Manila 2nd Moms at Disneyland

Last week I was in California. As part of my trip, I met up with my good friend Maria Trump, who lives in Manteca, just 30 minutes from Kristen's house. Maria and I drove down to Disneyland. We stopped at Derek and Rachel's house for a bit. Maria and Rachel spent time talking about kids with special needs. John and Maria has Abby, a 19 year old with autism, and Derek and Rachel have Charlie, a 10 year old with Down syndrome. We showed up unexpectedly because I wanted to surprise them. I had just seen them on Wednesday at mom's house. They had driven all night Saturday, arriving at their house around 2:00 am. It was a fun little visit. 

Maria and I got to Anaheim around 4:00 and checked into our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the room. It was very roomy and provided a decent amount of privacy. I took the couch bed. Maria had brought a mattress topper, which made it quite comfortable. Maria also brought blankets for us. We went to Downtown Disney and got delicious peach ice cream at Salt and Straw, then Maria went into California Adventure to watch the parade. I was blocked out. After the parade, we got dinner at Earl of Sandwich, then went back to the hotel. It was a great drive and a fun evening. 

Amy Bowden and Stefanie Nebeker, both from our American Fork neighborhood flew in Monday morning. We picked them up, got them settled in the room, then we all went to the park. We started at Disneyland. It was crowded, but not too bad. We went on a lot of rides and showed Stefanie the ropes. She hadn't been to Disneyland in years. Amy, Maria, and I are pros. We don't even need a map. We saw the flag retrieval ceremony and all enjoyed it. Then we went back to our hotel for a couple of hours to rest and cool off. We returned to California Adventure for dinner reservations. Maria is a genius. She gets a reservation at the Lamplight Lounge for 7:30 pm. The last table seated is at 8:00. We asked to sit outside. When 9:00 came around, we had VIP seating for World of Color, the show on the water. It was fantastic. We also enjoyed our dinner. A great way to end the day. 

Maria also has a trick for getting into California Adventure. We Uber to the Grand Californian. She said that there might be a guard controlling access to the high end hotel. She said she would say we were going to dinner. I jokingly asked "where are we eating dinner?" To which she responded "Storyteller's Lounge." Well, that's exactly how it played out. There was a guard. He asked Maria, who was in the front seat, if we were checking in. She said "no, we're going to get dinner." He asked where, and she answered, without hesitating "Storyteller's Lounge." I couldn't believe it. It's a quick way to get to California Adventure. 

Friends on the road

Rachel, Derek, Raine, and me - quick surprise visit

While waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, I hear "Dana!" It was my former TA and Mel's good friend, Emily Burdette. She was also there for Monday - Wednesday. 

4 beds - each of us got our own bed

Mini-fridge, counter space, 2 sinks. Great hotel.

Amy Bowden, me, Maria Trump, Stefanie Nebeker

Amy, Stef, me, and Maria

Look at that dinner view!

Day 2 started at California Adventure. Like day 1, when it got hot and crowded at mid-day, we went back to our hotel. But, before gonig back to the hotel, we went on rides, ate yummy food, people watched, and went to the pass holders lounge. I got a fun watermelon drink and delicious flat bread. I had gone there before with the Wasdens in May. 

Stefanie said she really liked how we do Disneyland...good food, lots of resting, great strategy for getting on rides, mostly enjoying time together. Maria had heard about a "buddy pass" for Monster's, Inc. It was crazy. We literally walked up and asked for a buddy pass. They handed each of us a piece of paper that said Buddy Pass. We took it to the exit and got on the ride within 10 minutes. The regular line was close to an hour. No stroller required. No disability needed. It was nuts. I learned so many tips and tricks. We also rode single rider on Soarin' Around the World. The line was about an hour and we waited maybe 25 minutes. Tuesday was really hot and more crowded than Monday. When we went back Tuesday night, Amy stayed behind to rest because she felt an ear issue coming on. We saw Fantasmic and the fireworks on Tuesday night before going back to the hotel. I sure wish people would put their phones down and enjoy the show. It's the strangest thing. We stayed up way too late talking. These ladies are so great. 

Wearing my Monster's Inc shirt, so I had to get a picture at the ride

Guardians of the Galaxy

Put your phones down

Incredicoaster

Wednesday was a half day. It was noticeably crowded from early on. Keenan surprised me with a Venmo for us to buy churros. We rode a lot of rides in the morning, got snacks, sat in the shade and rested and talked. Thank goodness for free cups of ice water. Maria got reservations for Carnation Cafe, which is a great place to grab lunch. We sat inside. It was cool and the food was good. I got a turkey club sandwich. We were going to stay until about 5:00 and take Amy and Stef to the airport, but the park was really crowded and lines were long. We had a 6-hour drive back to Manteca. So, after lunch, we said our goodbyes and Maria and I got on the road. I helped drive a bit because we were tired from a fun 3 days. 

We might have even talked Stef into getting an annual pass, but they weren't selling passes, so she couldn't get one. 

Me and Amy at our favorite bathroom. The doors are painted to resemble playing cards - a nod to Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts

Tired eyes, but very happy faces. Maria says she keeps her sunglasses on to hide the tired eyes. Good idea.