California, Here We Come About This Page:

[Jillybean]

Sunday, August 5

As nippy as the day before was, today was sunny and warm enough for the girls to wear shorts. Since we had to leave tonight to take the red eye home, we were staying closer to home. After another leisurely morning, we picked up burritos at Karen and Zack’s favorite place and took them to the park in San Mateo for a picnic.

As soon as we finished eating, Mary Devall and Maddie asked to ride a little train that was running near us. Mary Devall was the oldest by far, but I that she still loves doing these things. They also discovered that the same man who ran the train sold snow cones, so they were in heaven.



We had such a fun afternoon filled with simple pleasures. They threw balls and played on the monkey bars for a good hour before we wandered through the Japanese gardens and then headed back to Karen’s.



Karen had bought a party bullet for frozen drinks that she had been meaning to try out all week, but today was the first warmish day that we had. Thankfully, the party bullet was set up outside because we had several mishaps during the FAB production. Pina coladas blew out the top and then fell out the bottom, but we ended up with two pretty good drinks that we enjoyed while sitting in the sun in Karen’s back yard.

Eventually we went back inside and I was forced to do the unthinkable - - pack. Amazingly we managed to get everything back into our bags before we reconvened in the kitchen and tried to finish up all the leftovers that we had accumulated this week. Karen and I also tried to finish up the wine too.

When it was time to leave, Mary Devall just when she said goodbye to the dogs. This was not going to be a pretty departure.

Once at the airport, Karen and Zack stayed with us until we checked in and checked our bags. All too soon it was time for us to go through security and we had to say . were exchanged and were shed (although Karen thought that Mary Devall cried more for the dogs ) and I was just thankful that we already had Christmas plans with these two. This trip had been pure perfection and the two of them were big reasons for that.

We were cutting it close, so we finally had to say our final goodbye and get in the security line. By the time we made it through, took a bathroom break and arrived at our gate, our plane was already boarding. We settled in our seats and were quickly in the air.

Maddie turned off her tv and announced that she was going to sleep. She snuggled into her Bullseye pillow pet and that was the last we heard of her until the plane landed in Atlanta. Mary Devall, on the other hand, watched a bit of tv before she tried to go to sleep. She slept, but about once an hour, I would hear a voice saying “I can’t go to sleep.” I would get up and cover her up and she would go back to sleep each time.

Neither Thom nor I slept at all, but instead watched movies. The flight attendant kept me plied with Bailey’s and coffee while I watched “The Five Year Engagement” and the beginning of “The Avengers” that we missed on our Disney cruise this summer. I’m lousy at sleeping on a plane anyway, so I didn’t even try.

By the time we landed in Atlanta and took a bathroom break, the Sky club was just opening so we decided to spend our layover there. I couldn’t bear another cup of coffee, but I did enjoy a bagel.

The quick flight to Charlotte was uneventful and we were soon at baggage pickup waiting on our luggage. To save time, I volunteered to pick up the car while Thom waiting . . . big mistake on my part.

Maddie went with me and we had no problem finding our car since we had left it on the top deck. Once in the car, I realized that Thom had not left the parking garage ticket in the car. I gave him a call and he told me what I feared - - he had it.

So . . . I figured I would just wing it. Maddie and I went to the cash only window and I told the lady my story. She let out a big sigh and said “Well, I’ll have to write out a manual ticket for you then.”

She asked me when we had left and I told her “January 27th.” I didn’t even realized what I had said until she screeched “January 27th!” I immediately corrected myself with “July 27th” and told her that I had been flying all night. She either (a) felt sorry for me or (b) picked up the “zip it” tone in my voice because she was a lot nicer after that.

After she filled out her paper work and I paid, Maddie and I were finally released from parking garage prison. It was no surprise that Thom and Mary Devall were waiting on us with the luggage by the time we reached “Arrivals.” So much for saving time!

It was noon on the dot when we arrived home and this is what the girls looked like when we were only minutes from our house.



Maddie and Thom went right to bed, but Mary Devall and I decided to stay up until bedtime . . . and somehow we made it . . . although bed time was at 7 p.m. that night! That ended up being a good decision because I never had a bit of jet lag.



Final Thoughts

With the exception of Eileen’s bum knee , this trip was pure perfection. Our introduction to Disneyland could not have been more special. From our gorgeous rooms at the Disneyland Hotel to the VIP viewing at two events, we were spoiled each and every day. It’s hard to pick out the highlights from a trip that was essentially one big highlight, but I’ll do my best:

Our flights: With two little girls who had never flown cross country before, first class was the way to go for us. It took a big bite out of our budget and we may never do it again, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The service that we had on our flight out made four hours go by very quickly.

