Reappropriate This: The Happiest Place on Earth, Even on Memorial Day Weekend

This past Saturday, Meredith, Nat & I ventured to Disneyland. We set out early, fueled by Burger King breakfast, and braced ourselves for horrendous holiday weekend crowds. It was Meredith's first visit, and I had warned her that we might only get to do a handful of rides if the lines were too long, but I'm happy to report that we managed to hit not only the big name "Mountain" rides (Splash, Big Thunder, Space) but also some of the less-thrilling but more-charming classic rides, like Small World and Jungle Cruise [see animatronic baby elephant above]. The longest we had to wait for a ride was 20 minutes. Actually, the lunch line at The Golden Horseshoe was the longest we had to wait for anything, but the chili fries were worth it. All in all, a very successful visit. Some highlights of our happy day included:

- Meredith screaming so loudly on Big Thunder Mountain that the entire line of waiting riders were staring at us by the time the ride ended.
- Nat overcoming a traumatic childhood experience and riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride without crying.
- Eating churros before noon.
- Getting to ride Space Mountain two times in a row after the attendant accidentally advanced our car instead of stopping it at the exit. Apparently, harmless mishaps abound at Space Mountain-- Disneyland fans might enjoy this video of the ride with the lights on.

And now for some photographic evidence. Funnily, we didn't manage to capture any pictures of us that actually demonstrate we were at Disneyland, so you'll have to take my word for it.