"Biggest storm to hit Southern California in a long time. "
"This will end the drought. "
These were the things I heard on the news the morning of the 16th. To a layman... these words meant a horrible trip to Disneyland. For me, this meant the best trip ever. I know, that the rain will scare away locals from the park. The only people that would stay were people who had vested money into a vacation.
My parents and brother hadn't been to Disneyland in over 7 years. They last went with me, my ex (i'll call him Gayken) and Scout... who was 2 1/2 at the time. Needless to say, there were a lot of changes that happened since they had visited. Scout and I had a lot of land to cover in less than 10 hours. A lot of the wait times for rides were 10 minutes or less. The coveted rides, Indiana Jones, Toy Story Mania and Peter Pan's Flight creeped up to the 20 minute mark. All in all... this was an ideal situation.
Torrential downpours drowned the park at about 2:00PM. People took shelter in stores and covered queues and restaurants. I, on the other hand, strolled around as if it were a bright sunny day. I love the rain. I love the rain at Disneyland even more. The one thing about me.. is that I'm not delicate. I don't run from raindrops, cry if I step in a puddle or if my hair gets wet. I just enjoy it for what it is. That is, until my father decided to throw a hissy fit on the way to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in California Adventure. I had to go in to Sarge mode.
My background with Scout is this: I've trained her to know every inch of the Disneyland resort. At least, both parks. She can run off for Fastpasses while I go in the other direction and wait in line for an attraction or a meal for the both of us. She knows where most of the bathrooms are and knows where to go and whom to talk to if she gets lost or hurt. She is my little Disney soldier.
My dad's hissy fit consisted of him complaining about the rain, not wanting to walk anymore and pouting. It was horrible. I told Scout to take him into the Off the Page store as a quick shelter and a swift backdoor entrance to the Animation Station. I figured the combination of seats, large screens and passive Cast Members would help my dad to calm down a little. If anything, the carpeted floor would give my dad the opportunity to throw a fit in a dry place.
I was going to visit a friend, Eric, who worked at the Emporium (for about an hour) to catch a break from being around the parents. Scout was ready to take over with a last minute itinerary that would keep them out of the rain for as long as possible and in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot until I got back in about an hour. My parents were confused to why Scout was left in charge. *sigh* It's not as if my parents and brother knew where to go anyway!
Eric was slated to finish his shift around 2:00 PM. I was able to hang out with him for a bit before he left to hang out with his other. It's a shame he had to leave. I heart Eric. He's dapper, funny and adorable. It would have been great to have a friend to share the park with for just a little bit. He wrote a new birthday button for my dad (which was absolutely darling) and we just chatted. Eric was mortified that I had wet shoes/socks and pant bottoms. He insisted that I take some extra absorbent towels to dry my lower limbs.
I had to make my way back to California Adventure when Eric went away. It sucked. It did, though, stop raining and my family was hanging out at the Tower of Terror. I was able to ride with my brother and Scout. We did the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkey thing for the picture and some bitch threw her hands up in front of me. My brother and Scout were in the picture. I was blocked by referee touchdown hands. *sigh*
A couple of great things though:
We rode Toy Story Mania and I rocked it. Once wtih my mom (because she hasn't ridden it before) and with some random stranger fella.
Push talked to me! The garbage can talked to me! :D Scout and I were happy campers.
My family left the park at 7:00 PM and drove straight to this place. It was delicious. It's the best Indonesian food I've had outside of Indonesia. Everything they put in front of us, our family devoured. Even Scout was wolfing things down. One of the best things: the Sate Ayam. Plainly speaking... Chicken Skewers. They were so authentic, that I wanted to peek in the back and see if there was a little man who was fanning the flames with a bamboo fan. It's the way I remember it being made when I was visiting relatives. It was lovely. We went back to the hotel full and happy.
I'd rather not write about the day we left (Feb 17th). I'm a little bitter about having the be the Human GPS and drive everyone around Los Angeles to show them the sights. My crowning site was supposed to be a stop at the Grove. I love walking around there. Scout wanted to show my parents the American Girl store and I wanted to make my stop at the Barnes and Noble. I knew my parents would really like the fountain area. Alas... my brother was an asshole and we ended up just passing by. This, from a person who has never been there. Has no idea what IS there and passed judgement of how swanky it looked. My parents passed the same judgement on me. They figured since I go there, I must spend money I don't have to impress people that I don't know. They really don't know me at all. I go there to read and spend time with the kid in the bookstore.
*shrug*
There was snow in the Grapevine when we drove through. It was like a winter wonderland, but a little scary at the same time. Pictures will be posted soon!
I look forward to taking Lizzie, Nick and Taylor to Los Angeles for the places that are fun. I know, at the minimum, that they would appreciate the effort I've put forth in making a fun trip. My parents only appreciated my human map skills and not having to drive.
More happy news soon!
You know you love me,
xoxo
Emma
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