A Reflection

I have a copy of this AI from one of those silly Facebook games that I have done a few times, only a few, because they get really irritating at nagging me on messenger enough as it is. A lot of those pictures I don't care much for anyway. Anyway, When I looked at that picture, it made me think of a time back when I was about nine years old, and my fourth-grade teacher was having us do an activity that asked us our favorite color. For whatever reason, there aren't any memories of other teachers previous asking that question, so I didn't really have a favorite color. I liked several colors but never thought of narrowing it down to one.

Even at that age, I was already thinking about things at a deeper level. As I watched the other kids around me talk about their favorite colors, I noticed that there were a lot of pinks and blues being mentioned. As much as I liked those colors, I thought maybe to go for something different. Being a bit of a fairy-tale kid, I narrowed my choice down to two: red (scarlet) and purple. The reason behind it? They were colors of royalty. I racked my little brain to decide which of the two I wanted to pick, and with my reasoning at the time, I thought red can resemble some bad things, too, such as blood and, in religious terms, sin. So, purple became my favorite color. Even as a kid, I had to have more of a reason besides the way I liked how it looked! 

As I look at this picture, even if it displays the "other color" I rejected, it reminds me about who I am as a person and that even though some people haven't appreciated, known, or understood me well enough, this is a slight resemblance of how God sees me, and it is a glorious sight, even though I might not see it myself. I am of divine worth, as is everyone else.

Are you able to see it?

A Word

Before I get into this, I want to admit that I've been caught up in things, too, so I understand how people were caught up in this. I just wanted to say a thing or two, and hopefully, it will come out intelligently. A week or so ago, I came across this post in social media and, like many others, wondered if there was something going on there. It was a conversation between a frequent Disneyland guest and the Evil Queen speaking about how she needs to be year-round and not taken away after Halloween. It really sounded like something was happening that those of us who didn't go often weren't aware of, but then we have to remember these are skilled actors, who can make things believable, and they are good at it. 

For those who don't know, The Queen is normally around the park through most of the year. This Evil Queen is often referred to as the Viral Evil Queen. Many people watch the character interaction videos just to see her. As social media vloggers like to do in order to get views, they sensationalized the conversation by spreading rumors and false information. I may have wondered about the conversation but concluded that it was another playful conversation, and that if there really was going to be a change, we'd hear from a company representative, so I waited to hear from Disney before believing anything. It's really vital this day and age to make sure you're getting your information from the right places!

I saw in comments to some of these "rumor" videos was that many people were complaining that they were planning on going to Disneyland for the main purpose to see the Queen, this one in particular. Pardon me for being extremely direct: That is not a wise motivation! I say that for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there are more to Disneyland than the Queen. Take care you don't miss out on those things, because you're so obsessed with trying to track her down. Secondly, you can't guarantee when you'll see her, since her appearances aren't announced on the app. Thirdly, it's not a guarantee that it will be her when she appears since they cycle the actors who play The Queen.

Lastly, I want to spread a little love and give credit to the others who play the role as well. The Viral Queen is indeed very entertaining and fun to watch, and I'm not sure after our little interaction that she will ever know that there are many times she has made me smile, but I'm also entertained watching the others' representation of the character as well. Some are serious and some are witty. It's a nice variety. I hope that this little faux pas doesn't affect their hard work. I have had enough performing experience to know that there's more work behind the scenes than we realize. All of these ladies have worked hard to get to where they are, so they deserve the credit when it's due.

*The following is an animated photo I created using the Evil Queen at Disneyland standing in front of the Magic Mirror and posted on YouTube. Some of this was made in Photoshop, but a few of the detailed effects were from a program that sadly no longer exists. 

Last Week of October

It's a busy week, but the majority of the business is good business. The program at church with the children was awesome, and I managed to hoodwink myself into the congregation seats, but that's because I'm still working on my end-of-year masterpiece. The sample was shown on that day. Some of the younger children were too busy with their treats and other things, but the older ones really enjoyed it, until it started going on repeat, but we had other projects to fill the rest of the gap.

I wore my purple velvet dress for the week, and had to take it off before any pictures, but it was fun. The purple is much darker than the color in this fake picture here that I kept for the spirit of the season:

 

Totally fake, and it makes me look a lot better than reality, but I still love to play around with these things. I've got a few other things I enjoy going on this week, but I think most people would find them terribly boring. One of them involves computer work, and the specific programs gives me a challenge to conquer each month. I love the challenge and get super excited when I finally figure it out! No one really seems to get into it as much, but that doesn't get me down.

I have an activity I've been doing for the past three or so years on Halloween night that makes me enjoy the evening a little more. There was one post when I said I didn't like Halloween, but with no specific reason, and then the next year I get on with how I felt abandoned one year. I think that played a major role. This is something I can do with family, so it makes my day feel a lot better, even though it's not related to the holiday.

There was another challenge I created for myself, and that was to create arrangements of some songs I had on my mind since September so that I could play them on my flute. I completed the first one rather hastily, because I wanted to create it while it was still fresh on my mind. The second one is a Christmas song. I'm glad I'm not being hasty on that one, because the harmony is a little more challenging for me, though last time I practiced it, I didn't feel quite as uncomfortable. Thinks are looking up! If anyone's interested in the first one, here it is:

T

his is the song I had stuck in my head that helped me feel calm after being overwhelmed by hearing about so many tragic events.

Not Upset or Hopeless

There are a lot of people out there who see everything that is going on and can't help but look at it with a critical or cynical eye. I can't blame them. There are a lot of awful things going on in the world. I've been connected to some of it lately. They are overlooking the good things. It's true that those aren't as easy to see, because of all the chaos that media and social media like to throw in our faces (after all, they have always specialized in sensationalism), but the good things absolutely exist. There's hope, and I'm saying that as a person in a bit of a sticky situation, too. I can't help but feel that there's something good out there waiting for me to find it and figure it out. 

I came across this meme going around on Facebook that explains me well:

"Unfortunately, I am more sensitive 

than I seem. So if you didn't think

it hurt me, it did.

I chose to stay quiet

and avoid the drama."

Then after reading that and realizing how true that was for me, I thought about how the message can be seen as dark and slightly twisted humor, but it's not necessarily negative. We see every day what happens when people react otherwise. I find that causing drama out of these types of situations only exacerbates it with little to no advantage for anyone. The only thing it's certain to accomplish is extending the pain.

