California Adventure

Oh! What a time Charlotte and I had in Southern California! This trip had been a long-held dream of mine, and we had a splendid week doing Disneyland et al. Be warned, this is yet another long post. It has taken me about 5 days to pull it together.

We arrived in L.A. on Saturday and made our way to my good friend Nancy's house. As Charlotte got more comfortable, my SoCal BFFs worked their way into my little girl's good graces, and soon she was very attached to them. Lauren and Nancy were SOOOOO sweet to Charlotte--they really love her! And trust me, Charlotte adored them right back. I stole an idea from my friend Molly and, when Charlotte was born, christened my college girls "fake aunts," or "faunties." It has stuck--hooray!

Reading with Fauntie Lauren.

 Like a good little East Coast girl, Charlotte fell asleep at an early hour. Once I was confident that she was out for good, we left her in the care of Nancy's husband, Dan, and Nanners, my good friend Lauren, and moi went OUT for DRINKS! At a bar! At a bar that would be totally inappropriate for children! We had such fun catching up.

This was the goofball pic we took to send to our Northern California friend who missed all the fun due to her new(ish) baby.

On Sunday, we brunched and Charlotte covered herself in syrup. We then went to a farmer's market in Montrose and stocked up on fresh fruit for our Disneyland Adventure.

The child lives in The Sticks on an agricultural reserve and comes to L.A. for a petting zoo? Le sigh.

The bunnies were her favorite.

Mommy caffeinated.

We then went to pick up my rental car, at which point Charlotte lost her balloon from the farmer's market. Much wailing took place. When we got back to Nancy's, Dan had THREE pink, princessy balloons waiting for her that he had quickly picked up at a party store, securing himself in Charlotte's heart FOREVER.

Post-nap, Charlotte, Lauren, and I drove down to Anaheim and got settled in the hotel. Charlotte was desperate to swim, so I lazily laid on a lounge chair while Lauren swam with the kiddo. It dawned on me that I was traveling with a friend who doubled as a nanny.

Soooooo ready to swim!

That night, I got a tad sick. We think it was the hard-boiled egg in my salad. It might've been the anxiety of traveling, time zone changes, AND the egg. Dunno. But by Monday morning, I was ready for Disneyland!

We met many princesses--Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Tiana, Cinderella, and Cindrella's fairy godmother for good measure. Charlotte was SO enamored with the princesses and SO shy. This is why I'm in all of the pictures. Lauren and I couldn't peel that girl off of us. At the princess castle, after a long line, we were guided back to meet Ariel and Aurora. Fun, right? We met them, got pictures, and so on. Thinking we were done, I walked a bit ahead of Lauren and Charlotte. As I rounded a corner, Cinderella was just getting into position in her "room." "Oh my goodness, Charlotte," I called back to her. "It's Cinderella!" (We didn't expect her there, but apparently we arrived at a shift change.) Cinderella, bless her ditsy heart, became my hero. Right quick, that princess caught on.

As Charlotte rounded the corner and entered the room, Cinderella put her hand on her heart in surprise. "Oh my goodness, is that Charlotte?" she asked. "I'm so glad to finally meet you!"

Oh, well done, Cinderella. WELL. DONE.

Charlotte, meanwhile, was practically shitting butterflies. I thought she might pass out--her shyness reached record levels. So, Cinderella ever so sweetly got down on her knees, ballgown and all, so she was right at eye-level with Charlotte. "Are you feeling shy?" she gently asked my girl. "It's okay, Charlotte. It's just me. It's just me, Cinderella." She invited Charlotte to touch her glove and gown, and I can't remember if she actually did.

"Oh my goodness, is that Charlotte?!"

"It's just me, Charlotte. It's just me, Cinderella."

The sweetest Cinderella ever. 

We did as many rides as (long) lines allowed. Charlotte's favorite toy at home is this weird spin thing I picked up at a consignment store for 7 bucks. IT WAS THE BEST SEVEN DOLLARS I EVER SPENT, and hours spinning on it prepared Charlotte for her very favorite Disneyland ride: The spinning teacups.

