I'm a huge fan of Disneyland. Huge. Not just because my mom decided to name me Minnie, but because my nostalgic self still views it as one of the happiest places on earth. Unfortunately, due to transportation circumstances we weren't able to make it to the source of my childhood dreams. But, we settled for the next best thing in the city. 

You guessed it! California's Universal Studios. 

The sun decided to really come out that day. None of that 'I'm out but it's still freaking cold' type of behavior, but it was nice and warm all day. 

First stop was Johnny Rockets on CityWalk! We were both craving milkshakes and classic American diner food.  

Okay. Their Oreo Milkshake? I'd have it every single day if I could. SO creamy and they did not hold off on the Oreo. They even gave us refills since we practically inhaled it. 

We were enjoying our burgers when lo and behold...Mario Lopez walks right past our booth window. Our milkshake brought Mario Lopez to our yard.

Yeah, no. That was a really bad pun. 

...

Ok. 

But anyways, he walked past us with his security guard and I'm pretty sure the whole restaurant was notified since Milan Sai was screaming it with her face against the window. I wish I could post the Snapvideos I have saved on my phone, but Milan Sai would possibly kill me. 

With our first celebrity sighting done and dusted, we headed to the park for a full day of rides.

Our favorite ride of the park is by far The Mummy. It was under maintenance the first couple hours we were there, but thank the Lord since it reopened just in time for us to ride it. 

Four times to be exact.

Just a tip, if you and your friends aren't afraid of riding alone, go through the single-rider line. We waited in line for one fourth of the time it would've taken us if we were in the main line. So worth it! 

I've been getting a lot of Birk hate since getting these shoes, but all I have to say is thanks to these babies, my feet lasted the whole day without hurting. They've moulded to my feet perfectly, so it feels like I'm walking on a cloud whenever I wear them. I will not be parting with these any time soon.

That night we dressed up to eat at Riva Bella. It has pretty good Yelp reviews, so we obviously had to try it. 

The decor was stunning. The fairy lights that lined all the plants along with an open roof made it feel like we were dining in some enchanted forest. 

I started with a prosciutto and buratta salad. 

And then we had the waiter attempt to take our photo while waiting for our main courses..

It didn't quite work out. 

We were expecting a regular dish when Milan Sai ordered the mushroom and cheese risotto, so imagine our surprise when this huge block of cheese showed up next to our table. 

The chef mixed warm rice into the block, which slowly melted the cheese and infused it with the mushroom and rice. It smelled so good and looked even better. 

I got the classic carbonara that came with a perfectly poached egg on top.