{my family in 1958 at Disneyland}
{me at Disneyland for my 53rd birthday 11/25/09, this was before my daughter told me my birthday buttons looked like pasties...I moved them! LOL}
Growing up in the late 50's, Disneyland was every child's dream. If you were lucky enough to have grown up in southern California it was often more then a dream. If you were really lucky, your parents saved their nickles & dimes & once a year would pack up the kids, throw them in the back of the station wagon {without seat belts} & drive to Anaheim to go to the Happiest Place on Earth & if you were really, really lucky, your Daddy worked there!
{excerpt from a past post}
I was born in Long Beach, CA because my Father joined the Marines right out of his High School in Illinois & was stationed in Oceanside. With the VA Bill he was able to go to college & buy our 1st house, but he worked 2 jobs to support his family & we never went without, a gift. One of his jobs was working at Disneyland as a janitor back when Disneyland & the idea of amusement parks was brand new. My brother & I kept empty mayonnaise jars on our dresser. Every morning when we woke up the jars would be filled to the brim with shiny pennies, nickles & dimes. I would find a Disneyland pen light in my jar, while John might find a pop gun or giant pencil in his & of course we would always get TICKETS! Long after the rides had closed for the night & the smiling, sleepy children & worn out parents left the park, my Father swept Main Street. He cleaned the bathrooms & the shops & arcade that lined the street. He worked through the early morning hours while we were home asleep in our beds & at the end of his shift the work crew would divide up the remnants of abandoned toys & lost change & take them home to their children. Every morning when we awoke it was like Christmas!
{Susie 51 years later at Disneyland with Courtney}
Disneyland has always been the Happiest Place on Earth to me, it still is! So when I leave this earthbound form & finally, truly have my wings, scatter a few of my ashes in the flower beds surrounding Disneyland...I'll be smiling in heaven, wearing my Micky Mouse Ears!!! ;)
Can you believe it...only 2 weeks left before Christmas, where does the time go? In the hours & days between Halloween & New Year's, time just seems to be so fleeting. I take it all in & enjoy & revel in every minute, like a child revels in summer wishing that school would never start.
There is something so magical about this time of year, it makes me feel all things are possible. I love coming home from the shop when it's just starting to get dark & as I turn the corner towards my house, I see the twinkling lights reflecting off the snow creating a path for me through the night.
As I open the door & see my family warm & cozy inside & the glow of the Christmas tree, I feel a sense of joy that only the holiday can bring. My daughter Courtney has been on a cruise with her boyfriend this past week & Grandpa & I have been watching Kai. Last night he was having a hard time falling asleep as Mommy usually sleeps with him. While laying together on his bed I realized he could see the Christmas tree from his room. I told him I was jealous & I wished sooooo that I could see the tree from my bed & how very lucky he was. After a bit he said he thought he could sleep in his bed by himself & while watching the tree sparkle & twinkle, he fell into a sweet sleep...how magical!
I believe in Santa, I believe he lives in the North Pole & that small people help him make all the toys & presents he gives out on Christmas Eve. I believe that reindeer fly & that one small sack can hold all the toys that Santa gives out to all the children around the world. I believe that there's one night during the whole year that nothing bad can happen, that magic, love & hope can actually win. I believe in miracles, the miracle of a baby born in a manger with a shining star showing the world The Way!
