Celebrating our 15th Anniversary at Disneyland!

Aljay and I have always wanted to do an anniversary trip and after 15 years we were finally able to do it! 

When I found out there was a work conference in Anaheim in June, I immediately made the decision that we were going to Disneyland and counting it as our anniversary trip! The funds started funneling, the plans started planning, and most importantly Brittany said she could watch the kids for the two days Aljay would be gone. 

God bless Aunty Brittany!

The Itinerary

Saturday, June 22

8:00 AM     Flew from Provo airport to John Wayne Airport

9:00 AM      Arrived and took and uber to the hotel. Checked in and dropped our things in the room. 

10:00 AM    Took the hotel shuttle to Disneyland 

11:00 PM    After the most magical day at California Adventure, we made it back to the hotel safely. 

Sunday, June 23

11:00 AM    Finally woke up and got ready for the day

11:30 AM    Breakfast at Ihop

12:30 PM    Walmart Shopping for the kids and for me. 

03:00 PM    Hung out at the hotel until it was time to head to the airport. 

06:30 PM    Dropped off Aljay at the airport. I stayed the next two days for the conference. 

Favorite Memories from our Mini Trip

  1. Uber - I wanted Aljay to relax and enjoy being a passenger princess (like me lol). He was hesitant about using Uber but quickly became a believer when he realized how convenient and less expensive it was. Plus, work was paying for the majority of it lol

  2. Our hotel room was beautiful! I had booked it using our credit card points, so I didn't have any expectations when the room description said "Disney park view of the Fireworks". We were happily surprised when we walked in to 3 floor-to-ceiling window walls with a clear view of the Disneyland parks! We could see the backside of the California Adventure water show and a clear view of the Disneyland firework show. 

  3. At Disney we did Genie+ and the Lightning Lane so wait times were pretty low for rides. Aljay was amazed at how many rides we did in so little time. We went on every ride! Including rides our warm cuddly bodies had no business being on hahaha. 

  4. Aljay's job was to record everything. I was scared he was going to drop his phone on one of the rides, but his kungfu grip held onto his phone and he did an excellent job recording the memories!

  5. My job was to do everything in the Disney app; book the rides, order food, use the map, etc. I'm proud to say I killed it!!! hahahaah Many thanks and credits go to Brittany for showing me the way. 

  6. Trying all the treats! I didn't have a list of any specific foods I wanted to try so we just ate whatever looked good as passed by the food stands. So much easier when it's just the two of us lol

  7. The Guardians ride -- I played it down like the ride was lowkey, so Aljay went in with low expectations. Then the ride started and I died laughing as he was screaming throughout the ride. 

  8. The World of Color water show was AMAZING! Like I know we're physically exhausted at the end of the day and possibly dehydrated, but the creativity, ingenuity, and labor that went into putting together that production was so impressive it brought us to tears. Pure Disney magic!

  9. Walmart - Watching Aljay methodically and intently pick out gifts for the kids was a beautiful reminder of how much he knows and loves each of our kids individually and collectively. 

  10. Attention - I loved all the one-on-one time we had, the uninterrupted conversations, and being able to give 100% attention and care to each other. Yes, even though we talked about the kids 90% of the time hahahaha #parentlife

Post Trip Take Aways 

  • I think Aljay and I should do this once a year. Not necessarily Disneyland, but a 1 night/2 day trip without the kids. It's refreshing!

  • We didn't tell our kids we were going to Disneyland (of course Saleima found out lol but she kept it quiet because she thought it was a surprise for Aljay). I was a little bit nervous that they would fuss about not being able to go, but they all were so encouraging. Leila, after finding out I was going to Anaheim, suggested that I take Aljay to Disneyland. Sefa even said "that's good, you guys deserve to go alone" lol And as far as I know, the rest of the littles did not complain once. Well thank you kids. haha

  • I absolutely love doing life with Aljay. He truly is my best friend. 

  • After returning from the trip, Aljay sat me down and had a serious conversation about us getting healthy; reminding me that I need to put myself first and focus on my health. What a buzzkill hahahaha nah nah nah. He's right! So now healthy eating and exercise is back on the forefront of our minds. Ok thanks bestie hahahahah






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