Hightailing it to Adventureland

This weekend, we spent a day at Disneyland. Eric's company had arranged for everyone to go. After arriving and picking up our tickets, they handed everyone a cap with the company logo on it. The company is very secretive and does not put their name on anything -- just the logo which is a simple shape.

So ... there were thousands of us roaming around Disneyland and California Adventure that day, wearing identical caps embroidered with the simple shape. Like some sort of Cult of the Square had come to melt the minds of everyone waiting in the lines.

We had a Disneyland Day Full of Firsts!
We went on the Finding Nemo ride for the first time, as well as the Toy Story Mania ride (which was definitely the winner out of those two new ones).
We discovered that Nick measures right up to the line, as in the You Must Be This Tall To Ride This Ride line! That was a very exciting discovery!
With this new knowledge, we decided to take everybody on Space Mountain. Yes, this would be a first for all three kids... BUT ... there is a story. First of all, to understand the story, you must remember that the cars on Space Mountain are three rows of two seats. And that we have two parents and three kids in our family. OK, and ... scene: We are getting close to the front of the line. The girls are getting nervous and both say they will only go on if they can sit next to Daddy or Mommy. Nick is saying he wants to go on the ride, but 1) he is three, and 2) he doesn't know what he is getting himself into (he has no idea what this ride is). So Mommy and Daddy want him to sit next to one of us. We suggest that the girls sit together and have Mommy and Nick in the row in front of them, and Daddy in the row behind them. The ride attendant sends us to Lanes 1-3. The girls say NOOOOOOOOOOOO! THEY EACH NEED TO SIT NEXT TO A PAAAAARRRRREEEEEEEENNNTT! The car is ready for us to board. It is decided (real fast) that Mommy and Nick need to hop in and Daddy will wait with the girls for us to come out and then go on. So Mommy and Nick hop in.

Well, what do you think? Did Nick enjoy his first time on Space Mountain?

No, he did not.
I couldn't see him in the dark during the ride, so I held his hand and shouted "Wheee!" the whole time so he would feel me in the dark and hear that I was having fun, in case he was feeling scared, but I had absolutely no idea if he was liking it or not. He wasn't making any sound. At the end, I asked him if he liked it, and he very calmly said, "No, I didn't like that one. I do not want to ride it again." He didn't seem upset, but he definitely stuck to that opinion.

Now it was time for the rest of our group to ride. When we saw Daddy and the girls, Nick informed them that "That ride is too scary." Julianna decided she did not want to find out for herself, which was perfect because Daddy could go with Katie and I could wait with Julianna and Nick.

So what do you think? Did Katie enjoy her first time on Space Mountain?

OH, YES. Yes, she did!
She was exhilarated and declared it her favorite of the day! Way to go, Katie!


Another first was on Soarin' Over California. This one is a big family favorite, and since Nick was finally tall enough, we could all go on together for the first time! It was fantastic, of course, and Nick loved it!

We also got to eat dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant. It was everyone's first time except for me (growing up, my family ALWAYS ate dinner there, every time we went to Disneyland). Since the Company Day at Disneyland had been planned quite some time ago, I had been able to call ahead and make reservations, and I was very excited to eat there again, like coming home after all these years! When we walked in, the darkness and mood made Julianna nervous, but I assured her that we would just be enjoying the peaceful nighttime river scene with the pretty lanterns strung above our heads, watching the boats go by... we would not see the boats go down the waterfalls to where the Pirates of the Caribbean are. After reassuring her that we did not have to go on the Pirates ride, we could just eat here and then walk back out the door, she was fine and we all enjoyed our yummy dinners and our dessert shaped like a pirate ship.

There was another first, an unfortunate one that I could have lived without.
The last thing we did was go to the Enchanted Tiki Room, even though Nick had already said he was tired and wanted to go. Since both Julianna and Nick looked like they were sleeping with their eyes open through the Tiki Room, and Main Street was filling up with people sitting and waiting for the fireworks, we decided we had better book it out of Disneyland or we might not be able to get out until after the fireworks.
We got out of the park and I realized that I did not have our bag. I had left it sitting in the Tiki Room. Eric and I looked at each other, trying to figure out if we could leave anyway, not wanting to deal with how to get it. When we realized the car keys were in it (and since we preferred to keep our camera), we knew I had to run back inside.
And RUN I did. Swimming upstream against the flow of the crowds (after waiting in line to get in the gates - ugh), I hightailed it into Adventureland. At the Tiki Room, I told the guy "I left my bag in there!" and he pulled it out of a storage closet! Huzzah!
I called Eric to tell him SUCCESS! ON MY WAY BACK TO PARK EXIT! and ran back out to the family. Eric was Shocked, Shocked I Tell You that I had been so fast. "You must have run!" he said.

OK, so first time leaving the bag inside Disneyland and having to go back in for it ten minutes before fireworks. AND THE LAST TIME.