The next question comes to mind, Doesn't staying quiet mean an unhealthy practice of bottling up feelings because you're not expressing them? No! It's not always making it worse! In fact, many professionals recommend that if you're feeling a lot of hurt, then it might be better to take a step back and evaluate the situation before deciding to react. I know it works. I've had to do it a numerous number of times. Even with the ones when the pain hits hard, it really helps not to react too much. It helped when interactions didn't work the way I wanted. It helped when I lost my job.

Being able to step back and think about the situations have helped me gain perspective, about myself as well as about those involved. I'm not the type of person inclined to hold grudges, so I have no one I can think of whom I want to revenge, not do I feel anger toward. I have a chance of becoming better, and they do, too. We're all learning and growing, so I hope things go well for us all!

Lantern Festival I attended in September.

More Heartbreaks and Finding Peace

If having to watch people dealing with the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death, I guess it wasn't the end. I was celebrating another year of life, another most influential leader who lived a good long (really long) life was coming to the end of his. President Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 101 years old passed away. There are a lot of people who talk smack about him and the religion, but when I say influential, I'm not just talking religion, even though that was a large part of his later years. President Nelson was a pioneer in healthcare, having performed the first open heart surgery in the state and was in the team that developed the heart-lung machine. There are many people with heart conditions out there who are still living today because of these. 

I was feeling a little off on Sunday morning and didn't know why. I assumed maybe there was a little melancholy there thinking about someone else dying on my birthday (if anyone recalls, I've talked in the past about a dear neighbor who passed away on my 21st birthday). It turns out later I found out about the incident in Michigan when the meeting house was attacked and burned down, and I had a connection to someone who had a close connection, so I got firsthand accounts about what was going on. I live far away from there, but you can guarantee that the members here were and still are feeling the attack at some level, though obviously in a different way than the ones who experienced it personally.

Having all of these things tied to my community and my people just weighed me down, even that one day this week I was feeling so emotionally heavy and just had to allow a little time for crying spells. I had to limit a little media until I'd worked it out of my system. It lasted all day. 

The next morning, I woke up with the tune of a hymn popping into my head immediately. It was still new enough that I couldn't recall all of the words of the verses, but the chorus I knew, and that circulated through my mind over and over again. Some people get bothered by that, but I don't mind. Over and over, I heard the words in my mind, It is well with my soul. Even though I didn't remember all of the words, I knew the message of the song as well as the story behind it, and I felt a sense of peace while I got up and started the day. All throughout the day, I came across things that helped me continue feeling that peace. I watched a YouTube video made by a Rabbi in response to the attack on Sunday who had gone through it himself which was a beautiful expression of support. People were supporting the victim's families. The most impressive of them all was the effort to financially support the attacker's family.

I still don't know much about the family, but I know that they had a child with ongoing physical needs. Having had some experience with that, I can empathize with them. There are many challenges in that type of situation, and the effort being made would make a great difference. I think it's a beautiful thing for people to have this opportunity. Not only the LDS people, but other faiths are represented, and even those who typically aren't friendly with the LDS are joining into the cause. Such a beautiful and unifying act! I think one of the reasons an arm has been extended to the family was because of our previous experience with Charlie Kirk and realizing that there are times the family of the perpetrator is innocent of the acts of the individual.

So now that I've been having It is Well with My Soul running through my mind for a few days now, and discovering an app that can help me transpose, I'm now working on a flute version of the song as well as a Christmas song (that may require some practice) and hope to have to share soon.

Another photo taken while in the mountains. Somewhere
in there is the area where a new fire is, but
here's to hoping the weekend storm comes in
and helps with that!

An Explanation I Never Discussed

Halloween season is approaching. Some people already have their decorations coming out, but I think generally speaking, you don't see a lot of it until October begins. That's the time when people go crazy over it! I don't know how many people really pay attention to polls and studies, but it has been determined by whatever sources do those that this is the place that really goes all out on Halloween.

Some people wonder why? I'm not certain. I've never seen how other states celebrate Halloween, but I can tell you how we do ours. Yard decorations are fairly common. Some say it's more than Christmas, but I'm not seeing that where I live. Yes, there are decorations, but they're not on as grand of a scale as Christmas. That's my part of the world, but it may be completely different in other parts of town as well as the state. There are people here who will go all out. The communities and businesses really play into it as well:

• Pumpkin patch picking
• Corn mazes
• Halloween themed events (i.e. Witchfest at Gardner Village and Spooktober at Thanksgiving Point)
• Scare factories/Thrill factories (most popular is Fear Factory) in the Salt Lake area
• Light shows in various communities and businesses (Including Hogle Zoo)
• Parks and state attractions decorations and stories (designated city areas and tourist attractions: Clas Ropes Provo River Cruise; Halloween Express on the Heber Valley Railroad; Little Haunts at This is the Place State Park; Midway's portrayal of Sleepy Hollow)

There are probably things I didn't mention on here. Maybe my neighbors do decorate, but most of them seem to be very light or stick to the cute things if they do. I'll have to wander around and see if I'm wrong on that. A lot of them go all out with Christmas lights, including one that puts up a rose for Belle in their yard every year (they're a little fond of that princess, because one of their daughters ended up being a "friend" of Belle for a few years at Walt Disney World).

Speaking of Disney, I recall that I never explained the reason behind why I have a preference to watch the villains from a distance. I mentioned this before having my infamous encounter, and if you look back at my story about that, you might get a hint why:

1. Sensitivity: I don't always show it, but I am extremely sensitive, particularly emotionally, to things. Even if I know it's not something to be taken seriously, if it hits the right button, it's a lost cause. I still feel it. Sometimes I can brush it off; other times, it hits too deeply and takes time.
2. Interaction: This isn't a fault of the characters. This is pretty common wherever I am; People change when they interact with me. It feels like I zap the fun out of them, and they act like they have to be serious with me. Just as a side note, I love being around people who are fun and have a sense of humor! It helps me relax. I get to see more of that side when I watch them interacting with others. I don't do the things they'd like me to do unless I'm comfortable with them, and that takes time. No one has that much time these days, especially people who have to deal with multitudes.
3. Intimidation: I'm going to be completely honest here. The physical presence of a tall person is a little intimidating to me. I've felt that way occasionally with both villains and princesses. A blush or two never hurt anyone though.

