Pin #410: Just a Dream Away

I bought this pin at California Adventure because I really just loved the message.  Sorcerer Mickey is cool too.  There's not much else to say about the pin.  I still use it as a reminder that anything I want is Just a Dream Away!

Pin #409: University of Arizona Block A

This is just a simple pin from my alma mater, University of Arizona.  It's the most distinguishable logo from the school.  I bought it when I bought some other UA stuff because I realized I didn't have a simple A pin.  Bear Down!

Pin #408: American Museum of Natural History

I got this pin at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  The name is hard to see on the bottom, but trust me, it's there.  When I went to New York for my cousin's wedding in 2012, this is one of the few things I wanted to do in the city.  I had heard such great things about the museum and I wanted to see it for myself.  It didn't disappoint.  The coolest exhibit was probably the one about bioluminescent animals.  Those are animals like fireflies.  It was really fascinating.  But when it came time to buy a pin, I chose the one with the dinosaur because, well, dinosaurs.  The dinosaur hall was really cool, too, by the way.

Pin #407: 2011 All Star Game "I Was There!"

I got this pin when I went to the 2011 All Star Game.  I believe it came with the ticket holder and lanyard that I bought.  It's not an especially noteworthy looking pin, but it's a reminder that I went to the game.  And it lets other people know that I went to the game as well.

Pin #406: 2008 World Series

This was the World Series I didn't go to, but the one I will always remember.  My beloved Phillies won the championship in 2008 and I remember just about everything from that playoff run.  This pin makes me smile everytime I see it because it reminds me of that great run.  My uncle went to Game 5, which was the clinching game and he got me this pin and a program.

Pin #405: Space Needle 50th Anniversary

My mom got me this pin when she visited Seattle.  It happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Space Needle when she went, so she got me a pin celebrating that event.  The pin features an etching of the Space Needle, which is kind of cool, but the pin itself is pretty plain.  Seattle was one of the coolest cities I've visited though.

Pin #404: Muppets Guitar

This pin features four of the most popular Muppets gathered around a guitar.  I got it at Disneyland.  It's kind of a neat pin, but I was definitely more enthralled with the pin when I first bought it than I am now.  I'm not sure I would still buy this pin if I saw it in the store now.  I guess you could say it was more of an impulse buy than some of my other Disney pins.  But don't get me wrong, I still like it.

Pin #403: Flo's V8 Cafe

This is another pin from my recent haul at Disneyland last month.  It is a replica of the sign from Flo's V8 Cafe in Cars and Cars Land.  I really love the look of it.  It is very retro and 50s-ish.  The pin actually does a pretty good job of translating the look of the neon lights on the sign.  It really pops.  I actually bought this as part of a set of Cars Land signs.  I really only wanted two of the pins in the set, this one included, so I traded the other two pins.  You'll see what I ended up with later in the blog.

Pin #402: #1 Teacher

This pin was a gift from a student back when I was teaching.  She knew I collected pins and knew I loved Disney, so she bought me this on a trip to Disneyland.  I have to admit, it was a very effective way to suck up.

Pin #401: Georgia

This is another pin that I got from the collection of pins sent to our camp from various states.  This one features a peach, which Georgia is famous for.  It's a nice, colorful looking pin that really gets at the essence of Georgia.

Pin #400: Jaws

This is another pin I bought at Universal Studios.  It features the iconic Jaws image of the shark coming up through the water.  And this pin is especially cool because it gives an homage to the Jaws attraction on the Backlot Tour with the fishing boat that moves back and forth on the top of the pin.  I love Jaws so to find a Jaws pin was especially cool.

Pin #399: Disneyland Original Mickey

This is another historical Disneyland pin featuring classic Mickey.  There's not much to say about it.  At this point, you all know I love Disneyland history and classic Mickey.  Needless to say, when I saw this pin I knew I wanted it for my collection.

Pin #398: It was all started with...

This is one of my favorite Disney pins because it touches on so much Disney history.  First, it is in the shape of the iconic Mickey ears, and it features one of Walt's most famous sayings, "It was all started with..."  The end of that statement is, of course, a mouse, which we see in the form of Mickey.  Then the pin gets even better by opening up and showing classic Mickey cartoons and a picture of Walt and Mickey.  So cool!

