Going Home

I woke up in such a fantastic mood yesterday. I had fallen asleep after putting some patches on a tattered friendship and I was going home. As happy and excited as I started out, the stress of travel and not having finished my packing or laundry started to overwhelm me, and I had this feeling like my ride to the airport wasn't going to come through. I'd ordered some luggage and it hadn't come. 

Just before noon, I received a call from Delta saying that my 2:05 flight was delayed to 2:39. I was annoyed for a second, but it would give me more time to get my stuff in order. An hour later I recieved another call from Delta: my flight was further delayed and I would be missing my connection flight in Minneapolis. Stress turned to panic. My ride bailed on me. My roommate had come home early but it was due to illness and I definitely couldn't have her take me. I was going to have to drive myself to the airport and park my car there which is not an expense I was ready to pay for. I had no idea when I would be getting home because I had no idea when I'd be able to get another flight out of Minneapolis. My flight ended up being delayed another twenty minutes and I had to re-book completely, which I was able to do through the Delta app and was actually really easy.

Once I had booked my new flights from Jacksonville to Atlanta to San Francisco, things sort of fell into place. I had a time for when I would arrive in SFO. My luggage arrived in time for me to re-pack (I was using a bag that wasn't really a carry-on size). My roommate emerged from her room and said, "Tell your friend you don't need a ride anymore 'cause I can take you to the airport." I wasn't even going to tell her that I didn't have a ride because she looked awful and I didn't want to make her feel bad, but she appeared to be fine. She went out to run an errand and got a flat tire, which is never fun but if my flight had been on time I wouldn't have been able to loan her my car. Everything just seemed to work out really well. It was like God was saying, "Hey, I told you that you have to stop freaking out about everything. I've got this. My plan is better than yours." 3 hours later than expected, my flights ended up being pretty painless.

As the plane from Atlanta to San Francisco pulled away from the gate, I thought, "This is it: I'm really here, I'm really going to be home in a few hours." I thought of the stress of the first part of the day. When my flight had been delayed the second time, I had just wanted to curl up into a ball and give up, just not go. I thought of the 46 hours over three days it had taken me to drive to Jacksonville. And suddenly I was so overcome with gratitude to be sitting in that window seat on that aircraft, that I started crying. I thought of all the people I'm going to hug, the familiar sights I'll see, the books I had to leave behind that were waiting for me, and I just sat in awe of the fact that such a vessel could take me to the place I needed to be most in the world. I don't think I have ever been more grateful to be sitting anywhere in my entire life. As the plane took off and I felt the shift of weight in leaving the ground, it felt like God was physically carrying me to a place of love and rest. 

I had been watching "At World's End" when something made me want to look out the window and I'm so glad I did. Thousands of feet below me were The Rockies, covered in snow illuminated by the bright moonlight. As I built my own ice palace while singing "Let It Go" in my head and saw each lone bright light as a beacon of Gondor calling for aid, God was like, "Look! I made a thing!" The indescribable beauty I was viewing reminded me of something I needed as my heart ached for home, and that was to be reminded of why I left. There are so many beautiful, wonderful, miraculous things that I have yet to experience and explore and I want to see as much as humanly possible. If I never left Sonoma County, yes, I would see a lot of amazing things, but I would miss so many phenomenal things. 

A couple hours later I tackled my best friend to the ground where we continued to hug. It's fantastic to be home and I'm so thankful that I get to be, but when it's time to leave, which I know will be all too soon, I will remember looking out at those beautiful snow-covered mountains and remember that they are waiting for me to explore. Better still, I know that home will always be here when I'm weary or discouraged, and that God will take me where I need to go.

Reflections, Goals, and Cliches

2013 was a very interesting year for me. It started with me becoming a retail manager, which I said I'd never do, in the middle I moved to Florida, which I said I'd never do, and it ended (least significantly) with me getting a Pixie Cut, which I said I'd never do. I had some great adventures, made some great memories, but mostly I made a lot of mistakes. A lot of them were incredibly painful and I will be praying for healing and solutions for a long time, but I think this was the year I finally learned that I am a human and I get to make mistakes without beating myself up (not that I won't still do that sometimes). I'm exhausted from all the mistakes I've made, but I'm not the same person I was a year ago because mistakes are how we learn and grow. I've learned a lot about who I am, who God is, and who I want to be. Depression has gnawed at my soul and my relationships, but I have hope that this darkness will not endure, and I don't daydream about taking my own life as I once did. It has lead to many hardships and way more time on my own than humans are meant for, but I don't regret moving to Florida because I felt it was where God wanted me and I would not be the person who is sitting here now if I had not come. I found a strength in myself I didn't know I could access, survived what I had always thought I could not endure. I certainly didn't handle everything gracefully, but I do think I am a little tiny bit closer to being an actual adult and maybe even the person I want to be.

