Merry Christmas!

It's a good thing that today is only the sixth day of Christmas. We're fresh out of geese-a-laying, however, so you get the annual Christmas letter instead. Click on it for a full-size image (or, if you're an out-of-towner who normally gets a letter from us, wait for it in the mail!). You can find the answers in the post below.

Spoiler Alert!

The image below contains the answers to our annual Christmas letter (click on it for a full-size image). If you want to try to complete the letter, see the post above. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Runnin'!

Pretty much every year for my birthday and Christmas I get some cash, and since the two are only a month apart, I customarily hoard the cash until after the holidays so that I can figure out the best way to spend it and not ruin somebody else’s gift plans. This year, after much deliberation, I decided that I was going to invest in some running shoes. I had never, in my life, owned a pair of running shoes; in my mind, this made for a perfect excuse not to run. I was reasonably athletic and owned both court shoes and cleats, so I figured I was good.

Over the last year or two I’ve been inspired by multiple individuals who have done all kinds of cool (or, in my parlance, “crazy”) things as runners. One of them won an ultramarathon while climbing a volcano on Maui. Cool points for winning, cool points for winning on a volcano, crazy points for climbing 10,000 ft. over a 35-mile stretch. Other friends have dropped significant amounts of weight by taking up running. I, on the other hand, was not dropping significant amounts of weight; I was dropping significant amounts of chocolate chip cookies down my gullet. I like to do this. I don’t think that will ever change. Therefore, I needed to come up with a solution that would allow me to continue to feast on cookies and cake (keep in mind that this isn’t just any old cake, either) without becoming a candidate for the Biggest Loser. Given the inspiring feats of my friends, I figured I’d give running a shot.

I eventually bought the shoes and, after a false start with a sore foot, began running when the weather began to be tolerable, around April. When I bought the shoes, I thought maybe I’d take on the Bolder Boulder, but I didn’t really give myself enough time to train for it (I blame the stupid long winter, actually), so that was a non-starter. I ran my first 10K distance on July 2^nd, and two days later ran in our Ward’s 5K fun run. It was, in fact, fun.

After the 4^th of July, I began to think seriously about running a race. I started looking on line for training programs and figured out that I was, serendipitously, on track to train for a half marathon. After finding the two Colorado Half Marathons that don’t happen on Sunday, I determined that I was on pace to compete in the ADT Half Marathon on Labor Day. My parents live in Colorado Springs, so it seemed like a good race to make my first as we could stay the night down there. I did all of the training that Runner’s World online told me to do, though I was never happy with how slow I felt I was doing the long runs. I did enjoy the taper week, when I got to run shorter distances (at faster paces).

Race Day came with a nice crisp morning, but really the weather was perfect for a long, morning run. The most I had run in training was 11 miles, so I really didn’t know how 13.1 was going to pan out. My plan all along was this: I was going to latch on to the designated 2:00 pacer (that is, the guy that committed to pacing racers to run the race in exactly two hours) and see how long I could hang with him. If I was successful in keeping up with him, then I would hope to break away near the end so that I could come in under two hours.

I had absolutely no problem keeping with the pacer (seen in the photo holding the flag). I ran about 20 feet behind him for the first half of the race, then ran right behind him or right next to him from mile 7 to mile 12. We actually conversed for probably three miles, as other runners had gone on ahead or fallen behind. At mile 12, I got excited when I saw the mile marker, looked over to the pacer and realized that I was a few steps ahead of him. This was no doubt the adrenaline, but I figured I’d open it up and see what I could do over the last 1.1 miles. This was, without a doubt, my favorite part of the race. They say you learn something with every race. I learned a ton, but this one point stands out above any other: I really like passing people. Up until that point, all of the training and preparation was basically a competition with myself. While I found my personal improvement and goal setting to be quite satisfying, I must say that there’s a certain je ne sais quoi in smoking someone who’s been running ahead of you. I must have run that last 1.1 miles in about 8 minutes flat, because I beat the pacer by 1:20 and he finished right at a 9:05 pace. That was tremendously satisfying (though it made me wonder how much earlier I could have broken away).

Another point worth mentioning is that my family was hanging out at a park through which the course ran at miles 4.5 and 8.5. This was huge. Seeing them along the way was a big boost--David and Sarah even ran along with me for a minute or two. They were near the finish line waiting for me as well, and David ran with me for another minute or so.