Teacup ride #1.

Teacup ride #2.

Teacup ride #3. Note how Charlotte managed to snag a PINK teacup every single time.

We did other rides, too, and met more princesses and such. The photos below are from all three days at Disney.

Heinrich ride in the world of "A Bug's Life" at California Adventure.

Charlotte riding Dumbo with Lauren.

About to get on Space Mountain. I had totally forgotten what a fast, DARK, jostling, LOUD ride this was. I never would've taken her on it if I had correctly remembered it! I fully expected Charlotte to be in tears at the end. Instead, we rode it again the next day!

Cinderella's fairy godmother.

Tiana.

Belle, aka Mommy's favorite princess.

Snow White, aka my sister-in-law's doppelganger.

"Arrrrrgh!" Lauren and Charlotte making Captain Hook hooks on the pirate ship.

On Tuesday, we did the "magic morning" option, which I referred to as "magic madness," where Disneyland opens an hour early. We did more rides. We also took Charlotte to the Disney Jr. show. Oh my goodness, it was like having Saturday morning TV come to life. Charlotte LOVED it---she sang along to the songs, interacted with the cutesy preschooler crap, got a huge kick of the "snow," bubbles, and other stuff that fell from the ceiling, and danced her heart out. She LOVED it. Poor Lauren sat through the whole thing (I apologized to her in advanced), but she got such a kick out of watching Charlotte watch the show. She is also now an expert on Disney Jr.

Waiting outside the Disney Jr. show.

 And, of course, we saw the parade. (Actually, we saw the parade each night.) Lauren and I hoisted Charlotte up in a makeshift arm (literally "arm") chair so she could see. Ariel, whom Charlotte LOVES, came down the street, high up in her float, waving at her thousands of adoring fans. "Ariel!" Charlotte cried, stunned that her beloved mermaid princess was RIGHT THERE. She waved. Although we were pretty far back, Ariel spotted Charlotte in the crowd, made big eye contact with her, gave her a "hi Charlotte!" wave, and then blew a big, dramatic kiss at my girl.


OH MY GOSH, CHARLOTTE JUST ABOUT DIED. Her euphoria over her special moment with Ariel was possibly my favorite moment of the trip. Lauren and I high-fived. Magic for the 4-year-old? ACHIEVED.

On Tuesday night, Nancy drove down to Anaheim and joined us at the hotel. Post-bath, Charlotte quickly conked out on the bed we were sharing, and Nancy, Lauren, and I chatted on the other bed, looked through old college photos, LAUGHED (and little Charlotte gave nary a stir), and drank red wine out of plastic hotel cups. It was like college, except for the 4-year-old sleeping 8 feet away.

On Wednesday we walked over to California Adventure for breakfast--except Lauren limped. We obtained some fast passes then cruised over to Disneyland. Lauren was getting increasingly pathetic--something had gone terribly wrong with her foot. She swung by the Disneyland's first aid room while Nancy, Charlotte, and I stood in line for (of course) the teacups.

"Uh oh!" Nancy cried, looking at her phone. "It's infected and she has to go to urgent care!" We spun on the cups and then visited Lauren, who was not a happy camper. She decided to power through the day, and the nurse wrote her a pass for a free wheelchair.

Disney first aid. Making magical memories. And does Charlotte look thrilled?

 Charlotte was getting antsy for rides, so I left Nancy to handle getting the wheelchair and took Charlotte to get in line for Space Mountain. After about 15 minutes in a long line, I realized I had left my phone in the stroller. Nancy and Lauren would have no way of finding us, and we'd be in line for a LONG time. So, against Charlotte's wishes, I got her out of line and retrieved my phone.


