The Happiest Place On Earth!

Even on Hollywood Blvd. Lexi found her favorite Disney Princess
had her own Star!

I had told you before about how Disney was doing Give a Day, Get a Day this year. And John & my kids had volunteered picking Grapefruit for a local food bank. So all 5 of them received a free ticket to a Disney Park. So we only had to pay for me to get in, since I had to work the day they all volunteered.

When we got there they gave us all these pins to wear
that show we are Volunteers.

I Love Disneyland! After all it is the Happiest Place on Earth! We had a blast! It was a little sad for me though, because this is the first time there that none of my kids wanted to get their pictures taken with all the Characters! Last time it was all about that. My girls & I would spend the majority of the day waiting in line to see every single princess, to get our picture with her & of course her autograph! But this time it was all about the rides!

All of us on Splash Mountain!
(front to back; Lexi, Erica, Kyle, Zach, John & me hiding in the back)

Needless to say, I am not brave when it comes to rides. I tend to battle motion sickness & fear! :) I should have planned ahead better & had more kids, so I could stay longer in the kiddy ride section! Okay, maybe not! :) Here I am in front of my all time favorite ride anywhere . . .

"It's A Small World After All!"

And of course I had to take a picture of the Hula Dancers!

It just makes me happy!

Remember back in the 80's when Michael Jackson's Captain EO came out at Disneyland in 3D? We thought it was so cool! Well, since he has passed away, they've brought it back! It was such a thrill for me to get to share something I saw when I was young with my kids now. And it's still pretty cool!

My oldest son Kyle's girlfriend Olivia & a friend of hers, Heather, were also in California that week visiting Olivia's sister who lives there & they went to Disneyland that day with us too. The two of them went early to steak out a place to watch the fireworks that night. If you've never seen the firework show Disney puts on, you don't know what you're missing! And when we made our way to where they were, this is how they were sitting to make sure they had enough space for all of us to sit:

Heather & Olivia saving places on the sidewalk.
(And getting dirty looks from people who wanted the prime location
for themselves!)

They even came prepared with a deck of cards
to help pass the time.

The fireworks were awesome, put to Disney music & movie themes. We got to see Tinkerbell fly across the sky! I honestly thought she was going to get hit with the fireworks. Then abruptly, the music turns off & they announce due to high winds they can't continue with the firework show. :(

Tinkerbell flying over the Castle!

And speaking of the Castle, earlier that day, one of the cast members working the submarine ride, told us that there was a back entrance to the castle, that many people don't seam to know about, where you can go inside & see the story of Sleeping Beauty. Which is Erica's favorite Princess! So the girls & I did the walk through! They thought it was cool.

Erica in Sleeping Beauty's Castle!
(That's her "sleeping" behind the window, even though it's hard to see)

My Princesses in front of the Castle!

My Prince & his Princess with the Castle as their backdrop!

We stayed until the park closed at Midnight! And for the last ride of the day, the majority wanted to ride Space Mountain for the 2nd time! (Note: I rode just about all the rides, including the Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain & Splash Mountain, but did not do Space Mountain)

Lost in Space!
(front to back: Olivia & Heather, Kyle & Zach, Erica & John)

And while they were all in Outer Space, Lexi & I ended the day riding the Perfect ride for the 2nd time: Yes, that's right: Small World! It was just us two & we had the entire cruise (okay, boat) to ourselves! And for those haters out there, they've even updated Small World, if you look close & are observant, you will see Aladdin & Jasmine flying on the carpet above the Arab countries. You'll also find Pinocchio in Italy! Alice in Great Brittan, Ariel, under the sea & a few other Disney Characters! Now I <3 it even more!

"There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware,
It's A Small World After All!"

Me, in my Happy Place!

Look who we found!

A great day was had by all. I could go to Disneyland every year & never tire of it! I've always wanted to go at Christmas time. Imagine, my favorite place, in my favorite season. Someday I will make it there! Thank you Disney for the Magic & the Memories!