Here’s the most astounding thing about the race: It went exactly according to plan. I envisioned myself keeping with the pacer. I envisioned myself breaking away toward the end. I envisioned myself running the race in 1:58ish. My final time was 1:58:04 (exactly a 9:00 mile pace), and it wasn’t chip-timed, meaning that even though it probably took ten seconds for me to even get to the starting line, that time counted toward my overall time.

The only anticlimactic moment came at the finish line, because I was confused as to where the exact finish line was (in retrospect, I think it was a strip of red tape on the ground)! In the video I raised my arms triumphantly not because I was crossing the finish line at that moment (which, apparently, I was), but because I heard somebody announce my name over the speaker system. Then I saw people stopped ahead of me in the chute and I realized "Oh, I guess I'm done".

My mom and wife were surprised that I didn’t even seem tired after the race. Make no mistake, my legs were sore after the race, but I think I was on such a high from the accomplishment that I didn’t seem drained.

The Saturday after Labor Day, folks from the Parkview Ward held a 5K in which I ran. Even though my legs still were pretty heavy (that lasted about two weeks) from Labor Day, I was thrilled with my time (3 minutes better than I ran the 5K on July 4^th), and I really, really loved passing people. Especially younger people. That’s when I knew I was hooked.

Looking forward, I’d like to run some more races (and pass some more people). I think maybe I’ll do a 10K this fall, then set my sights on smokin’ the Bolder Boulder. After that, who knows? Right now I’m thinking maybe another Half Marathon (Georgetown to Idaho Springs in August?), then maybe doing the ADT again on Labor Day, but this time possibly as a full Marathon. That would involve more training, but I wouldn’t rule it out. At any rate, I’ve got the bug. I’m not going to go insane with it and run ultra marathons or anything along those lines, but for now, I’ll keep on runnin’.

Eyes wide open

Fifteen years ago life changed forever! We had children. I don't remember much about my thoughts on how family life would be--most likely it was very unrealistic as I dreamed of perfect children and a daily picture perfect scene that you would see on the cover of the Ensign. Of course, I have a different view now and my eyes are wide open, sometimes in shock (I didn't know it would be like this! or "what have I gotten myself into") other times I'm trying not to miss any precious moments-because like all experienced parents say: "it goes really fast". In the early years of having children, days were eternally long but the years seemed to be going by pretty quickly. Now I feel like each day goes by very quickly and the years....I feel like it's so fast I'm missing it.

Another school year has begun and I find myself yet again in awe of how quickly time is going. David is now a Sophomore; do I really only have 3 more years left before he heads off on his own exciting adventures? Sarah has begun her first year at middle school enthusiastically jumping with both feet in participating in the Advanced program called "EDGE" and joining track the 2nd day of school with plans to join many clubs after that. Hannah begins 3rd grade a little nervous at not having her "bestest" friends in her class. Then comes out after her first day introducing me to her "new" friend and has a scrap piece of paper with her phone number written on it.

Now after 15 years of having one or more children at home to tend, teach, nurture, entertain my baby begins Kindergarten. I feel that this should not be a shock to the system; after all, he has been in Preschool for the past two years. I keep telling myself that "I should not be surprised," that "I knew this would happen, in fact you have wanted this to happen. What about your endless list of what you can do 'once all the kids are in school.' " Now that list doesn't seem so important.

Before Devin gave the children Father's Blessings he asked Seth if he was worried about anything; Seth said, "...that I will miss you." His simple sweet response broke the dam I had been building to help keep me together while I let my youngest go face the world of Elementary School. Will his teachers understand him the way I do? Will they be patient with him? Will they see how smart he is and will it be enough to help him have confidence for the other challenges he will face? How will the other children react to him? Will he be able to make friends? His social skills are so much better than I ever expected thanks to the early intervention he received at Polton Preschool. I will forever be indebted to the amazing team that worked with him (Ms. Alissa, Ms. Esther, Ms. Leslie, Ms. MaryBeth, Ms. Angel, Ms. Jenny, Ms. Beth....). I wish they could move up with him; but I suppose they must continue to work their magic with other children like Seth.

