Wow! 5 days away on vacation, 5 days without internet. It's nice to be home, refreshed by a nice shower in my own bathroom and being able to check my email again.



Disneyland



Disneyland was just as magical as I thought it'd be. I felt like I was six years old again, and I'm happy to say that I was finally tall enough to ride the Indiana Jones ride. The weird thing was that as we were getting in line, there was  this little girl who wanted to ride with her parents and older brother, but wasn't tall enough to ride. She had to stay behind with her dad. Just watching her brought me back 13 years ago to when I wasn't tall enough to ride either. Oh well, in a few years she'll be able to come back and ride.

A couple of the day's highlights were: Space Mountain (awesome), Tower of Terror (I had a mini heart attack), California Screamin' (best ride ever), and Soarin' Over California (beautiful). The Matterhorn had the longest line, but strangely the wait was the shortest. The line went pretty fast. It was really weird though because it seats two at a time in each bobsled seat. You have to either straddle or be straddled. It would be really creepy if a stranger volunteered to ride with you...







It was great seeing all the Disney characters. We even got our picture taken with Minnie.







I also loved the Aladdin musical they had. It was amazing and beautifully done. I felt like I was a little girl watching Aladdin for the first time. I'm officially in love with the song "A Whole New World."







We also watched the Disney parade and fireworks. It's weird to think that the have the same parade and fireworks show every night and yet, the people who work there have to smile and act like it's happening for the first time. Everyone working there was so friendly. I'm convinced that Disneyland is a strange, alternate universe where everything is magical and anything can happen. I think it actually is the happiest place on earth.





We also spent a few days in Vegas, staying at the Planet Hollywood Hotel. It was actually pretty nice. I've never been there before because it wasn't even built the last time we were in Vegas, a couple of years ago. While there we had fun shopping, lounging around the pool, and finding new places to eat out.



But hands down, the best part of Vegas was watching Phantom at the Venetian Hotel. My parents surprised my sister and I with tickets. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The orchestra was great, the theater was beautiful, the special effects were awe-inspiring, and of course, the cast was phenomenal. I'm a fan of the Phantom movie, so I've seen it several times, but watching the show was like seeing it for the first time. At the end, I was ready to go home and weep. Haha. Actually, not that extreme. But close.







In the end, this was one of the best vacations I've ever had.