Fire truck in Hole

I remember hearing about this on the news. It was seriously just a few blocks from our apartment. My only question is: Does he really think that if that fire truck begins to fall down he'll be able to stop it from crushing him?

Naked at the airport?

Okay, so by now we all know that a guy tried to blow up a plane going to Detroit. Now there are even more security checks happening. That is just going to cause longer lines and more irritation to travellers. I don't really care because I'd rather be safe. I was thinking about it the other day though and I remembered hearing about these advanced X-ray machines that could basically see through clothing. And I then wondered why we don't have these in all the airports to keep us safe. Here is an article answering that question. Apparently people don't like it because it's too invasive and embarrasing. They don't want someone to see the shape of their body. A member of the ACLU (an organization that I don't think too kindly about) said that it's like performing a "virtual strip search". Well, wouldn't you rather it be virtual than real? Seriously, I don't like my body either, but I'd rather do that and make sure everyone else on my plane is going to be safe rather than worry about the x-ray operator seeing my roles of fat. Seriously, are we so vain that even our own lives aren't as valuable as looking good and not being embarrassed?

Is it okay to shoplift? One priest thinks so!

I saw an article on MSN today saying that a UK priest was preaching shoplifting. At first sight I was disgusted. How could someone who considers themself a man of God recommend such illegal behavior? However, as I read more I started to agree more with him than everyone else. He was specifically recommending it to those who had nothing or had been left without options to feed themselves or their families. He would rather them steal a can of ravioli than turn to prostition or more violent crimes. If we as a people choose to ignore charities or the most vulnerable around us, then we deserve to pay the consequences. He only recommended stealing from chain stores because the cost of stolen food would just be past down to the rest of us.

I'm still completely against theft of any kind, but I agree with the idea of it all. We shouldn't be ignoring the people who are really in need. We need to take care of each other and do more to help those in need. We can donate to charities. Find individuals in our lives that need our help.

I love that his sermon was so provocative because it reached me clear on the other side of the "pond" and got me thinking. This is a good and healthy dialogue and hopefully it stretches us all to do a little bit more for someone else.

I do not believe God will bless those who do not bless the lives of his other children.

Pictures from Disneyland

When we first moved out here we went to Disneyland for 3 glorious days. Eric had never been so I really wanted to take him. Below are some of the pictures we have from that day. Also, some others when we went earlier this year.

These were on the jungle book ride.

This was on Space Mountain. I didn't ride this much as a kid, but now it's absolutely one of my favorites. The wind in my eyes and the screaming make my eyes water. I always look like I'm crying when I'm done with this ride.

This is the little Bug's Life ride in California Adventure. It's was simple and quick, but still fun.The entrance to the River Raft Ride in California Adventure. Total blast to ride, but you will get soaked. This is on California Screamin'. I love this roller coaster. Probably the best coaster I've ever been on. It's smooth and fast and so fun. However, they do manage to take your picture at just the moment when you look like crap.

This is on Thunder Mountain. This is a ride I've loved since I was young. It's fast and crazy. Lots of fun!So, I love Disneyland as you might have noticed. We're always up for anyone else going with us, especially if they've never been before. So please, let us know if you're visiting or even if you live around here and just want to go. We'd love to be your guide!

Disneyland Part 2

Okay, so after we changed we went back to our car to put our wet clothes away. When we came back to the park we felt renewed and ready to start the rest of our day. We were late for our fast pass tickets to Space Mountain but we tried anyway. It turns out that you can use them late. We rode and this time was much better. It went faster and was just crazy fun! I still kept my eyes closed most of the time, but it was great. After that we hopped on the monorail and went over to Disney's California Adventure Park. We went straight back to California Screamin'. It's probably my favorite roller coaster ever. Also, I think it was the first ride I ever went upside down in. Anyway, the line was kind of long and we could get fast passes and then go ride Toy Story Mania. Seriously, this is like the best new ride ever. So, we wanted in line for about 45 minutes. Talked to my brother, Adam, on the phone while in line. That helped the time go faster. So then we did Screamin' which was probably the best time I've ever had on that ride. I'm not sure what was so great, but I just totally enjoyed it and the freedom I felt on the ride. The day was starting to shape up into a splendid time. We checked out the line from some other rides but didn't want to wait or come back so we went back to Disneyland. We had fast passes for the Indiana Jones ride. This is where the afternoon got interesting. While on our way to the ride I noticed some sort of paper laying on the ground. It kind of looked like money, so I picked it up to see. It was definitely cash, but I didn't know what to do with it so I gave it to Eric for safe keeping. Once we discovered it was more than $50 the conflict began. What do we do with the money? We agonized for quite awhile and asked several park employees. Eventually we turned it over because I knew I'd feel too guilty if I didn't. We watch the fireworks that night and rode Thunder Mountain. It was a crazy, but pleasant day. Seriously, it was like a full week of vacation packed into one day. I love Disneyland so much and can't wait to go back again soon. I need to work there I think; or something.