Seth has been soooo excited to go to Kindergarten at his new school. He had colored a map of the school we printed off: his classroom is blue, the art room is rainbow, music room is red, Science is Pink, the library brown and Hannah's classroom is purple "because that is her favorite color". We've met his teacher, got his backpack with all of his school supplies ready by the door and his favorite shirt washed and ready (a Lego Star Wars shirt). As he is going to bed he tells Devin and me how the morning will go: "1st- scriptures, 2nd-breakfast, 3rd-get dressed, 4th-get my backpack and take a picture, THEN go to school!" He woke up 3 times during the the night before his first day; I don't think its even that bad on Christmas eve. The morning went as he described and he was ready to go 5 min before we needed to leave. His teacher Ms. Thomas puts a "My name is..." sticker on his chest and Seth doesn't even mind; she gives me a tissue and I mind very much as I try to keep things together. It was exciting to see other children lining up including 3 girls from his Church primary class--they all said "Hi!" to Seth and he even said "Hi" back.
He has friends.
Because we were there so early we waited a good 15 minutes before his class was ready to go into the building--an eternity for a 5 year old (and myself). So we played "I spy." Then it was finally time to go. As he walks through the door, he stops...turns around....waves to me and says "Bye Mom! I love you!" The tears begin.

I drive in the car not knowing what radio station to listen to and so it stays off. I run errands and come home to a very quiet house. The quiet I so desired seems so loud and empty now. Where is the joy in the freedom I craved? I'm sure it will come; I will wait with my eyes wide open.

Seth's first day was a hit! He loved it and asked, "Do I get to go to school tomorrow?" I told he would. He pumped his fist and said, "YES!"

Summertime!

What better way to start off the summer than with a summer haircut?

Eye level

I love this picture (not bad for a cell phone camera).

Take Your Child(ren) To Work Day

You can just call me...

We were at the doctor today and the research assistant called Seth "Dude". The ensuing conversation followed:

--I'm not a 'dude'.

--Sorry. Can I call you 'little man'?

--No.

--Well, then what can I call you?

--'Awesome'.

Valentine's Day

Our family made Mail Boxes so that we could give each other valentines throughout the month. It was sweet to get little notes here and there from the kiddos. Although I don't mind the guaranteed date to go out with my sweetheart, I wonder if Valentine's is more of a young person's Day; they really know how to have fun with it:

The girls requested buttermilk, heart shaped pancakes for breakfast (how could I refuse?).


Sarah and Hannah have loved a website that was recommended to us for cute girls hairstyles: cutegirlshairstyles.com That is where we found this adorable hairstyle for the girls; perfect for Valentine's Day and so easy to do! Playing with my girls' hair has gotten a lot more fun!

February

Other than Valentine's Day, February is really kind of a boring month. Not that I'm complaining.

¡Ajuua!

We discovered a new-to-us Mexican Restaurant--Ajuua!!

What we love about it is the refreshingly diverse menu. It's not the same old burrito/chimichanga fare (though they have that, too). This place was born as a Mom n' Pop restaurant, but has grown to four or five stores, while still maintaining the flavor that made them great in the first place. The service was very reminiscent of what you'd find in a family-owned place: less-than-perfect mastery of English but excellent care for the customer. Everyone seemed invested in our enjoyment.

Location: where the old Zio's was in Aurora at Iliff and Abilene.
Salsa: 3 stars--not the least bit of spice, but good flavor for both the red and green. The red salsa was sweet, and the green had strong lime overtones.
Entrée: 4.5 stars--I actually let out an exclamation when I took the first bite. The serving sizes for our dishes, the discada and the alambre, were so big that we could have easily shared. The only thing keeping it from five stars was that the beans and rice tasted like they do in every other Mexican restaurant.
Drinks: 2 stars. The horchata was slightly weak, and the tamarindo was very watery (I think it's the way it was supposed to be, but I'm used to the strong, thick Dominican stuff). I'll likely just stick to water next time.
Dessert menu: Don't know yet. We really wanted to try it (again, not the same old stuff), but were way too full. Lots of fruity options like Strawberry chimigangas and banana enchiladas (or something like that), as well as the stand-by fried ice cream.

We'll be back, to split an entree and dive into that yummy-looking dessert menu. Wanna come with us?

