Walt Disney World

Sorry I've not written in a while. I been very busy with the life of an 11 year old girl! Let's go back to October where I left off.

*All pictures were taken by me unless otherwise indicated*

My family went to DISNEY WORLD for a week! It was SO much fun! We arrive late at night at our hotel and fell into bed. We stayed at The Port Orleans Riverside Hotel. It was very pretty

The first day we went to the Magic Kingdom. It had the most rides. We walked through the gates and there was the castle!

My favorite rides were Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. One of the cool things we did was my brothers and I got our faces painted. It felt weird!

above picture taken by mom

We had many fancy dinners and I felt like I would never be hungry again, and if you knew me you'd know how amazing that is! After dinner at the Liberty Tavern we watched the fireworks in front of the castle. It was so spectacular and amazing!

After the fireworks we stayed for the Electromagic Parade on Main Street. It was so beautiful! This is Mickey Mouse on his float:

above picture taken by mom

We finally got back to the hotel at 1am and fell into bed dead tired AGAIN!

The next day we went to MGM Studios. My absolute favorite ride of all the parks was the Rockin' Roller Coaster. It goes upside down and around and around! We also went to the Indiana Jones show. The stunts they did were so cool. My dad was chosen to participate on stage. He was so good he got to do his own death scene! The scene director told him to have a long slow death, so he did. It was so long that the scene director said, 'I'm going to have to shoot you again!"

above picture taken by mom

At the end of the day we saw the Fantasmic show. It was cool! But it was raining, which stunk.

The third day we spent some time at the hotel. We rented a sea racer and took turns driving it.

above picture taken by mom

After that we went swimming in the pool which was so refreshing. It had a waterfall you could go under and a great big water slide that was very fun to go on!

above picture taken by mom

After we got cleaned up we went back to MGM for dinner and another ride on the Rockin' Roller Coaster.

The next day we went to Epcot.

My favorite rides were Soarin', the Test Track, and Ellen's Energy Edventure. We went to the Living Seas with Nemo and saw a great dolphin show. It was so cool. We went on the 'Figment' ride and after that played with computers and stuff and we made this:

Above picture taken by Epcot computer

At the end of the day we watched the Lazer Light Show then went back to the hotel.

The next day we went to the Animal Kingdom.

My second favorite ride of all the parks was here at Mount Everest. This was a most awesome roller coaster.

above picture taken by Disney Photographer

We also rode the Kilimanjaro Rapids and got SOAKED! We went to Dinoland and rode a couple rides but my favorite was the huge playground. We got to dig up dino bones.

As we left we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. We LOVE the Rainforest Cafe!

above picture taken by mom

The next day we went back to the Magic Kingdom to have breakfast at the Crystal Palace and to ride Thundermountain Railroad which was closed the first time we were here. We also saw a funny little skit with Captain Jack Sparrow. He looked so much like the real actor that at first I thought it really was him.

We then left Disney and took a little trip to Clearwater Beach to see where my mom grew up. Here I am with my feet in the Gulf of Mexico:

above picture taken by mom

Our last full day we stayed at the hotel for a while and went swimming again. Then we rode a really weird bike called a 'surrey'.

above picture taken by mom

Then we went back to Epcot for dinner, rode Soarin' again then went back to the hotel by 9:30. We were so tired!

Our last day, we went for one more quick swim while mom packed. Then we went to Downtown Disney and spent the rest of our spending money! It was fun. There were so many shops and places to explore. Here I am at the Lego Store:

above picture taken by mom

Our vacation to Disney was so fun, I feel I could never have a more exciting adventure!

Contests

Last year I entered a scrapbook page in the SC State Fair and I won a blue ribbon and $10! So, I entered again this year and won another blue ribbon and $10! Yay! Here is the layout: Also, mom and I entered a garden photo contest at the Riverbanks Zoo and garden. Here is the one I entered:
In December they will be online and you can vote for your favorite!

Andrea's Wedding

On August 25th my Aunt Andrea got married to Jerry! It was a very cool wedding. Here are some pictures I took: This is Andrea right before the wedding.

You may kiss the bride!
At the reception:
No smushing!
At the reception Jerry, Andrea and two friends sang a song 'Barbershop Quartet' style. It was fantastic! They did a great job!