The Buzz Lightyear ride had a comparatively short line, so we got in that. Then they had to close the ride for some problem. Charlotte was so disappointed. Why did she keep standing in line with no ride to show for it? The past several hours had been a stressful bust--only the teacups had worked out so far. We met up with Nancy and Lauren, who had a wheelchair. Charlotte found Lauren having a "stroller" HILARIOUS, so of course Nancy and I were uber mature and raced each other (or, well, Charlotte and Lauren) through Disneyland.

The big girl stroller.

Best of all, the nurse had seen Charlotte's (patient but noticeable) disappointment in how the day was going. She sweetly wrote out a "no-strings-attached" pass for Peter Pan (which always has a looooooong, slow-moving line) and the storybook canal ride, both of which Charlotte had wanted to re-ride, but the lines had kept us from doing it. So, we walked on to BOTH rides, and the "gatekeepers" must've known something went wrong for that yellow pass to end up in Charlotte's hand, so they treated her like a goddess, referring to her as "princess" (of course). We told her the pass was for being so good and patient during a rocky morning.

With two rides quickly under our belt and Lauren now mobile, the day was back on track! We got pineapple ice cream in Adventure Land, which Charlotte loved, but poor Lauren was getting sick (fever) on top of her foot ailment. She decided to go home and get some antibiotics. We were sorry to see her go, and Charlotte said sadly, "I don't want Lauren's foot to hurt her anymore."

Nancy, Charlotte, and I rode Space Mountain, for which I at least had managed to get fast passes earlier. But it was a hot, hot day, and Charlotte was starting to fade. I had already checked out of the hotel, so we had nowhere for her to nap. I thought she might conk out in the stroller if we strolled long enough, and Nancy had the fabulous idea to cool off and recharge at the beautiful Grand Californian Hotel (a Disney hotel).

This is where we hung out. I LOVED it there.

 Charlotte didn't exactly sleep, but she found some comfy padded rocking chairs in front of some Disney cartoons. She seemed relieved to be in air conditioning and somewhere that she could decompress.

While I got Charlotte pottied and settled, Nancy took off to the bar. Bless her heart, she soon returned with THIS:

We positioned ourselves so we could be in the grown-up area and talk while still keeping an eye on Charlotte. We ordered food and fed Charlotte, and Nancy and I even got a couple of glasses of champagne from a blonde guy who declared us "just so totally awesome" (oh, Southern California, how successfully you fulfill stereotypes). I'm totally Barbie's friend Skipper, not to mention Charlotte was obviously mine, but still, Nancy and I were still a little pleased with ourselves. Not bad for being hot, worn out, and in our Disneyland tourist clothes.

So, suffice to say, when we returned to California Adventure, we were in a happy place. In fact, we noticed we were the only laughing, smiling people among the throngs of overheated, cranky tourists. Charlotte was ready for round two, so we finally cashed in our fast passes for Radiator Springs, the super popular new ride in Cars Land. Apparently, it's amazing, but I wouldn't know, because we didn't ride it. After being SO close to the front of the line, the ride stopped for a problem. We stayed in line for an additional half-hour, but with no sign of the sucker getting fixed, again Charlotte had to get out of a line she had waited patiently in. She was not happy. She wasn't whiny or bratty about it--she was just sadly confused. And that made me bummed.

So, we went back over to Disneyland. Nancy got in position to watch the parade with Charlotte while I marched over to Disney's City Hall. This was the shortest line I stood in all day. A young woman greeted me with a smile and sense of fear. I suspected people had been yelling at her all day.

I would NOT be one of those people.

"I bet people have been complaining to you all day," I said.

She cracked a genuine smile. "That's okay."

I put on my nice face and used my nice voice and explained that my daughter had to stand in two lines for rides that broke down, and we had literally waited all day to use the Radiator Springs fast pass. I left out the Space Mountain line debacle--that one had been my fault. But the park was going to close in 2 hours--we were running out of time! "We love Disneyland, and I'm sure we'll be back," I said. "I just want my daughter's visit to end on a happy note. Can you help me squeeze in a little extra magic for her last 2 hours?" She confirmed that Radiator Springs was still down and advised me not to try again for that ride. That ride simply wasn't going to happen, which I understood. But there were OTHER things she could do, and she did.

