Stinky Fat Kids

Normally Wednesdays are my comic book post day. However, due to the Labor Day holiday, new comics will not come in until tomorrow. So I am going to switch the posts around. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the new comics that I bought this week. Today, however, I am going write about Disneyland. In particular, our least favorite Disneyland trip.

It had been over a year since our honeymoon. For the first month that we were home, I would tell Jenn every night that I would want to move to Los Angeles. Honestly, girls, if your mom would have agreed to it, you would have been born in Anaheim. But that wasn’t meant to be. Instead, I focused on our new life together. 2003 was the perfect year for me to do so. I loved everything about that year. From one of the best summers I have ever had to my epic 25-hour 25th birthday party, everything was perfect. But all good things must come to end.

The fall of 2004, for reasons I don’t want to talk about right now, was a very hard time for Jenn and I. We needed something to lift our spirits. That something was our place. Disneyland. So in October, we decided that we would go to the resort over Thanksgiving break. But this time we would not go alone.

As I told you in my first Disneyland Post, (http://twintanilla.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/the-greatest-week-of-my-life/), Disneyland had been a place that I had been to many times as a child. The majority of those times were with my brother. He always made the trips interesting. Whether it was his refusal to move around the park without stroller (even though he was way past stroller age) or his seemingly constant mission to find new ways to cause my dad to lose his temper in the Happiest Place on Earth, a trip to Disneyland with Victor was always interesting.

When I returned to the resort on our honeymoon, as I said before, it was the best week of my life. But it felt odd to be there without Victor. So many of my Disneyland memories at that point had included him. It was such a strong feeling that I ended up calling him a couple days into the trip. I wanted to tell him about all the stuff that changed since we were kids. But telling him wasn’t enough. I wanted to show him. So Jenn and I decided to invite him to join us.

One thing I have learned over the years is that heading to a theme park with an odd number of people is not nearly as much fun as even. At the very least, someone will always have to ride alone. Knowing this, we knew we needed another person to bring along with us. At the time the choice was easy. I had been mentoring a student in the youth group named Curtis. At the time, people said he was like our surrogate son. Jenn and I asked him if he wanted to go. He jumped at the chance.

With the group in place, we prepared to take off. The plan was to leave after Jenn and I got off work on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Curtis and Victor would meet us in the parking lot of our work. (At the time, your mom and I worked at the same place.) That day, as most days when we are waiting to leave on a trip, dragged on forever. The time finally came for us all to load up and take off. We took off, eager to get to Disneyland as fast as possible. We were finally moving…until we hit Sacramento.

You see, the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Apparently, that is a well-known fact. It wasn’t so well-known to the four of us. Jenn’s road rage kicked in when it took us an hour and a half to leave Sacramento. And it did not get much better the rest of the way down Interstate 5. We tried to make the best of it. Jenn and I played the game I told you about last week. The highlight was finding a mini-van with a television in the back. As we followed behind it, I noticed that the kids in the back seat were playing a video game. Lo and behold, they were playing Mario Kart: Double Dash! This was at the peak of our obsession with the game. We were so jazzed to see it, Jenn ended up following them for quite a few miles.

Finally, we pulled into the parking lot of the same hotel Jenn and I stayed in during our honeymoon. It was after 1 in the morning and the four of us were exhausted. As we walked into the lobby to check in, all any of us could think of was collapsing into bed so we could get an early start the next day. Jenn gave the check-in person our name and as soon as she verified who we were, she then asked us for us our credit card to pay for the room. Jenn looked at her, confused. “We already paid for the room last month”, she said.

What we didn’t realize was that reserving a hotel room with a credit card did not mean that the room was paid for . It only meant that the room was reserved. Which wouldn’t be a big deal…except that we did not realize that and did not have enough money on the card to pay for the room. (Our credit limit was very small back then.) Slowly the realization hit us. We didn’t have a place to stay for the night. Jenn furiously slammed her fist on the counter and yelled, “What’!” At that exact moment, the power went out.

