I'm With Mitt

Romney Ryan 2012!!!!!!!
6 more days people- get out and vote!!

Darth Vader: What Are You Going to Do Next?

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUbH1SEsqiE&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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Happy Halloween 2012!!!

Saturday Seething (part 53 of a 444 part series)

I am so disappointed in myself- I haven't Saturday Seethed in 2 months!!!
Blogging consistently is already a challenge (especially with Facebook and Instagram) but doing a series is even more difficult.
I guess you could argue, "Well Alli, maybe you are a lot happier now and simply don't have that much to "seeth" about" and you would be mostly right, but I really enjoy Saturday Seething more as a humorous joke rather than actual anger.

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WDW- Day 6

Today we did half day at Animal Kingdom then went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that night.
AK always feel so hot to me, maybe it's all the trees and a general tropic/humid feeling. We got to the park and got fast passes to Expedition Everest, rode Triceratop Spin while Cam and Val rode Dinosaur (a ride that I am terrified on and will try hard to never ride it again. Dinosaurs are scary!!), took a Safari, ate a frozen banana (there is always money in the banana stand), had a delish lunch at Flame Tree by the water overlooking Mount Everest, and left the park around 3:30. Lesley really wanted another Mickey rice krispie from Goofy's Candy Co so we took a shuttle to Downtown Disney. We got back to the hotel around 5 pm and got ready for the party which was at The Magic Kingdom.
Stay tuned for the party post!!

WDW Day 5

Today we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We had a great time riding Toy Story Mania 3 times, Rock N' Roller Coaster 2 times, Tower of Terror 2 times, and Star Tours 4 times. We also rode The Great Movie Ride and took an animation class where we learned how to draw Eyore. We came back to the hotel for an afternoon nap and went back to the park around 5 pm. We had a lot of fun like we always do at this park. If I had 1 day at Walt Disney World, I'd go to Hollywood Studios as it has almost all my favorite rides, good food (Red Velvet cupcakes at Starring Rolls!!), and it's an easy park to walk around. I loved today!!

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure- Day 4

Yesterday we took a day off of Disney and headed over to Universal Studios mainly to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We got up early and rented a car (cheaper than hiring a taxi for all 5 of us) and drove to USIOA. We headed right over to Harry Potter which is in the back corner of the park. We walked through a Dr Suess themes land and The Last Continent to get to HP. HP was SO WORTH it!! This land has 3 rides and several shops and Olivander's wand shop where they give a presentation on how a wand picks a wizard. Valie was the "wizard" chosen during our presentation- SO cute!!!! This was a total highlight of the day (first highlight was Butter Beer but more on that later).
The main ride is a motion/projection ride on an enchanted bench through the world of HP where we encounter dragons, spiders, whomping willow, and dementors. We also fly through and around the castle and become part of the action in a quiddich match. I have never been on a ride like this before- it was fantastic!! The second ride is a kiddie coaster (which I got sick on!!) themes like you are riding a hippogriff, and the third ride is a dragon themed thrill coaster with inversions and cork screws. I missed out on riding this because I was feeling SO sick but that is when I found out Butter Beer has magical powers to cure motion sickness. Ok, not really true but it worked for me. I loved everything about Harry Potter world and think they could have an entire theme park all to themselves.
After HP, we went to Jurassic Park (similar to US in LA). After that section is a toon section with water rides (rafts and log flumes) where people were getting soaked. After that section is a comic book section with a Spiderman ride and a huge green coaster named after The Hulk. Spiderman was surprisingly good, like Indian Jones at Disneyland but in 3D. The Hulk was an incredible launching coaster with tons of inversions and cork screws.
Over all, I had a great day but I missed the Disney magic, the details and touches and service. Outside of Disney, I would say this is one great amusement park for sure- thrill rides and kiddie rides (Suess land would be awesome for young kids).

Butter Beer...

The cure for what ails ya 😃

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios

We are in Harry Potter World today!! Hogsmead is charming and magical. The castle is detailed and impressive. I got sick on the rides and am sitting on a bench trying not to puke (mega sad face) while my fam rides a dragon ride.
Happily, the weather is perfect, even a little on the cool side with non-existent humidity. I'll be happy just to sit here in Hogsmead and people watch.

