I went to the Disney resort 69 times in 2019—sixty-nine! (I purchased my Annual Passport in March after taking the CA Bar exam) If that doesn't scream "Year of Disney" I don't know what does. I've promised myself that for as long as I live in Southern California, having a Disneyland Annual Pass isn't a want, it's a need.
When 2019 first started, I had dreams spending the majority of my free time in nature. But, working as a new associate for a law firm greatly changed that plan. Working full-time was so new, and I was exhausted adjusting to my new schedule for the first few months. Going to Disneyland was easy—too easy. My office is literally minutes away and with several friends having passes, gathering at Disneyland was a no-brainer.
I had several friends visit from out of town this year, and Disneyland was frequently part of their itineraries. Devin also worked for the resort in the summertime and got in a few family members and friends in free. Disneyland was definitely my happy place this year.
The best thing about having a pass is you can stop in at anytime and do whatever your heart desires. Sometimes (like just last Saturday), we'll go in just to grab a bite to eat and window shop, sans rides. It's really all about the atmosphere sometimes.
^^In the summer, my Uncle Merari and two of his kids came for a quick weekend trip to Disney. The park was abnormally empty this Summer and we were definitely not complaining about it.
^^ Hands down the BEST thing I ate at Disneyland this year—the galactic grill's Loaded fleet fries. They debuted for May the 4th weekend, and then made another appearance during Halloween time. BOMB.
^^Cousins!
^^Our Tuesday night Disney crew. Love how this little group all came together. You can never have enough Disney-going friends.
^^Alyssa Rose! Such a beautiful soul. Alyssa just opened her own etsy shop full of cute Minnie ears. She made my Pocahontas ears pictured at the end of this post. I for some reason was fixated on snapping this picture of her and apparently yelled the phrase, "Concha, down!" It's now a signature phrase of mine.
^^Picture this: I woke up the day after Thanksgiving to text messages from Nicole saying simply: my family is going to Disneyland today, want to join? Nicole's family members are the real MVP. They literally woke up at 2am, drove from Vegas and then drove BACK to Vegas after Disneyland.
^^Favorite part of the Christmas-themed Small World
^^In early December, I treated my cousin Sophia to a day at Disneyland in celebration of her 7th birthday. We wore matching Star Wars shirts and rode mostly Fantasyland rides. This is another thing I love about having a pass. Your disney trip changes depending on your company; no Disney day is the same!
The biggest miracle of Christmas: we somehow convinced my Dad into going to Disney on Christmas. He is not a fan, but he went and we had a blast. The park was surprisingly not that full.
I also ran into my amigo Keoki from BYU.
^^The ears and pins I purchased this year. I'm not kidding when I say most of my "fun money" is spent at Disneyland. I started out with only having one pair of Minnie ears (I purchased them when I was in middle school), but something about having a full-time made me feel like it was okay to add to the collection. Really, I purchased four ears. The cupcake birthday ears were a present from a coworker, and my Pocahontas ears were a present from Tan made by Alyssa. I purchased my Concha ears as a way to celebrate my passing the California bar exam, and my Día de Los Muertos ears were discounted thanks to a family member who works as a cartoonist for Disney.
There's no telling what I'll add to my collection in 2020. ;)
