Michele

The drive was a breeze and we were at our hotel in no time. That night, I could hardly sleep! We stayed at the Sheraton on Harbor blvd. off of Chapman. A great place to stay with very tasty room serve and friendly staff.  We did not spend a great deal at the hotel, but it had a 24 hour gym and complementary internet in the lobby area.

Here I am ready to head out the door to the most magical place in the world….

This is where our story really begins at the entrance where the shuttles drop us off.  Dutch and I managed to leave the hotel at about 11am. Our first stop in wonderful Disneyland was the Carnation Cafe where we ordered the twice baked potato soup ( so delicious! )  and a seasonal turkey pot pie complete with cranberries.  Then we raced to find the first ride and headed towards Tomorrow Land where we rode  the good old “Star Tours” simulation.  It hadn’t really changed from when I first rode “Star Tours” so it brought back a sense of nostalgia… how I miss my little brother, sister, mom and dad. My dad was the one who brought us to Disneyland back in the early 90’s… and he loved the fast rides like “Space Mountain”… our next ride. I had forgotten about how dark and scary the ride was. Being older and able to take the ride in more… I found it so scary it being in the dark, but pretty due to the “stars” and music. It was an adrenaline pumper and a great start to an awesome day.

The Matterhorn! I never got to ride this until now. Dutch’s favorite because we got to sit together in the bobsled. The monsters on the ride scared us because we didn’t know what to expect. We were very fortunate for coming in the middle of the week because the lines were really short I don’t think we waited more then 10 minutes for each ride. After riding this ride we got to thinking of the dangers of Disneyland… but decided to talk about those concerns after our trip was over. We didn’t want to spoil my birthday now. “Splash Mountain” was colorful and not as wet as we thought it would be. Someone actually wore a poncho so we imagined it to be quite the splash.  After those exciting rides we when for a more mellow and sweet adventure on “Peter Pan’s Flight”. Such a darling ride… I still remember the wind blowing in our face and the sound or the swoosh as we rode on the pirate ship.

We skipped the tea cups because… well um… they make me SICK…. they are cute tho… and I am glad a nice “cast member” offered to take a picture of us in this cup. Dutch was apprehensive but I manged to talk him in to it.

This is my favorite picture of Mr. Boyd… pink isn’t really his color 😀

There was plently to do at Disneyland and we tried to fit as much as we could into our adventure. Unfortunately I lost my map >.< but the park “cast members”  ( that is what they call employees )   were really nice and pointed us in the right direction. The picture above was taken right before we found “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride.  And boy, has that ride changed.  Due to the movie the ride now has little bits of Jack Sparrow and others from the Disney feature film. Definitely a Disney staple.

The Haunted Mansion had a bunch of black birds circling around it. A strange site to see for those who do not dare enter this scary home. One of my all time favorite rides. As it was getting later the crowds seem to be filling the magic kingdom so we were trapped in a room briefly with a bunch of overly talkative children…. the scariest…. Ahhh

Finally time to eat… we found some Gumbo at the French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square. Our sever was a delight. She noticed my “Birthday Button” and at the end of our meal served us a Mickey Mouse Doughnut with a candle…

My new wish has been made…. and I could never ask for anything more then the beautiful gift my boyfriend has given me. Such wonderful memories and great pictures.

Happy Birthday Michele J Cosper!

~May all your wishes come true~