Notes if you're going to the park:

1. Use the Fast Pass feature! Don't wait in really long lines, there is no need for that.


2. Just have a blast!


3. Use a map to move around the park if you're unfamiliar.


4. Ride your favorite rides as many times as you can.


5. If you need any other tips or have questions feel free to ask me. I love this place!

Two Weekends: Disneyland vs. Universal Studios

Can I just how great it is living in the Los Angeles area. We can literally be from our apartment to the gates of Universal Studios in 15 minutes. We can get to Disneyland in 45 minutes. On October 10th we went to Disneyland since we had free passes.
We wanted to be there at 8am when the park opened, but it was hard to get up early enough. We left around 7:20 and stopped at McDonald's for breakfast. The drive through took forever so we didn't end up getting to Disneyland until about 8:30, but it was still a great, but totally insane day at Disneyland. So many adventures were had that day. There were times it was not going well and then it turned out great. It was just a totally insane day for us. Let me tell you all about what happened once we got there.

We wanted to to do Space Mountain since it's one of our favorite rides but knew also that it would be a packed day since it was busy and they're all set up for Halloween. We got fast passes since the wait time was 45 minutes, but after we got our passes the wait time was only 25 minutes so we just went ahead and waited in line. It wasn't so great. They had weird ghostly images during the ride, but not much else. I just kept my eyes closed so I hardly noticed it and Eric said it wasn't that scary really. It also felt like the ride was going in slow motion too. Not a great first ride.

We rode some other stuff around there and then made our way over to Adventureland. I believe we rode Pirates of the Carribbean first. The line was short and it's a ride you have to go on everytime you're at Disneyland. The first big fall is my favorite part of the whole ride. After that we looked around the area and tried to find Club 33. We actually walked right past it and then came back around to find it again. It's just adjacent to the crystal shop, if you know where that is. Club 33 is an exclusive club for members at Disneyland. You should look it up. I hope I have the opportunity to go there sometime. The images of it are absolutely amazing. Take a look at this website to see more about it. After we found that and took a picture of the door we went to see what the line was like for the Haunted Mansion. It's all decked out with stuff from The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is one of Eric's favorite movies so we had to ride it. The line was like an hour long, totally insane, so we got fast passes for that too. Then we were debating on splash mountain. Eric loves the ride but I wasn't sure about getting wet on a barely warm day. While we were deciding we rode on the Winnie the Pooh ride. It's nothing fancy, but it's fun at least. After that we found a little treat shop. Eric saw this huge cupcake and had to have it even though I advised against it. Check out his blog for pictures.

So, he ate his treat and then we got in line for Splash Mountain. We didn't realize until we were in our log that they'd put 4 adult men behind us in the boat. So we're talking about a log that now weighed probably over 1000 pounds. Insane huh? Totes! We got soaked. I tried to just roll with it and have a good time. After we got off Eric was not feeling well from his cupcake. We ran to the nearest bathroom. He was texting me about how miserable he was from being wet and that he wanted to buy a new shirt. I agreed. We ended up in Downtown Disney at a Quiksilver store. He got a new shirt, shorts and dry socks. I got a new shirt and dry socks for the day. It sure did help our moods to be reasonably dry again. But next time we're taking a change of clothes with us.

Wow, this post is long enough now. I'll have to post more later about all the crazy happenings tomorrow. Come back later for more or you can check out Eric's blog about it.

Sassy

Yep, that's what I am. Check out the definition: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sassy. If you scroll down enough it gives 3 defenitions for the word.

1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent.
2. Lively and spirited; jaunty.
3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat

I get called "sassy" an awful lot. My whole life has been that way, and since someone sad it at work to me yesterday I figured it was time to look up the defenition. So, then I read this and thought, "Gee, I really hope I'm not rude and disrespectful." I know that sometimes I fit into that category, which is a bummer and I'm working on it. Hopefully though I'm much more lively and spirited than anything else. I want to be a friendly happy person so I need to do more to have people see that in me. I know that I'm "sassy". That will probably never go away. I just want it to be endearing to people and not push them away.

What kind of sassy do you think I am?