To know about the issues that I struggle with, I often sit back in amazement that, even in one of my most sensitive times, I had the audacity to face a villain! I wasn't lying when I said I knew my risks. In fact, I had one of my long internal battles before interaction. It was not an easy decision!

I have to confess I'm guilty of a little bit of envy for those who are able to talk easily with characters and have the opportunity to go so much that their names are known. They get hugs, and cheerful greetings "I'm happy to see you again," repeated often. I keep thinking what a wonderful thing that would be: to have someone remember you and be happy to see you. That doesn't happen to those of us who can't visit often. We're not familiar faces.

Photo I took in the mountains on September 14.

Tragic Events in Community

I thought that I'd place some thoughts in here about the shooting in close proximity to me since it's a hot topic right now. I'm sure the news has been spread not only nationwide, but internationally. These are just personal observations and experiences, so there may be others who might look at this differently.

I'll say it clearly now, though I've hinted it in other posts: I'm not a fan of the current Republican Party platform, and as someone who has supported the party in the past, watching the party take the path it has is really discouraging and nearly devastating to me. It's not the same party I supported previously, and yes, I'm no fan of our current president. I don't know much about Charlie Kirk, so I don't really have much of an opinion on him.

Utah Valley University is one of two universities in Utah County, and is a great option for local students, especially since BYU, which is just minutes away from it, has a highly competitive enrollment process. UVU is a nice campus, and from what I understand most students really love studying there. It's not generally a place known for trouble. There are a lot of people who were excited to see Charlie Kirk and not just students, so there were likely people from all over the valley (and perhaps further) attending. My brother works there, but fortunately was off that day, and I have a neighbor who was teaching at the time it happened. The shooting not only affected the school, but the surrounding communities, since our universities play a great role in many of our lives. We have friends, families, and neighbors associated with them, so when they suffer, we suffer also.

As I think of what the students must be experiencing, I reflect on my own experience when I was still somewhat new at my job, barely passing my year mark when my coworker, one that I had befriended, came in to start work, but before long she'd collapsed to the floor and convulsed. I was the only one there and my manager was in her office, but I was able to call her over and get things going for treating her. She was dying, but they managed to bring her back long enough (two weeks) for her family to come and say their farewells. I remember how I felt during all of that, so shaky and in shock, eventually crying, and I was sent home where I worked out my extra adrenaline on the treadmill. I was emotional about that for some time. What these kids went through was much worse, and I really feel for them. It's not fun to watch someone die, especially so unexpectedly!

I'm surrounded by neighbors and family who are Trump supporters. If they didn't know about Charlie Kirk, their children did. This has been devastating for them, but this wasn't just a loss for them, it was a loss for everyone, and most of us understand that. Even for those who disagree with the current administration can recognize when too far is too far. We don't condone such actions.

As details came out about the shooter, statements have been made by many commenters on social media about the family being, "Mormon," and making derogatory statements about that. First of all, I want to point out that the church with its actual name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, made a prompt statement that they do not condone this act, and reminded members and the world of the second great commandment, Love Thy Neighbor:

Official Statement from The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints

There are still people online who are not respecting this tragic death, and that is a sad thing to witness. When the news of this first came out, there were many who asked the question, "Why did this happen? How did we get to this point?" I have my own theories about that answer, but I'll spare you for the moment. I'll simply say, we can learn if we look back on history from as recent as the last century to as far back as we know about that people are capable of doing terrible things. There are some of us who hope that we don't have to witness it happening in our lifetimes, yet here we are, clearly heading that direction. This event is a warning. My fear is that this warning is too late. Too many have taken sides and have been taught to see the other side as an enemy.

I hope more than anything else that I'm wrong about that. When I said difficult times were ahead at the beginning of the year, this was among the things I was worried about, and I must clarify that when I said it will be ok in the end, I meant it in perhaps a different way than others might interpret it. Things always work out, but not always easily, and not always in the manner we expect.

A Good Reminder

I spent some of the past few weeks being haunted by memories of the past after making an attempt to apply for a few jobs. Going through the process put me in a state of fear that my past will keep me from going forward, since I left my last full-time job in a not-so-great manner, and adding to that all this time it's taken to take care of family and deal with grief of their passing, not to mention still working on myself. One application was denied and the other brought me to the point of receiving an interview, but nothing came of it. I had to sit back and think whether I was looking at the right places for work. I'm a bit of a grandiose dreamer sometimes and it wouldn't surprise me if I was trying to go for things I wasn't ready to handle. There are still some things to consider. I'm not discouraged. I believe I'll figure it out somehow. There was a meme that I came across which helped me strengthen my hope for the future, and it said this: 

    Worry about your character, not your reputation, because character is who you are, and reputation is     only what others think of you.

The funny thing was that all that I basically lived for is now gone, so I'm all in the process of trying to figure out where I fit in now. I've found out that's a common feeling for people who have lost people who are really close to them, so I totally get it now. I really haven't lost myself completely, though. I'm still doing creative projects, and I even have one I'm working on with those I work with at church. There's a big program that our children do at the end of the year that I will be creating a video on, and I'm going to make a bigger one for the end of the year as well for a Christmas present! I told those I was working with, and they're all excited, so I guess I'm stuck! Such goes the saying of the meme:

    When you meet me in person, you gotta be patient enough to get through my awkward and shy phase     before I become cool!

These poor people I'm working with are getting the onslaught of my creativity, whether they asked for it or not!

As for the writing, I've picked it up here and there and I really want to get back to it. I'm finding that after several years my mind is finally relearning to relax. The ridiculous things that chronic stress does to your mind! Anyway, I've always enjoyed writing things for not only the pure joy of creating, but also having people enjoy them. I like to write stories that are good for any age from 8 or 9 up but can do some younger stories well also. I have a small group of supportive neighbors still around who might be up for some of my little writing whims, and maybe I could find a place online to share some of that as well, though my poetry website has a good collection of my poetry and is getting daily visits from all around the world. I would love to figure out a way to keep it going with my other things also. If I know I have the support, it might encourage me.

I've also been making a lot of slideshows from old pictures I either took from a digital camera, phone, or scanned from family collections and putting them on my YouTube channel dedicated to nature and locations I or my family visited. There are so many that there are videos scheduled to post for public viewing over a year out! It's new, so not that popular, but I get a few views here and there.

