Just Filling Space

Now we're just filling space.  I'm digging through my pictures, looking for a few that might be of some interest to someone.  Before we do that, though, let's remember to check the weather in Anaheim 2 or 7 times today.

And let's remember that our primary goal on the morning of November 12 is to get up early, get ready early, get to the Toy Story parking lot early, get through the turnstiles early, get a picture by the Mickey flowers and trains station, and make sure we get good pictures of us at rope drop.

This is not Disney related at all.  Well, I guess this technically happened at the Cracker Barrel in St. George, so it's close enough. 

Now, here's a pic from the park:

Here's one of me fishing in the bathroom:

Everybody is so cool at Toy Story:

Brandon clowning mom at Soarin'

The long story continues:

Best Day Ever

The cast member put her hand over her heart. “Cross my heart! No prank. Disney is trying out a new ‘Surprise Magic Day’ event. You just happened to pick the right day to come.”

Trevor stepped forward, arms crossed. “This feels suspicious. No one told us anything about this. How come it’s so secret?”

“Well, it’s a test run,” the cast member said with a wink. “We wanted to see how people would react if they were suddenly given the best Disney day ever. Looks like you’re our lucky guinea pigs!”

Scot looked doubtful. “Come on. There’s no such thing as a ‘best Disney day ever’ without paying for it. How much extra are we going to have to pay for all this?”

“Not a penny more!” the cast member chirped, holding up her hand as if to swear an oath. “In fact, I guarantee you’re going to save money today. No hidden charges, no tricks. Just pure Disney magic.”

Steve shook his head, not buying it. “This sounds like some corporate trap. What’s the catch? Do we have to sit through a timeshare presentation at the Grand Californian or something?”

“Oh no, sir,” the cast member laughed, “we don’t do timeshares. This is a 100% authentic Disney experience.”

Mandy leaned toward Lissa. “She’s way too chipper. I don’t trust it.”

“Agreed,” Lissa whispered back, eyeing the cast member with suspicion.

At this point, the kids were practically vibrating with excitement. “Free churros! Did you hear that?” Kaiden shouted, tugging on his dad’s arm. “I’m going to eat, like, a hundred churros today!”

“That’s a good idea,” Roman said sarcastically. “You’ll be in a sugar coma before lunchtime.”

Julene, still skeptical, stepped up. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been coming to this park for years, and I’ve never seen a day like this. You’re telling me that we just randomly chose the one day when everything’s free and there are no crowds?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you!” The cast member grinned like a cat that had caught a very big mouse. “I mean, look around! No lines, no people—it's like you have the park to yourselves!”

Kevin pulled out his phone and started scrolling. “I don’t know, I’m going to check Twitter. There’s gotta be something about this.”

“You won’t find it,” the cast member said with a knowing smile. “This event isn’t advertised. It’s pure luck. You won the Disney lottery!”

“Disney lottery,” Steve muttered under his breath, clearly still unconvinced. “Next, she’s going to tell us we’re getting free Mickey ears.”

“Funny you should mention that!” the cast member said, reaching into a nearby bin and pulling out a stack of shiny new Mickey ears. “Here you go! Free Mickey ears for everyone!”

That was it. The kids lost their minds. “No way!” Zac yelled, grabbing a pair. “This is the best day ever!”

But the adults weren’t so quick to be won over. Scot, with his skeptical expression, eyed the Mickey ears in his hands. “Okay, now I know something’s up. Free churros is one thing, but free merchandise? This is Disney we’re talking about. They don’t give anything away for free.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, what’s next? Free annual passes?”

The cast member winked. “I wouldn’t push your luck, sir. But I guarantee this day is going to be one for the record books.”

Mandy folded her arms. “This sounds fishy. But I guess we’ll find out once we get inside.”

The cast member flashed another blinding smile. “You certainly will! Welcome to Disney California Adventure, and enjoy your magical day!”