Disneyland is History

We could probably create 20 more posts about Disneyland, but this is it. We'll just have to blog about the happenings at home, I suppose.

One of the cool things about Disneyland is the nods to the park's history. I made mention of this earlier, but here are a few of our photos that help illustrate the point.

Many of the windows on Main Street USA reference the people that helped make Disney and Disneyland what they are today. This is just one example--Don Edgren was one of the original chief engineers who designed Disneyland.

Most of the critters in Splash Mountain (including the geese, birds, gators, buzzards, porcupines, etc.) are not from the movie "Song of the South", but rather from the extinct "America Sings" attraction.

This is one of a couple of tunnels that used to be part of the old "Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland" ride. It can be seen from the walkway between Fantasyland and Frontierland and really does not look out of place in any way. In fact, right across from it sits Big Thunder Mountain, which makes use of the old building façades from Rainbow Ridge.

This is an actual car (bronzed to look like a statue) from the old "Midget Autopia" ride, which closed in 1966 to make way for Small World.

I took this photo in the Winnie the Pooh ride (you have to look up and back to see them). These guys were once part of the Country Bear Jamboree, which occupied the spot on which Pooh now resides.

Thanks to MiceChat and Yesterland.com for all the trivial park info that I would otherwise have never known.

Hidden Mickeys

When we were at Walt Disney World in 2008 we discovered the phenomenon of the Hidden Mickey. Throughout the park, seemingly innocuous patterns and shapes every once in a while manifest themselves in the form of a Mickey Mouse, most often the "three circles" head and ears shape.

We casually found a couple in Orlando (the coolest one we found was in this photo from Spaceship Earth--can you spot it?),

but became consumed with the phenomenon at Disneyland.

I got a "Hidden Mickeys" book for my birthday, and David became the official seeker of the Mickeys at the park (the ubiquitous book is evident in a couple of our bloggg photos from Day 4). Below are a few of our favorites (for which we actually got still photos, at least):

This one was in a wall in ToonTown.

The holly berries form a Holiday Hidden Mickey in Small World.

Not only does the license plate sticker at Autopia have the Mickey,

but this plate features my initials!

Check out the light-colored portion of Duffy's face.

The placement of these three ovals qualifies as a Hidden Mickey.

This one's from the floor in Pinocchio (it's upside-down here).

This is one of a many 'crests' in the Matterhorn Bobsled queue (but the only one with a small black Mickey in the middle).

The crest on this armor has a Mickey, dead-center.

Tough to see, but really cool.

This one's in the pavement out in the plaza between the parks.

This was serendipitous, but undeniably Mickey.

Plug for a Plan

I used to think that going on vacation meant no itinerary, do as you please, relax, sleep, take it easy. While some vacations lend to this kind thought, I have since converted to a "plan" when we go to "THE parks." It all began when a good friend offered to make a plan for our first trip to Disney Land. "Why do we need a plan?" I thought to myself, "We've been to Disney World, and did just fine....didn't we?" It ended up being a wonderful learning experience for myself as I learned the art of navigating an amusement park to make the most of your time (bonus: more bang for your buck too!) I learned new terms and ideas like: slow loaders, peak season, fast pass, count-down to open, short cuts (did you know that the shops that line the Main Street of Disney Land and Disney World are all connected on the inside? If you can't get through on the streets because of a parade or event and you want to get out--go right down the center of the shops and bibbidi-bobbidi-boo: You're out! A short cut. Good luck not getting sucked in by the Disney merchandise.)

Our friend brought over this amazing map to point out how itinerary would work and his reasoning for how things were planned. He even planned in a nap in the middle of the day because we had small children (Hannah was 1 at the time). Being at the park before the park opens was key to the plan: less crowds=short lines. But we couldn't miss out on the night shows which are late (much later than my children were used to staying up)--thus a nap was necessary. However; we found we needed the nap just as much as the children. We went to Disney Land in the middle of July (peak season), followed the itinerary, and didn't stand in a line longer than 15 min. Not an exaggeration. We saw everything and enjoyed the full Disney Land experience in 2 days. I was sold! I didn't feel tied down like I expected. It was more like a Treasure Hunt, following the clues to enjoy the magic to the fullest extent. I compared my experience to the last time I had been at a Disney park wandering around wondering what we should do next, standing in lines for hours at a time thinking this was just the way it was done. Not so; there really is a better way. We enjoyed our time even more because of having a plan. (this sounds like it could make a great analogy for a life plan or even the Plan of Happiness...kinda like how the commandments don't tie us down but help give us our life line so we can FLY like a kite...ahem, re-focusing...) So, needless to say we always make a plan before we go to the Disney Parks (twice since the first time with the plan).