Another Win!

I think I've had enough soapbox posts for a while. I'm not sure if my take on things is in agreement with many people's opinions, but oh well. It may take more than just a little post to really explain anyway. It might take a good (and respectful) conversation, and I'm all for listening and talking about various viewpoints with people as long as I'm listened to and respected in return. People are no longer willing to listen, and I'm sad about that.

That's all I want to say on that point. It's been a while since I've come on here, so I thought it was again time to enter some thoughts. Summer is coming to an end and our local schools will begin tomorrow. I've always liked this time of year whether I was in school or not. It seems more often than not when school starts, the mornings start cooling off. It's been a hot and dry summer, and as a result, we're dealing with fires. We have two large ones in the state right now, and one of them has been wearing out the hard-working firemen. The other one is fairly new, but I'm guessing it's challenging as well since it's located in the steep terrain of our tallest mountains. I have connections in the first one, extended family, some 2nd-3rd generational cousins that I am in touch with on Facebook. I've seen the anxiety they experienced watching it. That land holds a lot of memories for them. I have family buried in cemeteries in that area that are at risk of being caught up in the fire, but so far the fire has mostly gone the other direction. With our temperatures slowly decreasing a few degrees cooler and the wind speeds coming down, we're starting to see some progress. One thing impressed me: on a page with the fire updates, they had a map showing where the firefighters came from to help put out the fire. I wasn't surprised to see neighboring states helping out. That was fairly well known that neighboring states help. What pleasantly surprised me was that there were representatives from all but two or three states from the lower 48 helping to put out the fire, even from the East Coast! I looked at that map, sat back, and thought This is the United States that I know. This is our country at its best. How I wish the rest of us would follow that example!

Besides that, I've been involved in yet another choir and we sang on Sunday. As usual, it was a beautiful thing to participate in. I don't really have any interesting stories to talk about. One thing that I noticed during the experience was the sense of calm I felt. I've spoken many times about having performance anxiety, and I usually get it even when participating with choirs, but it didn't happen. Neither the anticipatory heart pumping and shaking nor the split-second rush of panic ever came! Another win in the books!

Smoky Sunset

Pioneer Story

July 24 is an important day in the state of Utah. It's a holiday that rivals July 4 in celebration. While watching the Days of '47 parade on television with my dad, I saw an entry for a small group of pioneers that are often overlooked when we tell the history of the state and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that was we know as the Mississippi Saints. I happen to be a descendant from that group, and I know a story or two of the family I came from. I want to tell their story as I know about it.

My southern family's name was Lay, William and Sytha Lay. They were born and raised on a plantation. Yes, they did have slaves. How many they had I'm not certain. He was raised in a fairly wealthy family, and, being the oldest child, was likely to inherit the estate; however, he was estranged, with the exception of one sympathetic brother, because he'd chosen to marry a person of a different faith (his family was Baptist, hers was Methodist), and also since one of her family joined a viler one than hers. Such connections were not to be tolerated!

As anyone else in the bible belt area, they were proclaimed Christians. His wife joined her brother and other family in this new religion. William didn't convert but joined the religious community, because his wife's family were his new family after being disowned by his own. Unfortunately, the locals didn't welcome this new religion. It wasn't unusual for these missionaries to receive threats on their lives on a daily basis, and those few who converted weren't treated much better. I recall a horrific story about a time when William was a distance away trying to assist the new church, and upon his return found his wife clearly impregnated during his absence. The story goes that she was doing some activities in town one day, and a group of men spotted her and started mocking her religion. A few nights later after the house was shut down for the evening and she had gone to bed; the group of men found a way to break into the house and worked their way up to her bedroom. They raped her in her bed and left. Can you imagine how scary that might have been to tell your husband that? Anticipating his reaction had to be scary, but I was greatly impressed by his reaction. It couldn't have been easy to hear that another man had touched your wife like that, but he took it in stride. I'm sure there were some feelings of anger, but it also must be understood that there were other dangerous things they were having to deal with, just for joining another religion, so they had to stick together, the few that lived there, most of which were family. He accepted the situation and took care of his wife. She bore twins from that pregnancy. One lived only a few days, but the other lived to adulthood, and he raised her as his own.

The religion was moving West, and so they decided to move as well. It's just as well, considering the environment continued to be hostile toward them. They started west on the Oregon trail with a band of wagons, but due to complications delaying them, they decided to find a place to winter, and ended up in Pueblo, Colorado, and that became a matter of importance when the Mormon Battalion found itself in need of a place to take care of their ill. They soon after ended up in Utah with their slaves. Most people understand that when Utah became a party of the United States after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Utah became a territory that the United States Government assigned to be a slavery state. William was able to keep his slaves while in the territory; however, there was a movement to create settlements throughout the West, and William was asked to relocate to San Bernardino. Since this was located in California, which was selected as a free territory, he was well aware that if he took his slaves with him, they would no longer be considered slaves. He accepted that reality and invited them to follow along to be freed.

There was one complication. His slave Hark Lay had married another slave who was owned by someone else. He wanted to bring them together, but he lacked the money needed to be able to purchase her, and the owner refused to hand her over otherwise. There were efforts to find solutions in order to keep his family together, but none of them worked out. Poor Hark had to be separated from his family to go to California alone. Hark was freed in California, and as a ceremonial custom for freed slaves, he changed his last name and lived in California for some time before returning to Utah later when slavery was no longer practiced and worked his own trade.

William enjoyed his years in California, but they were asked to return to Utah. Going back to the dry dusty desert probably wasn't easy. He ended up his last years in southern Utah. I can't help but think of what he had to give up throughout his life. He was born into a life of likely some comfort and in a lush ground to a world depleted of his wealth and living in an environment of dirt, rock, and with a constant concern of water supply. The things people will give up for their beliefs!

I know that there was some communication between the descendants the Lays and their former slaves on a friendly basis at least until the 1990s, and they even attended a few reunions together. Time has passed, and it may be that the correspondents have as well. The Lays held reunions for a long time, and my grandma invited me to one once. I spent most of the time attending to an activity for the kids, and didn't become much acquainted with the adults there, but it was an interesting experience. 

