The Blackham family was a fan of the Christmas movie "The Christmas Story" with the now iconic Leg Lamp and pink bunny suit. Clayton has created his own tradition, with a leg lamp, and official "lighting" ceremony that day after Thanksgiving, and he even dresses up in the pink bunny suit. He also makes donuts, and invites all the family, friends and neighbors. And they come ... I get a little anxious with the crowds and the cold, so I sat it out, but the rest of the Blackham Bunch made it out.
Several from the extended Blackham/Zundel crew came out too ...
Kolby and flown in to spend Thanksgiving with the family.
Cal and Kate and Vera got a cute family photo
on Clay and Courtney's cute Christmasy front porch!
I post a lot of #mycoltonclips on my Blackhamball instagram. Those are basketball highlights. The "clips" being featured in THIS post, are the kind that cut cute curls from a Blackham boy head. Aunt Olivia has been the family hairstylist for years now. As Colton was packing up everything in preparation for his move to Oregon, he visited Livi for one last haircut (and HUG).
She was so cute - she created this step-by-step tutorial that he could have on him to show the next stylist exactly how to keep the cut Colton' likes. She also got him a GreatClips giftcard to help the poor college student with costs.
Built in blog post ... and I figured it might be good to have it here for reference!
Aunt Olivia takes her "aunt" relationship seriously, and tries to plan fun activities with the nieces and nephews. It's hard to get to them all, but in August, she hosted a TopGolf activity on Tuesday, August 8th (originally planned for the following Tuesday, the 16th, but Courtney's boys started school the next day, so it was shifted up). Originally, Grayson responded to the group text that he wouldn't be able to make it (when it was scheduled for August 15, as he'd be in London). I almost responded to him that while I was sure he'd be welcome, he wasn't technically invited ... we parents were just included on the group text to keep everyone in the loop.
Four of the five Blackham boys made it out (missing Cal and Kate) and Addie was the sole niece there to give Olivia a little feminine company amongst all the boys. Addie actually IS a golfer, on the team there are Riverton. But TopGolf is great for the casual player too, lots of fun activities. The day after Coop was rolling his shoulder saying that he was a little bit sore, having used some muscles that he doesn't normally work with during his treadmill runs.
I wondered a little about the cost of such an outing, but one of the boys peeked at the bill and said it was right around $100, which was surprising, as it was in a suite and they had some food too. But I guess there's a great Tuesday deal. But ... Livi also gave some little challenges to the boys such as "I'll give you $5 if you get it into that hole" or other similar challenges, so she left with a lighter wallet while the boys added a little cash to theirs.
Thanks for the fun night Olivia! And she's always good about grabbing some pictures too!
Last year Grayson's sister Ana was diagnosed with MS. Multiple Sclerosis. It's a tough diagnosis and disease, but Ana has been doing better now that they know what the problem is and getting treatment. When there was a local MS walk, we decided to participate as a family.
It was Saturday, May 6th. We got up and headed out with most of the crew (Colton had basketball practice, and I don't know if we'd remembered to tell Cal and Kate about it). Courtney came with the two boys (Clay had church obligations but was able to come at the very end, bringing Milo) and Olivia came with Ana's family. If you donated a certain amount, you got a bright orange t-shirt. There was a big Start/Finish but the walk itself wasn't super specific. It was just a loop (or two, or three) around Veteran's Memorial Park in West Jordan. There were lots of informational booths set up, and games and a band, and people cheering everyone on.
Here's just a quick peek at the morning ...
The weather was nice. It was a little cool. It rained later in the day, and we were glad it held off until after the event.
Seattle 2021 ... normally, I have quite a few photos, as Grayson is really good at keeping me updated on family vacations. I'm usually at home. I'm not a traveler. But this time, I shocked everyone by saying that I'd go. So I don't have to depend on Hubs or the kids for a written recap, I can write it up myself.
We left mid-day, Wednesday, July 7th, 2021. We had neighbors to come care for the kitties and bring in mail/packages. Our household drove to the airport in Grayson's truck. He dropped us off then went to park. Cal and Kate had family drop them off and they were a little ahead of us. We checked bags (free with Grayson's card, nice not to have to drag them around (Cal& Kate carried on). Landon and Sol were catching a later flight. Ours was at 4:30. We had arrived around 2:30, and made it through security without any issues (Gray has TSA pre-check, but as the rest of us didn't, he stuck with us through regular security ... like peasants).
