Characters and Alison Wonderland

Hopefully everyone had a good Halloween full of tricks and treats. The daily blog plows along. Here are two really fun pictures. I have never really wanted to get pictures with the characters, but I always like looking at the pics when we do get them. Of course, my favorite character interaction was the infamous story of Jeff's hat and Captain Hook.

Let's talk Alison Wonderland. I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. The short of it is this ride, Alison Wonderland, was the catalyst for me deciding it might be fun to ride bigger, faster rides. Way back, Karen came with us to Disneyland. She wanted to ride the Matterhorn. I told her I didn't want to. I was scared, but acted like the ride just wasn't cool enough for a guy like me. Instead, we jumped on Alison Wonderland. This ride was pretty lame for a young teenager, but there was one little, teeny tiny drop, and when we went on that "drop" it seemed pretty cool.  And hey, where some is good perhaps more is better, right? So we hit Matterhorn and I loved it!  All thanks to Alison!

Long story:

Security Problems

As the families stepped off the shuttle, the strangeness from the morning clung to them like the syrup from breakfast. But nothing could have prepared them for what awaited next.

Instead of the usual smooth walk from the shuttle drop-off to the front gates, a new, second round of security had been set up. Lines snaked through an array of metal detectors, X-ray machines, and Disney cast members in high-vis vests, all sporting very serious faces.

"Uh, since when is Disneyland an airport?" Zac asked, eyeing the extra security with suspicion.

Julene frowned. "This wasn't here yesterday."

"Maybe they caught onto the churro smuggling ring we were going to start," Steve quipped, though he looked a little concerned too.

They joined the line, inching their way forward with all the excitement of people waiting to get their teeth cleaned.

When it was finally Kevin’s turn, the metal detector beeped loudly as soon as he stepped through. A nearby security guard, looking particularly displeased, waved him back through.

"Do you have... a lot of jewelry on?" the guard asked, raising an eyebrow as Kevin began removing what seemed like a never-ending supply of chains, rings, and bracelets from various parts of his body.

"I like to accessorize!" Kevin protested, handing over three more bracelets he’d forgotten about.

The detector beeped again. The guard sighed. “Please check your pockets.”

Kevin patted himself down, pulling out yet another set of rings. "Oh, and these."

The security guard's patience was visibly thinning. "Is that all?"

"I think so?" Kevin looked uncertain, but after one more pass, the machine gave a soft click of approval. Kevin shrugged. "Told you, it's a lifestyle."

Meanwhile, Julene was busy arguing with another security guard about her scissors.

“These are safety scissors,” she insisted, waving the small, blunt-edged pair that looked more suited for kindergarten craft time than anything nefarious.

“Ma’am, we can’t allow any sharp objects into the park,” the guard said firmly.

“They’re not sharp!” Julene protested. “I use these to cut the tags off things, not wage war.”

The guard held firm, and with a dramatic sigh, Julene surrendered her beloved scissors to the confiscation bin. "First plain yogurt, now this? What's next, they ban my hair ties?"

But the real drama was happening just a few feet away, where Brandon was going through his own personal crisis.

As he stepped forward to be checked, a bomb-sniffing dog—large, alert, and very interested—trotted up to him. Brandon’s eyes widened in pure terror.

"Uh... why is that dog coming over here?" he asked, backing up a little too quickly.

The handler gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he's just doing his job."

"Yeah, but I didn’t do anything!" Brandon said, voice getting higher by the second.

The dog, oblivious to Brandon's terror, started sniffing around him with laser focus, circling twice before stopping and giving Brandon's shoes a good sniff.

Brandon, frozen in place, looked like he might faint at any moment. "I don't have any bombs! I barely have snacks!"

The dog finally moved on, satisfied, but Brandon was left shaken. "Can we not do that again, ever?"