Disneyland

2 things about me: I love to drive and I can be rather impulsive. Sometimes I get an bit of an itch for a road trip. After I have sat in my office chair for 18 hours a day for months on end, I get the urge to drive somewhere. I don't need a reason more than to escape. Sure, I think of some ancillary reason, but it could be something as stupid as I really wanted Pizza from that place in Flagstaff, or in this case, Abe is now tall enough to go on the cars ride at Disneyland. That's right, Abe is 42 inches tall and as such, a whole new experience has opened up to him at Disneyland. He can now go on a few rides that have dips and dives.

After work on Friday I asked Abe if he wanted to go camping or go to Disneyland and like any sane child he chose the latter. He slept through the majority of the drive which was both good and bad. The drive was one of the hardest for staying awake because I didn't have anyone there to talk to, but we made it to just outside Disneyland before I had to pull over and arrange the makeshift bed in the back of the van.

I am always weirdly nervous sleeping in my car. I have a ridiculous fear of the owners of the parking spot that I have chosen for my campground calling the police and getting me in trouble. I can't imagine I would get a ticket for sleeping in my car, but I guess it's the feeling of vulnerability that goes along with sleeping out in the open (sort of).

We woke up and had breakfast, but even after the eggs were eaten, we were still a couple of hours away from the park opening. After parking and getting tickets, we got to the gates about an hour early. They were letting people in, but I assumed that it was early bird. I went ahead and asked one of the attendants if it was the case and she confirmed. I took Abe to the side and asked him if he would like to go get some hot chocolate while we waited for the park to open, but just then, the attendant approached me and said, "You know what? You can just go in now." "Holy crap," I thought to myself. I thanked her profusely and walked briskly to cars ride for which we had set out on this trek. In the hour before the park opened we managed to ride the cars ride and get our fast passes so that we could ride it again later that day.

Abe had a great time and while he was stone faced on Splash Mountain (see below) it was because he got a little wet and not because he didn't enjoy the heck out of the ride. There were a couple of times that Abe was a little upset getting off of the ride because he wanted to go again, but I was able to explain to him that everyone takes turns and that we could just get back in line. That worked all but one time. We waited an hour for a Toy Story shooting gallery at California Adventures and when he was done he started to whimper and eventually cry. Before it got to be a full on blowout, a young lady working on the ride asked if we would like to ride it again. "Now, I will let you ride again, but you can't cry, okay?" she said. Abe dried his tears immediately and we were led back through the exit to ride the attraction once more.

I don't know if people were taking pity on the cute kid with the hobo dad or the single dad with his son, but we got some really awesome special treatment and I can't express how much I appreciated it. It was a really special trip to Disneyland. One of my favorite and least favorite things at Disneyland is watching families interact. I love it because it's infinitely fascinating, but I hate it because it's also infinitely depressing. While waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, I heard a father and mother tell their excited young boy that he ruined the family vacation and that no one was having fun because of him. They berated him for about 5 minutes before my line moved out of earshot. That story happens every time I go, but this next one was one of a kind. As we were leaving the park, I overheard a kid in a wheelchair yell at his mother, "You couldn't spend ten god-damned dollars." He was on the brink of tears, but there was more indignation in his voice than anything else. I didn't get any context, but that is the fun of this game. I get to create my own story behind that crazy snippet of a scene.

It's good to be home, but this weekend is Evelyn's weekend with Papa. No big road trip this weekend (as we had some unexpected tire repairs that I will discuss later), but we will probably go to the zoo and have a great time. I love spending time with Abe and I need to make sure to spend that time equally with both my kids. I fear that because Abe is more reactive and interactive with things (only because of his age) that I spend more time with him than Evelyn. I can't wait to let her go crazy in the petting zoo area, but I am sure there will be more on that tomorrow.