This is the time of year where a lot of people are making resolutions and a lot of other people are making fun of those resolutions and their likelihood not to come to fruition. But you know what? There is value in looking inside yourself and seeing what you need to change and taking steps in trying to make those changes. Setting goals for yourself is brave because there is a possibility you will fail which is always scary. But if you never try to be better, never try to improve yourself, you will be a stagnant shell of a human. That's certainly not to say New Year's Resolutions are the only way to do that, but the New Year offers us this sort of clean slate that is filled with hope. You haven't messed up yet this year, a whole new thing is in front of you. I've always loved the idea of new things: new seasons, new CDs (yes, I still buy those), new clothes, new kinds of tea on my shelf, new life. When something is new it is perfect; it's not always going to remain that way, you'll scratch that CD or that tea will be gone, but for awhile it was pure and perfect. The New Year gives us a chance for new adventures, new relationships, new jobs, new opportunities, new challenges, new mistakes, new ways to learn how to be human. If we look at this new thing with eyes of hope, we have more power over the scratches we leave on it. 

I mentioned that my depression has been difficult for me this year. I had been pretty good from 2010-2012, but too much time alone and away from most anything familiar proved to be more than I could handle. I had this thought a few days ago that I can't change the way I think because of this stupid beast that lives inside me. The thing is, I absolutely can change. I can't change my circumstances, but I can change my reactions and decisions and perspective. I can't change how physically overcome with sadness or anxiety I get or how out of control I feel, but I can choose to pray and find peace instead of react in destructive ways. I can't change my feelings, but I can stop letting them control my life and my actions. 

There are so many things we have no control over, but we make so many choices each day and we do have control over those. Plus, God is in control over everything, and that's pretty cool because he knows a lot more than I do. He's been pulling out chunks of me throughout 2013 and replacing them with better bits. He's pulling me to change, and now I get to use this new year He gave me as an opportunity to set goals for how to do so. I encourage you to do the same.

Boys Don't Like Girls with Short Hair

I've donated my hair three times in my life, meaning I've had 8+ inches of hair removed from my head on 3 separate occasions. Each time I've done this, I've been told that boys don't like girls with short hair, or that they like girls with long hair. I think every female has been fed this lie at least once in her life. I recently chopped off my hair again (though I couldn't donate it due to bleach and things) and have been inspired to talk about this vicious statement that most of us have been hearing for years. 

Here are three reasons we shouldn't tell girls that boys won't like them if they cut their hair short:

1. It is not a true statement. Any time you make a generalisation that half the population doesn't like a certain thing, there is an astronomical chance that you are wrong. Do all girls look for the same things in guys? Heck no. And not all guys like the same things on girls. People are complex and diverse and we cannot degrade them by assuming we know their preferences before we even talk to them. Yes, there will be men who prefer women to have long, blonde hair, but there are also men who not only like short hair, but who PREFER it. Crazy? No, it's actually not. People have always had different tastes, this isn't news. I don't know when we decided it was okay to instill this idea that all of any group of people do or do not like a certain thing, but I'm fairly certain it has never been true. ANY statement that starts with "Boys don't like..." is something you should disregard. (And men, you bet you can disregard those "Girls don't like..." statements.)

2. We are placing far too much value on exterior beauty. When you tell a girl not to cut her hair short, you are teaching her to find her sense of self in her appearance and it is arguably one of the most harmful lessons to give. If a girl is conventionally less attractive with short hair, WHO CARES? We have to be less shallow than that. Most girls are told things like this for the first time around puberty. Puberty is confusing and gross and terrible and we are making it so much harder than it needs to be when we continually enforce standards of what is beautiful and feminine on girls. Telling girls they need to be beautiful on the outside and that they need to do certain things to maintain that beauty will later lead to vanity issues or, more likely, self-esteem issues. We should be spending our time with young women with the intent to help them develop a strong sense of who they are as people, guiding them in ways that are edifying and productive, not concerning ourselves with things that will have no bearing on who they are as human beings. We are so much more than purely ornamental.

3. We are teaching girls that their life should revolve around pleasing men. Telling girls to make every little decision based on what they think will be pleasing to the opposite sex is not only pointless due to my first point, but it is so incredibly degrading to who we are as people. Ladies, your number one goal in life has to be more than finding and pleasing a husband. And you know what? If a man doesn't like you based on the length of your hair, he is not worth your time. We have to stop telling girls that their purpose lies in another person. Your parents and grandparents will more than likely put pressure on you to get married, but there is no person on this earth who can make you whole. If you spend your whole life single, that is okay. Many people live beautiful, fulfilling lives without ever getting married. There is so much love to be found among family and friends. Romance may improve your life, but it does not make or break it. Rather than teaching girls dependence on other people, we should be teaching them skills they will need as they grow into adulthood so that they can flourish on their own.

