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| Roslyn showing her braid to Elsa and Anna |
and this...
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| Olaf |
and this...
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| Ariel |
and this....
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| Minnie Mouse |
and this...
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| Liz's first bite of ice cream |
And this...
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| Liz's first ride |
We went to Disneyland today. We got there when the gates opened at 10:00 am. We left when the gates closed at 8:00 pm. It was 10 hours in total, and it really couldn't have gone any better. Seriously. I was not expecting it to go this well. No melt downs, not tantrums, the lines weren't long, the weather was nice, and we did everything we wanted to do. Roslyn had a blast, and so did Liz. Roslyn was so full of energy and laughter and excitement, and Lizette was all eyes taking everything in and waving at everybody and everything.
I must say, Disneyland with children is something special. Of course, when I was a child I had a blast during my family's two trips to Disney. But when I went as an adult without children my inner scrooge went all bah-humbug at the huge amount of resources needed to make a place like that operate. But going with my own children I found myself being taken in by the magic and joy and wonder of it all. This time I notice the creativity, the friendliness of the staff, and the meticulousness of the details a lot more.
It's nice that the Lilly Endowment places value not only on clergy renewal, but on clergy-family renewal. This was definitely a day for us to simply be as a family and have fun together. We will remember and look back on this day with fondness and lots of memories.
Our only regret as we left was that we failed to get an iconic family photo in front of the Magic Kingdom, or on Main Street, or in front of the floral Mickey Mouse garden at the entry way. I've noticed how the technology of camera phones and selfies really does change the way I take pictures; less thoughtful, more in a rush, and more individual-focused rather than family-focused.
Case in point: Roslyn and I on the Tea Cups...
