Can We Talk?, Parenting

Are People Being Too Sensitive About This Ad?

Karen

So this ad from Land’s End apparently has some mothers up-in-arms:

They say it’s too suggestive and provocative – the way the girls are standing, the way the boys are looking at each other as if to say, “hubba hubba.”

And I’m having a hard time … seeing it. Maybe I’m missing something, but other than the lollipop (which could be construed as suggestive given how the girl has it in her mouth, which, okay, I can buy that, I guess), what’s the big deal?

I have a bigger problem with the girls’ clothing more than the way they are standing. Do girls that age really need to wear clothing that short? (Don’t even get me started on shortie-shorts and mini-skirts that hardly cover the pubic bone). And given the way the girls are standing, doesn’t that length just make it look even more inappropriate?

But as far as the poses, I really don’t have a problem with it. It just looks to me like the girls are being sassy (actually, the girls look like they are giving each other fake “I’m being nice, only I’m not” smiles) and the boys look mischievous – like they’re plotting, telepathically, to take away their backpacks or something.

In other words, the boys are getting ready to torment the girls because they think they’re cute and that’s how boys show girls they like them at that age and the girls are trying to pretend they don’t notice the boys but are very aware of their presence, hence the flirty, cutesy poses.

Normal girl-boy interaction, in my opinion.

I just don’t see anything that outrageous about this picture that warrants contacting Land’s End and making a huge fuss about it.

Though after this mother (and perhaps others, I don’t know), complained, Land’s End did take the lollipop away and post this picture instead:

(That wasn’t good enough, I guess, because they’re still complaining).

Maybe I would think differently if I hadn’t just read about the sexualization of THIS 10-year old girl.

Now THAT, my friends, is clearly wrong. Making our children look like grown-ups and posing in revealing clothing and in provocative poses all to sell a magazine is CLEARLY wrong. When you compare the pictures from this article with the picture above, well, there’s really no comparison.

(Or maybe I’ve gotten so desensitized that I don’t even see it anymore. Lord, I hope not).

But I understand being sensitive to this issue because I completely agree, that as a whole, the fashion industry has been steadily working toward making it seem like it’s normal for kids to act more like adults, and to wear more revealing clothes at a younger age which is CLEARLY NOT ACCEPTABLE, on any level. And I agree, we need to stamp out this “trend” immediately. Our kids grow up way too fast today as it is, we certainly don’t need companies helping to speed up the process. (And that’s not even touching on how that affects our children when it comes to body issues, etc).

Then again, parents need to stop buying too-short-revealing-inappropriate clothing for their tweens, too. If no one buys the product, then they naturally go away. That’s how it works in business – no profits, no products.

Of course, it’s easy for me to say that because I don’t have girls and I have never had to deal with the whole trying to buy appropriate clothing for girls issue – maybe finding appropriate clothing for girls is harder than I think it is?

But that’s just my two cents, for what it’s worth.

What do you think?

Are people being too sensitive about this ad? Am I missing something?

Abundant Life

Teaching: Confessions of a Homeboy

Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

The other day I was talking with a good friend when he said, “I have to confess, I guess I’m a homeboy.” I was a little confused, not really knowing what he meant. I knew that “Homeboy” is a slang term sometimes used by the younger generation when they refer to their good friends. The problem was that I am in my mid-fifties and so is my friend, and I am not really used to hearing one of my friends use that term. Then it hit me—he was referring to his affection and fondness for our local home church, meaning that he really prefers the intimate home setting instead of the traditional church.

His comment sunk in deeply and caused me to reflect on my fifty-plus years of Christian experience. I was raised in a large denominational setting with an emphasis on ceremony and tradition, and I admit that I still have a fondness for stained-glass windows, incense, and Gregorian chanting. I left that system more than three decades ago and have since experienced a wide range of meeting, preaching, and praise and worship styles, which I love. Given my exposure to such great diversity, I must confess that, like my friend, I am a homeboy at heart. So what exactly is it that I find so attractive about a home fellowship?