For those wanting to know about Hark Lay, who was an impressive historical figure linked to this holiday, I looked up some information on him and will attach a link. It's very difficult to find a balanced presentation of stories concerning slavery due to the sensitivity of the issue. I found this link to be probably the most objective and balanced presentation of his story and his connection with my ancestors: Hark Lay (Wales)

Taken from a television screen, so the quality isn't great,
and the captions were on for my hard-of-hearing dad.

Still Worth Celebrating

This is a post partly for those who are feeling a little less, well, celebratory during this coming July 4th. I hear you and understand what you are feeling because I'm a bit in that way of feeling myself. I'm not happy with what's going on in the country right now and am frustrated with the government's movements and lack of movements.

I read in a recent social media posting someone claiming that July 4th was set aside to celebrate our government leaders. Respectfully I disagree with that sentiment. That is not the purpose behind the holiday in my mind. I still plan on celebrating the holiday, participating in a festivity or two in the community, and having our traditional family holiday luncheon. I'm keeping a focus on what's still good here, and for as much that is going wrong, there are plenty of things still going right.

As one of those weird people who appreciate history, I love looking at this holiday in a historical context. From the time it began our country went through a lot of difficulties. I see the points on where it has grown and improved. As a general rule of life, difficult times happen, but history has shown that we can learn from them, hard as they may get. Sometimes it takes a big kick in the head for some of us to realize what we need to learn but learning and growth is inevitable following such an ordeal. I'm always amazed at what happens to people in difficult times. It's in those moments where you see human nature at its worst, and at its best. Ugly things happen, yet so do the most inspiring and heroic stories told! It's these latter people I celebrate on this holiday.

Even though things look dismal for a good portion of our society, there is something still worth celebrating. What is it? It's the beautiful dream as beautifully expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

 This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

This is a dream worth keeping active for all of us here. I know there are groups not mentioned in this speech, but in this context, it is understood that he is speaking of every human being of all races and beliefs. 

I celebrate the Declaration of Independence and its historical significance, and the initial rights provided in the constitution, not necessarily as it is being currently implemented. I celebrate our communities who are willing to work toward this goal. I celebrate individuals who are devoted to helping and befriending their neighbors of different viewpoints and experiences. Much good has been fought for and achieved that I cannot list on this simple blog post, and so many of those are worthy of celebration. 

Positive thinking, it's a difficult thing to do when you see so much wrong happening, but it's still possible. With all that seems to be going wrong, there are so many things going right as well. Sometimes those things are hard to see due to the loudness of all the frustrated voices, but they are indeed there when you're ready to find them. Seek them, for those things are absolutely worth celebrating!

Freedom Festival Balloon Fest from back in 2001. 
Family Archives Collection.

Service

It's been an interesting couple of weeks, having the opportunity to do a few extra things. You know that I have mentioned that I'm in a leadership position at church, and we were challenged to have some service projects available for the children to do for the year. We just did the first one recently.

The group of children that we take care of are on the younger side, so it was and still is a little bit of a challenge trying to come up with a service project that is age appropriate, but we found an opportunity that fit perfectly, and that was to have the children color birthday cards for foster children. We were so happy to see a good showing for this activity! With it being summer and everyone going on and off of vacation, we really didn't know what to expect in numbers. Most of the kids (and several adults) colored a card or two and then went outside for some cold treats. It's already been ridiculously hot for this time of year (upper 90s and even up to 100 a few times). I'm not looking forward to the hottest time of the year, which is mid-July to mid-August, that is unless monsoon season kicks in and makes its way up here. Those usually cool things down.

While we were at the activity, I talked with my neighbor about her dogs. Her husband wanted to take a few days and go up to Yellowstone to join his family, so he asked me to take care of the dogs while he was away. That really kind of freaked me out, because you know that I struggle with dogs a little. There were three of them overall. One little dog wasn't theirs, but the other neighbor's (they were part of the same family and were up in Yellowstone too). I was a little bit nervous about it, but I had another family member with me who helped. The little dog was pretty easy to take care of, once she realized we were there to feed her and take her outside for a few minutes.

Those other two dogs...whew! One was fairly good at following orders, but the other one...well, that dog was a bundle of energy! There was one morning when we opened the door, and she bolted out of there like her life depended on it! She was out of sight before we could even get our wits about us. I took care of the other dog while that one was searched for, and we looked all over. I was getting freaked out, worried that something would go terribly wrong, but I took a deep breath, sat down, and thought over what to do. I said a little prayer to find her. After a few more breaths, I stood up and walked to the front yard of the house, and about 30 seconds later, she came trotting on the sidewalk coming back from our house. I called to her nicely, and she came directly to me (my neighbor seemed to be impressed by this, because she says the dog never responds to her). I took her back to where she was supposed to go and took care of what she needed before going back. That dog was indeed a challenge, but I checked on her along with the little dog during the day to make sure she was getting some interaction and talked with her while the other dog was being taken care of in the evening. 

Both families were glad for the help, and I was just glad I didn't kill them off!

The card I colored (it hadn't been folded yet).

What is Good Storytelling?

I came across a video the other day on YouTube made by someone who was trying to explain why the latest Disney movies aren't as good as they used to be, and it got me thinking (which I love, by the way). His point was that the real reason behind it wasn't as everyone claims: That Disney has gone woke. He pointed out that Disney has told stories for decades that would have been labelled as woke today. His thoughts were that the real issue behind it all was that Disney has been too obsessed and overdoing music, that these days they are trying to fit music in with the story, instead of fitting the story in with the music. Hopefully, I explained that clearly. I totally see where he's coming from there.

I don't watch movies a lot, and so there are a lot of Disney movies I haven't caught up on, but I can tell you this, the music was a big part of why I watched the movies I have seen. The first time I saw Beauty and the Beast I was mesmerized from the first notes and narration with that stained glass beginning to the end with the ceiling and the animated cherubs looking down on Belle and the Prince dancing to the theme music. In Tangled, who can forget the magical lantern festival scene and romantic music? And I have to confess the main reason I saw FROZEN in the first place was because I was lured by Let it Go, and the artistic animation associated with it.

