Day 1: FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEES
PRADA MAMA's Log, Thursday, December 23, 2004
6:10 PM: Southwest Arilines Flight 419 departs from Oakland Airport 2 hours late. The plane is full. Good thing we had an infant with us, which qualified us for pre-boarding. (Hooray for Reanna!)
The boys were loving it. Troy, by virtue of being the youngest in his aisle, got the window seat. Lance wasn't happy about this and was being quite vocal about it, but we promised him he'd get the window seat on the flight back. In the meantime, they were allowed to order sodas, since this was a special occasion. We also got extra pretzels for Troy. We didn't want to risk an allergy attack to the peanuts they were serving.
Reanna, on the other hand had her food supply conveniently close at hand. I breastfed her during takeoff and landing, to ease any pressure she may be feeling in her ears, but she appeared to be okay. The rest of the flight, she seemed content to be passed between Mommy and Daddy. And when she got sleepy, all it took was a few gulps of Mommy's milk and she was sleeping peacefully in my arms.
This is Troy's first time on a plane. Lance, on the other hand, is already a veteran of three other flights, but since he was just four months, eleven months and eighteen months when he took them, he doesn't really remember much.
Luckily, the flight didn't take too long. It was over before the novelty wore off. In less than an hour, we were landing at Orange County Airport. It was fun to hear the boys' reactions as we were making our descent: "Mom, that made my tummy feel funny!"
And then we were claiming our baggage and making our way to Budget, where we had a reservation for a minivan. Within minutes, we were loading our gear into our rented Pontiac Montana, the kids' car seats were safely installed, and we were on Highway 5, searching for the South Harbor Blvd. exit in Anaheim.
8:30 PM: Check-in, Castle Inn and Suites, Anaheim, CA. I knew the kids would love this location, since it looks like a medieval castle. It even has a suit of armor in the lobby, along with a wooden chandelier Robin Hood would've loved to hang on. Best of all, it was just across the street from the Disneyland main entrance!
After dropping our things off at our room, we decided to check out the immediate vicinity for food. Lucky for us, there was a strip mall at the Ramada complex just beside the hotel. There were a number of options to choose from, but the top two contenders were Chinese and Indian. I secretly wanted to try the Indian place, but resigned myself to eating Chinese, expecting it to be the popular cosensus. To my surprise, Lorenzo suggested the Indian restaurant as well.
So it was settled. Dinner would be at Tandoori Hut.
As soon as we took our first taste, there was no room for regrets. We ordered chicken tikka masala and chicken curry, and ate it with naan bread dipped in saag paneer (spinach). The children LOVED it! They also enjoyed the mango lassi which their Daddy got for them. I was genuinely surprised that they enjoyed the exotic food so much. Then again, everything tasted good, and the portions were generous.
After our meal, it was time to stock up our room with provisons. Lucky for us, our refrigerator was three times the size of a regular minibar, so we had lots of space for food. We drove to the nearest supermarket, where I bought our usual staples: water, milk, breakfast cereal, fruit, bagels, cream cheese, chips and soda. The coffee maker in our room also meant we could have instant oatmeal and hot cocoa with marshmallows, so I got those too, along with paper plates, paper towels, and plastic cups and utensils.
And then we headed back to our hotel, where the kids played around on the beds for a bit until we could settle them down to sleep.
It was a big room, with two queen beds and room to spare, perfect for the roll-away bed we ordered for tomorrow, when my Auntie Olive was expected to join us.
Olivia is my Mom's older sister, a nurse who lives in Southern California. When I told her we were going to Disneyland for Christmas, she immediately made plans to join us. I knew she would be a fun addition to our adventure. After all, she and I hold the family record for longest long-distance call, when we talked on the phone for SEVEN HOURS in 1994. She had just returned from her Christmas trip to the Philippines. I was lonely and homesick in Canada. And we LITERALLY burned the wires, and our pockets with the resulting phone bills.
Hard to believe that was ten years ago.
I finished unpacking, filling the armoire with my children's clothes while Lorenzo got the kids ready for bed. Lance, Troy and Reanna finally ran out of steam. We tucked them in bed, where they fell asleep almost immediately. We weren't that far from slumber ourselves.
It was, after all, the end of a very long and wonderful day.
(PLUGGING: "Should've Touched Wood", the sequel to "The Sun Also Rises" at The Prada Mama Chronicles, and "Happy Birthday Max!", my birthday post dedicated to my son, MAX (who turned 12 today), also at Prada Mama. You may also read the same text with additional pictures in my photoblog, Brag Book.)