The solution here is really simple: stop making these generalisations about boys OR girls. They are so harmful and counterproductive. You are so much more than what you appear, so much more than the shallow judgments of those who surround you. THAT is the sentiment we should be spreading like wildfire.

Why I Moved

I'd imagine that anyone reading my blog would know this, but just in case you don't: I recently moved across the country. Back in August I packed up everything I could into my Toyota Corolla and drove for 3 solid days from Petaluma, CA to Jacksonville, FL. Just me, the open road, good tunes, and my co-pilot, Daryl, the red panda. (I was on the road for 17 hours on the last day, an hour of which was just sitting in my car while an accident was being cleaned up.)

So the question that leaves in everyone's mind is, "Why?" It's a reasonable question, but it's not a cut-and-dry answer like everyone wants it to be. The number one assumption people make is that I moved here for school. I suppose that's a decent hypothesis, but at this point in my life, I don't plan on going to school again. School is just not for me, but I suppose I can't expect people to necessarily know that. The other assumption I've gotten almost as much is that I gave up the entire life that I knew to be with some boy. This infuriates me beyond measure. I am 24 and have been in exactly one relationship, if you can call it that. I was "dating" a boy (okay, he happens to live in Florida, I'll give them that) for 2 months. I literally did not see him in that period of time. Not exactly much of a relationship. I'm not sure if people thought I was moving for that specific boy, or just a boy in general, but the fact that anyone thought I would move 3000 miles away just to get a boyfriend upsets me greatly. I know I don't have a lot of prospects, but I'm not exactly the type of person who thinks life revolves around finding a husband. (I could probably write an entire post just about that. And I might.) Sure, I'm a kind of a hopeless romantic in some ways; I will never be over Jim and Pam or Lizzie and Darcy, but moving across the country for a guy without being in a fairly committed relationship is just not something I, personally, would do. I don't know, maybe to some people that would be more of a reason than my actual reasons. I did, however, move to where my best friend lives and he just happens to be of the male variety.

The idea of moving to Florida actually started out as something completely different than what was actually executed. I had this friend who broke up with her boyfriend who lived with her. She didn't have a lot of friends in the area, she was obviously upset over losing her boyfriend, and she needed a roommate. At the time, she was one of my best friends, even though I have only spent time with her in real life twice. One day, she texted me and asked, probably never in a million years expecting me to agree (and possibly jokingly), if I would move in with her. I decided that I would move in with her, but I wanted to wait 'til after VidCon so that I could definitely still go and so I could have some time to save up. We were both very excited and spent a lot of time discussing what it would be like to live together and occasionally warning each other about habits that we have that the other might find annoying when living together. After finally getting up the nerve to tell my boss, and right before I was going to tell my parents, she told me that she was having second thoughts. She never really even followed up on those second thoughts, I was just to assume that she no longer wanted to live with me.

Honestly, that set me off into a really low time. My depression hit harder than it had in years (more on that in a later post). I took it very personally that she didn't want to live with me. There had to be something wrong with me. I just was completely at a loss as to what to do. Yes, I was doing this largely as a favour to my friend. I love my friends and I will do anything in my power not to have to see them sad. That wasn't my only reason to move to Florida, though. I had lived in the same town, in the same house since I was 2. Petaluma is a pretty small town, one of those places you can't go anywhere without running into someone you know and usually don't want to talk to. As someone with social anxiety, having a conversation with someone I've known for years but doesn't remember who I am, is a complete nightmare. Or with someone I went to high school with but never talked to so we're both standing there trying not to acknowledge that we know each other. Or with anyone who expects me to make small talk. Moving to a place where I wouldn't have to encounter these things had a great appeal to me. I am also a very independent person, so living with my parents was increasingly difficult. Having to justify everything I do, everywhere I go at 24 is just not my jam. You would think that when I informed my mother at the age of 2 that I would be picking out my own clothes from then on, she would realise I do not do well with people trying to control me. That is, unfortunately, not the case. I had never imagined still living with my parents into my mid-twenties. I will always be a little kid and watch Disney movies to my heart's desire, but I was really overdue on becoming an independent adult. That's not to insult anyone who lives with his/her parents, that's just my experience. I needed to find out who I was outside of the context of my town and my home.