Other than music, as I've said before, I'm a huge stickler on plots. I also don't tolerate shallow and crude humor. I'll whip up a short list of movies I have seen and try to explain the why behind my likes and dislikes (they aren't restricted to Disney movies):

• Neverending Story (4.5/5): A lot of people joke about this movie traumatizing them, so I wasn't alone after all about being devastated when Artax gets swallowed up in the Swamp of Sadness, but despite that traumatic scene, I was attracted to the combination of adventure and fantasy, not to mention a beautiful childlike empress whose life depended on the quest being successful. The dog-like dragon was cute, too.
• Labyrinth (3.5/5): A really weird and twisted fantasy adventure story that turns in enough directions to make me question my sanity. It makes so little sense that it makes sense, if you know what I mean. The characters are quirky and strange, but still relatable in a way. 
• The Dark Crystal (5/5): There are many of my family who didn't understand why I was obsessed with this movie. This was a movie I would watch multiple times. It's a little weird for those who aren't really into fantasy and strange looking creatures. I liked it for the adventure, but also of the contrasting portrayal between the darker sided Skeksis and the more peaceful-minded Mystics. It's a complex and dark movie, but it's an awesome display of courageous determination and how it ends with everyone healed through glorious unity and power. 
• Cinderella: 
• Disney original 1950 film (4.5/5): Cinderella has a special spot in my heart. My introduction to her was through a book published by the Walt Disney Company years ago, and it followed the basic story of the movie. That book was my joy for many years. I read it over and over, never tiring of it, so naturally I loved the movie when I finally got to see it!
• Televised Rodgers and Hammerstein with Leslie Ann Warren (3/5): Some people might gasp at my low rating here, but it was clearly a low-budget stage recording of the musical. The music was fine, but the acting was a little over-the-top for television in my mind. Anyway, it just didn't work for me that well.
• Rodgers and Hammerstein All-Star cast with Brandy (4/5): The cast is mixed race, which some people might struggle with, but it didn't bother me. I liked the twist. The acting wasn't anything spectacular, but not bad. I found it humorous that Bernadette Peters had to have a musical number, despite the fact that it was from an entirely different musical (maybe someone thought the audience wouldn't notice). On the whole, the movie was completely enjoyable, and the music was outstanding!
• Disney Live Action (5/5): Absolutely LOVED what Disney did with this story. It wasn't a remake movie (they didn't try to copy the classic). It was an entirely new way of looking at it, and even though the only music in it was Cinderella singing a song (which was, in fact, an old song written by Disney that was nominated for original song category for the academy awards back in 1949), the movie kept the spirit and message.
• Sleeping Beauty (4.5/5): This was another story that clinged to as a child, so when I saw the movie, it was a little hard to get used to, because there was more to the story than the book told. I also didn't realize until I was older that there was more to it than the story. They were using the Sleeping Beauty Waltz by Tchaikovsky as a guide to their storytelling! That greatly increased my appreciation for the movie.
• Beauty and the Beast: 
• Animation (5/5): This also has a special place in my heart. Most of my movies I had seen from a television screen, but I had the opportunity to see this one on a large movie theater sized screen, and my mind was blown! From the first notes to the end, I was so taken aback by the story, the music, just plain everything! It kept a little bit of the traditional essence of the earlier classic Disney movies by opening the movie with a narrator showing a stained-glass window and ending it with a stained-glass window just like the earlier movies started with the first page of a book and the last page of a book. Let in the nostalgia!
• Live Action (3.5/5): It wasn't terrible. It just didn't feel all that magical. I get the idea of going into Belle's backstory, but I didn't find that it added much to the movie. I wasn't completely sold on some of the musical performances (particularly Belle), though I love the Beast's Evermore. 
• Alladin (4/5): This was a fun and entertaining story, but it was definitely the music that made it for me on this one. It was Robin Williams who shined here! I had seen the sequels but wasn't into them as much (you know I'm not a great sequel lover), so I look at them separately from the original movie.
• Tangled (4.5/5): I guess I like my princess movies! This was one I'd watch several times, partly because there were some truly magical scenes (cue the birthday lantern festival!) and partly because my mom liked it so much, she would bring it up. That's significant, because she didn't watch Disney movies a lot. That's a great memory for me to have since she's passed on now.
• Princess and the Frog (3.5/5): Now, don't get after me for this. I only docked it, because I grew up with the traditional story, and this is far from any resemblance to that story (including the moral). I'm also not accustomed to the cultural focus, but I don't hate the movie. I love the music, and who didn't cry when Ray sacrificed himself? I've grown to appreciate the story significantly more as time has passed.
• FROZEN (5/5): I would have had no idea this movie existed when it first came out if it hadn't been for social media and people posting Let it Go. I was taken in once I saw that clip. The art was aesthetically pleasing, but that wasn't everything. There were so many things that got me interested in this. The focus on relationships, the emotional complexity, and being able to relate to both Elsa and Anna in different ways, as well as being able to feel For the First Time in Forever a connection to my Scandinavian heritage.
• Shrek (2.5/5): This movie is entertaining and has an interesting twist, but I just couldn't get into the crude jokes. 
• Pride and Prejudice:
• 1995 BBC (5/5): Absolutely loved this version! The interpretation of the main characters appeared in my mind the most realistic. The element that nearly all American made movies leave out is the humor, and this version embraced that humor wholeheartedly. I loved the humor in this version! This is a movie I can rewatch over and over without getting tired of it.
•  2005 Universal (2/5): Though the cinematography of this movie was great quality and the acting wasn't particularly bad, my issue with the movie was with the plot and the speaking lines. Perhaps I was too aware of the story itself, but the movie chopped out parts of the story that I liked, and it felt chopped. I have seen older movies that had to cut out pieces of the story, but it was a smooth transition. I didn't feel that watching this movie. My greatest complaint was that it felt very much like watching a soap opera. I'm not sure how to explain it otherwise. The lines were almost melodramatic, and sickly sappy. It didn't stay true to how Jane Austen told it. And perhaps that was my biggest issue of all: It didn't stay true. Never had a desire to watch it again.
