Seal Beach

Mom and I flew into Long Beach airport on Wednesday March 11th.  We went to the Long Beach Town Center to get groceries at Walmart.  We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A.  We stayed at the Pacific Inn in Seal Beach. We had a view of the pool from our door and a view of the Taco Bell from our balcony. We unpacked.  We gave my niece Neve her birthday presents.  I got her some dresses and a stuffed lamb.  Mom got her some clothes, toys and made her a Frozen themed blanket.  We got her a card, with Minnie Mouse singing Happy Birthday.  She kept handing me the card, wanting to hear the music.  We went to El Torito for dinner.

Thursday, Mom and I went to Bella Terra.  We went into Ulta, Burlington Coat Factory, Old Navy, Barnes and Noble, and Kohl's.  We went and ate clam chowder in a bread bowl at the Boudin SF Bakery for lunch.  We went to Grower's Direct and got some fruit.  We could see the Carnival Imagination docked in Long Beach.  We drove up to Long Beach and got a lobster roll at Pier 76.  We walked around the Shoreline Village and Mom got some gemstones at the Raindance store.  We got ice cream at On the Boardwalk.

Friday, Mom and I went to the shops at Rossmoor.  We went to Kohl's and Target.  Mom bought Neve a cornpopper vacuum and she giggled when we pushed it for her.  We went to Downtown Disney and got beignets and mint juleps at the Jazz Kitchen Express.  I bought some pins and Mom bought some antenna toppers.  We could see the Carnival Inspiration docked in Long Beach. We took Sara and Neve to Bella Terra to find some clothes for Neve.   We went to Carter's first.  Ryan met us at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Mom and I shared a Banana Cream cheesecake for dessert.  We took Neve into Old Navy.  She liked to pick up piles of shirts and throw them on the ground and have me pick them up.  She also went up to this mannequin on a platform and kissed the mannequin's toes.

Saturday. we walked on the Seal Beach pier.  There wasn't any ships in Long Beach we could see.  We walked down main street in Seal Beach.  I bought a necklace at The California Cottage.  There were dogs everywhere.  I played blocks with Neve.  We went to the Santa Ana Zoo, which had birds, monkeys, anteaters, camels, llamas, and ostrich.  We went to their nature show and saw a snake, tarantula, owl, and a hedgehog.  Neve walked around the zoo, pointing to the animals and playing in the dirt.  We tried to go to the Crab Cooker in Newport, but we couldn't find a parking space.  We ended up going to Pitfire Artisan Pizza in Costa Mesa and I had the pepperoni pizza.  We got a cupcake for dessert from Susie Cakes.  We went to the South Coast Plaza to find Neve some shoes.  We went into the Disney Store and I got a lemonade at Corner Bakery.  When I came back to get Mom at foot locker, the doors were locked and I had to wait for an employee to let me in, so I could push Mom out of the store.

Sunday, we packed up our suitcases.  We ate lunch at the Crab Cooker in Tustin and went to Kohl's.  After our nap, we went to dinner at Ryan and Sara's house. Sara made us chicken cordon bleus.   From their house, we could see the Carnival Imagination docked in Long Beach.  We walked to their local playground and watched Neve swing and go down the slide.  We had rice krispy treats for dessert,

On Monday, we went to the Lakewood Center to shop.  I bought a book at Bookoff.  We flew home. Dad picked us up from the airport.  We went to Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

Diary Reading List

Books about diaries or are diaries themselves:

• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
• California Diaries by Ann M. Martin
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
• Girl Online by Zoey Sugg
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 
• The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
• Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
• Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
• The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith 
• The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Z for Zachariah, by Robert C. O'Brien

College Literature

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis
Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
Sweet Valley University by Francine Pascal
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

African American Literature

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Huston
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Push by Sapphire
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Music of 2014

Albums I Bought:

• Alex & Sierra: It's About Us
• Eric Clapton & Friends: The Breeze An Appreciation of JJ Cale
• Lea Michele: Louder
• Into the Woods
• Maroon 5: V
• The Music of Nashville Season 2, Volume 2
• The Music of Nashville Season 3, Volume 1
• Pentatonix: That's Christmas to Me

Albums Most Played:

• Ariana Grande: My Everything
• Iggy Azalea: The New Classic
• Michael Jackson: Thriller
• Miranda Lambert: Platinum
• Carrie Underwood: Blown Away
• Frozen Soundtrack
• Alex and Sierra: It's About Us
• Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
• Maroon 5: V
• The Beach Boys: Endless Summer

Artists Most Played:

• Ariana Grande
• Carrie Underwood
• Michael Jackson
• Maroon 5
• Kelly Clarkson
• Iggy Azalea
• Alan Jackson
• The Beach Boys
• Miranda Lambert
• Barbra Streisand

Songs Most Played:

• Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
• Break Free by Ariana Grande
• Beat It by Michael Jackson
• Fancy by Iggy Azalea feat Charl XCX
• Something Bad by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
• Cupid's Got a Shotgun by Carrie Underwood
• Let it Go by Idina Menzel
• Thriller by Michael Jackson
• Scarecrow by Alex & Sierra
• I've Had (The Time of My Life) by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

Songs of 2014:

• Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
• Break Free by Ariana Grande
• Fancy by Iggy Azalea
• Something Bad by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
• Leaving California by Maroon 5
• Scarecrow by Alex and Sierra
• Stay with Me by Sam Smith
• All about that Bass by Meghan Trainor
• Happy by Pharrell Williams
• Loves Runs Out by OneRepublic

Christmas Lights

Places which have my favorite Christmas light displays or giant trees:

• The Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City:

• City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah:

• Layton Park in Layton, Utah

• Ogden Park in Ogden, Utah:

• Roy Fire Station and Park in Roy, Utah:

