Spring Break: Day 1

Our California vacation started out right with a flight on Virgin America. I will never fly anything else again...unless Virgin doesn't fly there. I flew Virgin the last time I went to CA for work and can hardly believe I've been telling them for over a year to book me Alaska. Virgin is amazing! Every seat has it's own tv screen, the planes are clean, the service is incredible, and no one hassles me about my awkward sized dessert filled carry on. Ally and H were excited to board the plane and determined to touch every button possible. Dan volunteered to sit with the kids, so I administered hand sanitizer from across the aisle. Our flight was smooth, the kids did great, and we were all happy to land in the sunny state of California. It was kinda wierd for me to be in LAX with my family, since I've gone so many times in the last year without them. It's like a whole other world when I go down to CA for work. It was so fun being there with my kids and Dan, not worried about how many cookies might have broken in my luggage, or racing to the kitchen to get started baking for whatever event I was there for.

We made it through baggage claim, shuttled to the rental car place, loaded up our rental SUV, and finally got on the road to Anaheim. Hudson was expressing major concern for why we were driving a car that wasn't ours and making sure we all knew he did not like the rental car and wanted to be in our own car. I liked the rental. I think it's fun to pick out a different car to drive for a few days, and Ally agreed.

When we arrived at our condo, which by the way, I've decided is the only way to travel with children, the kids were running on fumes but getting their second wind as they ran through the condo scoping out which bed was theirs and unpacking their little luggages. I, on the other hand was ready for Disneyland! What I've discovered about myself and not just from this trip, is that I'm kind of an all or nothing kind of person. Go big or go home type. If there's 4 cookies left, I can't just eat 3, I need to finish them all. If I throw a party, it's not going to be halfway thrown, it will be an all out event. So if I buy a 5 day pass to Disneyland, we are going all 5 days, and are going to experience as much as possible within those 5 days.

Even though I've done Disney more times than I can count, I still turn into a child once I see those magical gates. The music, the lights, the Mickey Mouse flower bed, it is my happiest place on earth. After we got the kids changed into their hoodies and jeans, we caught the shuttle to Disneyland. Keep in mind we had been traveling since 10am. I didn't care. Get me to Disneyland. Get me in a line for a ride! Get me a churro, and after I've scarfed that down, I want the corn dog I've been dreaming about since my last visit to Main Street.

I don't think Dan had fully realized what kind of Disney vacationer I am. I'm a die hard. I'd plan on doing as many things as possible until my children could not go any longer. Dan did not imagine this. Dan imagined us having 5 days to take it slow. Go for a few hours, go back to the hotel and nap the kids.  A normal person's idea of vacation.  I actually had this vision myself....until I got there. Why walk all the way to Disneyland just for a few hours? The kids can nap in their strollers! That's what you do at Disneyland!

Needless to say, we had to break Dan into the happiest place on earth. He was not quite as thrilled as I was to shut the park down at night. So we compromised. We rode the Rockets, Buzz Lightyear and Thunder Mountain Railroad the first night, ate corn dogs, and decided to call it a night.