ROYAL HOLIDAY
Day 6: The Pilgrims' Progress




PRADA MAMA's Log, Tuesday, December 28, 2004

10:30 AM: It was the last day of our Christmas vacation.

Or so we thought.

We had already extended a day as it is, returning to Disneyland to chase the boogieman away after much ado about nothing. In the clear light of day it was apparent our troubles were based on a delusion, a mountain of intrigue stemming from idle gossip and malicious speculation.

Really, some people have nothing better to do with their time.

But enough of that. We know better than to waste precious space on the whys and wherefores. Some people just defy all logic and explanation. If anything, at least the past few days demonstrated just how strong our relationship was. We owe it all to our unwitting accomplice, who really deserves not our ire, but our pity.

And so we forgive. Again. But this time, we won't forget.

The day dawned darkly. It seemed like the rain that hounded us last night was still holding court over Southern California.

We got up, ate breakfast, and got down to the business of getting ready. We were glad we decided to drive our rented minivan back to Oakland Airport. This meant we could just dump our belongings haphazardly into the van with a minuimum of fuss. I can't even imagine packing for a return flight with all the additional baggage we'd accumulated: gifts from Auntie Olive and the souvenirs we bought from Medieval Times and Disneyland. Lance and Troy did well for themselves this Christmas, and that wasn't even counting the presents waiting for them at home!

Auntie Olive called while we were packing. She was concerned that we hadn't left yet. She had heard news reports that it was raining hard on the grapevine, that treacherous stretch of zigzag roads and hairpin turns on the hills which we had to traverse on Interstate 5. She told us the mountain pass was sometimes closed during bad weather.

Lorenzo and I hurried along with our packing. The last thing we needed was to be stranded in bad weather in Southern California. Soon the van was loaded and we were ready to go. We checked out of Castle Inn and Suites, making one last pass around the parking lot to take pictures and say goodbye.




We didn't end up far. In fact, we didn't even make it past next door, at the Ramada complex. We decided to return to Tandoori Hut for our last meal in Anaheim. We weren't disappointed. The Indian food was just as delicious as it was on our first night there. Our boys' smiles bear witness to this tasty fact.




It was still dark and drizzling when we finally hit the freeway. The rain started coming in earnest when we reached the Hollywood area, but we were still treated to an unobstructed view of the Hollywood sign, so we didn't think it was all too bad. We were a bit apprehensive about driving conditions at the grapevine, but apart from the snow on the mountaintops, there seemed no indication that severe weather was coming. Lorenzo even felt comfortable enough to videotape the view while driving!




I guess in this case, looks were deceiving. An hour after we crossed the pass, Auntie Olive called us, her voice worried. She heard on the radio that they closed the grapevine to traffic and was wondering if we had already made our way through. Apparently the rain took a turn for the worse in the L.A. area, and there was already news of flooding in some parts.

Auntie Olive had more bad news, something about hundreds of thousands of people dying in a tsunami in Indonesia. It was the first time we heard of the terrible tragedy in the Indian Ocean the day afer Christmas. It had a sobering effect on the rest of our drive, which proved uneventful except for a stopover for a diaper change at a McDonald's along the way.




We reached Oakland Airport at past ten in the evening. Our first destination was Vanna, our trusty minivan, who was waiting for us at her space in the long term parking lot. We transferred our belongings to her and made our way to the Rental Car Complex, which was quite far from the airport itself. Upon dropping our keys off at the counter, we discovered (much to our delight) that they had switched us to a weekly rate, which meant we didn't have to pay much extra at all. They even forgot about the drop-off charge!

We waited for the shuttle to take us back to Oakland Airport. The boys were beaming when it finally came into view. It was a huge white bus, mundane enough in our eyes but a source of wonder to theirs. They had never been on a bus before. As far as Lance and Troy were concerned, this shuttle ride was another exotic adventure. They settled down to enjoy the short drive back to the terminal.