• Station Park in Farmington, Utah:

• Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah:

• Trolley Square in Salt Lake City:

• Downtown Disney in Anaheim California:

• Pier in San Francisco:

• Cozumel:

• Santa's Enchanted Forest in Miami, Florida:

• Disneyland in California:

Carnival Breeze

On Friday, we flew to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  We had a layover in Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Weston. We ate dinner at the Shorty's BBQ in Davie.  We went and got groceries at Walmart and we bought the issue of The Knot, my sister-in-law's dress is featured for this winter.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast at Denny's and I tried the pumpkin pancakes.  We drove to Miami and boarded the Carnival Breeze.  We were in port with Carnival Glory, MSC Divina, Norwegian Pearl, and Norwegian Getaway.  We stayed in cabin 7297.  We ate lunch at Southern Comfort.  We went to the muster drill.  We watched the sail away.  We ate dinner in the Blush dining room at a table for 11 people.  I had the tropical fruit, sweet and sour shrimp, and the black forest cake.  We went to the Welcome Aboard/ Motor City show.  We unpacked our suitcases. 

Sunday was our first day at sea. I decorated our cabin for Halloween. We ate breakfast in the Lido Marketplace.  We went to the Fun Ashore/Fun Aboard talk with our cruise director, Wee Jimmy.  We ate lunch at Fat Jimmy's Sea Side BBQ.  We went upstairs to the lido and had peach cobbler for dessert.  It was our first formal night.  We got photos taken in our dress clothes.  We ate dinner at our table.  I had a Greek salad, strawberry bisque, prime rib, and cherries jubilee.  We went to the Divas shows and I got a banana split smoothie.  We came back to our room and we got a free toiletry bag from Carnival.  

On Monday, we docked in Grand Turk.  This was our third time to Grand Turk.  We were in port with The Holland America Westerdam.  Dad went snorkeling and saw a barracuda.  When he came back, we went shopping in the port.  We had lunch at Lido Marketplace.  We watched the bean bag toss.  For dinner, I had a Chicken Quesadilla, Grilled Chicken breast, and a Warm fig, date, and cinnamon cake.  We went to the shops.  Mom and I saw the comedian, Billy D. Washington, while Dad went and saw the Juggler, Edge.  We had a thunderstorm around midnight, which really shook the ship.

On Tuesday, we docked in La Romana, Dominican Republic. This was our second time to Dominican Republic. The last time, we went to Samana.  Mom and I didn't get off the ship, because all there was to do was water activities.  Dad went snorkeling.  We ate pizza for lunch.  We watched the sail away.  For dinner, I had the cheesy potato soup, peach chilled soup, Bow tie pasta with turkey and peas, and the bitter and blanc for dessert.  

On Wednesday, we woke up to seeing a rainbow.  As we were sailing, we sailed past Aruba and a bunch of oil rigs.  We docked in Willemstad, Curacao.  This was our first time to Curacao.  We went on sightseeing tour.  Our first stop was at the Blue Curacao Licquer Factory.  The second stop was at the Seaquarium, where we saw sharks, stingray. starfish, sea cucumbers, and dolphins.  We shopped at the flea market at the port.  For dinner,  I had a Caesar salad, fruit plate, chicken pot pie, and white chocolate bread pudding.  We watched the sail away.  

On Thursday, we docked in Oranjestad, Aruba.  This was our first time to Aruba.  We were in port with Zuiderdam and the Island Princess.  We went on the Best of Aruba Island Tour.  We saw the rock formations, baby bridge, Alto Vista Chapel, California Lighthouse, Windmill, and the Catalina Bay.  We went shopping downtown after our tour.  We ate lunch at Guy Fieri's Burger joint on the ship.  It was our second formal night.  For dinner, I had cherry chilled soup, Chateaubriand, and baked Alaska.  We saw the hypnotist show and I got a raspberry smoothie.  We went to the photo gallery and ordered a canvas of our formal photo.  

Friday was Halloween and our second day at sea. We ate breakfast in the dining room.  I had the french toast with frosted flakes crust, bacon, lemon bread, and a peach smoothie.  We went to the t-shirt sale and I got a shirt that says South Beach.  Dad and I ate lunch in Cucina Del Capitano.  I got penne with chicken in a Bolognese sauce and bread.  We sat next to the Hypnotist and a comedian.  We watched the line dance class to Pitbull's Timber song.  We played Halloween trivia and I got 17 out of 20.  We sailed past Haiti.  For our costumes, I went as the Cheshire Cat, Mom went as a Grandma, and Dad went as Clark Kent.  For dinner, I had the chicken noodle soup, shrimp and fries, and pumpkin cheesecake.  We went and saw the show Latin Nights. 

Saturday was third and final day at sea. We sailed past Cuba.  We went to the Q AND A with Wee Jimmy.  We had tacos for lunch at the Blue Iguana.  Dad and I went and saw Hasbro the Game show, and watched them play Sorry Sliders and Operation Slam Dunk.  We sailed past a lighthouse.  For dinner, I had the mango chilled soup, Chicken Fettuccine, and the Warm Chocolate Melting cake.  We went and saw the comedian, Kelly T. and listened to the band, The Good Lookin's.  We packed our suitcases.

On Sunday, we docked back in Miami and got off the ship.  We saw a guy in handcuffs at Customs.  We were in port with Carnival Conquest.  We back drove to Weston.  We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Weston.  We went to the Sawgrass Mills Mall and had lunch in their food court.  We went and got pizza at Davie's Best Pizza Bar.  We drove past the beach.  There was a lot of people going to the Boat Show.  We went to Walmart.

On Monday, we flew home.  We had a stop in Tampa, but didn't have to get off the plane. We had a layover in Denver.  We drove and picked up the cats from the boarding shelter.