Our hotel: Big, gorgeous rooms with killer views . . . what’s not to love? Staying club level was such a treat. The lounge was right above our rooms and acted as a “home away from home” especially for Eileen who was probably on a first name basis with the CM’s by the time we left. You just couldn’t beat having someone bring you a glass of wine as you relaxed in a cushy chair and rested your poor, tired park feet. By far, the biggest draw of staying at one of the DLR hotels leads me to my next highlight:

The proximity of everything to everything: Not only could we see both DL and DCA from our room, but we could walk to both in a span of minutes. If we wanted to cut off a few minutes, we could take the monorail from DTD directly to Tomorrowland inside of DL. If we wanted to visit DTD, it was literally steps outside of our hotel. If we wanted to walk from one park to the other park, it was steps away also. I could go on and on . . . in fact, I just did.

The weather: OMG!!!

VIP treatment: We will never be able to go to Disneyland without Karen. She arranged for us to see the two biggest events at DLR - - Fantasmic and World of Color - - without having to wait in a single line and with VIP viewing. When you actually saw the crowds for both, you realized the enormity of these gifts. She also got us up and at ‘em two mornings to make sure that we took full advantage of early entry for resort guests. The extra hour each morning allowed us to accomplish a crazy amount of rides before most people even got in the park. Karen usually took on the task of being the FP runner also, so she maximized every second of our time.

Mary Devall’s birthday: This girl has had some pretty spectacular birthdays in her 11 years, but this one may have topped them all. From morning to night, she enjoyed surprises, gifts, and special desserts compliments of her fairy godmothers. I don’t think the smile left her face all day.

Fantasyland: I was quite simply enchanted with the charm and aged beauty of Fantasyland. Even after the triplets of doom (a.k.a Mr. Toad’s Wild ride, Pinocchio and Snow White), my girls were all aglow from our morning in Fantasyland. I can still hear them giggling as our car zig zagged down a little hill on the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Cars Land: Since this was our first visit to DCA, there was no way we could grasp the extent of the recent updates to the park. Except for Cars Land, I really wasn’t sure what was new and what was old, but there was no doubt that Cars Land was a great addition to DCA. I still can remember the moment when we turned a corner and . . . bam! . . we were in the middle of Cars, the movie. It was incredible and I loved every single thing about it from the rides themselves to the roast beef at Flo’s Café. And seeing it at night was like an entirely new experience from seeing it in the day. Bravo, imagineers, bravo!

DL and DCA in general: I’ll admit it. I was biased going into this whole thing. I wasn’t raised on Disney World, but once I discovered it at the age of 21, I claimed it as my own. Nothing could touch it . . . not even the original . . . um . . . . I was wrong. Literally, from the moment that we stepped into our first park, DCA, I was hooked. There may be only two parks, but there is so much to do in each one that you certainly don’t miss two others. There was also so much for Maddie to do that she never had to wait on a bench if others were riding something that she couldn’t or wouldn’t ride. I still am not sure quite what it was that made me love DLR so very much. Most likely, it is a combination of everything that I’ve highlighted. What I do know is that I want to go back.

Northern California: How do you top four days of perfection at DLR? Well, just head up the West Coast about 7 or 8 hours and you’ll find it. Karen and Zack were a fantastic hostess and host. Not only did they show us everything they loved about where they live (or as much as they could in 4 days), but they opened their home to us. We loved seeing all of the sites, but we also loved seeing where they live and getting a taste of their day-to-day life. Their home is beautiful and reflects the phenomenal people that live there.

And speaking of phenomenal people . . . I’ve saved the best for last. Four years ago, three ladies entered my life and, well, it’s just never been the same since. Spending time with Eileen, Sharon and Karen is the reason we even crossed the country to begin with . . . and it’s the reason why this will go down as one of the best vacations ever. In our own whacky way, we all just sorta fit.

I’ll end with the same words with which I ended the trip report on which I first met them:

“And certain moments I never want to forget . . . Eileen fussing over Mary Devall’s sash and then giving her the history of the sash . . . Sharon flashing me her beautiful smile the first time I laid eyes on her . . . Karen transporting yellow cupcakes across the country for my little girl . . . and me toasting a magnificent trip with my three new friends. This is how I count my blessings.“