I'm 13...

Hello! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. We have started school again and I am now 13 years old! My birthday was Oct. 1st. On Sept. 30th my family woke me up at 7:00 a.m. playing Disney songs and dancing (yes dancing). My mom handed me a Disneyland photo book and on the 1st page it said: "Happy 13th, Emma. You and I are going to... (turn page) DISNEYLAND!!! Sept. 30, Oct 1 and 2, 2010 (there was also a picture of my mom and me there, because the "I" was my mom)." I was so confused and thought that they had got my birthdate wrong. But sure enough, a little over an hour later, my mom and I were in the car headed for California! My older sister, Alex, made the coolest CD for me. She bought a bunch of songs from different Disney movies and put them on one CD with extremely clever names such as "Your Disney adventure is "just around the bend" (guess which song that was). On the way we listened to all of the songs, at least, twice. Thank you Alex for the awesome CD!

Once at the castle like hotel we were staying at, we quickly unloaded the car and went and relaxed by the pool (we weren't going to Disneyland until my actual birthday, the 1st). While relaxing we heard a car alarm go off and thought nothing of it, we were positive it wasn't ours. After a couple hours rest at the pool we headed back to the room to decide where we were going to eat, Downtown Disney or Room Service. Room service and a movie it was. We split a salad, beef sandwich with au jus, and a slice of cheesecake with raspberry sauce drizzled over it (yum). The movie we watched was Ramona and Beezus, which was still in theaters and my mom had never seen (we got to watch the movie IN OUR ROOM!).

The next day we woke up just before 7:00 a.m. and eat in the hotel. We took the Sheraton's Disneyland shuttle and arrived at the park before the security part opened. We waited in that line for less 5 min. until moving on. Buying our Park-Hopper tickets took just a little bit over 5 min. Quickly we hopped in the line for the entrance to Disneyland, which opened at 8:00 a.m. Then my little sister and little brother called my mom's cell and wanted to talk to me. We talked for 5-10 min. then the line started to move because the park was open (I could barely hear Lizzy and Jeff because of all the people spending their waiting time talking).

We headed 1st to the Indiana Jones ride in Adventure-Land, because we were sure that it would have the longest line later on. On our walk there we found.... no one! There was hardly anyone there! The line for Indiana Jones, which was usually over 1/2 and hour long line, was only 10 minutes! The wait was actually longer than that because it broke down for like 10 min before we got on the ride. It was a lot of fun anyway. Next we rushed to Fantasy-Land to ride on Peter Pan's Daring Flight, but the line was out the door! The line was only 20 min. but we were too impatient to wait even that long a line, we wanted to get to Space Mountain so we headed that way. On our way there we spotted Story Book Land and decided to go on a quick ride. while in the 10 min line it started to sprinkle. During the wait mom blabbed (love you mom!!!) to some one on staff that it was my birthday so the lady went over and got me a birthday badge and wrote my name on it. The rain slowly increased and by the time we were on the boat it was raining pretty hard. Even though we got wet, I'm glad that we went on that ride. After that we headed, once again, to Tomorrow-Land. Ahead of us there was bright sunshine and billowing white clouds, behind us there was black, foreboding clouds, rumbling thunder, and pouring rain. Somehow, we were smack dab in the middle.

Anyways, once we go to Space Mountain (whose wait time was 5 min, only for the walk) a big ghost face caught our attention. Yes thats right, Space Mountain had been changed for Halloween, it is now Ghost Galaxy. We went on it any way. In this high speed roller-coaster that rooms the galaxy you usually can only see the stars. Well not this October. As you fly thought the stars a fiery ghost chases you. You see it race beside you then disappear only to reappear in front of you reaching out its hand to capture you in its grasp. I was really freaked out, but of course mom laughed the whole time. Next we decided that we wanted to go on the Haunted Mansion (one of our favorites) but once there we saw a huge crowd surrounding the attraction. They were filming a TV thing for like Autumn decorating I think. So long story short we couldn't go on the Haunted Mansion... yet. So I hung out around the Rivers of America and New Orleans Square while mom tried to get her I-Phone to work so she could take a picture. It was fun? After that, no before that, we got to see none other than Princess Tiana sing and dance all of the songs from The Princess and the Frog. She was amazing! Well once she was finished singing we walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean and rode on that.Next we walked to the Jungle Cruise, but on the way mom saw Tar

zan's Treehouse and she said, "The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse! Lets go in!" So we went up, up, up the tree until we could see the Rivers of America, we stopped there because mom wanted a picture. After that we kept climbing up to the Jaguar who roared (roared?) and freaked us out! It's funny now when I think about it, but then it wasn't (lol).

