Universal Studios: Day 1

About to go into Universal Studios!

Waiting for my dad and my brother to finish their roller coaster.

Waiting in line for Men in Black (I totally kicked butt in that game)

Coming down the mini water slide in the kid zone, which was probably the most fun place in the whole park.

The foam ball place that had awesome things that could be done with them, like shoot them.

Or load them into a giant vacuum that shot them into the air

Everyone got in on the fun-even dad!

 And Andrew being totally adorable, of course.

Today was our first day at Universal Studios, and since it was a little wet and rainy, we went to the original park. Tomorrow is Harry Potter and Marvel day!! Hopefully I'll be able to meet all of the characters from Avengers, and drink Butterbeer, and get a wand! It's going to be GREAT!!

Time Zone

That's right, I'm now in the Eastern Time zone! After two days of driving, we finally made it! The first day, we ended up leaving a little later then we planned due to the diva of the house not packing (definitely not me or my sister), among other things. After trying out my "Hulk noises" while lifting some heavy luggage, I decided that I am not the Incredible Hulk (apparently I sound like I'm in pain). Sad, I know. I'll find another way to become an Avenger.

After discovering that the tooth fairy in Puerto Rico is a rat fairy (excuse me, a mouse fairy), that the new potty song is Taking Care of Business, and that reindeer now live in Louisiana, we finally made it to my Aunt Sue's house, where we spent the night. We made pretty good time, considering we didn't stop at all that first day.

The next day, we headed out and made fairly good time, getting to my grandparents' house at 8:30 pm. I love this place. It holds so many memories for me. My grandparents live on 20 acres of land on the outskirts of Gainesville, which is pretty sweet. They use most of the land as a tree farm, where trees are planted to be harvested for paper about 16 years down the road. It's so wonderful here! The trees are so tall, and there is tons of green! Hopefully Murphy's jinx won't last for too long. He said that a hurricane would come through and ruin all of our plans, and now there's a tropical storm that fixin' to hang around here for a while (Mike, that's the proper use of "fixin' to", in case you were wondering).

This morning, my dad told us a huge surprise: We are going to Universal Studios this week!!!! Harry Potter world + Marvel world = THE BEST PLACE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! I'm so stoked. Basically my two favorite things all rolled into one. Don't worry, I will be sure to take plenty of pictures (hopefully with some of the Marvel characters). I mean, they have a superhero parade! And it's Hogwarts! Am I acting like a little fan girl? Um, you bet! When it comes to Marvel and Harry Potter, my inner child comes out. Not like it was buried that deep anyway. Good weather, please come our way!

My own first world problem

I am so stoked! For reals. It's crazy to think that in 48 hours, I will not be in the state of Texas! I'm so excited right now, it's not even funny. There's something about this trip that's different than most. However, there is one thing that will always get my mood down when I'm excited for something.

Packing.

Ew. Gross. Without fail, I absolutely hate packing, and all that it entails. I mean, it's gonna be fun right? Even when I was getting ready to go to BYU, I still dreaded packing everything up. I have no idea why my brain shuts down when I think about it. For example, I'm supposed to be packing right now, but instead, I'm writing a blog post about how much I hate it.

So over the next couple of minutes, I'm going to lay out why I hate packing, and then maybe gather up the courage to actually do it. Maybe.

1) There's always so much stuff to sort through! Should I take these shoes, or those shoes? Will it be hot or cold? How many pairs of socks will I need? All of this is why packing sucks the fun out of the trip. It has to be so calculated and planned out instead of spontaneous and fun.
2) There's so much cleaning involved. It's like I need to clean my whole room to figure out what to pack. And by clean, I mean there's the washing of the clothes, and the organizing of the shoes and the bathroom bag that needs to be done.
3) There's always that ONE ITEM that you know exists, but just can't seem to find it right when you need it the most. This happens to me every time. I'm always missing that one shirt that matches the pair of pants I want to take, or the one shoe that I plan on wearing every day. It's so annoying. I swear my stuff plays pranks on me. Oh, you want to take us on vacation? Joke's on you! Evil stuff...
4) Packing as a family is no laughing matter. Firstly, we all share suitcases. This means that not only do I have to track my own clothes down, I've got to find all of my sister's as well. And boy do her clothes grow legs! Secondly, we have to figure out how to cram everything we need into our Suburban, and that's not even counting what we want. It's crazy.
5) There's always that sliver of a doubt that the things we're disregarding will actually be needed. For example, I'm not taking my curling iron. I mean, we're going to be hitting the beach pretty much every day, and besides that, the humidity should keep my hair nice and curly for me. Right? But then again, there might be that one day where I will actually need it to tame my hair, and actually look presentable. However, the chances are fairly slim... It's official. No curling iron. The space it takes up is not worth the slim chance that I'll actually need. Hopefully that decision doesn't come back to bite me in the butt.

