just helen

One More Disney Day

Boy…this one popped up way sooner than we expected!  I remember in the old days, it was a joke for all the “unmarried” ladies that we would wonder who we would ask to marry us on Leap Day!  I don’t even know if the youngsters have even heard about that one!  But that’s okay…it’s still just a once every 4 years occurrence, and this year, Disneyland decided to do it up big, like Disney’s marketing team always finds a way to do – Disneyland was open from 6am on February 29th until 6am on March 1st…and NO!  We did not do that!  We did, however, want to be a part of the celebration, so Megan took a half day off of work and we headed to Anaheim early afternoon, anticipating a big crowd and not planning on staying too late.

When we arrived, we were directed to the top level of the parking structure.  I had never done that before and Megan only once before.  The crowd was steady, but not too bad.  We even got right onto the tram.  It wasn’t until we approached the entrance that we discovered a minor problem:  they were filming an episode of  “Modern Family” on what was sure to be one of the busiest days of the year!  Blah!  There was a single-file line to ONE entrance gate that we had to stand in for about 45 minutes before we could even get into the park!  Mind you, I have never watched the show, so I don’t even know if I got anyone’s picture, but here is what it looked like from outside the gate…

Do you see anyone from the show?  I can’t tell!  Megan took this black and white before she realized she needed to change the settings on her camera.

Of course we had to follow the designated path into the park…no pictures for us by the floral Mickey head!

Once in, this is what we found:

Honestly?  There was no way that security was letting us anywhere near the filming.  We lingered for a minute, then we decided that we were wasting our time looking for “famous people” that we didn’t even know what they looked like.

I’m glad I got my button early…they were out by late afternoon!

It was a seriously chilly day.  The Mary Poppins weather vane looked more than appropriate with the gray, cloudy skies.

As you can see, the Matterhorn is still under renovation.

We didn’t go on very many rides on the “one more Disney day”, but we did hit a few, like Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Buzz.  The lines were not extremely long, but we did keep running into unexpected delays…

A stroller is nothing compared to trying to maneuver with big dollies with camera equipment!

After fighting the crowds, we decided to have an appetizer to give us an energy boost.

These will keep the vampires away for sure!  It did not, however, keep some strange women from bringing their “children” to the park…their images have been cut out so as not to make fun of the people, just their choice of companions for the day. 

There was more than one adult individuals that brought dolls and carried them around with them all day.  I’m sorry…that’s just a “wee” bit strange.

There were lots of really cute…and pricey…merchandise designed specifically for the “one more Disney day” event.  These ears were darling…

But we decided that for the price, we would just take a picture and not worry about acquiring another souvenir that would just add to our dusty collection.  Do you notice how they warn you in advance that it is only available on February 29th?  I personally liked the Dumbo one, but I’m being a good girl and not choosing one dust collector for another!

There were also shirts and sweatshirts, which I considered because I had not dressed warmly enough for the weather, but once I looked at the price tag, I warmed up sufficiently to pass – $60 was too rich for my budget right now!  They sure were nice looking, though!

Special merchandise was not limited to things you wear.  There were cupcakes and dipped apples as well.

The later it got, the longer the line in the stores for people trying to warm up with coffee…no room for other shoppers in this store!

The windows on Main Street have switched up a little…

I think I’ll borrow this idea for cupcakes a little closer to Easter!

I wish I canned vegetables…these are beautiful – and probably not real!

This window is different from Valentine’s day…

but I notice that there is something that I really would not have left if I were dressing the Main Street windows!

I’m just saying…

The longest line we waited in all day was the one to get a picture in front of this sign…I won’t even tell you how long we waited…it’s embarrassing, you know, but once you’ve waited that long, it is just our stubbornness not to walk away until we have accomplished what we were waiting for!

As we were approaching the entrance to leave, we started getting wind of what the late-comers had been through to get into the park, which was, by this time, at capacity.  We were hearing things like “3 hours to get off the freeway” and “turning people away” and “everyone’s honking”.  Those conversations were overheard MANY times on our way out of the park.  When we arrived at the parking structure and took a look over the edge, this is what we saw at 11:00pm:

And yes, the traffic was backed up on the freeway exits – there were still people trying to get into Disneyland as we were leaving!

My advice if you want to do this – if Disneyland does this again, and I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t – in four more years, is to come early and don’t stay all night…unless maybe you get a hotel room to take a nap in somewhere along the way!

*This post originally appeared on my new website about a week ago.  Suddenly, I realized that in transitioning, it might be wise for me to keep posting BOTH places just in case!  I've got a while before I make the complete change-over, but the new site is a different format/style and I really like it.  You can visit it at www.justhelen.net - let me know what you think!  If you've already been there, I will be posting at both places through the summer.

Good Morning, New Day!

