Well, suddenly I find myself with a whole lot of time on my hands. The onset of “social distancing” has me working from home, which saves me about 2.5 hours in commute time every day. Hmmm… how to spend the time… Oh wait - I have a blog!
Today I’m starting a series on my favorite attraction memories. Each week I’ll post a couple stories about specific rides, shows, or experiences, recounting the best times I’ve had at Disney parks around the world. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll mock my ridiculous behavior. So, turn off the news and spend a little time with Missing Mickey!
This week we’re starting out with a bang - quite possibly my favorite park memory ever. This is the day I saw my sister get engaged!
I started the day at home in Denver, Colorado. The plan was set: fly into Orange County early morning of the proposal, with plenty of time (foreshadowing), then surprise my little sister by showing up at it from 750 miles away.
Welp, my flight was delayed, and I watched the slack time between my arrival and the big event dwindle more and more. My stress ratcheted up as I finally boarded the plane, practically leaning into the cockpit on my way in to request the afterburners.
Two hours later I ran through the terminal and out to my mom, waiting at Departures in her trusty Corolla, and we sped to Disneyland. When we arrived at the esplanade, I jogged to the ticket kiosk with the shortest line to renew my annual pass (because, for some reason, I decided not to renew it online from the comfort of my couch the night before). But, only 5 folks were in front of me, so I figured I’d be through in about five minutes. About twenty minutes later I’d barely moved. Ten minutes more, and there were still 3 people in front of me. I was freaking out, checking my phone every .023 seconds, praying I wouldn’t end up flying hundreds of miles to miss the proposal! I struck up a conversation with the folks in front of me, and they let me jump them in line so I could make it!
With my newly-renewed AP in-hand, I ran to my mom at the front gate, and we rushed to our meeting point at the start of the Big Thunder Trail. There we met my aunt, uncle, and close friends of the future bride and groom. We eagerly awaited the “all clear” from James, my sister’s boyfriend, indicating they had boarded Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and we could now take out positions at the exit of the ride.
As planned, they exited the ride, and my sister was immediately confused. Why was her best friend here? And there’s Aunt Terry and Uncle Ted… and there’s Mom… “What?!” While she attempted to process what she was seeing, James dropped to one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket. He got her attention, she spun around, and he popped the question! However, at this point, she still had no idea she was there. She turned to our mom, crying, and gave her a big hug. She was now facing me, and when she opened her eyes, she started balling and said “Oh my gosh, Brother!” and ran over to hug me. It was, hands-down, a top-3 life moment.
As the whole thing progressed, other park guests realized what was happening, and the phones came out. A crowd had gathered, and when she said “Yes” they erupted in claps and cheers! When we’d all gotten our tears out, a cast member working the Big Thunder queue walked up, offered her congratulations, and ushered them up the Exit path for a celebratory ride on what is now likely their favorite Disney parks ride on the planet.
After an excited dinner with family and friends at Rancho del Zocalo (holy cow, how had I never eater there before?!), Faith, James, Mom, and I had cocktails at Carthay Circle to end what had been the perfect day.
Okay folks, what stories do you have? Share them in the comments below!
