Lesson learned from Disneyland

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Disneyland and California Adventure for Fall Break. Here are a few things I learned during our vacation...

* Rarely is any ride ever worth an hour-long wait. The Toy Story Midway Mania ride is the exception.

* Sometimes the look on your daughter's face during the ride is better than the ride itself.

* When the concierge at the Grand Californian Hotel chooses your family as the "Grand Family of the day" and then forgets to tell the people in charge of the 'fireworks from the top floor balcony and dessert bar' party about it, they are trained to cover it up really well. We still got to eat chocolate-covered strawberries and fruit tarts to our hearts content and view the fireworks, even though we were now part of 3-year old Ariana's private birthday party.

* If you sit side-saddle instead of straddling your sea-horse on King Triton's Carousel ride, the workers will push the emergency stop button in the middle of the 2-mph ride and come over and help you straddle the sea horse, even if you are a full-grown man. I doubt he will show his face in the undersea kingdom for quite some time.

*Eight-year-old boys are equipped with amazingly high level of immunities. Josh must have purposely opened and closed every trash can in both parks.

*People are slightly insane to bring one and two year olds to Disneyland. Especially when they have no older kids. The small ones will never remember the trip. What a waste of money. I was comfortable resting on my soap box when all of a sudden I remembered that Dave and I took Eden to Disney World while visiting Dave's parents when she was only 9 months old. I was just about to start in on my humble pie when I also remembered that my father-in-law footed our entire bill at Disney World. Mental equilibrium and judgement was restored.

*Having stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel, we are now destined to spend our well-earned dollars there on every future trip to the area. Staying anywhere else would be like using rough brown paper squares for toilet paper when you know that Charmin Extra Soft is in the stall next door. Fortunately, we know to wait for certain promotional mailers giving us great discounts. In fact, when we checked in, the clerk said, "Wow! You have a really, really great rate!" Made us feel much better.

*When you decide to splurge and use valet parking for your arrival and unloading, remember to go and move your car into the self-park lot, or you will be charged the valet fee every day, even though your car just sat there for 4 days straight.

*It is part of a mother's job to ride the Carousel and other kiddie rides while the Dad takes the older kids on rides like "Tower of Terror" and "Screamin" for the 5th and 6th times. I was perfectly fine with my role.

*Sometimes you make really wise financial decisions. Two years ago I bought a used ipod for $25. I've used it hundreds of times since. Every time I think, "This was a smart use of money!"... And, then, there's Goofy's Kitchen.

*Texting reaches its true potential for parents in Disneyland. I texted Dave more in the three days we were in the parks than I have texted my whole life combined up until that point. It was too loud to actually talk on the phone and a quick note to say where I was, or where we were planning on meeting was just the perfect way to communicate.

*My tolerance for high-speed roller coasters really has gone down with each child I've had.

*Fast Passes are Disneyland's greatest invention.

*Getting into the park one-hour before it opens is worth buying the 5-day pass, even though we were only there 3 days. (We sold the other two days, so it was really worth it!). We went on more rides in the first two hours that day than we had the entire day before.

*After having spent 99 consecutive hours all together, including travel time. We came home tired, but ready to do it all again (in a few years). Perhaps there really is something magical about Disneyland after all!