Friday, December 9, 2011

Disneyland

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We went to Disneyland last week with my brother’s family.  We spent a day at Sea World, which warrants its own post.  I struggle with a social anxiety disorder from time to time which caused me to express some serious reservations about going.  In the end the miracle of modern medicine came to my aid and helped make most of the trip a joy.

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My favorite part is just being with my kids and my brother’s kids.  I love them all so much.  They get along famously and we did not have any problems at all.  It was wonderful.  In fact, after we all piled off the plane Saturday night, and after spending 6 solid days together, they asked if we could please, please have a sleepover that night.

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Favorite attractions for the kids were all the roller coasters.  After almost every coaster, Anna would jump up and down and say, “Let’s go again!”

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I loved the Wilderness Challenge in California Adventure.  They had five or six challenges for the kids to complete, including rock climbing and a mini zip line.  It was a nice way to just move around and play and explore a little.

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We met a few celebrities.  These guys were nice enough to slap hands and hang out with us for a minute or two.

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This is my favorite picture of my nephew.  His ice cream had turned to soup.  In an effort to maximize a return on his efforts, four spoons were used simultaneously to shovel in what was left.  Love that kid!  (And I wish I could figure out how to steal that little boy’s heart; at this point in his little life he sees no need for his Auntie My.  I think I will put “Win Karsten’s Heart” on my Christmas Wish list.)

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Tom Sawyer’s Island holds a special place in my heart, for some strange reason.  Again, I think it is the running and playing and exploring that calls to me.  Unfortunately, I did not get over there.  Alyx was asleep and no strollers are allowed, so I stayed on shore while Sean braved the waters and island with the boys.

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My two favorite things about Disneyland were all the magical Christmas lights, decorations and actual snow falling on Main Street (I know it was fabricated, but it was still incredibly magical); and I loved the Disney Museum.  It is housed in the same building as the Mr. Lincoln exhibit.  It was calm and peaceful.  Barely anyone was there, even on the most crowded day we were at the park.  We watched Moments With Mister Lincoln first, which was stirring and a little emotional at times.  Then we walked into the area that houses Walt’s original plans for Disneyland.  There was a soul to that place.  Two men’s hopes and dreams and sweat and prayers were enshrined in that building.  And I felt honored to have been able to spend a little time with them on a Saturday morning.

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It will be a very long time before we go back (we were there three years ago, and this time just felt like more of the same), but I’m glad we went.  Did you know that the original Disneyland had a replica of the Grand Canyon and you could take a little riding tour on your very own Alpaca?  I’m thinking the real-life version of that may be something worth doing.  And maybe seeing the real marble statue of our fearless 16th president, instead of a brilliant image of it flashed on a screen, would be worth seeing in real life, too.  And maybe finding a real piece of wilderness to explore on one of our Pacific Northwest mountains would prove to be its own real-life adventure (although I may close my eyes during the scary parts, and even scream if it’s really scary – like a spider).  If nothing more, I feel inspired to find the magic and adventure in my everyday life, to dream big and to live big and to put some soul into every single day. 

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