I am finally home.

Yesterday we came home from Orlando. The flights went really smooth. When we got home, we were excited to see snow on the ground. It was beautiful. When we got our car we were surprised as to how slow traffic was going. A 70 minute drive turned into a 5.5 hour drive. It took forever! Brian was driving though and did a great job. I finally got home around midnight. I talked with my parents until about 1 and then I woke up at 6. I'm wide awake too. I think I'm going to crash tonight.

I just posted a bunch of random pictures from the trip. Some of these photo's might be from Ardith. I tried to only use mine though.

Oh! funny story before I get off the computer.

Erica Miranda and I were in the Magic Kingdom. The parade just went by and people start flowing into the street again. We jump in behind the parade though and start waving at everyone just like the characters were. We then started going towards a ride we wanted to go on but were stopped by the parade once more. Prince Charming and Cinderella were going by. Cinderella was blowing kisses and I caught them. Erica looked at me and pushed me. She then started blowing kisses at Prince Charming. I grabbed her and hugged her as she was pushing me away and still trying to blow kisses at Prince Charming. Prince Charming and Cinderella were busting up laughing. Needless to say, Erica and I needed to have a talk that night. I promised her that she'd be the only Princess I ever catch kisses from and she promised that I'd be the only Prince Charming to receive her kisses. It was a win/win.

Disney World Day 3 - 5 ???

Hey family,

I'm not sure how many days I've been on vacation. I've been having alot of fun.

I'm sorry for not being able to blog. We were first staying at Vero Beach and they had wifi internet. I was able to update, however, I've been at Disney World for the last couple of days and they only have internet via an ethernet cable. There is only one plug and it's in the master bedroom where the baby sleeps. So...I haven't been able to blog. I don't have much time right now either so I'll give a quick overview and I'll post pictures once I get home.

The resort here is amazing. We have a great view and access to a monorail that will take us to The Magic Kingdom and also to Epcot. We have bus access to Disney Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom. I haven't been to the animal kingdom yet. I'm going there tomorrow.

At the magic kingdom I went on a bunch of fun rides. There are more that I still want to do though. So far splash mountain is my favorite from that park.

Epcot is really cool. They have a pavilion where different countries were reconstructed and you get to experience some of their culture and see their architecture, etc. The food there is amazing. They have France, Italy, Mexico, China, Germany, Norway, Canada, America, and a bunch of others It's really cool. They also have fun rides. Soarin and Test Track were my favorites. Soarin is a giant simulator that makes you feel like you're flying over California. You fly over the san franscisco bridge and LA. You go through a forest and smell the pine, You fly through an orange orchard and smell the oranges. It's great. Test Track is as if you're a test crash dummy. They put you in a car and do tests such as brake tests, turning ability, and acceleration. Oh yeah, At Epcot I saw the best firework show I've ever seen in my life. They did it over a lake in the middle of all the countries with a giant globe that showed pictures and there was music.

The day we went to Epcot was also Christmas day. Christmas was nice. Erica's family mailed a little christmas tree and set it up once we got here. It was really pretty. We all brought gifts for each other and we exchanged them. It was a lot of fun and a lot of good memories were built.

Today we went to Disney HollyWood Studios. It's one of my favorites so far. They have the Osbourne Lights which is pretty much a city that has 5 million Christmas lights in it and they play to songs. I've never seen anything like it before. I've been nervous all week to go on The Tower of Terror because the dropping sensation kills me. I'm fine with speed but dropping really makes me nervous. I went on it twice today and I loved it. The second time we asked to be placed in the front row and it made it a lot scarier. The pictures they take mid-ride were hilarious. They also have a ride called rock and roller coaster. It's a roller coaster completely in the dark. It doesn't have an up hill then big downhill, but instead they have a count down and then it shoots you off at full speed. It was insane.

That's been my vacation so far. If there's a lot of bad grammar it's because I'm really tired.

I'm going to bed now. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Love,
Derek

Disney World Day 2

Day 2 was mostly traveling. We spent a long time in the airport. Right before we took off for Orlando, Erica and I remembered that we hadn't taken any pictures through our travels. We then took this picture of us with our crowns. It was a long day.