Jenkins family, with itinerary, 2004

Is the plan perfect? Not really. We live and learn, tweak and adjust. There has to be an element of flexibility when it comes to who you are with, the age of children, and unexpected events. Having a plan is a great way to start as long as you don't forget why you are there in the first place--and that is to make memories. If a kiddo wants to "ride again" (even if it is the 3rd time)--then I say, "Lets enjoy the ride!"

Disneyland v. Walt Disney World

I've often heard people claim that Disneyland is WAAAAYYY better than Walt Disney World, and vice versa. My response to that: Hogwash. Balderdash. Humbug. Baloney. You're full of it.

Often, when pressed for more information, you'll find that those making such preposterous claims have grown up in either SoCal or Florida, never actually been to one of the parks, or been once to one park and 838 times to the other.

I'm no expert on the Disney Parks, but having been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World twice each over the last ten years, I'd like to offer my humble opinion on the matter:

They're both awesome.

Having said that, I'm aware that each park has its advantages, which is probably what people are basing their silly opinions on (my opinions, of course, are never silly). As such, I'd like to discuss five things that actually DO make each park better than the other. Here we go.

Five reasons why Walt Disney World is better than Disneyland:

1. The size. Disneyland is a land-locked place with limited space, which hamstrings the park in terms of growth and potential. Walt Disney World has no such restricitions, as the land on which it sits occupies 47 square miles (about twice the size of Manhattan). As such, the park can grow, grow and grow some more. Compared to Disneyland Resort's two parks (and three hotels), Walt Disney World is huge. In addition to the four major theme parks on the property, Walt Disney World also counts two great water parks, a considerably bigger Downtown Disney and 33 hotels and resorts. As such, there's much more to do at Walt Disney World.

2. These five attractions (featured at both parks) are better at Walt Disney World: Cinderella's Castle (come on, there's really no fair comparison--Florida's version is a true landmark); Fantasmic! (rather than jockey for position in the middle of New Orleans Square, this show has its own amphitheater with unobstructed seating for all); Toy Story Midway Mania (while the ride is comparable in both parks, the queue area in Orlando is fantastic--it's like you're a little toy in a giant toy box, and you don't mind being in the line. By comparison, the queue in Anaheim is, well, a line that you stand in); The Tower of Terror (fun in both places, but the Orlando version actually moves your ride vehicle through the hotel and there's more scenery. In Anaheim, there is no movement on the horizontal plane--you go up, you go down); It's Tough to Be a Bug (again, it's all about the pre-show experience here--descending into the Tree of Life for the show is at least as cool as the show itself).

3. The number of exclusive attractions at WDW far outnumbers the exclusives in Anaheim. These five attractions are probably my favorites among the exclusives: Rock N' Roller Coaster, Test Track, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Mickey's Philharmagic. There are plenty more where that came from.

4. The Weather. Florida's weather is consistently warmer than Anaheim's, which most of the year makes for a more pleasant experience.

5. The Shows. This is a product of its size, but Disney World has a lot more shows, each in its own theater, than Disneyland. This spreads the crowds around better and gives you plenty of opportunities to be wowed by the Magic.
---------------------------------
Five reasons why Disneyland is better than Walt Disney World:

1. The size. Yep, you read that right. Disney World is so stinkin' huge that it takes forever to get around. It's not uncommon in Orlando to get up in the morning, wait 20 minutes (at least) for the right bus to come along, then ride said bus for another 20 minutes to the park. If you want to take a nap, add 90 minutes of travel time to get back and forth between the hotel and the park. The wait for the bus at park closing is ridiculous because everyone is waiting, too, and the ride home at night is just prolonged torture. Sure, if you stay in one of the hotels along the monorail then your travel time is lessened (though not a lot) between two of the parks and the hotel, but who has that kind of money? If I'm going on vacation, I don't want to lay down a couple grand just on the place I'll be sleeping.
By comparison, Disneyland is cozy and close. We can stay in an off-site hotel, walk across the street to the park and be at the gate in less than 10 minutes. Once in the parks, the attractions are closer together, too. The closeness makes naps a much more palatable proposition and therefore a much more enjoyable day IN the park, rather than getting there. Leaving the park is just as pleasant a walk as it was the rest of the day, too.

