California Trip 2023 Part 1: Prep, Road Trip, and Seven Magic Mountains

When Ben and Jenny asked if we wanted to go with them on a California trip that involved Disneyland and Universal Studios, we didn't even hesitate to say yes. If you haven't figured it out yet, we love the Disney Parks. When things got stressful in May with everything that we had going on, we would remember that we were leaving for California as soon as school was out, and that helped us hang on. 

The last week of school was filled with the typical end of year excitement plus the looming Disney trip. Can you tell how excited I was from this picture I took at dinner one night that last week of school?

Rachel made sure that our toes were Disney ready. We did matching Little Mermaid inspired toes for the trip. 

Finally, it was time to head to California! We drove to Vegas on Saturday after Gabe's last soccer game was finished. We even got there in time to enjoy the pool a little bit before bed. 

We attended Sacrament meeting in a ward from Brian's mission in Summerlin. There were a couple of people who recognized him, and he was excited to see them. Rachel decided that this would be an excellent time to lose a tooth. 

After Sacrament meeting, we changed clothes and headed out on our journey. We've always seen the Seven Magic Mountains, and so this time I decided to stop and see them. It was really hot and sunny, and the kids were mostly good about making this stop. 

I still think this is one of the most random roadside attractions. 

After sweating and walking through the dust, we got back in the van and headed on our way. Now, we can say that we've stopped and seen these in person instead of just driving by them. 

We made it to our hotel in Orange County. We were excited to see the Disneyland stuff! 

We got dinner a small walk away from our hotel, and then headed to bed so we could be rested for rope drop the next morning.