We had added three new pieces of luggage ... and hoped we would recognize them on the other end. Baggage claim was quick and easy. We took the shuttle to the rent-a-car location, picked up our ride (a black Toyota Tacoma) that fit five, and the older kids (Cal, K8 and Keaton) ubered to the hotel. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Bellview. Gray and I on the first floor, the three boys in a room on the second floor, Cal & K8 next to them, and Landon and Sol on floor three. I was disappointed there was no outlet anywhere near the right side of the bed, for my fan and phone. The shower was also very low ... and we're not even that tall! I slept better than I expected though. The swimming pool was under renovation. I'm not sure if it would have been used, but it would have been nice to have the option.
That first night (and the other nights) we went over to Kolby and Jami's house to hang out, eat, drink, laugh and chat. Jami was kind enough to loan us her car so that we didn't have to rent a second one.
Thursday morning, Grayson checked out the hotel breakfast and wasn't impressed, so we went out. One of the old favorites, "Serious Pie and Biscuit" didn't survive Covid-19. Looking up other options, we ended up the "Family Pancake House". We were able to get right in and the food was yummy. Landon and Sol sat this one out. After eating, Gray wanted me to see Lake Sammamish, which was only about five minutes away. The lake had featured prominently in previous vacations (Seattle2014).
So we went and walked to the lake. It was still early (around 10:30) and quite cool, so not a ton of people around (we wondered how packed it had been during last week's heat wave, which happily had passed ... we enjoyed the cooler temperatures!) Grayson checked out the ducks. The water was lovely. There was a cool tree branch and we suggested Cal&K8 get a picture on it ... getting up and down was a little more challenging than anticipated, but was fun to watch!
Then, the Blackham Bunch headed to Seattle. We had tickets to the Space Needle, but had arrived a little early. So, we checked out the tube sculptures nearby ... and remembered the pictures taken there seven years ago! See the comparison shots below ~
Then it was time for the Space Needle.
Group shot at the bottom - and group shot at the top!
... the elevator takes you up, up, up. There's the observation deck, and then a "glass floor" that revolves around. Our tickets would have allowed us to come back in the evening, to see the city at night, but we didn't make it back. There was a group shot of us taken before we went up ... but we never saw how to find it (the photographer didn't scan the ticket first to create a connection).
It was time for some lunch ... and Lunchbox Laboratory was close by. Well, a mile away. It would have been more work to drive and park, so we walked it. Classic "dogsticks" with tater tots, and vegetarian options for Cal, K8 and Sol. We were, um "serenaded" by a man on the street during most of our lunch. A mix of yelling, preaching, rapping. It made it memorable! The usual "guess the check" at the end (this one was $$) and then the walk back. Keaton jumped on one of the "rental" scooters that are all around.
We went back by the Space Needle to check out the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit. Kate was especially excited for this! It was cool. All sorts of interesting and beautiful glass sculptures.
Grayson got a little distracted by a big pizza oven ... we've been making pizzas at home, and he bought TWO different ovens. An attachment for his Komodo Joe, and a smaller, portable Ooni. We'd noticed that Jami had an Ooni pizza oven when we were hanging out in their backyard. On the other side of the courtyard, there was another oven ... this one for the glass demonstration. Whereas the pizza oven was at about 800° (most kitchen ovens top out at 500°) ... the oven for glass was over 1500°!
I snapped this picture of Grayson inside the exhibit, with the Space Needle visible outside. He thought it was a good way to capture both activities. It wasn't until a bit later that I really looked at the artwork in our hotel room, and saw that it was a surprisingly similar shot!
Next up was Din Tai Fung, a world-renowned Chinese restaurant originating in Taiwan that specializes in soup dumplings and noodles. It's one that Gray and the boys always want to hit when they are in Washington (as it isn't in Utah). The original plan had been to beat the dinner rush, eating around 5:00 or so, but everyone was still pretty full from LunchBox Laboratory. We had a little down time at the hotel, and then headed out, and hit the dinner rush. There was an hour and a half wait ... but there was an arcade a few doors down.
Some air hockey, driving of cars. Keaton got crazy on the piano game! Cal and Colton had a basketball showdown. There was even a "begeda" on the line! New High Score ... went to Callahan. Then we got the text that our table was ready.
There was a LOT of food ... not enough room on the table, or in our tummies!
Here's a couple video clips K8 caught ... before and after!
That wrapped up Thursday - we did go hang out at Kolby's house for a bit afterward.
Friday, breakfast was at "Pomegranate Bistro" which was one of the locations Kolby had introduced Grayson to on a previous trip. Cal&K8 sat this one out, but the rest of the crew headed out (no photos). We didn't have a reservation, and at first were told it would be a wait of an hour and a half ... but then they said if we could be in and out in an hour (no lingering, which we really weren't planning on anyway) that they'd squeeze us onto a reserved table. So that was breakfast, Grayson was just SO sad that the "Savannah Hot Puffs" were only served Sat/Sunday.
