Pin #455: 2010 BCS National Championship

This is a pin from the 2010 BCS National Championship Game featuring Texas and Alabama.  The game was played at the Rose Bowl, which is why I got the pin.  It was another gift from our family friend on the Rose Bowl Committee.  It's another standard bowl game pin with the helmets of the competing teams.  However, you do get the roses in the upper corners of the pin which classes it up a little.

Pin #454: Golden Gate Bridge

I got this pin in San Francisco.  It features the iconic image of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The Golden Gate is a lasting symbol of not just San Francisco, but also of America.  And I like that this pin really enhances the red color and also makes the sky look like it is near sunset.  It's a very neat looking pin which is why it stood out and why I bought it.

Pin #453: Reno

This pin features the famous sign from Reno, Nevada, proclaiming it the biggest little city in the world.  I've never actually been to Reno, but someone has and they brought me back a pin.

Pin #452: Seoul 1988

This is a pin from the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.  It features the mascot, Hodori, a tiger.  He's kind of a cute mascot.  I got the pin as part of the group of pins my mom got from one of her clients.

Pin #451: Why Do We Have to Grow Up?

This is another pin from my Disney quotes collection.  This is one of my favorites from that collection because it has an awesome quote and features classic Mickey.

Pin #450: Kauai

This is a pin from Kauai, which is in Hawaii.  It features an ocean setting with a whale tail, palm tree, and volcano in the background.  It's a nice scenery pin.  I've never been to Kauai so I know I didn't buy this pin myself.  In fact, I don't really remember where I got it or who gave it to me.  But I like it!

Pin #449: Connecticut

This is quite possibly the most boring pin in my collection.  I mean, c'mon Connecticut, put some sort of thought into your pin.  This was another pin that was sent to our camp as a giveaway.  I can see why they would give these away.  Connecticut is such a beautiful state and I would hope they have some new pins that celebrate that beauty.

Pin #447: Storybook Land Canal Boats

This is a 3D pin representing the Storybook Land Canal Boats at Disneyland.  It features Donald and Daisy riding one of the boats through the ride.  In the background you can even see the Matterhorn.  It is cool because of the depth of the pin.

Pin #448: The Spirit of St. Louis

This pin is a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, which was the plane that Charles Lindbergh flew in the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic.  I got the pin at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which has the actual plane on display.  It is quite a historic plane so it I thought it was cool that they sold a replica pin.

Pin #446: St. Louis Cardinals

I'm pretty sure my dad got me this pin during one of his work trips.  I'm not a huge Cardinals fan, but I do respect that they are a consistently good baseball team.  This pin is their logo with the bird sitting on a baseball bat.  It's a pretty classic logo.

Pin #445: 2011 Rose Parade Wells Fargo

This is a pin from the 2011 Rose Parade promoting the Wells Fargo float.  I'm assuming their float had something to do with a horse that year.  I'm not entirely sure, though.  And as usual, the Rose logo is featured in the corner of the pin.  That is still one of my favorite logos on any pin.  This is another pin I got from our family friends who are connected to the Rose Parade, and probably one of the last ones that I got from them, as we don't see much of them anymore.

Pin #444: 2014 Fiesta Bowl UA

This is another pin I bought when I went to the Fiesta Bowl last year.  This one features my team's helmet, the UA Wildcats.  It also has the Fiesta Bowl logo and the year.  I like it because it represents my team.

Pin #443: Old School Mickey and Minnie

This pin is absolutely adorable.  It features old school Mickey and Minnie with Mickey kissing Minnie's hand while she smiles.  I love the retro Mickey stuff so I fell in love with this pin when I saw it.

Pin #442: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

I found this pin during my last trip to Disneyland.  I was so excited because there are so few Mr. Toad's pins.  This one features Toad driving one of the cars from the ride with the town in the background.  I'm a sucker for Mr. Toad and Space Mountain pins.

Pin #441: Space Shuttle Endeavor

This is yet another pin I bought when visiting the Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center.  I admit I went a little overboard with the pins on this trip.  There were about five or six that I wanted and I ended up settling on three.  Obviously, this was one of them.  I like the profile of the shuttle on this one and the name in the jet stream across the bottom.

Pin #440: 2008 NLCS

This pin represents the greatest sports experience of my life.  Now, I've been to a Final Four and I've been to a World Series, but being at Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS is the most memorable game I've ever been to.  I actually went to two games in this series.  In Game 3 the Dodgers beat the Phillies pretty handily so that one wasn't great, but then Game 4 happened.  The Phillies jumped out to an early lead, but the Dodgers battled back and had a 5-3 lead heading into the 8th inning.  After a walk, Shane Victorino smashed a home run into the right field bullpen to tie the game.  A few batters later Matt Stairs stepped up to the plate against Jonathon Broxton with a runner on.  He proceeded to hit one of the furthest balls I've ever seen hit in Dodger Stadium into the right field bleachers giving the Phillies a 7-5 lead.  I still get goosebumps thinking about it.  It was magical and I will never forget that moment.  It was an iconic moment in Phillies history and I was there.  And this pin always reminds me of that so it will always be one of my favorites because of that.  See the ball flying through the air on the pin?  That's Matt Stairs' home run ball.

Pin #439: Maleficent Haunted Mansion Portrait

This is a cool pin from a series released last year.  The series features famous Disney villains placed in the Haunted Mansion stretch portraits that you see at the beginning of the ride.  This pin showcases Maleficent, who happens to be my favorite Disney villain.  I think these are really clever pins.  Once again, Disney impresses.

Pin #438: Wright Brothers Plane

I bought this at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  There was an exhibit all about the Wright Brothers including the actual plane they flew in 1903.  It was the coolest thing I've ever seen.  Naturally, I had to buy this pewter pin of the plane.

Pin #437: American Museum of Natural History Thumbtack

This is another pin I bought at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  Yes, it has a T-Rex skull on it.  Yes, that's why I bought it.  Plus, I have a few different thumbtack pins and I like buying those from different places I go.

Pin #436: Mr Toad's Wild Ride Remember When

This was a surprise release pin from 2013.  It was released at Walt Disney World to commemorate Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which was removed from the park.  That is one of my favorite rides and there aren't that many Mr. Toad's pins, so anytime I see one I want it.  I saw this pin online and asked a friend of mine to look for it at the parks.  She ended up finding it somewhere and I am eternally grateful.  I really love the brushed gold/bronze look, and of course Mr. Toad himself.

Pin #435: World Series I Was There

I got this pin when I went to, you guessed it, the World Series.  It came with the ticket holder I purchased.  I'm not gonna lie, I bought the ticket holder just so I could get the pin.  Going to a World Series was one of my greatest sports memories, so having a pin proclaiming that I Was There is pretty cool.