WDW Day 3

EPCOT
We got to the park around 9:30 and rode Spaceship Earth first (no line and right when you walk in. It's the ride inside the geodesic dome). We then got fast passes to Soarin' and rode Living with the Land. We then hit up Club Cool and sampled different soda pop from around the world (Chinese Watermelon soda is my favorite!). We then went to World Showcase for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival- we got fillet mignon at the Canada stall. I instagramed the pic but believe me, it tasted so much better than it looked. We then went to the UK Pavillion and Les got fish and chips for lunch which we (Les, Cam, and I) shared. Cam had the great idea of us sharing a meal at several different places around "the world" and we could eat as we go. We ended up eating at Morocco, Mexico, and Japan with layovers in Germany and a cheese stall and lobster roll stall. We rode Mission Space (the less intense version- the intense version made me so sick last year) and went to Captain EO. We then went around the world and did a Perry the Platypus scavenger hunt at several pavilions. We are now on the shuttle back to our hotel.
Highlight of the day: taking a tour of a Vision Home in Innoventions that is energy efficient. The living room had the same curtains as my BFF K except in red instead of blue.
Weather was perfect today- zero humidity and in the mid 80s... Lovely!!

WDW Day 2

Magic Kingdom was great today... Almost perfect.
We got to the park right after opening (we missed rope drop by 3 minutes) and got right on Space Mountain. Then we headed over to Big Thunder Mountain and got a fast pass and got in line for Splash Mountain. Halfway through the line and the ride breaks and we exit the way we came. The ride stayed broken for the rest of the day. We then went to The Haunted Mansion, then Pirates of the Caribbean, had lunch at a place in Liberty Square. We went on Small World and Peter Pan. We got a sneak peek preview of New Fantasy Land which was totally awesome and I can't wait until all of it is officially open. We then did Tomorrow Land stuff (People Mover, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, and Laugh Floor), we went to Adventure Land and got fast pass to Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, and got a Dole Whip float (!!!). It was way hot and around 5:30 we all decided it was time to head back, go swimming, and get some dinner at the resort.
Highlights of the day were Space Mountain, Big Thunder, and seeing New Fantasy Land.
Tomorrow is Epcot and the International Food and Wine Festival!!!

WDW First Full Day

Today was our "lazy" day. We slept in until 11, went swimming, then lunch at 1:00. After lunch at the Pop Century resort, we took a shuttle bus to Downtown Disney and went to the Disney Christmas store, Goofy's Candy Co (where we got custom hand-dipped rice krispie Mickey heads dipped in chocolate and rolled in Butterfinger bits!!) and the World of Disney store. We found a great spot to take a seat and eat our Mickeys by the Lego store to people watch. We walked all the way to the West Side, basically the entire length of Downtown Disney then headed back to eat dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express (a favorite quick service restaurant). We headed back to our hotel around 6:30 and now I'm writing this blog post poolside while Lesley and Vickie read magazines. Such a fun day and a perfect relaxing start to our vacation. Tomorrow is Magic Kingdom day!!! Stay tuned...

PS: the weather is fantastic!! Still a little on the hot side but the humidity is super low so we can be outside without feeling like we're melting.

Wickedness Never Was Happiness

I have been thinking about that phrase a lot lately. “Wickedness Never Was Happiness”

I have been thinking abou the “pride cycle” illustrated by the Nephites in the Book of Mormon.

I have been thinking about the Children of Israel while being led in the wilderness by Moses.

I have been thinking about several of my friends who have chosen to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or more like chosen to live a different lifestyle than what the Church has taught them.

As children, we are taught consequences to our choices and usually those consequences are immediate. You brake a rule- you get punished. In some ways, I see the scriptures have that same instant reaction (relativley instant). The Children of Israel build a golden calf while Moses is receiving the 10 Commandments but when he sees their wickedness, the tablets are destroyed and the the CoI have to wait to receive the law and end up wandering for 40 years. Laban gets his head cut off by Nephi after threatening the sons of Lehi’s life and refusing to give up the Brass Plates. King Noah is burned by fire after killing Abinadi at the stake. Cities are destoyed because of the people’s wickedness (wicked meaning not following the commandments or the word of God. I really don’t think you can be considered “wicked” unless you know better; wicked can only be used after you have had/experienced the light of God or have been warned by Prophets).

