California Dreamin'

The past few days have been interesting and fun! Saturday, I traveled most of the day to California. Before I left Florida, I had lunch at Zen and had the opportunity to check out a car show in New Port Richey. My first flight was delayed a bit. But that didn't impact my second flight. I had a few moments when I thought it might. But I kept praying about it. I spent the first flight praying most of the 4 hours and 15 minutes we were in the air. I've never done that before. I typically have something to read or watch for such a long flight. I'm glad I chose to pray instead. I have a lot to pray about...hehehe The second flight was a little different. It was much shorter and the person next to me was great to talk with. I saw an opportunity to share Jesus with him. It turned out he is a Christian as well. So, although I didn't introduce him to Jesus, it was great to talk about Jesus...hehehe

I arrived safely in California on time. Although it was a long day, I stayed up as late as I could to be sure I would sleep in the next morning. That next day was my first Disney day for the trip. I didn't want to wake up too early because I had planned to stay at Disney for as long as I could. This is the first time I've been to Disneyland Resort. I wanted to take in as much as I could. I don't mean riding all of the attractions. I mean taking in the vibe, seeing the property, and do as many attractions as I felt I wanted to without waiting in long lines.

I didn't take a lot of pictures. I wanted to live in the moment. I did take a few, though. I have a few videos as well. I'm so glad I lived in the moment, though. I shared this special day with Cherie throughout my time there. It was fun thinking about how she has been to most of the places I went through. I even had the same potstickers she has had...hehehe I also recreated a photo she had taken back in May. We may try to recreate it again on Friday with the two of us...hehehe

I'm using Lyft to travel to places like Disney. When my driver picked me up on Sunday, he made note of my attire and joked about how it looked like I might rob him with a machine gun...LOL Like a 1930s gangster...HAHAHA I told him it was Dapper Day at Disney and that several folks would be dressed up as well. We had a good laugh, though!

I arrived to Disneyland for rope drop. There were a lot of people who did the same. Once those ropes dropped, everyone went to their favorite attractions. I just stood there and watched everyone start their magical day...hehehe Without looking at the map, I then began meandering around the park. Somehow, I ended up in New Orleans Square for my first attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean. After that, I did Haunted Mansion. Both were a splendid way to start my day! I followed that up with a trip to the restroom and then the Pooh ride. Within the first hour of my visit, I had already completed three attractions! That's a great start indeed!

I then began to meander again. I was in search of something to eat. I ventured through Galaxy's Edge. It is very similar to the one in Florida. The entrances/exits are quite different. But once you are in the actually heart of it, it is exactly the same. So, I didn't really spend much time there. I still wish they had done it up differently. I get that it likely saved them money on the design and construction. This is just an observation. Not really a complaint. I am a fan of Star Wars. But I don't really mind that both locations are the same.

I eventually ended up getting a ham and cheese croissant and a Joffrey's coffee. I sat on a bench across from the castle. I think this was my favorite moment of the day. It was wonderful watching everyone enjoying taking their pictures in front of the castle...hehehe A few people complimented me on my dapper attire...hehehe I was planning to dress dapper regardless. But it ended up that it was also Dapper Day...hehehe My attire was a black and white theme with mostly greys and some black. Now that I'm growing my hair again, including my VanDyke, even my hair matched the outfit...LOL I have what I call salt and pepper hair. Dark base with white/grey hairs sprinkled throughout.

After I was finished with my breakfast, I spotted a churro cart. I had heard the Disneyland churros were better than Disney World's. That honestly doesn't tell me much because the ones at WDW are not really that good to me. I've had them a few times and gave up on them...LOL Well, I'd have to say the Disneyland churro lived up to the hype! To describe it best the way I would, WDW churros are garbage. Disneyland churros are handed through a cloud of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night...if you know what I mean...LOL

Next, I went into Tomorrow Land and rode the Nemo ride. Way back in the early 80s was the last time I had been on the Disney submarine ride. Back then, it was 20,000 Leagues themed at Magic Kingdom. It no longer exists. I remember feeling like we had actually gone under the sea...LOL Now, as an adult, I clearly know that isn't what happens. But I was amazed at this ride! I loved it!

After Nemo, I decided to take the monorail around. It takes you to Downtown Disney. I remained on, though, and went back to Tomorrow Land. It was fun riding in the back. And I got to see how that monorail is. It is completely different than the ones in Disney World. I really enjoyed it!

