Our Disneyland/California Adventure! *smirk*
A.K.A. - The trip in which artorius and I suddenly become the parents of two teenage girls!
*warning* - long winded and boring... posted because Frances wanted to hear all about our trip...
Preface
Originally this trip was supposed to be an early birthday treat for my nephew, who turns 10 next month, and my 14 year old cousin Lynbeth. We now have the fabulous new (to me) Camry, and one of the first thoughts we had when buying it was how much more comfortable the trip to Disneyland would be (we go a lot - annual passes RAWK!).
So, I ask Lynbeth's mom if she can skip school for two days to go on this trip. She tells me no... Lynbeth is not 'getting it done' in terms of school, chores, etc. I ask Lynbeth, without telling her why of course, and she proceeds to tell me about her problems with her science project team, but her room is clean and she's doing her homework (but still getting a D in algebra - not good).
Well, we didn't want to take just the nephew, so I come up with the brilliant idea of 'hey, let's take Noelle!'. That would be my 18 year old cousin, who was just thrilled and ecstatic last time we took her a couple of years ago. Plus, she's had a shit time of it lately, and could probably use the getaway. I call her - she's totally psyched, but needs to talk to the boyfriend before going (that's me - adding strife and strain to relationships everywhere). But basically she tells him 'hey, my cousin's taking me to Disneyland', and calls me back to say everything's cool to go...
So I tell my nephew, who's jazzed, but then within 30 minutes has me regretting ever thinking of taking him. Don't get me wrong - I love the little guy to death, but he can be an insolent and greedy little shit - all of which took approximately 30 minutes to come out...
Now I'm regretting my decision altogether. But then by the time my Mom comes to pick him up, and then asks him how he's doing in school - to which he replies "my teacher says I'm not staying on task". "So do you think you should be taking 2 days off if you're not staying on task?" *whiny* "Yes!"
Here's my out...
"Well, if we're not rewarding Lynbeth for doing poorly in school, then we probably shouldn't reward you either."
My mother wholeheartedly agrees, my nephew whines, but then we tagteam distract him by getting him to talk about other things he'd like to do for his birthday...
So now it's just us and Noelle... which seems a bit odd for 4 days... I talk to her mom, who's newest hubby has never been to Disneyland and she's always asking when we're going so they can meet us out there. I give her the skinny, tell her we're taking her daughter and paying for her, to which she responds "oh no, if we go, we'll pay for her" (and I know immediately that we'll never see a dime - we never expected it, thankfully, otherwise we'd have been disappointed). They make arrangements to fly out and meet us on Saturday. We make hotel reservations and plan to pick up Noelle Thursday night, and all is well...
The Work Week from HELL
For those of you who are bored enough to read all this blathering, you probably know that I'm a graphic designer, and that I work for a newspaper publisher. Well, the week of the trip, we had a huge edition that suddenly needed to go to press a week early - 4 papers to do instead of 3 - FABULOUS!
And so I worked... and worked... and worked...
I pulled 40 hours in 4 days. I had numbness in my fingertips from all the typing and mousing and everything else. I slept just the tiniest bit all week long. In short - I so earned my vacation!
Things weren't much better for artorius, who was told on the day we were leaving by his boss, "Well, you know, we're really busy, and now is probably not the best time to be leaving."
Matthew had told him two weeks beforehand we were leaving - and he pulls this shit NOW?! WTF?!
Thankfully one of the other people in the office dissuaded the naysayer - stating that things were under control and they'd be fine...
*rolls eyes*
Talk about bad timing!
Lastly, I tried asking permission my aunt's permission AGAIN - I really wanted to take Lynbeth with us.
Thursday... a.k.a. 'You will now encounter every freeway closure known to man!
I woke up early, hit the Toyota dealership to get an oil change (I've suddenly become very conscientious about who touches my car), went to work, and even got home at a decent hour. I began to pack. Matthew came home. There was a.. erm... nap. A quick post on LJ, and then we hit the freeway to pick up Noelle...
"Gosh," I say, "I really wish Lynbeth was coming with us."
"Yeah, me too."
"'Cause it would be really cool with both girls. We've never taken just both girls before."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"But you've already asked Roxanne twice."
