The Happiest Place on Earth

Hello, my friends!

When your oldest daughter surprises you with the gift of three unexpected weeks of her dear presence, you take every advantage of that time that you can….

…and that’s just what we’ve been doing!

We thought, what could be more fun than taking a trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth”…all together as a family…a time to be kids again…even old Mom & Dad…

…so that’s just what we did.

From the turn-of-the-century nostalgia of Main Street…

…to a group of singing pirates near the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride…

…to the hauntingly beautiful southern charm of the Haunted Mansion {my absolute favorite!}…

{these were taken on two different days—such different lighting!}

…the wonderfully magical magic of Sleeping Beauty’s castle {my other absolute favorite!}…

…Oh! The vintage pinks & aquas mixed with that lovely stony gray, silver & gold…dreamy!

Fantasyland….aaaaahhhh…..the most childhood bringer-backer of them all…..

 

…the sweetly retro, slightly wonky futureness of Tomorrowland…

And how could I not mention the sweetest of all…Small World…oh, joy!

…and the gardens…oh, the gardens!

They have a special gift with gardening here…quite spectacular…

  

And with a “park-hopper” ticket, that’s just what you can do…

…California Adventure is just waiting next door with more fun in store…

…ferris wheel & roller coasters…(this Mom just can’t do those any more!)

…whimsical roofs & details everywhere you look…

…old Hollywood is the inspiration here…and I was soooo inspired!

…especially by my quiet, restful wait in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel.  Arts & Crafts style on display in the most beautiful way…absolute bliss for this Craftsman-loving girl!

This was my refuge for an hour or so while the rest of my family rode the “crazy” rides…{my equilibrium just won’t let me do those anymore!}

{my favoritest of all favorite signs here…makes me smile…}

And, oh my goodness!  “The Tower of Terror”…I let them talk me into it.  I did it.  ONCE….

…and it scared me witless!  Don’t think I’ll ever do it again, but I’m actually kind of proud of myself for “surviving” it!

And oh!  Disneyland at night…that’s when the magic really happens!

I was much too much in awe of the amazing fireworks to think of taking any pictures of them…we were all simply entranced…

…and is there anything more magical than a carousel ride at night?  I just don’t think so…………..

The lights, the details, the sights, the sounds…

…the spinning, the giggles, the happy, happy faces…

…all things combined to make you feel like a child again…if only just for a couple of magical days and nights…

And as we left the park on our second and last night, I stopped to take a picture of this spot…a little bit of Disney legend learned while I was there…

On Main Street, just over the Disneyland Fire Department is a single window.  Behind this window was Walt Disney’s apartment—he would stay there occasionally when he was checking on things in the park, and would turn the light on in the window so that his employees would know that he was there that night…

…and on it remains, each and every night…

Quite a legacy left by this man and his partner, the mouse.  A dream began one day as he sat on a bench in a park while his daughters played…there really should be a place where families can come and play together, he thought…

…together…

Thank-you, Walt. We played, we smiled, we laughed…together.

 

But, I still think the “happiest place on earth” is right here, in our very own home, with the family I love…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: family,Disneyland