so on. We've managed to start having a lot more fun! 

While moving does completely suck, it is what it is. There isn't anything me or anyone else can do to change the fact that we have to move. I've been packing up a box or two every night and I feel like we are pretty much ready. Since we chose to get up, be happy and have a better summer, we have!

There are some days that we have sat around and not done much, and that's okay too. Even on those days, I try to make an effort to do something small like walk around the mall or watch a movie together. 

It is so easy to forget that each day is a gift. Tomorrow is not promised.

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!" -Psalm 118:24

We have to remember to wake up and choose happiness. I have to remember to wake up and choose happiness.

Luckily, I have these two boys to remind me! Hope everyone is having a Happy Saturday! 

Coming soon, my husband, Noland, will be sharing his countdown for The Top 100 Songs that will make you SMILE! 

-Jen

Best 100 Animals We Have Seen In Zoos (10-1)

It sure has been a fantastic time looking back at the coolest animals that we have seen at zoos. These animals were all amazing and you are about to see the best of the best. Before we get to the top 10 though, it is time for a recap...

100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41
40-31
30-21
20-11

Here is the top 10 that you have been waiting so patiently for...

10. Bonnethead Shark

Bonnethead sharks are like small hammerhead sharks. These sharks are fairly common in aquariums, but I could not find a picture we had of one. Unlike the hammerhead shark though, you will likely be able to see these at an aquarium. Hammerhead sharks are incredibly rare. I am pretty sure I saw a full-grown hammerhead at some aquarium when I was little, but I could certainly be wrong. I didn't include the hammerhead on the countdown because I could not remember seeing one 100%. These bonnetheads are awesome though and similar.

09. Polar Bear

This polar bear was photographed at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Maryland. It is one of two places that we I have seen polar bears. The other location is Sea World Orlando. At each location, this animal is my personal highlight of the visit. They are rare for zoos and they are awesome. Definitely, the coolest bear we have seen at any zoo.

08. Hippo

Disney's Animal Kingdom is the best place by far in the United States to view hippos. They are so close to you at this location, but you are safe by the design of the safari. It is without question the coolest place to view these guys. If the safari isn't for you though, you can view these hippos underwater. This may not be the best picture, but don't be fooled, these hippos are one of the best animals you will ever see.

07. Tiger

If you remember our post on Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia, you will remember this exhibit being the highlight of our trip. The Tigers of Asia show was simply fantastic there. While this was not even close to our favorite animal attraction, we might go back just to see this show. Each tiger is always awesome, but the ones at this show were special. I did not distinguish between types of Tigers for this countdown, but there are a few different varieties. Each tiger we have seen, has been awesome!

06. Jaguar

The Jacksonville Zoo has the best Jaguar exhibit as part of their South American section at the zoo. In that exhibit, they have a completely black jaguar that is pictured above. This is a type of jaguar that I have never seen at another location. Jaguars are always neat, but this one jaguar was really special. I was amazed when I saw this jaguar the first time, and then when I took my son back, we were both amazed.

05. Black Rhino

Disney's Animal Kingdom is a great place to view the Black Rhinoceros. There are a few other places to view them, but they are always awesome to see. The rhino is my favorite animal and they are one of the coolest animals in the animal kingdom. There are three main types of rhinos that we have seen, and they are all in the top 5.
Why?
Just look at their awesomeness. They clearly belong at the top of this list.

04. White Rhino

Disney's Animal Kingdom is the best place to view White Rhinoceros. These rhinos are very similar to the Black Rhinoceros. The reason I have ranked them higher is that there are more of them on the safari at Animal Kingdom and they come closer to the jeep. These guys get so close and mingle with some other animals like zebras here. The Black Rhinoceros is really solitary on the safari and all by himself/herself.

03. Indian Rhino

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo is the best place to see the Indian Rhinoceros which is my favorite type of rhino. I like this rhino most because they are not really seen anywhere else and they really look like they have armored skin. They are so neat looking. They are also incredibly entertaining to watch. Here you can see the baby climbing on its mother. This baby at Lowry Park Zoo can still be seen, but it is slightly bigger now.