"Yeah, I have."
"And you don't really want to push her."
"I know."
...silence...
"But.. you know... if you wanted to call her again..." *eyes my cell phone*
*glances over at Matthew*
*grabs cellphone*
*calls aunt and uncle to plead Lynbeth's case*
"Oh hi Lynbeth.. is your mom there? She's not? Oh... she's working an overnight?" *crapcrapcrap* "Oh.. your DAD's home?! Um, can I talk to your dad... thanks. *beat* Hey, are you in the same room with Lynbeth... I need to ask you something..."
*pleads case*
*gets an easy yes from Dad*
*cheers*
*feels slight twinge of guilt for going around favorite aunt*
*gets back on phone with Lynbeth*
"Hey kiddo - are you doing anything important in school tomorrow or Monday? Any tests? Any big assignments? You're not... you're absolutely sure? Okay, what are doing right now? Okay - pack up your shit 'cause we're coming to pick you up in half an hour to go to Disneyland!"
*pulls phone away from ear because of the squeeing*
"Yes really, pack your stuff... half an hour!"
*more squees*
*grins at Matthew*
We pick up Noelle, and witness the all the 'I love you babe's' between her and her honey before we whisk her away. Hit a Safeway to buy the special Disneyland pass for Lynbeth, then go to pick her up.
Beg and plead with her Dad to please smooth things over with her Mom... the last thing I could bear is if she were really pissed at us. She's the sweetest person in the world.
And so we're all bundled in, hit a McDonald's, then hit the freeway at 9:41pm... ETA to Anaheim? 2:41am local, maybe 2am if we haul ass.
Closure Number 1 - the I-17 had several lanes blocked off. We only had to go about 5 miles on it, 3 of which were bumper to bumper until the I-10. That must have taken about 15 minutes...
Closure Number 2 - the I-10 had lanes blocked off just outside of town - that was another long ass, bumper to bumper mess for another half an hour.
Closure Number 3 - for no apparent reason in Ontario, CA on the I-10, they have all but one lane closed. There's no one working on the blocked lanes - they just closed them for shits and giggles! WTF?! So we decide to get off and find a way around. Our map has seen better days, we get turned around, and somehow, and we're still not sure how, we end up BACK on the I-10, but past the closure. Talk about your dumb luck.
The Fog - Somewhere in Ontario the fog suddenly rolled in... super thick, super dense, creepiest/coolest shit we've ever seen. The changeover from I-10 to 57 is a huge elevated and curved ramp... it looked like we were driving off the edge of the world.
Closure Number 4 - 57 at the 60 interchange. Again - no discernible work going on, just something to screw us up. We decided to drive all throughout Diamond Bar chasing the little detour signs to find our way back. We cruised all over that little burg trying to find our way back... spotting those signs in the fog was like playing the 'how many apples are hidden in this picture' game.
Finally.. finally make it to the hotel at 3:30am local.. so much for waking up early and cruising to Universal Studios.
Fabulous Friday
Yeah - there was no way any of us were hauling our asses out of bed early on Friday. Not. Gonna. Happen! So we (meaning everyone but Matthew) slept until 9:30ish, and then there was the dizzying array of showers and blow dryers and eyeliner galore before we could leave the hotel. Poor Matthew - he was so overcome by all the estrogen...
Ah Disneyland... my home away from home!
First was the traditional stop at the brick - a beautiful birthday gift from Matthew - a commemorative brick in the large plaza b/w DL & DCA that has my grandparents' names and wedding date on it. Then it was rides... Small World, Matterhorn, Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours - somewhere in there was lunch and the serious sticker shock with the bill... $67 for 4 at Rancho del Zocalo... no what we're used to, but then we're usually 2 and not 4...
Lynbeth introduces me to the wonders of Dance Dance Revolution - I must now go buy a Playstation and appropriate dance mats!
Then it was a quick nip off to DCA (Disney's California Adventure) and the cool rides there.. I finally found some balls and did the Maliboomer, which I had horribly abandoned Lynbeth on the time before last....
We won the girls matching monkeys playing the boardwalk games...
