Life is Full of Surprises!

So yesterday I went into the Verizon store because it was time to upgrade my iPhone 4S. I was expecting to leave the store with a gold iPhone 5s. What I left with was a white Droid Mini and a white iPad air! I was not expecting this at all. When I walked into the store I saw the iPhone 5s and I was disappointed. The phone just looked small and narrow, especially when it was sitting next to all those giant android phones. So then I started looking at the droids. When I was talking to the sales man he told me I should go straight for the iPhone. I then mentioned I was thinking about getting an iPad later down the road because I've been wanting one for a couple of months. He then told me they were having a special on their iPads where you get $100 off of the device so an iPad with data would cost you the same as one without. He then told me that on our plan it would only cost $10 more to add a tablet to it. This was starting to sound awesome but I wasn't expecting to spend just that much money yet. Then the sales man found out I had an old iPhone 4S. He told me I could trade it in for $200 and I could use that towards the purchase of the iPad! I then desided that I didn't need a new iPhone and and iPad, so that is why I got the Droid Mini because it was only $50! I have no idea how to use the new phone but I am figuring it out. Everything is just so new to me, I'm trying to figure everything out at once! If anyone has any tips or suggestions bout apps I should get let me know!!! 

Also I just want you to know I wrote this post from my iPad :)

California Land!

Day Two

You guys all thought I left you hanging and I know you all are dying to know what I did on my second day at Disneyland. So here goes!

They day started out with breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe, I had a Mexican breakfast pizza. It was pretty good, but everyone was making fun of me because at this point my voice was almost completely gone. I was literally at a whisper. And you know me I do not whisper.

After breakfast we went straight into California Land and walked directly to Car's Land and to the Radiator Springs Racers. The wait was already 40 minutes long and it was only about 9:30 am when the park opened at 9 am. The line for the fast passes was super long as well. They must have run out of fast passes in like an hour. But this ride was totally worth the wait! First you go through and its like any other Disneyland ride where it basically tells the story of the movie, but then you meet up with another car and you guys race each other! I wasn't expecting that but it was pretty cool.

 

Next we walked down Car's Land and let me tell you, it looked just like it did in the movie. It was crazy! One of the rides that was there wasn't working which was really sad but the other one was Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. It was basically like the Scrambler at the local fair. I went with Ian on this ride and every time they swung a corner Ian would slide into me and squish me! It was hilarious.

After Car's Land the boys went on the big roller coaster. I decided not to go on, Space Mountain was my only roller coaster for the weekend. So me and Auntie La went on some of the kiddie type rides like the swings. On our way over there we saw Buzz and Woody and got our pictures taken with them. But those pictures are on Auntie La's camera. 

When we met up with the boys again Ian was really upset that I got a picture with Buzz and Woody and when we went back to get pictures with them they were gone, but Jesse was there! So we got a picture with her. I also saw the Army Men performing while we were walking there. They had a performance much like the Blue Man Group. 

After that we went and saw the Aladdin show. It was really funny, the Genie had jokes about Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus. When we got out Sulley was across the street so obviously we had to get a picture with him. Ian wanted to take a selfie with him, because how awesome is that? When I gave my phone to the photographer to take a normal picture with Sulley, he got a picture of us taking a selfie. It was pretty awesome. 

 After this we went and had lunch in Downtown Disney, we watched some football and then Ian was tired so he decided to got back to the hotel and sleep. Dad, Auntie La, and I decided to go back to Disneyland we went on some other rides that we didn't go on before and we went on Pirates and the Jungle Cruise again. Then we watched the fireworks but we watched it from the back side of the park by "It's a Small World". It was pretty cool seeing the fireworks close up and from a different angle.

Day Three

It is football Sunday! We went to the ESPN Zone but we got there too late and couldn't get a table. So we went to the Rainforest Cafe again and watched the game there! The Niner's won so we all went home as happy campers. 

Overall I had such a great time at Disneyland! I would definitely remember this trip in the future.

When You Wish Upon A Star...

This post is dedicated to the last couple of days in Disneyland and California Adventure, or as I like to call it, California Land. There will be mostly pictures but these are not all the pictures. These are the pictures that I took and what my brother Ian took. My dad still has a bunch that he needs to put on Facebook and Auntie La has a bunch that I might steal later!

Day One

The day started out with the purchase of some Minnie Mouse sequence sparkly mouse ears and a selfie in front of the castle.

