Confessions of A Recent Disney Convert

      I will admit that when my husband came to me with the idea of taking our kids to Disneyland for Christmas it was with the utmost reluctance that I agreed to go along on the trip- my idea of a vacation does not include being surrounded by throngs of children with little to no booze available. This is what I imagined Disneyland to be like- the PNE but bigger, dirtier and more expensive. To say I had a bad attitude would be an understatement- but because couples make compromises I went along with his plan and even tried to get excited about it. I was excited to be spending time in California but I would rather spend our precious time at the beach rather than paying some multi billion dollar corporation to have mindless fun- cause I like to ruin things like that.

      I will be the first to admit that I was wrong- it literally took me two seconds inside the gates at the Magic Kingdom to convert to the Disney- side. I started smiling and didn't stop for the next three days-ps. reality doesn't exist at Disney. Walking in the shadow of the iconic Princess castle I couldn't help but think of my sister and how I wished she was walking beside me. I was reminded of how badly we wanted to go to Disneyland as kids- how we had a penny jar that we referred to as the Disney fund. In a rush of emotion I was 8 years old again playing along side my kids- yeah it was like one giant sappy commercial.

       Disneyland during the Holidays is extra magical- the decorations were amazing and the costumes were wonderful- even the castle was draped in lights and they made it snow after the fire works! The thing that I loved best was how happy every single person was- there was no room for "cool" since everyone was waking around in sneakers with big huge smiles on their faces. 

        This isn't a post about things to do and see in Disneyland- although I do highly recommend Cars Land- it was pretty darn cool- we went at least five times- it's most pretty at night- just like the movie. Also dinner at Flo's Diner is pretty darn good- possibly the best roast beef and mashed potatoes I have ever had! It's not about all the fun and cool stuff you can do like collecting all the buttons (for free) in Cars Land- going around and answering trivia questions- watching your shy child overcome their reluctance because they really want that next button.

          What this post is about is how I went to Disneyland with a slightly bad attitude and came out happier, lighter and more excited about life- I can't wait to go back! This was possibly the best Christmas gift our family could ever have received- three days of just the four of us- playing and having fun. There is so much to see and do that our kids just kept going- walking for the most part with out complaint- sure they got tiered and we would stop for an ice cream sandwich in the shape of Mickey Mouse- then they would get up and walk to the next adventure.

        I think the best part for me was on Christmas day- Miss Lo and I stood for almost an hour in the blazing California sun- waiting in line to see Tinkerbell- when we arrived at Pixie Hallow Miss Lo was totally on board and into meeting Tink- however after about 15 minutes interest had waned. Still we waited- I was determined even if she had forgotten- it was hot- she cried- I wanted to cry- she was bored- I was bored. Finally it was our turn to meet Tinkerbell and as we stepped into the cool shade of Tink's glen in Pixie Hallow Miss Lo got a gleam in her eye. She was still shy as she approached Tinkerbell but she went on her own- I stepped back and just watched- it was magical- it was a perfect moment for Miss Lo- her little world was complete right then.

           So in conclusion I will confess that I was wrong in my crabby opinion about Disneyland- sometimes it's Ok to let go and not worry about corporations and recycling- sometimes it's a good thing for my children to see me having fun. We had a super time and all of us can't wait to go back- next time definitely with my sister because I want to ride the tea cups with her! I think I benefited from having a little Pixie dust sprinkled over my life- I think in the right context Princesses are all right- I think it's safe for Lola to embrace her inner sparkly Princess with out becoming consumed by it. I also think there are many more rides for me still to go on and for sure next time we visit Disneyland I will go on Splash Mountain!