Congratulations Aunt Andrea and Uncle Jerry!

Back to School

Hurray! I am in sixth grade now! I am so happy! It's a new school, with new teachers and new friends!

I like it better because we get lockers, you don't have to walk in lines between classes, you get to wear flip flops, use rolling bookbags, but the downside is that the teachers are very strict!

I've made two new friends already. Their names are Amanda and Tyler. So far, my favorite subject is Latin. In this class we get to film interviews, etc. for 'Cougar Commentary' which is a show we have every other Monday about school stuff. And you get to eat snacks and do whatever you want. Are we actually learning Latin you ask? Not yet...

Canoe Trip

Just before school started had a 'Welcome To the Youth Group' canoe trip on the Saluda River. It was over three miles long. My dad came with me. We rode on level one rapids, it was cool! At one point we got to get out of the canoe and swim but it was freezing cold! I can take it, though!

Bethel Camp

I can not believe it's been so long since I last posted! I need to remember!

In July, I went to Bethel Camp. I've been going every summer for at least four years. My camp is so beautiful. As you can see in the background of the photo, there is a beautiful lake with trees surrounding it. Our camp counselors tease us by saying there was once a lake monster in our lake but it got killed by a lake ninja and now the ninja hides under the docks! Some people say they've been attacked by the lake ninja. LOL!

Some of the things we get to do are the zip-line, the rock wall, swimming, canoeing, tubing on the lazy river, archery, riflery, and outdoor survival. The boys cabins are across the lake from the girls cabins which are near to the outdoor amphitheatre where we have bonfires. That is also where we have chapel.

Once the counselors played a trick on one of the other counselors named Lavert. They took all his clothes, TP'd his bed and left him only a dress to wear. He had to come to chapel dressed like that! LOL!

My friend, Gibson, has come the last couple years, which is great because she lives in another town so we don't see each other often. (oh, yeah, Kai comes, too. Whatever.)

My Cousins' Visit

Aunt Amy, Canyon, and Aly came home with from Boone, NC. That week we all went to VBS called 'Game Day Central'. It was fun with great food for snacks and the music was really good.

One day, after VBS, we all went to the zoo where I took this picture of a fishing cat. It was so cute when it was sleeping, but I accidentally woke it up when I knocked my camera against the glass!

While we were at the zoo, we went to the aquarium and I saw a snake that was actually moving a lot. I took a video with my camera. It also poured rain and the other kids enjoyed running around dancing and playing in the rain. I don't like when the rain plops on my head, so I stayed under shelter.

On Saturday, Aunt Amy and mom went scrapping. We all hung out with dad then later that afternoon, Uncle Brad arrived and we went to Ci Ci's Pizza then to a playground. That was a lot of fun.

They left on Sunday. We had a really fun time with them. (Aunt Amy and Uncle Brad, if you are reading this, I love you!)

Visit to the Mountains

On July 11th, we went to the mountains to visit my Aunt Amy and her family. The mountains were so beautiful! On the way up we stopped so I could take this picture:They live in Boone, NC. It's the first time we've been to their new house. It was so cute and cozy. My cousin Canyon has some cool video games that we played A LOT! They next day we went to Linville Caverns. The caverns were so cool! I took so many pictures. At one point they turned off all the lights and you could not see your hands right in front of your face! There was also an underground river going through the caverns. We saw speckled trout in the river! There were three levels. The first level is full of water. We were in the second level. (The third level was kind of like attic rooms) The rock formations were so cool! The caverns were formed by moving water twenty million years ago. The formations were formed from dripping water and other minerals. Later we went to the gift shop and made a few purchases. On the way home we stopped for a hike to the Linville Falls Overlook. While there I noticed that there was another even higher overlook. Mom and Aunt Amy said we could go. I think they regretted it later! It was a long, hard climb, but it was beautiful!
A couple days later Uncle Brad took us on another hike to the top of Grandfather Mountain. Along the way we saw a tree that was growing on rocks and you could see the roots! It was cool. We also had a picnic up there. It was a very beautiful view.
The next day we went home and Aunt Amy and my cousins Canyon and Aly came with us, but I'll save that for another post!

