The Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland!!

... continued from previous post.

The next 4 days were truly magical, just like in the advertisements. I am certain my kids will remember much of their first vacation to Disneyland. The first night we surprised them, they did not know we were going in to the park until we stepped foot through the gates. Zach was so sweet... he turned to his Wawa (that's what he calls Greg's Mom) and said "Wawa, pinch me. Am I dreaming, or am I really at Disneyland?" I mean, how cute is that?!! We figured out our favorite rides that first night. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean at least a dozen times, Buzz Light Year was a HUGE hit, I loved Indiana Jones, and Cam could have spent his entire 4 days driving the cars on Autopia. The first thing out of Cams mouth the next morning was (in Pirates of the Caribbean song tune) "Yo Ho! Yo Ho! Cam's not going on that ride again!" I about died laughing!

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The picture below is a tribute to Greg's crowning glory as a grown man... notice his score in the upper right corner... and notice that he is ranked #10! Yes folks that's right, top TEN on Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland!! Very proud moment! He now introduces himself as "Greg Mooney, top ten score on Buzz Lightyear, nice to meet you" HA!

We were told by many before this trip that 4 Days was way too much time, but honestly we spent every waking hour walking, riding, eating, and laughing. Yet there were still plenty of things we wish we would have gotten to see more of. I was just so impressed with Disneyland. I kept thinking how proud Walt must be of the people who have kept his vision alive. I was blown away with two things in particular. One, the cleanliness. I guess I have just gotten used to dirty, filthy Lagoon over the years and that is what I expected to see at Disneyland, but it was not so. Everything was so clean! These rides that have been there since, I don't know, the 40's or something, looked like they were brand new. Every railing was clean, the pavement was clean, the walls, the bathrooms, etc etc... And the flower beds.... ahhh the gardens... perfect in every way. Not one weed, not one dead flower bud. Absolutely beautiful. The second thing, and the one that blew me away the most, was the customer service. How they keep all those people so happy and friendly I will never know... must be slipping something in their water. hmmm... I worked as a manger for many years for Quiksilver. We took great pride in giving our customers a genuinely fun, friendly atmosphere, but we're only human, everyone has their good and bad days. I found it was nearly impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. It seems the Walt Disney Corporation has figured out a way to do it. I might have to bring home some of that water next time I visit ;)

I forgot to mention, Zach lost his first tooth while we were there! Tinkerbell accompanied the Tooth Fairy and left him a little extra surprise under his pillow. Not every kid looses their first tooth on their first trip to Disneyland. He thought that was pretty neat.

What a wonderful time we had. I really can't wait to go back. Once again, I must say thank you to Greg's parents. We have some very special memories from this trip that will never be forgotten. My kids will remember it forever. We are so happy that all of our years of talking and dreaming up this vacation finally became a reality. XOXO

oh, sorry if you now have "Yo Ho Yo Ho" stuck in your head all day... a pirates life for me...