Day 9- Disneyland

Day 9: Disneyland!

We woke up at the crack of dawn ready to explore Disney Land. We cleaned up the campsite and packed into the bus even though we will be staying at the same spot. For breakfast we enjoyed a delicious meal of doughnuts and bananas but sadly a few missed out on doughnuts because the cooks miscounted :(

We all split into our respected groups in order to travel into the park effectively. We all took a great big photo inside the park and then rode Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. After riding these rides as a whole group (pretty much taking over the rides), we split off into free time groups. From 10:00 to 8:00 TWB small groups had total control of the park! From riding rides, eating dole whip, or spending $600 on lightsabers, TWB had a spectacular time inside Disney

After splitting off into our small groups, we had around 10 hours to explore and experience the park at our own pace. Many groups immediately went and tried Disney’s staples like pineapple Dole whip, churros, and the iconic Mickey shaped pretzels. Another hot spot was the Star Wars exhibit where tons of money was spent on light saber replicas (might want to check your kids bank account after this stop). The lines at Disney were not for the weak, but the bonding made it worthwhile. Some personal favorites were Space Mountain, Star War: Rise of the Resistance, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and a classic Small World. Sleepy's personal favorite was Rise of the Resistance. Even though it was closed for 5 hours the immersive experience was unforgettable for those who got to ride it. 

Lunch was bought by ourselves (shout out mom and dads), from tacos to pulled pork sandwiches.  We all learned about how expensive disney is and we wish our parents were there to help out. Dinners where about the same but i think we can all agree these where some of the best meals of the trip.

Finally, after an amazing day at Disney and watching a beautiful sunset, we headed back to the campsite ready for bed. Luckily, the site was only 30 minutes away, so we were able to set up camp quickly and shower after a very long but fun day.

Tomorrow, we are heading to UCLA and touring the campus along with Hollywood Boulevard. LA here we come! Good night from the sleepies, zzzzz, Sam, Tyler, Kat, Ava Reece, Caroline, Sophie, Bailey, Jonathan, Landon, Reagan, Riley McNair, Alyssa, and Hadley!

Day 8-Santa Monica, CA

Day 8: Santa Monica

Hi family and friends at home, it's the Sleepy’s!!! We might not have won many competitions yet, but our blog will be the best one yet! We are so excited to share our adventures through California. Now introducing… Sam, Tyler, Kat, Ava Reece, Caroline, Sophie, Bailey, Jonathan, Landon, Reagan, Riley McNair, Alyssa, and Hadley.

To start off today, we hopped on the bus at midnight in order to beat the California traffic. Instead of sleeping under the stars, we slept very comfortably on the crowded bus. Safe to say, we all slept through the night after a long and hot day in Vegas, even though Boyce, the bus driver, was serenading us with his (clean) rap music. Eventually, we arrived in Santa Monica around 6 AM and were greeted by a cool morning and many friendly locals. 

Upon arrival, the Bashfuls began to whip up a delicious meal cooked on our griddle. While there have been some questionable meals this trip, this one was legendary. They made us French toast and sausage, and we all ate until we couldn’t any more.

If you asked us, we should have won the song competition, but it's ok, we'll get the next one. Every group chose a song and changed the lyrics to describe our spectacular TWB experience. Almost every group did a Katy Perry besides yours truly and the Grumpys. Everyone gathered around while each group sang their parody to a popular song about TWB, and we did little mini competitions to see who would perform their song first. One of our Sleepys, Landon, won the first mini competition, the high jump, which meant the competition started off with the best ones. After everyone performed their masterpieces, the councilors voted and crowned the Happys as the winners. 

After the competition, we had a few hours of play time to enjoy and explore the beauties of Santa Monica. The pier and beach were free rein for TWB (God bless Santa Monica). On the pier, many of us shopped, ate 12-dollar ice cream, rode rides, and really became aware of California prices. At the beach, the water was slightly nippy, but TWB persevered. With a lot of salt water up our noses, sand in our hair, and burnt shoulders (plus a jellyfish sting), we Carolinians had a great time.

After a long day under the sun, we finally arrived at our home for the night. At Canyon RV Park in Anaheim, the grass is lush and green, with mighty oaks, basketball courts, and an extremely loud freeway. This greenery was a crowd favorite after spending many nights in the desert sand. 

The cooks got an extra trip to Wally World to prepare us a gourmet spread of Chicken Nuggets, Mac and Cheese, Salad, and Cookies. It gave the Grumpy's outstanding tacos a good run for their money!

We all took a much-needed shower after a long two days in Vegas and at the beach. Everyone set up their sleeping areas for the night, prepping for some much-needed rest. Each of us picked out our wonderful outfits, including our Mickey Mouse ears for Disneyland tomorrow. As Sleepys, we are off to bed dreaming of the most magical place on earth! 

With love, from the sleepies…  Zzzzzz

<3 Sam, Tyler, Kat, Ava Reece, Caroline, Sophie, Bailey, Jonathan, Landon, Reagan, Riley McNair, Alyssa, and Hadley!