• Jane Eyre 1983 with Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton (4/5): I think many people these days would think this one of the most boring versions, because there is little background music. I don't mind it. The acting is well enough that I don't really think about it. It's well-interpreted of the characters and plot in the book, and it's easy to be able to relate and/or sympathize with the characters' plights.
• Sense & Sensibility
• 1995 Emma Thompson film (4.5/5): Even though this movie took free license to the story in places (likely for the sake of keeping it movie-length), it's still a good watch. It kept the essence of the story and provided a charming personality of the younger sister Margaret.
• 1981 BBC (4.5/5): Absolutely recommend this version for anyone who wants an interpretation closer to the book. Unfortunately, Margaret is left out, but that's the worst of it. There may be a few moments of awkward acting, but it totally fits the characters. It may take some getting used to since it's not filmed with cinematic quality, but once you get past that, it's really an interesting watch.
• Persuasion 1971 BBC (4/5): As with the 1981 Sense & Sensibility, this is also not filmed with cinematic quality and might take some getting used to, but it too interprets closely to the book. 
• David Copperfield 1999 (4.5/5): If you want to watch Daniel Radcliff acting before he became Harry Potter, this is a good one. David Copperfield is one of my favorites of Charles Dickens, so naturally I like a good portrayal of the story. Just as the other BBC movies, this one is lengthy. It's really well done and there are other familiar faces in there as well, which makes it additionally fun!
• Harry Potter (3.5/5): Some Potterheads out there will hate me on that score! I love the Harry Potter books, but the movies don't completely capture the magic in the books. There are little clever details that can't be explained in a movie. I really liked the first two movies. I felt like they captured what they could well. After that, there were things that had to be changed or cut out that I would have liked kept, and I didn't care too much for Michael Gambon's interpretation of Albus Dumbledore in some scenes, but that's just me. I'm just picky about some things.
•  The Princess Bride (4.5/5): Fairy Tale mixed with humor! It's hard not to love this one! I don't really know if I can say anything else. It's just an awesome movie!
• Titanic (3.5/5): It's a great cinematic film. The main reasons for me downgrading it were that it can get a little too intense for me during the sinking and there are a few intimate moments that I prefer not watching.
• Twilight: New Moon (2/5): Now to be fair, I wasn't expecting much anyway, because from what I'd discovered about the books, this type of story isn't my type of thing. I'd looked into the basic plot for the books to see if they might be interesting to me and seeing that the basic plot was some girl trying to find out which guy she loved the most seemed a little, well, I can't say it any other way, dumb. I had a group of coworkers who were excited to go see the movie so I decided that I would set aside my judgements and give the movie a chance. Goodness, I have never rolled my eyes more in my life than I had then! It seemed like every five minutes was kissing, and I'm thinking, Don't they do anything else besides kiss? I left that movie thinking I'd seen the stupidest movie in existence, so my score is actually pretty generous.
• WICKED (5/5): I absolutely loved the music in the musical and had experiences from other musicals being brought to the screen being a great disappointment. This one wasn't one of them! I really enjoyed watching it, and the music was wonderful! I know a lot of people try to compare the singers to the original Broadway singers, but I won't do that. Broadway and screen are completely different arenas so they shouldn't be compared. I think the movie singers did a great job at making the songs entirely their own, and that's what they should do.
• Mary Poppins (4.5/5): I mean, why diss the lovely Julie Andrews? It's a classic and entertaining movie that, despite the botched accent from Dick Van Dyke, makes us feel a little happier after watching it. 
• Mary Poppins Returns (3.5/5): It's fun to have the idea of Mary Poppins returning, and I don't really have any objections with Emily Blunt's portrayal. My issue lies within the relationships with the other characters. They're all messed up. Of course, Jane and Michael are siblings, but did you know John, Barbara, and Annabel were their siblings in the book? That's trivial, but I just didn't like the overall plot of the movie, and there were few memorable songs. I think the only Mary Poppins-like part of the movie was when they jumped into the Royal Doulton Bowl.
• Star Wars (3.5/5): If I was restricting this to I-VI, the score would be a 5, but all of the sequels following lowered it. It seemed like the newer the movie, the worse it got. I've seen those other movies, and they feel entirely repetitive, and let me say this one time that I don't like what they did to the OG cast. But then I'm one who came up on an entirely different story of my own after Return of the Jedi and didn't like it getting destroyed.
• Scarlet Pimpernel 1982 (4/5): This is a beautiful adaptation of this story and it's great for the romantics. I did get into a discussion once with someone about whether the movie is more romantic than the book. Their view was that the sword fighting made the movie more interesting. I disagreed and thought the book was more interesting, but I guess it depends on what you prefer. There is no sword fighting in the book, only a matter of devotion, intellect, and pure determination that saves the day. 
• The King & I 1956 (5/5): Love this movie! The music, the emotions, the set, the costumes, it's all amazing! If you haven't watched a classic musical movie, you're missing out. 
• The Muppet Movie 1979 (4.5/5): The Muppets are a close second to the Peanuts Gang (Charlie Brown) as a family favorite, second because some family members don't get into their humor as much. I've always been a Muppet fan, so I could pick out other Muppet movies that I liked, but I am limiting it to this one since it was among the first. There isn't much I remember about the movie since it's been a while and I was quite young when I first watched it, but the scene that did stick was of Kermit the Frog sitting on the log in the swamp with his banjo and singing Rainbow Connection. I remember that scene, because I connected to that song. I could feel it. So it gets a high score just for that.
• Lord of the Rings (4/5): Trying to cramp all three movies in here. I really liked the quality of the movies, and they portrayed the characters well. The only part I may have had issues with were the battles. You know I'm not one for gore, so those aren't my favorite parts.

