Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Top Ten Reasons I'm Obsessed with Disneyland

We're finishing off our 3 day trip to Disneyland today. We've gone on all our favorite rides, eaten all our favorite snacks, relaxed in the hot tub. We've had a great time. 

I know some of you reading this are thinking to yourselves 'Three days at an amusement park doesn't sound like a vacation. It sounds like torture. It sounds like a 3 day stint in a kid-operated prison camp where they play "It's a Small World" on a loop in an effort to break you. She must have been brainwashed by her children. Poor thing.' But, I assure you, it is a vacation for me. And, it is usually the adults in this family that are planning the next trip as soon as we leave the parking garage. 

Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 reasons I'm a Disneyphile. Not sure if that was a real thing before this second, but I guess it is now...

10. I love people watching, and there is no better people watching in the world than on Main Street, USA. I don't know if they think no one is looking, or if its because there are so many, many humans there they think they blend in. But, whatever the reason, people really let loose in the House of Mouse.  There is some serious comedy going on in Disneyland if you look for it. 

(You might read this next one and think its stupid. You might think its a stretch. Well, that's too bad. This is my list. You can write your own.)

9. The ducks. I love the ducks!  Especially those fuzzy, little babies. It really is amazing that I haven't stolen one yet. I wonder what the punishment is for ducknapping. We feed them, and take pictures with them every time we go to Disneyland. The kids and I are their biggest fans. 

8. It's a killer workout. Yesterday, I walked about 10 miles in the heat carrying a hiking pack, and, for some of those miles, a 50 pound 8-year old. Disneyland sees your "leg day" Instagrams and laughs. Then it calls you a name, turns up the temperature, and throws a toddler on your back for more resistance. 

7. This one makes number 7 even more relevant. The food. Oh my dear Lord. The food. Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, kettle corn, churros, cotton candy, pineapple whips, those Matterhorn cookies, and the rich, creamy coffees that I drink at 10pm for no other reason than because it's Disneyland and I can. I like to eat. I worship food, and Disneyland might just be my holy city. 

6. Family time. No Xboxes. No iTouches. No distractions. Just family time. My husband, kids and me. It's a great way to get the kids to connect. Even if they're bonding over trying to beat us at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters or Toy Story Mania, they're bonding. That's all that matters. 

5. Little girls in princess dresses. 

(I don't need to say anything else on the subject, because if you don't think that is the most precious thing, then your heart is black as coal. You're a lost cause. I can't help you.)

4. a) There will be someone at Disneyland that, in comparison, will make you look like the greatest parent who ever lived. 
(Disclaimer: Sometimes you will be that person who makes everyone around you look like the greatest parent who ever lived. It's the circle of life.)

4. b) There will be some child at Disneyland that, in comparison, will make your kids look extremely well behaved. 
(Disclaimer: Sometimes your child will be the one who makes every kid around them look extremely well behaved. It's the circle of life.)

3. Nostalgia. Don't pretend like you don't know every word to at least one Disney movie. Don't act like you didn't trick-or-treat dressed like Tinkerbell or Peter Pan. If you tell me you never did, I won't believe you, or I will think you were raised by wolves. 

2. I have not given up hope that one day I might actually become a Disney princess.  I think it's the job I was born to do. So, I walk around Disneyland with my head held high on the off chance that maybe Cinderella called in sick that day with no replacement. Then maybe I will be plucked out of the crowds by a Fairy Godmother. Maybe I will be given a makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Then maybe, just maybe, I will get to be in the parade, and hug little princesses, and smile my royal smile the way the universe intended. 

And, the number one reason I am a Disneyphile...
Disneyland made this picture possible. 

No comments:

Post a Comment