This is a picture of me with my very first friend, Eric Darling, on our very first trip to Disneyland.  My mom and dad went to high school with his parents and we joke that we’ve been friends since we were fetuses.  This trip to Disneyland was a really big deal for our families.

The picture above is taken in front of the Frontierland stockade.  As you can see, our parents clearly didn’t care for the pesky ropes that keep people out of the planters.  Below is another picture that clearly shows my mom’s dedication to the perfect picture…in a planter (and I love it).

The best part of these pictures is that they document the beginning of my Disneyland obsession.

And for the record, Eric and I are still friends.  Years will go by without seeing each other, but we keep in contact on Facebook and text messages.  Every so often we text one another for some silly reason and he rarely, if ever, misses sending out a holiday text…really early in the morning.  He’s awesome like that.  Here’s a picture of us (technically baby C is in this picture too) in October of 2009.

Eric’s birthday is on Friday, which means he only has a few more days of being younger than me.  Live it up, you whippersnapper!  Happy Birthday, Eric!!!