The big white bus dropped us off at the airport, where we made our way back to the long term parking lot to collect Vanna. It was way past midnight when we finally left Oakland, and I was concerned for my husband, who had to start work at 6:30 in the morning. When one o'clock came and we still weren't halfway home, Lorenzo and I came to a quick decision. It didn't make sense to go all the way to Modesto when we knew he would have less than two hours of sleep before he had to get up again at 4:30 AM.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I wasn't about to let my husband endanger himself on the road. He had just driven over six hours in inclement weather. He deserved to rest before facing another day of planning and forecasting.

And so we made a detour to Antioch, nabbing the last available room at the Best Western Heritage Inn, just a few steps away from Lorenzo's place of work. We carried our sleeping children up to our room. They were so tired they didn't even stir. We knew they would wake up in excitement the next morning, knowing we had extended our "ROYAL HOLIDAY" again.




We started the day in one hotel room and ended it in another. It looked like our little adventure wasn't over just yet. And in our hearts, we realized that was just the way we wanted it.

We weren't really ready to let go of the magic either.


(PLUGGING: New family pictures in BRAG BOOK, and "Of Goodbyes and I Love Yous", the latest in The Prada Mama Chronicles.)

ROYAL HOLIDAY
Day 5: Redemption




PRADA MAMA's Log, Monday, December 27, 2004

12:30 AM: We were only human, and we reacted as humans would.

Accusations were hurled, heated words were exchanged. Our children were reduced to mute witnesses, their faces worried, their eyes bewildered. They sensed the tense atmosphere between their parents, so different from the playful mood everyone enjoyed mere minutes ago.

It all started with a phone call, received from a friend. It's amazing how the power of a single call could ruin an entire holiday. We were heading back home tomorrow, our memories sullied by the simple act of someone who did not care to exercise prudence in her actions.

We went back to our hotel, both of us anticipating the long night ahead. We put the children to bed. They were the biggest victims of this cruel joke. They didn't need to see any more. It was a good thing they were tired, so sleep came mercifully quick.

Other phone calls were made, and soon the REAL story began to unfold. We found it so hard to believe that people who were so close to us, people whom we actually LOVED, could act with such malice. I confronted the other party involved and got the whole story from her. I had to admire the way she dealt with the situation. She was the only one among us who reacted in a truly Christian manner.

And so the air was cleared between us once more. Lessons were learned that night, foremost of which was to TRUST each other above all. There were too many people around us with their own agendas. We just had to rise above the petty stuff, setting our sights on what's REALLY important, our relationship, the very foundation on which our family rested.

We had to be strong for each other. The wool wasn't pulled over our eyes anymore. There were wolves who were disguised as sheep among us.

We slept in each other's arms that night, our love tested, but stronger.


10:00 AM: We woke up to a beautiful day, and ate breakfast.

Our kids were happy to see us acting normal again. We made sure to lay it on thick, kissing and hugging even more than we normally do. We wanted to make it up to them. We wanted to show them that Mommy and Daddy still loved each other very much, and that last night was just a big misunderstanding.

We were scheduled to check out of our hotel around lunchtime. I called in to request a late checkout, not wanting to break the spell just yet. Lorenzo had an even better idea. Why not return to Disneyland for another day of fun? He was adamant about it. He could still remember our boys' disappointed faces. He wanted to make up for what happened last night.

And so it was settled. I called the front desk to extend another day, also calling Budget to see if we could drop off our rented minivan at Oakland Airport. Finally, I called Southwest to cancel our reservation. We were all set.

We told the kids we were going back to Disneyland and they were ecstatic. I think that blew away the final cobwebs of last night's nightmare from their minds. We quickly got ready and headed back across the street once more. This time around, there was no sign in the parking lot saying Disneyland was full. We were off to a good start.

We were directed to Disney's main parking structure, right by Downtown Disneyland. We took it as a good sign, meaning there were far less people today than during the past weekend. We lined up for tickets while Lance and Troy posed with Mickey. We were eager to explore Disney's other lands, since we were only able to fit in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland the day before.




The first order of the day was to collect Fast Passes again. Our first stop was the Indiana Jones ride, which, unfortunately, had run out of Fast Passes. A man with his family nearby must've seen our disappointment because he walked over and gave us his, saying he couldn't use them because they had someone with a wheelchair in their party. We couldn't believe our luck, thanking him profusely.

