Disneyland to Idaho

After the adventure of graduation, we had a scanty two and a half days to close up things at school before we left for Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth, for Gradnite, a Disneyland party that starts around midnight and goes until six in the morning.

We were excited as we entered Main Street, loud music blaring, strobe lights flashing, and banners congratulating the Class of '07. It was my friend Hye Jeong's first time at Disneyland, and it was wonderful to see her expressions. On our first ride of the night, the Matterhorn broke down with us on it--very exciting. We waited in line for a very long time at some of our favorite rides--Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Carribean among them.

The night passed happily, riding all the rides we could until the gray light of dawn touched the castle as the DJ said, "Grad Nite is over--but so is high school!"

We slept a few hours that morning, then drove to Las Vegas to see The Phantom of the Opera at its purpose-built theatre in the Venetian. I had actually looked forward to this more than to graduation at one point--and my anticipation was not wasted. The sets, the costumes, the band, the voices, the pyrotechnics! Every moment was spell-binding. I ate it all up, a visual and musical feast.

Afterwards, we had fun getting lost on the strip in search of an In-N-Out. In the process, we saw the fountains of Bellagio, the Luxor, Treasure Island, and all those other brilliantly lit hotels that make the strip sparkle.

This morning, my family said good-bye to Las Vegas and to the rest of our party as we left for Boise, Idaho. Christian Edition brings us here, and we were very happy to see some of our friends meet us at the airport and whisk us away to PF Changs--we were starving. Our evening concert at the Idaho Campmeeting went well enough, and we enjoyed eating pie at a restaurant close to the hotel afterwards.

Now, the sun is setting in front of the hotel in beautiful colors. It has been a delightful trip. As soon as we get back to California, I will be immediately dropped off at Wawona for the summer, the end of a truly epic adventure.