Then the Blackham Bunch headed back to Seattle. First stop was GasWorks park. Grayson had taken a classic photo there on the last trip (2017) and we needed to recreate it! What a difference four years makes!
... and a few more photos
Then it was on to Pike Place Market.
It was crazy crowded. We had to stop at the "gum wall" then split up a bit, with groups going their own way. I tried to keep track a bit on Find My Friends, and was a little surprised when we did happen to run into each other again without specifically trying to. There was a little shopping, a stop to eat, then we went over by the big Ferris Wheel and bought tickets to the "Wings Over Washington" ride. Afterward, we got ice cream.
Back to the hotel for a bit, then we were meeing Kolby, Jami, Maddie and Mia for an "electric boat" ride. We'd looked over the water from Gasworks Park, and were now ON the water. Kolby drove, and Jami brought a ton of food. Cal and K8 decided to sit out the boat ride, as K8 had a bad experience on a boat before (motion sickness) ... but it worked out, as there was a limit of 12 people (and with them we were 13). We went all around the lake, saw a lot of other boaters, a small sea plane landing, and the house featured in "Sleepless in Seattle" ...
... Gray went to grab some ice cream at the grocery store after (I was waiting at the hotel) and all the kids piled into Jami's car and went there to hang out again. That wrapped up Friday.
Saturday we were planning on heading out early, so we just stuck with the hotel breakfast. I enjoyed the hot chocolate most mornings (nice that it was cool enough to make hot chocolate desirable). Then we headed out to meet Kolby, Jami and Maddie (Mia had to work) to take the ferry to Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago.
The ferry ride was a little over an hour. There was some chatting, some game play, some wandering around on the deck. Then we docked and had a few hours at Friday Harbor before we needed to catch the ferry again and head back to the hotel.
We decided to do lunch - there were yummy fried cheese curds, pretzels and cheese bread for appetizers, then everyone moved on to main dishes. After eating, it was time to wander. There were HUGE hanging baskets of flowers all over. It was so pretty. Tons of little shops. Of course we had to stop and get ice cream again. Callahan really enjoyed a salted caramel ice cream and convinced a bunch of us to go try it as well. Cooper likes to get some commemorative clothing to remember outings, so we snagged a "San Juan Islands" t-shirt for him. The whole vacation he was playing Pokemon Go, as it's much more exciting in new places than it is at home. Maddie found some little crabs ... she's the crab whisperer.
Then it was time to get back on the boat. To say goodbye to Friday Harbor, and goodbye to Seattle. One more sleep at the hotel, one more hotel breakfast. A quick drive to K&J's to say goodbye and return her car. Then to the airport, return the rental, check bags (oops, some confusion and Coop ended up having to carry his on), security, a small wait. Gray took Cooper and Colton to check out the Alaskan Lounge. No empty seats next to Grayson this time. We were all together, Landon and Sol with us too. We arrived back in Salt Lake. Happy to be home ... but it was hot, and smoky, we were already missing the Seattle weather. Until next time!
While this was Jen's first Seattle trip, there had been plenty of previous visits for the family!
I've been doing quite a bit of work on the Westra side as far as family history ... organizing photos, writing up blog posts featuring the histories and memories of the Westra and Norman clans. Time to turn to some Blackham history. On both sides (Blackham and Zundel) there are a couple of aunts who are very into genealogy and I was able to find some treasures. This post will feature the Blackham side, Grayson's grandfather Wayne Nielson Blackham, who passed away just a few months before Gray was born.
A huge thanks to Caroleen May, who researched and wrote up several histories. They are all on FamilySearch, but to make them even easier to find and read, I've included links to GoogleDrive copies for Dick and those around him who impacted his life (below). I've also included an abridged history and photo collage here, but be sure to check out the unabridged originals!
Known as Dick throughout his life,Wayne Neilson Blackham was born August 2, 1919. He had two older brothers (Dallen and Creal) and the family lived with his grandparents on his mother's side for a time. Dick's grandmother Hulda was a nurse and midwife and may have assisted in his birth. Samuel and Helena (Lena) divorced when Dick was about 10 years old. His father remarried and that union added a sister when Dick was seventeen years old. Dick had stayed with his mother however, and Helena remarried a few years later also. Dick, not liking the new living situation, went back to Moab to live with his Grandma Hulda when he was fourteen or fifteen years old. He remained living with her until he married Donna May Shumway in 1941. They had two boys, Gordon and Gary. Dick worked as a truck driver. One day, Donna took off with two-year old Gary, leaving Dick and six-year-old Gordon. Hulda took the two back into her home to help raise Gordon, known as "Punk". Dick met Carrol May, a single mother with three boys: Ted, 15; Stan, 13; and Phil, 9. Dick’s son Punk and Carrol’s youngest son Phil became very good friends. Dick and Carrol decided to get married and move to Salt Lake City, but let Gordon stay with Hulda to finish out the school year (she was very attached to him, and wanted to make sure he got baptized).
Dick and Carrol were married February 6, 1950, a double wedding with Carrol's younger brother. Carrol's parents had a small apartment to the side of their home, and this is where Dick and Carrol started their married life. Dick continued to drive trucks. He would be gone for a few days, then off for a couple days. Sometimes he was called back to work after being home just a few hours. He had two pins (representing five years of driving without an accident) which he wore on a black hat. At one time, he entered the semi-driving skill contest at the fairgrounds. Dick would pick up fireworks from out of state while traveling in the semi, and would put on a big display on the 4th of July. Later on, Dick changed jobs, from driving a semi to working with the city's maintenance department. This was a day job, and he could be home every evening and spend more time with the family.
Dick and Carrol had three children: Rebecca, born September 8, 1952; Vanessa Carrol, born September 1, 1953; and Dick Wayne, born January 3, 1956. They were called Becki, Nessa and Dickie making this a large family of seven children. After having all boys between them they were delighted with the girls.
The family enjoyed picnics, campouts, fishing and hunting. Dick would do the cooking, cutting up potatoes to fry in a Dutch oven. He made the best potatoes. He said he learned to cook at the sheep camps as he was growing up. He always carried his pocket knife and used it for everything. Dick took his guitar and enjoyed playing it in the evenings. He enjoyed raising rabbits and chickens.
Dick's son Gordon left for his mission to the East Central States on Mar 9, 1963. He returned home in March 1966 and attended BYU, where he played center for the football team. He met Pamela Zundel and they were married on January 28, 1967 in the Los Angeles Temple. They had two receptions, one that evening in California and the other on Saturday evening, February 4th at the Pioneer Stake Center in Salt Lake. They were expecting their first child November 1969.
In January 1964, Dick (age 44) had driven his brother home after a visit and was hit by a drunk driver on his way back home. The car was hit with such force that Dick went flying through the passenger side window and landed in a snowbank. He'd only been wearing slippers, no coat, and he related later that the cold as he waited for the ambulance was worse than the pain from his injuries. He was taken to LDS Hospital in critical condition, not knowing if he would survive the night. He never fully recovered and struggled with any type of physical work. He tried driving a cement truck for a while, but ended up on disability and welfare. February 1967, Dick was taken to the hospital where he was tested and evaluated. It seemed they just could not find out much about his condition. May 29, 1968, Dick was taken to the Valley West Hospital (now known as Pioneer Valley Hospital) with a heart attack. June 14th he was discharged from the hospital just to return on June 24, 1968. He stayed a couple of weeks being discharged on July 7, 1968. The doctor determined that Dick had originally damaged his heart in the auto accident. He was in and out of the hospital four or five times over the next few months. On January 17, 1969, Dick was back in the hospital for tests. He finally went home on January 25th without having the test as the machine had broken down.
After going through so much, in August the doctor decided that Dick would have open heart surgery to correct his problem. He entered the University Hospital on August 5th or 6th. A lot of family members went up to visit him the night before the surgery. He was in a cheerful mood. He related that he was told to take a shower and not to come out until he had used up the entire bar of soap. He indicated that this was quite a chore for him and it took a long time. The surgery was performed on the morning of August 12, 1969. There was a chance that he would not make it through the surgery, but he did. After the surgery the doctors told Carrol that all went well, that he should be fine. When he came to he saw Carrol sitting by his side. His first words were “Well, I made it.” He was in the intensive care unit being watched over along with another patient. The nurse said she had her back turned to Dick helping the other patient and did not see Dick get out of the bed, but she said she heard him hit the floor. His heart had stopped and by the time they revived him,tests indicated that he was brain dead and he was removed from life support on August 17, 1969. His funeral was held at Redwood Memorial Estates in West Jordan where he was buried on August 20th 1969.
Dick’s son Gary who was living in Oregon at the time was on vacation. He made a wrong turn and ended up headed for Salt Lake. He thought he would keep going and looked up his family members, but Dick had already passed away. Gary missed the funeral by a couple of days. Gordon had already left to go back home to California. Dick and Gordon and Gary hadn't seen each other since Gary was two years old. Gary did eventually make contact with his brother Gordon in California and his siblings in Salt Lake. After Dick’s first wife Donna remarried, Gary was later adopted by this husband.
Gordon performed the endowment ordinance for his father Dick on December 19, 1973 in the Oakland Temple. On October 15, 2004, Nessa’s children Eric Montague and Angie Chapman; Dick and Karen and their daughters Lindi Prestwich and Brooke Stocking; Pam Blackham (Gordon’s wife) and her sons Grayson and Clayton; Ted and Caroleen May and their children Shauna and her husband Marion Markle, Ted May lll and his wife Tanya performed the sealing of marriages and children to parents to eternally join the Blackham-May families. This was a joyful occasion.
I never really know what to get my mom for Mother's Day. This year though ... she's been trying to get me involved in a big photo project, organizing and labeling pictures from all throughout the years. I'd just never really gotten on board. A couple of times when there were difficulties figuring out how to keep certain written memories with pictures, my mind would think "this would work well in a blog". So that's what I did. I made a blog.
It's a little like scrapbooking. Coming up with a cute title, making themed pages (like "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" showcasing snowmen built over decades, or featuring the autobiography of Grandma with a collage of photos or showcasing the California Vacation of 1980. I got several topics up, and all the annual Christmas Letters (from 1997 - present). I knew Mom, Chris and Wendy had been discussing ways to keep track of current correspondence too. The weekly/monthly letters we siblings send out. That didn't quite fit my thought for The Westra Way blog, which I wanted to be more classic stuff. So ... I made a second blog (Write On) for that and grabbed the last month or two of emails to include there. That was my gift, and a gift that will keep on giving as I keep it up (I know, I'm behind on my own blog, but ...) So I sent my mom the link that morning.
After breakfast, we went out to the cemetery.
First Mother's Day without mom for Gray.
It was just three little boys, as the bigs were off doing their own thing.
I was trying to recreate some grass pictures taken in 2011.
We'd had a family Zoom meeting the week before for Pammy's birthday.
We then stopped by to see my folks ... with the whole Covid-19 thing still going on, we just visited out on the porch for a bit. I forgot to grab a photo. We also drove by Pam's old house (where Gray grew up, where we lived in the basement apartment when we were first married, that the kids knew as Maga's first house) and then by my old house on Hermitage. A memory-filled morning.
My brother Chris had asked us all to write up memories of Mom.
Gray made a yummy dinner with tri-tip, mashed potatoes and asparagus ...
When I was growing up, there was a large orchard by the house. We kids would go wander, and asparagus grew wild there. It was tricky to find, amidst the trees and weeds, but I was a really good asparagus finder. I didn't want to eat it though, and my mom couldn't make me ... because then I just "wouldn't find" anymore. It wasn't until this last year that I tried Grayson's sauteed style. One of the very few foods I've learned to like in my old age.
Maga, Pammy ... she's been an integral part of the Blackham life. So many memories. Marvelous mother, great grandma, friend to everyone. There really aren't words to explain the feelings when we got the call that Wednesday night. I'll keep this post simple ...
I think the crowd attending the viewing was a testament to how many lives Pam impacted during her life. I created a slideshow of pictures throughout her life that was being shown while they waited. Here's a look at a few of the flowers, beautiful bouquets.
The set up at the chapel for the funeral ... a few of her favorite things.
During the summer, Kolby brought up the idea of Gray bringing Cooper out to and having Cooper and Kolby (the two football fans) hit a SeaHawks game. So, that happened. The Seattle trip ended up overlapping with the other Blackhams (Maga/Livi, Ana's and Clay's family ... and Keaton) going to Disneyland at the end of September/start of October. The football game ended up being a great one, with lots of action and a close finish with a SeaHawks win.
Gray didn't attend the game ...
He dropped the guys off and then went off exploring on his own.
Eating out is always a big part of any vacation ...
Here's a little recap that Cooper wrote up ...
Yesterday was really fun, we didn’t go to Lunchbox or Din Tai Fung, but there was a place we went to that I will probably want to go to every time we go to Seattle from here on out. We went to Ciudad and it was just really good. There was really good steak, pork, flatbread, and I even tried cauliflower and octopus, so there’s that. And then there was the game. It kind of sucks that I didn’t have my Fitbit for it, because I think I would have easily surpassed ten thousand with the walk up and down to the stadium. And I the game was so good, I don’t think I could have chosen a better one to go to. Hawks won 30-29, after the opposing kicker shanked a field goal he very often gets. During the game, Kolby was yelling his head off, which was really funny, I definitely was not as vocal as he was. I also got a cup I can keep at the game, and Kolby got me a really nice hoodie. However getting home sucked, it probably took us like 30 minutes just to get on the freeway, but it was worth it.