A few years ago we decided to start Sunday morning church services at our Camp Vision. Like most traditional churches, we have incorporated congregational praise, worship, prayer, a teaching/preaching from the Scriptures, plus other customary practices. Our attendance does not vary much, but does include occasional visitors. For a while I have felt that something is missing, and have been searching my heart to see if there is something I should be doing differently, but I couldn’t put my finger on what I was feeling.

One evening I called to check on someone who had stopped coming to church about a month earlier. He confided that he was feeling isolated and alone, and that church was not working for him. He said he “needed to feel a greater connection to others.” I knew instantly that he was expressing the exact same thing I was longing for.

I know there is a time and a place for large congregational meetings. Large meetings can serve a godly purpose, but there is also a need for smaller gatherings. The answer was not to shrink our Sunday church services into a home, but to add some weekly home meetings. We knew we needed to provide lots of time and space for heart connection, so we decided to start each night with a community meal, a “communion” if you will. Lori and I launched our Wednesday night home church with Jesus’ promise that “…where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20).

Knowing that the Lord Jesus has given spiritual gifts to each person who has made him Lord, we decided to focus on the uniqueness of everyone in the fellowship by emphasizing our individual gifts. In fact, we tell everyone to come prepared to participate with a gift, which can be a psalm, a sharing, a blessing, a prayer, or an act of service. It is great to see how the Lord works through each person in his or her own special way. He is the center of our meeting, and the Word of God is always our rule for faith and practice.

Last week one person opened by sharing how he/she was hurting about the recent death of a young person he/she knew. Another spoke up and admitted that he/she too knew the deceased but had never seized the opportunity to lead him to Christ. That led to our praying for comfort followed by a discussion on the Hope. Someone else shared about receiving the financial answer to a long season of prayer. Lori and I shared that we have recently had some family setbacks that require us to provide additional help with three of our grandchildren (ages 2, 3, and 4). Another said she had been praying for part-time work, and it turned out that she was an answer to our prayer for help with the grandkids. I have always said the Lord specializes in making one move that answers multiple calls, somewhat like tossing up one stone and hitting ten birds. I reminded everyone of Nehemiah’s words, “…Don’t be afraid…Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome…”(Neh. 4:14). Then, knowing some of the deep needs of everyone, we had reason to unite in prayer, praise and worship, song and encouragement.

Our home church is an ongoing experiment of living out the love of Christ. We do not follow a set program, or have a teaching, but something is always taught. We focus on whatever we perceive the need to be, and allow everyone time to present the gift of themselves. It may be an evening of prayer, song, or healing, but our home church is always a time of togetherness and heart connection. I believe I have found what my heart was missing. Like my friend, I too must confess, I really am a “homeboy.”

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

(Comments have been turned off. The information is here to inform and bless you. God granted you the gift of free will – take it or leave it).

More from Write From Karen

Saturday Stuff

Can You Hear Me Now?

Karen

Her mother made an ugly face and pushed her out the door. She stumbled and barely caught herself from falling. She threw her doll at the glass door and yelled; the sound from her throat unrecognizable. She began to furiously sign, her fingers flying, her expression pleading … “You are my sunshine” …
.

.

.

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Write up to 50 words, fact or fiction….

This is a themed writing meme hosted by Jenny Matlock. The goal is to write something that does not exceed 50 words (not including said prompt). The prompt is in italics above.

Cruise 11, Vacations

Travel Notes

Karen

Before I write about our cruise (and no, I haven’t even started writing about it yet because I’ve been freaking BUSY these past few days. But I’m not complaining, I’ve also been having FUN), there are a few things I’d like to document about our trip that really have nothing to do with our actual trip.

Confused? That makes two of us.

Kevin was surfing around on the ‘net yesterday and happened to spot an article on Yahoo about airline ticket tax refunds. He followed the article over to Kiplinger and here is the gist of it:

Want an Airline Tax Refund? Be Patient
The IRS still is developing guidelines for passengers who paid expired ticket taxes.

