TRIP REPORT: My Fabulous 50th Celebration

My apologies for taking so long to give you my trip report on the fabulous 50th birthday celebration! Before I start, all photos on this page are © Loren R. Javier. Do not duplicate, modify or distribute without prior consent.

I began my celebration at Marvel Studios where we received a tour of their mighty marvelous offices on the Walt Disney Studios lot the day before my birthday! What a treat it was to go there and see all the props and costumes they had displayed about their offices!

After the tour, we were able to walk around the Walt Disney Studios lot. It's always a pleasure to go here and explore. There is so much rich history, you can't help but love it.

The next day, on my actual birthday, we set off this magical day at the happiest place on Earth! For the last 5 years, I had dreamed of recreating the photo from the first time I met Mickey Mouse. Thanks to the good people at Disneyland (and my Fairy Godbrother), we were able to make this dream happen!

It was such a glorious morning to spend with my family and Mickey Mouse.

We even got some nice shots of us down Main Street USA!

After our photo shoot, we headed on to the Plaza Inn where Minnie Mouse whipped us a fantastic breakfast as the characters came out to play!

For most of the day, we went around on our very own VIP tour. Since my family doesn't get to come to Disneyland very often, we, of course, went on all the fun attractions. But, because it was my birthday, of course I visited some characters!

I was told we had dinner reservations at the Carthay Circle Theatre at 6 pm. But, toward 6 pm, I was told we had to make a stop first before dinner. We went over to Disneyland Opera House which closed for a beautifully elegant dinner in my honor! It was just absolutely stunning and I had no idea this was happening.

After dinner, when I went to blow out the candles on my cake, Mickey and Minnie, dressed in their 50th anniversary outfits, came out and joined us! Wow! What an amazing moment!

Just when I thought that was enough, a trip to an ATM machine proved that the night was not yet over. For, when the doors open, I was greeted by not only some of my favorite characters, but by friends around the world that I had no idea would be there! I had never had a surprise party before and it was incredible! The room was set up with four stations for characters to meet at - The Incredibles, Joy & Sadness, Clarabelle Cow & Horace Horsecollars (aka my BAEs) and my Chippies!

And, then, if that was not enough, I was escorted to the place where I got to spend two fun filled nights - at the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel! OMG! I was crying at how amazing it was!

I was so grateful the weather held up for my birthday as the rest of the weekend ended up being very rainy. But, of course, we still managed to see characters!

I wanted to say that this was the best birthday I've ever had in my lifetime, filled with family and friends, and was everything I could ever want for my 50th birthday and then some! I have always felt blessed to be able to have the opportunities I've been afforded to me in my lifetime, but this is the first time I truly felt loved. It meant so much to me, especially after the challenging year I had healthwise.

I wanted to thank my Fairy Godbrother for making it all happen and to my friend Chris for being the person who helped keep it all together. She was the mysterious woman in the brown skirt in my recreation picture and the one who led me to all my surprises! I wanted to thank my friend Julie for making the tour of Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios happen! And I wanted to thank all my friends and family for being there and making this day so special!