The fourth and final day of my adventure here in California has come and gone in the blink of an eye. They say that time goes by fast when you are having fun! I cannot stress how true that statement is considering a two hour drive seems like an eternity! We only had one primary objective for the day, but it would become an activity that would occupy the majority of our day. We traveled to the one and only Universal Studios Theme Park. It is like a city within itself. They had every shop that you could possibly think of, ranging from souvenirs, clothing, food, and even magnets! Yes, magnets. All of these shops were arranged before a person even gained access to the park! We found a gift shop with all sorts of goodies, but we decided to hit it on the way back so as not to lug all of our loot with us all day. So, we walked on and on toward the theme park entrance. Remember how I mentioned how potent the sun is out here? Well, today proved to be especially true. I was covered pretty well, but within a few minutes, I could feel my skin boiling. I tried to stick to the shade as much as possible. So, when we got to the main gate, I walked upon the red carpet that leads up to it. It was as close to feeling like a star as I will probably ever get. We got in, and we referred to the directory to see what to hit first. My bold, daring, and adventurous sister decided she wanted to hit the rides first. I had promised that I would do the rides as well, even though it would make me sick for the rest of the day. We went on the "Revenge of the Mummy" ride first. My father decided to be a rebel and offered to separate so that we might jump to the front of the line via the "Single Rider" line. The plan worked, and we went from a forty minute wait to a ten minute wait. The Mummy ride was very short, but it contained high speeds, sharp turns, and steep drops. Enough to make my head spin. The second ride was the "Jurrassic Park" ride, and all it consisted of was a boat that dropped you into some water. Naturally, I got soaked, but so did my phone and wallet. Thankfully, they are both ok, but they do not want to go back to the water any time soon. Soaked and miserable, we skulked around like a deranged penguin, waiting for the powerful sun to work its magic. We came across the "Transformers" ride, and it turned out to be the best one of them all. The wait was a bit longer, even in the single rider lane, but it was well worth it. It played out like we were being evacuated from an underground bunker, and the bad guys (a.k.a. the decepticons) were after us. Optimus Prime and his autobots helped us to get out of the city. Basically, we sat in a vehicle, and it tossed and turned us according to the 3-D screen and what was playing across it. For example, if Megatron attacked us, we could feel the vehicle move, we could feel the breeze from the open air, we could feel the heat from the blast, and we could see the shrapnel from the exploding debris. It was thrilling enough to make us go on it a second time! After that ride, we moved on to the upper levels. There, we hit a few more gift shops, ate some lunch, and went on the tour of the actual Studio. We saw some of the sets they used for the biggest blockbusters, such as E.T., Jaws, Bruce Almighty, Captain America, Spider Man, and several other big names. Steven Spielberg has some strong ties to that place, so we saw a lot of what he contributed to the design specs. We saw the Western sets, we saw Amity Park from Jaws, we saw Little Europe, and we saw the Big Apple, all within the confines of one Studio Park. It was amazing. I continued to keep hope that I might see a celebrity walk out of one of the individual studios, but to no avail. Once we were done with the Studio, we traveled to the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles where the streets are covered with Stars with the famous celebrity names. I found Kevin Costern, Tom Cruise, Forrest Whittaker, Matt Damon, and many others. My mother was just after Kevin Costner for obvious reasons. After that, we followed the trail to find Bevery Hills, and we hit that for a while. We did not get out, but we just drove around to see some of the bigger shops and elite housing for the celebrities. It was quite the amazing sight. After that, we decided to make the hour long trek back to base. However, this hour turned into two and a half hours. Needless to say, by the end of that trip, I was hurting pretty bad from motion sickness, a bad headache from the rides, burning from the sun, and mental exhaustioin being the cherry atop my Sunday. Having just got back not too long ago, I have to say I am worn out once again. Who knew vacation could be such an exhausting thing? I certainly did not! (Ha Ha) Anyway, I am going to finish my blog in exchange for sleep. This will be my last blog for my trip. Tomorrow will be little more than traveling home, and that does not need a blog. I thank you all, whoever you are, for keeping up with me and for encouraging me to continue documenting my travels. I have to say it is something that I could get used to. But, for now, I want to keep my feet planted in the flat lands of Nebraskan soil. Farewell!

Entrance for Universal Studios!

The Spinning Globe

Entrance to the actual Park

I found this one to be quite awesome

My favorite of the rides in the lower lot

Beginning the tour of the Studios.

These are where makeup is done, props are stored, etc.

The Mindy Project, a new show that I had no idea about, was going on in there!