Late dinner at Denny's and back to the hotel...
Feel the Burn - It's Saturday
Early up - for us. Grabbed the free continental breakfast from the hotel, then headed back into the park, searching for Noelle's mom and her husband.
Rides... too many people... more rides... still too many people. DCA - STILL too many people (and that's saying something!). Matthew and I vacillated on lunch (are you hungry? I don't know, are you?) and the girls had a snarky chime in for that conversation, mimicking us then telling us they were, in fact, both starving! Spaghetti all around, then back to DL. Small World once again with Noelle's parents, and then, blessedly, Matthew and I divested ourselves of the girls to catch.. er, a nap back at the hotel. We seriously needed a longer nap, it was murder getting up and dressed again...
Late night Big Thunder, more Haunted Mansion and Pirates. Noelle lost her cell phone on Indy and we stole an opportunity to buy and then devour a box of the most luscious hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries EVER!
Back to the hotel, dead on our feet. Universal early in the morning... Was having serious doubts about Universal in the morning...
I swear! I set the alarm! - Sunday
We were supposed to wake up at 7am...
That's what I set the alarm for - honestly...
So, at 10am, as we're all lying around in our pajamas, flipping b/w 'A Few Good Men' and 'Red Dragon', we pretty much agreed, no Universal Studios - time for a break... So we snack on all the goodies in the room, talk a long and good time getting ready, then hit the road at 1pm off to Santa Monica and Whimsic Alley!
SQUEE!!
I was good - I think we spent more money on Lynbeth than us, which is shocking. Noelle was utterly bored, the only non-HP fan in the bunch. She wanted to see the Walk of Fame, which I more than happily obliged. We made our purchases, bundled up in the car again, and took the 'more scenic, more culturally interesting' Santa Monica Blvd to Hollywood and Highland. We tore into a pack of Ice Mice on the way, which promptly got stuck on Noelle's tongue stud!
*peals of laughter ensue*
Hollywood and Highland - the new home of the Kodak Theatre and the Oscars, not to mention various shops, including a Hot Topic. We try to get in to CA Pizza Kitchen (lame, because we have one here), but the wait is too long. So we head over to my favorite place there, the mongolian bbq place right next to Graumann's on the third floor. We inhale our food, then peer out onto the street and see tons of limos parked in front of El Capitan for the Ice Princess premiere, which was a couple of hours earlier.
So we hit the Hot Topic, look around all the little shops and carts and whatnots, then go out onto Hollywood Blvd and Graumann's Chinese Theatre (where I saw CoS - too cool!). Lo and behold, we can't get there because of the barricades - there's some event. We wander into a shop next door, and there there's screaming from the crowd across the street. I stay to make my purchases and Matthew takes the girls outside to see what's going on.
Two cheesy magnets later and I find Matthew out on the sidewalk. I look around.
"Where are the girls?"
"I don't know?"
*blinks*
"You LOST the girls?"
"People were saying that Bernie Mac arrived next door and then I lost them in the crowd."
*looking around*
*can't find them*
"Well hell, let's call Noelle's phone!"
*Matthew calls*
"You're WHERE? Across the street? You ran all the way DOWN THERE and crossed the street? Okay... okay... we'll be there in a bit."
"They're across the street in that crowd."
"You're kidding."
"No - Noelle grabbed Lynbeth and they ran all the way down to the light and crossed."
So we walk all the way down and cross, then wedge ourselves into the big crowd of celeb lookieloos. We push and shove for about 10 minutes, then call the girls again, tell them to just meet us back at H&H when they're done - catch a glimpse of the back of Bruce Willis' head, then leave.
It was the big premiere for the new movie 'Guess Who', with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher, hence the crowd and screaming.
We browse some shops through the punctuated screams and squeals, then eventually make our way back up to the third floor viewing area. The premiere was at 6, it's already 6:30, so we call the girls - while the phone rings we actually spot them across the street and wave.
"OMIGOD!!!! WE TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!!"
"What?!"
"No Way!"
"WE DID - OMIGOD!! HE'S SO HOT!!!"