Tap, tap, tap. One eye squinted half open, so as not to allow the daylight to chase a pleasant dream into the dark recesses of my mind, never to be seen again. A robin, perilously perched an a narrow ledge, with wings fluttering against my window pane, continue to tap for a moment, and then was gone. I closed my eye and attempted to pick up where I left off with my dream. Once again I heard the tap, tap, tap. Unable to regain my place in the dream, I opened both eyes to see the robin once again, but with added urgency, clinging to the ledge, wildly fluttering and tapping on the glass and then was gone. What was up with this bird?

Still lingering in the warmth of my bed, unwilling to face the chill of the morning, I watched and waited.  Once again, the robin came, tapping and fluttering, but this time, with my eyes both open, I was able to see more clearly the beauty of Nature's small alarm clock.  I had already ignored the rising of the sun and the gentle chirping in the trees of my own backyard. The robin came, as if to say, "Hurry! Get up! Don't waste any more of this beautiful Sabbath day!" And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. In the distance, the annoying doorbell alarm on my phone interrupted the calm and still of the morning. Now fully awake, I quickly turned off my phone and returned to my thoughts before, like my dream, they would be lost to the light of day.

There is so much to be done in my life that I scarce know where to begin. When your overall existence is somewhat chaotic, when you are unsure which direction to take, which path to go down, it is easy to find yourself going around in circles, getting no where at all.  Sometimes just getting by is enough.  But moving forward is the best idea in the long run.   When you can only see the beginning of the trail, a certain amount of fear can keep you from making that first, crucial step on the journey to anywhere, but hopefully to a better place.  I can't do it with one eye halfway open, unwilling to get out of my comfort-zone, not listening to the promptings of the Spirit to do what it takes to get to that better place. I need to be brave and proceed on the journey before I miss the opportunities that are ahead.  They won't wait for me forever.

So...on this beautiful Sabbath morning, I am grateful for the little robin, persistently tapping on my window, helping me realize that it is worth the effort to get up, not waste time and to move forward.  Along the way, I will write the ending to my own lost dream, putting into perspective this sweet reminder:  Each new day brings hope for my journey.  Another one of God's tender mercies.

Photo of Robin

By Their Cover

There is something visually lovely about old books. The art of the exterior draws my attention to them even more quickly than that of their content. When I peruse the shelves of books at estate sales, the more rare books have already been discovered and pulled or priced beyond my budget. But on occasion, I find rather tattered books, of no great value besides their literary content, but of great value to me by their cover. I know...that's a switch from the norm. But I find my well-worn, literary collections simply sublime because they have survived.

Song

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Who can say

Why To-day

To-morrow will be yesterday?

 Who can tell

Why to smell

The violet, recalls the dewey prime

Of youth and buried time?

 The cause is nowhere found in rhyme.

I must admit that I am also smitten with modern technology. The information that I have available at my fingertips is quite amazing.  If I know what I am looking for, or even have an inkling...a thought...a partial phrase of a poem, I have but to make the suggestion to my search, and like magic there appears a whole list of possible answers to my query.  It may require a little digging, but with patience I am sure to find buried treasure. 

There comes to mind that old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover." What does that mean exactly? Is it that we can't or more that we shouldn't? It's easy to make snap judgements about the way a person looks from the outside to quickly determine whether they are of any value. But what small treasure might we miss by so doing?

People are much like books, all with a story to tell.  Beauty on the outside does not speak to the content within.  Many in the world are consumed with youth and perfection of the exterior.  They are obsessed with "fixing" what they don't like about their appearance and making "perfect" what their genetics were unable to accomplish. If a book-maker spent too much time developing how the cover looks and bypassed the content, what was actually to be written on the pages, the book would never become a best-seller.

These old books of mine, though tattered and worn, are a treasure to me, as are the well-worn friends in my life.  The chiseled lines on their faces and their faltering steps all are part of the story they have to tell...it is up to me to seek the treasures of life that they have to share.

 

Familiar Voices

Today, while I was at working at my "seasonal-call-center" job, I could hear my phone vibrating.  To answer a call while working would not be a good idea, so I waited until I went to lunch to check for messages.  Let me state, before I go any further, that my phone is old, broken and low on the totem pole of available phones.  When I bought it, I was waiting for Verizon (my current carrier) to get the new iPhone 4 and by the time they did, I decided to wait just a little longer for the 4S.  I didn't want to spend a lot on it...it was a transitional cell purchase.  It did not come with a lot of bells and whistles - actually, I don't generally use the bells and whistles, so it doesn't really matter.  My phone needs to store contacts, have an alarm and take calls, which it does quite nicely.  It does, however, have one very annoying flaw...or more correctly, it may be user error.

Here's my big complaint:  There comes a time when the saved messages get in the way...when, rather than playing the last missed message, it starts at the beginning and I either have to delete them or save them again.  Shouldn't be a problem, right.  Nope...it is!  Here's where it started.