But... Becuase our reservations were messed up. Erica and her family were able to enjoy first class while I was in coach for the first flight. The first flight took us to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There was snow on the run way. I have to say I got really nervous. I tightened my seat belt and said a little prayer.

The second flight the tables were turned. I was in first class while the Haws family was in coach. It was nice. They fed me a turkey pesto sandwich with chips, fruit and a cookie, which is what Ericas family had on the first flight. I think pesto turkey may be my new favorite food combination.

So, when we got close to Orlando the skies were clear and I was able to see all the city lights. The city in and of itself is HUGE. The lights from the city seemed to stretch on forever. I saw this particularly colorful spot...I'm not saying it's Disney World...but I'm going to imagine that I flew over Disney World just to enhance my Disney Experience.

I know this is a day late...Today, Day 3 has been amazing. I'll blog about it tonight. Tomorrow morning we're off to the magic kingdom. :-)

Disney World Day 1

Today was mostly a traveling day. I woke up early and had to be at Erica's home before 6:30 am. When I arrived we went to the airport. Traffic was great. Once we arrived at the airport we quickly got through security. The plane was delayed a little bit so we waited.

Erica was unable to pack my present because it didn't fit in her suit case.

I spent the majority of today trying to figure out what she was giving me.

We found out that the de-icer in our plane wasn't working properly. Technicians were called in and they were able to diagnose the problem in 15 minutes. They then announced that our plane was canceled. Erica's dad ran to the line where I joined him. This is the picture I took at the beginning of our adventure in the line. Erica's mom got on the phone and was trying to find a solution as well.

This is the same line about 50 minutes later. We moved up two people.

This is a picture Erica took from the end of the line. I'm holding up a blue pillow.

This is Miranda and Ardith waiting...still

We eventually got a hotel room. Because I am in fact dating Erica, I was able to get my own room. This is the view from my window.

This is me jumping on my bed.

This is Erica jumping on my bed.

My bed room.

The Study.

The entry way.

The bathroom.

The TV room.

My neighbor :-)

Today we waited at the airport for about 7 hours. I had alot of fun though. If i get this excited being in an airport all day. I can't wait until Disney World. We leave tomorrow around lunch :-).

Christmas Wishes

I loved Erica's post with her acronym for "Disney World" and so I'm copying her.

Dear Santa,

This Christmas Trip I want to...

D iscover the Magic of Disney
I dentify a ton of hidden Mickeys
S it next to Erica on a bunch of rides.
N ot get sun burnt at Vero Beach
E at a giant turkey leg
Y ell as I plummet down splash mountain

W itness the world with Erica (from the view of EPCOT)
O rder the most expensive thing on the menu
R ead Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" on the plane
L ove Evelyn so much that she loves me back
D istribute Christmas gifts Christmas morning and watch every ones faces.

Thank you Santa,

P.S. Santa, I would like to have world peace too :-)

With love,
Derek

Here is the contest!

Thank you everyone for looking at my blog. I have reached over 1000 hits. In an earlier post I posted the rules of the game. I changed them a little bit. So I'll explain it over. I'm really tired and so my explanation will probably repeat itself and seem redundant. I'm sorry.

Everybody gets one chance to guess at the pictures. Guesses can be made for every member of your family, however, whoever wins must have the 1000 grand. Parents can not use their kids to get the 1000 grand.

There are three photos. Each photo will include a hint. When you guess please include a guess for each photo. An example of an entry is below.

Derek:
Photo 1: Your nose
Photo 2: Coca Cola
Photo 3: The French Flag

Derek's imaginary child number 1:
Photo 1: Your foot
Photo 2: A lint roller
Photo 3: The Applebees sign


I'm fairly confident that nobody will be able to guess both number 2 and number 3 correctly, so I'm going to look at all the votes and whomever posted earliest and who I thought was the most correct will win and get 1000 grand (candy bar)

Photo 1
Hint: This is one of my body parts.