They meet us back up on the third floor and proceed to tell us the tale - Ashton and Demi arrive. He turns to wave at the adoring fans across the street, then suddenly decides to run across the street to high five aforementioned adoring fans while flanked by his security dudes. Noelle, who's all of 5'2", maybe 3", grabs Lynbeth, who's 5'7" and large framed, and shoves them through the throng of people to the front of the barricade.
They touched Ashton Kutcher's hand!
OMIGOD WE TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!!
*this is the chant heard for the rest of the trip*
I can't help but squee for them...
Noelle calls her sweet and adoring boyfriend, who's been calling all trip to say how much he loves and misses her...
"OMIGOD BABE, I TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!! HE IS SO HOT!!!"
"Er, I love you babe..."
Poor guy.
There is squeeing, there is laughter, there is ice cream, there is a trip back to the hotel...
Oh, and there was the little matter of Lynbeth's paper on biomes, which was due upon her return to school. So, in fact, there was Matthew & Lynbeth running off to the Ramada with internet terminals, and then us watching her like a hawk to make sure she wrote her paper while we packed...
Monday - End of the Road
Monday dawns bright and early - we have early admission into the park and I'll be damned if we miss the opportunity to blow through Fantasyland unfettered by throngs of tourists. Everyone's up, dressed, out the door and in the park by 8:05am - 55 minutes until the park opens to the general public.
In rapid succession Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinnochio, Tea Cups, Matterhorn in the space of an hour! That's my Disneyland!
We head off to do the annual pass thing, the girls go off to Indy! I introduce Matthew to the wonders of Dance Dance Revolution...
We can't get a hold of the girls, so we manage another run through Buzz Lightyear. One last trip through Pirates and Matthew buys yet another treasure chest (which, funnily enough, turns out to be one he already owned), and then we're back to DCA.
One harrowing series of plummets in the Tower of Terror, and we bid the Disney property a fond farewell...
In-n-Out Burger, KROQ playing in the car, gassing up at the ARCO, needling Lynbeth to finish that paper, and we were on our way home...
She got an 'A' on her paper by the way...
And that, was our Disney/California Adventure!
"Omigod babe, and he's tall too!! SQUEE!!!"
*warning* - long winded and boring... posted because Frances wanted to hear all about our trip...
Preface
Originally this trip was supposed to be an early birthday treat for my nephew, who turns 10 next month, and my 14 year old cousin Lynbeth. We now have the fabulous new (to me) Camry, and one of the first thoughts we had when buying it was how much more comfortable the trip to Disneyland would be (we go a lot - annual passes RAWK!).
So, I ask Lynbeth's mom if she can skip school for two days to go on this trip. She tells me no... Lynbeth is not 'getting it done' in terms of school, chores, etc. I ask Lynbeth, without telling her why of course, and she proceeds to tell me about her problems with her science project team, but her room is clean and she's doing her homework (but still getting a D in algebra - not good).
Well, we didn't want to take just the nephew, so I come up with the brilliant idea of 'hey, let's take Noelle!'. That would be my 18 year old cousin, who was just thrilled and ecstatic last time we took her a couple of years ago. Plus, she's had a shit time of it lately, and could probably use the getaway. I call her - she's totally psyched, but needs to talk to the boyfriend before going (that's me - adding strife and strain to relationships everywhere). But basically she tells him 'hey, my cousin's taking me to Disneyland', and calls me back to say everything's cool to go...
So I tell my nephew, who's jazzed, but then within 30 minutes has me regretting ever thinking of taking him. Don't get me wrong - I love the little guy to death, but he can be an insolent and greedy little shit - all of which took approximately 30 minutes to come out...
Now I'm regretting my decision altogether. But then by the time my Mom comes to pick him up, and then asks him how he's doing in school - to which he replies "my teacher says I'm not staying on task". "So do you think you should be taking 2 days off if you're not staying on task?" *whiny* "Yes!"
Here's my out...
"Well, if we're not rewarding Lynbeth for doing poorly in school, then we probably shouldn't reward you either."
My mother wholeheartedly agrees, my nephew whines, but then we tagteam distract him by getting him to talk about other things he'd like to do for his birthday...
