Hear all about Laura’s adventures with the Berry’s at Disneyland

Pick up our picnic lunches with Yellow Zone World of Color Fast Passes (it’s still early? How did Blue Zone sell out already? 4th of July frenzy?) and feast on breakfast

Blue Sky Cellar with Dad to show him some of the changes that are coming

Check out Goofy’s Sky School and the new garden area (with really awesome band Odyssey) and get Sky School FastPasses

Wander around the boardwalk shops, think about Toy Story Midway Mania and opt to do it later

Get in line for Little Mermaid (only 30 minutes)

Use FastPasses for Sky School

Get frozen lemonades to battle the heat, but save them for later as we head for The Hollywood Tower Hotel

Shopping in the hotel lobby after the ride, picking out a beautiful vintage shirt for Laura (has one of the now demolished posters from the wall separating Hyperion and HTH), and chatting with Debra about the ugly new HTH logo (it’s actually Florida’s) and cheaper sales tax starting July 1st (today!)

Wander over to the Hollywood Backlot Stage to watch the Disney Dance Crew! show (it’s actually really cute and features blinking/talking Mickey busting a move!) with our frozen lemonades

Head inside the Disney Animation building to chill in the lobby for a bit

Explore the Greeting From California shop, purchase amazingly beautiful 4th of July caramel apple

Head back to garden area to eat apple in fans and shade

Enjoy Odyssey

Meet up with family for birthday dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

Back into DCA for World of Color

AMAZING PATRIOTIC PRE-SHOW

Fantastic World of Color show (as always)

Lindy-bomb the play-off music for World of Color (as always)

Wander over to Midway Mania for 45-ish minute wait (occasionally catching the double finale of Disneyland’s fireworks through obstructions)

I beat Laura! Or rather she “let me win”. 😉

Exit halfway through the 2nd showing of World of Color’s patriotic pre-show and end up sitting on the steps near California Screamin’ launchpad to watch the rest of it

Selected to answer questions for guest services about how much we loved the patriotic pre-show

Head into Disneyland and run into The Gilberts and Andy, where we have a lovely talk about why today’s music is over-produced and more about spectacle than quality

Dash into Star Tours, lament about tourist culture (the side/blacklight room that the line goes through was very littered and disgusting), and get to go someplace new! I’ve ridden Star Tours about 5 times now and for all of them my first destination was ALWAYS Tattoine except last night I got to go to Kashyyk! Now I just need Princess Leia and Hoth (I’ve heard there are 2 different Hoth destinations?) and I will have seen all of the different options.

Slowly and exhaustedly walk out of the park after celebrating the best birthday ever (so far!)