Daily Photo Tour - A Storm Breaks in Paradise

On a day that seemed to be dull and dreary at DCA, we found ourselves wandering to Paradise... Pier that is. As we did, the clouds began to break and the sun shone through for quite a dramatic scene. Even Mickey seemed happy about it.

Daily Photo Tour -The Calm After the Storm

Life has a way of throwing curve balls our way and even though it's inevitable, it seems we're never really prepared. Opportunities for us to question what we're doing and why seem to spawn uncontrollably. Opportunities to listen to the doubting suspicion nagging at us from the inside, encouraging us to question things we were so sure about a week ago. Through these times I think the most important thing to remember is to be true to yourself. To know your course and to stick with it regardless of how things may appear. If you can do this, you can weather any storm with a confidence and tenacity that is not easily extinguished. This is where the true reward lies, in the journey.

Daily Photo Tour - The Big Things in Life

Today I took a moment, and closed my eyes. I wondered what it would be like if I lost my eyesight, if my vision ceased and I could never see again. I honestly would be devastated. I depend on my eyes to guide me everyday without even thinking about it, and I am so inspired and overstimulated by what I see.

And even more I am so grateful for what some people call "the little things in life." They are the sunsets and sunrises, the enormous cliffs and peaks of the mountains, the endless feeling you get the first time you see the ocean and the way the sun glistens off it. They are the vast array of stars that fill the night sky. And then there are clouds. Oh my, the amazing beauty of the ever changing clouds.

And then I thought of the scene you see here. What if I couldn't see this? I would be missing out on so much. What if all the amazing beauty of the earth was shut from my eyes? It didn't take me long before I came up with a solution. I'd probably ask Matthew and Michaela what it looked like. I'd ask for them to explain to me in detail the amazing things they saw. And then it hit me. It's being able to experience what we see with someone else that makes it so much more profound. It's not just what we see that means the most, it's sharing it with others. It's being able to experience the "little things in life" with the people that mean the most to us. I am so grateful for my sight. I am so thankful for Matt and Michaela. I am so thankful to be able to experience life with these two people. They definitely are the two big things in my life.

Daily Photo Tour - Mickey's Sunny Day at the Beach

This has become one of my favorite spots inside Disney California Adventure. It is the culmination of all the boardwalk attractions that surrounds this spot that probably gets me the most, and the fact that it is in itself pretty secluded from the main midway. Oh, and that amazing long beach grass really is the icing on the cake isn't it? You may be wondering why this picture looks so familiar. Well, it's because I have taken it before! It is very reminiscent of Mickey's Gloomy Day at the Beach. The sun opened up a few weeks back, and I couldn't resist to head to my favorite spot. A little cliché yes, but sometimes in photography you have to wrestle in the mud with cliché for a while until you really get what you want out of it. And then after a few rounds, cliché taps out and you find yourself to be a little more refined, a little more resilient, and to have progressed far more than you had ever thought. Take that cliché!

Daily Photo Tour - Mickey's Fun Wheel

Mickey's Fun Wheel has become an icon for California Adventure. The light effects, and color schemes at night are one of the most impressive features on the Paradise Pier Boardwalk. The glow of the Mickey's Fun Wheel seems to light up the entire bay at times!

Daily Photo Tour - A Night of Fun

Getting evening shots of Mickey's Fun Wheel over Paradise Bay is not as easy as it once was. With the addition of World of Color, the area to get these shots has to be cleared pretty early in the evening, often before it gets dark. We were happy to remember that fact one night before the time changed to give us longer days. It seemed perfect too, as the clouds crept up from the coast to give that authentic beach boardwalk feel.

Daily Photo Tour - Mickey's Fun Wheel

Mickey's Fun Wheel has probably become my favorite thing at Disney California Adventure. I always thought its predecessor was pretty cool, but having a giant Mickey face overlooking Paradise Bay is just awesome. I've been wanting to get more pictures of it for a while but we've been spending most of our time at Disneyland as of late. It occurred to me, as I pressed on toward my goal, that all of my picture ideas had been for the side with Mickey's face. To be honest, I couldn't even remember what was on this side. It was a very welcome rediscovery.