Day 2- Anaheim

Day Two- Anaheim 

I woke up bright and early after our first night on holiday...to no kids. It was awesome! You forget how aweome it is to be able to wake up o your own accord (love it!)

The hotel provides breakfast. There were cereals, like 6 different version of the same thing- coloured O's. Heaps of juice and coffee and a whole tray of crossaints and muffins- yum! Most of the other guests were only having a drink but we ate heaps so that we wouldn't have to get lunch.

After seeing how we both felt (still fine surprisingly!) we decided we'd make a spontaneous trip to DIsneyland! We hadn't planned to go because we're only spending a few days in each city and Disneyland demands at least one full day. However seems we were so excited and full of energy we decided 'Why Not?!'

Off we went.

Within 15 minutes Chad was begging to go back.

See, to get to Disneyland you need to take a freeway, which is quite likely a terrifying experience for most first timers. I thought it was kinda fun- it reminded me of a game that Livvy and I used to play on the playstaion where you had to get your little car across the 6 lanes of traffic moving at different speeds. The reality was quite the same...except the one rather important exception that if you crash, your car doesn't magically appear again at the start.

First of all, we missed the turn off. Then while re-routing, Chad went the NZ way down the road. As the road was clear it took us a bit to realise but then suddenly there was a WALL of cars coming TOWARDS us!!! Needless to say we almost peed our pants.
After gettng through that challenge, we were finally on the freeway.

Wow.

6 lanes of cars all movings forwards at about 100kmph. Entranaces and exists making the lanes zig-zag this way and that. We started in the far left, then ended up in the far right on a lane that forced an exit, without even changing lanes! Changing lanes was a challenge because Chad couldn't make himself drive as fast as the other cars (we're going about 60/70kmp and the others much faster) so we'd try go but the other cars would catch up before we did. Cars were zipping past back and forth and all around us, passing us, it was trippy!

When Chad said he felt like he was gonna pass out, we were in real trouble. "I can't do this, I wanna turn around, I can't drive to Disneyland Mealz! I don't like this, I can't do this, I'm terrififed!"
It wasn't til later when we were on safe ground that we admitted we were both thinking 'Holy crap, we are GOING TO DIE!'.

I couldn't take over driving for Chad (under 25 so no insurance for me), and turning around was an impossible solution so we had to get through it.  So I channeled my inner 'J' (my psychologist lady from PMH) and with a steady voice, calmed Chad down through the drive.
"Just breathe, in...and out. Stop saying you can't do it- you ARE doing it. Don't worry about getting the whole way there, just focus on what's here and now. You can do this. Look, you're doing great. Now I'm on the directions so don't you worry, just focus on the road."

We finally arrived at Disneyland and were so pleased to be there we almost kissed the ground.
**Don't worry Debbie, I took a video for you! It was just like we said it would be, but worse lol!**

Disneyland was awesome. 

There were some really cool rides. Space Mountain was a rollar coaster in the dark. There was an amazing star wars 4D thing which nothing I've ever seen can compare to Chad, of coourse, was in heaven. When we exited the ride and found a gift shop devoted entirely to Star Wars crap merchandise, his eyes were lke saucers and I knew we would be there awhile lol.

There were a few more rollar coasters, the Indiana Jones one being the best. We went on 'It's a small world' where we cheered for the lil Maori doll. Also found a few rides that were really crap lol but that's all part of the fun.

To be honest though, my favourite time was not the popular, extravagant rides, but the Magic Tea Cup things:

It's like the ride you always think of as a little girl when you imagine Disneyland, a quintessential disneyland experience. Sitting in those tea cups, I laughed and beamed my head off as we spun round and round and round...

When we had done all the other rides, Chad finally agreed to go on the Carousel with me. I was in heaven. Probably way too excited to be on there lol.
It was so beautiful, each horse stunningly crafted, scenes from Sleeping Beauty painted around the center, mirrors making the lights reflect so it looked like we were surrounded in fairy lights.
Near the end of the ride, I teared up. "Are you crying?" Chad asked, puzzled. "I...just...never thought I'd be part of something so beautiful."

Chad smiled and snapped **this** picture of me.

Later he said he hasn't seen me that happy in a VERY long time. When we got off, we sat down for a bit and he reckons I'll have a 'moment' like this each day, because that's what happens when your dream comes true, when you are doing things you never thought you could do. Yesterdays 'moment' was at the was museum when I posed with a figure of Audrey Hethpburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's. I've never seen the film but it was one of Rachael's favourites.

Rachael...who never got to make **her** overseas trip come true. "We're doing this for a lot of people aren't we?" Chad commented. "Rachael, Learne, our girls..".
 I smiled. We're not just doing this trip for us.

Oh, lunch at Disneyland! We had PIzza...oh my god it was good. The slices are HUGE and they sell them by the slice. AND they even drip and droop just like on the movies!!!

And the shopping!
We brought a ridiculous amount of Disney Princess crap treasures for the girls, my favourite being Jewellery boxes with a princess inside (Tinkerbell and Sleeping Beauty) that spins and plays a song. Ah girly heaven...

When we were done, we headed home again. Chad was still freaking out but so much better. He even got within 10km of the speed limit! It was late when we got home but I wanted to squeeze in a look at the Hollywood sign. The guy at the hotel gave us helpful directions but heaps of the roads were closed so we kept detouring, much to the GPS lady's displeasure.

40 mins later we made it, the top of Griffith Park by the Observatory, with 5 mins to spare before they closed the car park.

...and realised that the sign wasn't lit up!

I could *just* make it out in the dark.

It's really smoggy here in LA at nights, so much so that you can only see about 4 stars. You could taste the smog right at the top where we were too, yuck. Makes me appreciate Christchurch's air that much more!

Now it was really late so we rushed home to check in with the girls.

Debbie was looking VERY tired today- to our surprise it wasn't Charli-Rose who was playing up, but wee Lilabelle! She had been extremely unsettled and inconsolable all day, Debbie saying she was quite ready to give her away. Poor things- it's so hard when Belle gets that upset. And poor wee Belle missing her Mama :-( I reckon that's why she was upset, cuz it was the first full day that she hadn't seen me at all. Breaks my heart!

All in all it was a very jam packed day :-)