Harry Potter Madness!

I have not blogged for I think almost two months now, so I think it's time! Back in July the new Harry Potter movie, 'The Order of the Phoenix' came out.My dad took us to the very first showing and it was at MIDNIGHT! It was my very first midnight movie. It was so cool, I liked the end best. There were a lot of people dressed up in costume.

Less than two weeks later, the very last Harry Potter book came out. Order of the Phoenix, came out, and I was so excited. YAAAAAAAAY! Dad took us to Barnes & Noble to get the book, once again at midnight! People were dressed up in costume there, too! It was so cool.
They had a costume contest, games, and arts & crafts, too. My dad and his friends did a dramatic reading from different parts of past books. They did very well and it was very funny. Here is a picture:

My mom and dad were so excited that they started reading it right away. They both read it in a day! They said it was so good. I thought, OK, time to start reading! (I'm on chapter 11) Kai's reading it too.

Party at the Pool

Last Friday night I went to a pool party with my church. We were there for 2 1/2 hours. A lot of my friends were there. Every hour the kids have to take a 10 minute break. Here is a picture my mom took of us jumping back in the pool.We were so happy to get back in the water! We also had a cook-out there, watemelon, chips, hamburgers, hot dogs, and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies! After the pool party, I went to my friend Olivia's house to spend the night. I stayed at her house all day Saturday. Saturday night we went to Naomi's house because she and her sister were leaving for two weeks. I'll miss her!

The 4th

For the 4th of July we went to the pool. There were a LOT of people there. They had fun games including one called 'grease the watermelon'. It was very fun, even though I didn't get to do it. It was lifeguards vs. other adults. My dad played and he got dunked and kidney-punched! He almost won but lost it at the last minute. Ah, man!

After the pool we went to Fort Jackson. We saw soldiers marching on the way to the field. When we got there we decided to sit in the stands. Other people were coming but they didn't get there in time. They had a fun area with blow-up jumping things and slides. We got free tattoos. Here's a picture of me, it's my new profile pic:

Then we got to make Thank-You cards for the soldiers, and they gave us a free punching balloon and airplane. As it got dark they had a flag show where they show all fifty states flags. As they announce each state, the cannon fired. My mom got a good picture. Here it is:

I cheered the most for the South Carolina flag! After the show, came the fireworks! They were so cool. Here is my best picture:

I had a lot of fun! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

Weekend with Dad

This past weekend my mom went to Raleight, NC to visit my Aunt Andrea for her bridal shower. She had a lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun, too, while she was gone. Dad took us to the pool for three hours. Then we changed and went right to the theater to see 'Ratatouille'. It was so funny! Then my brother got a new bike. On Sunday, we were at church for FIVE HOURS because Dad had to work in all three services and he had to go in early to rehearse. Mom came home that night at dinnertime. Then on Monday, mom took me to get my new bike. It is the same one that got stolen. Here is a picture of my new bike:Thanks mom! (and dad!)

Sleepover

Friday night, I went to my friend Anne-Marie's house for her birthday. It was a sleepover! It was a horse theme. Here is her cake:
The cake was delicious and her sister was being so cute! My friend Erin was there, too. We played with Anne-Marie's Karaoke machine. We sang a lot of songs, like 'I will survive'. We played with her dog and caught a lot of fire-flies (at least 36!). We even played with sparklers! We had a lot of fun!

Member's Night at the Zoo

Last Thursday we went to the zoo and I got to touch a corn snake, a blue-tongued skink, a turtle, and a chinchilla! And I did not get to touch this one but they had an African Millipede. It was about 10 inches long! Yikes! We also got to see the gorillas get fed. There were lots of baby bunnies in there, too! But they weren't afraid because the gorillas don't eat meat.

We got to ride the carousel for free and get free popcorn and coke and hotdogs for a dollar! Then we saw 'Animal Adventure in 3D'. That was really cool, one of the best 3D movies I've ever seen. It made mom a little dizzy!

When it was almost time to go home, we went through a small garden by the theater and I saw this really cool flower. When it blooms the petals curl back and the flower faces down. Here is a picture:

We had a really good time at the zoo!