Airline passengers who bought tickets on or before July 22 for travel on or after July 23 are probably due a refund of the federal taxes they paid on their tickets. The problem will be actually getting the refund.

Congress adjourned July 22 without passing legislation authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration’s operating authority, leaving the administration without the ability to collect air transportation excise taxes. So ticket taxes don’t apply to air travel starting July 23.

Yeah. Guess what, that would include US. We bought our airline tickets way back in January and we arrived back home July 28th. We should get a tax refund on our return flight.

SWEET!

The problem is, as the article stated, actually getting it. Kevin figured it up and it should be around $75 bucks.

Hey man, $75 bucks is $75 bucks, am I right?

We flew through Air Trans (which we just found out was bought out by Southwest) and Kevin wasn’t able to get ahold of a live person. But, the article states that the IRS has yet to put guidelines into place on how to get that money back to people and Kevin is figuring it will likely be something to file on our tax returns. So, though we may have some money coming back to us, typical government fashion, it won’t happen for a while.

Still – $75 bucks man.

But here’s the thing – can you believe our stupid government? I mean, they make more work for themselves by dragging their heels on making any sort of decision on anything. If they had just done their freaking jobs to begin with, they wouldn’t have to deal with the headache of sorting out the qualified customers and giving their tax money back.

What idiots.

One day, when we were looking over the “Fun Times” newsletter on the boat (it’s a daily newsletter that Carnival puts out to let everyone know what’s going on throughout the day on the boat), he saw a meet-up time scheduled for the LGBT’s on board.

He didn’t know what LGBT stood for, so when I told him (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender), he was not very happy.

For the record, we don’t agree with the gay lifestyle. We’re Christians. God does not condone gays. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

This is what we believe. Disagree if you must. But here’s the thing – I really don’t care if someone *chooses to live that sort of lifestyle.

No really.

I. Don’t. Care.

It’s really none of my business how a person lives his/her life. I figure the LGBT community will be judged at some point and that at some point they will have to look God in the eye and explain their behavior. I have enough to worry about without personally taking on one group of people’s problems.

I say, “good luck with that.” *SALUTE*

So when I see notices about LGBT meetings, I honestly don’t care. Whatever, man. Knock yourself out. But Kevin, he does care. And he was disappointed in Carnival for allowing meetings like that happening on a cruise line that caters to families.

In fact, he was so upset, he intended to complain to Carnival about it. And would have, if he had remembered when he filled out the survey they sent us. His biggest argument is though, reverse discrimination.

“Why does the LGBT community have to have a special meeting set aside just for them? Where are the ‘heterosexual’ meetings? Why aren’t they getting special treatment?”

I explained to him that though I agreed with him in principal, I could see WHY they would need a special meeting because you can’t really tell, by looking at a person, whether that person is homosexual or not. Homosexuals don’t walk around with a big label tattooed to their foreheads anymore than heterosexuals. So they need meetings like these in order to single each other out, to find like-minded people.

I understand that, I get that. I don’t agree with that, but like I said, who cares if I agree or not.

But he’s right. If we’re going to be tolerant of one group and set up special meetings for select groups, then to be fair to everyone, we should set up meetings for ALL groups of people. He would have had less of a problem with the LGBT meeting if they had also had meetings set up for heterosexuals, car lovers, ice cream lovers, dog lovers, cat lovers, etc. Why should they stop at just one group? Why not set some time aside for all groups?

It’s reverse discrimination.

I’m bringing this all up because this is what we discussed after our cruise was over. And coincidentally, it was also mentioned in the news.

Heterosexual Pride Day Measure Passes in São Paulo

The city council of São Paulo, South America’s biggest city, has adopted legislation calling for a Heterosexual Pride Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday of each December.

São Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab must sign the legislation for it to become law and has said only that he is studying it. His office declined Wednesday to say whether he supports the proposal.