2. These five attractions (featured at both parks) are better at Disneyland: Pirates of the Caribbean (the ride lasts about twice as long and there's so much more to see--the Disneyland version is quite impressive, really); It's a Small World (the outdoor façade is so much more pleasant to look at--it also doubles as a screen for the new projection shows, and they've added something on the order of 40 Disney characters in the ride, which makes it that much more fun to try to take it all in!); Space Mountain (I'm a fan of the side-by-side seating); Tom Sawyer's Island (the addition of the Pirate's Cove is definitely an upgrade); Splash Mountain (I actually think the ride in Orlando is longer, but the Anaheim version has a few dips and surprises that I think make the ride more fun).

3. These five exclusive attractions are out of this world!: Matterhorn Bobsleds, California Screamin', Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular (in the interest of full disclosure, I missed the Nemo show in Orlando with a sick child, but I hear it was also fantastic), and World of Color (Mickey's Fun Wheel might have made the list, but I couldn't get the group to go on it with me).

4. The History. Disneyland has an unparalleled history that is visible throughout the park. I'm sure that the California fans think that the Florida version is just a copy cat park, while the Florida folks think that their park fixed all the mistakes that Disneyland made. The reality, however, is that Disneyland appears to make a (more?) concerted effort to maintain its history in a visible manner. As an example, tunnels and track from the old mine train can still be seen, but they don't look out of place. One can find characters from the old Country Bear Jamboree surreptitiously hidden in the Winnie the Pooh ride, which now occupies the spot of the former. Main Street also has several galleries and attractions which highlight the history. Really, quite neat.

5. The cost. Sure, it probably costs the same for a one-, two- or three-day ticket to each of the parks, but Disneyland is eminently more affordable, especially for us. Two large reasons for this are the fact that, at Disneyland, you can spend three days at the parks and feel sated, while in Orlando three days only scratches the surface--I'd say you need at least seven days to get a full appreciation of the parks (think of all those extra meals and nights in hotels!). I would think leaving Orlando after three days would be very unfulfilling. Additionally, Disneyland has affordable hotels right across the street from the park; good luck with that in Florida. For us, it's also more affordable because it's a reasonable road trip (from Denver, it's about 15 or 16 hours of driving--easily accomplished in a day and a half) to Anaheim, whereas getting to Orlando would either require a week of driving (round trip), or plane tickets, which ain't cheap. In fact, an entire trip to Disneyland costs us only slightly more than just the plane fare to Orlando.

On the whole, I'll say this about these two totally awesome parks. If you've got three days or less, spend them in Anaheim. You won't be disappointed. If you have five days or more, spend them in Orlando (if you have four days, go to the one you haven't been to yet). Both trips make memories to last a lifetime (or at least a few years, until you can make the next trip!).

Pirates of the Caribbean

Disneyland, 2010

Walt Disney World, 2008

Disneyland, 2004

Walt Disney World, ca. 1976

Belay that talk! We wants the keys, not the mutt!

Trip Report, The rest of the story

It rained.

Beginning with the morning we left Anaheim, it rained non-stop Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Day 9, we went to church with Nathan that morning (for another ward Christmas Cantata--at least this time the Bishop shared a brief message), went back to Nathan's for lunch, then the Jenkins loaded up and headed for our friends, the Littons, in Ridgecrest, CA (where the roads were largely flooded). Sadly, we didn't get the camera out the whole time we were there (I think we were enjoying being with them too much). We spent a couple of nights at Sean and Melanie's, played some games, caught up, and just generally did the relaxing that every vacation should have.

Tuesday morning we got up early and headed back toward home. All of that precipitation translated into boatloads of snow in the Colorado mountains, so we decided to take the southern route across I-40 through Arizona and New Mexico. It rained the whole way to Albuquerque.

