Knott's Berry Farm

Yesterday, I went to one of the coolest amusement parks ever. No, it wasn't Disneyland-- $96 dollars per ticket is a bit much-- but it was still so much fun.

Knott's Berry Farm had nothing to do with berries as far as I could tell: They sold jam and raspberry preserves in the general store but that was about it. What it did have, though, was a bunch of roller coasters and rides.

It's a theme park, which basically means it has a theme (obviously). The theme here was Wild West and, in a different section of the park, Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

What was my favorite ride?

Probably the log ride though I screamed. It goes down really fast at one part, and that scared me, but it was so. much. fun. Besides, it sprayed water and it was so hot yesterday!

The log ride at Knott's Berry Farm. See that practically vertical drop? That's where I screamed.

I was really worried for my camera, because I have a bunch of pictures on it and I would be really sad if it got wet and stopped working. But it was fine.

Also, there was this:

I chose not to ride on it. 

My California vacation is drawing to a close! It's so sad-- because then I have to go back to school pretty soon after :( I like school, but I still don't want to go back.

Dogs and Chipotle (but mostly dogs)

One of the great joys in life is being greeted by a dog when you walk out of your room in the morning.

You're still half-asleep, and the dog, being full of energy, jumps on you and licks your face, its tail wagging furiously as though it wanted nothing more than to say hello to you. And then it gets back down and runs around you and follows you into the kitchen or the living room or wherever you're going...

My grandparents (I'm staying with them in California) have this adorable dog that is a mix of several small, white, and fluffy breeds, and it is just about the most adorable thing in the world. He sleeps most of the time, but in the morning he acts just so excited to see me, and it makes me happy.

This morning, for instance, I walked tiredly into the living room.

"Good morning," I said to my grandmother, who was sitting on the couch wrapped in a wonderfully warm blanket. Then: "Ah!"

I looked down to see what had jumped on me, even though I already knew what it was. There was that fluffy ball of fur, his top paws on my knees, his tongue out in a happy grin. I took a step. He took his paws off my knees and stepped in front of me, walking backwards as I continued to the kitchen.

Oh, the love of a dog.

I'm a dog person, in case you couldn't tell. Not really one for cats, because they don't seem very trustworthy.

Anyway, that was about my day, not much else except church and Chipotle (which is awesome)... of course it's only midday so there's still a lot that can be done.

Blogs and More

So, I'm here in California at last.

It's been really fun so far, though very, very hot. And dry. I'm going to start running out of lip balm eventually (eos is the best lip balm ever, by the way, and they did not pay me to say that. Unflavored ChapStick comes in a close second). I saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 today, and I cried! I know that's a bit pathetic, but ah well.

Did anyone else see that movie? Wasn't it good?

I'm also looking around for other blogs by kids like me. So far I've found a couple: Simply Scribbles and Serendipity. I'm using blogsbykids.net and it is very useful.

Also, I started a new blog for book reviews! My last one was a total failure so I'm redoing it all. Visit me at abookreviewed.blogspot.com. (Please?)

Since it's California of all places, I'm hoping to see someone famous, but as of yet, no luck. I'm sure if I did see someone famous, I would have no idea who they were and would therefore miss a great experience to brag about (I saw so-and-so!), because I really don't pay much attention to that kind of stuff.

Of course I would recognize anyone from the Harry Potter movies or Doctor Who, and seeing one of them (David Tennant! Emma Watson! Christopher Eccleston! Daniel Radcliffe!) would be so cool.

No more for now. I've started reading several more books, all at once, too. I'm going to get them so mixed up.

Excitement & Boredom

Tomorrow is my big California trip and I'll finally get to read the books that I packed in my backpack so that they wouldn't taunt me every time I entered the room. As of now, I still don't have any books, but I'm 10023 words into my book, and I've been typing it a lot. When it's published I'll let y'all know (but you won't have to be alerted by me because it will be an instant bestseller and everyone will know about it anyways) (just kidding) (sigh).

I got this super soft yarn from Hobby Lobby but I don't know what do do with it! :( I've been looking up a bunch of knitting patterns but nothing is exactly right. It is very disappointing.

I am however knitting my mother a washcloth for washing dishes, so at least I have something to do.

My dog is feeling a lot better, in case you were wondering. She went for a walk today and seems a lot happier. She's been eating her food too.

I'm really kind of bored right now. You know how when you are waiting excitedly for something time seems to sssllloooowww down and everything just creeps by as if it were in slow motion? Yeah, that's how I feel.

Oh well.

See you next time!

California, Books, and Miscellaneous Happenings

I'm going to California in four days! And I'm so excited!!!

I get to go on an airplane, which is pretty much one of my favorite things ever. I love airports. My parents, not so much. But I guess it's more stressful for adults to have to go through customs and the like.

I got three books to read on the flight there. On the way back, maybe I'll convince my parents to get me even MORE books.

