Off to Disneyland!!

My mom will be turning 60 next year and I was talking to her about it a few months ago. She was a little bummed out about it and we were talking about what we could do to celebrate the fact that she even made it to 60 years old.

For those of you who don't know, my mom has been troubled all her life by a myriad of health problems. She's battled many different diseases, landed in the hospital a few times and came pretty close to dying twice. We are very lucky and so proud of her that she is as healthy as she is today!

So anyway, we decided that celebrating her 60th birthday in Disneyland would be the ideal place to have a party. Not only is it impossible to be sad while you're there (it is the Happiest Place on Earth, after all...) but Disneyland has always been my mom's favorite place in the entire world. If she could live IN the park, I think she would. She's talked about moving to LA when she retires and getting a job...any job...at Disneyland and she would be happy as a clam. When we were growing up, my mom struggled and saved to take us there and we managed to go at least 5 times as an entire family. Those memories of being at Disneyland as kids is one of my happiest of our childhood.

We're off to Disneyland as a group in February! Kevin has decided to stay home: he's not a huge Disney fan so he said he'd save his trip for when Maelin is a little older and will be able to remember him being there. I think that makes sense. Kat, Jeff, Maelin, Nana and I are going for a nice long weekend! I wish my sister and her boys could come, but they decided to save it for when the boys are a bit older as well. My other sister in Seattle is going to try to make it but she has to wait till it gets a bit closer to see if she can get the time off of work.

I'm so excited we get to spend this time with my mom. I know it means the world to her to be at her "Happiest Place on Earth" with her kids and grandchild. I know I'll look back on this and be so happy I was able to give the gift of time and memories to my mom. She deserves it for all she's been through and I really am happy and proud of her for all she's overcome! I know Maelin is a bit young and won't remember much...but there will be pictures and no one can take the time spent and the memories away from me or Nana.

That's money well spent!



My mom and I together at our favorite place...