Photo 2
This is an item that can be found in a Super Wal*Mart

Photo 3

Hint: This item is made out of a crafty material.

I changed the challenge to 8 pm

I changed the challenge to 8pm becuase I'm done and I wanna post it. That's in 30 minutes. :-)

New Blog Name

I have been informed that the blog title "The Life of Derek" sounds too much like memorial or a funeral service. After a lot of soul searching on this subject it occurred to me that it does in fact sound like I have passed away. So now my blog will be called "Life With Derek" :-)

I have an ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

I have an announcement. My blog has had over 1000 hits. So as a thank you to everyone who has viewed my blog. I am going to do a fun little competition.

I am going to take a picture of an object from an extremely close view. I will post it Sunday at 10pm. The first person who can identify what the object is will get a prize.

The prize will be 1000 grand(candy bar).

There is only one guess allowed per person. However you may include guesses from anybody of your household along with your guess.

Example: I have a sister who has a family of six. She can include one guess for every member of her family with her post. However, the winner has to get the prize. So...if Lach guesses right, Lach gets the 1000 grand. Capiche?

The Golden Child

Dear Family,

It has been brought to my attention that some of you have come to know me as the "golden child". I think this is because I am the youngest of six children and therefore have five older siblings who love me and have helped raise me throughout my adolescent years. It baffles me though, because the term "golden child" is used with a negative connotation which isn't deserving of the relationship i have built with each of you.

I have been thinking long and hard this past week and have come to the conclusion that I am not "the "golden child" for multiple reasons.

Firstly: I googled the definition of "golden child" and discovered that the golden child is African American. (See picture below) I am very much Caucasian and therefore can not be the golden child.



Secondly: When I think of a golden child I think of a person who is privileged by his or her parents and has the opportunity of doing whatever his or her heart desires. If this is the definition of a golden child, then the golden child in my family must be either Steve or Mike.

Steve was able to stay at home throughout college. He had his own room and a hot meal always waiting for him whenever he got hungry. Now that he has matured, he is out seeing the world and living the dream. He may be the golden child.

Mike is the third eldest in our family. Not only was he able to experience the love that my parents had for him, but he was also able to experience the love that Ivon and Laura had for him. He was the baby of the family at a time when the family was small enough for mom and dad to still give him all of the love and devotion that he needed topped with the playfulness of Laura and Ivon. He may be the golden child.

I'm not saying the golden child is Steve and I'm not saying the golden child is Mike. Once this thing blows over and the real golden child is revealed. I want my family to know that I'm going to be sensitive enough not to discriminate against Steve or Mike because of their privileged status. I love them and I will always love them. I hope my family will follow after me and do the same.

Merry Christmas :-)

Happy Anniversary Erica ! :-)

One year has come and gone away.
To you, there are many things I want to say.
I'll start by saying that I love you.
The words wont stop though, I don't know what to do.

I often ask myself, was it love at first sight?
Or did it occur with your face covered with cake that night?
Maybe it was while we walked the beach in Seattle.
Or seeing you shoot a gun, knowing you'd keep me safe in a battle ;-)

During the winter months on the freezing slopes I wonder what I felt?
During pond skimming it came back. All I knew is that it was real and made me melt.
The beauty of yellow stone national park, or even Noah's completion of his arc,
Couldn't compare to the joy I felt with this journey that we've embarked.

Life is tough, Thanks for helping me throughout school.
You taught me where in Rexburg to get some bodily fuel.
You even supported me that cold night during my Longboard Race.
You supported me in Portland when we stuffed cookies in our face.

We've been through a lot together and we both like our milk non-fat.
Once we went to Oktoberfest and got some way cool tats.
At ice skating the kids got angry as we looked at the pirate shop.
We got our seat taken at a NBA game. We had to move to the top.

Not sure if you noticed, but the poem matched the pictures I posted of us
This year has been remarkable, who would of known I had this much good luck?
Who would of known I'd meet a girl as kind, caring, and beautiful as you?
You're that special light which guides me through my day and I love you.

Happy One Year Anniversary
I love you!