Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

Although I am trying to disregard any trip I may have taken with my family prior to the age of 12, I have found it within reason to, at the very least, represent the places that I have deemed worthy of tradition. The first being, Disneyland.

No one can put it better than Walt himself, "To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." Okay, so perhaps it could be put into better...more modern...terms, but Walt's got a point. Age most definitely relives fond memories in this land of wonder. I remember going to this mystical place whenever family came into town to visit, they had to, after all, experience the magic. And so, as a young child, I relished the idea of the cousins coming up for a visit every couple of years. But then came the advent of the annual pass, and as most kids my age living in the southern California area, well a pass was a must-have, a gift worthy of any Christmas list. And so I made it a point to have a pass, but not only hold it in my wallet to flash it to anyone who may doubt that I was truly a California Girl, but also to use it; to hear that "ding" at the turn stall every time I entered the park. And so, Disneyland became my second home. I can tell you the location of any restroom, any souvenir stall, and most importantly the pineapple float place located in the one and only, Adventureland.

The second place worthy of mention is, of course, San Francisco. A true tribute to the California girl within me. I will speak of the "City by the Bay" in a later post, since one of the most momentous occasions in my life occurred on a trip to that city. Although I have only mentioned two places, I would not want anyone to think that my family was deprived of vacations or travels prior to me having turned 12 years of age, but these are the places I have, as previously mentioned, deemed worthy of family tradition.