I did some more walking around and ended up at Snow White's wishing well. I snapped a photo of that for a scavenger hunt I was doing with Cherie. I then meandered back to Toon Town to snap a photo of Minnie's house for the scavenger hunt. I'm glad she included that one because I would have completely missed Toon Town otherwise. It is tucked away beyond It's a Small World. And Small World is down for the holiday change. So, I wasn't planning to be back there...hehehe The attractions in Toon Town had long waits. So, I didn't do those.

From there, I got on the train. It is very similar to the one in Disney World. At least the one I rode. I think there is another I need to try sometime named Lilly Belle. I think it might just be a single car. But I'd like to see that if possible...hehehe I got off at the Main Street Station. I ordered some lunch from Tiana's Palace. There was a wait for that. So I sought out to find Rosita for the scavenger hunt. I almost went to the Tiki Room for her. But then I read someplace that she was on an adventure. That took me to the Jungle Cruise...hehehe At the end of that attraction, I saw her up by the little food place. I snapped her picture from the boat. But then went up and around to get a better shot for the scavenger hunt results...hehehe

I still had some time before my food would be ready, so I meandered back to the Country Bears Barbecue place to see if those characters were around. The Cast told me they aren't. So I snapped a photo of the wooden statue of a fat bear holding up a plate with a sandwich...hehehe That was the fourth and final item for the hunt...LOL I did it!!! Yay!!!

The food I had at Tiana's was pretty good. It wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, though. I think it was because it is a quick service instead of a table service restaurant. I didn't do any table services. At Disney World, the quality is different between the two types. So I pondered if that was the case at Disneyland too? With this being my first visit, I didn't want to do a table service restaurant, as that takes up a lot of time.

After lunch, I made my way over to Disney's California Adventure park. I quickly headed over to the Grand Californian to check out the Dapper Day popup they had before I did much at DCA. The popup was fun. I want to check out the expo next year in April if I can, though. The popup only took a few minutes to check out. But I imagine the expo is even more amazing! I would have enjoyed the popup more with Cherie, though. I think the Dapper Day stuff would be more fun with someone else who enjoys it. I'm fine doing solo things. But that sort of thing is more fun for me with someone I know.

I made my way back to DCA after that. I love DCA!!! I think I spent more time there than I did at Disneyland...LOL And I didn't see it all as much as I'd like. I'm starting there on Friday to take in more of that. I rode the Incredicoaster!!! It was...wait for it...INCREDIBLE!!!

I absolutely loved Pixar Pier. The vibe there was similar to Santa Monica Pier; which I believe was what it was original modeled after. I didn't ride Mickey's death wheel...hehehe I thought about doing the normal part. But the line was longer than I cared for. It wasn't super long. But this was my first time and I would only want to wait in lines for attractions I'm most interested in...hehehe

I found my way over to Cars Land and did the Radiator Springs Racers. They have a single rider line for that and it took maybe half an hour to get on. I had a blast with that! The sun was setting shortly after I finished that ride. It was fun to see the sun hitting the mountains in Radiator Springs...hehehe I left there before the sh-boom time, though. I wanted to wait to experience Cher-boom with Cherie...hehehe

I went to Avenger's Campus next and rode Guardians. I really enjoyed it! I can't really compare it to Hollywood Tower of Terror. But I'd say I preferred the Guardians more...hehehe After I got out of that ride, it was dark.

I grabbed a small bite to eat at Pym's Test Kitchen...hehehe I went with a kids meal; which is themed to be small based on the Ant Man theme particle that makes him small. That was fun. The food was mid, though. Again, it is a quick service. But still better than some of the food at Disney World...LOL

I rode Spider-Man next. I had a ton of fun with that one! I got the top score for my group...hehehe

Before I continue, I wanted to mention that I had no idea what any of these rides would be like. I didn't watch any previews or anything. Knowing that I'd eventually go to Disneyland Resort, I wanted to experience it all first hand. I'm so glad I did it this way.

