Outside our room at the Grand Californian

"See? Our room is right up there! On the right side!"

Shellie May might learn to be a good tour guide someday.

Craft: A Bow for Smiling Spring Voyage Shellie May in 5 minutes

So my Smiling Spring Voyage Shellie May (a smaller bear than the 17" Shellie May) needed a bow to go with her outfit. It's easy to give her one!

1. Get/make a bow and a tan hair elastic. (This is a quick bow made from some ribbon I had left over from another project.)

2. Place the bow on the elastic. (I put it at the part that has the joint/seam.)

3. Whip stitch the bow to the elastic. (I pretty much just stitched around the elastic and into the bow.)

4. When you're satisfied with your stitching, tie off your thread.

5. Give the bow to Smiling Shellie May and let her be cute.

"Eeek! No fair taking a picture until you've finished my lovely costume!"

Wow. Just...wow (Grand Californian)

I previously mentioned just how blessed I was to have won 2 nights at the Grand Californian Hotel, with 2-day parkhoppers! (Thank you, DIS Unplugged!) I very seriously never thought I'd ever be able to stay in the Grand Californian...most trips I've gone, I can stay 3 or even 4 nights at the hotel we stay at, for the price of one night at the Grand Californian.

The parks opened at 10 AM on November 1, 2012, with Early Entry at Disneyland for hotel guests (and Magic Morning folks) at 9 AM. My BFF, Miss D and I left the Best Western Stovall's not that long after 8 AM (somehow managing to arrange all our luggage and most of Mom's into Miss D's car). We drove up to the Grand Californian and I headed to the lobby, leaving the others to deal with the luggage, so we could get everything done as quickly as possible.

The Cast Member at check-in was so nice. She said she had the 4 of us booked for a 5-person standard view (those are the ones facing the parking lot, with a small daybed instead of a balcony), but it wasn't ready yet. If I recall correctly, she said she could get a 4-person room instead that would be ready. I deliberated for a split-second...my BFF doesn't like to share a bed with anyone, so the 5-person room would mean we didn't need the air mattress. And I'd heard the rooms were so small, I wasn't sure if we had room for the air mattress. But I really wanted to have a balcony and feel special. So, I asked if they had anything with a view.

The Cast Member kindly spent a few minutes looking through the computer until she offered a partial pool view. I gladly took it...and what do you know? It was ready!

This photo is from 8:27 AM. We had more than 48 hours in this gorgeous room! It was in the Villas section, I believe.

 

So beautiful! And I think there was almost room for my BFF's air mattress in the CLOSET...absolutely plenty of room for it in the corner past the desk on the left. We just had to shove the desk a bit.

After soaking up the room, we made our way to Disneyland for Early Entry.

"I am so excited to be here!" said Shellie May.

A girl stared at her and asked me who she was. I said she was Shellie May, Duffy's friend from Japan.

She didn't know who Duffy was!

Bonus Story - Smallish Duffy meets Smiling Shellie May

Smallish Duffy was worried Smiling Shellie May would be scared of him, as he was dressed like a pirate. But he does not have many outfits, and the pirate outfit is the only one that has pants. So he wore it anyway.

"Oh! Is Smiling Shellie May in here? I am very nervous."



"Don't be scared, Smiling Shellie May! I'll help you out--"

"DUFFYYYYYYYYYYY!"



"I am SO happy to meet you! That bag was cramped and kind of boring but I was very careful and didn't eat anything and the people in customs were very nice and let us right through and I'm SO excited to be here! DUFFYYY! BEAR HUUUUG!"



That is one excitable bear. But I think she and my 12" Duffy will get along fine.

We also got amazing cell phone charms!



"Can I have a phone?" Smiling Shellie May asked me. "Then I could put a pretty charm on it and talk to all my friends like your Duffy and everyone else's Duffys and everyone else's Shellie Mays and Li'l D and Duffette and you when you're at work and Tomo and everyone on the Tiny Duffy page!  HIIIIII EVERYONE!!!!"


She's still bouncing around the place; oh dear. She'll probably calm down once she's used to being in America. I hope.