I don't remember how long I was freaking out about my plans being suddenly derailed. I considered moving to random towns in Florida, out of Florida. I didn't have much money to do something on my own, and anywhere in or around Petaluma would have been too expensive. Meanwhile, any situation where my plans to move were brought up, especially work, was torture. I was having a lot of panic attacks. The nice thing about being a manager was that I could disappear to the back without really being questioned. I just couldn't face telling anyone that I wasn't moving to Tallahassee. The thought of not having a plan alone was an unbearable amount of anxiety, but the thought of having to explain that to someone...well, it was just really not good. I told my best friends and pretty much no one else. I know they're my best friends because I'm sure I was a jerk to them when they tried to advise me. Possibly having to stay in my parents house and tell my job that I wasn't leaving and hoping they would let me still work there was more than I could handle hearing from anyone. They told me I didn't HAVE to go anywhere, but my brain didn't know how to deal with that. I cannot stand not doing the things I say I'll do. (Like the fact that I didn't start doing daily blogs when I said I would. I'm completely ashamed of myself.) So many people said I wouldn't go. So thanks for that challenge. If someone thinks I can't do something, I will work that much harder to do it. 

I eventually remembered that when I had seen my friend Tiffany in May, she told me she was moving to Florida and hadn't believed when I said I was also moving to Florida. Tiffany had lived in Santa Barbara. I've visited her there several times and loved it so much that I almost moved in with her a couple of years ago. She was doing an internship type thing as her rent, though, and the director filled up the apartment. I decided I needed to tell Tiffany that I would no longer be moving to her state. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I had this little hope that maybe she needed a roommate. Sure enough, she responded to my Facebook the next day and said she had been praying to find a roommate. It had sort of perfectly matched up with my own prayers. The timing worked out with the plans I already had. One of my best friends was also in Jacksonville where she would be teaching. I prayed on it a bit and was completely certain that God was telling me to go to Jacksonville. 

What I tell people when they ask why I moved is that Tiffany asked me to move in with her and so I did. That's partially true, but now you know there is a lot more to it than that. I am always up for a new adventure. We all tend to grow complacent, remaining in places, jobs, relationships, where we aren't happy. I knew my life needed a change and here I was given this opportunity to change mine very drastically. Sometimes you just have to jump in and make changes and let God do the rest. 

Why I NaNoWriMo

It's mid-October which means it's time to start thinking about NaNoWriMo! If you happen to be reading this and don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it National Novel Writing Month during which thousands of people from around the world write a 50,000+ word novel in November. This will be my fourth year participating. And winning. (Shut up, I'm going to win.)

To some people, the thought of writing 1667 words a day for 30 days sounds like a slow, painful torture. Heck, it sort of is. But it's torture with a satisfying outcome. There are lots of reasons to do NaNoWriMo, but here are some of my reasons for doing it as a person who spends little to no other time writing:

1. Discipline. I have none. I've been having thoughts of maybe writing a novel for longer than I can remember. At twelve, I was working on a gripping novel about a girl who lost her parents to a September 11th plane crash. It was actually mostly about how she didn't fit in anywhere and was full of angsty angst. I know, shocking that I would write something angsty. I think I wrote three or four chapters of that and abandoned it. I think I was also trying to write a fictionalized version of my grandpa's near death at the same time. Everything that I had ever worked on before November 2010 went unfinished due to lack of discipline. NaNoWriMo sort of forces discipline into you. When you have such a short time to write so much, you have to plow through those days when you don't want to write. If you don't, you will A) Lose or B) Find yourself with a big pot of tea and mounds of snacks as you write into the wee hours of the morning to burn out 25k in day. I don't accept defeat and found myself choosing B last year. I definitely didn't have discipline throughout the month, but I sure as crap did on that last day (my mom kept asking me to watch TV with her). And now I will never do that again.

2. Community. The people who decide to write a novel in a month are cool people and there are lots of them. Struggling through something like this really brings people together in cool ways. I've made several friends through people finding my NaNoWriMo video and tweets and tumbls about it, and I've gotten closer to friends I already had by doing it. No one really understands the pleasure and pain of November except other novelists. Last year I sent out postcards of encouragement to all my friends who were participating. I'm going to pretend that helped. I have also put together playlists and had writing parties via the internet. Friends are cool. 

3. Challenge. I love me a good challenge. Ride every ride in Disneyland in one day? Done. Drive from the Bay Area to Oregon in one day? Sure. Watch every extended version of Lord of the Rings in one sitting? Extra done. The moment something becomes slightly crazy, I want to do it just to say I have done it. Writing a novel in a month is a little crazy, but when you're done you have this thing that you've made. It may be terrible and no one else may ever read it, but it's there and it's done and that's beautiful. 

The reason this blog is currently coming at you is because I haven't done any writing recently and I need to re-learn to articulate myself in more than 140 characters. This has also just been a time of a lot of self-reflection and discovery in my life. Due to those and that whole challenge thing, I'm going to be writing a post everyday from now until November. We'll see how this goes!

I made a video about NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago in which I give tips and advice for those participating. I un-privated it just for you.

