A few weeks ago I got a text from Emily saying, “ Jake has a great idea- You, me, Macey, AV, Disneyland.”  She got 4 free day passes from her amazing sister in law Meghan.

Even though Emily was just here for Thanksgiving, it had left this small hole in my heart.  Because, while we got together a few times, it was always crazy and we never really got to hang out and talk.  So, I missed her more after that than I did before she came.  

I hesitated for a moment going over the logistics of it all in my head. Snowy roads, what do I do with the other 3 kids, and the fact that I had never driven alone for more than 2 hours made me a little nervous.  But, after about 10 seconds there was nothing I could do but accept her invitation! 

Best decision ever.  

It was good practice for me to do a long drive with just one kid and show myself that I could drive 10 consecutive hours no problem (it obviously would of been much longer with all 4 kids).

Macey and I had a blast on the way down singing, dancing, eating, and listening to City of Ember.  Macey was an awesome co-pilot and got all my snacks ready.  Even with throwing up 3 times.  

We hit Downtown Disney up while we waited for Emily and AV to get to the hotel.  

Then it was lights out to get all rested up for our big day. 

It was seriously a dream.  

Perfect weather, perfect company, no diapers, no whining kids, no kids to carry, and an amazing guide in Meghan who made all the decisions for us. 

It was a dream come true watching Macey and AV together.  

We got to ride most all the rides we wanted.  And really only had to wait in line for Peter Pan.  

Macey didn’t like Indiana Jones, luckily a Dole Whip did the trick and she was ready for Splash Mountain after that.  




The girls did NOT want to ride Tower of Terror, but it is of course our favorite.  So, we did what any good parent would do, we made them wait in line with us twice and then handed them over to a disney worker while we screamed and laughed as much as possible.  


They were a little annoyed with us for taking up about an hour of their disney time, so we hit up bugs land and got a churro to help them forgive us.

  
We ended the day with Radiator Springs Racer and then ran back to Disneyland to catch their amazing night parade.  



BEST DAY EVER.


The next day was spent recovering from our Disney hangover. 

We ate good food, drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to play on this huge sand dune, dipped our toes in the ocean, and finished off the day by taking a dip in an outdoor pool.  



Then it was back to the snow for us Utah girls. Luckily the high lasted me through some stressful and slippery road conditions.  

And this pic right here, this is what Emily and I dreamed our lives as moms would be like.  
So, while we don’t get to raise our kids across the street from each other like we had always hoped, I’m glad we still get to have adventures together, 15 years later.