Another First Day in California

Morning

I love mornings at Ayres ❤️ I slept really well last night. I did wake around 4am local time. I’m normally awake well before then back home. But I didn’t go to bed until close to 11pm local. So 4am wasn’t the ideal time to wake up…LOL I began to pray and fell back to sleep until 6am…a more appropriate time to be waking up…hehehe I felt well rested and started my day off as I usually do. I spent some time getting dressed and journaling. And a moment of prayer time. I didn’t do any Bible study work. But I don’t do that everyday like I do the journaling.

I was able to enjoy the sunrise from my room. It was coming up over the mountains shortly after I woke. So I was able to see it before I did my full routine. It was the best way to wake up today 🤩 I was finished with my routine by 7am and made my way down for breakfast. I enjoyed every bit of it. The food, the coffee, the sounds of others beginning their day, the sound of the chef making more food, and the apple juice 🤭 I don’t always have apple juice. But it has become a tradition here at Ayres with Cherie. So it’s a must have for me on these trips ❤️ And I did some reading.

I’ve steamed my clothes for the weekend’s Dapper Day events. I’m getting better at doing that…hehehe I’m so glad I discovered that steaming was better than ironing these clothes. For one, it’s so much easier…LOL But it’s also better on the materials, I think. I learned about this through California…LOL The first time was on my November 2024 trip. The Air BnB I had said they had an iron for me. But when I got there, it was a steamer. I gave it a try and WOW! So I bought one when I got home. But I also remembered an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon was steaming his cosplay outfit for ComiCon…hehehe The story also takes place in California. So, I give California full credit for how I steam my dapper attire now…LOL

Something that fascinates me as I reflect on these last 5 trips to California since I began coming in 2024 is the fact that it feels like home to me. Especially when I’m driving around. My only other time here before was around 2003. I recall having a similar feeling back then, in a way. But these past few years, I’ve really noticed it. I don’t really know where I’m going without the Maps and GPS from my phone. But I always get this sense that I know where I am and where I am going. Oddly, I don’t get stressed driving here…Orange and LA Counties in California of all places…LOL And when I interact with people, it’s like I’ve always lived here. I was even asked for directions on one of my trips last year and I knew where to tell them to go…LOL I can best describe this feeling as a similar feeling when I travel back to Indiana. I just know where everything is and how to talk to people there. Or how I am when I’m at Disney. Except, this experience isn’t exclusive to Disneyland Resort when I’m here visiting. And this is how I feel at Zen when I pop in each week. I don’t get this feeling anywhere else where I live right now…LOL But it doesn’t always feel like home when I visit Indiana because I still feel like a bit of an outcast back there. So, California has become a place that I get to go to and truly feel at home…hehehe Something to continue reflecting on…

Afternoon

WOW!!! I mean WWWOOOWWW!!! Cherie gave me an amazing birthday gift! Or should I say…GIFTS…hehehe I am sooo excited she’s here and our vacation has officially begun…TOGETHER! Right now, we are in the part where we are preparing for Dapper Day Eve. But I wanted to take a moment to update today’s entry…hehehe

I love everything from the birthday gifts. She made a Mugford coffee mug of Budford (TODAY IS MY DAY!). Her mom made a Bingford mug cozy 🤩 The birthday card is a T-Rex…hehehe With a special note inside. She included the drawings Trexina made in some of our videos…hehehe She also included a Disney gift card I’ll get to spend while we’re together. She’ll get to see me pick out the gift! She also included some traditional food bars (The Only Bar sugar cookie and chocolate brownie ones). All of this was in a birthday bag 🤩 I didn’t notice it was a birthday bag when she first handed it to me because I was just so excited to see her…LOL As we were walking out of ARTIC, it caught my eye…LOL

Cherie’s train was about 11 minutes late. There was something on the track that needed to be taken care of at one of the crossings. But other than that, it seemed like a normal journey to get here. Ohh…she did mention clowns on the first train…LOL I need to remember to ask her about that…LOL She’s call checked in now and enjoying the start of her suite life…hehehe We are going to meet up later to head over to Downtown Disney District for our evening ❤️

She made her chicken and rice again. I can’t wait to eat that here in a moment. Other than the excitement of her arrival and the birthday surprises, my afternoon was pretty chill. I went to Sprouts and Walmart to stock up on some things for the weekend. I think I’m going to start doing that each time. Things like bottled water cost so much at the hotel. I got a 12 pack for less than the price of just 1 bottle at the hotel…LOL And, of course, I can’t bring such things on the planes with me…hehehe I also got some snacks to have in between meals and on my journey home Tuesday. On my drive, I saw some familiar places. I’m sure I’ve driven or ridden on some of those roads before…LOL Or I’m just getting that home feeling again…hehehe

Evening

I may go into more detail about tonight when I do my vacation recap posts. But I’ll at least cover some of the highlights…hehehe We had a great time at Downtown Disney District and the Resorts. Before we left the hotel, we had our traditional moment of prayer in the lobby. And then we made our way to DTD.

Our first stop, besides needing to go through DTD to get there, was over at Disneyland Hotel for our gazebo. We always stop by it on our Monday visit. But this time we wanted to get some video and pictures in our outfits. Since the sun was still out, we were able to get a pair of fun videos. I really enjoy doing that and I loved dancing with her, even though no music was playing…hehehe

After that, we headed back over to DTD and walked a bit. We eventually made our way to Grand Californian for the boutique. But they had just closed up shop. We’ll have to drop by tomorrow sometime between our first park hop. But it did give us time to sit out in that wooded area and chat for a while.

We then went back to DTD and she got some magnets for her mom. I took the opportunity to do my smile discount joke…LOL I know the Cast appreciates the humor. And by Cherie’s reaction each time, I have a feeling she enjoys that too…hehehe

We did various dancing throughout the evening to some of the music. Overall, it was a great night. It was nice not dealing with the rain this time. And we were able to see so many more people dressed up for Dapper Day.

We are back at the hotel now. There was music playing over at ARTIC when we got back. And there was some sort of fireworks display going on too. The fireworks are over. And I’m sure the music won’t last much longer.

Today was a great day. I am so Blessed 🥹