So now it's just us and Noelle... which seems a bit odd for 4 days... I talk to her mom, who's newest hubby has never been to Disneyland and she's always asking when we're going so they can meet us out there. I give her the skinny, tell her we're taking her daughter and paying for her, to which she responds "oh no, if we go, we'll pay for her" (and I know immediately that we'll never see a dime - we never expected it, thankfully, otherwise we'd have been disappointed). They make arrangements to fly out and meet us on Saturday. We make hotel reservations and plan to pick up Noelle Thursday night, and all is well...
The Work Week from HELL
For those of you who are bored enough to read all this blathering, you probably know that I'm a graphic designer, and that I work for a newspaper publisher. Well, the week of the trip, we had a huge edition that suddenly needed to go to press a week early - 4 papers to do instead of 3 - FABULOUS!
And so I worked... and worked... and worked...
I pulled 40 hours in 4 days. I had numbness in my fingertips from all the typing and mousing and everything else. I slept just the tiniest bit all week long. In short - I so earned my vacation!
Things weren't much better for artorius, who was told on the day we were leaving by his boss, "Well, you know, we're really busy, and now is probably not the best time to be leaving."
Matthew had told him two weeks beforehand we were leaving - and he pulls this shit NOW?! WTF?!
Thankfully one of the other people in the office dissuaded the naysayer - stating that things were under control and they'd be fine...
*rolls eyes*
Talk about bad timing!
Lastly, I tried asking permission my aunt's permission AGAIN - I really wanted to take Lynbeth with us.
Thursday... a.k.a. 'You will now encounter every freeway closure known to man!
I woke up early, hit the Toyota dealership to get an oil change (I've suddenly become very conscientious about who touches my car), went to work, and even got home at a decent hour. I began to pack. Matthew came home. There was a.. erm... nap. A quick post on LJ, and then we hit the freeway to pick up Noelle...
"Gosh," I say, "I really wish Lynbeth was coming with us."
"Yeah, me too."
"'Cause it would be really cool with both girls. We've never taken just both girls before."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"But you've already asked Roxanne twice."
"Yeah, I have."
"And you don't really want to push her."
"I know."
...silence...
"But.. you know... if you wanted to call her again..." *eyes my cell phone*
*glances over at Matthew*
*grabs cellphone*
*calls aunt and uncle to plead Lynbeth's case*
"Oh hi Lynbeth.. is your mom there? She's not? Oh... she's working an overnight?" *crapcrapcrap* "Oh.. your DAD's home?! Um, can I talk to your dad... thanks. *beat* Hey, are you in the same room with Lynbeth... I need to ask you something..."
*pleads case*
*gets an easy yes from Dad*
*cheers*
*feels slight twinge of guilt for going around favorite aunt*
*gets back on phone with Lynbeth*
"Hey kiddo - are you doing anything important in school tomorrow or Monday? Any tests? Any big assignments? You're not... you're absolutely sure? Okay, what are doing right now? Okay - pack up your shit 'cause we're coming to pick you up in half an hour to go to Disneyland!"
*pulls phone away from ear because of the squeeing*
"Yes really, pack your stuff... half an hour!"
*more squees*
*grins at Matthew*
We pick up Noelle, and witness the all the 'I love you babe's' between her and her honey before we whisk her away. Hit a Safeway to buy the special Disneyland pass for Lynbeth, then go to pick her up.
Beg and plead with her Dad to please smooth things over with her Mom... the last thing I could bear is if she were really pissed at us. She's the sweetest person in the world.
And so we're all bundled in, hit a McDonald's, then hit the freeway at 9:41pm... ETA to Anaheim? 2:41am local, maybe 2am if we haul ass.
Closure Number 1 - the I-17 had several lanes blocked off. We only had to go about 5 miles on it, 3 of which were bumper to bumper until the I-10. That must have taken about 15 minutes...
Closure Number 2 - the I-10 had lanes blocked off just outside of town - that was another long ass, bumper to bumper mess for another half an hour.
Closure Number 3 - for no apparent reason in Ontario, CA on the I-10, they have all but one lane closed. There's no one working on the blocked lanes - they just closed them for shits and giggles! WTF?! So we decide to get off and find a way around. Our map has seen better days, we get turned around, and somehow, and we're still not sure how, we end up BACK on the I-10, but past the closure. Talk about your dumb luck.
