Premature

It's OK.

I believe that when something is "right," there is no anxiety.  No confusion.  No feet dragging.

So I've taken really seriously my anxiety, confusion and feet dragging about my retirement decision.

I talked to the STRS rep on Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon discovered that I'd made a budgeting mistake (having to do with my late husband's pension) that was big enough to keep me in the classroom for a while longer.

Once I discovered my mistake and concluded that retirement would have to wait, I was at peace.

New decision is the right decision.  And I'm fine with it.  I don't hate what I do, I love the people I work with and there is enough discretionary time to fulfill my Masteryear plans (or most of them) during the year even with work.

Everything always works out for me. 

Just because.

 Mom and I took our first Christmas trip to Disneyland.  I didn't buy the top level pass this year (who wants to be there for the biggest crowds of the year, anyway?) so we're cramming our visits in early.  This one and another on December 3.

It was a perfect day with a slight chance of showers that kept some people away.  I wanted to go to New Orleans Square to see the decorations and the sidewalks - often impassible, always crowded - were practically empty so I was able to maneuver the wheelchair out of the way and actually capture some nice pictures.

My favorite balcony.

One of the Club 33 entrances.  I guess nobody's using it now.

My mom couldn't understand why I was set on taking her picture right here.  I showed her once I got it that she matched the poinsettias.
 

Our day was pretty normal for us.  We were hoping to find the Moana Tsum Tsums at World of Disney.  We did.  We had a nice breakfast at Rancho del Zocalo, then went up to NOS.  Came back down to enjoy the Silverdollar Six on the balcony over the Golden Horseshoe, then got a good table to enjoy them again inside the theater.  The first showing of Laughing Stock was a good one because the audience members did an awesome job.

We decided our schedule would be to go see Musical Chairs with the Mad Hatter at 3:45, then stay there to catch what we could of the Holiday Magic Parade at 4:15.  We were a little worried, though, because the last time we were there Hatter was at the Coke Corner for Musical Chairs at 2:45.  I suggested that we change the plan and go to the Corner to see the 1:15 parade so that we would be there in case Hatter did show up at 2:35.  We left the Golden Horseshoe, did a restroom stop and then got to Coke Corner and got a good table.

Evidence of low attendance.  You NEVER see three empty tables here at lunch time.

And were really glad we did because Hatter showed up at 12:45 this time.  He had a rough job yesterday as there were few children in the audience, so musical chairs was mostly delightful adults who played along to see that the two little ones were the winners.



I had hoped to see the holiday parade in the evening, but they have brought back the Paint the Night parade so were only running the holiday parade during the daylight.  It's just not the same. Some of my favorites missing and if the herald trumpets - my very favorite part of the parade -  were there (we were sitting back from the street and couldn't see what was happening on the ground) they marched past us because I didn't get to hear them play.  Another casualty of the Paint the Night Parade (part Las Vegas - part Mardi Gras) were my favorite decorations, the Mickey swags across Main Street.  I spent some energy working on minimizing disappointment yesterday.

Still, we could see the tops of the floats and somehow I managed to catch some of them.

Look at him zeroing in on my Mom again.  How did he know the stud magnet was back in the park?
 

We stopped and shopped at the Emporium on our way out and I found the best Disneyland Christmas decoration they've had in years.  I collect unusual tins, and this is a tin music box cookie tin.  I'm trying to find out if Jerrod Maruyama designed it, because the critters are sort of his style.

We got to the tram station for our limo tram ride back to parking and made our trip over to Knott's Berry Farm for a nice early chicken dinner.  The first two times we tried this were traumatic, but we didn't realize how traumatic until yesterday's super fast and easy trip.

The food does taste better without the bitter aftertaste of trauma.