... and then the guys headed home. Cooper even got to experience first class flight, as their seats got bumped up on way. Coop and Gray had a good time, and thanks to Kolby & Co for hosting them! Kolby also got Cooper into a fantasy football league (there was a $50 entry fee, with cash prizes at the end, Coop didn't know that going in ... but learned that a little later on, and there will be more on that in another post!)
Last year, Olivia gifted Ana's boys Disneyland tickets - the trip was set for September 2019, Halloween season. She asked if any of the West Jordan Blackham Boys would like to go too ... Coop and Colton had recently had to make up school after the cruise, and they weren't sure about going through that again (Colton also had games, and Coop ended up on a Seattle trip overlapping this excursion). Keaton though ... he was up for it, and he went to represent our family. He drove out with Maga and Olivia, and Ana's family and Clay and Courtney's crew met them there.
The littles LOVED having Keaton along!
I asked Keaton for a recap of the trip, and he delivered!
My memory might be off for some of the things we did on certain days so bear with me.
It was Saturday night, September 28th. I had everything packed for the week and headed over to Maga's house to spend the night as we were waking up bright and early the next morning to begin the trip. I passed out pretty quickly being that it was around midnight. Livi had grabbed me and Aidan a McDonald's midnight snack, and we had turned on Big Hero 6 (which is my type of sleepy ambiance given that I practiced falling asleep to movies and shows my whole childhood). Clay was hoping to leave by about 7:30 and what that means to us Blackhams is 10:00 basically (yes, 10:00 is bright and early). Maga wanted to drive and wouldn't back down on the possibility of her grandson taking over (until later, muahaha). We stopped at McDonald's for breakfast, where I soon learned that was going to be my first meal of the day for the upcoming week. And so began our journey of 14 hours on I-15 with frequent steps on the brake, and history lessons on the legends of Gordy, how Maga's life was growing up in California, and my pa when he had hair (which I believe to be a myth).
The drive was actually really great, granted I spent a majority of the time on Netflix. But it was fun spending time with Maga and crazy Aunt Livi. After a heap of traffic, we finally arrived in Anaheim and stopped at the Travelodge Inn and Suites so Livi could help Ana and Adrian get settled into their reserved room. Clay was staying in another hotel and we didn't see him that night. Meanwhile. Maga, Liv, and I found our way to Maga's old friend Joyce's apartment, where she was sweet enough to let us stay while she, ironically, was staying in Florida visiting Disneyworld. It was a very great place to stay for us, and from what I heard about Ana's location, better than their hotel. Beds were comfy, it had a well-organized bathroom, I had no complaints.
The first morning? Head to Disneyland! Again, didn't leave until 10:00. We all got ready with our landyards, Disney outfits, and bags to prepare ourselves for the day. Maga introduced me to Airborne vitamins. They boost your immune system, which greatly helped me for the week as I was fighting off a cold. The three of us took one every morning and every night of the week. By the time we got there, Clay, Courtney and their kids had already been in the park for an hour. We drove over to Ana's hotel and met the boys there so we could all walk to the park together. It was, I want to say about 3/4 of a mile, so not too bad. We made it to the back entrance of Downtown Disney and security stops the one and only crazy Aunt Livi. Turns out she brought butterknives so we could spread mayo onto our sandwiches for lunch. Metal ones. Joyce's. We all thought it was pretty funny except for Livi who was genuinely upset thinking she had to throw away Joyce's knives, but instead she walked a ways back in the parking lot and stashed them oh so sneakily behind a bush and made her way back. To add to the humor, she was stopped yet again by security claiming they watched her stash the butterknives on site and declared her too dangerous to enter. My aunt, decked out in Disney gear, with homemade Minie Mouse ears down to the colored toenails on her feet. At this point, Adrian and Maga step in and try to work it out and security said if she just throws the knives away in the garbage, then she can come in. But Livi wouldn't accept, realizing that the knives were not hers ... so she walked all the way back to the hotel and back, all was well. We walked through Downtown Disney to the park entrances where we upgraded our 3 tickets to Park Hoppers so we could bounce between Disneyland and California Adventure's whenever we pleased. I appreciated this a lot.