On Life Being What You Make It

I'm alive! I have all the body parts with which to put together sentences on this thing called a blog! Shocking, I know.

Today I received a tweet from my friend, Hannah, saying she is jealous of my life (as well as the life of my friend and padawan Ashleigh, but this is my blog so we're mostly going to talk about me). This is all I have been thinking about for the past couple of hours and I really just wanted to talk about this. Obviously, since I am here writing a blog for the first time in over a year.

I am a 24-year-old girl who lives with her parents and works a crappy retail job with no particular talents to speak of. I'm not sure anyone has ever told me (at least not seriously) that they are jealous of my life. There are many days where I am unhappy and don't particularly like my own life, but when my life is great it is because I have made it that way. We all know that cliche "Life is what you make it" and I am here to tell you how true that is. 

There are always going to be circumstances in your life that are less than ideal. To a lot of people, I'm probably just a loser who has no life. There are some days when I work all day and just come home and watch shows from over a decade ago on Netflix and I am one of the people who think I have no life. The reason my life is actually sort of awesome is that I go on a lot of adventures. I'm guessing these adventures are what Hannah envies about my life. You know what's cool about adventures? Pretty much anyone can go on them. Yes, some of them are expensive, but there are a lot of things you can do for free. I just got back from a really awesome hike and all it cost me was gas, which is the biggest cost in basically all my adventures. 

Life is about priorities. If you are unhappy with your life, think about what you are prioritizing. Are you broke because you buy a venti soy chai with a shot of caramel everyday? Stop going to Starbucks everyday. Do you spend too much money on shirts because you check Teefury at exactly midnight east coast time every night and you can't help but buy that new Doctor Who shirt? Stop checking TeeFury. If you buy lunch everyday while you're at work or school, you're doing it wrong. Bring it with you every once in awhile. Think about where your money is going. Make a list of everything you spend money on for a week and see what you can cut out. I struggle with a lot of these things, but my point is that there are probably ways you can save money for doing things that will make you enjoy your life more.

If money isn't what's holding you back from having the kind of life you want, ask yourself what is. Today I was tired and just didn't want to get out of bed to go hiking but I forced myself to do so and I'm so glad that I did. If there is something you really want to do, don't let 4 hours of sleep hold you back. It's ok to be the anti-social kid who stays at home on Friday nights reading science fiction, but don't let a natural inclination to be alone keep you from having fun. Not that reading isn't great fun, but you need to go outside sometimes. Plus, you can always have adventures on your own if you feel so inclined. That book will be there later when you're trying to wind down from all the fun you've had.

A huge reason why I enjoy my life is my friends. I wouldn't have done a lot of the things I've done over the past 3 years or so if I didn't have Ashleigh by my side. There are a lot of other really great people in my life, too, the kind who agree to go on a trip to the beach at the last minute when we had something entirely different planned. By no means do I have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are wonderful, caring people who share a lot of my interests. I know this is not always something you can control in your own life, but make sure you get rid of any toxic relationships in your life. You may find beautiful new friendships if you cut people out of your life who are constantly hurting you. 

I am a lover of lists and goals. I find that if I list specific goals for myself, I do a lot more than I would have otherwise. Make a bucket list of things you want to do for the summer. Make it way longer than is conceivable to complete, but do whatever you can to check off as much as possible. It's quite satisfying to see on paper (or a screen) what you have done with your time.

Be spontaneous. Go on that last minute trip to some place you've never hear of with your friend. Be flexible. We all have busy lives and people's plans change. Be willing to go with the flow and do something different if things don't go the way you originally intended. I had plans to go out with a group of people, half of which cancelled at the last minute. I almost didn't go out that night because I hadn't hung out with those people before, but I made myself get over my anxiety and had a really great time. I have hung out with those guys many times since then. That forcing yourself to do things really works.

Remember that you have power over your life, it's not just a thing that is happening to you. Don't wallow in your circumstances; make a conscious decision to do the things that make you happy and fulfilled. Life's what you make it, so let's make it rock.


Listening to: "Waiting for the Dawn" by The Mowglis

A Rough Guide to Doing Disneyland in One Day

I would like to start off by saying I'm somewhat ill-qualified to be writing this blog because I have never done Disneyland in one day; I've always made it at least a two-day affair. That being said, I've been to Disneyland more than your Average Jane, so I want to attempt to help those of you who only have the time or money to spend one day at Disneyland. However, this may be helpful to anyone who is going for the first time or doesn't go often. It is also important to mention that while my last day in the park was June 1st, Cars Land and Buena Vista Street open at California Adventure tomorrow (June 15th), so there are a lot of changes going on in that park that I have not experienced. 

