Pasadena was an amazing trip. I got to know people a lot better, made some new friends, laughed a lot, traveled a lot, was tired a lot, had tons of fun and created memories. My roommates were Sarah, Jessica, Mikaela, Paige and Melinda. So we had 3 juniors, a sophomore (me), a freshman and a senior. These girls were all so different and so genuinely nice. Right down to their bones, they were just so nice. It was kind of an awesome break to be with some teenage girls who don't have any selfish motives or only talked about clothes and makeup. Anyway, the drive down or I guess West, to California was pretty long. Getting to the buses in the first place was kind of a hassle, as it was a blizzard. Seriously. Tons of snow, one-digit temperatures, and icy roads. But my parents, being the amazing parents they are drove me down and helped me carry my stuff on. My mom even went back to get a DHS hat and a draw-string bag that I was so thankful I had! Seeing the buses lined up down the street before they turned into the parking lot was so cool. There was 8 and they were so big and looked so picturesque in the snow.
So after 13 hours of driving, having a yum Subway lunch and a 3 hour parade rehearsal, we arrived at the hotel. It was Embassy Suites and I really liked it. The daily breakfast was provided in a big room just for the band everyday and it was good. The courtyard is in the middle of the hotel with a little pond with big fish in it. The 5 floors wrap around the courtyard with rooms that open up right to it and 4 glass elevators.
The first day, we went to Disneyland which I was pretty excited about. I had a blast and performing was really neat. The crowd was really enthusiastic and just performing in Disneyland is pretty cool. The backstage or "ghetto" of Disney as some called it was weird. Behind Toonetown there's just some plain, boring looking office buildings and a drab changing room for the performers. Definitely not magical, but that's where the magic begins I guess. Also, do not go to Disney near Christmas. It is packed with a capital P! I only went on 5 rides; Indiana Jones, It's a Small World, Pirates, Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan. I loved it though and the fireworks and decorations and adorable shops were really fun. Maybe it's just that it reminds me of being a little kid, but I love Disneyland.
After Disney, we went to see a float being made and take a picture in front of the Rose Bowl. It was pouring rain so our picture might look a little damp but it was fun. Afterwards, we went to the two-story Target near our hotel and went to Medieval Times. The food wasn't great and I felt bad for the horses and my friend got beer spilled on her, but it was pretty fun :)
Day 3 might have been my favorite day. It was Sunday, and we first visited the Hollywood stars and everything. Then we went to the beach. It was a beautiful day and I love love love the ocean. It was so pretty. Then we went to the hotel and had an amazing speaker come. We were supposed to have this man who had been paralyzed by surfing with his son, but he died on Christmas Eve. The substitute knew him and said he was a great man. I wish we could have heard him speak, but the substitute really was amazing. I felt the spirit so strongly and felt inspired and so blessed.
Day 4 was not my favorite. We went to Six Flags and if you know me, you'll know I don't really like rollercoasters. However, I did go on Ninja, Colossus, Batman, and Revolution. It was fun. At the hotel we had icecream sundaes for New Years eve and watched some of the Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve.
The next day was the big one. Rose Parade! We woke up at 3:00 am! and got our uniforms on and ate breakfast on the bus. I was pretty out of it after waking up so early then sitting on the bus but once we got out and realized we were finally doing it, I got some energy and got excited. It was honestly just super fun. The crowd was huge and loud and awesome and I wasn't tired afterwards at all. I had been a little nervous about walking a 7 mile parade and playing and staying instep but I just had fun and felt really fit thankfully:) After the parade we got big In-N-Burger lunches which were yummy and then we started talking to the other bands and trading pins with them. There were some from China, Venezuela and far East. They were all really nice and it was fun to see so many band nerds:) Really, I think these are the cool kids. These are the kids who aren't afraid of hard work, who work together, don't think they're too cool, work hard in school, develop talents, and are just nice.
After the Rose Parade we went to Universal Studios. I loved the studio tour. We saw this 3-D King Kong movie, visited sets like the clock tower in Back to the Future, the house in War of the Worlds and Whoville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I could have just jumped out and started having someone film a movie right then. It looked so much fun and I could really love a job as an actress. I loved those sets! One was a big room that looked like a real Subway station. All the sudden the cielings lowered, it looked like gas pipes exploded in flames, and a huge flood of water came our way. Just in time the water suddenly drained down and we didn't get wet at all. This set had been used in a TV show and was super life-like. We also saw a place where they filmed Jaws. We were on a lowered bridge, just hovering over the water and they had a fake shark come out and go past the bus. I loved it! We also went on The Mummy ride there. I loved it! It was a little scary, but so fun. It was a rollercoaster with lots of mummy jump-out things and it went backwards back through the ride at the end. Now I really want to be an actress on top of dancing professionally!:)
It was sad leaving, but I was ready to see the fam. The drive home seemed a lot shorter and I sat by Sarah again coming back. We saw piligamists in the Walmart we stopped at since Sarah and I were sick of fast-food. The bus was a party. We watched movies, played games, laughed a ton, tried to sleep, tried to do homework.