02. Komodo Dragon

Jacksonville Zoo is home to our favorite full grown Komodo Dragon which is pictured above. This lizard was on a feeding time display and we got some awesome photographs of it. To this date, it is the coolest thing I have ever seen at an animal attraction. If you are in the Jacksonville area and can see a komodo dragon feeding, I highly recommend it. The Atlanta Zoo had a baby komodo dragon feeding that was also incredibly awesome. Finally, the Lowry Park Zoo has an awesome baby komodo dragon in an education building in the FL section.

01. Bald Eagle

The clear choice for #1 in any place in America. Bald Eagles are such majestic creatures and the symbol for our country. They symbolize freedom, and excellence. That's what this bird is, pure excellence. Every time you see a bald eagle, it is an awesome sight. No matter where you are these guys are amazing to see. There should be a Bald Eagle at every zoo or aquarium. This Bald Eagle was photographed at the SC Aquarium and it is pure awesomeness. Every Bald Eagle is fantastic though. More eagles everywhere!

I hope you enjoyed this countdown and our zoo adventures so far.
In the next few months, we will have a review for the Reston Zoo in Reston, VA, Sea World Orlando, the Seas at Epcot, and updates for Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Lowry Park Zoo with some other reviews thrown in there.
All of these reviews will be coming your way by the end of 2014, so stay tuned to ZooZooReview.

-Noland

Best 100 Animals We Have Seen In Zoos (20-11)

Recap Time...

100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41
40-31
30-21

And now the top 20...

20. Goliath Grouper

This Goliath Grouper can be found at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. Do not act like this is not the coolest fish you have ever seen. They are huge and they look almost like moving rocks with fins and eyes. They are remarkable and unlike any other fish I have ever seen. So incredibly neat to look at.

19. Kangaroo

These Kangaroo were really hanging out at Busch Gardens Tampa. They are cooler to look at when they are jumping, but these kangaroos lounging around were still impressive. They are an animal that can be seen many different places. Disney's Animal Kingdom also has a great kangaroo exhibit with pretty active kangaroos. People love this animal. If we polled people on their favorite animals, kangaroos would probably make Top 10.

18. Shoebill Stork

I know we have a good picture of a shoebill stork somewhere, but I could not find it. However, I did get this picture from Wildlife Extra for you so you could see its brilliance. These guys have crazy eyes. Everytime we go to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, we have to see these guys. In fact, out of the zoos we have been to, these can only be found at that one zoo in Tampa. The zoo also happens to be rated as the #1 zoo for kids and is one we highly recommended here. P.S. we have been back since and it definitely deserves that extra .5 star to become a full 5 star zoo.

17. Killer Whale

Ok, you know the drill, you see Shamu at Sea World. The show is cool, but not as cool as it used to be. Since the trainer was killed by a killer whale at Sea World, they don't have the whale do as much anymore or interact with audience members. However, these not so gentle giants are still so impressive to look at. They will always be one of the coolest sea creatures around. These guys are the biggest draw at Sea World and for good reason. They are rather impressive.

16. Masai Giraffe

Here is a Masai Giraffe as pictured on the Pittsburgh Zoo website. Based on my experience and my lack of personal pictures, these giraffes are slightly less common in captivity. That may be incorrect though. You can tell it is Masai because of the more irregular pattern of spots on  its body. We have seen Masai at Disney's Animal Kingdom and at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.

15. Reticulated Giraffe

This is the reticulated giraffe as you can see the more regular polygon pattern in its spots. This one is from the giraffe feeding station at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. These are slightly cooler looking in my opinion because of their pattern. The pattern is neat to me. However, I like the types of giraffes about the same. They are ranked in different spots simply to distinguish between the two types. Really, giraffes are just awesome in general.