The legislation’s author, Carlos Apolinario, said the idea for a Heterosexual Pride Day is “not anti-gay but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys.”

As an example, he mentioned how São Paulo’s huge gay pride day parade is held every year on Paulista Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares in this city of 20 million people, while the March for Jesus organized by evangelical groups is not allowed on the same avenue.

That’s Kevin’s point. Instead of singling out ONE group of people, let’s be fair to ALL groups of people and allow those groups to have their own parades, or whatnots. After all, it’s all about equality FOR ALL, right?

*Yes. I believe homosexuality is inherently a choice – though I also believe it’s possible that people can be born with homosexual tendencies – tendencies he/she will have to fight off a little harder later in life than say someone who doesn’t have those tendencies.

Wow. If this wasn’t a potentially loaded post, I don’t what is. But these are my thoughts, and this is my journal, and contrary to what some people think (or wish), I don’t think about rainbows and unicorns ALL the time – just MOST of the time. *snort*

Parenting

I Over Parented My Child

Karen

So, I read this article the other day and I’ve been sort of obsessing about it ever since.

How to Land Your Kid in Therapy: Why the obsession with our kids’ happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adulthoods. A therapist and mother reports.

I know. Loaded title, right?

In essence, it talks about this therapist’s experience with a number of patients that she can’t quite figure out. After all, the point of her profession was to “’re-parent’” our patients, to provide a ‘corrective emotional experience’ in which they would unconsciously transfer their early feelings of injury onto us, so we could offer a different response, a more attuned and empathic one than they got in childhood.”

In other words, walk messed up clients through a crappy childhood and introduce them to normal.

Bad parents generally equals screwed up children.

I get that.

But what was interesting to this therapist about this latest batch of patients was that, they didn’t appear to have a problem with their parents.

These 20/30 somethings “suffered from depression and anxiety, had difficulty choosing or committing to a satisfying career path, struggled with relationships, and just generally felt a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose—yet they had little to quibble with about Mom or Dad.”

So what was the problem? Why weren’t they happy?

So this thearpist thought, “Was it possible these parents had done too much?”

Here I was, seeing the flesh-and-blood results of the kind of parenting that my peers and I were trying to practice with our own kids, precisely so that they wouldn’t end up on a therapist’s couch one day. We were running ourselves ragged in a herculean effort to do right by our kids—yet what seemed like grown-up versions of them were sitting in our offices, saying they felt empty, confused, and anxious. Back in graduate school, the clinical focus had always been on how the lack of parental attunement affects the child. It never occurred to any of us to ask, what if the parents are too attuned? What happens to those kids?

I often wonder if that is my problem. Did I do too much for Dude? (I’m not that worried about Jazz mainly because his personality is so much different than Dude’s). I was a good mom, not a great mom, but a pretty good mom. I think.

I hope.

But did I DO too much for the boy? Now that we’re at a point in his life where he must step away from mommy and do something on his own, he’s scared to death. I can see it in his body language and I can hear it in his voice whenever we discuss his future.

I’ve done SO much for the kid that now that it’s time for him to do something on his own, he simply doesn’t know how.

I did TOO MUCH. I was one of those parents who was simply there TOO MUCH.

I know this, and I take full responsibility for this. I’ve even apologized to Dude for this. I just wanted to make things easy for him, and I did make things easy for him, TOO MUCH. The boy really has never endured a hardship his entire life and by wanting everything for him, I robbed him of the one thing he really needs to be successful in life: initiative.

I’m afraid Dude feels “empty, confused and anxious” because I’ve not allowed him to fight for things growing up and now that I’m no longer willing to hold his hand through this next transition, he’s feeling lost and scared.

I’m feeling all sorts of guilty here. My mom warned me that I was doing too much for him years ago, and though I heard her, and I agreed with her, I couldn’t seem to help myself. Now, I’m afraid we’re both paying the price of my hovering.

