Yes, my brother David said this is where he wanted to spend his 80th birthday. Four of us merry revelers joined him for a visit to Disneyland and California Adventure. Joining David were my daughter Kathleen, our very bestest friend Erin, my son-in law Luis (Son Jeffrey was too ill to join us. Maybe he dodged a bullet). This is not the Disneyland of an earlier time. Everything is on an app now, where we choose our rides and the time we are scheduled to ride them. Very complicated and time-consuming. Thankfully Kathleen was in charge of this.

Checking out the familiar spots before jumping into the actual attraction riding. We started off calmly with Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matterhorn bobsleds, and the Jungle Boat.

The next rides were by downfall, and I should have known better. After I was belted in, it was too late to change my mind. Star Tours and Space Mountain rattle your entire body, and I think even loosens some brain cells. That was practically the end of the road for me. I’m 83 for heaven’s sake! What was I doing here? OK – It’s my brother’s birthday, and I guess I would do anything for him.

Time for a snack break (I sure needed one) and a look around.

Off to California Adventure and more ways to have fun (?!). David meets Horace Horsecollar.

We had a lovely dinner and birthday celebration at Wine Country Trattoria.

After dinner, it was off to Soaring over the World (not just Orange County anymore). I already knew I was not going on that one. It kick starts my acrophobia. So while the others went off to enjoy it, I had my enjoyment with a hot chai (yes, there is a Starbucks at Disneyland), watching crowds of people passing by and wondering how the average family could possibly afford all this. We quite enjoyed Disneyland at night, which is quite spectacular!

The ferris wheel was not in operation, but the big attraction in California Adventure for two of us was the roller coaster. Kathleen and Erin were determined to ride it, so they decided to wait in the long line. The rest of us strolled around. When they got up as far at 10 minutes way, the ride suddenly closed down. What a bummer for them.

The Other Thing – We were there almost 12 hours, and even the youngest of us were pretty tired. I was beyond tired, but a good time was had by all.