The first ride we went on was Space Mountain because we wanted to beat the lines. And beat the lines we did! The sign said there was about a 10 minute wait we figured out that was how long it took to walk through all the empty lanes, standing in line we waited about 2 minutes. Now I don't like roller coasters. I don't like the feeling of my stomach falling out my butt when you go down a large drop. So I screamed, alot. And I may have cried a little! But this was my one new thing for the day! Also I might add that I was starting to lose my voice from being sick so my screams were pretty pathetic. 

Next, we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride, I emailed the pictures of that one to myself but can't seem to find them. After that we went on Autotopia! Dad has pictures of this ride on his camera so I'll post those later.

After that we made our way to Fantasyland, yes we skipped Star Tours because at this point the wait was pretty long. So we waited in line for the Matterhorn which wasn't that bad of a wait. They changed the seats on this ride. Instead of two people sharing a seat sitting in eachother's laps, everyone gets their own individual compartment. Dad and Ian said they were both too tall for this ride and that there wasn't enough leg room and that they probably wouldn't go on it again. Boo hoo :( I fit just fine!    

    

While still in Fantasyland, I wanted to go on It's a Small World because I have not been on this ride since I was maybe 3 years old. Legend says that we all got stuck on this ride for at least 3 hours and all we heard was the "It's a small world" song play over and over...So I felt enough time had passed that we could go on again. And every thing was okay.     

 

Then we made our way over to Frontier Land and New Orleans Square. Unfortunately Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and The Haunted MAnsion were both closed. But Auntie La and I read on the internet that if you ask, you can drive the Mark Twain ferry boat! That was so much fun. 

Wasting some time in Frontier Land while we waited for our lunch reservation.

The Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite rides!

Then we made our way to Critter Country because I love Winnie the Pooh! So we went on that ride and afterwards we got to take pictures with Tigger and Eeyore. 

Now by this time we had basically gone on all the rides we really wanted to in the park and it was only about 2:00pm. We had lunch reservations at the famous Blue Bayou. And you guessed it all four of us got the monte cristo with a side of gumbo. It was very yummy but man my tummy was so upset from all that fried food. After lunch we decided to go back to the hotel, take a soak in the hot tub and take a nap and come back to the park in time for fireworks. The fireworks show was amazing! We watched it from the main street train station so it was a nice clear view.

After the fireworks we decided to bare the long line and waited in line for Star Tours. While waiting in line we started doing Disney trivia on my phone on an app called QuizUp. That made the wait go by much faster. They redesigned Star Tours since the last time I went on it and let me tell you it was pretty awesome! It is in 3-D now and the graphics and everything was just really well done. The picture below was my dad trying on a Yoda hat. I tried to convince him to get it but he wasn't into it.

And more selfies! Wow I did not realize how long it was going to take me to write this post and I still have Day Two to do. I will try to work on that one tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Guess where I am going tomorrow?! That's right, I am going to Disneyland!!! I am so excited. The last time I went to Disneyland I was a freshman in high school. It seems like such a long time ago. If you guys have any tips or secrets that we must know about Disneyland let me know! I already downloaded the Disneyland wait times app, which tells you how long you have to wait for the rides which is pretty cool in my opinion. I'll post a whole long update when I get back but for now please enjoy some pictures of me and my last couple trips to Disneyland and Disney World.

Status Report

So I promised I would keep you guys updated with my New Years Resolutions. I have to say I have been very bad at this. I have started eating a little healthier, just adding a lot more fruits and vegetables into my meals. As for the gym I have not joined yet, but I am going to next week. I was waiting till I got back from Disneyland (we are leaving Thursday) and when I start school back up again so I have a set routine. As for accessorizing, I haven't really left the house in a couple of days so we are going to say I have negative progress with that. Again I will start more when school starts again. So that leaves driving stick.

I would say I am getting a lot better. I only kill the engine about once every time I go out. And no one has honked or complained about it yet. So that's good. But tonight, coming home from work was quite the experience. From work to home is only about a 6-7 minute car ride depending on traffic and if you hit all green lights. I pull up to a stoplight and there was a cop across the way. He was in the turn lane but he didn't turn. I was getting anxious, as any new driver would. We sat at that green light for a good three minutes until I realized my lights weren't on! Once I turned my lights on the cop switched the lights and gave us a green. I was so upset/scared at my self that the next light I was sitting in the turn lane I didn't notice the light turned green and when I noticed I was too quick with the clutch and killed the engine (luckily no one was behind me). So lesson learned. Also turn your lights on!

