Once upon a time, an Almost Famous Mommy and a Not-So Famous Daddy wanted to have a special night with their girls before school began. Mommy thought it would be a good idea to take the girls to Disneyland in the afternoon. This way they could beat the heat, ride a few rides and watch the fireworks. "Great idea!" said Daddy, who put the girls down for a 3 hour nap so they could stay up late enough to enjoy the fun. Then, Mommy and Daddy had the great idea to make this trip an adventure and keep the location of the trip a surprise! So, the Famous Family made the 65 mile trek down to Disneyland. Oh, they hit lots of LA traffic. But, alas, after 2 hours they were finally at the happiest place on earth. As soon as we drove into the parking lot the Little Famous Girls squealed with delight and clapped their hands with glee as they realized the surprise was their favorite place on earth. So, Famous Mommy and Not-So Famous Daddy drove up to the parking structure, handed the ticket guy our annual pass with parking included and...
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promptly got handed the parking pass back.
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Ticket taker guy,"Oh, I'm sorry. Today is a black out date for you. "
Almost Crazy Mommy, "WHAT?!?!"
Unassuming ticket guy,"Yep. You can't even park for free today. You have to pay the $15 to park and $40 a ticket for each person if you want to get into the park."
Almost Crying Mommy, "But, we just drove in traffic for 2 hours. We just surprised the girls with this trip."
Ticket guy, "Yeah. That's rough. You can come back tomorrow."
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(Even as I write this I am feeling the need to breathe deeply. Very deeply.)
If you are good at math, you've already added the final total up in your head to be $175. And although we are Almost Famous, we don't have a famous bank account so, we had to think of Plan B. By this time, the girls are crying as they realize that we are not, in fact, going to Disneyland tonight. Isn't that the worst psych out job ever? So, Mommy and Daddy agree to make the best of the night. There are plenty of things to see and do at Downtown Disney. We are usually too pooped to even do it justice after a day at the park. So, we looked at all the shops, let the girls go to Build-A-Bear, danced to the live musicians, and had ice cream. (By the way, if you haven't taken your kids to BAB, you should. It is the sweetest experience. It can get a little pricey if you get carried away with all of the accoutrement, but if you stick with the bears...it really is adorable. Lots of bang for your buck!!)
We ended our evening with Daddy finding a perfect spot for us to watch the fireworks. Daddy is good like that! Good old Disney puts on quite a show. When the grand finale was over and we were buckling the girls back into the car, Olivia said, "This was the best night of my life."
We couldn't agree more.
9 comments:
What a great story! I am so glad it worked out, especially after the 2 hour traffic. How can there be a blackout date? What does that even mean?
Hey, are you going to the quirks thing or what?
Great story! I love it! You could make it a tradition....
That is crazy! I am so glad it turned out to be good...I mean "the best night of their lives!" : ). I hope you all have a wonderful school year.
JLo, I have this scar on my hip, and Im starting to think it is the spot where you and I were once attached!!
We have Disney passes too, and parking....and last night, we said, "It would be a good night to go to Disneyland, if it werent summer."
Because, we dont like to go in summer, with all the crowds...not to mention, it is blackout day.
but I think that guy lied to you about the parking...because we have used our P pass...and gone to Downtown Disney on blackout dates. Maybe we just got lucky.
If you watched the street musicians, did you happen to see an older gal, like, in her 90's, dancing....the night I saw her, all she had on was a pink bra with a scarf over it, boy did she draw a crowd!
We'll have to pick some time in the Fall to go to Disneyland together, so our children can finally meet their cousins!
The best night of her life? That's so sweet. Although I am surprised that you would stay say "Good old Disney" when they pulled that mean trick on you!!! Blackout dates? On your annual pass? Fer rude.
You two are such fun parents, you and Not-so.
Jen, this was one of your best stories with a "and they lived happily ever after" ending! I think it was meant to be. It sounds to me like you had more fun being spontaneous. The girls are so lucky!
I love Downtown Disney. The first one I ever went to was by Disney Paris.
BAB is awesome. If you have the right size dog, you can get their whole wardrobr there. Much cheaper than Petsmart, and the velcro closures are the best.
Your Famous girls are right, sounds like a fabulous night1
Oh man...you had me so totally sad for you...I seriously can't imagine going to Disneyland and then not getting to go in...I would have died! Way to make it night to remember.
I was reading along and got this sick feeling in my stomach like when I am watching a movie with an intense scene with the music of anticipation that something is going to happen and I can't keep watching so I cover my face and plug my ears until the scene is over! I tried that here...but then realized I needed to keep reading to get to the end.
I am soooo glad it resulted in a happy ending!
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