Road Trip!

Jonathan and I joined his family on a trip to Disneyland! This was our celebration that everyone in the family is alive, happy, and getting healthier. It was a bit of blur, but we had so much fun! I had to got to do a lot of the driving especially since Jonathan went to work before we left. So, we ended up getting a later start, but we made it to the hotel at about 1 in the morning. (I couldn't sleep in the car so I played some really loud music and sang/screamed with it. Yeah, 6 hours in the car kind of got to me...)

After a few hours of sleep, we headed across the street to Disneyland! I forgot just how fun and magical it is. The Disneyland band was AMAZING!!! All I wanted to do was follow them around however, we were there to play and boy did we play hard! Our first ride was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and I totally beat Jonathan! He would tell you that it was only by a few hundred points, but it doesn't matter because I still won. We also went on the improved Star Tours in 3D. It was really, really good. Thanks to that ride, we now know that Taylor (Jonathan's brother) is a rebel spy! I should have seen that one coming... oh well. Jonathan and I had lunch by the Jedi training area. It was adorable watching kids learn how to become Jedis. Jonathan really wanted to do it too, but I wouldn't let him.

The Nelsons are taking over Tomorrowland!

Waiting for Star Tours!

 After lunch, we all headed back to the hotel and rested. Disneyland is an exhausting place! No one really great like getting up, but we still had so much to do! We went on Space Mountain and Jonathan was rather nervous on it. Instead of being sympathetic, I just laughed at him. I grew up riding the roller coasters at Disneyland, so I have no fear when it comes to these rides. He really liked so we ended up going on it again. Our next ride was Dumbo. The last time I was on that ride, I was 5 years old.(Yeah, that was a long time ago!) Then we did the Teacups and boy did we spin fast! Even Mercedes loved spinning around! By request of my mother, I went on Thunder Mountain. I love that roller coaster! I always remember the time when Chris, Amy, Kurtis, and I (brother, sister, and cousin) went on it right when it started raining. It was even more fun than normal! We also had to go on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise! We then ran over to California Adventure and rode Soaring Over California. I was sitting next to Jonathan's dad which was a lot of fun because he used to be a pilot so it reminded him of flying. Then we went on the Hollywood Tower of Terror. It was so fun! I love the picture that was taken when we reached the top because of Jonathan's moms face. It truly is priceless, but she forbids me from posting it. (It's so good that I really want it to be my Christmas card this year.) We also went on California Screaming and Jonathan loved it! Before the park closed, Jonathan and went on the Tower of Terror one more time. Then we headed back to the hotel. It was a crazy fast day, but so much fun!

            Waiting for Dumbo             Yep, I'm laughing at Jonathan

            Spinning on the Teacups         I love Thomas's face!

Surprise!!!

The next day we packed up the cars and headed to the beach. This was Mercedes first time seeing the ocean and the first time Jonathan and I have been to ocean since we were married. I love the ocean so much. Being back on the beach reminded me of why I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was 11. I am so happy there that I could live there. I hope that one day Jonathan and I live close to the ocean so I can share my love of the ocean with our kids just like my mom has with me. Jonathan and I ran down the beach scaring the sea gulls and then I started picking up shells. It didn't take long to notice that all the good shells were actually in the water, so I waded into the cold water in search of some good shells. I found a whole bunch of shells including a whole sand dollar! Jonathan bought a Frisbee at Disneyland so we could play on the beach. Most of the time we ended up chasing it because the wind blew it of course, but it was so much fun to play with. After about an hour, we had to leave the beach and head back home.

All of my shells from the beach.

A beautiful sunset in the middle of nowhere.

This was such a great trip with lots of fun memories. I am so grateful that we were able to join in on the fun and that Taylor is on the road to recovery and Adam is done with chemo. Last year was a crazy year and hopefully this year will be a healthy year.