Disneyland!

Since the beginning of June, Emily and Mara practiced extra hours with their clogging team to get ready for a performance in Disneyland!  Three days before Thanksgiving all of their hard work paid off.  Bonus for us were discount tickets to the theme parks and double bonus was that three of Neil's siblings and their families came along too!!!

We stayed at the Candycane Inn.  It was close enough to walk, but we preferred the shuttle bus.   Once we even ran all the way from "It's A Small World" so we wouldn't miss the late-night shuttle.

The Christmas decorations are up.  Fabulous!



Steve and Laurie had a printed plan on how to maximize your time in Disneyland.  It told us to the minute which lines to stand in and which fast passes to get.   Funny thing, we saw a lot of other people in line with the same printout sheets!  Does it really maximize your wait time if everyone in the park is going to the same rides?!  :)   This picture of Mara and Emily is near our first ride of the day (along with about 200 other people) "The Peter Pan Ride."



After much research and practice, Neil finally got to level 6 on the Buzz Lightyear ride.  His nephew McKay beat his score though.   Teenagers!

Time for a Kodak moment!

Hayley had a bonding moment with Woody.  She tried to sneak a picture with him without waiting in line.  He good-naturedly butted her out, and then gave her a wave.  We got a great pic anyway!

Time to get ready for the clogging performance!   We met at the Toon Town bridge and then Mara and Emily were spirited away to the secret depths of Disneyland.  We didn't see them again until they appeared on the Garden Plaza Stage.

This is what we came for!  The show was terrific!

This show was terrific too!



Neil, Jennifer and Mara stayed late one rainy night.  We had a wet Matterhorn ride and enjoyed some of the shops.  It is a lot less crowded after dark, in the rain!





We waited in a very long line for the Toy Story ride.  Waiting is a lot more fun with cousins though! 




Hayley passed the time with a book. 





We spent one afternoon at the beach.   It was a refreshing change from the chaotic crowds of the Happiest Place on Earth, even if it was a bit chilly.



Surprise, surprise!   Jennifer ran into a childhood friend who was staying at the same hotel!   We only had a minute to visit, but it was sure fun to see Brenda!



Our last night together.  We ate at Bucca de Beppo.  We got there early enough to have a whole section to ourselves.  It was a fun way to end a terrific three days.   This is Steve and Laurie's family: Zach, Addison, Kylie, Laurie, Steve, and McKay.




Scott and Amy's family: Lexi, Scott, Amy, and Tyler.




Maria and Bob's family: Lauren, Maria, Kaitlin, Bob, and Brandon.



It was a terrific vacation with more to come.  We drove to Orem for Thanksgiving the next day!