So, now that you've all completely forgotten about it...
SURPRISE!!!
It's time to go back to Disneyland!
Yeah, that's right. That was in August. But come on! Give a girl a break! You've gotta have the right inspiration in order to really do Disneyland justice in a blog post.
So, here's my shot at it. Disneyland in a short, pictoral narrative. And by short, I mean actually kind of long. Again, give me a break. I have a lot of pictures.
So, as you'll recall, we had just arrived at Disneyland after 5 fun days in the minivan. Oh wait. It was actually only 2 days. Not 5.
After the first night at our hotel, Lindsay and I quickly realized that despite the door separating us from the icebox sleepers in the other room, a sheet and one pillow just weren't going to cut it.
Sometimes, having polar bears for parents is a real letdown. Especially when they get their hands on air conditioning and all you have is a roll-out bed and one sheet.
Anyways, we stepped outside of our room to defrost for a second and grabbed some delicious continental breakfast!
And then, it was off to Disneyland, the most magical place on Earth!
And the happiest of course.
And for our first Disney ride, what could be more fitting than...
...Michael Jackson?
Nevertheless, it was a good opportunity to practice our dance moves.
Needing to recuperate from the madness that was Michael Jackson and his inappropriate and all too frequent hip thrusts, we went on a REAL Disney ride:
THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD! It was also scary, but not in the same scarring way as the hip thrusts.
Hip thrusts aside, those 2 rides really took it out of us, and we needed some nourishment. Whatever it was, this blue stuff really did the trick.
Feeling rejuvenated, we got in line for another ride. Lindsay's not so sure this ride is worth the wait. Steven thinks he's James Bond.
There's never a dull moment in line at Disneyland:
You can venture through the blades of grass in fairyland,...
Photoshop yourselves into other environments,...
And make new friends!
The only bad thing about waiting in line is that it takes time. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye to the rides, blue drinks, and submarines and head on to another Disney adventure.
Namely,...
Character dining!
Now, if you've never been character dining before, you should know,...it's GREAT!
No, no, you don't eat the characters, but there is food. Lots of it! And get this, while you're eating all this delicious food, Disney princesses and such come to your table to say hello to you! As you can guess, I was very excited.
Our character dining experience started out...
In the bathroom. Yes, that's right, but not just any bathroom. This was a magical, princess bathroom!
Which, of course, resulted in the necessity for princess bathroom photos.
Well, after the magical time we had in the enchanted ladies room, it seemed improbable that this night could get any better. However,...it did!
I mean, we met Pluto!
I mean, we met Pluto!
I was a little nervous, considering my last run-in with Pluto a couple of years ago at Disneyworld, which was awkward to say the least. But that's another story.
Back to the dining.
With our welcome from Pluto, we headed straight into Goofy's Kitchen, and settled into our table.
Lindsay, still defrosting from last night's stay in the icebox, I mean, hotel room, found a good use for her dinner napkin.
Napkins in place and pomegranate lemonades in hand, we started in on the food. Did I mention that this place is a buffet? Yes, a buffet. In other words, a recipe for disaster. But in this case, a delicious disaster.
And now, if you didn't know they were coming, a string of pictures of all of the food that I ate. Come on, if you know me at all, you had to have been expecting this.
The dinner plate, showcasing the renowned peanut butter and jelly pizza.
And more importantly, the dessert plate. Of which I had like 2 or 3. Or 5. Hence the crazed look about the eyes.
Steven was determined to take down the entire restaurant. This was him before going back for his 10th plate. This is the problem with buffets.
However, Lindsay and Dad are the perfect picture of contentment. They stopped at around plate 3 or 4.
Me, on the other hand, still going. And pretty happy about it too. I wasn't kidding when I said I love buffets.
Later on, the chef himself came out to greet us!
We're pretty much celebrities. That must've been why all these people came to say hi and begged to have their pictures taken with us.
Minnie...
And even my FAVORITE character!...Umm...Gorilla Man? Anyone know this impostor?
And Pinocchio was pretty much best friends with us all from the start!
We laughed, danced, and sang the "I Got No Strings" song.
But when he tried to pull some funny business and kiss me, that was the last straw in our "friendship." Yep, wooden or not, Pinocchio was just another sleazeball like most other "real boys."
And finally, hearing of my presence in Goofy's Kitchen, Sleeping Beauty could barely wait to meet me. And you know what?
INSTANT BEST FRIENDS!!!
We hit it off right away.
And finally, hearing of my presence in Goofy's Kitchen, Sleeping Beauty could barely wait to meet me. And you know what?
INSTANT BEST FRIENDS!!!
We hit it off right away.
Right about the time I was suggesting us moving into the castle together, she suddenly had to go.
But I completely understand.
When princess duties call, you pick up the phone, or in my case, the plate. It was time for round 7 at the buffet.
I waved to Jasmine across the buffet who was talking to my BFF, Aurora. Naturally, I identified what this was immediately; princess meeting!
They obviously forgot my invite. So, I took matters into my own hands.
By the time I got over to the meeting, Aurora had mysteriously disappeared, but I figured Jasmine and I could continue without her. Strangely, Jasmine gave me a blank look, seeming not to recognize me, and then dashed out the door into the rain. I realize now how unfair it was of me to leave Jasmine out of our castle-rooming situation. This all just goes to show that even princesses get jealous. Shocking, I know, but I can't help it if other princesses are intimidated by me.
Well-fed and well-documented, we were about to bid farewell to our character dining experience, when I noticed dear, sweet Cinderella cleaning up our dishes. I hardly recognized her without her fancy gown and glass slippers, but a princess can always spot another princess, even in disguise.
And so, the last photo of the night was with my favorite Disney princess, Cinderella (or "Amber" as her name tag displayed).
Conclusion?
DAY 1 at Disneyland: SUCCESS! All my friends recognized me (Well, except for Jasmine, that is, but she doesn't count. She doesn't even wear a dress).
Note: Just to set things straight, I cannot take full credit for the literary contents of this blog entry or half of anything entertaining that I post on Facebook. The truth is Mindy Beal is funny. And a genius. I hope this clears up any confusion.
