The game's afoot...

I'm on vacation. Truly I am. We're swimming and relaxing and I'm even doing some scrapbooking and lots of reading. Yes. A perfectly relaxing vacation.  However, I'm still connected to the world because we inhabit a world of super-techiness (is that a word?).  So, I'm sitting today by the pool and I receive a text from my friend, Gene, Pam's husband, with a picture:

"We're at  the opening of Toy Story Mania. It's phenomenal. Hoping to see you.
Where are you?"

Hmm.... unexpected. My friends are at Disneyland and California Adventures and I'M NOT.

So I reply:
"Big Bear. On vacation. For the rest of the week. So sorry we missed you."

Moments later I receive another text, this time from my niece, Helen, with a picture:

"Just got off the new Toy Story ride. No wait - was amazing. Where are you??"

Ummm, here I go again... Helen and Daisy are my tried and true Disneyland buddies. And they are there WITHOUT ME?

"Big Bear. On vacation. For the rest of the week. So sorry we missed you."

This was starting to take on the characteristics of a conspiracy! I'm apparently the last Disney pass holder on the planet to ride on the new Toy Story ride. And no, I'm not jealous. I'm not. I swear...... heck, I'm on vacation! (and having a wonderful time, but that's not important right now) But the plot thickens and it's my own fault because I was the one who started the Scavenger Hunt in the first place, but that's not important right now either...

So now I'm texting with Gene and I'm texting with Helen when Gene suddenly wants to know where the thermometer is. In my original Disneyland Photo Scavenger Hunt there is a thermometer which reads 40 degrees. I took the picture in the doorway of the Coca-Cola Corner - Here's proof:

Gene and Pam are getting frustrated. No Thermometer. So I enlist Helen (after all, she was with me when I took the photos and she's already done this scavenger hunt) to help Gene and Pam find the Thermometer.

"On which side of the park are you? The Thermometer is MIA." 

It's not at the Coke Corner, she says, in fact, she's sure it's at the Carnation Cafe. I finally give Gene, Helen's number and vice versa (trying to extricate myself from the proverbial loop - I'm on vacation here, people!) but the texts kept coming:

"Not there. The Employees have never seen it before. yada yada. and you're delusional."

What?? This hunt wasn't that long ago.... (I start feeling a bit worried and responsible and a bit crazed when I'm supposed to be relaxing - did I mention that I'm. on. vacation! sigh).

Helen and Daisy let me know that they are now on their way to Main Street and the Carnation Cafe. Surely they'll find the bloody Thermometer - how hard can this be???  Okay. I admit it's a pretty difficult hunt - not for the faint of heart.

So now I get poetic: "Your Sacred Quest - FIND THE THERMOMETER."

They play right along with me: "No quest is too dangerous for the unstoppable duo of Daisy & Helen!"

By this time we're getting ready for dinner. The texting has been going on all day. My family is kind of tired of The Impossible Thermometer Quest. Gene and Pam apparently are tired of it too because they are resting and they think I'm lying and they've given up. (sorry, guys!)

Last text from Helen, way into the evening now:
"There is a nail hole, people!"  Mystery solved.

"Our Disneyland Scavenger Hunt has been sullied. The thermometer is gone, baby, gone!"

SIDE NOTE: When I send text messages with my friends we don't use text-slang (ie - CU L8TR which always sounds like bad vanity plates,but that's not important right now), we use punctuation, upper and lower case letters, and capitalize proper nouns. I know!

It cracked me up that they were furiously texting me all day over this Case of the Missing Thermometer and that yes, even though I'm on vacation.... I still got to play along!  And that makes me uber-happy! But I'm sad that my scavenger hunt is spoiled now.

I guess that only means one thing: I need to start working on a new one. (sigh. A creative-Disney-loving mother's work is never done.)

From the (allegedly) vacationing Marta - Peace out. =D

"Elementary, My Dear Watson there was a NAIL HOLE."

The White Picket Fence - Part Deux

If you've ever done any kind of home improvements, you know that it's like knocking down the first in a long line of dominoes. It's the same wedding-invitation-logic that says if you invite so and so, you must invite the next person and so on and so on.

In this case it started with the picket fence. (which I absolutely LOVE, but that's not important right now.)
Which, of course, mandated a trip to the nursery, because the second part of my Vision for My Perfect Home Exterior involved roses.

But, of course you know that I have certain Rules for Buying Roses:

• They must be colorful.
• They must be fragrant.
• They must have cool and meaningful names.

I got a deep yellow one called Gold Medal - because if picket fence building were an Olympic Sport..... =D
And an almost magenta one with a really super-sweet fragrance called Chrysler Imperial - because of my love of classic old stuff.
The white Icebergs are planted all around the perimeter of Mission Viejo (where we live).
And my very favorite (not just because the blooms are orange and pink and has a lovely fragrance, but seriously, how cool is that??) is this one:

The name?
DISNEYLAND!   ;-)

(I crack myself up.)

