Pin #385: 2014 Stanley Cup Finals

One of my coworkers went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year.  He's a Rangers fan so he was a little disappointed in the result.  But he was nice enough to buy me a pin while he was there.  It's a cool pin that features the Stanley Cup with the two team logos in the corner.

Pin #384: Presidential Libraries

This is another pin that my dad got me while at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library.  This pin, however, is just a generic presidential libraries pin with the seal on it.  The seal is a pretty cool design element, and I like the stars around the rim.

Pin #383: American Red Cross?

I'm not really sure what this pin is, but it could be an American Red Cross pin.  That's my best guess.  I don't remember where I got it either.  It's another one of those mystery pins.

Pin #382: Partners Statue

This is a pin of the Partners Statue in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.  It is one of the most iconic picture spots in the park.  I love this statue.  It's one of my favorite spots in the park.  When I saw the pin I knew I needed to buy it because it showcases two of my favorite images of the park.  I just love it!

Pin #381: 2007 Rose Bowl

This looks very similar to the 2004 Rose Bowl pin because the same two teams played in both games.  I didn't go to this game, though.  Rose Bowl pins are always very simple and traditional.  They don't try to get too fancy or make drastic changes from year to year, and that's why I like them.  Plus, when you have that great looking rose logo, you don't have to do much of anything.

Pin #380: Cougar

This is a cougar, or mountain lion, it's all the same.  I don't remember exactly where I got this pin.  I think it might have come from the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, but I'm not entirely sure.  I like it, though.

Pin #379: Pirates Lenticular

This is a Pirates of the Caribbean pin featuring a lenticular image.  The bottom reads "The Legend Lives On."  I remember thinking it was a cool looking pin, and very different at the time.  Now I feel like there are many pins like this.  Either way, a cool Pirates pin is a cool Pirates pin.

Pin #378: Texas Armadillo

I have an inside joke with a friend of mine about a water skiing armadillo named Spike.  Everytime I see an armadillo I think of Spike.  In Texas, there are armadillos everywhere.  I had to buy at least one pin.  I liked this one because it has the Texas flag on its shell.  I also bought a stuffed animal armadillo for my friend's daughter in an attempt to extend the joke to future generations.

Pin #377: Another Alcatraz

I bought this pin during my last visit to Alcatraz in February 2014.  It features the island with the prison building set in orange on a blue and black background.  The colors really work well on this pin.  They make it look like the island is under a spotlight.  It's cool.

Pin #376: Carousel Tiger

This is another pin I bought at the Louff Carousel in Spokane.  One of the vehicles that you can ride is a tiger.  I guess it's a pretty big deal.  I thought the pin was cool, so I bought it.

Pin #375: Astrovision

As you can see, this pin opens up.  It's a pin from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.  It's a semi truck advertising for Panasonic Astrovision.  I don't really know what that is, but it was obviously a big deal in 2002.  I'm not sure exactly how I got this pin, but it was definitely after I got the other 2002 Olympic pins.

Pin #374: Haunted Mansion Mummy

This is another Haunted Mansion pin from Disneyland.  As I've said before, the Haunted Mansion has the best pins of any Disney attraction.  This is part of a series of key pins from the O'Pin House event in 2009.  It features the mummy from the graveyard inside the ride.  I thought it was a unique looking pin, so I bought it.

Pin #373: Indiana Pacers

This is another pin that my dad got me on his trip to Indianapolis.  He was downtown where the basketball arena is so he decided to get me a Pacers pin.  I certainly don't mind, even though I'm not a Pacers fan.

Pin #372: White House

I bought this pin during my latest visit to Washington DC.  It features the iconic image of the White House with an American flag background.  It's a simple pin, but elegant in its own right.  While I didn't tour the White House during this visit, I did go see it.  And when you go to DC, you need to buy a White House pin.

Pin #371: Looff Carrousel

This pin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Looff Carrousel in Spokane.  I went to Spokane in 2010 to complete a portion of my Masters program at Gonzaga University.  During one of my free nights I was able to walk through town.  While walking through Riverfront Park in downtown, I came across the Carrousel and learned all about the history.  Charles Looff designed and hand-crafted the carrousel.  He is the same person who designed the first carousel for Coney Island.  I thought that was really cool.  I went for a ride and bought a few pins.  This was one of them.