I will hopefully be able to do what I've wanted to do for years: Blog about my family's adventures. I mean, nine of us in a car for 17 hours? So much gold right there. And silver. And maybe some bronze too. And that's not counting the actual fun parts of the trip. While I may have limited access to a computer (I still have yet to decide whether my computer's gonna make the journey with us or not), I will do my best to keep y'all updated :)

So off to the Sunshine state! Hopefully all of this whining has left my system so that I can actually get some work done. Then again, there's always Kingdom Hearts to be played...

My very first rant (on the blog, that is)

So I'm actually going to rant for a little (or a lot) bit. Bear with me, ok?

So every few days, I Google Avengers to see if there's any new news I should know about. As I was doing this last night, I stumbled across an article that talked feminism in Avengers. Joss Whedon is known for portraying feminist material, and there are apparently some people complaining that Avengers doesn't have enough female characters and they aren't portrayed in a light that would make it a feminist film. I totally agree with how the guy responded to this complaint.

Black Widow can totally kick butt. Seriously, she's so awesome, and (currently) the only girl on the Avengers team. Now, do they treat Black Widow like some fragile flower that can crack at any moment? No. Do they exalt her to a higher level because she's "just a girl" and yet can "keep up" with the guys? No. Is she "one of the guys"? No. Her femininity is still noticed and valued. Black Widow is on the Avengers team because she's good at what she does. If she wasn't good at what she does, then she wouldn't be on the team. She's not put on a pedestal or demeaned for her gender. She's treated like an equal. A girl, yet still an equal. And no one tries to flirt with her or anything like that. She's accepted. As is Maria Hill. Maria Hill is a girl. The fact that "a girl" is second in command is never even questioned, never even brought up! She's second in command because she's good at what she does. Same with all of the other S.H.I.E.L.D agents on board. Some of them are girls, some of them are guys. They're there because they are good agents, and not because of their gender. This is Joss Whedon's take on feminism. Feminism shouldn't be about exalting women while putting men down, or trying to make women just like men. We're different for a reason. Whedon demonstrates that women who can do their jobs well will be treated with equality and respect.

Now, here comes a tricky question for me. Am I a feminist? Not in the way that people define the term now. I'm not all "women are totally better than men", but I'm not all "women are poor defenseless beings that need help every step of the way". I still believe in gentlemen, and chivalry. I don't mind when a guy opens the door for me, or pulls my chair out when I'm about to sit down. To me, being a gentleman is not a guy's way of demeaning a woman, it's his way of honoring her, and of cutting her some slack every now and again. And it's nice. Does this mean that I'm a total wuss, and can't do anything on my own? Absolutely not. I don't sit around and wait for some guy to rescue me, or shriek when there's a spider. I can kill the spiders, thank you very much.

There are some places where men and women should be treated equally. Namely, the work place. In my sociology class, we learned some terms for what happens to men and women in the workplace. If a woman is working a job that men primarily work (say, an engineer), then they hit what is called a "glass ceiling". No matter how hard they try, or how good they are, women often experience a stopping point, where they don't get promoted to the extent of their abilities, or they don't get paid the same as their peers, etc. On the flip side, if a man is in a predominantly female position (say, nurse), then he is often put on a "glass escalator" or put on a path where he gets promoted sooner and paid higher. Now, I'm under the belief that if someone can do the job, then pay them what you're paying everyone else. If they can't, then fire them! It shouldn't matter when it comes to that whether or not they're a man or woman. Just like how it doesn't matter if Black Widow or Maria Hill are women. Believe me, if they couldn't do the job, then they wouldn't be there! So that's when I find that equality is necessary.

