The Magic Kingdom

Dreams really do come true. One night in April, I was lying in bed, thinking, "I wish I could take my boys to Disneyland. "

The next day, Mr. M called from work. "Hey, Ruth has 2 free two-fer tickets to Disneyland that have to be used by Thursday and she can't go. Do we want them?" Unbelievable! I was thrilled!

The boys and I made a day of it. (Mr. M had to work.) In the car on the way down, Ethan kept asking, "Are we there yet? Are we almost there?" As we pulled into the Mickey and friends parking structure, he was bursting with excitement. "Mom, Disneyland looks a lot like the airport!" I laughed and explained that this was only the parking structure, but yes, it did look a lot like LAX.

At the parking garage, I took the precaution of putting a card in each boy's pocket with his name and my cell phone number. This would be important later on!

The tram ride from the parking structure to Downtown Disney was a hit. So was Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, the Disney Train, and the ducklings swimming in the castle moat. We had a good laugh over Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and even stayed for the parade. (Never again, those two songs are still in my head!)

At one point during the day, Ethan vanished. I retraced my steps to where we had last been. 2 minutes later, a "cast member" came over with Ethan. "I was about to call your cell phone when he spotted you," she said. "He did just the right thing and handed me his card." I was QUITE relieved.

It was a full and good day. No major meltdowns, nothing bad to report.

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Fast forward to last Friday. Since the tickets were two-fers, we went BACK and this time went to the California Adventure park. The biggest miracle of all was that MR. M CAME WITH US EVEN THOUGH HE HAD TO BUY A TICKET! You must understand, he is extremely careful with how he spends money, and he worked at a theme park in high school.

That sweet man I married came along so we could have a family outing AND so I could ride the real rides. It was a great day with a small crowd. We went on all the kid-rides and saw a few shows. We learned that our kids do NOT like 3D movies, even when they are about Muppets and animated bugs. We tasted hot, fresh tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory and had sourdough bread at the bakery tour. Scott seemed to have the most fun watching a waterfall and chasing Michael through a deserted water-play area. Ethan really liked Soaring Over California (imagine all the best parts of an IMAX plus scents and blowing air to make you feel like you're flying).



I got to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and California Screamin, both adrenaline- pumping speed rides. Loved them both. For those who haven't been, California Screamin' is a steel coaster which launches riders from 0-55 mph in 4 seconds and hurtles them up the first incline! What a rush! It also has appropriately (though slightly too loud) thumpy music piped in to each seat behind the shoulder harness. Woohoo!

The Tower of Terror is basically an elevator gone berserk in a haunted hotel with a 13-story drop in the dark. There was much of screaming!



I loved the thrill rides, but the one that I found truly terrifying was the Ferris Wheel. See the forced smile on my face? Sitting in a little steel cage with my three boys, swaying in the breeze, I was thinking, "If that door opens a crack, someone is bound to fall out." It didn't help that I was facing the Maliboomer, a ride that launches people 180 feet up, with their feet dangling from their seats. I later rode the Maliboomer; the nervous anticipation was awful, but the ride itself was tame compared to Tower of Terror.

It was a really fun day. We stayed for the parade and then as the park closed, there were huge fireworks from Disneyland right next door. What a day, what a day! Thanks, Ruth!