In reality, bad things happen to good people and “wicked” people seem to go on in life without major conseqences. Good vs Evil is so clear cut in comic books or movies, but in the real world, the battle between good vs evil happens in much more of a gray area.  We were talking about this yesterday in Relief Society. The lesson was from the Teachings of the Prophets George Albert Smith manual about being on the Lord’s side. Our world today makes it seem so easy to strattle the line (one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in Babylon). In a child-like way, we still want to see good triumph and the wicked to be miserable (until they repent and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ and experience the fullness of joy the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation brings). My favorite story in the Book of Mormon is the conversion of Alma the Younger. This guy was WICKED!! He was the son of the Prophet Alma and he and the sons of Mosiah, the king, spent thier time destroying the church and persecuting its members. An angel of the Lord was sent to them to warn them of their wickedness. The Lord didn’t mess around with them. He sent an angel to them since they were so wicked even the voice of the Prophet wouldn’t be enough to stop them. Alma experienced the pains of Hell and complete spiritual death and the misery that comes from living in your sins for all eternity. While in his suffering, he remembered what he was taught by his father about our Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered for our sins so that we could be free from them through His sacrifice. He called upon the Savior and asked for forgiveness and instantly he could remember his sins no more; he was free from the chains of misery. Alma never again turned away from the light and happiness he received from applying the Atonement and he spend the rest of his life spreading the Gospel and being firmly planted on the Lord’s side. Not all conversions are as powerful and immediate as Alma the Younger’s but it is such a great experience we can all strive for. I love when good is victorious!

We are taught that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only path to true joy and contains all happiness. I struggle a little bit with this; is it happy in this life? I know there will be all consuming joy in the Celestial Kingdom but this mortality is hard. Is it bad to want to be happy now and in the next life? A girl commented in RS that there are two kinds of happy: instant gratification happy and long term joy-like happiness. Going out and not caring about percieved right and wrong may bring instant happiness but most likely that feeling is fleeting and will only lead you further away from the true source of happiness, Jesus Christ. Being “the good girl” and standing firmly on the Lord’s side may be difficult in a world where you feel you stand alone but will give you deep satisfaction and long term happiness. Another girl commented that happiness is a choice. I think a happy attitude is a choice but I don’t think you can control your feelings (other than push them down and repress them) of happiness; feelings are irrational. We make choices everyday. Most of them are inconsequental and rather mundane but we make them usually estimating a happy outcome. I chose my outfit today because I wanted to be happy with my appearance. I chose what to eat for breakfast based on what would make me full and satisfied (and taste good!). The Lord gave us our agency so we could be happy, so we could make choices that would bring us happiness. It truly breaks my heart to see my friends, or even just people in general, make choices that seem to make them superficially happy but really they are sad and lonely, especially when a few simple changes could get them back on the path to true happiness. Wickedness Never was Happiness.

I feel sad and lonely a lot of time but I would consider myself to be a happy person overall. I have the knowledge that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Reedeemer which means through Him, I can return to my Father in Heaven and be with Him for all eternity. Through God’s Plan of Happiness, I can become like Him and progress for forever.  These things are what make us happy. I would never presume that I know better than God of what will make me happy. I am happy because I have an eternal family which I will not do anything to jeopordize.  My family is what makes me the happiest here on Earth and I cannot imagine being happy in the next life without them. I am terrified about being alone for forever so I will do everything I can, be firmly on the Lord’s side, to make sure I will have my family with me for all eternity.  The Lord has promised to give us all that He has and He keeps His promises. It is up to us to keep our side of the covenenant; it is up to us to stay on the Lord’s side.

“Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who?

Now is the Time to Show

We Ask it Fearlessly,

Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who?”

My take on the first Presidential Debate

Obama: Uh Lie, lie, lie, uhhh lie, uh lie.
Romney: Well actually that's not true Mr. President.
Obama: Oh umm, lie, lie, lie, uuuhhh, um, lie.

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