Pin #370: Jasmine

This is another Disney pin that was a gift from a friend.  Showing off my pin collection through this blog has been great because it's allowed my friends to share in my collection.  And every now and then I get cool pins like this!  This pin shows Jasmine in her traditional attire.  It's a very shimmery, glittery pin.

Pin #369: Maui Ocean Center

The sea horse on the pin moves!  I like pins that do something special.  This one is pretty cool looking with the sea horse and the seaweed.  I don't know how I got this one, though.  I've never been to Maui, and I don't remember who I know who has been recently and brought me back a pin.  Either way, I like it.

Pin #368: Arkansas Travs

When my dad got his current job he had to go to Little Rock, Arkansas for training.  During the week that he was there he got to go to an Arkansas Travs game.  The Travs are a Double A baseball team.  Apparently they were champions of the Texas League in 2008 and still had pins commemorating that feat when my dad went.  So he bought me one.  The A logo is kind of boring and dull, but I like the state outline in the background with the flying baseball.  More than anything it's a pin with a story and I like that.

Pin #367: Alaska Polar Bears

Yes, those polar bears appear to be doing what it looks like they're doing.  And they even have smiles on their faces.  Good for them.  A friend of mine got this pin for me when she went on a trip to Alaska.  Apparently, her brother tried to steal it at one point, but she got it back and gave it to me.  She said it was too funny to not buy.  I agree.

Pin #366: 2014 Fiesta Bowl

The Fiesta Bowl is one of the major six bowls, and it is played in Phoenix.  This past year, my team, UA, got selected to play in it.  Since it was so close I felt obligated to go.  I've been to a couple other UA bowl games and for some reason I didn't get any pins when I went.  Maybe they didn't have any, I don't know.  But I wasn't about to make the same mistake with this game.  Besides, this is a good looking pin.  It's very vibrant and representative of the state.  Unfortunately, the game didn't go as well as I hoped, but it was still a good time.

Pin #365: LA 1984 Banner

This pin was released by the LA Visitor Bureau to promote the Olympic Games.  It's a colorful pin in the shape of a banner.  It's a cool piece of history.  I don't remember how I got it, though.  I believe it came in a group of pins that my mom got from a client and gave to me.  There were a lot of 1984 Olympics pins in that group.

Pin #364: Yavapai Observation Station

The Yavapai Observation Station is a new visitor stop on the rim of the Grand Canyon.  It's a cool little stop with good views of the river and some neat exhibits.  If you're walking along the rim I recommend stopping in.  As for the pin, I'm fairly convinced that I have bought all the available pins at the Grand Canyon, but this one has a bighorn sheep on it, so it was a must have for me.  I've never seen a bighorn sheep in the wild, but I really really want to.  This pin reminds me that one day I will go in search of them at the Canyon.

Pin #363: 2011 Final Four

This pin is from the 2011 Final Four in Houston.  I didn't go to this Final Four, but there were first and second round games in Tucson that I did go to.  I saw the pin and figured I should get it since I at least went to some of the games during the tournament.  Plus, it has a space shuttle on it.  Anything with space shuttles is cool.

Pin #362: Another Moose

Writing this blog has made me realize that I have a lot of moose pins.  Here's another one.  I won't bore you all again with the reason behind all the moose pins.  If you have been following this blog, (And why wouldn't you be?) you should know the story already.  This particular pin, though, is very simple with the moose on a cream background.  I think this might be another pin from Alaska, but I'm not exactly sure.  Either way, moose pins are always welcome.

Pin #361: X2

I bought this pin after riding X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.  It was probably the most scared and exhilarated I've ever been on a ride so I had to buy a pin.  I'm not sure I can really describe the ride and do it justice, so here's a video.  The video might not help much either, but trust me when I say the ride is frickin' nuts.

Pin #360: Haunted Mansion Hallway

This pin is from the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland.  It represents a scene from the ride where a candlestick appears to be floating down a hallway.  If you've been on the ride you almost certainly know the scene.  When I saw the pin I thought it was really cool, especially because you can see the silhouette of a ghost holding the candlestick.  The Haunted Mansion has quite possibly the best attraction pins.  I almost always find a new one that I love when I visit Disneyland.

Pin #359: University of Arizona 125 Years

This pin was released to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the University of Arizona in 2010.  I saw the pin in the bookstore after I started working there in 2011.  As an alum and now an employee, I had to to have it.  It's a simple pin with the simple message of 125 Years Arizona.  At the top is the top of Old Main, which was the first building at UA and it is still standing today.