It turns out the hotel suffered a power outage. That turned out to be a blessing, because the hotel management allowed us to stay in the room one night so we could figure out what we were going to do. They, obviously, had bigger fish to fry. We went upstairs to our room and began to make some phone calls. The final plan ended up being that, in the morning, Jenn’s mom would use Curtis’ mom’s fax machine to send us a copy of her credit card so we could pay for the room. We would pay her back when we returned. With the plan settled in my mind, I drifted off to sleep. Jenn, however, did not feel at peace until we paid for the room that morning.

The next day turned out to be a lot of fun. DCA, or Disney’s California Adventure as it was known then, did not have the quantity or quality of attractions that is does today. Coupled with the fact that it was Thanksgiving day, it meant that there was no one in the park. It ended culminating up with Victor and Curtis riding California Screamin’ seven times in a row.It was a much needed respite from the stress of the day before.

 As fun as our first day at the Resort was, the second was not. As it turned out, while Thanksgiving was a day with one of the lowest attendance counts, the day after has one of the highest. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve 2008 that I have seen that many people in Disneyland. It was wall-to-wall people. It was only the System (my way of maneuvering the park) that kept us moving from ride to ride. Of course, once we hit the black hole of Disneyland, Fantasyland, the day began to drag. To top it off, it began to rain.

That was the final middle finger given to us on that trip. The final day was relatively uneventful, other than for Victor. Prior to the trip, he had promised Brandi that he would spend Thanksgiving with her family. Obviously he broke that promise. He attempted to call as we waited in line for Peter Pan. She, however, was in no mood to listen. To this day, she still holds that trip over his head. The coup de grace for Victor was that, after spending the day in a Disneyland rain storm, he ended up getting sick. (This would begin a running theme of Victor being sick on our Disneyland trips.) He couldn’t even get any rest because Curtis woke him up early that morning by telling him, “Stinky fat kids were stealing all of our rides.”

As you can see, Murphy’s law was in full effect. But I have to say, no matter how bad the trip went, I didn’t lose my love for my home. As I see it, the worst day in Disneyland is better than not having gone at all. The magic was not lost. In fact, looking back, that trip may have done as much to seal it as the perfect one from the year before. From that point forward, I knew that nothing could change my love of the ’Land. There was only one other time that it even came close. But that is a story for another time.

Life is a Highway

Tonight, Jenn and I headed to our first night of birthing classes. It was…interesting. I am thinking about going more in-depth  about the class later this week. However,  the class took a lot longer than I was anticipating. As such, I now have a very short time to make my post for today. So I am going to be  taking a something I wrote for a Disneyland Trip Newsletter I made in preparation for the New Year’s 2o1o trip and adding to it for tonight’s post. In later posts, I’ll be talking about some of the things I have enjoyed during our past trips. Today, I am going to write about a part that doesn’t get much thought. The ride down.

I have been asked multiple times why I don’t save time and fly to Los Angeles. One of the major reasons I do not drive is because simply, I enjoy the drive. I don’t find it boring or even particularly long. Plus I have many memories from different aspects of the trip.

One that stands out to me is a memory from our April 2008 trip with Victor and Brandi. We were pretty stoked because this was going to be the first time it was going to be just the four of us on vacation. There was some additional excitement in the air as we had decided on a whim to leave a day early. So we piled into our Jeep and were on our way down Interstate 5. Unfortunately, we didn’t know that there was nighttime construction. So, even though we made good time down most of I5, after we left Harris Ranch, there was an hour-long delay as we crawled through what felt like 10 miles of road. Initially we were all still pretty jazzed, but as the minutes stretched on, Jennifer ended up succumbing to the frustration. Victor, on the other hand, succumbed to sleep. So it made for a funny moment once we were past the construction, as Victor woke up and said, “That wasn’t that bad.” Needless to say, Jenn lost it.

Even though I have some more intricate memories, I also have some simple ones. Jenn and I have developed a little mini-game that we like to play. Every time we pass one of the mileage signs on the side of the road, we figure out how long it will be until we reach the resort. (Yes, Jenn and I know we are such nerds that we make up math games to entertain us.) The game is fun, though, because it becomes a countdown for when we will reach Disneyland. As each mile ticks away, we get more and more eager to “get home”.

