Silhouettes! Friends! and Family! OH MY!

I decided a while back to collect silhouettes from the Disneyland Silhouette Shop on Main Street, USA. I have a pretty small kitchen, but I estimate there is enough room for 50 + silhouettes to line the little area of space around the top of the room. It all started when I found a silhouette from a 1977 trip. The next time we went to DL in 2007 I had them do another one. I was blown away that the girl in the shop noticed right away who cut the silhouette! Ever since then I was nagging my family to get me silhouettes. One year, on my birthday my BFF sent me a silhouette of her and 2 of her children to me as a gift! Then it was on! I started to think, If I could get people to get the silhouettes then they could give me their extra one! (they give you 2 when you have them done) To date I have 23 silhouettes. The majority are family in various combinations. But I am starting to get friends! I have one promised from a dear young couple that I hope to get SOON! (you know who you are!) I'm not picky. I even have a couple of what people might consider "strange". I have a S in a frame. It's a long story, but I needed a S for a DL project I was doing. So I decided to have them do a S for me. It's on the wall. I also had myself done with the Evil Queen from Snow White. Mostly for a joke because one time we were at California Adventure and did a game where you sit in a chair and answer questions. The computer figures out what character you are most like. Our whole family was something "nice" and my son-in-law and I were villains. You guessed it, I was the Evil Queen from Snow White and Johnny was Hades. I wish now, I would have done me and the Fairy Godmother because that's what my BFF's kids call me. So, next time that will be in the making, unless of coarse I just get the Fairy Godmother by herself...hummmm. And I was told I am getting this one

A rare character one set on black background...whoa! This collection may have to go through my whole house!

What I love about the collection is every time I walk in or out of my kitchen area I am surrounded by friends and family. Helps me to think twice about my actions! :-D Helps me feel loved and best of all, it is just cool!

Back to this visit to Disneyland. My BFF, Marti (the famous Marti of the Cuban World!) and her lovely family came to see us on the day we were doing silhouettes at DL. We were filling the little shop and I sent Mary out to yell at her. Marti came over and the top silhouette was born! Her and I! So fun! Then she told me she had a picture of us in 1977 right on the porch near the shop. We had probably just finished the 1977 portrait! Of coarse she did a marvelous blog post about our trip and I stole the picture to have here!

My first thought was, I didn't remember Mary being in the shot. (the shot that is following) Then I realized "that isn't Mary, it's me!" So above is Marti, Me and Gene in 1977 on the little porch next to the Silhouette shop. The porch that most people just pass by in their aimless wandering at Disneyland. I mean, if you do not stop and look around, you miss all the wonderful things that make Disneyland so wonderful and nothing like other parks, like Magic Mountain, for example. But that topic is not important right now!

Here we are now! 32 years later! Wow! Thanks for a wonderful friendship Marti. You are always there and always think the best of me. It is a source of great strength, probably more than you know.

I thought I would share a couple of my favorite pictures from the visit with Marti and family.

Seeing Adam again was so great! We haven't seen him for maybe 5 years. That seems long, but I think it was that long. We usually go to DL when other people have to be at work. This time we could see him and he was nice enough to come and see the crazy Pensieros! What I loved about Adam, was his voice! He has a very calming voice! We knew Adam's father and in fact Mark was in our wedding as Gene's best man. Here's Mark and Gene

I think Adam looks more like his Cuban Grandpa but I wanted to find this picture and post it. How wonderful life can be when you can experience such a moment-sitting with a old friend's child and having a great time.

Not only that, Adam was so wonderful with CJ. She just loves the men! He played and danced with her in the middle of main street! She was so sad when he had to go. I wish we all lived closer! Adam, you could babysit!

If you read Marti's blog (linked above) you will see she tries to get fun photos of her kids all together at once. CJ, who usually declines photos (maybe because I take pictures all the time of her), says "now with me!". Being so nice they included her! I love the picture because of that and because I love the family! One note, isn't it cool that balloon is right there in the picture kind of just like the balloon Marti sent me for my birthday so long ago! It was even the same color! I'm telling you, it was a cosmic meeting!

I hope to post more of my amazing photos I took at Disneyland. There are some sweet ones and to get an LDN update out. But for now you will just have to enjoy this post!