The question I've been asked a lot lately is: What type of ticket should I get? If you are going to Disneyland for the first time and/or live faraway and don't know when you will be coming back to the park, I highly suggest getting a Park Hopper ticket. This will allow you to go to both Disneyland (DL) and Disney California Adventure (DCA). I do think it is worth the price difference. You're paying a lot either way, so you might as well make the most of it. If you cannot afford the price difference, your one park should definitely be Disneyland if that was ever a question. If you are going to VidCon, you can purchase a ticket here. If you happen to be reading this and going to Disneyland in a trip unrelated to VidCon, you can purchase tickets here, at the ticket booth in the park, or at any Disney Good Neighbor hotel. Those three options are probably all going to cost the same, but I recommend purchasing tickets through your hotel because that will have the shortest line. (If you print it out online you still have to go through the ticket booth to get a physical ticket to take into the park. You can have it mailed to you, but that will cost extra.)

In preparation it is a good idea to bring layers of clothing. A typical summer day at Disneyland day may be in the 80s (F) but can get down to the low 60s (F) at night. Sweatshirts are a lot to carry around, so I personally like to bring a light long-sleeve shirt that takes up very little space in my bag. You can rent a locker for anything you don't want to carry around in the park. I'm going to say that this is around $10, but I've never done this so I'm not sure. As someone with incredibly pale skin and a family history of skin cancer, I feel it is my duty to tell you to remember to use sunblock and reapply it several times during the day, especially if you go on water rides. You'll thank me later when you don't have to ask anyone to rub aloe all over your back. Make sure at least one person in your group has a camera, and make sure that they use it. You will be very disappointed if you realise you don't have pictures from your magical day. A great thing about Disney compared to other theme parks is that you can bring food into the park with you. Once you get into the park, food will be incredibly overpriced, so if you're trying to make this as inexpensive a trip as possible, consider packing a PB & J and some snacks. It's a good idea to bring in your own water as well. And bring chapstick. My friends always forget chapstick. 

Disneyland has ever-changing hours, but for most of the summer Disneyland is open from 8 AM to 12 AM and upon the re-opening of California Adventure, it will be open from 8 AM to 11 PM. These are the hours of July 1st and the time surrounding VidCon, but if you are going at another time (especially if it's not summer) you may want to look up the hours for the day(s) you're going. If this is your only day at the park, I would recommend you wake up early and try to arrive at the park by at least 7:30. It takes at least 10 minutes to get to the park itself from any parking lot and there are going to be lines to get into the park. Arriving right when the park opens not only gives you the most time in the park, but it'll pretty much guarantee a short wait for your first ride and will give you a jump on grabbing a Fast Pass (which I will explain later if you don't know what that is). Don't forget to grab a schedule on your way into the park. This will tell you showtimes for the whole day for both parks. You will probably also want a map as well. These are both located right as you come into the park where the cast member scans your ticket. If this is your first time in the park, it's your birthday, or you're celebrating anything, you can go into City Hall (located on Main Street to the left as you enter the park) and get a button. You'll probably have to wait quite awhile for this in the morning because people like to do this first to show the button off all day, but if you go during the evening you most likely won't have to wait in line at all. 

Keep in mind that if you are going to the park on July 1st, this is the official Disney Day for a convention of over six thousand people, is during peak season, and is two weeks after the Grand Re-Opending of DCA. There are going to be lines. You're going to have to wait in them. Once you're in said line, commit to it and be patient. Look at this as time you get to spend with your friends. I will try to give you as many tips as possible to avoid the worst lines, but you will still do plenty of waiting. 

Things You Shouldn't Miss

Obviously this is going to be subjective, but here are the things I wouldn't want to miss if I only had one day at the Disneyland Resort. If you are a person who doesn't normally do roller coasters, remember that this is Disneyland. Kids go on them and they are not that fast. 

In Disneyland

Space Mountain*

This is a roller coaster in a dark room that makes it look as if you are riding through space. It's not the fastest roller coaster ever, but it's a ton of fun. I recommend having dance parties while riding this.

Star Tours*

A 3D simulated ride through space with C-3P0, this is my favourite ride in the whole park since it re-opened June 3rd of last year. I've never ridden it as a person who doesn't like Star Wars, but I think it would be enjoyable even if for some crazy reason you've never seen the films.

Matterhorn

This bobsled ride up a mountain re-opens tomorrow (June 15th) with brand new, less awkward seating. It now fits three people to a sled with no lap-sitting. It's a fun coaster that features an abominable snowman and goes faster at night (unless that changes with the new cars).

"It's a Small World"

I know this ride is infamous for it's catchy and repetitive song, but I honestly think it's part of the Disneyland experience. This is one of those rides that will often have a line that looks intimidatingly long, but they're constantly loading people onto boats, so the line is constantly moving and goes quite fast.

