Mom and Garth headed back home Dec. 30th. It was great to see them for the time they were here, but of course, it was wonderful getting the apartment back to ourselves again, too. You know how it is.

On New Year's Eve, Joe and I got a hotel room near Disneyland. The best rate available was a family suite, which consisted of two rooms, one for adults and one for kids. The kids' room had a set of bunkbeds, a fold out sofa-bed, and a t.v., and the adults' room had a queen size bed, t.v., microwave and mini-fridge. (Haha, the microwave is ours! No popcorn for you, kids!)

I immediately climbed to the top bunk and flopped down, memories of childhood dancing through my head. Not that I had a bunk bed personally. But my two older brothers did, and we used to play on them, and jump off the top bunk onto a mattress on the floor below. Sometimes, we even made a slide out of one mattress and slid down it onto the floor. I don't know where we got such crazy ideas, but we sure had a lot of fun!

After some cuddling and watching t.v., we headed to the park. It was crowded, but not as bad as other years, and nothing like New Year's in London. (By the way, I can't believe I still haven't gotten the rest of my London entries off my tiny laptop... It's been a YEAR! I'll work on that.)

Fairly early on, Joe and I found an empty half of a bench. We were happily surprised, and thought we'd probably keep it through to midnight. I went in search of food while Joe kept our seats safe. Soon I returned carrying salad. The drinks, napkins, straws, and dessert were in my pockets! That front sweatshirt pouch is so handy!

The other half of the bench was occupied by an older couple, now dubbed the Angriest Couple on the Face of the Planet. I later told Joe, "At first I thought they were funny, but then they just started pissing me off." They complained about every last thing they saw, thought, or felt. I don't know how anyone lives like that. They totally bitched about the "lame snow" that Disney lets pour out over Main Street, which we all know is really soap bubbles. They said stuff like, "How stupid!" when I was trying to enjoy it, goddamnit. I think it's nice, and it looks pretty cool. It does bring out a kind of magical Christmas feeling, which is special, because it's not like it's ever going to really snow in Los Angeles. And any time I've seen real snow fall, it's been very special, because it's not very common in my life, so the fake snow reminds me of the real snow too. In conclusion, let me enjoy the fake snow in peace, you angry bastards!

I did manage to enjoy the fireworks and snow as best I could, actually, but we noticed a very large pole blocked our view. We knew we did not have the ideal seats for the midnight fireworks, so we walked around some more to stake out a spot.

The spot we found was pretty cool, actually. We were standing in a huge crowd of people, and before long, the traditional New Year's Eve beach balls were released. Joe and I were next to two guys and a girl. At first I thought they were college kids, but then when I asked the girl if they came to Disneyland for New Year's every year, the girl told me yes, every year except last year, because last year she was grounded. Oh! Okay, then. Clearly, much younger than I thought she was!

They were really funny though, because they saw there was writing on one of the beach balls, so snagged it out of the air as it flew overhead. The writing turned out to be phone numbers, so the blonde guy started calling them on his cell. "Hello? Who is this? What? Who is this? Can you hear me? Your number's on a beach ball!" It was totally cracking me up. Even better was when that guy borrowed the girl's eyeliner to write his number on the beach balls. We grabbed every beach ball that bounced near us to inspect it for numbers or to add that guy's number. It was really quite entertaining! Those kids did have a weird dynamic, though. I couldn't figure them out. At first I thought the two guys were a couple, but then it seemed like the girl had a crush on the blonde guy. Maybe she does, who knows! Anyway, they were pretty fun to hang out with.

Our hosts came out to talk to us and sing, and the Disney songs played in the background when those folks weren't on stage at the castle. They gave us updates every half hour about how much longer till the new year. It was pretty exciting!

Before I knew it, we were counting down, fireworks exploded in the night sky, and suddenly, it was 2005! Joe stood next to me, videotaping as much as the memory card would allow, which wasn't too much, unfortunately. I realized that I didn't get to kiss him right at midnight because of the videotaping, but my thoughts were soon interrupted, as he stopped recording, lowered the camera, told me he loved me, and placed his lips on mine.

After our traditional New Year's kiss and hug, I stood in front of him with his hands on my shoulders, dancing to the music and watching the fireworks show. I couldn't help getting a little teary. It's hard to explain. Seeing the beautiful lights bursting in the sky, hearing energetic music while in the midst of a huge celebration, and sharing it with the man I love is a combination that would naturally move me, anyway. The whole experience was magnified, however, by thoughts of how amazingly fortunate I am, considering those suffering through the tsunami aftermath on the other side of the world. It's definitely been on my mind lately, causing me to view things a bit differently, and take a little more time to be grateful for all I have.

I'm incredibly happy that I got to start out 2005 in such a fun way, in a place that symbolizes childlike fun, love, and laughter in my heart. For me, there's no better way to start out a new year.

May you all be safe, happy, and healthy in 2005. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Click here for a windows media movie of the New Year Countdown! (1.5MB)