However that is not the only game we play. Back in April 2009, Curtis, Brandon, Jennifer, and I each picked a few songs and we tried to guess who picked what song. It not only helped pass the time but it was interesting to see the different musical styles each of us enjoyed…even though we all agreed we didn’t like Curtis’s style.

We played the game again for the New Year’s 2010 trip. I asked Brandon, Victor, Brandi, Paul and Jessica to each give me 10 songs to build our trip playlist. After gathering the songs from each person, I realized that we needed to add more songs so we wouldn’t run out before we reached the Grapevine. Luckily, Jenn and I had built a library of trip songs from the multiple trips we have made. A good portion of songs we have were picked based on the ones we enjoyed playing on Rock Band. So I made the CDs (16 in all), not realizing that there was a disporportionate amount of Rock Band songs. As the seven of us played the game and tried to guess the person who picked the song, the cry of “Not Rock Band again!” quickly became a catchphrase of the trip. (It was so ingrained in us that when one of the songs played as part of the background loop for Sunshine Plaza in Disney California Adventure, we all yelled it.)

So why do I like to drive rather than fly? Yes I could save time but for me the trip is not about saving time. It’s about using each moment to make a new memory. And if the drive gives me more time to make memories, then I would take it over a flight every time.

The Greatest Week of My Life

 

Jenn and I on our honeymoon

When I was thinking about my blog, I felt that this day’s topic would be the one that would cause me to receive the most flak. More than being over 30 and still playing video games, more than reading four-color wish fufillments, and more than watching half-naked guys wrestle around. The reason being: I unashamedly am a Disneyland freak. And when I think about the park, I have a tendency to get a little sappy. But before you think about letting me have it in the comments, let me tell you a story.

Growing up, my family did not have very much money. While we never went hungry, there were times when my parents had to donate blood to ensure that we did not go to bed with an empty stomach. However, even with the lack of resources and in the middle of what were some of the darkest times of my childhood, there was one bright spot I could always count on: my parents would take us to Disneyland. People may say it was waste of money, but I don’t think you can put a price on the happy memories I have of our time spent there. I was too young to remember my first trip, but to this day, every time I walk inside the main gates, it triggers something deep inside me; a small voice that says “Welcome Home.”

Because of various factors that are not important to this story, my last trip to Disneyland as a child was in 1991. However, when it came time to plan with my wife where we would go for our honeymoon, for me, there was no other option. I had to take her to the place that had meant so much to me growing up.  Another confirmation that she was the perfect choice for me: she readily agreed and was eager to go. Jenn and I happily saved up the funds necessary to not only head to the Magic Kingdom but to visit another favorite park of mine, Universal Studios Hollywood. We were so excited we paid for the trip well in advance of our wedding.

Our wedding day was, up to the point that I am writing this, the best day of life. Everything went off without a hitch (relatively speaking) . As we pulled out of the church parking lot, my mind wandered to the trip that lay ahead. Driving down Interstate 5, as the sun slowly set on that spring day, I looked out the passenger seat window at the highway.  As we passed the various rest stops and farmlands, my mind was flooded with memories. I began to point to out various landmarks to Jenn, and told her a brief story about what happened to our family there. “There’s the McDonald’s where we ate Christmas Dinner one year,” “That Motel 6 is where my family would stop and rest for the night.” As I shared each story, I was impressed by how genuinely interested Jennifer seemed to be. And I loved her even more for it.

We reached Anaheim after nine that night. To this day, Jenn and I still laugh about how freaked out we were that we missed the Disneyland turn off. For those of you who have never driven into the Disneyland Resort, there are gigantic signs that proudly proclaim “Disneyland Drive”. So the odds of missing the turn-off are slim. Relieved that  we were not going to end up in San Diego, we took our exit and proceeded down Disneyland Drive and…it was completely different. The last time I was at the Resort, it wasn’t even a resort. Disney’s California Adventure and Downtown Disney had not been built. I knew that the parking lot was gone but I was unprepared for how much different it was. So the first words out of my mouth were, “Where are all the trees?”  However, even though it did not match what I had envisioned, I was stoked. It was like I was a child, heading to the park for the first time again.