Pin #397: Space Mountain License Plate

I traded for this pin during my most recent trip to Disneyland.  It was a pin that happened to be on the trading block at the Trading Outpost in Adventureland.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it.  Space Mountain is my favorite ride and I love finding unique Space Mountain pins.  I had been saving my last trader to find something really special, and this was it.  I love it!

Pin #396: Desert View Watchtower

This is a pin from the Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon.  Desert View is on the east end of the park, quite a ways away from the main Visitor Center area.  It's a really cool vantage point, though, and includes this amazing watchtower.  We visited that part of the park during a few field trips we took when I was teaching.  I like the pin because it showcases not just the Grand Canyon, but also one of the unique pieces of architecture at the Canyon.

Pin #395: Explore the Galaxy

This is one of my newest pins.  I bought it during my most recent trip to Disneyland.  It has the look of a retro movie poster and features Mickey in a spacesuit on the moon or another planet or something.  I absolutely love the look of this pin!

Pin #394: Phillies

This is another generic Phillies pin that I have.  This one features the Liberty Bell logo on a baseball field shaped background.  I don't exactly remember where I got this one.  I think it was a gift from someone.  I have a lot of Phillies pins so it's hard to remember where they all come from sometimes.

Pin #393: California Science Center Shuttle Program

I went a little pin wild when I went to see the Space Shuttle at the California Science Center.  I just couldn't help myself.  It was the Space Shuttle!  I like this pin because it shows the profile of the Shuttle with the rockets.  I was told that eventually that is how the shuttle will be displayed at the museum.  I can't wait!

Pin #392: Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument is a site filled with Native American relics and building remains.  It's a very neat place to visit and is full of history.  The coolest part is definitely the blowhole.  There's not a great way to describe it in words, but it's a natural phenomenon in the ground that either blows air out or sucks air in depending on the weather.  If you're ever close, you should check it out.  When I was teaching, we used to stop here as part of our yearly field trip to the Grand Canyon.  One year I was finally able to sneak away from the students and buy a pin.

Pin #391: Connecticut Tourism

This might just be the most boring pin in my collection.  Square shaped, one color, and no images.  Tourism might work for Connecticut, but pin design certainly doesn't.  This was another pin that I collected during the Road Trip year of camp when a bunch of states sent us some giveaways.

Pin #390: Fisherman's Wharf

When I went to San Francisco last year, I bought pins all over town.  On my last day there, I was convinced that I had bought all the pins I was going to buy.  Then I happened to see this one in the hotel gift store as we were heading out.  I thought it was so cool.  It's a ship's wheel with a crab image in the middle, representing Fisherman's Wharf.  It's just such a unique looking pin that I had to buy it.  It might just be my favorite pin that I bought on that trip.

Pin #389: Jurassic Park Stamp

This is one of my absolute favorite pins.  It was a clearance pin the last time I was at Universal Studios.  I couldn't believe this pin was on clearance!  It's so cool!  It's a Jurassic Park stamp pin featuring a dilophosaurus.  You may know those dinosaurs better as spitters.  I just love the gold frame and etching and how the black background on the lower half looks almost like a tar pit.  I fell in love as soon as I saw this pin.  I've often wondered if this pin was part of a set or something but I can't find any information about it online.  That's too bad because I would love to have more pins like this.

Pin #388: Shapers of the World Quote

This is another pin from my Walt Disney quotes series.  It reads, "Today we are the shapers of the world tomorrow."  This is probably my favorite pin from the series.  I love the quote, and I love that it comes with a picture of Walt.

Pin #387: Jedi Mickey

This pin was a gift from a friend.  He knows how much I love Disney and how much I love Star Wars, so this is the perfect combination.  It's Mickey dressed as a Jedi.  It's simple, yet cool.  And the blue in the light saber is very shimmery.

Pin #386: 2009 World Series

This is a pin from the 2009 World Series featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.  I actually had the privilege of attending Game 3 of this series.  It was one of the biggest sports highlights of my life.  This was the second year in a row that the Phillies went to the World Series.  I wasn't able to go in 2008 and I vowed that I wouldn't miss another opportunity.  Thankfully, I was able to make it work.  The pin itself is a very standard World Series pin, but it holds so many more memories for me.