What was I going to blog about????

Isn't it funny how sometimes you know what you want to say or are going to blog about and then you sit down in front of the computer, log into your blog, click "new post" and then go blank? Am I the only one this has happened to? I hope not, cause I would feel really dumb being alone on this.

After 2 ys and 12 days I walked into Disneyland yesterday!!! Mind you, there were crowds......oh boy were there crowds, but the beauty of going to Disneyland alone is that you can zip through people like Reggie Bush on a football field. I had gone for the sole purpose of buying tickets for Derek and I in January and left with a Southern California Annual Pass in my hands. (That's right folks, I can now visit the park 227 times in the next year, if I so choose, but we know it will only be like 215 for me...just kidding)

For some people the sound of ocean waves is calming, for others the sound of a baseball moving at 80-90 mph, as it makes contact with a wooden bat, is the greatest sound in the world, for others it might be the deafening sounds of a great rock band pounding in their ears. Those of you who know me, know that one of my favorite sounds in the world is:

"When hinges creek in doors chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the hall. That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight"

Actually any sound from Disneyland, whether it is the whistle from the Disneyland railroad as it approaches one of it's 4 stations ("your attention please: The Dineyland Limited, now arriving for a trip around Walt Disney's Magic kingdom....."), the roar from the Abomidible (sp?) snowman on the Matterhorn, Snow White singing "I'm Wishing" from the wishing well to the right of the Castle ("i'm wishing....for the one I love...to find me....today..."), the fun music that is played as you walk down Main St. Let us not forget the great smells: Oroville Redenbacher popcorn, churros, waffle cones from the Gibson Girl ice cream shop, sticky buns from the blue ribbon bakery, clam chowder from the French market, pizza, hamburgers and fries from almost any location in the park.

All these sounds and smells bring back memories of all the times I have gone to Disney over the last 12 yrs when I bought my very first annual pass. Of course back then $200 got you into the park 365 days a yr. Who could ever forget the time H came in the summer and on a whim, we packed up Bethany, met Winnie and Mike and off we went. Or the time Mike picked me up while Winnie was away on a Cursillo weekend. Bethany was asleep when they arrived, but as we got closer to the park, Bethany woke up, looked around and said "Daddy, Disneyland". OH!!!!! Yes, my favorite times: going on retreat all weekend with Julie and Andrea and as we are coming home from a 4 hours of sleep a night adventure, looking at each other and saying "Wanna go to Disneyland?", taking friends who have never been to the Happiest Place on Earth for the very first time.....Ok, so only myself and the people who I mentioned would remember those times, but now that you are all in on the stories...play along with me ok...those are all memories that I recall as I walked through the park yesterday. My friend, Mike, asked me how could I stand going to Disneyland more than 3 times a yr? The truth is that, as an annual passholder, I don't have to spend the whole day there if I don't want to. I don't have to go on a hot summer day and wait in long long lines and be mad if I don't get on Indiana Jones because the wait is 45-60 minutes, I don't have to spend $15 on lunch (well, with my pass I get 10% off in some restaurants), I can walk in, see how busy it is, ride Indy, and Tower of Terror, play "Who wants to be a millionaire, scream my head off on California Screamin, and then go home. I love it!!!! I'm all about having the freedom to do what I want...this is it.....YAY!!!!

Now I just wait until July...in my case, with my pass, August (since I am blocked out the entire month of July, who wants to go then anyway??? Unless it's July 17th and then I'll just pay $30 to get in that day)for Space Mountain to open. I hear the new additions to the ride are pretty amazing. The best part is that the music will finally work ALL THE TIME!!!! Nothing is more annoying than riding that ride with no music. I fear though, that the Imagineers will be removing the chocolate chip cookie that "orbits" through the stars on the ride, or at least it used to before they closed it to replace the track and spruce the ride up a bit. Sad times for Julie and I. I think on one ride we looked for the cookie, as best we could, (I think this is why my neck and back give me problems, lol) and if I recall, we saw it about 7 times. It is supposed to be a asteroid of sorts, but really it looks like a chocolate chip cookie.

I did take some pictures while there yesterday, in hopes of getting Derek (who I will be taking when he visits) all excited about his first trip to Disneyland!!!!! I'll post them when I get home from work!!!!

I love my Disneyland!!!!!!