Ted 2 advertisement

A street in the Studio Park that has been used in many movies

The Courthouse that can be seen in movies like "Back to the Future" and "Bruce Almighty"

Another street 

Contrary to popular belief, that is not brick, but Styrofoam

A car used in the "Fast" movies

Vin Disel's Car from the "Fast" Movies

The set for "War of the Worlds"

Harry Potter, coming soon in a year. So close.

In Honor of one of the greatest men 

My favorite actor

Saw this randomly, but a pretty good look-a-like all the same.

I will come forth and admit that I intend to make this edition quite short. It is late, and I am super tired! Not only am I tired, but I feel like a pig that has just been turned through a fire. Needless to say, I have forgotten that the sun out here in California tends to be a bit stronger in potency than in Nebraska. We visited the Laguna Beach today, and I laid my eyes upon the Pacific Ocean for the first time. I have been to lakes and sand bars before, but this was the first time that I walked upon the shores of an ocean! It was sad that we chose a less popular beach, but it was still completely crowded. The water was frigid, but I inched my way out into the far-reaching depths of a whopping 6 feet! I did not get a chance to master the art of body surfing, but the push and pull of nature's tender aquatic embrace was enough for me to experience true pleasure. I used some sunblock, but, as I mentioned earlier, the Sun is way more potent out west. After the beach, we drove back to attend our murder mystery dinner. It was a decent four course meal, and my sister won the competition. In reality, my sister and I tag-teamed on the event, but she took the glory, as she has done all my life. Just kidding; love ya Nik! Anyway, we just got back from our family dinner, and I am super tired. The waves of the ocean and the rays from the Sun have left me burned and battered down. I apologize for the shortness of this, but I must retire to rest my body and mind. I will see you all again tomorrow night! Thank you for everything!

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach

At the end of Day Two, I find myself exhausted in a good way. Granted, my back is complaining, my feet are aching, and my legs are screaming from the perpetual battering against pavement, but I regret nothing. Today, we devoted our time to a single task, and that was DisneyLand! As soon as the park opened at 8 a.m., we trekked down to the front gate. Since the park was, relatively, close to our hotel, we decided to walk the distance. Although, we would, later, learn that, though convenient, it would prove a challenge. Anyway, we walked in through the front gate and found a long pathway before us. To our left was a California Fun Park, and to the right was the original DisneyLand park before the additions. Thus, we decided to try our hand at the original. We got through security, and the first thing we saw was the Disney Princess Ariel. Of course, my sister, a Disney fanatic, decided she wanted a picture with the "one and only." FWI: Keep in my mind, my sister is a few years older than me, but the age does not deter her. We got in line to fulfill my sister's dream when it all came crashing down. The people in front of us told us that she would not see anyone beyond them. Meaning, we were the first of many groups to be excluded at that point. With heads drooped in disappointment, we began our journey inward, hopefully, to see better results. We stopped in a few shops along the way, and, as expected, everything was way too expensive for our taste. For example, I came across a mural of a Disney scene in the movie, Tangled, and it ran for over a thousand dollars! There was one person would did purchase a mural, and he asked for it to be shipped all the way to New York! But, I guess, some people are made of money. Anyway, from there, we got into the good stuff! As we navigated through the park, we picked a few rides to experience. We started in TomorrowLand, and we rode the MatterHorn. It was a ride that was not too deadly, but it was exhillarating enough to leave a person's blood pumping. From there, we walked to FantasyLand to see some of the shops as well as meet some of the Disney characters, like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto. Eventually, we landed in Frontierland. There, we rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride as well as the Haunted Mansion ride. The Pirates ride was my favorite because of its complexity. First of all, I believe that the entire ride was a clue to the next Pirates movie. To validate my hypothesis, let me elaborate. First, there was a sign on the outside of the ride that had in quotes, "Dead Men Tell No Tales," which, I have heard, might be the title for the next movie to be released. Then, when we got inside, there were some characters painted on the walls. Among them were Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbosa, Gibbs, and some new characters we have not been introduced to before. Finally, as the ride proceeded, we came across some interesting scenes involving the characters that could, potentially, be put into an upcoming movie, and they have not been used in any previous movie before. To me, the entire ride was a trailer for the upcoming movies. The Haunted Mansion ride was interesting, but the scares were not that severe, and it did not last long enough. There was one intersting individual who was a part of our group. He, genuinely, believed that the house was haunted, and the entire time, he was trying to convince himself that none of it was real. I did not know whether I should feel sympathy or skepticism. After the Mansion, we found Splash Mountain. This was the downfall of the day. We waited in line for two hours for a two minute ride. We were loaded into shoots like cattle waiting to be executed. Thankfully, this end result was not as dire. We went down a few hills to receive a facefull of water. All in all, after that ride, we were not in a rush to try another. Then, we wandered into AdventureLand. There, we climbed Tarzan's Treehouse and explored the Caverns of Indiana Jones. This particular attraction captivated the attention of my entire family. First, we were led down deep into the caverns. Then, we loaded into a land rover-like machine to traverse the rugged terrain. The lights and projections were spot-on, and the land rover was bouncing, spinning, and turning in every direction as we moved deeper and deeper into the cave, following the very adventure of the grand doctor, himself. Once we departed there, we went back to FantasyLand to visit the Royal Hall. My sister was determined to hit this spot before we left, for inside, the Disney Princesses would be making an appearance. Let me say that she made it sound like we would be watching them put on a show of some sort. However, when we got there, it was an entirely different and embarrasing story. The princesses were there to meet infants and take pictures. Yet, here we were, our youngest party member being 14 and not wanting to meet them. My sister, being well into her twenties, was not deterred in the slightest. We got in there and met three of the princesses, Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White. I will admit, despite how embarrassing it was looking to be, I found it to be my second favorite event. Seeing them, even though they were not the genuine article, was like meeting the real deal. It was like meeting a celebrity that you watched in over a dozen movies. It was an odd feeling, but it was fun. Long story short, my sister went up to speak with each of them and get a picture. I am sure they were just as confused as we were about it. Once that was over, we went to watch a saloon show at the Golden Horseshoe. Finally, with the last event over, we made our way for the exit. It was a long day, and we had been there, literally, all day long. The long trek back proved to be a challenge because we walked two miles with aching bodies, sore backs, and blistering headaches. We just got back to the room not too long ago, and we are all ready to crash. Tomorrow, we plan on driving to the coast before our fancy dinner. Lord knows what we will expect, but I expect it will be just as much an adventure as the events of today have been. Once again, I thank you for indulging me with my method of keeping all this information under control. WIthout this, I might implode from information/stimulation overload. Thank you, and I will be back again tomorrow. So long and farewell. 

