Disney Diary, Day 6

For our final day at Disney (and in Anaheim for that matter) we planned for half a day at Disneyland and half a day at the BEACH!!

We started out in the Happiest Place on Earth. We planned on hitting Indiana Jones (Nick's favorite), Pirates of the Caribbean (Becca's Favorite), Splash Mountain (everyone but MY favorite) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the only ride we hadn't been on yet.

What we didn't realize is that on Friday, they don't open until 9am. We got there about 8:45. They let everyone in but wouldn't let them past Main Street (where you could shop & spend money) Luckily, we found a seat in the shade & just waited outside Adventureland. While waiting, someone official came by telling everyone that the Pirates Ride was closed down for a bit. Uhoh. Becca was a little disappointed but, she had ridden in 2-3 time already so, she was ok.

When the park opened, we got Fast Passes for Indiana Jones, went to Splash Mountain (no line) and then came back by way of Pirates. It was open & we got right in! We went back to Indiana Jones and IT was closed. What's that about??? They said to come back later & they would honor our Fast Passes. Yea! We rode the Big Thunder Mountain and Nick, who had HATED it 3 years ago now LOVED it!!! We got Fast Passes to do it again. We went back to IJ ride and it was open. Unfortunately, even w/the Fast Passes, we had to wait 30 minutes! Oh well. Got that one done, went back to BTMR & got that done.

Scott, who had the day off went back to the hotel 'cause he was waiting for a phone call from his boss. The kids & I did our final shopping. I NEEDED Christmas ornaments. The last time we were at Disney, I saw the coolest Mickey Shaped ornaments in jewel tones but didn't buy them. Our last day, Becca got sick & we had to leave w/o me getting the ornaments. I was sad for the rest of the year knowing I had not gotten ornaments to commemorate my trip. I tried to get them on eBay and tried to have a friend pick them up for me but she couldn't find them. :( This time, I was going to buy them!! Of course, they didn't have the same ones. I got a set of smaller ones in an old fashioned style. The problem was, how to get them home w/o breaking them. The shop wrapped them in a cool cushioning paper and I determined they would go in my carry-on.

Back to the hotel & lunch. Still no call from Scott's boss so we pack the beach stuff up & head for Newport Beach. there was alot of traffic on the highway & Scott had asked me to drive, in case his boss called. So I finally achieved my goal of driving in CA traffic. Just what I wanted to make my life complete.

The beach was nice. We found a place to park our stuff & headed to the surf. These were some STRONG waves. More than once, I was treated to a nice sand blasting of my thighs & buttocks. We couldn't convince the kids to go deeper into the water where the waves wouldn't have been so strong but, they still had a blast. Becca found shells which made her happy. Nick loved playing in the sand. He wanted us to bury him in it.

I'm from the midwest. We don't have beaches like this "back home". The only time we get waves is the wake from passing boats. Or, in Alton, barges. Yawn. Waves THRILL ME!!! I could sit & watch it for HOURS. So, I give you waves:

I LOVE my new waterproof case & I LOVE that I discovered the "continuous" picture feature on this camera. These pics are sequential of my family getting slammed. The butt up in the air is Nick. He was not as brave as Scott & Becca. The pics that dh took of ME in my swimsuit are NOT available!!!!!!!

After we had all the fun we could manage, we went to shower off. Well, there were only 3 showers & one of them was waist high. There were tons of people waiting & apparently, boogie boards take priority over sand midwesterns. So, we didn't get to shower well. We'd all brought clothes to change into but the bathrooms were GROSS. Scott & Nick changed in the back of the van but neither Becca nor I felt brave enough to try to put on a bra in a tiny enclosed space. So we drove back to the hotel (about 90 minutes in traffic & we had to stop for gas!) and showered & changed. I had sand in places I didn't know I had places!!! There was such a pile of sand on the b/r floor after I took my suit off. And the sand in the shower. Oh MY!!! I hope they didn't have to call a plumber after we checked out!!!

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to start packing for Legoland & Carsbad CA the next day.