A Year of Disney

I took my last trip to Disneyland on Friday. Here are the highlights from a bittersweet last trip (with some oldies mixed in). I can't wait to be able buy annual passes again! (More pictures here)

If you're not familiar with my...enthusiasm for DL, I am a true fanatic. I usually go for at least 12 hours, sometimes from open to close (15 hours) if I'm with single ticket holders. That's 12 hours of constant walking, ride turbulence, and standing in line. Disneyland with me is not for the weary or weak hearted. By the end of the day, it's painful to stand and you can feel it in your back, knees, and feet. You feel throbbing pulses in your feet when you shift your weight from one foot to the other as you wait in line for one last ride on Space Mountain. On the ride home your body feels like it's still moving from all the rides even though you're sitting still. And for me, I feel my sparkly Minnie ears headband, even though I took it off before the last ride on Space. No Disneyland experience is complete without the worst DL hangover the next day. That's when you know you did everything you could at the Magic Kingdom.

Character photos

Magic Kingdom

Rides

Treats

Hidden Mickeys

I know almost all the words to the "Celebrate" Fireworks show

After a long day of standing, all you want to do is sit down. By the time you reach the end of the line, and you finally sit down, you just relax and enjoy the ride. After a year of Disney, 14 trips, countless rides on Space Mountain, this is what your final ride should look like: