Disneyland!

This was the second year in a row that I drove down to LA to see my sister over MLK weekend. Last year we went to Universal Studios, and this year we decided to step it up a notch and do the real deal... Disneyland! My sister LOVES Disneyland and is a total pro when it comes to knowing all the rides and figuring out the fast pass system, so it was really fun going with her. We Disney'd our hearts out all day and well into the night. We went on every single ride at least once, plus our favorite rides multiple times!

Before we had our Day of Disney, I drove down to LA Saturday morning to pick her up from UCLA. I checked out her new dorm before we went to lunch at Bruin Plate (the healthiest cafe on campus). After lunch, we went straight to Anaheim and checked into our hotel. We stayed half a mile from the park so that we could walk there easily - it was prime location. That evening, we walked to Downtown Disney and played games at ESPN Zone before having dinner at Rainforest Cafe!

The next morning, we basically ran to the park to get on Main Street as early as possible. When they opened the gates into the various "lands" at precisely 8am, Sam took my hand and led the way as we literally sprinted to the rides (she was on a mission). We had virtual fast passes so we were able to get onto almost all the rides in less than 25 minutes! Our favorite rides were Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, and Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was a long day but it was so so so much fun. Highlights included getting the Dole Whip float at the Tiki room, randomly running into an Instagram-famous blogger that I follow, Cara Loren, and meeting her (!!!), and seeing the castle and It's a Small World totally lit up at night (it was beautiful). 

A few things I love and appreciate about my sister: she's young at heart, laid back in all the right ways, cracks me up with her witty humor, and knows how to live in the moment. In many ways she's opposite of me, so she always reminds me to slow down, stop worrying so much, and just... live. It's hard to explain, but when it's just the two of us, my world always feels brighter. This morning after dropping her back off at school, my heart broke a little because I already missed her. If only words could explain how much I love that girl! We made so many fun memories and I already can't wait for next year's MLK weekend :-) Xoxo