At Least One Dark Ride in Fantasyland 

I'm pretty sure "Dark Ride" is a technical term. What I mean by that is the storybook rides that are basically a re-hashing of a Disney movie in ride form. A lot of people write these off as little kid rides. You know what? You're at Disneyland. If you can't be a kid at Disneyland, where can you be? My favourite is Peter Pan's Flight, but Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland are also fun. So you know for planning, part of Fantasyland closes before the fireworks (I believe around 8 or so) and opens up again around 10 PM. Avoid Fantasyland in the afternoon as much as possible since that is when the most young children are in the park.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad*

This is another of the mountain coasters. It generally has the shortest line of any of the mountains. For the fastest ride, sit towards the back of the train.  This is a ride where you slide around a lot and the person on the left may get squished, so take size into account when you board. Also, 3 small-average adults can fit in one seat. If you're not going to see any of the nighttime shows (or you're going multiple days), this is the best ride to be on during the fireworks. 

Indiana Jones*

A bouncy jeep ride through one of 3 slightly different temple rooms with Indiana Jones. If you are like Indy and have a phobia of snakes, you probably shouldn't ride this. Otherwise, it's a must-do adventure. 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Hang out on a boat with some animatronic pirates (they're not actually ON the boat, you are.) Starts out nice and calm, then you'll go down a couple drops (which occasionally get you wet) and you'll find yourself in the middle of combat. Not the most thrilling of rides, but it's a lot of fun. Plus, there are wenches. 

Haunted Mansion

This is where some of the most fun cast members are; some of them get really into the spooky atmosphere. The ride itself may contain ghosts, but it's not very scary if you're above the age of seven. A bonus of this ride is that it's usually cold in there so it's great for hot days.

Splash Mountain

A log ride where you get to chill with Brer Rabbit. People who have never been on this often think that it's just your average log rid where you go up and down a big drop. Come on, this is Disney. There's got to be some story line. My favourite drop on the ride is not the main drop. Note that water levels are adjusted to the weather, so if you are riding this during the summer, you will likely get VERY wet. I had one small dry spot on my body after riding the front of this a few weeks ago. However, it's still a really fun nighttime ride as well.

Soundsational Parade 

Parades are a good time to sit down and take a break for a little bit, maybe grab some food and eat it while waiting. You can view this show from Fantasyland or Main Street. Cast members will rope off the route and you can sit anywhere along it. The parade features Mary Poppins, all the princesses, Aladdin, Simba, and other fun things from your childhood. And, unlike Celebrate: A Street Party, it features no Hannah Montana music, which is always nice. Parade times are 4 and 6:30. (They probably won't change, but you have your handy schedule to double-check that.) 

Other Attractions

Jungle Cruise (if you love puns, you'll love this), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin* are some rides you should check out if you've got extra time. The canoes can be really fun if you have a big group and not too many children on your boat. Try to watch the ride and see if multiple canoes are in use because it's most fun when you can race. Don't waste your valuable time on Autopia. 

In California Adventure

Soarin' Over California*

This is a virtual hang-gliding ride that will take you on a trip over some of California's most famous sites, including the Golden Gate Bridge (which is always weird for me 'cause I'm suddenly at home again), Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite. You may not be able to see the real thing while you're in California, but at least you can pretend.

Ariel's Undersea Adventure

This is much like the storybook rides of Fantasyland. A clam shell ride takes you through the songs of my personal favourite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. I rode this on opening day and the queue extended into the World of Color viewing area (you probably don't know where that is, but trust me that it was a big line) and yet I waited less than an hour. This is the fastest moving line in the entire resort because it is constantly loading. I would be surprised if you had to wait more than 10 minutes to go on this ride.

Toy Storia Mania

This is a 4D shooter game that takes place in the land of toys. You (virtually) shoot things like pins at balloons and rings around aliens. 

California Screamin'*

You know when you go on a roller coaster that's really fun but way too short? This is not that coaster. I'm really into roller coasters and I love this one, but it's also a good one for people who are a bit wary of thrill rides.

Radiator Springs Racers* 

Like I said before, Cars Land opens tomorrow. This means I have never been on this ride. I have heard really great things about it, though, and heard it's a bit like Test Track over at EPCOT which is a lot of fun. This is probably worth checking out.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror*

Yes, this is a ride where you fall straight down in an elevator. I personally think it's worth forcing yourself to go on, which is what I did to my Padawan and now she enjoys it (I think). However, this ride is not for everyone. Try it anyway.

Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular

A stage version of Disney's Aladdin with ever-changing pop culture references and an some additional music. This show will probably only be running through the end of the year or so, meaning you need to see it now. Times are on the schedule you already have. Get there at least 20 minutes before it starts. 

