After the worst road trip ever, we finally made it to California to visit Disneyland with the Allreds.
Sarah and I had been planning this trip since Christmas and we couldn't quite believe it was finally time to make it happen.
But before I get into our amazing trip to Disneyland, I have to write about our road trip and how the universe turned against us. It was such a rough trip- but even in the midst of the craziness- we got to see God's tender mercies.
We were about 7 hours into our drive to Anaheim when our a/c went out- that caused our van to heat up really quickly- since we were driving on the freeway outside of Amarillo at the time. It was over 100 degrees and it was even hotter on the blacktop. Then out of nowhere, the entire van just broke down- we barely had time to exit off the freeway before the van died.
We took the one and only exit for Adrian, Texas and the van died in a small town of 128 people. We couldn't believe what had happened. It was so hot and the van had died on the off ramp so we weren't even really in the small town- but about .5 miles from it.
We started talking about what we should do and making a plan, we tried pouring some water into the engine to help it cool down- then Chris suggested we say a prayer.
So we gathered together and said a quick but sincere prayer.
Literally less than one minute later, a car pulled up next to us and asked if we needed help.
Tucker leaned over and said "It's an answer to our prayer." It truly was and we all felt it.
After talking to the man, his name was Butch and he was in town from Amarillo helping his daughter move into her classroom at the local school. He was such a kind man and he offered to drive us into town and take us to the nearby cafe while we made a more concrete plan.
He gave Chris his phone number and said if we needed anymore help to please call him. He offered to let us come to the school and relax in the a/c as well.
We went into the "Midpoint Cafe" and decided to get some pie while we figured things out.
We would later find out that the creators of "Cars" came to Adrian, TX to get a feel for the small towns that had been deserted when the interstate came through. Apparently, it had once been quite the hot stop along Route 66. The Cafe was totally adorable and we were grateful to have a place to cool off.
When the hostess seated us she asked if we were ok, I think she could tell we were a little hot and stressed. I told her about our van and just asked if we could get some pie and enjoy their a/c.
While I was talking to the hostess, the owner of the cafe came out and started asking questions. It turned out, her husband was a mechanic and so she called him to come into the cafe to meet up with us and then take a look at our van. Then she brought us some complimentary pie. It was so sweet.
A few minutes later her husband showed and him and Chris drove to check out the van.
The mechanic decided the van was dead-dead. He couldn't fix it and so we needed to make a new plan.
At this point, the cafe was getting ready to close. So Chris called Butch back and he came back and picked us all up and then drove us to his daughter's school. We were grateful to have a place to go while we figured out a plan.
While Chris helped Butch build furniture for the classroom, I found us a rental van and made a reservation for it. Chris also got the name of a mechanic and tow company from Butch. We made arrangements for the tow company to come pick up the van. Then Butch drove us back over to our van so we could unload everything. Then he dropped us and our stuff back off at the school and him and Chris then drove an hour back to Amarillo to pick up the rental van. That was the closest rental we could find.
I couldn't believe this complete stranger would be willing to drive Chris 2 hours round trip to pick up the rental. It was incredibly charitable. The kids and I hung out at the school and we just wandered around and explored while we waited. The kids thought it was pretty cool to get to see a school when it was empty. Benson luckily had packed his remote control car and he happily drove that thing up and down every hallway of that school.
Eventually, Chris made it back to the school in the rental van and Butch was right behind him. He helped us transfer all our stuff into the rental van and then we said out goodbyes.
We felt surrounded by angels. People who went out of their way to take care of us, even though they didn't know us and had no reason to help us. They were literal angels in our lives and we felt beyond blessed and watched over. We tried to pay Butch for his gas and time but he wouldn't take it. We ended up just stashing some cash in his cup holder when he wasn't looking.
We said our goodbyes and finally hit the road again, with about 4 more hours to go that night. We said another prayer of gratitude and then we grabbed some dinner along the way. We arrived at our hotel around 11 pm. We were all tired but grateful to be making progress.
The next morning we were all feeling a bit more optimistic and we started the 12 hour drive from Albuquerque to Anaheim. We were making pretty good time and google maps had helped us avoid many traffic jams along the way. But then we got stopped for a completely different reason.
Growing up in the south, I've heard the phrase "flash flood warning" more times than I can count- however, apparently those warnings are much more serious in California. When we only had 2 hours to go, we got stuck while we waited for a flash flood to end. The water was rushing over the road so fast, literally knocking pieces of asphalt loose from the road and it was crazy to witness. There was a huge lineup of cars stuck waiting with us and we all got out to walk closer and witness the flash flood. It was something I will never forget. Nature is wild. We waited about 2 more hours before we were able to continue our journey.