The Fog - Somewhere in Ontario the fog suddenly rolled in... super thick, super dense, creepiest/coolest shit we've ever seen. The changeover from I-10 to 57 is a huge elevated and curved ramp... it looked like we were driving off the edge of the world.
Closure Number 4 - 57 at the 60 interchange. Again - no discernible work going on, just something to screw us up. We decided to drive all throughout Diamond Bar chasing the little detour signs to find our way back. We cruised all over that little burg trying to find our way back... spotting those signs in the fog was like playing the 'how many apples are hidden in this picture' game.
Finally.. finally make it to the hotel at 3:30am local.. so much for waking up early and cruising to Universal Studios.
Fabulous Friday
Yeah - there was no way any of us were hauling our asses out of bed early on Friday. Not. Gonna. Happen! So we (meaning everyone but Matthew) slept until 9:30ish, and then there was the dizzying array of showers and blow dryers and eyeliner galore before we could leave the hotel. Poor Matthew - he was so overcome by all the estrogen...
Ah Disneyland... my home away from home!
First was the traditional stop at the brick - a beautiful birthday gift from Matthew - a commemorative brick in the large plaza b/w DL & DCA that has my grandparents' names and wedding date on it. Then it was rides... Small World, Matterhorn, Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours - somewhere in there was lunch and the serious sticker shock with the bill... $67 for 4 at Rancho del Zocalo... no what we're used to, but then we're usually 2 and not 4...
Lynbeth introduces me to the wonders of Dance Dance Revolution - I must now go buy a Playstation and appropriate dance mats!
Then it was a quick nip off to DCA (Disney's California Adventure) and the cool rides there.. I finally found some balls and did the Maliboomer, which I had horribly abandoned Lynbeth on the time before last....
We won the girls matching monkeys playing the boardwalk games...
Late dinner at Denny's and back to the hotel...
Feel the Burn - It's Saturday
Early up - for us. Grabbed the free continental breakfast from the hotel, then headed back into the park, searching for Noelle's mom and her husband.
Rides... too many people... more rides... still too many people. DCA - STILL too many people (and that's saying something!). Matthew and I vacillated on lunch (are you hungry? I don't know, are you?) and the girls had a snarky chime in for that conversation, mimicking us then telling us they were, in fact, both starving! Spaghetti all around, then back to DL. Small World once again with Noelle's parents, and then, blessedly, Matthew and I divested ourselves of the girls to catch.. er, a nap back at the hotel. We seriously needed a longer nap, it was murder getting up and dressed again...
Late night Big Thunder, more Haunted Mansion and Pirates. Noelle lost her cell phone on Indy and we stole an opportunity to buy and then devour a box of the most luscious hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries EVER!
Back to the hotel, dead on our feet. Universal early in the morning... Was having serious doubts about Universal in the morning...
I swear! I set the alarm! - Sunday
We were supposed to wake up at 7am...
That's what I set the alarm for - honestly...
So, at 10am, as we're all lying around in our pajamas, flipping b/w 'A Few Good Men' and 'Red Dragon', we pretty much agreed, no Universal Studios - time for a break... So we snack on all the goodies in the room, talk a long and good time getting ready, then hit the road at 1pm off to Santa Monica and Whimsic Alley!
SQUEE!!
I was good - I think we spent more money on Lynbeth than us, which is shocking. Noelle was utterly bored, the only non-HP fan in the bunch. She wanted to see the Walk of Fame, which I more than happily obliged. We made our purchases, bundled up in the car again, and took the 'more scenic, more culturally interesting' Santa Monica Blvd to Hollywood and Highland. We tore into a pack of Ice Mice on the way, which promptly got stuck on Noelle's tongue stud!
*peals of laughter ensue*
Hollywood and Highland - the new home of the Kodak Theatre and the Oscars, not to mention various shops, including a Hot Topic. We try to get in to CA Pizza Kitchen (lame, because we have one here), but the wait is too long. So we head over to my favorite place there, the mongolian bbq place right next to Graumann's on the third floor. We inhale our food, then peer out onto the street and see tons of limos parked in front of El Capitan for the Ice Princess premiere, which was a couple of hours earlier.