Triumphantly, I returned with enough fast passes to squeeze a whole day's worth of rides into 2 hours. I'm telling you: being nice to people gets you what you want--fast.

After the parade, in which Nancy and I shamelessly yelled at and waved to princesses to get them to toss a wave Charlotte's way, I asked my girl, "Are you tired? Or do you want rides?"

"RIDES!" Charlotte yelled.

"Okay, then!" I said. "We've got 2 hours. Ready? GO!"

And the three of us were off! We raced through Disneyland and hit the Thunder Railroad roller coaster, which Charlotte LOVED. We then did Buzz Lightyear, which was now up and running. We did Star Tours, which I think freaked Charlotte out a bit. I think she really thought she was in space, but she enjoyed wearing the 3D glasses. We did yet another round on the teacups and closed out the night with a final ride on Dumbo.

Buzz Lightyear.

Still on Buzz Lightyear.

Rides! And mouse ears.

This photo pretty much says it all.

 The next day, we had a quiet recovery day in L.A. I took Charlotte to my alma mater, Occidental, for the first time and LOVED watching her explore the campus. Sure, I nurture the dream that one or both of my girls will go to Oxy some day, but obviously they'll need to follow their little hearts wherever they lead.

On the Johnson stairs, where Daddy and Mommy flirted shamelessly between classes.

Outside Oxy admissions. Naturally.

Oxy bench, already becoming a SoCal hippie in her bare feet.

The Oxy fountain.

During this week, I had received the upsetting news that a beloved mentor and professor of mine at Oxy had passed away. I'll write about that more some other day---there's just too much to say and I don't have the energy for it at the moment. However, it was strange being on campus with this sad news swirling around and around in my head. I kept having the inclination to grab Charlotte's hand and take her by Prof M's office to show her off, and then I'd remember again.

I always get very nostalgic at Oxy. Very nostalgic.

On Friday, I had my professor's memorial. I borrowed a black dress from Nancy, and Lauren very sweetly babysat Charlotte while I drove to Fillmore, a small agricultural town in Ventura County. The memorial took place in the beautiful old Spanish-style church in which she was married in her hometown. I was struck by how much the air simply felt and smelled like the town (in the San Joaquin Valley) that my mom and aunt grew up in. I mean, it was eerie. Orange groves don't necessarily smell like citrus--they have their own scent, but I just can't explain it.

The memorial was very sad, and the whole thing was upsetting to me. Maybe I'll write about it later, but there was a whole lot going on in my head. I was so grateful to have been in California for the memorial--I definitely needed to attend--but boy, I was emotionally pooped by the time I got back to L.A.

We countered this by going to a fancy pants lunch (during which Charlotte yelled, "I HAVE TO GO POOP!") in a quiet, upscale restaurant. That night, I put Charlotte to bed early, and Nancy, Lauren, and I made one last go of a night out (thanks to Dan staying with Charlotte again!). We hit a trendy bar that was probably too trendy for an old mom-of-two like me, but hey, we had a lot of fun. We then had sushi at a super cool restaurant, which was GLORIOUS. The food was amazing (oh, East Coast, why do you suck at sushi so?), children were nowhere to be seen, and the cocktails were dynamite.

I told Chris we need to move back to Southern California, and he replied, "CALIFORNIA IS A SINKING SHIP. WE WILL NEVER LIVE THERE." Well, then. I guess I'll just keep visiting every year.

On Saturday, we flew home (after a last-minute stop at In-N-Out----best burgers EVER). Charlotte was overjoyed to see Daddy and Lorelei, and Daddy and Lorelei were pretty darn happy to see us.

Home again. These girls REALLY missed each other.

We had a great time, and I looooooved getting to see my girlfriends and having some quality Charlotte time.

There now. That should be enough to get me off the blogging hook for the next couple of weeks.