Disneyland, 2013!

OK, so clearly it’s one of our favorite places to visit… In fact, this time we bit the bullet and got annual passes (since we’ll be there at least twice more this year, it made sense), so I will get to play photographer in Disneyland a lot in the next 365 days!

As we often do, Emily and I drove down on our own first and spent a night in Santa Barbara. It was a treacherous, nerve-wracking drive in a storm for the vast majority of the trip (was glad I had new tires!), but since the rest of days were gorgeous, I’ll not begrudge a little rain…

(Em took the first image for me!)

(Notice the dish is empty? This restaurant, Pascucci in Santa Barbara, makes the best crème brûlée, and in our excitement we forgot to take a photo before eating…)

The next morning was windy, but beautiful! So we did a little photo shoot on the beach before getting back on the road.

This image, an outtake, cracks me up!

Next stop, Disneyland!

This was our first time seeing the new Cars Land—it’s wonderful!

Emily and I had lunch at the Blue Bayou, and she was absolutely enchanted!

Tom arrived after a day, and we spent the rest of the trip there together. (And we even got ourselves out of bed for Early Entry! That’s big, for us; we are not morning people…):

I even rode the ferris wheel, and I detest ferris wheels. But it was a gorgeous view!

(Tom took this one, and it made me laugh because it was very common sight for him!)

World of Color was, of course, spectacular!

And Em got her bunk bed (a highlight, for her)!

Her hands are still so tiny!

This one I shot “from the hip” during California Screamin’. I had my camera in my lap (braced safely under the bar), and just kept clicking the shutter throughout the ride. I was hoping to show some movement in the foreground with the distance being crisp and sharp, but clearly I need to perfect my method. But it was fun!

And we had to purchase this one, because it shows both of our cameras. (See where mine is in my lap? That’s how I was shooting the previous image.)

I had grand visions for this shot, too, but it didn’t quite work out. This is the entrance to the awesome Mad T Party. I’ll try again one day!

Killing time in line:

We tired her out; she was asleep within moments of getting on the freeway for the long drive home.

(That is my most picture-heavy post to date!)