Five things to know if you're going to Disneyland

Five things that will make your trip to Disneyland unforgettable:

1. Even if you plan on leaving for Southern California at about 3:30 or 4:00 pm, continue to pack and get things together until about 7:30 or 8:00pm. That way your husband can leave work early for nothing. Plus, it is almost dark by then, you don't have to stop for dinner, the kids sleep for the entire drive, your husband who got home from Europe three days ago sleeps for most of the drive, and you miss all the traffic. It's just you, sunflower seeds, the music of your choice, and about 500 semis on the road. Honestly, I think I saw about 1 other car amidst all the jumbo trucks until we got to Palm Springs area.

Oh, and if it is you and 500 semis on the road, don't flash one of those semis with your brights, even if he totally cuts you off and you have to press hard on your breaks to get down to about 55mph and then sit there for about 10 minutes while he slowly passes the other truck and merges back into the right lane. I kept imagining a scene like in The Birds, with all of the Semis converging on my little Escape as the call goes out 10-4.

Be warned, however, that if you do get to your brother's house at about 2:00am, the door might be locked so you may have to wake up your brother by knocking on the door at 2:00am. And then your two year old who has been asleep the entire ride might not be able to get back to sleep THE ENTIRE NIGHT. So you might not be bright and shiny the next morning as you tackle your first day at Disneyland. In fact, you might feel a little zombie-like.


2. Make sure you find an amazing deal on Craigslist for your tickets. A deal where you are going to be paying 1/2 price for three never-been-used 3-day hopper tickets. Check for feedback and discover that this guy is ligit and that other people have purchased tickets from him and have been very pleased. Bypass all the other deals on Craigslist that pale in comparison. Receive a confirmation that the tickets are held for you (luckily no money paid) and then call the number given you when you get into town so you can arrange the pickup. And get a message that the guy is not going to be returning phone calls for the next 48 hours. Leave 3 messages and 2 emails anyway. Pay full price for your tickets at Disneyland because you can't get a hold of the guy. Receive a message from him later that day saying that his father was in the hospital and so sorry he missed you.

3. The second day you are there, drive the 25 minutes from your brother's house to Disneyland, wait in line to get into the parking lot, unload stuff and kids, and then realize that you left your ticket in your pants from yesterday. Call to see if there is ANY way to get in without your ticket and be told you've got to be kidding. Have husband take baby and drive home to get your ticket. Take other two kids to get on a few rides. Find a tram line (for the stroller car) without anybody in it! Load kids and double stroller on tram, take a deep breath-you are on your way.

Do not panic several seconds later as you hear a very loud scraping, popping noise. And don't panic as the tram starts bouncing all over the place, nor as you watch your little four-year-old across from you nearly get hit with what looks like a metal pole that comes flying into the tram car and hear him crying from fright. Don't worry when the tram finally stops and you look around and see your child and stroller covered in fiberglass splinters and big chunks of the stuff. And it is ok if the fiberglass starts to make your skin feel very uncomfortable.
Do accept the offer to vacuum out your stroller, the saline to wipe down your arms and your childrens' bodies, the "get-to-the-front-of-the-line passes", the offer of free tickets, and the 5 free shirts. Do enjoy the fact that every time you mention "the tram accident" somebody offers you something free ;-) Do call your sister-in-law and tell her what happened and enjoy her response, "I've never heard of the tram crashing!!"

Enjoy walking right on Dumbo and Peter Pan with your special passes when the lines are at least 30 minutes long.And especially enjoy having your son take this picture to show and tell at school and telling all his friends about "the tram accident." It really was unforgettable.

4. Definitely meet up with family. One day meet up with super sister-in-law Chelsee and her three kids. It will make it so much easier for your very frightened 4-year-old to try some of the rides he may not have been willing to try. And the cute cousins can cheer "Go Andrew Go!!" from behind as your little Andrew sits stiffly on Big Thunder Railroad. And the next day meet up with sister-in-law Kathy and her friend Mory. Kathy will dote on your kids and Mory will actually watch your kids as you, husband and Kathy scream yourselves hoarse on Tower of Terror.


5. Enjoy each moment and be flexible. I guess this one is probably just for me. I tend to have an idea about how thinks should go to make it perfect and struggle when things don't go according to plan. So this trip was a big test for me. From the tickets, to the sleepless night, to the longer lines than expected, to the getting to the park later than I would have liked (I was the type that would stand in line for the monorail at 6:00am when I was about 11 and we were at Disneyland with my family--I love to get there EARLY!), the trip did not go at ALL the way I had "planned." But it was so much fun. And I was able to really apply the thought that I was repeating to myself every day: "Fun is what you make it. It doesn't matter what happens or doesn't happen, it is as fun as you think it is." And that was the truth!