14. African Elephant

This African Elephant can be seen at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. That is my favorite place to view elephants because they have two young babies currently. However, I cannot locate the pictures of these babies. There are several other places to view African Elephants well including the safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom, I just prefer to see the babies. These elephants are neater than the Asian Elephant for some reasons I pointed out during our last installment. However, if you want a full list of differences between African and Asian Elephants, go here. These are an awesome creature. It is a Top 10 animal for many people including my wife. The African Elephant is actually my wife's favorite animal of all. However, some of the animals we have seen knocked it out of the Top 10. Still, they are really awesome to look at.

13. Orangutan

These orangutans are the coolest monkeys on the block. This picture was taken at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. That zoo has my favorite orangutan exhibit of all. It is an exhibit I have seen more than 10 times. It is one of my favorite exhibits of any animal and usually either our first or last stop when visiting the zoo. Sometimes it is both our first and our last stop. King Louie from the Jungle Book was based off of these animals and he is one of my 5 favorite characters. So it is no surprise that I love these fantastic animals.

12. Thomson's Gazelle

These photographs of Thomson's Gazelles were taken from the National Geographic website. While these are not my photographs, the illustrate the awesomeness of the Thomson's Gazelles/ I have not seen these brilliant animals in quite some time, because they took them off exhibit at Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom. If you have ever seen these animals glide through the air, you would see why they are so high on this countdown. I hope we get to see them again soon!

11. Cheetah

This cheetah was stalking the zebra in the exhibit next to him at the National Zoo. They are separated by a fence, but it is neat to watch them interact with one another. It is a very unique cheetah exhibit. While it is unique, it is also probably my favorite exhibit not just of cheetah's, but of the whole National Zoo. Growing up around DC, this exhibit is one of the reasons that the cheetah has always been one of my favorite animals. It was my very favorite until high school when I switched to the rhino. I still love cheetahs though, in large part because of this exact exhibit. The best time to view this exhibit was when they had the cheetah cubs. Unfortunately though, the cubs are no longer there.

-Noland

I'm back!

Well, I've taken a long blogging break and now I think I'm back to share a little bit about what has been going on with us and what is to come. We've been busy making a move this summer and I'm currently looking for a job because I just finished my Masters degree in Social Work. Noland is teaching and loving having a summer break. Noland Jr. is getting so big and is so much fun to be around. He's constantly growing and looking at everything around him. He is so smart and getting into everything so he definitely keeps us busy and laughing!
Aside from packing and job searching, I opened up an Etsy store selling rosaries. I have some other items that I plan on selling but am waiting until we get moved before I add those products. In the meantime, you can check out my shop here! I have several sports rosaries, knotted rosaries and wooden beaded rosaries. And here is a picture of one of my favorite rosaries that I have listed:

Also, I changed my blog name to "This Little Light Blog". I loved "It's just called Spicy but it was time for a change and a new name. When I first started blogging, I really wanted a name that stood out and "It's just called Spicy" did the trick. My nephew was 2 or 3 and he had painted a picture at daycare. When the teacher asked him what it was, he said, "It's just called Spicy!" I thought the story was so cute! I have a bit of a spicy personality and when I thought long and hard about a name for my blog, "It's just called Spicy" fit. It's been a few years now and I've grown a lot. I've married and started my own family. Often, I find myself reading blogs written by moms who share their inspiration about things that we all deal with. I love building others up and being built up by others in challenging times. I'm a Catholic and active in my faith. I love listening to praise and worship music and have begun sharing some Christian songs with my son, who will be 2 in October.
This Little Light of Mine is a song that I think all Christians and non-Christians can relate to. I believe we all have a light which is a talent or gift inside of us. Some of us have a hard time finding it and some of us know exactly what our "light" is. We have to let it SHINE! (cheesy? I know) We have to share it with others. That is where "This Little Light Blog" was born. I have a few talents that I know of and I wanted a place to share them. So I picked a new name and did a little self-re-design of the blog and it's still a work in progress but I'm learning.

Here are some pictures of us lately with a few friends and relatives too!

Cousins

He loves the tea cups!

Meeting Eeyore

Loves the pool!

We hold hands in the car because we are best buds!

