Disneyland!

My mom and I met at LAX and I have never been more excited to see her. I have always wanted to go to Disneyland, but since I am working for Disney now, it is the perfect time to go. We stayed at a cute little hotel, the Candy Cane Inn, right down the street from Disneyland. We had 4 full days of vacation time and spent 3 of those days at the Disney parks.

The first day, we went to Disneyland and it was so magical! This year, they are celebrating their 60 anniversary so everything is diamond themed. It was a very special year to visit for our first time. One of my favorite parts of visiting Magic Kingdom here in Orlando, is seeing the huge castle as I walk into the park. At Disneyland, the castle was much smaller and I wasn't expecting that. Even though it wasn't as grand as what I was used to, every inch of that park is filled with history and I loved seeing how some things were still so cute and old. The night time parade, Paint the Night, is one of my favorite Disney parades/shows I have ever seen!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle!!!

Lori is hiding in the poncho in the back! 

Haunted Mansion

My knight in shining armor 

Matterhorn

Day two we spent at California Adventure and got a little sea sick on the Fun Wheel. We loved Cars Land and the Pixar parade! I got my mom on the Tower of Terror again and we ate two delicious meals in the park and I got a churro.

"Not so fun" Wheel

CHURRO!

Cars Land

Piglet drawing class

Yummy sourdough bread!

The next day, we went on a tour of Hollywood and movie star homes. It took forever to actually get to Hollywood from our hotel by bus, but once we did, we got into an open top van and our tour guide drove us all around LA. We saw Orlando Bloom's house, Justin Timberlake, Rhianna, Diane Keaton, Sting, Al Pacino, Michael Jackson, and so many more, of course only from the street. Some houses were covered by trees or gates, but just seeing where they live made them seem like real people and not just celebrities on TV. Many times in the tour, I felt like I was in a movie. Driving through Beverly Hills was so surreal. I had a strong feeling that I needed to check my email and when I did, I found out that I had been accepted to the Pratt Institute for their Art Therapy graduate program! I will never forget that feeling and it was so special that I was with my mom when I found out. I had been working so hard applying to grad schools and to find out in the middle of Beverly Hills was a dream. My hard work was paying off and we could have fun and celebrate during the rest of the week.

Chinese Theater

Smog over LA

We had such a fun trip! I feel so lucky to be able to visit another Disney park and especially since this one was the original! I needed a little break from Florida and the humidity and had the best time in California. Even if I ended up hating Disneyland, I knew I would have a good vacation because I was with my mom.