Now, once we're outside the workplace, that's different. Men and women are physically built differently. That's why sports are often separated. I'm 5'3". Am I going to want to play a contact sport against a broad shouldered guy that is over six feet? Absolutely not! Why? I could get hurt! There's no way little me would stand a chance at bringing someone his size down. It's like when you see those wrecks on the high way where the little Honda Civic is totaled, but the truck only as a small bump in its fender. Should I be screaming for "equality" and whining about how it's not fair? No. We're built the way that we're built for a reason. That's why I refuse to play contact sports with boys. Someone (and by someone, I mean me) could get seriously hurt. Does this make me weak? Nope. It makes me smart. Sports are separated for a reason. Women have different abilities than men. I'm going to say it straight up: men are stronger, taller, and often faster, than most women (even professionally). So girls, don't go throwing a hissy-fit because you can't run as fast or be as strong. It's the way we're built. Just be the best you can be, and let the rest work itself out. Now, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't play sports with guys. Just be smart about it. I play sports with guys all the time. So do a bunch of girls that I know. And they're respected because of their knowledge of the game, and their overall awesomeness on the field (not talking about me now). And when we're playing a pick-up game in the park, I definitely want to be treated by the way I can play. If I'm a good player, then pass me the ball! Don't do it because you pity me, but at least give me a chance! This happened to me while playing Ultimate Frisbee. Now, I'm not the best Frisbee player. Not by a million miles. But I can catch. If I'm wide open, then the Frisbee should be thrown to me, and not to someone who's covered. Chances are, I'm going to catch it. It just took the boys a little while to realize that yes, I'm a girl. Yes, I can catch the Frisbee, even with the defense closing in around me. Now, did I drop it sometimes? Of course, but everyone does. When it comes to something like that, at least give the girls a chance to prove whether or not they can play the game. If they suck, then don't throw it to them, just like how you wouldn't throw it to a boy who couldn't catch at all. It's simple.

I know this is getting long, but I just wanted to make a couple more points. When people hear about what I want to do in life, they laugh at me or tell me that I'm wasting talent. I want to be a stay-at-home mom. This doesn't mean that I'm going to skip college and spend all of time looking for a husband to take care of me. Quite the opposite. I go out and do my own thing. I'm going to college, and I'm going to finish my degree, with or without a husband. I'm not going to sit by and not be educated. I do want to have a career at some point, but if it gets in the way of me having kids, then it's ultimately unimportant. Being a mom is the highest honor I can think of. My mom is tough as nails. She doesn't let anyone or anything stand in her way. She's a stay-at-home mom. More like "run around town helping out my kids" mom, because let's be real here,it's not an easy job. At all. Especially with seven of us. But she still does it, and I love her for it.

So why are men and women different? Some say evolution, but I say God. If God wanted us to all be the same, then we would all be 6' tall and reproduce asexually. But that's not the point. The point is to celebrate our differences, and accept the fact that while women can't do some things "just the same" as guys, we can do a whole lot of other things. Like be caring and maternal. We help to raise children to grow up and survive in this world and become good people (I say help, because dads help with care-giving too). So am I feminist? I guess in the way that feminism should be: Not exaltation and praise for being "so good in a man's job" or demeaning other men and rejecting them like the Amazons. Just quiet acceptance and realization that men and women are different for a purpose. A heavenly purpose. So girls, you can be anything, and you can do anything. Just be smart about it. And don't turn away a good gentleman, because they're not demeaning you, they just want you feel special. Even Black Widow let Captain America shield her from an explosion. Be who you want to be, and accept who you are. That's when you'll be truly happy.

Wizzy-Wisdom

So I've been 19 for about a month now, and while I don't think it's that old, my siblings think I'm an old fart or something. Three quick stories:

I was talking to Andrew (he's four), and he asked me how old I was. When I told him I was 19, his eyes got really big and he said "That's old!"

James (he's eleven) was talking about how he remembered when I cut my hair super short "when [I] was really little" He made me sound like I was super young when it happened. I was his age. Me being really little is now his age. What is the world coming to?

I was visiting my friend Stanley at TCU last week, and the campus had changed a lot from when we used to visit all of the time (back when we only had one car and had to pick up my dad from work). Instead of him giving me a tour, I gave him a tour of what campus used to be like. Certain buildings cropped up where parking lots were, the student center was in a totally different place, and I could remember when the Rec center was being built. It made me feel really old.