Day of Firsts

I didn't get to write yesterday because I didn't get home until 1:30 am! Why was I out so late? Because I went line dancing for the first time! Lauren and Haley took me out for a night of fun. Lauren was a pro. She said it was about her 10th time going but for me and Haley this was our first! We get to the bar and immediately jump into the lesson. The dance was to "That's my kinda night" by Luke Bryan. I love this song so I enjoyed learning the dance. But man was it complex for a newbie like me! Haley and I kept laughing because we were messing up so much. I felt like I literally had two left feet. But sometimes you just have to fake it till you make it. After we learned the dance they opened the floor up to regular line dancing. Basically we just stood on the side of the dance floor until the song we learned came on because we didn't know any of the other songs! Although Lauren knew a couple of easy songs so she made me and Haley come out and do them with her. Most were pretty easy to catch onto. My favorite was the Wobble! The dance is basically shaking your butt and doing body rolls. Because we sat on the sidelines a lot I got to do a lot of people watching.

This is what I learned about the "line dancing lifestyle":

• Just because you wear a cowboy hat doesn't mean you know how to line dance.
• When in doubt wear a local sports team t-shirt.
• More is more, especially when it comes to the lanyards you put your keys on.
• You should dance with a stank face on.
• Bring your sweatshirt into the bar with you. It was freezing with the doors open!

All in all I had a blast and I can't wait to do it again. I just have to watch a bunch of YouTube videos first to learn all the dances.

Now my post is called "Day of Firsts" so you are probably thinking what else did I do for the first time? I went over to my Auntie Car and Uncle Tony's house for dinner. Here I tried Brussels Sprouts for the first time! Who would have thought that as a 20 year old I would try my first Brussels Sprout? As a kid my dad never cooked them because he had them too many times as a kid and hated them. So what did I think about this exotic food? They weren't bad. Uncle Tony covered them in garlic and Parmesan cheese. And Uncle Tony LOVES garlic. You could smell the garlic from outside the house! I don't see myself going to the grocery store to buy Brussels Sprouts but if I was ever served them I wouldn't turn them down.

Good Luck Daddy

If you know me you know that I am a daddy's girl. My dad has taught me everything from sports to cooking to things like friendship and perseverance. He has been with me through all the ups and downs. He never missed a water polo game (except for one, and it was the most important game of my high school career but that was for a business trip so I'll let it slide) and was always my number one cheerleader in everything that I did. He always believed in me.

 Since June, when I came home from Corvallis, OR, I have been living with him and his sister, my Auntie La. This time together really made us closer and strengthened our bond. But today he left for the opportunity of a lifetime. Today he moved across the country for a job. As far as I know my dad has only ever lived in sunny California. Today he moved to St. Louis, MO. Where is snows...

One would think that I am sad by this but I am actually extremely proud and happy for my dad. Its something new, something not a lot of people get the opportunity to do. The last couple of weeks we have been researching things to do in St. Louis when I visit. There is a restaurant that serves different types of mac'n'cheese! (one of my favorite foods). Although, we were both really upset to find out that the Sharks had already played all their games against the Blues for the season. But hey maybe another playoff round against them...? Maybe not I'm still in pain from that last one with them.

So if anyone has any advice or places he should check out in St.Louis let me know and I will pass the word onto him! Good luck Daddy! St. Louis is going to be amazing.

Another New Years Resolutions Post

Happy 2014!!! You know what that means. Its time to talk New Years Resolutions. I don't normally do resolutions but I have decided to do some this year. And hopefully this blog will help me accomplish them. So here they are:

1. Start a blog. Look I already started this! So should I change this to maintain my blog?

2. Lose weight. I am not putting a number on how much I want to lose, because that can get depressing. I just want to look healthy. I am joining a gym so as long as I go and workout and the pounds come off I will feel ok. 

3. Eat healthier. This goes along with the losing weight. More fruits and vegetables, less carbs. 

4. Master the stick shift. I am getting a car in a couple of days. The one problem is that it is a manual car and I can't drive it! Normally I ride my bike to school and work but it will be nice to have a car when it is raining. I am already doing pretty good at the stick but I want to master it!

5. Learn to accessorize! I don't really do accessories. I frankly think buying accessories is a waste of money. Plus I never wear outfits that require them. I wear jeans and a sweatshirt when its cold and running shorts and a man tank when its hot. But I want to learn to be more fashionable and actually put effort into what I look like when I leave the house. You never know when you are going to meet your future husband!

6. Learn more about beer. Because I am looking to do Public Relations for food, wine, and mostly beer I want to know everything and anything I can about beer. If you have any suggestions about what books or websites I should read let me know in the comments!

I will keep you guys posted on how I am doing with my resolutions.