Pulling into our hotel’s parking lot, I realized I was ready for my first new experience. When we were younger, my parents could only afford a day trip to Disneyland. That usually meant staying the night at a relative’s house, getting up early, driving to the park, and staying at the park till the evening. On the rare occasion we did stay nearby, it was usually a cheap motel a few blocks away from the park. My first trip as an adult, however, we stayed directly across from the park. It may not have been a park view room but it was the closest I had ever stayed. It was such a thrilling experience to be able to exit the lobby each morning and see the Matterhorn peeking over the tree tops.

The next day, Jenn and I decided to spend our first day at the one park neither of us had experienced: Disney’s California Adventure, as it was known then.  Online and on Disney podcasts, most hardcore fans feel that DCA (as it is more commonly known) is an inferior park. There is even a vocal and misguided minority that wish Disney would bulldoze the entire area and bring back the parking lot. To me, that is a ridiculous suggestion. Even then, we fell in love with DCA. It has a charm that is unique from Disneyland. Perhaps because it was the first Disney park that Jenn and I shared together, but I always get annoyed when someone belittles California Adventure.

Paradise Pier: As it was on our honeymoon

Jenn and I spent the entire day at that park, riding every attraction and visiting every shop. Most people like to take an afternoon break. Not us. We were at the park from our now-traditional first ride of Soaring Over California to the closing ceremony that is the Electrical Parade. And never once did we consider leaving. When the park finally shut down, we reluctantly headed back to the hotel and prepped for the next day.

Disneyland: the first morning

As you can tell, I was excited about the trip as a whole, but that Monday was the day I was most looking forward to. I was finally going to share my “Happiest Place on Earth” with the most important person in my life. As we arrived before park opening to wait for the ropes to drop, I was positively giddy.  I couldn’t stop from being fidgety. I am not normally a morning person but I beat the alarm clock that day. At 15 minutes till 8, they allowed us into the park. On that first trip back down Main Street, I felt two things:  I was five years old again. And I was home.

Me in front of Splash Mountain

My most vivid memory of that day  is one that is still debated by Jenn and I. Our fourth ride was Splash Mountain. Now according to Jenn’s recollection, we rode in the back and everyone came out smiling and happy. However according to my much-more reliable memory, Jenn did not have much experience with the attraction. So, while waiting in the que, I explained to her that the front of log was the best place to avoid getting wet. Either I was very good or (more likely) she was trusting because as we reached the front of the line, she agreed to take the front spot. All was well until we hit the first speed drop on the inside of the Mountain. As the water splashed over the log and onto Jenn, she quickly realized her mistake. By the time we hit the last drop, Jenn was quite loudly explaining the many and varied ways in which I sucked. It would be 7 years before she ever agreed to ride in the front. (That’s at least how I choose to remember it.)

I wish I could tell you that I remember every detail about that week. (Although I’d probably lose you if I did.) Sometimes, I sit and try to remember everything that happened. Certain things I’ll never forget, like Jenn and I racing across the park to make a fast pass or taking a one day break to visit a nearby comic book store and of course, the birth of the System (more on that in future post.)  But other details, such as where we ate or how many times we rode certain rides are lost in the mists of time. But one thing that sticks with me is driving home, on that rainy April day,  looking at my beautiful wife and realizing how incredible the last 7 days had been.

Now I don’t want you to think that all of my subsequent trips to Disneyland have been attempts to re-capture that feeling. I know that nothing can equal the high that I was on that week. No, the reason I have become what may be politely termed ”crazy obsessed with Disneyland” is because more than any other place, the resort has become Our place. Each year that Jenn and I visit, I am able to shut out everything else that is going on and focus on my wife. We spend as much time remembering old trips as we do making new memories. And that’s why I am looking forward to taking the two new pieces of my heart with me in the future. I know that, each time I do, it will be “The Greatest Week of My Life.”