The Day The Bear Stood Still....

When last we left our tale, Ginny had worshipped at the feet of Snow White and Ellie boogied down with her Green Army guy. What could possibly compare to such idyllic experiences? One word: Aladdin. Our fourth day in the park began in a rather uneventful way. Ginny had a short but necessary list of rides we needed to hit before our trip was done - the Disneyland Railroad, Casey Junior (what is it with the Bear and trains?), and Alice in Wonderland were required, thank you very much. And so we set forth in spite of extraordinary heat and swelling crowds. Ginny was thrilled, Ellie was a trooper, and by 11:00 we were ready to head back to the hotel for a much needed break. (It appears as though the magic of Disneyland does NOT extend to the granting of limitless stamina!) After all, we had a very important dinner engagement....

To fully appreciate the watershed event that occurred on this, the eve of our final day in the happiest place on earth, we must look back a few months. During our seemingly endless countdown to our vacation, we happened on an episode of "John and Kate Plus Eight" during which the Gosselin gang heads down to Disney World. Their first order of business? Dining at Chef Mickey's - the apex of all character dining experiences. This is where the short ones (and those of us who aren't so short) can rub elbows with a veritable pantheon of classic Disney characters. Our girls watched this show repeatedly, dreaming of a day when they too might experience such joy. So when they found out that Disneyland had it's own version of this revered restaurant - Goofy's Kitchen - they would not be denied. Our date was set, and we were excited. After all, the girls had done beautifully bonding with other characters - from princesses to previously unknown woodland creatures. We had no reason to believe this dining experiences would be any different. We were wrong.

The meal began as our other character meals had. The girls offered copious hugs to Minnie & Goofy, and chatted up Jasmine yet again. We were on a role. And then the earth stopped on its axis. Aladdin arrived at our table. All bets were off. Now Ellie was giddy (he was awfully cute) but composed as they talked about Jasmine, the Genie, and the lamentable absence his loyal monkey sidekick Abu. Ginny, on the other hand, was a different matter all together. Aladdin's very presence stunned her into absolute silence. From the moment he arrived at our table and for a few minutes after he left, Ginny's hands were firmly attached to her mouth. One would have thought Elvis had arrived in the building. Our girl who had charmed the pants off of EVERYONE throughout the resort, and ran into the arms of various creatures with reckless abandon, was rendered speechless. She was in shock. Who knew Aladdin would have such a profound effect on our otherwise gabby and disarming little Bear? Once again, it was the unexpected which would prove so memorable - not to mention thoroughly enjoyable!

Once Ginny recovered (the whole scene still cracks me up!), we finished our meal and retired to our lovely room once more. (After four days of non-stop pursuit of Disney perfection, we needed all the rest we could get!) The alarm was set (for 5:30am - ah the sacrifices we make for magic), and Dumbo laid in wait for one more flight. After all, we had one more day in the best week ever, and we were determined to make the most of it.