Last week, Logan and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary, cue the confetti and ice cream!! When we first got married, a big group of our married friends decided we should all go on a trip together! We talked cruises, beaches, and more… but NOTHING ever happened. There were so many schedules we were trying to put together and when a couple of us could, the rest couldn’t. We all wanted to do it, but we couldn’t take the time to really make it happen, until this year! Since that time, friends have moved away, had babies, and none of us really live in the same place anymore. In December, a group of us were together and we were talking over places we could go and how to make it work. We realized our time of opportunity was going to be in February or March and we got to planning! During the planning, we were sad that one couple was going to have to miss the trip, but we’ll catch them on the next friends trip! Cruises were ruled out because it would take us away for too long, then Magic Mountain Six Flags came up. But a few of use get motion sickness… cough, cough, Logan.. not to name any names 😉 We knew that it wouldn’t be very fun for Logan and that’s when Disneyland came up! Logan and Kenon had been there a few times, Marissa had never been, and I went once when I was 9 and really didn’t like it. Logan and I have always talked about going back before we have kids for me to experience the Disney magic one more time for me to really feel the magic. He was SO right..

We left late on Saturday night, in Kenon’s parents mini van. This the way to travel!! 4 adults in one mini van with LOTS of snacks and space to sleep! It was perfect!! The boys drove through the night while we slept, aren’t they so kind?! We checked into our Airbnb on Sunday at 2 after spending some time sleeping in the van in a parking lot. You gotta go what you gotta do sometimes! This was our first experience using Airbnb and it could not have gone better! We had a whole apartment to ourselves with 2 bedrooms, living room, full kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen allowed us to make our own breakfasts and dinners before and after Disneyland each day. Plus, each day we used Über to get to and from the park and it worked out so we never paid a dime for our rides there! It was perfect!!

Disneyland happened on Monday and from the moment that we got there, 2 hours early by accident… I could feel the magic. It was this giddy excitement that I could hardly contain. As you walk into Disneyland, there is this tunnel you walk through and there is a sign that says “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” And right there, it really felt like we left the “real world” and we were somewhere else all day. As we walked in and went straight to the castle to get pictures in front of it, the marching band came and started our day in the park off perfectly!! Seriously, a marching band, in front of a castle.. it was too good! From there, we went from ride to ride to ride! Our longest wait all day was 10 minutes in the corn dog line and 20 minutes to meet Mickey Mouse! We really loved playing at Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland! It’s a Buzz Lightyear game! While you are moving through it, you try to hit targets. Kenon and Marissa creamed us every time!! While we were waiting for the boys to go get Fast Pass tickets for Splash Mountain, we got 2 Fast Passes for Indiana Jones. This was Marissa’s first time on that ride and it was hilarious!! We laughed and screamed and laughed so more during that one! The first time I went to Disneyland, Splash Mountain was closed and that made me so sad! But this time, I sat in the front seat and I got soaked! P.S. Never wear a cream or white shirt when going on that ride… Thank heavens Marissa found a hand dryer in a bathroom and she dried my shirt while I hid in the bathroom stall!! As night came upon Disneyland, lights turned on and people lined the street to watch the light parade. Character after character came by, but it really got me when my favorite princess came by… Rapunzel!! Once the parade ended, we pushed our way up as close as we could to the castle to watch the firework show. During the fireworks, the lantern song came on from Tangled and the lantern scene was playing on the castle. My Tangled obsessed heart was ready to burst! And if I wasn’t already sold on Disneyland, the tears in my eyes by the end of the fireworks proved it. It really is a magical place!!

Tuesday was our actual anniversary and we headed into California Adventure wearing our AWESOME Star Wars shirts! We had heard how amazing Cars Land was, but I was not prepared for just how much I loved it!! The way they have made everything there, made me never want to leave! We quickly realized that to ride the Radiator Springs ride, we needed Fast Passes because the wait line was 45-65+ all day! We got our passes in the morning and had to come back at 5:00 to use them. Marissa and I just have this charm or something, because again, we got 2 extra tickets and we got to go in earlier in the day! That ride was AWESOME!! I grew up loving rollercoasters and thrill rides. California Adventure has 2 rides that fulfilled that thrill need for me! The Tower of Terror and California Screamin. The wait for California Screamin was short!! We did that one a few times, but Tower of Terror was easily my favorite! That drop is just too good!! There was one ride that we had to really wait in line for and it was worth every minute of waiting. Media Mania is like Astro Blasters, again it is themed with Toy Story, and you are shooting at targets. Logan and I couldn’t stop yelling at the end as we tried to shoot faster. If you are planning a trip there, make sure to hit that one! Instead of a fireworks show, there is a light show on the water here. For the most part, we took California Adventure easier and slower than Disneyland, but by the end of that day, our legs were DYING. I could hardly stand and we left the water light show a little early because I couldn’t stand for another second!

After two long days of walking non-stop, we headed to Huntington beach to sit and soak in the sunshine and play a little Spikeball on the beach. We collected shells, read books, and ended the evening with sunset pictures of course! What else would you expect on a trip with me?!

Truthfully, I have never missed a trip as much as I miss this one. Thinking about it now makes me want to pack the car, pick up Kenon and Marissa and go back down there! We are SO glad that we took the time to make this trip happen, because these two are moving to the east coast this summer and we are going to miss them like crazy! Plus, Marissa cuts my hair and she’s the bomb at it- what will I do when she’s gone?! Until the next friend trip…

Some iPhone shots! #mandltakedisney

Minnie’s houseI couldn’t take these seriously! Cruella was my favorite character to meet because she was hilarious!Seriously, could Disneyland look more perfect?!California Adventure!Logan spotted these shirts at the Disney gift shop on Monday and we knew we had to have them! It was too perfect for our anniversary!I’m a little obsessed with the color of this gas pump at Flo’s!Marissa and I are in the front seat of the purple car! Logan didn’t want to ride in case it made him sick- so I slid from side to side and laughed the whole time!I LOVE this one!