the 2021 spring break recap

since we're looking back on days gone by, i figure we might as well get in a recap of the bean's spring break.  and let's kick it off with a super random photo of teddy warily eyeing the roomba as it inches closer and closer towards him...

on our way to redeem the bean's "visit downtown disney and get some snacks" easter egg coupon, we hit up one of our favorite shops for some dresses and lattes.  yes, you can get both at the same place.  and they have this fun flower wall that's perfect for photo ops.

happily, when we got to downtown disney it wasn't crowded at all.  parking was easy and there were pretty much zero lines for the security and temperature checkpoints.

the building that formerly housed the rainforest cafe had recently been converted into a star wars-themed shop.  this was the first chance we'd had to visit and we'd heard that the lines to get in there on opening weekend had been a little nutty.  since there were only a few people waiting to enter, we figured we might as well head in and take a look around.

there's something for everyone in there.  this super cute costume caught my eye:

the old lady was eyeing these crocs (i know, i know):

and the bean was captivated by the wall of plush toys.

with a handful of disney gift cards she'd been hoarding from birthdays and christmas, she allowed herself one purchase - this adorable porg that sat on her shoulder with the help of a hidden magnet.

and of course, a quick selfie:

you may or may not have heard about this concoction sold only here, at downtown disney - the panko crusted pickle dog.  it's a hot dog stuffed inside of a whole dill pickle, dipped in corn dog batter and rolled in crispy panko crumbs...served with peanut butter for dipping.  the old lady was intrigued despite her typical disdain for hot dogs, and she totally went for it.

the final verdict?  she said it was actually pretty delicious, although the peanut butter was a little weird.  

we grabbed a few treats to take home, and then on our way back to the parking lot we came across the new  "raya and the last dragon' art installation that had replaced the tribute to chadwick boseman.  the bean has seen it, but the rest of us still have yet to watch.

at the very tail end of her break came a second cheer competition in phoenix, and so we hit the road again.

this time we decided to take the tesla to see how it was at road tripping, and stopped in quartzsite for our first supercharging stop.

this time around, the competition was held at the arizona grand resort.  all guests receive a wristband to enter the water park that's on site, but we didn't really have time (nor the desire) to go.

we did, however, make it out for dinner at the sicilian butcher.  we sat on the patio outside and enjoyed some delicious burrata toast, charcuterie and meatballs and pasta.

the coaches wanted the team to wear their hair in high ponytails with curled ends for this competition, and so to save us some time the next day, as soon as we got back to the hotel i had her wash her hair so i could blow it out as instructed.  i hadn't seen her hair blown out in ages, and while i thought it looked gorgeous she said she missed her curls the second she saw it.  

after sleeping on it, when she woke up the ends had gone from straight to softly curled - which ended up working out perfectly without me having to take a curling iron to it.  

i decided to curl my own hair, flailed with the wand in my hand and ended up with a sweet burn on the side of my face that i'm still applying scar gel to in the hopes that it doesn't leave me with a permanent mark.  worst souvenir ever.  and no, no picture.

like the other in-person competition we'd attended, this one was pretty well organized with plenty of covid-safe guidelines in place.  each team was assigned a warm-up and performance time, and a specific time for their spectators to line up and enter the arena to watch their routine.  only the team, their audience and the judges were present, and everyone was temperature-checked and required to wear a mask.  i gotta say, i wouldn't mind if competitions stayed like this even after covid becomes a thing of the past.

the long hours of practices and full-out run-throughs (plus my trusty good luck charms!) paid off again, as they took home this giant trophy, plus medals and jackets for every athlete.

not a bad way to close out spring break, amirite?