So, the first day we headed into Disneyland and immediately went to Indiana Jones. I was really excited because I've never been on in even though I've been to Disneyland at least two other times before. Aidan and Amare are excited because it's INDIANA JONES! We waited in line for about 45 minutes, which seemed bad at first but we all got used to pretty quickly, and onto the ride. It was great I loved it! Amare was pretty scared at the beginning because it's a fairly dark and scary placeto start, but after it was done, he said he would gladly go again. We went on a few more rides in the Disneyland park for probably another couple hours and decided to hit California Adventures. I remember California Adventures being the better park from my previous times so I was certainly pushing it. We met up with Clay's crew at the Guardian's of the Galaxy tower. It was new to me because the last time I was on it, it was the Tower of Terror. Aidan backed out at the last minute (Cooper did when our family went years ago). Not as scary this time, but I definitely think it was better! I'm not the biggest fan of Guardians of the Galaxy but it goes to show that you don't have to be a fan to enjoy the ride. Instead of jump scares and feeling like you're in a busted elevator, it's pump up music and like a 360 experience joining Rocket fighting off bad guys and finding little baby Groot. Definitely one of my favorite rides, and in the fan gift shop they had really well-designed robot hands featuring the six infinity stones used in End Game. I got to try on the Thanos glove and the Iron Man glove just for the fun of it. We then headed over to the Incredicoaster, after seeing on the Disneyland app on our phones that it was about a 15 minute wait. We all went over there and waited in a much longer than 15 minute line, but it was worth it. Before, it used to just be the California Screamin' but after a crimson red paint job and lots of sound effects became the Incredicoaster. Definitely did not disappoint! To me at least... Sam didn't want to go on and he backed out with Coco, the picture at the end greatly captured Livi's opinion, and Maga announced that was probably her last roller coaster haha. We found a snowcone shack based on Monsters Inc the abominable snowman that served "yellow snow." I had a special snowcone with blue raspberry filling at the bottom, the yellow snow and a cherry on top so it looked like the Pixar ball and it was delicious. Throughout the day, we went on a few more rides and bounced back to Disneyland to get a feel for everything we have to discover. The last ride I remember going on was Splash Mountain with Ana, Adrian and the boys and I have a fantastic picture on that ride that I will cherish forever our shared enjoyment of getting soaked at 9:00 at night in cotton shirts and socks. Overall, Monday dragged on a little longer than most the other days because no one was really sure what to do or where to go and we're all still getting the feel for it. We headed for home at about 10:00pm and had dinner at a little strip mall with plenty of options that didn't disappoint. Nothing super special, but we ate there most nights and I for one was fine with that.
Day two Tuesday, we decided to focus on California Adventure for the morning and afternoon because that night they were doing the special Halloween event called the Oogie Boogie Bash and you had to have that reserved. We have it planned for Thursday night. Everyone was pretty sore from walking all about the day before and Liv and I had the idea that we can use Joyce's wheelchair for Maga (that she so kindly laid out for us for this specific reason. Maga has been struggling with hip pain). Maga refused saying she can walk just fine. Yeah, sure Maga. We said we'll bring it just in case *wink wink.* This was the first time Maga allowed me to drive and it was because I beat her to the driver's seat. This time, we drove to a little landing zone to drop off Maga and I and had Livi take the car back to the hotel and walk with Ana and them. I convinced Maga to get in the wheelchair and I didn't mind pushing. Turns out, you get into Disneyland a lot faster with a wheelchair so it was awesome! Blew by the line to get in, and everyone waiting in their normal people lines are like, "awww look at that! Grandson pushing Grandma so cute." And me and Maga are like, "muahahahahahaha suckas!" So we headed into California Adventures and we got there about the same time as Courtney and the kids. Clay was up late working the night prior so he was catching up on a little sleep. In the meantime, we went to Cars, Guardians, Toy Story Mania, Incredicoaster, Grizzly Rapids (we got soaked) and we were flying through the lines. Tuesday is already better than Monday. We met back up with Clay, Ana, Adrian, Liv and went to the lazy adults favorite ride Soarin' Through California. Yeah I mean it's cool when you're a kid, but the cousins would all rather go on Incredicoaster haha. We split up into two groups one going to Guardian's and the other Grizzly Rapids (Guardian's is quickly becoming a fan favorite). I went to the Rapids with Livi and some of the littles. After, we got lunch and headed back into California Adventures towards Incredicoaster, so that those who haven't gone can go. I stayed back with Maga and Sam and we watched them takeoff.