I got:

• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (one of the BEST titles EVER-- even though it wasn't originally titled as such)
• Murder on the Orient Express also by Agatha Christie (one of her best!)
• Black by Ted Dekker (a Christian author, and the book looks amazing!)

I was going to get a Sherlock Holmes book, but I was already getting two mysteries (well, I don't know if And Then There Were None really counts as a mystery, more of a thriller, but still), so I got a fantasy/ suspense book instead. 

The only problem is that I have to WAIT until TUESDAY so I can read the books and it is slowly killing me! Not really, but ugh! They are right now sitting in my room right where I can see them every single time I walk into the room. 

In other news, I got a Pottermore account (that's for all you Harry Potter fans). It's so great already-- I got sorted into Ravenclaw which, I think, fits my personality well. I would've loved to be in Gryffindor but it is so not gonna happen. I'm waaaayyy too cowardly. (Sigh.)

My dog is sick and keeps throwing up. No fun for anyone. She ate some of that plastic that goes around a chicken and now is torturing everyone with retching noises and the disgusting smell of... you know. 

It's a rainy day. Otherwise we would put her outside in the backyard. I fell kinda sorry for her. 

I got new books! Not to mention that I'm almost 4 full-length chapters into my book; the one I'm writing. I could actually publish it once I'm done, I mean, it's like 10,000 words already. 

Long post, sorry :) There's a lot to say. 

Boredom & Books

Boredom, to me, comes quickly and unannounced, and does not care to leave any time soon.

So I'm writing a book, which keeps me from boredom for at least a little while.

Also, I read books, which tends to keep me from boredom; unless, of course, I finish all the books that are at hand. Then I'm more bored than ever and my family has to put up with me begging to go to the Library. I'm calling it the Library with a capital L because it makes it seem more official and also, cooler. Cool things have capital letters. Like the planet Earth. Or the name Emily. Just sayin'.

Have you ever read a book so good that as soon as you finished it you just had to read it again immediately after?

Or is it just me?

If you have, please put the title in the comment box, and I will be thrilled to read it.

Yeah, if you can't tell, I'm out of books again.

Oh, what my family and friends have to put up with! Sometimes I feel sorry for them. I should probably adopt another hobby instead of reading, because knitting can get boring.

Also, I play with my dog. My puppy is named Nellie and is the most adorable thing ever except I have literally no idea what breed she is. She has some shepherd and some corgi, but still doesn't really look like either. Here is a photo:

She's very peculiar. She enjoys sitting on top of couches and eating ice.

Yup.

Well, that's all for today, folks. See you next time!

So today I checked the "stats" on my blog and was happy to see that I had 82 page views-- and I know for a fact that the aren't all me. So, yay! I may be actually getting somewhere with this! That is, if people actually care to keep on reading.

70 page views from the US and 1 from Germany. Not including myself, of course.

Obviously I'm not going to be a famous blogger or anything, especially as blogging doesn't seem to be as popular anymore. But I don't have to be all alone either.

So, thanks, you guys! Bitte shon!

A short post, but it's Saturday. I've got things to do, places to be!

OK, not really. I have a depressingly not-busy Saturday, but it's all good. I can read or write or hit things with my lacrosse ball (just kidding. Maybe.)

Amusement Parks

So, I went to Lake Winnie the other day.

I'm calling it Lake Winnie because I honestly have no idea how to actually spell it. It's like some really long Native American word that is so unspellable that I am going to stop jabbering and get to the point.

And the point is...?

This is a bit of a diary entry, and I know what you're thinking (Ohnoanotherteenwritingabouther lifewhydoesshethinkIcare). I'll give you a second to decipher what I just typed. But really, I think the idea of an online journal is a good one. Because I'm certain that my life is so terribly interesting that everyone wants to know about it.

Ah! The point! I forgot about that.

So, Lake Winnie is an amusement park that's really a lot of fun. When we went (we being my family: Mom, Dad, and my two little sisters) there weren't a lot of people there, so we could just go on rides without wwwwaaaaiiittttiiiinnnnggg for hours... and hours... and then you wonder why on earth you thought this was a good idea... but you need to keep waiting because you got this far, you can't back down now...

Jeez, I ramble a lot.

I went on the Tilt-A-Whirl twice in a row, which was a bad decision on my part because my stomach felt pretty woozy afterwards. But it was so much fun! There was this roller coaster called Wild Lightnin' that was really jerky: you know, with sudden turns and drops and things. I went on that twice too-- it was much scarier the second time, for some reason.

Also, the Ferris Wheel. My youngest sister, who is eight-- we call her Lissie and you can, too-- has been asking to go on one of these large circles since the day she was born. Okay, not really. Maybe the day after she was born. The point is, she was thrilled to finally go on one, and it did not disappoint. Me, I find it kind of boring. But peaceful too-- at least, if you're not afraid of heights. My ten-year-old sister is, and she did not enjoy it.

This has been a long post. I hope I didn't bore y'all to death. :)