My 789th Trip to Disneyland

Despite my attempts to avoid Disneyland, I always give in. I am truly at a disadvantage for the following reasons:

Reason 1: I happen to come from a long line of addicts, none of which have ever learned to overcome their compulsions; furthermore, Dave and Kate have now been converted to the club. I am just a tad outnumbered here.

Reason 2: How do I resist my darling husband? He made a countdown chain the day we booked the vacation. For weeks, he's been reading books, reviewing old photos, and turning on Disney movies to help Kate be researched and ready for the trip. I mean, pretty darling, right?

Reason 3: Disneyland happens to be located in my favorite place...California. If I go to Disneyland, that means I get to go to a place full of the best restaurants, shopping, friends, and memories.

So yes, we, along with my parents, woke at 4:15 am Friday morning to catch our flight to sunny Southern California. We rented a very lush Ford Flex, and went straight to the park. I can't account for everything we did and rode, but remember having a successful, happy time. Kate loved any ride that went in a circular motion, such as the carousel, Dumbo, the tea cups, and even the Matterhorn.

She was really a good sport, even on the dark rides. She would hold on tight, let out little whimpers, and her bottom lip would sometimes pucker out and quiver, but she didn't do much crying. She was so brave and tried really hard to be a big girl.

Kate taking in the Disney magic
Me and my babe riding Dumbo

So the biggest line of Day 1 was the wait to meet Mickey Mouse. It's not something I ever want to do again, but I think it was a pretty big deal for Kate. After all, she's kind of got something for the guy...

Another highlight was when Kate met the Winnie the Pooh gang. We got right to the front of the line just as it was time for the characters to go on break, thus, another long wait to meet some V.I.P.'s. Well, the experience proved to be worth the wait again...Kate loved hugging & kissing them all. For lupper, we ate at the Blue Bayou. This is Kate enjoying her mac 'n' cheese and pirate hat: My parents had never eaten there and the food was better than I had ever had there. After the good eats, we left Disneyland to buy some snacks and breakfasty items, then checked in at our hotel, Red Lion Maingate. Nice lobby, nice rooms and pool, but not quite as nice as it was hyped up to be. The price was right, so I guess that counts for something. We rested up and gathered our bearings, and walked back to the park for some more riding and Summer Night-tastic.