Next we headed to New Orleans Square, where my favorite ride, The Haunted Mansion was. Luckily, there were still Fast Passes available so we snapped those up quickly.

We were getting hungry and it was starting to drizzle. We decided to head for the Plaza Inn again for a late lunch. The timing was perfect. We would be able to catch a glimpse of Mickey's parade as it made its way to Main Street.





Our late lunch turned out to be an early dinner, since a downpour threatened to drown the tail-end of Mickey's parade. We lingered over dessert as I fed Reanna, waiting for the rain to stop. And then we headed for Mickey's Toontown, which closed earliest of all the lands, at 8:30. We rode Inspector Gadget's Go Coaster, which both boys later said was their favorite ride of all.

And then we headed for the Haunted Mansion, just in time to use our Fast Passes. It was different from the way I remembered it, probably since it was the holidays and the theme was "The Nightmare Before Christmas". After that we caught the "Fantasmic" show at the Pivers of America, right in front of the mansion before heading for Critter Country and the Winnie the Pooh ride.





We were starting to feel hungry again, but it was getting late so we decided to squeeze in as many rides as we could before the park closed. We headed back along the Rivers of America to catch Indiana Jones before our Fast Passes elapsed. Alas, when we got there, we found out we couldn't use our Fast Passes anyway, since Lance and Troy were both under the height limit. I found a nice looking family of four at the end of the line and gave them our Fast Passes, their grateful smiles easing my disappointment.

We ended up going to the Jungle Cruise next door, a leisurely boat ride on the river which everyone enjoyed. We stopped at the Jungle Outpost after, where Daddy helped himself to a juicy dill pickle while the boys picked out rubber snakes from an overflowing barrel.




It was getting late. The shops were starting to close. We went in search of a food stand and found one still open, right by the Haunted Mansion. Of course, since we were in New Orleans Square, the selection was predictably Cajun. Lorenzo and I ordered steak gumbo while the boys had clam chowder, all of which came served in sourdough "cauldrons". We also had a French sounding dessert which was similar to Spanish churros, which we washed down with mugs of hot chocolate.





Soon it was close to midnight, and we had just enough time to catch the finale of the evening, the Pirates of the Caribbean.




It was an exhiliarating experience. I'd forgotten how long the ride actually was. My family took in the many sights and sounds as the floating ride made its way from the bayou to the open ocean. It was a magical journey, and the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

It was past midnight when we emerged from the exit, and Disneyland was closed. We made our way back to Main Street, taking many pictures along the way. Soon it began to rain. We found shelter at the Girson Girl Ice Cream Parlor, where the kids asked for scoops of ice cream, I got a milkshake and Lorenzo ordered the granddaddy of them all: the Grand Gibson.




The rain was still pouring when we finished but we decided to make a run for it anyway. The Emporium was still open and we wanted to buy some souvenirs before we left. Lance got a Buzz Lightyear light toy while I got some Christmas decor on sale. Troy was having a harder time choosing what he wanted. With all the eye candy laid out in front of him, he surprised us by choosing a back-scratcher, of all things!

The guy at the counter was nice enough to suggest something else, a remote control Pluto which walked and barked. He got one from the shelves and my son was hooked, refusing to let go of his new toy. The salespeople gathered around him while I paid for my wares. One of them asked Troy what he was going to name his new dog. My son didn't even hesitate: "Spotty", he answered, naming the dog after our pit bull, Spot.

We were the last customers at the Emporium. We were the last visitors to exit Disneyland's gates too. We boarded the last tram which took us to the parking building, and piled into our minivan. There was no other vehicle in sight. We had closed Disneyland. Not too many people can say the same.




We headed back to the hotel, tired but happy. It was a definite improvement from the sullen, somber drive we took just twenty-four hours before. Oh, we weren't a pretty sight. All of us were bedraggled from the rain, a soggy picture of family togetherness.

But we had made it up to our kids, and that was all that mattered.


(PLUGGING: "Sticky Fingers", another story of redemption at The Prada Mama Chronicles.)