We finally made it to the Jungle Cruise and waited in line for 10 min (just about the longest line of all) and hopped on the boat. Our tour guide was hilarious, funnier than all of the others because she added some of her own jokes instead of quoting the the script word for word. Around half way though the cruise my good friends, the Harris', called mom's phone and wanted to talk to me, I couldn't hear them so I told them I'd call them back in a little bit. We hopped of the ride, bought and frozen lemonade (to share) and i called them back. They picked up and sang Happy Birthday to me (thank you Harris's). After that mom and I just relaxed and thought about what we would do next. We decided to go over Small World then California Adventure!!!!

I'll stop writing for now and post more about it later. For now here are some pictures:

Pumpkin Mickey!

A birthday call from Lizzy and Jeff.

Waiting to get into Disneyland.

Mom's 1st try for taking a picture of both of us. Not to bad.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Empty Main Street!

Mom's 2nd try. Good job mom!

The Matterhorn which we didn't go on because neither mom or I like the bumpiness.

Mom exclaims, "Lets do something that Alex would do! Make a face like those on the wall!"

An empty Adventure-Land.

10 min. wait for Indiana Jones ride (we were pretty excited).

"Mom... maybe you shouldn't eat that..."

Sunny in front of us...

Stormy behind us.

Mom getting her phone ready for a picture.

Space Mountain/ Ghost Galaxy

10 min. wait!

Mom and me deciding where to go next in New Orleans Square.

Me in the "Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse."

View of the Columbia from the Tarzan Treehouse.

Mom's picture of us on the Jungle Cruise.

Birthday call from the Harris'

THANK YOU MOM AND DAD FOR LETTING ME GO TO DISNEYLAND FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I'll post more later)

California Here We Come!

Hey! Its Emma. Sorry I haven't posted in a long time, sometimes I completely forget that I even have a blog! Well, we're going to CA again! Only this time its going to be a GIRLS ONLY trip. We leave on Wednesday and are staying with our family that lives there: Uncle Steve, Aunt Sheri and Emile Shepherd. But while we're gone its supposed to rain here in AZ!!! :( Why can't the rain wait until after we get back?!

Jeff's birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get him! Perhaps I'll find something in California.

Last week my sisters, the Gregg girls and I went to see Ramona and Beezus. Such a good movie! Its a great family movie about a young girl (Ramona) with a wild imagination, whose family goes through something very hard (I won't tell you because it might spoil the movie) and Ramona does whatever it takes to keep her it together.

Also, on the same day, we had our church's new worship leader's daughters over. We had Tea and played in the pool and a couple other games. My sisters and I had lots of fun and hope the girls did too.

Well that's all for now. I'll try to post again when I get back. Bye!

Croissants

Hi! Today I made Croissants for the 1st time. It was long and hard to do but I'm glad it worked. The time it took to make them was 2 days because the dough had to sit in the fridge overnight! It may have taken a long time but it was definitely worth it. Here are some pictures of them:

Update

Hello! Sorry I haven't been writing. I've been extremely busy. Here's a brief update of whats been going on in my life:

Co-ops been fun. My Literature class finished the book 'Johnny Tremain' and are now reading 'Across Five Aprils.' At the end of 'Johnny Tremain we each wrote an essay on one of the topics we were given and made a project. My project was of my family tree. My mom and I painted a tree then I searched for the pictures of our family starting with my great grandparents and going on through all the brothers and sisters of my grandparents, then my Aunts, Uncles, and Parents, then all of my siblings and cousins. It was so much fun. In writing class we are writing essays instead of creative stories. It is still fun and I am definitely improving in my writing. Art class has now split into two classes. One for the High Schoolers and on for the Junior Highers. This week, for homework, we had to draw a soda can. I drew and colored and coke can. For the High Schoolers they are learning to shade with patterns. Last Monday we had a 'Crazy Hair Day.' It was so much fun.

In piano I am learning Arioso, by J.S. Bach, and Fantasia, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They are both challenging but fun. I love the piano and hope to continue with it.

My family an I went to California two weeks ago. It was for the reception for my cousin Jacob's wedding. After that we went to spend a few days with our friends and tour Biola for Alex, my sister, who is thinking about going there for college.

So thats whats been going on since the new year. Maybe next time I blog I'll put up pictures of what I just talked about. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope to post more often.

Bye!

Emma Tuten

CA

Well, we're here in oceansde CA! We arrived last saturday and have had an amazing time here since. Today was foggy where we are, but when we went to our friend's soccer game it was very sunny and hot, then, when we got back, it was foggy. What I mean to say is that it was foggy and cold by the ocean and clear and hot away from it.

Also our friends, who were staying in the same complex as us, left today. I miss them. We had so much fun with them.

Tomorrow we might go to this really cool aquarium (the name slips my mind) where you can see them feed the sharks.

Well right now I'm watching Amazing Grace the movie so I must go. Bye!