I was welcomed back by my awesome parents and a test on Julius Caesar, a math final, an AP final and lots a homework!:) Gotta love High School life
So after 13 hours of driving, having a yum Subway lunch and a 3 hour parade rehearsal, we arrived at the hotel. It was Embassy Suites and I really liked it. The daily breakfast was provided in a big room just for the band everyday and it was good. The courtyard is in the middle of the hotel with a little pond with big fish in it. The 5 floors wrap around the courtyard with rooms that open up right to it and 4 glass elevators.
The first day, we went to Disneyland which I was pretty excited about. I had a blast and performing was really neat. The crowd was really enthusiastic and just performing in Disneyland is pretty cool. The backstage or "ghetto" of Disney as some called it was weird. Behind Toonetown there's just some plain, boring looking office buildings and a drab changing room for the performers. Definitely not magical, but that's where the magic begins I guess. Also, do not go to Disney near Christmas. It is packed with a capital P! I only went on 5 rides; Indiana Jones, It's a Small World, Pirates, Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan. I loved it though and the fireworks and decorations and adorable shops were really fun. Maybe it's just that it reminds me of being a little kid, but I love Disneyland.
After Disney, we went to see a float being made and take a picture in front of the Rose Bowl. It was pouring rain so our picture might look a little damp but it was fun. Afterwards, we went to the two-story Target near our hotel and went to Medieval Times. The food wasn't great and I felt bad for the horses and my friend got beer spilled on her, but it was pretty fun :)
Day 3 might have been my favorite day. It was Sunday, and we first visited the Hollywood stars and everything. Then we went to the beach. It was a beautiful day and I love love love the ocean. It was so pretty. Then we went to the hotel and had an amazing speaker come. We were supposed to have this man who had been paralyzed by surfing with his son, but he died on Christmas Eve. The substitute knew him and said he was a great man. I wish we could have heard him speak, but the substitute really was amazing. I felt the spirit so strongly and felt inspired and so blessed.
Day 4 was not my favorite. We went to Six Flags and if you know me, you'll know I don't really like rollercoasters. However, I did go on Ninja, Colossus, Batman, and Revolution. It was fun. At the hotel we had icecream sundaes for New Years eve and watched some of the Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve.
The next day was the big one. Rose Parade! We woke up at 3:00 am! and got our uniforms on and ate breakfast on the bus. I was pretty out of it after waking up so early then sitting on the bus but once we got out and realized we were finally doing it, I got some energy and got excited. It was honestly just super fun. The crowd was huge and loud and awesome and I wasn't tired afterwards at all. I had been a little nervous about walking a 7 mile parade and playing and staying instep but I just had fun and felt really fit thankfully:) After the parade we got big In-N-Burger lunches which were yummy and then we started talking to the other bands and trading pins with them. There were some from China, Venezuela and far East. They were all really nice and it was fun to see so many band nerds:) Really, I think these are the cool kids. These are the kids who aren't afraid of hard work, who work together, don't think they're too cool, work hard in school, develop talents, and are just nice.
After the Rose Parade we went to Universal Studios. I loved the studio tour. We saw this 3-D King Kong movie, visited sets like the clock tower in Back to the Future, the house in War of the Worlds and Whoville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I could have just jumped out and started having someone film a movie right then. It looked so much fun and I could really love a job as an actress. I loved those sets! One was a big room that looked like a real Subway station. All the sudden the cielings lowered, it looked like gas pipes exploded in flames, and a huge flood of water came our way. Just in time the water suddenly drained down and we didn't get wet at all. This set had been used in a TV show and was super life-like. We also saw a place where they filmed Jaws. We were on a lowered bridge, just hovering over the water and they had a fake shark come out and go past the bus. I loved it! We also went on The Mummy ride there. I loved it! It was a little scary, but so fun. It was a rollercoaster with lots of mummy jump-out things and it went backwards back through the ride at the end. Now I really want to be an actress on top of dancing professionally!:)
It was sad leaving, but I was ready to see the fam. The drive home seemed a lot shorter and I sat by Sarah again coming back. We saw piligamists in the Walmart we stopped at since Sarah and I were sick of fast-food. The bus was a party. We watched movies, played games, laughed a ton, tried to sleep, tried to do homework.
I was welcomed back by my awesome parents and a test on Julius Caesar, a math final, an AP final and lots a homework!:) Gotta love High School life
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