And on the Second Day, the Girls Said "Let There Be Princesses!!!"

As the morning dawned on our second day at Disneyland, we were in full princess mode. Way back in August, on the first day we could possibly make reservations to have lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto, we made reservations to have lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto. This was a moment not to be delayed. Two years ago, we stumbled into this most royal of character dining experiences completely by chance. We had no idea what it was, only that there was a princess-themed restaurant sheltered from what had been a rather cold and rainy day. This search for a happy respite led to one-on-one encounters for Ellie with elite of the princess universe - Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and of course, Ariel. With this experience under our proverbial belts, we were sure that we would be able to cross all of the required ladies off of our list of characters to see, and thus be free to enjoy the remainder of the week unencumbered by the plaguing need to find an elusive princess. Or so we thought. It seems even in the ideal world of Disney, life doesn't always come out just right.

As I've previously mentioned, our bear donned her sister's Snow White dress DAILY for over two months leading up to our trip. For reasons I have yet to determine, Ginny adores Snow White. She worships Snow White. She wants to BE Snow White. (In fact, some days she makes me call her Snow White.) So imagine our chagrin when, as we waited to be seated at our table in the hallowed halls of the aforementioned Grotto, we were informed that Belle and, gasp!, Snow White would not be in attendance at our meal. I think he said something about Mary Poppins and Jasmine making a special appearance, but I can't be sure. My mind was racing through how I would explain to Ginny that she would, in fact, NOT be dining with her beloved idol.

Now this is not to say that the meal was a disappointment. Far from it. The girls had a wonderful time NOT eating and chatting endlessly with the princesses (and nanny!) who were there. Ellie enjoyed some serious face time with her Princess Aurora (the bug's current favorite and her choice for Halloween persona this year) and both of the girls were able to chat with Jasmine who they had not met in our previous visit. (Ginny was over the moon about Jasmine's jewelry, but that's another story for another day.) By the end of the meal, the girls were thrilled and looked in wonder at their autographs books and photograph with Ariel. And then it happened. Ginny's little head popped up and she asked the words I had dreaded. "Where Snow Whitie?" This question came up repeatedly throughout the rest of the afternoon. Did I mention Ginny LOVES Snow White? And this little girl was not to be denied.

For any of you who have been through the gauntlet of searching for a specific character in Disney parks, you know. It is NOT as easy as it sounds. This is particularly true of the princesses. Yes, Disneyland has a Princess Fantasy Faire - a mecca for all things princess where at any moment throughout the day three princesses lie in wait to greet their devotees. But here's the rub: you NEVER know which princesses you are going to get. Between coronation ceremonies, storytelling, and run-of-the-mill breaks, the princesses rotate around the Faire all day. It is virtually impossible to nail down a time and place for any of the royal clique. Impossible, that is, unless you are vacationing with the all-powerful Gramma and Poppy who just happen to have a few connection at the park. Through their network of reliable sources, Marv and Marg found out that Snow White was to be at the Faire first thing Wednesday morning. It was mission impossible. And we were ready.

After a lovely breakfast with some woodland creatures we barely recognized (okay, so Ginny fell in love with a raccoon named Meeko) we lined up at the front gates at the park.......an HOUR before the park opened. We had a princess to find and we took our charge seriously. We lined up like lemmings at the top of Main Street ready to sprint to the back of the park the moment the rope dropped. We mapped out the most effective way to get to our destination and kept our eyes on the prize. At precisely 10:00 am we raced across Fantasyland and up to the queue.

There we were, fourth in line to meet our royal trifecta. And then the worry set in. What if Snow White was not among the first shift of princesses. How many times would we need to do this in order to find her? As the Faire opened (finally!) and we made our way to the front of the line, I looked at Ginny bedecked in her Snow White garb and began to feel a bit of sheer panic. What would I tell my little two-year-old if her beloved Snow was not there? And then we turned the corner.

I've heard of dreams coming true. I've heard of people having that perfect moment when their wish becomes their reality. On this day, I saw it happen on a hot morning in October in the middle of Disneyland. As we walked around a wall made up of fake stones, my daughter's face erupted into what can only be described as absolute happiness. Snow White was there. And Ginny ran....right into the arms of her idol. She kept touching Snow White's arm, her dress, her hair, as if to confirm that she did, in fact, exist and she was, in fact, there. And she wouldn't let Snow White out or her sight. When Snow signed the girls' autograph books, Ginny sat beside her. When Snow White talked to a very excited Ellie, Ginny attached herself to her side. As her visit ended and Ginny walked away, she walked backwards waving and blowing kisses only to have Snow White ask for one more hug. Ginny soaked up every perfect moment with her girl.

It sounds a bit silly now thinking about the entire experience from a slightly more rational perspective (and sitting in my very rational basement - quite the contrast to being in the shadow Sleeping Beauty's castle), but we felt as though we had just experienced an almost transcendent moment. The fact that we as mere mortals had anything to do with our girl getting her perfect moment was indescirbably satisfying. Not to mention the weight of expectation that was lifted the moment we could cross this most important of meetings off of our proverbial list. And what made this moment even more satisfying in everything that led up to and followed it.

That morning Ellie had been able to dance with Winnie the Pooh. I kid you not. She DANCED with Pooh bear. Usually the line to see this silly old bear would take you at least 45 minutes. Yet somehow, he was there. And Ellie found her way to him. And they danced. (We have the video to prove it!) But the fortuosity didn't end there. That evening we were able to attend Mickey's Halloween Treat in the California Adventure Park. It was here, in a most unexpected place, that Ellie danced once again - this time with an awfully cute witch and a green army guy from Toy Story. But that's a story for another post, on another day. As for this entry, I think it's safe to say that the folks at Disneyland aren't blowing smoke when they say it's the place where dreams come true. At the risk of sounding profoundly sentimental, every once in a while - in the right place, at the right time - they really do. Just ask Ginny. I mean Snow Whitie.

Author's Note: The spelling of "Snow Whitie" is not a typo. That is actually what Ginny calls her most beloved of all princesses. And I'm not about to correct her!