the happiest place?

with december weekends filling up fast and my disneyland pass set to expire at the end of the month, i really wanted to end the six-month knee hiatus from the 'happiest place on earth.'  i appealed to my friend jami, of the disney-obsessed variety, and she agreed that i needed to use my pass at least one more time and that she would help me do it.

i beat her there, and my first stop was city hall to inquire about there handicap policy.  i'd heard mixed reports, but knew that the holiday crowds would make for a really uncomfortable evening in line after line, not to mention, the pain that would cause for the rest of my work weekend, so it was worth finding out.  i knew that a wheelchair was the quickest way to the handicap entrances, but i don't really need a wheelchair, nor did i want my friend to have to try and maneuver me through the crowds - we had done this last year with my sister, and it was a nightmare.

armed with my surgery bill and my handicap placard, i dutifully waited in line (oh, the irony) and when my turn arrived, i asked the gentleman what the policy was, explained my situation, and prepared to offer him my 'proof'.  his response was that 'we aren't doctors,' and he issued me a handicap pass.

what it meant, was that in any line where the 'regular' line was not wheelchair accessible, i could use the handicap entrance.  it didn't apply to any of the rides in california adventure, since they were all accessible via wheelchair, but it turned out to be a lifesaver later in the evening, as we waited for rides like space mountain (30 minutes sitting down, instead of the hour and a half regular standing line).

what i didn't know is that jami had invited a few others to join us and, though they were girls i know from my ward, i don't know them well.  i'll admit that i was a bit worried about the dynamic, but i couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.  

disneyland is a bit of a love-hate experience for me.  i love it for what it is and hate it for what it's not.  as a thrill seeking roller coaster junkie, i'm not one of those people who can be satisfied just hanging out with mickey ears on my head eating churros all night.  don't get me wrong - both of those are fine and good, but i need a little jaw-clenching stomach-dropping action in there somewhere.  at least, usually that's the case.  this was one of those nights though, where an unexpected grouping of people turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

i can honestly say that i haven't laughed that much in ages.  we seemed to share a similar sense of humor and find amusement in the same places. and i found that something i've really been thinking about and longing for lately, a deeper connection to my life and the people in it, was satisfied in a really beautiful unexpected way.

even the crowds were not a deterrent to our phenomenal group mojo.  in fact, while we saw hordes of people, it seemed that the rides we wanted, when we wanted, were mostly there for the taking.  there were a few times we could have used my pass but didn't need to because the lines were so short - and trust me, the place was packed.  it all seemed to work out just perfectly, and it brings my 'year of the disneyland pass' full circle, starting with a great family outing and ending with a great girlfriend adventure.

i haven't decided whether or not i'll be renewing my pass anytime in the near future....think i might go back to my six flags annual pass...so it was a sweet farewell (temporary though it may be).