Oh, my. Time does fly. It feels like just yesterday we were frantically cleaning our house and packing our stuff for the long drive to Anaheim. But really, we left on Thursday morning... er... Thursday around lunch time. And, after enjoying the long weekend in our favorite place on earth, we drove home, refreshed. And no, we did not trade in the Audi for a tiny green car. We got the chance to enjoy Autopia for the first time in ages (I don't know why it always has such a long line... I mean... it's just... driving. In minature. Oh, okay, I get it. Hehe.)
I'd forgotten what vacation felt like. To really have no where to be, nothing due... to sleep in with a completely clear conscience. We revelled.
That is not to say that I caught up on my sleep quota entirely. I intend to sleep some tomorrow, too. School, after all, doesn't start until Wednesday. Perhaps I'll scrapbook, or paint my toenails, maybe take a bubble bath, or alphabatize our movie collection, or read a fun book at Starbucks, or count down the seconds until I turn 23.
Whatever the case, I will do it while remembering our most recent trip to Disneyland with a huge smile. We had a great time. Even though Pirates of the Caribbean was closed for renovations, and even though that meant the Blue Bayou was closed, too, Jon and I took our time going on the rides that we love the most. Along the way we had great food, and we met up with Teather several times.
(Quick explanation: Teather refers to Ted-and-Heather, my brother and sister-in-law. This was their first trip to the Magic Kingdom together. Together we had a great time!)
Trip highlights:
- Sleeping in.
- Getting the front seats on Space Mountain... without trying for 'em.
- Trying Splash Mountain for the first time in a LONG time, and getting very wet (here Jon would like to add that he was soaked... I was damp... whatever).
- Me winning TWICE at Astro Blasters! (No one believes me? Okay, the first time Jon's gun was broken. But the second time was legit, and I had to fight for it!)
- Watching Pluto sneak up on Jon and scare him. Hehe.
- Enjoying the fireworks show and dancing to the music at the end.
- Enjoying Fantasmic (our favorite).
- Listening to a swing band cut a rug at the Pavillion near the castle. Subsequently watching the old folks get their respective grooves on. One couple in particular, ancient, clad in matching pink and black eveningwear, got a tad risque. And yes, we got it on video!
- Dancing with Jon to some very slow swing music.
- Playing checkers near the pot belly stove in one of the shops on Main Street.
- Churro!
- Eating at the Rainforest Cafe with Teather. Ted ordered "Electric Lemonade" which came in a blinking glass! He was so excited about it that he ordered a second glass to take home. I think he would have cleaned the place out of colorful, blinking glasses if Heather hadn't reigned him in.
- Reading aloud to Jon out of a Disney trivia book on the drive home.
- Tower of Terror. Ted came on it with us, though I think he may have regretted that decision in the end. Oh well. The ride still ROCKS!
- Getting free Boudin sourdough bread samples at the mini-factory in California Adventure.
Okay, that's enough. There was so much to do. And we never felt rushed, not once. Perhaps that was the best part. The breathing that went along with all the having of the fun. I've missed that. Jon, too, with all his recent travels, has missed that.
This was Trip 12. A dozen times we've visited, and I'm sure we'll try for another dozen. Each time there are new things to do. And we don't look at everything the same way, either. Seasons change in the park, so do people. I notice new things on the rides.
Besides, it's a happy place. When we're there, the rest of the world does melt away. The fact that my grades for last quarter haven't posted yet, or that I didn't make it into the writing class, or that I'm oh-so-close to graduation... it fades. Suddenly I'm just a carefree girl standing next to a carefree boy, and we are wishing on the same shooting star. Idyllic? Sure. Necessary in this crazy world? Absolutely.