We grabbed dinner at the Cracker Barrel (a family favorite) in ABQ, stayed the night at another Holiday Inn Express where we swam for about 30 minutes that evening, then hit the hay for the final leg of the journey. We have many, many friends in Albuquerque, but because our stay was so short we didn't see any of them--too bad we couldn't stretch it out another day, but we couldn't. We'll have to schedule a trip down there some time soon.

On Wednesday we got up, had another stellar continental breakfast, then made the final, uneventful leg of the trip home. The rain was intermittent, but not bad. We stopped in Colorado Springs to visit with my parents for a bit and exchanged Christmas presents, as they were on their way out of town to visit my sister in Utah. After that, we spent the final hour in the car and finally were back home in time for a laundry day before Christmas at the Nannies.

What a great vacation. We played hard, relaxed hard, enjoyed the company of friends and family, and made memories that will be with us forever. Perfect.

Trip Report, Day 8

Day 8 was a pretty low-key day. We slept in, had breakfast at the hotel (we love Holiday Inn Express because they have the best continental breakfast), then headed over to Nathan's house. After a couple of mellow hours at Nathan's, we all (including Stacey's parents) piled in the cars and headed out to lunch and a movie. We ate at one of those soup and salad buffets, but we were pressed for time because of the movie, so all-you-can-eat went out the window. Oh, well.
We split up to watch the movies--the big boys went and saw TRON in IMAX 3D,

while the girls and Seth stuck around at the restaurant and tooled around the shopping center,

then they caught Tangled in 3D.
I think the girls probably saw the better movie.

After the movies, we went back to Nathan's and chillaxed for the rest of the evening.

Trip Report, Day 7

I love Downtown Disney. I don't love it because it's hip and trendy (though it is). I don't love it because it has some good eats (but it does). I don't love it because of the Disneyland hotels (what real person can afford to stay there?). I love Downtown Disney because of the mega super souvenir shops (e.g. World of Disney).

Because there is no charge to get into Downtown Disney, we can shop at our leisure and not feel like we're 'missing out' on something. Who wants to buy a Disneyland ticket to spend time in the souvenir shops? Not I, said the Dog.

The morning after our three days of perfection was spent sleeping in (a little), packing up (while Seth worked on his Jedi skillz),

then walking over to Downtown Disney for some leisurely souvenir shopping. Up to this point, Seth and I were the only ones who had already picked up our souvenirs, so the rest of the family was on tap to pick theirs up. The first stop was at World of Disney, where Stacey got herself a foxy little Disneyland hoodie and David picked up a challenging Disneyland Rubik's Cube (alas, no photos).

I should probably mention here that we woke up to rain, rain and more rain. It had not rained on us AT ALL for the four days that we were at Legoland and Disneyland, but now it had finally come, and there was no sign of letting up. We were extremely blessed.

The girls had had their eyes on some special Downtown Disney Build-a-Bears since the evening we arrived in Anaheim (see Trip Report, Day 2), so the next stop was the Build-a-Bear workshop. Sarah picked out a simple but elegant ursus with a special Disney logo on it, while Hannah went for the much more fun bear with multi-colored Classic Mickey spots (we don't have more photos of this because a certain four-year old threw a fit because he couldn't have a second souvenir, and a certain parent chose not to cave in. The consequence left only one parent in the store armed with the video camera, hence few stills).

After we said our final goodbyes to the Disneyland Resort complex, we piled in the minivan and headed north toward Valencia, where Stacey's brother, Nathan, lives. We caught a late lunch at In-N-Out burger (yes, I had a Double Double Animal Style, Cheese Fries and a Neapolitan Shake--thanks for the tip, Erin), then tried to weave our way through Friday afternoon, rainy, holiday weekend traffic in Los Angeles. We failed.

We crossed our way west from I-5 to the 405, which was no better, then crept northward. Finally, after about 3.5 hours of creeping, we pulled off at Santa Monica Boulevard in search of the Los Angeles Temple. We found it! While some temples look smaller in real life than they do in the photos (e.g. San Diego, albeit a gorgeous temple), the Los Angeles temple is actually way bigger and more beautiful in person than the photos are able to depict. The added bonus was that they had their Christmas lights up--very nice.

