Disneyland in February

When a person is young and lucky enough to get the chance to go to Disneyland, the experience is as magical as it is exhausting for the adults.

When a person is lucky enough to live in Southern California and get an expenses-paid trip to the dual parks in Anaheim named for the most famous animator in America (even if he wasn't a particularly good animator), that person goes. And wears a T-shirt in February while the Worst Winter in Ages pummels half the nation.

My Auntie Peg: (Eyebrows raised as I saunter in in my tie-dye t-shirt)
Me: "Well, I figured right now is the coldest part of the day..."
Auntie Peg: (Nods with a smile)

I've written before about the Ladies' Trip to Disneyland and our various tagging-alongs. Back in 2011 it was in October and a big to-do. We all wore neon-green shirts. Not getting lost that day, I tell you. Man, that day was hot and crowded, and the half-bottle of gin I drank the night before made all that waiting around easy and palatable. We surprised the guest of honor the evening before at the hotel.

In 2013, it was again in October, but this time we all wore baseball jerseys and had a the surprise near the entrances. No gin, not as crowded, nice surprise.

This year the party was moved back to February for reasons to which I was not privy. Both the Lady of Honor, the elder of the trio of "Ladies" mentioned before, and Corrie (who's birthday was earlier in the week) got to wear the official birthday buttons. This was amusing more for the Lady than it was for Corrie, because the Lady's actual birthday is in September, and she was discombobulated with occasion upon being wished Happy Birthday.

Those folks are very serious about acknowledging those buttons.

This time the surprise was at the hotel where my brother and his wife and her sister, and eventually everyone else besides me and Corrie, were staying. This time we wore tie-dye shirts, created by Lupita, Holly, and Dan. And maybe Carol. And Norman...the details were lost on me.

The shirts are badass.

It was crowded, but not too bad. The weather was nice, but not glorious. But hey, t-shirts in February...who's complaining?

We got to ride a few rides we hadn't done before, two namely in California Adventure, the park that takes up the old parking lot. ("Remember: we're in the Itchy lot.") Here's a picture from being on line for the Cars ride, which represented our--Corrie's and mine--first experience with it:

Earlier in the day we got to ride, for the first time in many years (it always seems broken down), the Indiana Jones ride. Here's my mom and Auntie Bobbi, with Corrie mildly photo-bombing:

Eventually we ate at the fancy Carthay Circle restaurant in California Adventure, and Corrie and 'Pita made sure to pay for some of the meal.

I was talking with my wards about how sometimes "days off" aren't truly "off days" and showed them this picture. I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to see my Jameson-neat. "Is that your brother!?!" "You guys look the same!" were quickly followed by, "Ooh, who's that?"

That's my cousin. He's thirty.

After dinner Corrie and I finally rode the Tower of Terror. I'm not sure why I had avoided it in recent trips. I remember it was closed on multiple occasions...maybe someone wanted to skip it... Now though, it is absolutely on my list of will-ride-if-open.

Tie dye: fantastic. Seeing the fam: fantastic. Skipping the torbutrol wasn't the worst idea after all.

Damn those measles...they kept Norm and Holly and the boys away. Missed you guys. The shirts and bags were fantastic.