There was a time when Disneyland was my second home, or maybe my first home-if you count the hours I spent there. I worked over in Fantasyland and met my dearest friends while I was working for “The Mouse”. On my last day of work, I sobbed as I walked to my locker for the last time. Merlin from “The Sword in the Stone” saw me crying and asked why I was so sad. I told him it was my last day, pointed to a trashcan, and said I was going to miss everything-including that trashcan. He gave me a Medallion (usually reserved for children who pull the sword from the stone), and said he hoped that I had many adventures ahead of me. Now I have the medallion hanging on my dresser and use it to entertain Little T while I change his diaper. Diaper changing is an adventure in my book. I loved working there and was sad when I had to leave. My housemate/Little T’s Godmomma/best-friend, still works at the park for Disney Fairytale Weddings. I like to live through her and pretend it’s also my job to go wine tasting and sample cupcakes.

My friends like to take a trip to Disneyland during the holidays to see the decorations. It’s the best time to visit because it’s beautiful, the weather is cool, and the crowds are low.

Here’s a few pictures from our trip…

The parade:

The teacups:

The Challenge Trail

M, who has been my best friend since the day we bonded in the employee parking lot over bad boyfriend breakups:

J, my other best friend who I met when we asked her to play Tinkerbell for a spoof the Cast Members were performing. Eat your heart out, Tinkerbell.

MIA: my friend S, who I met while eating the most amazing Indian food I’ve ever had. She couldn’t come and we missed her.

And California Adventure at Night:

My favorite time in the park was at night, after all of the guests had left. I liked to listen to the music and walk through the empty streets of Disneyland. They’re stricter about these things now, but back in the day we’d play teacup basketball, do matterhorn races, take tours of the rides, and tell ghost stories in the Haunted Mansion. When I think about working at the park, those are some of the things I miss the most. Those special days where you’d get a phone call from someone after hours who’d say something completely unexpected like, “Hey, you want to play synchronized Dumbos?”