Something everyone should know about me right from the start is my love for Disney. All things Disney. Movies, clothing items, music, theme parks, conversation topics, history, little known facts... if it is Disney I am all over it. It all comes from my mother. She installed a passion for something so magical in me when I was just a babe. None of it comes from my father because he can't even remember who is Cinderella or which Disney movie my mom and I made him watch the Sunday before during high school. And trust me, we made him watch them all for Sunday movie night. But he is a gem because he puts up with us and takes us on trips to Disneyland. Bless his heart.

Aren't my parents just the cutest? I was so excited when they asked me to go on a trip to them with Disneyland. Originally they were going to be driving from northern California to New Mexico and planned to stop in Arizona so my dad could see my new home. But then my dad remembered how much my mom and I loved Disneyland and said, "How about you meet us there for a two day trip and then we will come to your house for one day?" Sold. I packed up all the Disney necessities - yes a fanny pack is a necessity, a bare necessity if you will - and we set out for two days of adventure.

Now... throughout the post you will see photos of my dad on the phone. This isn't because my Dad doesn't love family time or because he doesn't love Disney rides. It is because my dad is probably one of the hardest workers I know. As long as I can remember, no matter the family trip, my dad always takes time for phone calls and emails because he somehow talks his boss into letting him work while on vacation so he doesn't have to actually take vacation time. Brilliant right? Oh... except he is usually his own boss so that might contribute to it too. At least now there are cell phones! When we were younger my dad would often disappear to be on pay phones and miss the rides all together. At least now he can text or say, "I am about to step on a ride! I will call you right back." It is a fair trade to let him work on vacation, because it still means we get to vacation. Oh... he also makes excellent funny faces. And you wonder where I got it from?

I have an undying desire to go to Club 33 at Disneyland. Am I the only one? I made my parents stop and take a detour after pirates so I could snag this photo. Did you know that sometimes the waitlist to get into Club 33 is FOURTEEN years long? What the what!? Also... it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to get on the list. A girl can dream though, right? It is all about that Disneyland status!

Okay... let's talk about Cars Land. OH MY YES. Two thumbs up. Perfect 10. Superior. Excellent. Home run. All the good things you can think of - that is the score that Cars Land gets. It looks exactly like the movie. Right down to the stoplight that is a little slower every third blink. It was so fun at daytime, but at night? Sheer perfection. I was in awe and in love with the whole thing. And apparently so is everyone else because the most popular ride, Radiator Springs Racers always had a multiple hour wait in the regular line and in the single rider line. My advice to you? Get a fast pass FIRST thing in the morning because those usually sell out by noon as well. Crazy, right?

Well my dad was taking a quick call, my mom and I were standing on a corner chatting and all the sudden an impromptu Disney dance party started happening. And as you might have noticed on my Instagram account, I will take ANY chance to dance. And I was so happy that my darling mom decided to join in on the fun. Oh, and perfect timing - here comes dad to catch the part on film. Because lets face it... girls just wanna have fun! Either that or my mom was so embarrassed of my dance moves. Either way, I will take it!

The night ended with World of Color. I had seen it before, but my parents hadn't so I was so excited to go to it with them. It really is an awesome show, and it was different than the last time I went to it. Disney, always changing it up for more excitement. Day one was all about getting in all the rides we could, packing a bag of food so we could keep going without breaking, and getting completely drenched on Splash Mountain - never let three full size adults sit in the front of your log - to the point that we had to go wring out our shorts... going home to change after that and watch USA in the World Cup was the only break we took. But you can tune in next week - that's right, keeping it spread out - to hear about our more relaxed day two! What is your favorite ride at Disneyland? Do you take time to watch the shows or do you use that as an advantage for shorter lines?