Hopefully, I'll be updating more regularly! I'm excited to get back into the blogging groove. Please pray for my family as we pack up to move about 20 minutes away from where we are now. And for my job search! & Thanks for reading,

-Jen

Best 100 Animals We Have Seen In Zoos (30-21)

Let's recap again before we begin...

100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41
40-31

And now the top 30....

30. Ram

These rams were in the petting zoo at the Reston Zoo in Reston, Virginia. You often see sheep in the petting zoo, but not usually rams with these awesome spiral horns. Did it get ranked this high because of the horns? Absolutely it did. Cool looking animals.

29. Prairie Dog

These prairie dogs were seen at the Reston Zoo in Reston, VA. Despite the fact that they are native to this country, I have seen less of these guys that meerkats. Most people would not rank these 21 spots ahead of meerkats, but I do. They are more interesting and I cannot explain why. Maybe because I have seen less of them and they are native to America. We will go with that.

28. Red Panda

Red Pandas can be found many places including the National Zoo like this guy. The Atlanta Zoo is another zoo with a great Red Panda exhibit. These animals are far cooler looking than the Giant Panda in my opinion. However, do not let the Panda name fool you. Look at these animals closer because they are actually a member of the raccoon family. Whatever they are, no doubt that they are terrific creatures.

27. Toucan

Toucans like these have been one of my favorite birds for a long time. They are just so colorful and awesome. I don't think the Toucan from George of the Jungle or Toucan Sam hurt in this fact either. Anyways, this particular Toucan was seen at the National Zoo, which is still my favorite place to view toucans. However, Lowry Park is another great place to see toucans and is much closer to my current home.

26. Sea Turtle

These sea turtles were found at Turtle Trek at Sea World Orlando. Which is a strong turtle exhibit. However, it is not worth waiting an hour for like we did the last time we went to Sea World. Regardless, these animals are awesome animals to look at. They are definitely an animal that you want to check out at some point in your lifetime. Everyone loves sea turtles and they are many people's favorite animals.

25. Sable Antelope

This sable antelope is from the safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom. During that safari, you can get a great view of these magnificent creatures. Actually, the sable antelope is the mascot for the safari and can be seen on every single safari. Despite the lack of quality of the picture, these are high quality animals. Seeing these guys at animal kingdom is worth the trip for my family. It is clearly the best place to view sable antelope.

24. Beluga Whale

Here is another animal I had to include despite not having a picture. This is a Wikipedia picture of the Beluga Whale. There is a great beluga whale exhibit at Sea World, but we always forget to take pictures when we are in the Wild Artic exhibit that houses these creatures. It is a very neat to see the design to that exhibit and these creatures that might be the highlight of Sea World though. They are the second coolest whale that we have seen in a zoo or aquarium.

23. Wallaby

Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa is home to these awesome bouncing animals. They are basically smaller kangaroos if you want a good description. There is no place even close to Lowry Park in terms of an experience with the wallaby. You can walk among the wallabies at this zoo and they cross over the path from time to time. This is one of the coolest exhibits I have seen period. This is something you have to go to Lowry Park Zoo for. Don't forget that this zoo is the #1 zoo for kids for a reason.

22. Giant Octopus

This giant octopus was photographed at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida. It is one of the coolest places to view this rare marine life. I vote it as the number one place to view the octopus, because look at that picture. It isn't the only place to view them though, you can see them at many other aquariums. They are really neat to look at and an animal I recommend.

21. Asian Elephant

Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL is one of the places you can view Asian Elephants. Another place with a great Asian Elephant exhibit is the National Zoo. Both have fantastic exhibits. I will say that these are similar to the African Elephant and still awesome. However, these animals are not as cool IMO. The ears are the easiest way to tell them apart. The Asian Elephant has much more rounded off ears. They are also smaller than the African Elephant typically. Finally, the Asian elephants highest point is on its back, giving it kind of the camel back, while the African Elephant has its highest point at the shoulders. These are still cool elephants, but not as great as the African Elephant.

-Noland