The Merriest Place on Earth

I think it is no secret that I love to travel, I also love Christmas, and I happen to LOVE Disneyland. So could there be anything better to roll these things all into one - not to mention to enjoy it all with Cam who I love as well? It was simply magical.

We headed out Monday after work and got to Vegas. We drove the strip since Cam has never experienced Las Vegas, and to behold it at night is something as well. After we cruised the Boulevard, we headed over to Jake and Candice's. They were SO nice to let us crash there for the night. It was fun to see them and get to visit for a while before bed.

We were off early the next morning (surprisingly I didn't sleep much due to my excitement). We made it to LA around 12:00 and had the whole day ahead of us!

We started our venture on Santee Alley, and any of you have experienced that know that Cam deserved Husband of the Year award for going with me. There were deals to be had and I walked away with a few new pair of boots - which I love.

Next we were off to Hollywood. This being Cam's first time in SoCal, I loved hitting all the famed places and experiencing it with him. We walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visited the Kodak and Grauman's Chinese Theater, passed the Roosevelt Hotel, Egyptian Theater, and so on. I just love being places that you see on TV and get to say "Hey, I've been there!"

One of my favorite things about traveling in December is the way most major cities decorate to the nine's for Christmas. There were decorations galore at every turn. I loved it!

One place we had to hit while in the Hollywood Zip Code, was our favorite tattoo shop in which the likes of Kat Von D own. I was too chicken to walk in with Cam, since I was pretty sure I would stick out like a sore thumb and neither one of us had any interest in actually getting a tattoo. So we marveled from outside.

We finished off our day in LA with a drive through Beverly Hills (gawking at all the fabulous houses), driving Rodeo Drive (which was festively decorated), and drove out to Santa Monica (my favorite SoCal location). We walked the pier, but due to the freezing temperatures, we opted to walk the Third Street Promenade and grabbed some New York style pizza. It was the perfect end to the first day!

Day two was by far my favorite day - Cam's re-initiation to Disneyland! He hadn't been since he was 4 and therefore has very little memory of it. I was radiating excitement with the very thought of getting to go with him! We were up and waiting for our shuttle by 7:30 in order to get out tickets and get there for the opening.

Walking in was one of the most magical moments of the whole trip. That is always my favorite part of a DL trip, walking in to Main Street the first time. And add the Christmas décor – it truly was a magical moment.

We hit Splash Mountain first, which is my favorite ride – and now Cam’s. We made our way around the part (which we mostly to ourselves that morning) and got on all the rides on our list. It’s a Small World is always one of my favorites, thanks to my mom, and it is just incredible all decked out for Christmas, honestly there was so much to take in.

We made our way to all the normal spots in the park and I was LOVING sharing it with this guy. He was patient with my enthusiasm for just about everything and was loving the magic almost as much as I was – which is more than I could ask for! Also enjoyed: the Holiday Parade, a trip back to the hotel for a little nap, incredible Holiday Fireworks (set to Christmas music – amazing and REAL snow falling for the finale), and just about everything else DL has to offer.

The next Day was our California Adventure day. This part is not quite up to par with DL, but it is still fun and filled with fun rides. We ran with the masses (much like the running of the bulls) to be one of the first on Toy Story Mania (after we had picked up our World of Color fast passes), fell on the Tower of Terror, soared over California, took a ride through Monstropolis, and took in the Hollywood sights. We also couldn’t resist our nap for the day (as I could feel the onset of something terrible) and a venture to DL to catch some of our favorite rides.

Once back at California Adventure we joined the ranks in waiting for the perfect spot to watch the much talked about World of Color. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I was seriously in awe at the sight I was beholding. Disney never ceases to amaze me!

After all of our playing for the day we were pooped! I was SO tired and dreading a serious cold that was lurking and disturbing my vacation. We headed back to bed to try and catch up on some sleep so we were ready for the next day.

Some of our favorite things at Disneyland were learning all about the history and evolution of Disneyland. It is just so fascinating and they have tons of displays all about it, we loved it! The Innoventions was another favorite filled with technology of the future and exciting new gadgets. We even got a glimpse of what we might look like in 40 years. Anyone thing Cam resembles anyone?

The pictures on rides were another favorite. Some we posed for, others were awesome just to catch us in the action. They all made me laugh – but I am too cheap to fork out money for them.

Our final day at DL was when the rains came. It was stormy and cold and I was nearing my death bed, but that was not going to stop us! We hit up Fantasy Land upon opening and got in 10 rides in the first 45 min. It was perfect! We got in the rest of our favorite rides and made sure we hit up all of the things we wanted to eat one more time (yes, we successfully ate our way around the park and loved it – hand dipped corn dogs? DIVINE!).

By mid afternoon we were done – soaked, sick, cold, and ready to call it a day. We hunkered down in our hotel room, ordered pizza, and just relaxed. It was a perfect end to our Disneyland packed days.

See what I mean about Disneyland knowing how to celebrate? Talk about Christmas!

Saturday was our final day in California, and while I had high hopes to show Cam the rest of my beloved SoCal, the weather had other plans for us. It rained our my favorite Orange County Market, made Newport beach too cold and rainy to even want to walk the boardwalk much, and kept us searching for indoor activities. We did manage to take the Balboa Ferry to Balboa Island and get my much desired Balboa Bar (heaven in your mouth), ate at scrumptious BJ’s, and visited the Newport Temple.

I once again was spent for the day and we headed back to our hotel for the evening. Way to go out with a bang, right?

We made it home after our long drive on Sunday and I was ready to be home after such a long days drive!

The trip was absolutely wonderful! Despite the weather and sickness, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I loved every second I got to be with Cam and his endearing patience with me through my excitement to my sickness. He is just amazing.

Yep, this is how I spent the second half of the trip, awesome.