It’s time for Dude to grow up and get a job. But I find that I can not allow myself to get involved in this process. I don’t want him to look back on this time period and accuse me of choosing his career for him. He needs to make these decisions on his own. And because I’ve always made Dude’s decisions for him, he’s floundering. Because of me.

I’ve talked to Kevin about this and I’ve done the unthinkable – I’ve handed the reins of control over to him. Whenever I’m frustrated with a situation, I tend to get angry. My voice raises because I’m annoyed and whenever I’m like that, Dude shuts down. He withdrawals into a safe little corner and waits out the storm. So I know, me trying to help him get a job and move on with his life is just not the best thing for him.

He needs his father. He needs a man to help him step out into the big, bad world and be a man. He needs a man to teach him the importance of doing something with his life, of pursuing a career and making enough money to possibly one day support a wife and children.

I sort of feel like my job is done. I sustained him the first 18 years, I saw him through high school, now it’s time for Kevin to step in and steer him onto a different course. I mean, I’ll always be his mama. I’ll always be here for him if he needs me. But right now, I think he needs his father’s guidance more than mine.

And you know what? I’m okay with that. I’m READY to let go of him. I’m READY for him to get a job, save up some money and move out on his own. I’m even looking forward to the day he moves and I can help him set up his own apartment. (See? There I go again, trying to make things easy for him. I guess I’ll help him if he WANTS my help).

Kevin made Dude list ten places he might possibly like to work. (He actually listed 12, and no, I didn’t look at the list. Kevin has asked me to step back and let him handle this. Though it’s hard to let go, I’m also relieved. It’s nice having someone else make the decisions). He then asked Dude to list five things he might want to be when he grew up.

Then he asked him to rate the jobs he listed – which would he really like to have, and which did he not really care that much about. He suggested that he apply at those jobs that he wasn’t that interested in first, just to give him practice applying places. (Smart!)

Then, they talked about his long-term goals. So he wanted to do something with computers. How could he go about achieving that goal? They talked about possibly taking a computer networking class at a vocational college in the spring. (Smart!)

Kevin is a man of action – I tend to just loudly lecture about things. Kevin gets things done. And that’s what Dude needs right now – he needs a plan of action. He needs to act.

He filled out an application last night. And after discussing possible references, he settled on two people for his references and then went about contacting them for information (and permission) to list them on his application. Kevin is giving Dude a chance to drive up to the place himself and turn in his application. If he stalls, then Kevin is prepared to drive him there himself and wait in the car while Dude walks in and turns the application in.

It’s frustrating to me that Dude requires a push IN EVERYTHING the boy does. But again, it’s partly my fault. I sort of TRAINED him to be that way. Now, we need to work on BREAKING that life-long habit. I’m sure it won’t be easy.

I pray that Dude doesn’t grow up feeling “empty, confused and anxious” because of me.

The good news, at least according to Donald Winnicott, the influential English pediatrician and child psychiatrist, was that you didn’t have to be a perfect mother to raise a well-adjusted kid. You just had to be, to use the term Winnicott coined, a “good-enough mother.”

I tried to do my best for the boy – and my best may have been too much.

P.S. I found some other articles about over parenting:

Overparenting: When good intentions go too far, kids can suffer
The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
The End of Over-Parenting?

Hollywood Studios, Vacations, Walt Disney World

Visiting Hollywood Studios (at Disney World)

Karen

Ready to visit Hollywood Studios?

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The line for Hollywood Studios wasn’t too bad, and there wasn’t a Brazilian girl in sight. (They must have left because we didn’t see very many of them after that first day). Most everyone else was lining up to go to one of the two Disney World water parks.

We’re not big water park people, but it sure sounded good when we were down there. (Actually, it was hot in Florida, but it was even hotter back home in Missouri. In fact, it was about ten degrees hotter in Missouri than it was in Florida OR the Bahamas – but there was more humidity which somehow makes it worse, I think).