So with all my age and experience, I have some words of wisdom:

1. If you keep practicing, you will get better and better, I know it!
2. Thumbs up everybody, for rock and roll!
3. Playing rock-paper-scissors with three people is like a love triangle. Somebody always get left out.
4. Don't drop your toast butter side down. It's an unfortunate experience.
5. When your cookie falls into the bottom of the milk cup, take a deep breath and remember that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Yep. There ya have it folks. Nineteen years of pure wisdom right there.

Fun with chalk and other exciting news.

Happy Birthday Jacob! He's my brother, and he's old now. Also, he's finally gotten taller than me, which he makes fun of me for every day. Probably because he also thought to himself: "Self, I will be taller than my older sister one day." He finally made it, the little bugger.

In honor of his birthday, I opened up the last two bags of chalk that I had left from Festival of Colors. Then I put them into cups, and set my brothers loose in the backyard. The contest was who could emerge the cleanest would be the victor. Jacob won. I have pictures that are absolutely adorable and downright hilarious, but before we get to those, I have exciting news!

1) I got a job yesterday at TCU! I'm just temping over the summer, and doing whatever they need me to do, but it's still exciting! They're hoping to keep me at about 20 hrs/wk, which is wonderful. I start this coming Monday.

2) I got a letter from my friend Tyler! Tyler chose to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is currently at the Provo Missionary Training Center, but will be leaving for Hermosillo, Mexico within the next six weeks or so. I was very happy to hear from him.

And here are the pictures!

Have a happy Friday!

I've Been Dreaming...

So, I realize that I haven't really done much to reassess the title of this blog, which is that I'm actually a girl. In fact, one of my friend's father knew me as the "girl with the gender crisis". I'm just not overly girly, is all. I guess I'm just practical and down to earth, which isn't bad. And I like sports. However, I will now proceed to explain what I have done this past week to show that I'm actually a girl.

I went dream house internet looking. I found things that make me very happy, even if it will never ever happen in this lifetime.

This is my dream home, landscaping and all.

As you can see, this past week, I've completely fallen in love with southern style homes. There's just something about the large columns and the promise of open space that is absolutely wonderful. Also, I'm loving these huge trees and the wraparound porch.

Since we're solely dreaming here, I want this to be my staircase. Again, I love the open space that this provides. Not a big fan of the stone floor (I'm more of a wood/carpet kinda gal), but the staircase is perfect.

This will be my living room, complete with piano and all. There's the open space, and I also love the different shades of cream and white. And the way that the sliding door opens to the backyard is wonderful!

This will be my family room. Except there should be a TV somewhere so I can watch my sports (oh wait, that wasn't particularly girly, was it? Oops.)

This will be my library, with lots of comfy furniture to ensure excellent reading.

This is the library I really want. But this is already Belle's library, so I guess I can't steal it from her.

There would also be a room dedicated to toys and other playthings, since I do want a big family. And I don't even know what I want my kitchen to be like. This is about as far I've gotten. It's really fun to look at pictures of things that I will never have. So what I've discovered this past week is that I love open space and big rooms, with lots of light. I think that all of this fantasizing fulfills my girl quota for the week, don't you?

Earth's Mightiest Heroes

As you can see, the answer to the above question is always a resounding YES! No matter who you are, you NEED to watch this movie, because it is awesome. How awesome? I have a friend who is super obsessed with Harry Potter. As in, above and beyond, cries every time sad things happen obsessed. And she admitted that Avengers was BETTER THAN any of Harry Potter films (films mind you, not books). But still, this is how amazing this movie is. It's witty, it's got suspense, killing things, shooting things, flying things, and overall awesome heroes.

Watch this trailer. It will make you happy.

I got to watch the premiere of this movie. That's right be jealous. Then go watch it.

So I finish the most amazing movie ever, and then I had the dilemma of how I could ever watch another movie again. So the next movie I saw? The Lion King. Yeah that's right. Pretty much one of the few movies that can be watched after Avengers. I also saw Lady and the Tramp for the first time this weekend. It was ok, but nowhere near as good as Avengers. Or Lion King.

That is all. Go about your day. Just make sure to watch it!