The Happiest Place on Earth

I did it! I pulled off the biggest surprise this family has ever seen. For weeks I had been thinking about going some place special with the kids and my parents. In part to thank my parents for all the hard work they have done on our behalf with the business Eric left behind but also for a little bit of fun. Finding a place that would not continually remind us of Eric was a tall order. Since our family traveled together quite often I realized that I was never going to find that place so I decided to take everyone to Disneyland. I consulted with Goose and Boo and with their approval I started to form a plan.

I called my sister to ask if she wanted to be in on the fun and she said yes with no hesitation. She used her contacts from her hotel days and got us an incredible deal at the Marriott Suites about three miles from Disneyland. She also did a lot of leg work in getting our tickets to Disneyland. All of this planning went on without the kids or my parents finding out. There were some glitches...my parents were not sure about leaving the business for a couple of days. I assured them that all would work out okay and that we needed this break. Oh, I forgot to mention...we also have four birthdays all in a row. Lil Cowboy, Miss M, my niece and my dad all have birthdays one right after another. Just another great reason to celebrate all together.

On the trip down to Anaheim I passed out some envelopes that had Disney gift cards in them. After a few guesses I had them open the envelopes. Lil Cowboy was yippin and hollerin like you can only imagine. Daisy was incredibly excited. My mom, Miss Disney herself, was blown away.

Little did they know there was a bigger surprise waiting at the hotel.

My sister and her family were waiting in the lobby area when we got there. My dad was incredibly surprised. He just could not believe that we pulled this off.

All the girls...oh, and a boy...enjoying an evening dip at the Marriott.

Brown Sugar getting a ride on Miss M's back

Lil' Cowboy was so excited to be able to go swimming.

What a cuddle bug!

So, this is the birthday gang....We also should include my sister whose birthday

falls at the end of the month.

The Happiest place on earth....where dreams come true.

I knew this would be a hard trip for me. Eric and I rarely spent money or time going to amusement parks but the moments we spent at this park were truly wonderful. The family atmosphere and the ability to enjoy the park with all ages was very appealing to us. I will say though that it is the happiest place on earth because we were with our family not because of anything that Disney could conjure up.

This is everyone with the exception of my sister and her husband.

Daisy is so much like her daddy. He loved the teacups and the dizzy feeling you got from spinning as fast as you could. It did not surprise me to watch her gravitate to this ride.

This was Lil' Cowboy's first time to Dland. He was amazed by it all but couldn't understand the whole character thing. He was waiting for Buzz Lightyear to start talking. The difference between reality and fiction is still a concept that alludes Lil' Cowboy.

Oooooh...I love this picture.

Our new family

If you ever have a chance to go to Dland plcase take the time to enjoy the Horseshoe Saloon. They have an act in there called Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. These guys are incredibly talented being able to play the fiddle, bass, mandolin, and wrap it all up with a nice touch of comic relief. This is something that Dland does right....hiring professionals instead of wanna-bes.

Outside of the saloon Goose got wrapped up in an impromtu skit. He did a great job.

As some of the older kids went on some of the older kid rides I decided to take Lil' Cowboy and Brown Sugar over to the Bug's life area of California Adventure. They had a great time running through the water fountains.

They were soaked but boy did they have fun!

Birthday girl...we had a lot of fun together.

My biggest helper right now. At one point I heard the quote from Toy Story "Get your moving buddy". Eric used to say that to us all and then he would look at me and say with a smirk on his face "I got my movin' buddy!" This memory brought tears to my eyes and Boo did the only thing a daughter can do to comfort her mom...she grabbed my arm and leaned

her head on my shoulder.

I don't know how my sister does it but she always seems to get great deals, great service, and great info. She found out from one of the cast members (what the Dland staff are called) that they were going to do a dress rehearsal of a new Pixar parade coming out this summer. She was told that we would not want to miss this. We didn't and it was great. The characters were incredibly close. There was water and bubbles everywhere. For those who visit the park in the middle of the summer....this parade will be a hit.

Eric's favorite character on Finding Nemo. Why? Because this father played with his turtlettes, encouraged them, and was incredibly laid back.

Another favorite picture.

Each child got a $20 gift card to spend on souvenirs. Lil' Cowboy was a bit anxious at first...he wanted to get the perfect item. These are what he chose.

He even got to meet the real mouse.

Brown Sugar surprised us all by enjoying being around the characters. She stood in line, waited her turn, and then proceeded to run into Minnie's arms. This is also the child that rode every ride that she could...even the little rollercoaster ride in Toontown. As she got off the ride she jumped up and down saying "I like it mommy. I like it".

Lil' Cowboy's first ride in the park was the Matterhorn. He was a bit scared of the "monster" but loved the ride. He proceeded to go on Star Tours, Space Mountain (Mom, that's my favorite), Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates, and Splash Mountain (again..."Mom, that's my favorite). I was impressed that this little guy loved roller coasters.

The cousins and Nana.

Come on Lil' Cowboy...use your muscles!

The Davis kids....what a great group. They really pulled together and got along wonderfully. There were many tears along the way. Boo was heartbroken that her daddy was not there with us which made me heartbroken for her. Miss M really struggled on her birthday. All these firsts are not easy.

I could not help but cry through the fireworks display and Soarin over California (a wonderful ride that takes you through California and even past the USS Stennis that Eric was stationed on). There are moments when I just get overwhelmingly lonely. I long for Eric to put his arm around me or hold my hand. I long to share these experiences with him.

He took command of our family in such an easy fashion and we followed. I found myself having to lead our family in this new situation... all new territory for me. And, parenting six children is not an easy task on my own. Brown Sugar takes a lot of time and energy right now so it was a sweet pleasure to have such cooperative kids on this journey.

So, there is the reason that I have been absent from blog world over the last couple of days. Looking back I am thrilled that it all worked out the way it did.

But, lest you think that I had notions of escaping to a happier place and from my sorrow let me put your mind at rest. True happiness is not from passing pleasure that this world offers but rather from an unshakeable faith in Christ alone. My pain is deep but His love is deeper.

~Lazyd