Photo Diary 007 | Disneyland

Last month I was lucky to find myself back on the west coast for work. The last time I hopped coasts was around the holidays, so to say I was missing the Pacific is a bit of an understatement. Even more so, it had been considerably longer since I had set foot in California. Growing up in Oregon with family south meant a lot of road-trips, and of course, a lot of time spent in the Happiest Place on Earth.

Those trips to Disneyland with my family are what made me fall in love with Disney-- as nostalgia, as family memories, and as somewhere that felt like an extension of home. Being able to visit Disneyland this year-- after a time in my life that has been shaped by so much change and growth-- was something really special. It was like entering the oh-so-familiar place like a brand new person and like going back as if I were there yesterday.

This trip brought me the opportunity to try some new things; like the Disneyland After Dark: Heroes Assemble event, which was a bunch of fun --and much to my chagrin-- I had to admit that Guardians: Mission Breakout! is a really fun attraction (even though I still miss the look of the Hollywood Tower in DCA).  I also toured Walt's Main Street apartment for the first time, a great little time capsule, capturing the true heart of the park.

Really, experiencing Guardians & Walt's apartment both for the first time is a great description of how this trip felt. At the core it was the same, and I am the same-- but with some new themes, characters, and stories.