After that, I went to the Lucky Fortune Cookie and had the potstickers. They were okay. They weren't super fresh. I imagine they would have been amazing if straight from the pan...hehehe But I did like them and would definitely get them again! I loved San Frantokyo. Especially at night. I went through there both before and after dark. I loved it both passes. But at night it was something special ❤️

After that snack, I made my way back to Disneyland. Upon arriving, I decided to ride some attractions. I ended up on Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's, and Story Book. I loved every moment of them all! I tried to make my way back to Toon Town. But it was closed for the upcoming fireworks. They were going to open it back up after. However, I was getting tired and didn't want to come back later...hehehe

So, I made my way over to Downtown Disney. I did a little shopping but didn't find what I was looking for. I actually shopped a few times throughout the day too. Just couldn't find what I was looking for. I may see if Cherie wants to do some shopping on Friday. Maybe she can spy something that will work for some of the things I'm looking for...hehehe Shopping, like the Dapper Expo/popup, is more fun with someone.

I ended up having dinner at the new Asian restaurant at DD. It was pretty good. It was the only table service I experienced the whole day. But it isn't Disney. It's a third party on Disney property. But I wanted to check it out nonetheless. And that was it for the day! It was late and I wanted to get back to my apartment...hehehe That was around 10:30 or 11 when I left. It is hard to believe that both Disneyland and Downtown Disney were still open well after I left...LOL Disney World is all done by then...even Disney Springs closes by 11...LOL

Most of the day, no one approached me thinking I worked for Disney. The moment I was given a 1st Visit button, though, I was approached twice with people thinking I was Cast...hehehe I politely told them I didn't work there...hehehe I suppose people didn't notice the button as a guest button and perhaps thought it was a Cast name tag? It did have my name on it, I guess...LOL Dressing dapper apparently makes me look like Cast. This isn't the first time I've experienced that. And it won't be the last...hehehe

Yesterday, I had quite the adventure. But I'll not journal it here. As it turned out, my day related quite well with this week's Bible study lesson. So, I journaled about the day in my lesson notes. Cherie and I will be the only two to ever read about my day on November 4th, 2024 in Santa Ana, California...hehehe

Today was my first day of working from California during Eastern business hours. I wasn't sure how well that transition would go. However, it went splendidly! I absolutely loved my work schedule today. I woke up around 4:30am and started working by 5am. I was halfway done with my workday at 9am...LOL My workday came to an end at 2pm. I was very productive today. It felt a little weird because I was doing things I'd normally do on Monday. But that's because today was my Monday and Tuesday combined...hehehe The other weird thing was my eating schedule was a little out of synch with local time...LOL I was ready to have lunch at 9am since that is when it is noon back home in Florida. I was ready for and had something for dinner a little after 3pm. I didn't eat any normal meals at their normal times today. I even had a late snack around 7pm because my dinner was so early.

We'll see in a few days if I still like this schedule. I have a good feeling I will. If I were to live here, there would be a large portion of the year when I'll be able to do a lot of things after work whenever I want since my workday ends at 2pm. Right now, though, it isn't advantageous. There isn't much daylight left after work even with me getting off at 2pm. I'm referring to outdoor activities, though. I suppose there is a lot of things I could still do that isn't outdoors, though. Just not this week. I didn't rent a car...LOL I don't want to be out and about walking around after dark when I'm staying this week.

This particular apartment was something I prayed a lot about before picking it. I also prayed about trying the carless lifestyle. I feel strongly I did the right thing. It has given me a great opportunity to pray for this area. On my walks, I've been praying for this city.

I'll not likely live in a city if I were to move to California. City life really isn't for me. I was talking with my boss about it today. I miss the small town life. I think my next visit to California will be in a smaller town. They have those here, just like anywhere. I'll likely look for something in drivable distance from LA county so I can still see Cherie on that visit. Drivable is subjective...I'm thinking within 1-6 hours away...hehehe If more than a few hours, I'll just get a hotel for a night so I can still see her.

I imagine I'll be here for Dapper Day Expo in April. Especially if Cherie is able to go with me. But for that trip, I'll likely stay in a hotel at or near Disney. I won't be here for a week like I am this time.

I'm also thinking about a Dodgers game at Angel Stadium with Cherie. Again, that'll likely be a quick visit and I'll stay in a hotel nearby.

All of this is at the dream stage for now, though. No plans are in place just yet. And I don't even know if I'm moving next year or staying put another year...hehehe But I sure do love to dream. It's exciting to think about all the possibilities. Even if nothing happens, at least I have the dream.

There's a great big beautiful tomorrow...just a California dream away...hehehe