I am a sucker for saving voice mail.  When I hear a loved ones voice or a particularly sweet message, I am compelled to save it.  I can't help myself!  Over the years (yes, years) , I have accumulated quite a collection.  Sometimes its because of the really cute message, but probably 90% of the time, I am saving it for the sender's voice.

I have a call from Tom, before his voice changed, about winning a basketball game.  I have cheery messages from my Mom.  I have sweet words of praise from a neighbor about Mike, and messages from Jake checking up on us after an earthquake hit and a jet came down in our neighborhood.  The bad part is that before I can listen to the current message, I have to go all the way through each and every message that I have ever saved on this phone.  The remedy is in my hands...it would be an easy thing to do, but somehow I can't bring myself to erase those voices.  Today?  I was glad that I hadn't.

In the middle of re-saving all those familiar voices, there popped up a voice I haven't heard for a long while...it was Scott, telling me that he was standing in the middle of Home Depot with a bunch of guys and he wanted to tell me that he loved me.  He would frequently do that, call me, say something way too personal and claim that he had an audience.  Scott loved to tease.  That message was okay, but then I went through a string of messages from him, telling me to take a coat - it was raining and he didn't want me to get sick; that he would be late and I might need to go let the Scouts into the church; to see if we needed help unloading the truck at our local food bank.  It started getting harder to sit there and listen.  But then I got to the block of messages from his brothers and sisters, asking me to call as soon as I had any information about his condition.  I haven't been able to bring myself to erase those painful reminders that he is gone.  I remember it all too well.

Most days, I stoically face my responsibilities.  That's life.  Sometimes it's hard and it isn't always fair.  Isn't that what we tell our children when they voice complaints?  My life is no more difficult than a lot of women's lives and much better than many.  I have been abundantly blessed and I feel almost ungrateful when I feel sad.  But I remind myself that these feelings are all part of the process...of coming to grips with my grief. 

Today, I found myself quickly tearing up with very little prompting.  It's not like that most days.  It may have to do with it being almost Valentine's Day.  Maybe its because I keep typing up those little words of endearment for wives and sweethearts that will soon be receiving tokens of their love's affection.  I have hope that tomorrow will be better.  I've been told that the first year is the roughest.  I have five months to go.  I'm not expecting anything magical to happen.  It doesn't work that way.  But tomorrow is another day and I will just keep plugging along.  For now, I will keep those messages close to my heart and be glad to revisit those familiar voices whenever I get a new voice-mail.

In Someone Else's Shoes

come-up-pance[kuhm-uhp-uhns] : deserved fate.  Synonyms: due, due reward, just desserts, just punishment, recompense, requital, retribution

I mentioned, a couple of posts back, that I had been hired for a seasonal job in a call center.  I have never worked in this kind of a position before.  I am not afraid of hard work, I like working with people and I am good with deadlines, but I am not always super speedy.  I usually work at home, on my own time schedule, so if I have a project that needs to be done, I put in whatever time necessary to accomplish the task.  With this new job?  Let me just say...I'm still in learning mode! 

As I have gotten older, I have learned to be more patient, at least with the people around me - friends, family and strangers included.  I am pretty good when I come face to face with delays, like lines at the grocery or department store.  I never understood why some people get so cranky.  I know that we are busy these days and no one wants to spend time in a slow line.  But some have yet to embrace the term, long-suffering.

long-suf·fer·ing [lawng-suhf-er-ing, -suhf-ring, long-] adjective  1. enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.  noun 2. long and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation: years of long-suffering and illness.

 

Now for the confessional.  I have, at times, been known to get frustrated when on the phone getting technical assistance.  Unfortunately, that's not my only short-coming.  I have the patience of a gnat when my drive-thru order is wrong...give me Diet Dr. Pepper instead of Diet Coke and that will send me right back onto the end of the line to rectify the mistake.  I don't get nasty, I just get it right.

 

So...I have come to the conclusion that my previous years of impatience has come around to bite me in the "you know where".  With this new employment, I am walking in someone else's shoes.  All of a sudden, I have a new respect for all those employees working in a fast-paced environment,  that may be new in their job and, regardless of the occasional mistakes they might make, are doing their best to serve me as a customer.

 

So now I get to know how it feels to be on the other end of the phone line.  There are so many sweet, patient, polite people.  But there are just enough of those cranky ones to make me humble and remember that what goes around, comes around.  I am being served an ample portion of humble pie.

 

humble pie - noun  1.humility forced upon someone, often under embarrassing conditions; humiliation.  2. Obsolete . a pie made of the viscera and other inferior parts of deer or the like.

Idiom  3. eat humble pie, to be forced to apologize humbly; suffer humiliation: He had to eat humble pie and publicly admit his error.

So thanks for the "just desserts"...I think I'm full now, thank you very much!