As usual, our bus was the last to arrive and we killed some time talking to the young kid who worked for Disney and was marking down the number of busses arriving. He was actually going to military school, but was working at Disney for the summer to get some kind of marketing credit and to of course, make a little spending money. It was really interesting to listen to him talk about his future plans and I was glad Dude was there to hear him. The kid wasn’t much older than Dude, yet he really seemed to have his life in order.

*hint-hint Dude*

The ride over to the park was quiet and uneventful – thank goodness. And the day looked bright and clear. Nonetheless, we went ahead and bought two umbrellas, just in case, because the boys got so wet walking around Epcot the previous day that we thought we’d plan ahead and be prepared this go around.

It didn’t rain a drop the whole time we were there, of course. (Though we left a little early and the clouds were rolling in, so … never mind, I can’t really justify why we bought the umbrellas other than to say HEY! Souvenirs! ha!)

So we get to the park and the first thing we see is the Tower of Terror. Well, not the FIRST thing, the FIRST thing we see is the giant Mickey magic hat in the center of the park, but we didn’t get a picture of that, so, Tower of Terror is where we’ll start. (Actually, we took advantage of Disney’s PhotoPass program and we have a picture of all four of us standing in front of Mickey’s magic hat, only I haven’t worked up the courage to actually buy it yet because as with all things Disney, it’s expensive. Like $15 bucks FOR ONE PICTURE expensive. Oh sure, we’ll end up buying it, but still, stalling a few weeks seems a little rebellious to me and I’m all about the rebellion, don’t ya know).

There was no way, on God’s green earth (actually, it’s not actually that green right now, but rather a lovely shade of dead) that I was going to ride the Tower of Terror.

Yes. Because I’m a big ‘fraidy cat. And I really had no desire to puke my guts up because I assure you, that’s what would have happened. Kevin actually visited Hollywood Studios with a bunch of his work buddies some years back and he rode the Tower of Terror. He said that he nearly lost it so I KNOW I would because Kevin has a stomach of steel.

Still. Kevin tried to talk me into it and I’m sorry to say, I flatly refused.

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However, to try and make it up to him, we did end up walking to Aerosmith’s Rock ‘N’ Roller coaster and getting a FastPass right away. (Hey, we may be slow but we DO learn eventually). I’m not the biggest roller coaster fan, I can take them or leave them, but I knew Kevin wanted to ride it so … what’s a spouse to do? 🙂 Our scheduled time was between 1:00 and 2:00, so we had plenty of time to explore the park.

You know, looking at a map of Hollywood Studios I just now realized:

1. Our hotel was practically across the street from the park and

2. I think we missed a lot of stuff.

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I think we were all tired from the previous day and we didn’t take the time to fully explore the park like we did Epcot. Plus, it all seemed so … childish, I think. We would pass something and I would ask if the guys wanted to go in and they were all like, “Meh.” So, we didn’t.

Like CRAP! We completely missed Fantasmic! I mean, we didn’t even walk down that way at all. Bummer! It looks pretty cool, too. Oh wait, it was only on select nights, so chances are we wouldn’t have seen the show anyway.

I wanted to see Beauty and the Beast, but the guys looked horrified when I even suggested it, so no, we didn’t see Beauty and the Beast. *sad face*

Looking at the map, I see we missed an entire other section, too. The part with Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, and the Magic of Disney Animation.

Crap again!

Oh well. We did go see Muppet Vision 3D, which was cute, but got on our nerves about five minutes into it. I like the Muppets, but they’re a little like Jim Carey to me, they are just too much, all at once and they’re exhausting to watch for any length of time because it’s non-stop … something.

But the show was cute and it gave us a chance to cool off.

We went through The Great Movie Ride and that was … okay. It was really cheesy and super loud, but whatever.

We went through The Studio Back Lot tour and I think the boys really enjoyed that one.

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They did a special effects demonstration when we first arrived and we all really enjoyed watching them blow stuff up.

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The canyon disaster was really fun, too.

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There really wasn’t much else to the tour, I’m not sure what we were expecting, but it was more than what we got. However, it was fun and interesting and that’s all we could ask for, I suppose.

