My Disneyland Birthday

If you ever want to feel really good about yourself, go to Disneyland for your birthday. Seriously. I highly recommend it. This was by far the best birthday celebration I've ever had!

We arrived during Halloween Time so it was decorated to the hilt for Halloween (which I love)!

My sister Rachael drove up to meet us for the celebration. It was so great to have her there. It wouldn't have been complete without her.

Here is the birthday brigade!

Every day it rained a few times and then it was muggy and a million degrees so of course my hair went skideewampus...as you will see from this and the rest of the photos. But whatever, we were in Disneyland!

When we arrived, I took my friend Frieda's suggestion (thanks Frieda!) to go get a birthday button.

And then, everyone you're with gets an I'm celebrating button.

This is where "if you ever want to feel good about yourself celebrate at Disneyland" comes in. Everyone says happy birthday to you - often times, by name. A couple of the staff even sang to me. Even random people tell you happy birthday. It makes you feel like a million bucks. And since we were there with our buttons two days in a row, I got a lot of happy birthdays. It was amazingly fun!

One of the cashiers asked me how old I was turning and when I told her, she said I looked like I was 25. I know she got paid to say that, but I'll take a paid compliment any day! ha ha

I have never felt more pampered in my life. I got to choose whatever rides we went on. So of course, we went on my top 4 a whole bunch of times: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and It's a Small World (and yes, as I'm writing this I have the It's a Small World song going over and over in my head).

The Haunted Mansion was decked out for Halloween and the usual ride was replaced with "The Nightmare before Christmas". I've never watched it, but will watch it before Halloween this year just to see what all the hoopla is about.

I was so excited to find out that we were going to eat at the Blue Bayou restaurant for my birthday lunch! It is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride area.

Even the waiting area was pretty

I love the atmosphere - dim candle and paper lamp lighting, the sound of crickets, the smell of damp air, a little banjo music...it was perfect. You feel like you're eating in the Bayou.

Even the plates were fancy

I got a Monte Cristo sandwich

I got a special complimentary chocolate mousse dessert, complete with a birthday serenade from my mom and sisters. I even got to make two birthday wishes because I blew out the candle and then we re-lighted it for a picture. That counts, doesn't it??

While we're on the subject of food, we also had a fabulous breakfast the next day at the Carnation Cafe, located on Main Street in Disneyland.

I got the cinnamon roll french toast. Hello, delicious. I was on a sugar high the rest of the day and loved every minute of it.

Natalie got the mickey waffle. Very cute. (And so is the waffle)

Okay, one more thing about food, because you don't know delicious until you've tried a Tigger Tail - marshmallows dipped in caramel and chocolate. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

And it wouldn't be a Disneyland Birthday without a picture under the Disneyland Birthday sign. (Too bad Natalie wasn't in the picture too. We should have had someone take it for us)

And who can resist a fake car crashing picture out in front of the Frog and Toad ride?

Here's one I didn't go on...the tea cups aren't for me. Waaaayyyy too much spinning.

But my sisters decided to ride it without spinning the cup and did just fine. Who would have thought.

Okay, I have to tell you a funny story.

Enter the wicked queen from Snow White.

But instead of being up in her castle, how would you like to come face to face with her evil eyes piercing into your soul?!

Yes, it happened to me. On my Disneyland birthday.

There I was. Looking up to find the wicked queen slowly walking toward me.

She seriously looked like she had just walked out of the Disney movie. As she walked, I saw her glance at my birthday button and I thought oh great, the evil queen is going to say something mean to me about celebrating my birthday - because she is the wicked queen.

But instead, as I stood watching her, mesmerized by her beautiful evilness, she turned to me and said slowly, "You can't stop staring at me, can you?"

Uh....I looked over at Natalie to help me and we both started giggling. Good one. We're 5.

And, if that wasn't enough, we both couldn't stop watching her as she strode off. Suddenly she turned and pointed her finger at us, slowly lowering it as if casting a spell (as only the real evil queen can do) and said, "See, I told you." and quickly disappeared behind the hedge.

Re-enter giggling 5-year-olds.

We were both speechless. It was hysterical.

It was one of the funniest moments of the entire trip.

But maybe you had to be there.

Anywho, on the last night, we were able to go over to California Adventure and go on Soarin' Over California. It is amazing and terrifying all at the same time. You feel like you are actually flying and swooping over rivers, oceans, mountains, vineyards and valleys.

And although I white nuckled the hand rail, and had to shut my eyes once or twice, overall I loved every freaked-out minute of it! I think it's the closest thing to sky diving I'll ever do.

Lucky for us, just after our ride ended it was time for the big fireworks show to start back in Disneyland, so we hustled our tired feet back over and got to enjoy the amazing show. It was a birthday miracle.

One more shout out to the birthday crew! Thank you for the most wonderfully memorable birthday of all time! It was so much fun and such a joy to have my mom and sisters together. I can't thank you enough!

Farewell Disneyland! Thank you for a most magical 40th!