Baby You're A Firework...

I'm not sure if I talked about this last year, or if I even had a blog at this time last year, but I go to Michigan every summer for the 4th of July. My mom's family has a cottage on an island up there and we have this huge shindig, starting with a parade (which we usually get to lead) followed by a big party, ending in a splendid fireworks display.

It sounds way more swanky than it is, trust me. But it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside because I love it so much. It's tradition! I really can't explain it any more than that. Maybe I like it so much because I get to see my family, or maybe I just like getting dressed up in ridiculous costumes for the parade.

(Last year, I was a clown. The year before that, I was a pirate. The year before that, I was a hula girl...or maybe that was two years ago. This year, I'm a Lost Boy...Slightly Soiled, I believe. You see, the parade is themed different every year. This year, the theme is Disney and my family is going as the Peter Pan characters.)


I digress. I suppose my point is that traditions rock. What are some of the traditions your family has? Do you have any for the 4th? Are you even American?

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, Put Our Service To The Test!

I didn't only grow up on Harry Potter, you know. I also grew up on Disney movies. And The Little Rascals and The Three Stooges, but that's a different story.

My first movie in a theater was Disney's 101 Dalmations. I almost died when I was eight and got to spend three days in Disney World in Florida. Even today I make my family go to Magic Kingdom one day every year of spring break.

I am a little bit different from a lot of the other 1990s Disney girls, though. I am not really a princess person. Don't get me wrong, I had all the VCR tapes of the princess movies, but they weren't the same as the tales of adventure or just good old-fashioned fun.

What I really love most about the movies is their music. I think it's all just so fantastic. Just the other day, I realized there was a huge Disney void in my life, so I decided to get 50 of the original Disney songs to put on my iPod (none of that Disney Mania crap...).

Wanna hear a funny story? Yesterday I was on Cleverbot.com and it typed, "Let's get down to business." Me, being the Disney junkie I am, decided to add, "To defeat the Huns," like I'll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan. From there, we quoted the whole song, alternating between lines. IT. WAS. AWESOME.

So now I'm convinced Disney is following me. I shall not forget thee, Walt! I promise!