While they were waiting in line, my little churro quest began. Nearby there was a Señor Buzz's Churros stand and I got one covered with red hot cinnamon powder. After they're done, we walk back around towards a Cocoa live street performance and we got horchata churros and a cream dipping sauce. Those were amazing. Then, we headed towards Grizzly Rapids for my third time but before going on we got these gourmet-looking S'more churros and that was definitely my favorite one. A few more rides and a pumpkin spice and green apple churro before we headed to the other park. Indiana Jones again, and then the Buzz shooter game ride and right close by to that Star Tours. That made me decide to check out the new Star Wars land where they had an exclusive lightsaber shop where you get to build and keep your very own lightsaber along with a whole surrounding experience. You did have to pay for it ($200) and only two people can come with you so I took the two littles, Amare and Sam, and they helped me build my lightsaber (video here). We three met back up with the fam and we walked through a mythical forest with lots of lights and fog and eerie sounds. At this point it was pretty late and none of us were looking to go on anymore rides, but some of the littles convinced us to go on Autopia which was fun. We ate at Pizza Planet from Toy Story and then to our respective sleeping spaces.
Wednesday was a little bit of a different agenda. We were going to Universal Studios. A farther drive but we only get one day of it (Clay's family didn't do Universal because they did it the year before and went to the beach instead). We got there and the first ride we went on is the brand new Jurassic World. I'm not too big into Universal so I really didn't know what to expect. Turns out, you get absolutely soaked in the first minute of the ride by some giant dinosaur looking whale whatever it was awesome! After that, we did Transformers and it was basically a 360 version watching the movie in 3D, but it was awesome too! Then we went to the Mummy ride, and it's a Space Mountain sort of dark roller coaster really fast ride and I loved it. We learned that those were basically the three best rides in the whole park besides some Harry Potter ride Clay's family say we greatly missed out on. We went on Simpson's, Despicable Me, Kung Fu Panda, and they're all kinda the same boring thing. The last thing we did was the Studio Tour which was pretty cool just seeing all the studios and props they use for popular movies. Fruity Pebbles churro there. Then, that night we went swimming at the hotel pool and hot tub which felt nice for our poor sore legs and feet.
Thursday we didn't have an actual Disneyland ticket. We had the Oogie Boogie Bash that night in California Adventures when it opened. In the meantime, that morning, we went to a taco restaurant in Newport Beach that was delicious, and following breakfast, we went to the beach for about an hour and a half. Of course the boys couldn't help themselves and jumped straight in the water, but Ana and I hadn't expected anything else of them. Then we headed to some famous frozen banana shop. I loved it. I got two bananas and Adrian got a frozen cheesecake. We headed back home and got in our costumes, which was necessary for the Halloween bash, and headed for the park. Basically, there are a lot less people, a bunch of cool lights, free candy, and you can go on any of the rides with almost no wait. Cars, Guardians a couple a times, Incredicoaster three or four times, Toy Story Mania a couple times (me and Clay had a little rivalry and I ended up winning of course because I had a Buzz jacket on), Goofy's Sky School, Swings, Soarin', a couple more churros, and yeah. Fun day, dinner, and home.
Our last Disneyland day, Maga, Liv and I had to pack our things and get to a hotel because Joyce was coming home that day while we would be gone to the park. So we did that, and the met everyone at the Disney gate entrance. We actually got fast passes this day, so we used that to our advantage. I first went with Clay's family to Smuggler's Run, the new Star Wars Millenium Falcon ride and I (a Star Wars nerd) geeked out at about everything I saw (video here). When you get into the cockpit, there are six seats: two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. They let me have one of the pilot seats because they said that's the most fun one to do. The six of us were easily the best crew ever. Really amazing ride definitely one of my favorites. We all met up and split up a bunch of different times in the day. I went on Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones a couple times, Buzz a couple times, Star Tours again, and time flew by. Sure, you're waiting in lines but you barely notice after you get off the ride. For the big finale, we watched a water show called Fantasmic that was pretty neat we all enjoyed it. A GIANT corn dog later, Clay, the kids and I went on Pirate's for our last ride and then we get pictures, souvenirs, last moments and head home to sleep before the long drive back the following day. Maga thought our hotel was absolutely treacherous, and she was right. But it was just for one night (bless Joyce's heart).
Clay hit the road first while the rest of us went to breakfast at a local Denny's. I got to drive my first road trip, the entire trip home. Maga woke in and out of sleep a couple times, asked for a Whopper and Dr. P stop at Burger King which Livi mistakenly thought was a "whoopee" stop. They dropped me home first, talked to the fam, as Dad and Cooper were just returning from their trip too. Everyone was home safe, including my lightsaber ... which I think is broken now, but I would definitely do it all over again!
