Disneyland 2012 Final Tally

Here's our visit to Disneyland, in a nutshell:

Attractions Ridden-
Disneyland
Tarzan's Treehouse--1
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters--1
Sailing Ship Columbia--1
Splash Mountain--1
Star Tours--3
Haunted Mansion--2
Peter Pan--1
Indiana Jones--2
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride--2
King Arthur's Carousel--2
Mad Tea Party--1
Gadget's Go Coaster--1
Small World--1
Pirates of the Caribbean--at least 10, lost count
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--9
Tarzan's Treehouse--1
Disneyland Railroad--2

California Adventure
Golden Zephyr--1
Soarin' Over California--2
Ariel's Undersea Adventure--1
King Triton's Carousel--2
Monster's Inc To the Rescue--2
Flick's Fliers--1
Mickey's Fun Wheel--1

Shows--
World of Color
Fantasmic
It's Tough to Be A Bug
Tiki Room

Character Meals
Breakfast in the park with Minnie and Friends (awesome!)

Rides that broke down while riding them--3
Haunted Mansion--both times
Small World--for 30 minutes!!!
Indiana Jones--1 time

Our favorite rides--

Laura--Pirates of the Caribbean, Soarin' Over California, Indiana Jones
Kristin--Pirates of Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Mom--Soarin' Over California, Haunted Mansion, Star Tours

Least Favorites--
Kristin and I both agreed that Small World was our least favorite this year
Mom--Indiana Jones (a little too wild for her, but I warned her!)

All in all it was a great visit. We rode everything we wanted except Space Mountain. Every time we'd start to get a fastpass for it, we'd get sidetracked by something else. Kristin was ok with not riding it though, and so was I. I love roller coasters, but I do remember feeling very claustrophobic on it and having very little leg room. I have to say, by the last day, I was ready to leave Disneyland. It was just a little too much for me. I was tired of the people, my family, and yes, even Mickey Mouse. And we never found Jack Sparrow. We were blessed with amazing weather--in the 60's and no humidity. I love Southern California and would've been more than happy to just stay there. Oh well...maybe someday....


Here are the links to our photos:

Photopass pics, clickhere

Day 1 pics, click here

Day 2 pics, click here

Day 3 pics, click here

Day 4 pics, click here

Two Years Ago...

Two years ago, March 4, 2010 mine and Kristin's lives changed forever. It's been two years since Chris left us and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. He'd been sick, gone to the doctor and seemed to be getting better. I went to fill his prescription, came home and he told me to call 911. K went to stay with Shawn, we went to the hospital, and needless to say, things went downhill from there. Shawn and Brenda came to the hospital, then it seemed that almost immediately I was surrounded by my Sunshine family...I even remember thinking, "When did they get here?" Makes me smile now to think about it. I literally felt like I was surrounded by love. Then Pastor Chad came, followed quickly by Pastor Tad and Kameron. It was then that I realized how lucky I was to have the friends I have. Calls, texts, and emails poured in. Shawn took me and K to her house for the night, then helped me get my house cleaned up for arriving family. Families brought food. Friends helped and took care of us. It was amazing.

Two years later....Kristin is 9 and is almost finished with third grade. She is doing amazingly well, considering all that she's been through. We help each other on the rough days and laugh together on the good days. And there is a lot of laughter these days! We are about to visit Disneyland with my Mom again....another adventure, that's for sure!

We still visit Eureka Springs every couple of months. People ask all the time why we visit. I've just always said it's just a good place to get away. Then tonight I realized, Chris, Kristin and I loved going there. It was a good, close place for a fun, family get away. While Kristin and I are there, we remember being there with Chris and treasure those memories. But we make new memories as well. Kristin and I have never been back to the cottage we stayed at with Chris (I'm sure they wondered what happened to us!). And I'm not sure if we ever will be ready to go back. At least not yet. Until then, we'll be at the Land O Nod. Chris wanted to go there, but never got the chance. So now, we go for him!

Through all of this, I've learned just how blessed we are. We have friends and family who will always be there for us. We have a church family that we are fortunate to be a part of.

Life IS good...treasure every moment of it!