Disneyland's Cars Land in its California Adventure amusement park opened in June, and I can say that I am one of the few people on this planet who has a picture from the Radiator Springs Racers ride - soon, I'll be one of millions, I'm sure.

The new attraction - like everything Disney touches - is perfectly executed and magically awesome. Trust me, I know. Me and the man behind the mouse go way back. I've been to a Disney theme park about 10 times - including Tokyo Disney and Disney World in Florida. Does that make me a Disney freak or freakishly awesome?

Now that I'm in my 20s and have a 13-year-old brother, my love of Disney amusement parks isn't dying down anytime soon. If I ever have kids, we're going to have way too much fun. Honestly, who can be in a bad mood around kids?

In 2009 I brought my now husband to the park, who was "excited to spend time in Cali's sun." It only took about three hours before he was running hand-in-hand with me toward Space Mountain and shouting things like, "If you can't keep up, I'll meet you at the end of the ride."

Even Walt Disney - a marketing and creative genius - said himself, "You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway."

The older I get, the more nostalgic I've become for the simplicity of childhood. The same goes for my friends, one of whom can't decide between Disneyland and two weeks in Europe for her upcoming milestone birthday.

I can openly admit that I had crushes on both Peter Pan and Aladdin when I was little and that I've watched "Sleeping Beauty" since college. A stressful day as a kid? Wondering why I couldn't jump into my sidewalk chalk drawings like Mary Poppins. My sister was so obsessed with "The Little Mermaid" as a kid that her entire room was themed "under the sea" and she used to swim with her legs together like a fin.

Staying in the newly remodeled Disneyland Hotel last week was almost as magical as the park's Fantasmic fire and lights show. The oversized, wood-carved castle wall mural takes the cake. With the flip of a switch, "When You Wish Upon a Star" starts playing and fireworks illuminate in the sky above the castle - making a night light.

A favorite trip highlight: Waiting outside California Adventure for the park to open and seeing the stampede of families race to Cars Land when the gates opened. I actually heard one pushy mom say, "If we lose your little brother, we'll call him. He has a cell phone." Classic.

Cars Land itself so meticulously mirrors the movie, my bro was wide-eyed as we checked out Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, the Cozy Cone Motel, Flo's V8 Cafe and Luigi's Flying Tires.

In a world filled with grownup responsibilities and 9-to-5 cubicle cells, maybe you owe it to yourself to put on that Goofy T-shirt and run toward the Pirates of the Caribbean ride declaring that it's "a pirate's life" for you. You'd fit in with the thousands of other parents reliving their childhoods through their kids. I saw a grandma in a wheelchair with a Mickey shirt and ears on, ice cream in one hand, a balloon in the other - all the while trying to clap along with a parade. My own grandma - who used to be an airline stewardess - thumbed through our trip photos last night and reminded us that she's visited a lot of places, but the Magic Kingdom is her favorite.

Can't head to the park just yet? If you need a free pick-me-up, type in "Disneyland surprise" in YouTube. You're welcome.

Nicole DeCosta, former reporter and editor of the West Linn Tidings and editor of the Home section of the Tidings and Lake Oswego Review, is now an associate editor for Pamplin Media Group's central design desk.