We ate lunch at the ABC Commissary – again, we ended up buying two plates and all of us shared it. (I mentioned the food was insanely expensive, right? Just checking).

By this time, Kevin was feeling the effects of not eating very much and he was starting to get snappy. (He will deny it, but I’ve known the man for 24 years and trust me when I say, he was snappy and on edge). This is the biggest reason vacations stress me out – the food situation. We should have just broke down and bought another $9.00 plate of something, but Kevin wouldn’t hear of it. Needless to say, by the time lunch was over, I was about over Disney World entirely. I know it’s kind of stupid to base so much of my opinion on their food prices, but good grief, people, I just really felt like we were being ripped off, big time.

After lunch, we checked out the Extreme Stunt Show. I knew Kevin really wanted to watch it, but they only ran two shows and we had missed the first one. The second one was at 4:30 and we all agreed that we would leave the park after the show was over.

We were tired, the park was smaller than Epcot, therefore more condensed and claustrophobic feeling and we were all just exhausted, quite frankly. We had had enough of all things Disney, I’m afraid.

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We cashed in our FastPasses (well, we cashed in one, the other one we had had been stamped “invalid” for some reason, but the guy was kind enough to let us both go in anyway), and rode the Rock ‘N’ Roller coaster.

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I had no idea it was an inside roller coaster and completely in the dark. One of the reasons I can even ride a roller coaster in the first place is because I can see where I’m going so I can anticipate which direction we’re going to turn or go upside down. Since it was pitch black, I had no idea what was happening. Taking off was pretty spectacular – going from zero to 60 in a few seconds was pretty thrilling. Kevin said he knew, though, the moment I started feeling sick because I suddenly stopped screaming.

I was afraid if I opened my mouth something other than a scream would come out. HA!

It was fun though and I’m glad we got to ride it. The boys didn’t ride, of course, (wimps), and waited for us outside. Kevin wanted to ride it again, but I just didn’t think I could stomach another round. I wish I didn’t get so sick like that, but … I do so … there you go.

After getting off that ride, we headed to the Indiana Jones show.

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We REALLY enjoyed that show. It started out with the ball rolling after Indiana Jones scene before the “director” yelled CUT. The entire stage then parted to make way for another scene from the movie, the city scene where the bad guys do all sorts of kung-fu moves and Harrison Ford pulls out his gun and simply shoots the guy.

HAHA! I love that scene.

After the “director” yells CUT for that scene, that too rolls away to reveal a desert scene complete with an airplane.

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This would be the scene where Indiana Jones fights that big huge dude and knocks him into the airplane propeller before everything explodes.

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The heat off the fires were so intense we could feel them in the stands – it was that hot.

That show was a lot fun. By the time we got out of that show, it was time to go watch the Extreme Stunt Show.

The car stunts were truly impressive. After they ran a few chase scenes, the “director” would then explain a few tricks of the trade.

For example, there was one scene where our hero, being chased by several black, bad-guy, cars, drove backward the entire time. We were very impressed, until we saw that the stunt driver was in a car MADE to look like it was driving backwards – the windshield was actually the back window. Still though, it was impressive to watch them narrowly miss each other.

They did a few scenes with motorcycles, too. And jet skies. It was a great show.

After that was over, they then did a cute little skit with Lightening McQueen from the movie “Cars”.

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He too had to chase the bad guy, identified by the big bomb strapped to its roof. HA!

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It was a great show and we were really glad we stuck around to watch it.

But after it was over, we were done. All we wanted to do was head back to the hotel, have A LITTLE *ahem* bite to eat and turn in early.

I’m embarrassed to say, we never took advantage of the pools. We had gone back to the hotel with the intention of going swimming, but by the time we finished eating, none of us had the energy to attempt it. (In fact, we all took swim suits but none of us ever put them on. I know, we’re so boring).

But we needed our energy, because the FIRST part of our vacation was over – we still had the SECOND part to look forward to: the cruise.