When Kevin lived in California, he visited Disneyland quite often as a child. Kevin had an itch to go back since we were already in Anaheim. He made sure, one day was reserved for the park. And Katelynn definitely had to see Mickey & his Pals. It was her first Disney trip. And she was so excited to see Goofy as Santa Claus. His big nose, goofy teeth, and gloves fascinated her. Katelynn couldn’t believe all these cartoon characters were walking around and interacting with her.

Katelynn took a nap in her stroller around lunchtime. Kevin got some food, while I sat at a table and kept an eye on her. When she woke up, she noticed it wasn’t a dream. She looked around and had the biggest smile on her face. Yes, Katelynn! You are in Disneyland. It wasn’t a dream”, I said to her. That smile on her face made my day for years to come. It’s almost 18 years later, and I still talk about that moment.

Once, we all had lunch it was time to walk around and meet more characters. We went on some age-appropriate rides and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon into the evening hours. It was mild in California evening. So, only a light jacket or a sweatshirt was needed on that early December evening. It was a beautiful day and my first adventure in Disneyland.

The following day, we celebrated Kevin’s grandparents’ 60th Anniversary. I met more people on my mother-in-law’s side of the family. Once, the party was over we went to a cousin’s (?) house, and enjoyed the rest of the evening there. The funny part was, they had a pet goat. And they took the goat on walks like a dog. When they showed the goat their fist, it was the sign for the goat to go potty. Inside the house, the goat had toys to stay entertained. When visitors were at the house, the goat just minded its business and entertained itself by tumbling around in a laundry hamper. I’m pretty sure, the goat entertained us all. That was a very well-trained goat.

It was time to drive back home to Texas. In New Mexico right before El Paso, Katelynn wanted to get out of the car and did not want to go back in. She had enough of sitting in her car seat for hours and days. Being only three years old, I couldn’t blame her. It was a long ride. We stopped and walked with her for a little bit. We got a motel room and called it a day. The next morning, we were well-rested and made it back to Dallas.

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