La Gorda y La Flaca

Because my children are obedient in the best possible way, they don't even try to challenge me anymore when I make them take the "Mickey-face" picture.  I must have hundreds of these, because I insist we take one EVERY TIME. I know. But one day it will be a very cool thing and they will insist their kids do it too, but that's not important right now. =D

Yes, we were at Disneyland this evening. And so was everyone else in Southern California apparently...

But we were there with A Purpose. 
Look who we found among the throng....

Yes, that's my blog friend, the lovely and talented Chantel Acevedo! Of Fiction and musings with a side of yuca fame. (and yes, that's her book over there on the right because she's also one Smart Cuban Author.) 
Shut. Up.

Okay, seriously, this is the first time we've met face-to-face and it's always dicey when you meet someone you've only just known online.  You have an idea of what they will look like and sound like and their mannerisms, etc.  And you worry just a little bit that you may not get along as well in real life.  (you'll have to wait until she posts something to see if our stories match...)

But can I just tell you, Chantel is the sweetest, nicest, most delightful person to be with. We sat and talked and talked and reveled in our Mutual Uber-Disney Dorkdom. And yes, I'll say it, I feel like I've known her my entire life.  If she and Orlando and Penny lived even remotely near us (they don't) we would want them with us as much as possible. 

So I was having a sort of surreal moment when Penny was asleep in her stroller and Chantel and I were sitting at a little table in Tomorrowland talking about our lives and I was thinking to myself, "Wow. I'm sitting here in Tomorrowland with Chantel, and it's soooo Not Weird."

Eric, Amy, Lucy and Jonathan met up with us later and we had such a lovely time together that we were all reluctant to say goodbye. What lovely friends!  

Well... we may just have to consider vacationing in Auburn, Alabama someday.....

Did I mention that I live a charmed life?  =D

In praise of quinceañeras

At Disneyland the other night...

Me: "Hey, that blond lady looks like Cristina."

Them: (eye-rolling, full-body complaining ensues..) "Not again, Mom! Who's Cristina?"

Me: "She's like the Cuban Oprah, but that's not important right now."

Them: "Why is there an elaborate platform in front of the castle tonight?"

"Why are there tv cameras everywhere?"
"Look at all those young brides!"

Me: "Ahem. . .not brides... those are fifteen-year olds, celebrating their dream quinceañera with CRISTINA SARALEGUI here at Disneyland." (the blond lady from earlier - I was RIGHT!!)

Them: "You always know such random stuff."

Me: "I know. It's a gift. . . and a curse." =D

Be careful what you wish for...

SIGH.

My closest, oldest, and dearest friends all live so very far away. And I really wanted to spend time with someone to de-compress from all the frantic let-me-show-you-the-highlights-of-California activity of the past few weeks. (This is a perfect example of my whiny prayer life, but that's not important right now.)

My very favorite stress-escape is to go for a walk in The Park.

The Park, as we like to refer to it, is Disneyland. =D
I think it's a local law that if you live in South Orange County you must have a Disneyland pass.  Seriously. I don't know anyone locally who doesn't. It's just  a natural part of living in this sweet, squeaky-clean, white whole-wheat bread bubble that is The O.C.

So, yesterday I had to drop my car off for maintenance, which meant that:
1) I was already out of the house and on the road.
2) I was heading north on I-5.

I know. It's a total rationalization. But keep reading...

My niece and Park-buddy, Helen, agreed, not only to follow me while I dropped off the car (thanks, Helen!), but that we were already half-way to Anaheim and it would be a shame to waste the trip. (See? I'm not the only one. =D)

On a side note, my very dear friends, Pam and Gene, who live way up in the Central Valley, also love Disneyland. In fact, that's where we always meet them when they visit, and I was still in that my-friends-live-so-far-away-woe-is-me zone. Thank goodness we have cell phones that can send photos and texts, because we've come to rely on that as the very best way to share our lives.

They often send me videos or photos of the time they spend with their sweet granddaughter, CJ, or we exchange photos of what we're having for dinner. And, of course, Gene sends us the daily Train Report. Thanks to the beauty and convenience of electronic communications, I sent Gene a text sharing what I was up to: "It's a Disney day!"

He responded quickly, as usual, asking which land I was in and what we were up to, followed by - "Where are you exactly? Send a picture."

So I did.....

And moments later.....

MY FRIEND!!!

It felt like a surprise party!

So.... I got to spend the afternoon walking in The Park with my BFF.