Eventually the water slowed enough for us to cross and we were able to resume our journey. Although we were feeling like the universe was working against us at this point. We were all tired and hungry but we did make it to our hotel in Anaheim and we grabbed some take out to scarf down before bed. We had our first of three days at the park the next morning and we really wanted everyone to get rested.
Now I can finally move on to Day 1 at Disneyland. We referred to this day as our "Star Wars Day" because it was mostly centered around the Star Wars land called "Galaxy's Edge" and Tomorrowland.
We purchased the "fast passes" for all three days of our trip and I'm so glad we did. It made our day move along so seamlessly and we got to do everything we wanted. Having reserved times for certain attractions made it so much easier to plan and navigate the park.
We got ready and ate breakfast at our hotel and then walked the 10 minutes to the park. The kids were bouncing with energy and excitement. It was so cute to see them all excited and happy together. I love cousins and making memories together.
We had the best time. We rope dropped and we were able to walk straight onto "Rise of the Resistance". This was such a relief because I had read online that the wait time for this ride would be around 2 hours even if you got there early.
I sure love this crew!
We timed it perfectly because when we got off the ride the wait time was already at 85 minutes. I cant imagine waiting that long. The ride was incredible though. It was the perfect start to our day!
From there we walked through Galaxy's Edge on our way to ride "Smuggler's Run". We got to take some pictures in front of the Millennium Falcon too. Our "fast passes" came with a photo pass too so we did our best to take pictures whenever we saw a park photographer.
We all loved "Smuggler's Run" too. It was an interactive game and it was fun to get to play different parts.
Galaxy's Edge was amazing and so immersive. Tanner was in HEAVEN. His eyes were so huge and he was grinning so big as he took it all in. It was so fun to see his excitement.
I love this picture because of Benson in the background. He was so happy for Tanner. I think we all were.
The kids loved looking at all the droids together.
They even got to meet everyone's favorite droid- R2D2.
And Max really wanted to take this picture with Tanner on the speeder. You can't tell by his face but he was excited.
We also explored the area controlled by the Empire. We were a little worried about being detained but I guess they couldn't sense the force inside us.
Although a couple of Troopers did stop and interrogate Bailey. They were convinced she was trying to smuggle out sensitive information. They warned her "to stick to the civilian channels" when she was using my phone. It was so funny. The girls couldn't stop laughing.
We explored some more and looked at all the little shops and then we had a reservation for drinks at "Oga's Cantina."
This was such a fun place. It felt like we were in Star Wars cantina and we all got to order fun drinks. Some of the kids got the blue milk called "Blue Bantha " and some kids got the "Jabba Juice". They were unsurprisingly overpriced, but the environment made it worth it.
After getting our drinks we walked over to Tomorrowland to ride "Space Mountain" and "Star Tours".
I don't know which one the kids loved more but I loved "Space Mountain" best. We also grabbed lunch in Tomorrowland at "Pizza Planet"
When we got off "Star Tours" there was a character meet happening with Darth Vader and there was no line so we walked right in and got to meet him. He was surprisingly not terrifying.
Then it was time for Max and Tanner to do their "Lightsaber Build" and so Uncle Johnny took all the rest of the kids to ride some other rides and to play at the treehouse playground, while Chris, Aunt Sarah and I got to go with the boys to build their light sabers. Now this is another experience that was super expensive but I would say that it was completely worth it.
I loved getting to watch Tanner build his saber and the entire experience was top notch.
Him and Max both had such a great time and came home with the coolest souvenirs. Neither boy had any regrets spending their money on their light sabers.
These boys loved their light sabers so much. We were also able to have the "Droid Depot" hold onto their sabers until we were done for the day so we didn't have to carry them around and risk them getting damaged.
After the boys finished their sabers we met back up with Uncle Johnny and the other kiddos and went to ride more rides. We did "Pirates of the Caribbean" and that was a fun one that we all enjoyed.
Then we rode "Autopia" and Benson really loved getting to drive the car. Bailey even got to drive all on her own. Tucker and Max drove together and Tanner and Dad drove together.
We also rode "Big Thunder Railroad". That was a fun one and I think I screamed the entire time. But all the kids loved it!
Then we hopped on the carousel and then cooled off with some "Dole Whips". These were a huge hit and were just as good as I had heard.
Then we watched the "Magic Happens" parade and did a little souvenir shopping.
At this point, most everyone was ready to head back to the hotel. The kids were anxious to get back to the pool.
So we walked back to our hotel and the kids immediately changed into swimsuits and hopped in the pool. Uncle Johnny left to pickup dinner for us all and we enjoyed Gyros by the pool that night.
We were all pretty wiped out from our first day so the kids fell asleep very quickly.
Stay tuned for the second day of our trip when we played all day at "California Adventures".
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