Say Cheese... Now Smile!

Oh Disneyland, How I love you so.

But dammit, why did you have to raise the prices!?! Even the season passes got hiked!

Nonetheless, I had a grand ole time at the Happiest Place on Earth today. After mass and a DELICIOUS lunch at the newest sushi restaurant in town, it was off to Disneyland to meet up with Mondo and Jean. For a while, we had to wait for Jean to finish a beatdown with the Disney folks who had said she could upgrade her pass for the original price a day BEFORE the price hike. Poor thing, she was gonna get all the sweet ass discounts with that upgrade and I was going to mootch off of her goodies. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

To make up for it, we walked across to California Disney for some "California fun" (whatever that means.) On the water/rafting ride, we sat with a family that had 2 boys that were screaming "TOTALLY AWESOME!! TOTALLY AWESOME!" everytime water splashed into the boat. One son also started saying "WEAK!" after I had said the word on the initial drop. Good thing I said that and not some sort of obscenities.

RED MONKEY! PINK DOLPHIN!

While waiting for our fast pass time for the "California Screamin", Mondo and I.. um.. sorta coaxed Jean into playing one boardwalk game where you had to knock down pins with a baseball. (2 pins - 3 tries - you winner.) Seeing that Jean was the pitcher for the Waffles, I figured this would be CAKE! So with each of us investing a dollar into her game, she got her 3 balls and hit a pin on her very last ball. Of course. Isn't that always the case!? Anyways, with that one hit she was bitten by the bug and was determined to WIN! After several "tries" where she DID hit the pins, I decided to give it a whirl. I threw like a wussy girl and was lucky to tap one pin. Whooo. I stay back, observe and scream "WIN ME A RED MONKEY!" to Jean. Jean gives up and challenges Mondo,who finally gives into the temptation (and maybe frustration of watching so many people try and not be able to do it) and shelled out his $2 to play. What do you know... he wins... and I get a red monkey! THANKS MONDO!

Down to the next booth. It was one of those racing games where you compete against 10 other players and whoever can get the dolphin to the finish line first by rolling a ball into a hole wins. Jean says that this is her game so she sits down at #6. This dolphin's name is Schooner.

Did I mention that one of the large prizes is a PINK DOLPHIN! Serious. Its the cutest thing.

After the usual rules and regulations spheel from Jeff, the Disney game booth regulator THEY WERE OFF. I start screaming "GO SCHOOONEER!" and although Schooner came in very close, it wasn't enough. Disney guy asks the winner which dolphin he wants, to which I reply "PINK DOLPHIN!" Game boy thinks I'm crazy. Jean wants to go again... and sticks with that damn dolphin Schooner. Game guy once again explains the rules, I cheer for the pink dolphin... Schooner, once again fails miserably. ONE MORE TIME! This time, Mondo and I sit in. Unfortunately, the same thing happens: Rules.... I cheer for the pink dolphin prize... and we ALL lose. Dammit.

Defeated, we figure that it's best to walk away with some dignity still in tact, so it was off to the roller coaster where I nearly throw up my pasta while riding on the tail of the train. Afterwards, Jean still has that "I'm gonna kick some dolphin ass" look in her eye, so it was back to the booth where game guy starts screaming "pink dolphin" once he sees me. In fact, I guess I was able to imbed the term in his mind because while explaining the rules he slipped and said "no foreign objects are allowed underneath the pink... er.. the glass."

Jean's dolphin now is #10. Skippy. Binky. Flipper. I dunno. Some cutesy dolphin name. Well, halfway through the race, Mondo and I see that Jean is clearly in the lead and that she had really REALLY good chances of winning. And of course, in tradition of all those stories that show how true perseverance and determination will help you achieve all your dreams... JEAN WINS! Oh sweet glorious day... and what prize does she pick? Oh but of course... THE PINK DOLPHIN! She gives it to me because she has already won the game before on a previous trip to CDA (Aww THANKS JEAN!!) and I run up to the game guy, who has now switched to a new booth during the race and show him my new toy. He laughs and congratulates us... best buddies for life!

Who knew you can still have "stories" about your stuffed animals. :)

Anyways, the kids at the park were absolutely adorable. A little boy next to us kept on "OoOOooOoO-ing" during the fireworks. Another little girl on top of her dad's shoulders was screaming bloody murder Mickey's name during "Fanstasmic!" and started screaming in general when the dragon came out... and yet I was enchanted by it all. I swear, everytime I come out of that park, I am in baby mode. I want to hug and cuddle them as if they're my own. But luckily, reality kicks in and I realize I'm probably better off hugging and cuddling PINK DOLPHIN than a bundle of cutness that's prone to pooping, peeing, and temper tantums when they don't want to leave Disneyland. Well for now that is.