I could go on and on, and I don't even watch movies that much. You might get a little bit of an idea of my tastes when I do watch something. I will watch movies from the 1930s to current if they interest me, so have fun figuring me out! LOL.

I've talked enough, so until next time, have a wonderful time!

Flowers Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney Day and Return Home

It was a free day to wander and basically vegetate after going all over the place during the rest of the week, and wow, that made me aware of how much I'd worn myself out! I started out in the morning going back to where I started at the World of Disney store to track down that bag I spotted at the beginning of the week. Yes, it took me five days to talk myself into getting it, and the only reasoning behind that which worked was that I had some Christmas cash that I'd been lugging around for months trying to figure out how to use it, because it was cash--it was given to me by someone (elderly) who struggled with the idea of gift cards. It was enough to purchase that thing as well as send the remaining balance on to a gift card that I had, and that really helped as I went to the Grand Californian to get something to eat.

I'm going to spare the details of where I went, what I did, mostly because the majority of the time I was just resting and people watching. I've never been a great shopper, and I'm basically done with shopping, including exploring stores, within two hours. I'm not a foodie either and many of the places there were higher than my budget anyway. But I was delighted to come across a show going on down in the new area. I found a soft chair there and enjoyed the entertainment at the time, which was a Polynesian group playing music and providing a sample of their dancing. That was really nice, though I was comfortable enough I nearly went to sleep. There's a little picnic area next to the entrance of Disneyland I wanted to check out (and who knows if it will stick around when all of the changes begin). That was just as relaxing as well. I sat there for a long time listening to esplanade music, which I felt like it was either the style you'd put into a music box, or into an infant crib mobile to lull them to sleep. I watched the monorail go over me several times, watched birds, and enjoyed to beautiful cool breeze that was blowing in since the day was overcast. Beautiful!

I had to leave for the airport and had no problems with any of that. No drama (forgot to mention that coming in, we had a fellow passenger with a medical emergency), and by the time I got home, it was dark and time to go to bed. Ah, wonderful sleep!

Flowers planted in Downtown Disney!

Last Day in the Park

Ah, last days are sometimes hard to face! On this particular day, my goal was to stick around Toontown and Fantasyland for the majority of the time, but I had some catching up to do, because I hadn't yet had the opportunity to ride Big Thunder. I was supposed to do it a few days ago, but didn't quite make it since a few things got in the way. That early in the morning, the ride was an easy walk-on, and I was back on schedule quickly.

Finally! Toontown was slow! I knew that if I could catch it early in the morning, I could beat the crowds and do more of the exploring I wanted to do since it re-opened. The last few times I visited there were other times in the day, mostly the afternoon, and it was so crazy crowded that I barely had room to breathe in there, let alone explore. Let me remind you that I can have crowd issues. But this morning was amazing! Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway was nearly a walk-on! One of my favorites! And I even talked myself into trying out the Roger Rabbit ride. To be honest, I have purposely avoided that ride in the past, because I'm not into the movie. It's not my humor, nor my taste in stories, so for that reason, I stayed away. I decided that day to get off my high horse and try it out, especially since that ride was only about a five-minute wait. So, I got on it and found it fun as I played around with the car. As my grandpa would have said, "Let that be a lesson to you."

I walked through the little gag area and visited the fountain. It was funny that as I was up there taking pictures, a duck flew right over my head, close enough to startle me, and it felt like it was going right at me for a moment. There was a women walking past with a stroller who saw it, too, and we just laughed. I continued my photo-op without any more duck attacks and went on eventually to explore Mickey's house. I ended up in line to meet him there, but there was a delay, and I decided since I didn't eat so well the day before (only ended up having one good meal), I needed to eat more than meet Mickey at the moment, so I slipped out and went to get something at Red Rose Tavern. I really like that place. After a lengthy amount of time there, I went to tackle the Fantasyland rides, and the lines were all so short that I had completed nearly every ride by noon. Even though I had one awkward episode when I confused Snow White's exit with the entrance and got a little called out by a CM, everything went smoothly. I was so surprised how well it all turned out. None of the ride wait times were longer than 15 minutes--Peter Pan is always the exception, but it was only about 25-30 minutes! And, Yay! for fellow-riders cheering on the teacups! Some think that the reason behind this low wait time was that it was the first day of the 70th birthday celebration, and everyone was using their time playing with those new keys.

Being in Fantasyland, I was able to see a few characters wandering around: Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Aurora; however, I never interacted with any of them. I wasn't feeling up to it, and I was feeling too aware that I'm not their preferred interactive guest, so I spared them from potential awkwardness. I was having enough interactions with guests and others that I didn't feel the need to seek that out.

Fortunately, I was finished with all of that in just enough time to enjoy watching the Disneyland Band at the castle. I hadn't been at a castle performance since my first visit, so I was really happy to be able to join in on that experience. We even had an appearance by Belle! She's one of the characters I haven't met yet.

I took a break just as the cavalcade was going on (and got a glimpse of it while leaving). I came back a little later while the flag ceremony was going on as I entered, so I stopped for a moment until it finished and then moved on to other activities. At this point I'd done all of the attractions I wanted so I stayed in the area and had some photos taken, including getting fortunate with meeting with Mickey to make up for the missed opportunity in the morning. I went one more time on the railroad (it was my great friend on this trip!) while I once more mulled over what to do next and got this bright idea to tackle Haunted Mansion again since they had a hiccup the last time I went. I was so shocked to find that the wait time was only 15 minutes! There was a delay again, but only for a few minutes. I meandered over to Pirates and found its wait time was about five minutes! Goodness, who can pass that up? Low and behold, the third pirate I noticed was missing a few days ago had returned! I felt complete now.

I think I spent some time wandering around the area mindlessly doing nothing, until I decided I needed to get something to eat at the Tropical Hideaway. I stayed there for a while and then meandered around the area while hearing the thump, thump, thumping of the parade coming from the distance. I'd decided by then that I was going to go to Small World and watch the projection show after 10:00 and wait there for the late parade (assuming it would be less crowded). LOL. First night! There's no way to avoid that crowd!

 I went out trying to figure out a way to sneak into Main Street for the fireworks, but wasn't sure the CMs were allowing people to slip into the parade area, which was where I needed to be to make that happen, so I wandered out near the exit and waited there. There was no way for me to know when to go in, and it turned out that the fireworks started immediately following the parade, so I had no way of getting in there on time. I really have bad luck on getting these spots on Main Street! It was disappointing, so I resolved just to do what I did last time this happened and walked along the walking path while they were going off and caught a few glimpses while I went, and as usual, the finale happened to be right when I was on the walkway passing the castle! That wasn't so bad. 

I immediately took a U-turn and went straight to Small World. The show there was only a few minutes long, but I was in a good spot for it, so that made up for things a little. It wasn't the greatest for the parade, since the CMs were requesting us to stand and I had a lot of tall people in my group. I was able to shift around a little so I could see something, but the people in front of me who were short were having to lift their phones up high to get their good pictures, so instead of seeing the parade itself, I was given a show now and then via cell phone screen! Oh well. I was a little frustrated, because they were obstructing my attempts at capturing things, but I was thankful that I got to enjoy the parade fully during its preview, so my frustrations here were petty. 

Before leaving the park for the final time on this trip, I decided to take a turn in the Sleeping Beauty Walk-through since that was the one attraction I didn't do earlier. Wow, it's a whole different vibe going up there at night. It's a mysterious and suspenseful vibe with all of those dark passages. I was getting really tired, it being the end of the day and the end of the week of full activity, so I didn't really stick around there for long.

It was a great day!

Toontown Fountain