California Adventure

Day 2 of the Disney portion of our California trip found the Kenney Family at California Adventure. We hadn't been to this part of Disneyland in FOREVER and there was lots of new stuff to obsess over. First of all...THE NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY RIDE! I could spend days talking about this ride. When I first heard that they were updating the Tower of Terror ride to be Guardians of the galaxy themed, I was extremely upset. I mean, respect the classics, man! But after this trip, I am fully on board with this ride. It's the same concept as the Tower of Terror, where you are free falling in an elevator, but the new themeing is on-point. Even for someone who doesn't know anything at all about the Guardians movies, (ie Mom & Dad), you can appreciate this ride. Every time you ride it, they play a different classic rock song which makes the ride 100 times more fun. We got to ride the ride twice and the first time we got "Hunka Burnin' Love" by Elvis and the second time, I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. It was epic, to say the least. Second awesome new thing was CARS LAND. Cars will always be my favorite Disney Pixar film. Growing up in the southwest means that I sob every time during the "Our Town" song. I love Sally's line "People used to drive not to make great time, but to have a great time." I love that it's a movie about the simple life, about appreciating your hometown. I love the way the animation perfectly portrays the sweeping landscapes of the part of the country I grew up in and have come to love. The soundtrack will always remind me of our road trips to California. Needless to say, walking into Cars Land for the first time put a lump in my throat. Not very often do you get the chance to walk into an a real-life version of an animated film that defined your childhood. It was incredible and so well done. The ride is fantastic and the fact that every night, when it gets dark, the lights come on while they blast "Sh-Boom" is so awesome. It was totally worth waiting five years to see. Other memorable moments include:

- Emma and I riding California Screaming 3 times in a row

- Mom buying the gross chocolate chip cookies at literally every restaurant we ate at

- Riding the new version of Soarin'.. (Soarin' Around the World, instead of California) It's awesome!

- SEEING GROOT

- Emma and I getting Macoroni and Cheese from the Cozy Cone Motel and agreeing that it tasted awful, but was worth it because it comes in a bread cone and is totally photogenic ;)

- Sobbing during World of Color 

I'm already counting the days until I can go back.

Hannah