I LOVE it when the planets align and God intervenes to give me exactly what I hoped for. (in spite of me being such a Whiner-Baby. =D)

The word of the day is "Anticlimax"

We love going to Disneyland.
It's conveniently located just a few miles from us and we conveniently have annual passes so we can go anytime. And we never get tired of it.
It's not just the rides, but we love walking around and seeing things. I love taking my camera because something different and fun will always catch my eye.  Even though it never seems to change, there's always something new to look at and enjoy.
My absolute favorite thing after a day at Disneyland is the fireworks show: Remember . . . Dreams Come True.
We plan our arrival at the park by what time the fireworks will be.
We arrange our day always with the fireworks in mind.
The fireworks is the perfect ending to a Disneyland day.
So here we are having a wonderful day in the park when the weather starts to turn cold and rainy and windy.  We stay. There are fireworks to wait for, after all.
The rain stops and it's still cold, but pretty clear. Let's find a nice spot to watch the fireworks.
Then there is The Announcement:
"We're sorry, but due to inclement weather, the fireworks have been canceled."
That's it???
A silly little announcement and it's just . . . over??
What a let down! How anticlimactic.

Oh well, let's go home and get on with our lives.

All that to say this:
As a Cuban American I've been waiting for the day, for the moment when fidel castro's Rule of Terror will end on my beloved island.
And he just kind of . . . resigns?
That's it???
A silly little announcement and it's just . . . over??
What a let down! How anticlimactic.

Oh well, I suppose maybe Hallmark can do something with this:
Happy Cuban Dictator Resignation Day! (sheesh!)

(H/T Susan)

When life gives you lemons. . . Go to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Completely distracted. Completely. Because I'm in mourning. Or maybe I'm in denial. They say you do crazy things when you're in denial. . .

My PC has died an ugly, bloody death.  Here is his carcass, sitting impotently on my floor.

I did call someone to come and retrieve my documents and memory, but it's still pretty dead.

I don't know why I found that so funny.  I laughed and laughed in a kind of high-pitched maniacal cackle that gave away my frenetic state of mind.  Then I just turned it into a Monty Python sketch in my mind and it became tolerable.

'E's passed on!

This PC is no more!

He has ceased to be!

'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker!

'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace!

If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies!

'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, '

e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!!

THIS IS AN EX-PC!!

What was I to do? I was so unhappy. And it was raining to boot.  It was as if the universe had conspired to ruin my day.  And because the day was already shot, well, heck, let's just call the cousins and make an adventure out of it. 

So we went to Disneyland. (this is flawless logic to a crazed person, but that's not important right now.)  It was pouring rain. And it was the Best Day Ever!  It was not even a little crowded because of that whole rain thing, but hey, I was so over any fear of getting soaked to the skin. Besides, I was in a frenzy of denial over the death of my beloved PC.

So long, beloved PC!  I mourned your passing.  I celebrated your life.  But my life must go on.

I'm heading to the Apple Store now to ease my pain.  (now that's really the Happiest Place on Earth!)  ;-)

What I know

I make them take this same picture with me over and over.

Every single time we go to Disneyland.
And we go a lot.

The beauty is that they do it.
Every time.
For me.

My girls are pretty easy.
They love being on both sides of the camera.

The boys, however, take some coaxing.

I know that the things that I insist on documenting now will be meaningful to them later in life.  But I never say that. They think they are just indulging another of mom's silly whims.

I know that going to the park as much as we do, their Disneyland memories will all kind of blur together. But I also know that they will treasure these times. I know they will joke - "remember how mom always insisted on taking the Mickey face picture?" And I know they will share that sibling "inside joke" moment. 

But they don't know that I know all this.  And I will continue to play dumb. And insist on taking the picture. And I will know that what I'm really doing. . .  is making a memory.

And for that, I don't mind getting a little goofy. =D

1 camera + 2 girls = 3 (hundred!) pictures

I am sort of grounded. (heavy sigh)
My mom is staying with us for a few weeks.

So I couldn't go to Disneyland with Lucy and Amy today. =(

But my camera could.... ;-)

(don't worry. I only uploaded 18 of the 300. =D)

Is it just me? Or are they both just really adorable? =D

No more sombreros for Mami, thanks.

There are two kinds of people in this world:

• Those who look good in hats
• And the rest of us.

I was still massaging my bruised ego from The Trampoline Debacle yesterday.  And I had some other problems with orders and customers that put me in a blue funk.  So, Amy took me to dinner at Disneyland to cheer me up. We watched fireworks and it "snowed" on us - that fake snow, of course. And only for the length of the song, "White Christmas."  But it really was a lovely evening and helped so much to get me back into a cheerful mood.

But she made me wear The Hat.

The-Mickey-Mouse-Ears-Santa-Hat.

She looks terrific in hats. She has been wearing them since the day I brought her home from the hospital.

But I do NOT. No adult Cuban woman should be caught dead wearing this.
Still I was so grateful to her, that I dutifully wore The Hat.

My ego is taking such a beating this week - but Amy looks adorable. =D

(Gracias, Mimi!)