One of the first constructs we saw at DisneyLand

My brother and Belle

My sister and Cinderella 

Our Legacy from Splash Mountain

The Pirates of the Caribbean Ride

In Light of my recent One Act performance, I had to get this!

From the moment I set foot back on American soil from my oversea adventure, I thought my feet would remain in the dusty flatlands that constitute the Nebraskan terrain. However, here I am on the metaphorical "road" of life. Who could have guessed where I would end up? Certainly not me, as I became aware of this excursion only just a few months ago. Anyway, enough with the small talk and the friendly banter; the Californian coast beckons my name. As I reside amongst the tender embrace of a Hotel Comforter, I write this in the hopes of reviving my little family adventure. Today is Thursday, the thirteenth day of August. Essentially, today could be summed up to one word, exhausting. Do not get me wrong, being in the big city of Los Angeles ignites a certain spark of exhilaration, excitement, and promise. However, the events that transpired today wore me thin to my core. We awoke to the annoying pinging of an alarm clock, and before we could rid ourselves of the cloying stench of sleepiness, we were on the road to the airport in Omaha. Our flight left at 7:40, so naturally, we had to be on the road by 5:00 a.m. The drive to the airport was not what broke the camel's back, so to speak. The airplane took care of that. Recall that the last time I flew was last year. Even then, it was a challenge to me. This time proved to be no different. The stresses of having your luggage checked, people crowding around you, the foreful turbulence buffetting your entire being never cease around the sport of flying. As always, my head spun in every direction imaginable upon landing. A massive headache left me in shambles. Once we took the shuttle to our car rental company, we selected a Sanada, and we were off. But, the Gods of Traffic Safety were not on our side. In fact, they may have found our awkwardness to be all in good sport. We did not get more than a few inches out of the lot before we were confronted with our first potential traffic disaster. Some person that should be labeled in a much more cruel manner pulled out right in front of us, and then he proceeded to back up, all while expecting us to accommodate his actions. ONce we recovered from that initial shock, we began our drive to find our hotel. We had a GPS device, but it did little to ease the tension. At first, it started leading us over a thousand miles off our intended course. Once we realized the mistake, we quickly corrected it to prevent any more freak-outs in the family. Over the next two hours, we navigated across freeways, battling demonic motorcyclists, and withstanding the berratements of multiple citizens and their flying birds. After an entire day's travels, we came upon a most welcoming sight, our hotel. With only a couple miles separating us from Disneyland, we are ready to begin anew in the morn a whole new set of adventures. I must depart for now, but I will return with more stories tomorrow. I thank you for indulging me for this long. I hope that I can continue to provide entertainment in the following days.

Flying above the clouds

The Decor at our Hotel 

The walk from our hotel