Animation Building

This is a thing people pass over easily. I'm not going to tell you what awaits you, you can see for yourself. After you've soaked up the glory of the main building for a bit, definitely head over to the Sorcerer's Workshop for karaoke and other fun stuff. Turtle Talk with Crush is also pretty fun if you want to take the time to see it, though I wouldn't call it a must. I've never actually done Animation Academy, so I can't tell you much about that.

Other Attractions

Muppet Vision and It's Tough to Be A Bug are two fun 3D short films. If you love the Muppets, Muppet Vision is a must. I don't like bugs, but I enjoy It's Tough to Be a Bug, though I know others who can't stand it for that reason. Mickey's Fun Wheel is a good ride if the line isn't too long, but you should go on the moving gondolas otherwise it's just your average ferris wheel. Grizzly River Run is pretty fun if you want to get really soaked, but it's not that different from rapids rides at other theme parks. Only worth the wait if you really want to get wet.

*denotes Fast Pass

A Fast Pass is a ticket that allows you to go on rides with a shorter time during a certain window of time. Fast Pass distribution is located next to each ride that has a Fast Pass line. You will receive a ticket that will have a window of time on it. What a lot of people don't know is that you can go on that ride any time after the first time has passed. The bottom of your ticket will tell you the time at which you can get your next Fast Pass, however, if you get a Fast Pass at DL you can immediately get another one at DCA and vice versa. These are FREE. 

In Both Parks

Meet at Least One Character 

Taking a picture with your friends and a character is a great free souvenir. Mickey and friends (and occasionally other characters) are pretty much always on Main Street. You can meet Aladdin and Jasmine in Adventureland, Rapunzel and Flynn (they usually have a long wait) as well as Merida in Fantasyland currently, and if you love princesses you can head over to the Princess Fantasy Faire and wait upwards of an hour to meet 2-3 princesses. You can also head over to Toontown to meet Mickey and Minnie in their houses. DCA is the place to go if you want to meet Pixar characters. Jessie and Woody often hang out in front of Toy Story Mania, Dug and Russell can be found in by Redwood Creek trail, and I've found Sully and The Incredibles wandering around. Nautical Mickey and Aviator Minnie can also be found in DCA. However, this may all change with the re-opening. (I have seen pictures of adorable 20s and 30s period outfits on Mickey and friends for Buena Vista Street.) You'll have to wait to meet any character unless you have impeccable timing. There will always be a cast member with each character. She/he will have a camera and will take your picture with that and put it on a Photo Pass that can be used throughout the day. However, getting prints of these is incredibly over-priced. Don't hesitate to hand your own camera to the cast member as well. Most meet and greet times are on your schedule.

World of Color and Fantasmic!

I'm putting these together because I think you should see both and I will try to help you do that. These are both water projection shows. Fantasmic! includes live elements as well. They are two of my favourite experiences in the park and well worth seeing. Seating for Fantasmic is first come first serve, so you often need to get there about an hour before the show starts. If you can help it, catch the 9:00 Fantasmic! and head over to the 10:15 World of Color. However, you need a pass to get into World of Color. These are located next to Grizzy River Run. They are distributed for a specific time. Wait a few hours before you go over there if you want to see the second show. The time of the show will be listed in the distribution area. Like Fast Passes, these are free and just meant to control crowds. You can also get special World of Color reserved seating when you eat at Carthay Circle and other restaurants you dine at. Getting from Fantasmic! to World of Color is not going to be easy, but if you leave when the Mark Twain (the big white boat) pulls into the river, you will leave before the crowd disperses and should be able to get to DCA in time. There will still be plenty of traffic because of the fireworks, though. These are special fireworks for Independence Day on the first. It is possible to see them and then go to the 10:30 Fantasmic!, but I don't think it's very possible to see all 3 things without a TARDIS or at least a hoverboard.

I don't know how bad crowds will be, but I do think it's possible to see all the attractions that I have specifically bolded. 

Dining

I've been asked about the best options for eating on the go. If you want something that you can grab and eat while you wait for a parade or in line for a ride, your best options are the carts located throughout the parks. Your options there are pretty limited (corn on the cob, chimichangas, turkey legs). There is also a corndog cart on Main St. that would be good for on the go. (The ones at Corndog Castle in DCA are better, but there's usually a long line there.) Pretty much anywhere else you go (apart from fine dining) is going to get you your food fairly quickly, but won't be very conducive to walking around with. If you are like me and don't need to eat all that much at one time, kids meals are a good option to save you a few bucks. They list them for a certain age group but anyone can order them. Ordering a cup of water with your meal is another good money-saving tactic. You can check out all of your dining options here and if you're really into food, you can find reviews and such here.

I'd be happy to attempt to answer any questions you have that I may have missed in this ginormous post. I hope there was something in here that you'll find useful!