Leadership Journey - Day 5 - Disney

Disneyland! I was excited for the whole trip, to be sure, but as I haven't been to Disneyland in 12 years or so, this was indeed the highlight for me. Mom flew in yesterday so we could do Disneyland together (Matt couldn't get the time off work).

We were determined to be there when it opened. Disneyland was first, and I teared up as I walked in (and again later in the day after seeing Mary Poppins and Burt perform in the town square).

We started with Space Mountain - one of the best rides of the day. Mom's goal was to sit in the front in every ride, which we did for most. The front seat on Space Mountain was incredible - and my glasses made great windshields, so I was able to keep my eyes open the whole time. If I hadn't been on a mission, I'd have gotten right back in line to do it again.

We headed over to Indiana Jones, having gotten a fast-pass earlier (amazing technology, that), and got all the way down to the loading deck when we suddenly smelled burning plastic. The ride was shut down, and we were all given fast-passes for later in the day.

Pirates of the Caribbean was great. I haven't seen the movies, but I love how they've updated it over the years (and the Jack Sparrow robot is hauntingly life-like). Now the movies are on my must-see list.

Haunted Mansion wasn't as awesome as I remember (not as "haunting" either). It seems to be more of a show than a thriller. Cool displays though. I do love detail.

Thunder Mountain was as thrilling as I remembered - but so short! I got adventurous and held up the camera over my head, on auto, and snapped away through the ride. Haven't looked at those yet - I hope there are a few good ones.

I didn't feel the need to ride Matterhorn, but we had done everything else on our list, and it was there. Not as rickety as last time I rode it (thank goodness), and still fun.

My goal for the day was to walk through every "land" and just observe. This was hard, because we were on a mission to do both Disneyland and California Adventure, and squeeze in a walk through Downtown Disney as well. We did spend some time just looking in Toon Town, which I feel is the easiest environment to apply to kids. It just screams fun. I loved the interactive decor - jail bars made of rubber hose so the kids could break out, barbells with the same hose, so they could "lift" them with the bending bar. Things that spin, things with bubbles. I have ideas for interactive bits on the walls of our hallways.

After we were satisfied with Disneyland, we headed over to California Adventure. I hadn't been there before, so I was excited to see what the fuss was about.

Our first stop was Grizzly River Run. We got our fast pass, bought ponchos ($8.50 poncho: surprisingly ineffective), and thoroughly enjoyed the very wet ride.

Next was Soarin' - I thought I was going to have a panic attack when our row of seats lifted off the ground and all I had keeping me in was a seatbelt. The video was a amazing, and true to Disney's form, they pipe in scents to make the experience very real - orange over the orange groves, cedar over the redwoods, pine over the ski slopes, I even sensed a hint of saltwater over the ocean, though that could have been my very vivid imagination (the same vivid imagination that convinced me that one wrong move, and I would be smashed upon the rocky shore).

We checked out Monsters, Inc, because it's easily one of my favorite movies. It was largely unexciting, but the characters were so cute and well done.

Bug's Land was definitely the best in terms of environment and gave me great ideas (wishing I could create a "giant" world around our kids space - using things like giant q-tips, towering drinking straws, and enormous kleenex boxes). We even dropped by to see the 3-D show which was surprisingly cute.

Just before dinner, we headed out to Downtown Disney, an open air mall in the "resort", to do our gift shopping. I didn't find anything I was truly happy with for myself, but settled on a cute paint-splotch scarf (the splotches are mickey-heads, of course), a minnie mouse pen (for my growing collection of ridiculous pens), and I had gotten an engraved leather bracelet earlier in the day. At World of Disney, the biggest Disney store I've ever seen in my entire life, I also found a "Grumpy" cup for Matt, a Mickey cup for the teacher that filled in for me while I was gone, a gun that blows bubbles (for visiting my preschoolers), and a container of Buzz Lightyear's little green men (to hand out at kids church), and four unicorn lollipops (to use as star prizes on Sunday). I'm actually rethinking those star prizes because they're giant compared to the candy I'm normally willing to hand out... Eek, sorry parents!

Shelly had friends in the area who made us a dinner reservation at the Big Thunder BBQ place. Amazing food - family style ribs with every BBQ side dish you could think of. The setting was right out of "Oklahoma!" (so now I want to watch that again), and tickled the bit of country girl in me.

We took our time relocating between dinner and the Wonder of Color show - but by the time we got back to Cali. Adventure, my feet were hurting so bad I didn't even want to work to get to a good viewing spot. We camped out on a bench, shared coffee and a cinnamon roll, and listened to the music - catching bits and pieces of the fountains and lights (and fire!) that towered above the crowd.

My one regret (well, besides the shoes), is that we could've skipped Downtown Disney and done our shopping in the parks. It would've saved us time, and I would've found the one thing I really wish I'd bought for myself: I hear rumor of a "build your own Mr. Potato Head" (and I wonder if it's called a "Potato Bar"?). For about $20, you can get a Mr. Potato Head and the accessories you choose. How fun would that be in my office? Note to self - for next time!

By the time the show ended, I was eagerly anticipating bed - it took a while to hook up with our van, but boy was I glad to see an end to the walking. My critical mistake for the day was sacrificing good sense at the altar of cuteness: I wore the wrong shoes. I picked out shoes a few weeks ago that were comfortable, decent for walking, and fairy adorable. But they were not made for 14 hours on your feet. I have no less than five magical blisters. Note to self: next time, tennis shoes, no matter how not-cute they are.


For a whirlwind trip, I'm pretty satisfied with our Disney day. Can't believe how much we did and saw, and I'm already planning my return trip - this time, with Matt, and for much longer...