So we hit the Hot Topic, look around all the little shops and carts and whatnots, then go out onto Hollywood Blvd and Graumann's Chinese Theatre (where I saw CoS - too cool!). Lo and behold, we can't get there because of the barricades - there's some event. We wander into a shop next door, and there there's screaming from the crowd across the street. I stay to make my purchases and Matthew takes the girls outside to see what's going on.
Two cheesy magnets later and I find Matthew out on the sidewalk. I look around.
"Where are the girls?"
"I don't know?"
*blinks*
"You LOST the girls?"
"People were saying that Bernie Mac arrived next door and then I lost them in the crowd."
*looking around*
*can't find them*
"Well hell, let's call Noelle's phone!"
*Matthew calls*
"You're WHERE? Across the street? You ran all the way DOWN THERE and crossed the street? Okay... okay... we'll be there in a bit."
"They're across the street in that crowd."
"You're kidding."
"No - Noelle grabbed Lynbeth and they ran all the way down to the light and crossed."
So we walk all the way down and cross, then wedge ourselves into the big crowd of celeb lookieloos. We push and shove for about 10 minutes, then call the girls again, tell them to just meet us back at H&H when they're done - catch a glimpse of the back of Bruce Willis' head, then leave.
It was the big premiere for the new movie 'Guess Who', with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher, hence the crowd and screaming.
We browse some shops through the punctuated screams and squeals, then eventually make our way back up to the third floor viewing area. The premiere was at 6, it's already 6:30, so we call the girls - while the phone rings we actually spot them across the street and wave.
"OMIGOD!!!! WE TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!!"
"What?!"
"No Way!"
"WE DID - OMIGOD!! HE'S SO HOT!!!"
They meet us back up on the third floor and proceed to tell us the tale - Ashton and Demi arrive. He turns to wave at the adoring fans across the street, then suddenly decides to run across the street to high five aforementioned adoring fans while flanked by his security dudes. Noelle, who's all of 5'2", maybe 3", grabs Lynbeth, who's 5'7" and large framed, and shoves them through the throng of people to the front of the barricade.
They touched Ashton Kutcher's hand!
OMIGOD WE TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!!
*this is the chant heard for the rest of the trip*
I can't help but squee for them...
Noelle calls her sweet and adoring boyfriend, who's been calling all trip to say how much he loves and misses her...
"OMIGOD BABE, I TOUCHED ASHTON KUTCHER'S HAND!!! HE IS SO HOT!!!"
"Er, I love you babe..."
Poor guy.
There is squeeing, there is laughter, there is ice cream, there is a trip back to the hotel...
Oh, and there was the little matter of Lynbeth's paper on biomes, which was due upon her return to school. So, in fact, there was Matthew & Lynbeth running off to the Ramada with internet terminals, and then us watching her like a hawk to make sure she wrote her paper while we packed...
Monday - End of the Road
Monday dawns bright and early - we have early admission into the park and I'll be damned if we miss the opportunity to blow through Fantasyland unfettered by throngs of tourists. Everyone's up, dressed, out the door and in the park by 8:05am - 55 minutes until the park opens to the general public.
In rapid succession Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinnochio, Tea Cups, Matterhorn in the space of an hour! That's my Disneyland!
We head off to do the annual pass thing, the girls go off to Indy! I introduce Matthew to the wonders of Dance Dance Revolution...
We can't get a hold of the girls, so we manage another run through Buzz Lightyear. One last trip through Pirates and Matthew buys yet another treasure chest (which, funnily enough, turns out to be one he already owned), and then we're back to DCA.
One harrowing series of plummets in the Tower of Terror, and we bid the Disney property a fond farewell...
In-n-Out Burger, KROQ playing in the car, gassing up at the ARCO, needling Lynbeth to finish that paper, and we were on our way home...
She got an 'A' on her paper by the way...
And that, was our Disney/California Adventure!
"Omigod babe, and he's tall too!! SQUEE!!!"