We spent a little more than an hour at the visitors' center, then piled back into the car (and the traffic) and inched our way north to Valencia. All told, we spent about 4.5 hours in the car to get from South L.A. to North L.A. I was beginning to think that California was a totally awesome place to live because they have Disneyland AND In-N-Out Burger, but the traffic pretty much killed it for me. I love Colorado.

After we (finally!) got checked in at the Magic Mountain Holiday Inn Express, we headed into Valencia and met Nathan for dinner. Good food, good company.

Trip Report, Day 6

Day 6 was our third and final day in Disneyland Park. As always, we were up at the crack of dawn and at the park when it opened. We spent a few minutes on Main Street to get our pictures with Goofy and Mickey,


and I stopped in for a souvenir at the Mad Hatter.


Because of the Space Mountain technical difficulties the previous day, we headed straight for Tomorrowland. As is the beauty of getting to the park early, we walked right on to the ride. Twice.

If you look really hard, you still can't see Seth.

Stacey and Grandma skipped the second ride (actually, Grandma skipped them both) and headed up to get in line to meet the princesses at the Princess Fantasy Faire. We caught up to them and the girls were able to meet Belle, Tiana and Ariel.




While the girls were with the princesses, the boys got a head start on ToonTown and rode Gadget's Go Coaster something on the order of six times. When the girls and grown ups caught up, we went to Mickey's and Minnie's houses (where we met both the mice),




then took a spin on Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin (twice), outside of which we met Pluto.

Once we were done with ToonTown, we took a spin on the Happiest Holiday Cruise that Ever Sailed.


After Small World Holiday, the girls went back to the Princess Fantasy Faire for the Coronation Ceremony with Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White,

and the boys went and rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds again, followed by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (twice).

We met up again at the Golden Horseshoe, where we sat and had lunch (corn dogs, chicken, fish and chips)while being entertained by Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. After lunch, it was time for Pirates of the Caribbean, followed by the Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki Room.




After hearing the birds sing the words and the flowers croon, we grabbed some Dole Whips, then we took turns riding Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (the one ride in Disneyland Park for which Seth is too short) while Seth played at Tarzan's Treehouse.


As we completed Adventureland, we noticed that the park was getting CRAZY busy, so we headed out for a little while and got some dinner at the International House of Pokey Service.

We got back into the park, which by this time was wall-to-wall with people, in time to catch the "Christmas Fantasy" Parade (from the train station platform--not the best vantage point, but we did see everything).





We figured out that the reason for the sudden craziness in the park was this--we were there on the last day before blackouts for Annual Passholders, and the park got inundated mid-afternoon by all the locals who had put off coming to Disneyland for the Christmas fireworks (and the parade, I suppose).

Because we had pretty much done every attraction that we had wanted to by that point and were not interested in 60-minute (or even 30-minute) lines, we dropped into the "Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln". In truth, it was really cool. We loved looking at the displays of the Park's history, and the Mr. Lincoln presentation was extremely well done. We really felt like our experience was enhanced by having done this--we got the "Full Disney", if you will.

After Mr. Lincoln, we headed up and snapped a few photos of the pretty castle, swung by Pixie Hollow to check it out--even though Tinkerbell wasn't there (much to Seth's chagrin--he's got a serious crush)--then over to It's a Small World to check out the AMAZING amount of lights on the façade. They even had a little projection show that took us off guard. The lights and decorations were what we really wanted to see by going in December, and we weren't disappointed!

After seeing Small World, we went and staked our claim around The Hub for a spot to watch the fireworks (we even lucked into four seats on the benches). Since Seth really doesn't do standing around very well, Stacey and David took him to Tomorrowland to check out the Star Wars souvenirs. He came back with his very own green lightsaber that he built himself. His skills are complete.

At long last, the fireworks show began and it was, in fact, spectacular. I'm not a big fireworks guy, but this was a really great show. The fact that the castle is included in the show with some really good music makes it a very enjoyable experience.


After the show, the streets were trashed, but in true Disney style, the cast members were out in full force and the place was spotless within about 10 minutes. Magic.

After the show, we tooled around the park a bit, not wanting to leave, then made our way back down Main Street where we ducked into the Main Street Cinema for a few minutes. After that, we made our way out of the park for the last time (this trip, anyway). Three completely magical and wonderful days were complete, and we were sated. It was absolutely worth it.