My family and I went to Disney World during the fall of 2001. We actually left the night after LMBA Championships, so I was exhuasted when we got there. We stayed for 6 days, 5 nights, at the Disney Institute (nice name for a resort, huh? haha). It was nice while we were down there, because nobody was really there. I guess everybody stayed home bcause of the 9/11 attacks, but not my family! We boarded our plane, got down there safe and sound, and we all had the time of our lives.
The first day we went to the Animal Kingdom. It was about 50 degrees out, but me and my sister, CJ, didn't care. We were in Florida, and we were going to wear shorts. So there we were, in shorts and winter jackets, walking into Animal Kingdom. We walked in, and immediately people working there offered to take our pictures in front of the big tree. We of course accepted and got a nice picture to take home to show everybody. Animal Kingdom was more of a learning experience, with few rides. The few rides that were there were fun, but taught us stuff at the same time. I got my face painted, which cost me $12. It was of a butterfly that took up my whole face, and was orange, yellow, pink, with a touch of lime green. We went on the water ride, and we all got soaked due to our refusal to buy ponchos. We spent the rest of the day cold and wet. But overall, it was worth it.
The second day we went to MGM Studios. That place was pretty awesome. The first thing we saw when we walked in was a big blue hat that was a store. So we went in there and played around with some of the stuff. Then we walked through the park and rode the Tower of Terror, twice. That was really funny. My dad, Lucas, and I all rode, then we talked my mom and my sister into it. Mom hated us for the rest of day, haha. After that, we rode the Aerosmith ride. After that we went on a tour of some of the houses that were used for shows like "Golden Girls" and "Home Improvement." That was awesome.
The third day we went to Magic Kingdom. That was pretty cool. We got into the park and again people started offering to take our picture in front of Cinderellea's Castle. We did, ang again we got a nice picture to take home. The first thing we went on was the Dumbo ride. After that we hit almost all the rides including the Tea Cups, It's A Small World, and The Toy Story ride. That ride, was byfar, the best. It was like we were in a video game, and we all had little lazers to shoot at stuff.
The fourth day we went to Epcot. I really didn't enjoy that place too much. There's really not that much to say. There weren't very many rides...it was more of a place where you just walk around and learn about different countries. They did have the "Test Track" though. That was probably the highlight of my day. That, and the parade at the end of the day. But other than that...the place was pretty dull, haha.
The fifth day we went to Blizzard Beach. Oh my God, I could have lived there! Seriously, there was SO much to do. And it wasn't like it is back here in Erie. You didn't have to carry your inner tube to the top of the slide; there was a conveir belt that took all the tubes to the top, and you just grabbed one when you got to the top. And all the rides were like 4x bigger. Seriously, the only thing I can use to describe Blizzard Beach is "wow."
The sixth day we went out to lunch at Planet Hollywood, when we had to leave for the airport. Planet Hollywood was so awesome! The music is cool, and they have the words on this big screen so you can sing along. The food was awesome, too! But the coolest part was, yes you can laugh, the bathroom. Seriously, the girls' bathroom was SO cool! I'mnot sure about the boys' bathroom, but I don't really care, haha. After Planet Hollywod we loaded up the rental car and went to the airport. It was a sad ride home. None of us wanted to leave.
Summer 2002
I did the usual. Friday night parties (which only consisted of a camp fire and s'mores), went to the beach, had more bon fires, went swimming at people's houses, pull a whole slew of all-nighters. Yanno, what ever 15-year old does during their summer vacation. Thought I hate to admit it, this was the summer that me and two of my best friends, Tara nd Jericho, really started drifting apart. We were always best friends, but when I moved and didn't live right around the block anymore, things got hard. The 15 minute drive was a bigger problem than it used to be.
I went to the local amusement park with the Erie Gymastics Center. We had a ball. People think that trying to get kicked out of an amusement park would be stupid, but in reality it's the most fun I've ever had. Sitting upside down on the old wooden rollercoaster, standing up on the log ride, walking next to the car inthe Wacky Shack instead of riding in it, spitting on the sky ride, yelling at the ride operators. It's all very amusing.
August 7 - Dream Street is dead. Not technically. I mean, the 5 guys that were once Dream Street are all still living, but the group is no more. They had been going through some stuff which I don't feel like discussing, and I guess they just couldn't handle it all. 3 of them are trying to be solo artists, while the other 2 either turned to acting, tried to finish their senior year in high school like a normal kid, or even try to do both. I stillt hink about them occasionally, and I still hae all my posters on my wall. I jsut wish I could really know why they broke up.
August 26 - I got a boyfriend....FINALLY! I have to admit, I've had it pretty rough as a kid. My dad has been putting me down since I was about 10, and I just wanted someone to love me. Sure, I had my family, but it wasn't the same. I wanted a guy to love me -- not because he felt he had to, but because he wanted to. When Brandon came along, that happened.
National Gymnastics Championships 2002
This was definately one of those experiences a person never forgets. I've always been into gymnastics, but never had enough money and endurance to take it. My friend, Brittney, who is a gymnast, got tickets to the National Gymnastics Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. I, of course, was extremely jealous. The Championships lasted 4 days, Wednesday through Saturday, and consisted of olympians, former olympians, future olympians, and everything in between. Brittney called me up on Friday and told me that she had an extra ticket for the Saturday show, and that I could go with her and her family free of charge. I jumped at it, and Saturday morning they picked me up and we were off to Cleveland. We got to the Gund Arena, and we sat down, eager for it to start. I was in awe the whole time. I've always looked at gymnastics magazines and watched gymnastics on TV, and here I was watching it live. It was the same people I've googled over for the past 10 years, right in front of me signing my pad of paper. Thatnight I got to meet Sean Townsend, only the hottest and my most favorite gymnast to grace God's green earth. It was amazing.
Take Me Home!