Such a Wonderful Vacation!

We are back from our vacation and are trying to get settled back in! That might take as long as we were actually gone! While it's nice to be home, after a week in hotels, I don't think that any of us are truly ready to be back to our reality! It's hard to get back to "normal" (whatever that is!) after a week of playtime and Disney!!!

What a wonderful week we had! It was the perfect balance between crazy/high energy (Las Vegas and Disneyland!) and calm/peaceful (the beach and the evening we spent at my old temple for Friday night's service.

We spent our first night and last night on the road in Las Vegas. It was a good experience, as we realized how totally disinterested we were in being there! Neither Dusty nor I gambled at all....not even a single coin was dropped into a slot machine! We walked around a lot, taking in the sights and people-watching. Now, I don't think of myself as a prude or straight-laced, but I was amazed at some of what I saw! The way people dress (women mostly!) and behave, I'm sure contributes to Vegas' name "Sin City"! While we enjoyed looking around, all of the lights and the food (we ate at two different buffets), we were also glad to be leaving both times!!

Disneyland was.....well, Disney in every respect!! What a wonderful, wonderful two days we had there! Aside from the cost and the lines (both of which are unavoidable), it truly is a magical place. The Disney organization just does everything to absolute perfection! Their employees (called "Cast Members") are trained better than employees anywhere else! They are kind, considerate, polite and helpful 100% of the time! There is no question that you can ask, that they don't immediately have the answer to!

The Park is immaculately clean. Years ago, I remember my Dad saying that if you drop a piece of paper on the ground at Disneyland, someone immediately comes out of the bushes to pick it up! That is still the case! The average daily attendance is around 43K. Considering the number of people that move through the park daily, it is truly pristine!! People behave differently at Disneyland too. You would think that having that many people "crammed" into that amount of space for hours on end would cause annoyance and irritation, in general or between people/groups. This just doesn't ever seem to be the case. We laughed when I said, "Only Disney could have people stand in line for what seems like forever, have a comparatively short ride for them at the end of that wait and have people happy and saying it was all totally worth it at the end!! How DO they DO that??"

They have mixed the old and new so well. The old standbys (like "It's a Small World") are still there and while they seem almost antiquainted by current Disney standards, they are still wonderful for what they are....Disney's past! The newest rides like Indiana Jones at Disneyland or Soarin' Over California (at the new California Adventure Park, which is just next door to Disneyland) are truly spectacular for opposite reasons. The only thing that the two rides do have in common is the amazing technology than was used to create them both! Funny enough, the ONLY ride that I didn't like in either park (both of which we spent time in) was the ferris wheel at California Adventure. Yes, I can handle, and even enjoy, being dropped 12 stories, feeling like I'm riding a hang glider or any roller coaster they can throw my way, but I DO NOT like ferris wheels!! They just freak me out!! We rode the rides we enjoyed most, several times, wait times allowing. We had our fill of "Pirates of the Carribean", "Indiana Jones" and "The Matterhorn". There were a few things that we never did ride because the lines were just too long. As proof that it really is "a small world", we even ran into the principal from James' school, Mr. Brummitt and his family!! What a nice surprise that was, and something we'll always remember!

Overall, it was a wonderful two days. Nothing else makes you feel like Disney does! It REALLY is "the Happiest Place on Earth" and is where memories are made!! Our son, who was completely resistant to the idea of going to Disneyland is now a "Disney convert".....James LOVED every minute there! The thing I enjoyed most this trip was watching James enjoy it all. The smile never left his face! Riding the rides with him and watching his reactions was WONDERFUL. The smiles, giggles and squeals of glee made it ALL worth it!! We hope it won't take us so long to get back there again.

After Disneyland, the rest of our trip was much more calm! We spent the afternoon at the beach and had a wonderful time there! James had only been one other time (in Northern CA at Thanksgiving time) at the age of 4 and didn't remember it at all. This time, he didn't even bother to put on his swimsuit, going into the water fully dressed in jeans and shirt! He had a great time! I used it all as a photo op and got several great pictures. Dusty thoroughly enjoyed watching James play in the water....it brought back many happy memories for him, playing in the ocean as a kid. When the wind picked up it was time to move on!

We were able to spend a wonderful evening with my Mom's oldest and dearest friend, Joy and her husband, Bob! For me, it was wonderful to see them both again! For Dusty and James, it was great to spend the time and get to know them! It was very enjoyable for all of us!

We went to the Friday night service at the temple where I had been raised! For me, it was an amazing experience! It was very different than it had been years ago (different people, different music and they have just completed a remodel so the building is different too!) and yet it still felt like Leo Baeck....still felt like "home" to me!! I've been to several different temples since leaving L.A. and Leo Baeck and have never felt comfortable anywhere else! It was a very sweet "homecoming" for me and now I'm sad that it was so short. We met up with my old temple friend, Ami, and had a fun reunion with her! She joined us at temple and then we met her husband at a restaurant for dinner. It was so much fun to rekindle an old friendship and we hope we'll see them again, before too long!

We drove around to the neighborhoods where I had grown up, seeing my old homes and schools. We ate at an awesome Jewish deli and had an unexpected reunion with an old high school classmate of mine! What fun!

It WAS a fun, fun trip on all levels! The three of us got along well and enjoyed each other's company. I'm glad that we waited until James was old enough to really enjoy and remember his time at Disneyland! While it is nice to be back home, I find my mind wandering to what kind of a trip might be next!!!

Here are some of the pictures that we took during our week away......