California

I can't believe that I have neglected this blog for almost a month!

Talk about time flying between school, the deals, and life.

Well to cover the basics, there have been a lot of deals to get including money makers at CVS that have been amazing. Mom and I calculated our total savings for the year one night and it came out to be about $3,550. So that was good for us.

Band trip came up out of nowhere and we left last Thursday at 6:45 A.M. from DFW

Some of the highlights of the trip included going to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Santa Monica Pier, Sony Picture's Studios, Hollywood Boulevard, and seeing "Wicked."

Overall the trip was a blast. Universal Studios was quite cool seeing all the sets and props used from different popular shows and movies. While on the tram tour, our group saw Will Ferrell ride by on his bike as he was filming his latest blockbuster that day. Also, one of my friends caught pictures of Jay Leno as he was at Universal completing a "Jay Walking" skit. It was a fun day had by all, although I do have to say that if you are going, only about half a day is needed.

The next day we headed out for Sony Pictures Studio and Santa Monica Pier. The Sony Pictures Tour was fun. We got to sit in the actual Jeopardy room, Wheel of Fortune room, and view some of the sets for Adam Sandler's new movie still in filming. When we entered the Columbia Pictures Office our group was lucky enough to see the Oscars that Columbia has won over the years. One in particular was the one for "All the King's Men" which we have studied in English this year.

The rest of the day was spent primarily at the pier....much fun had by all. It was cool revisiting the scene and hanging out with friends on the beach for the day.

After the pier we went to eat at the Farmer's Market, where my friends and I decided to eat at a food critic's favorite place. It was a pizza place, don't remember the name, but in the end we decided to share "The Famous Greek." Lets just say it didn't seem so great....all I can say are pictures to come!

The next day at Disneyland, which was the focus of the trip, our band was lucky enough to be invited to the recording studio in the back part of the park. After leaving the park and going to the "behind the scenes" part of Disneyland, it doesn't seem so magical. But anyways that was pretty cool because we recorded scenes from Beauty and the Beast, The Emperor's New Groove, and Dinosaur. Throughout the rest of the day, we played and enjoyed the different amusements of the park. It was a very long day!

The day before we left was the cultural experience where the band got to go and take a tour on Hollywood Boulevard. I went there with my parents when I was younger, but didn't seem to remember the excitement of the Boulevard. After much walking while being dressed up, we went to go and see the musical "Wicked." All I can say without giving away the musical is that it is amazing! In fact I liked it so much that I told mom when we go back to L.A. this summer; we are going to see it again.

That was a brief highlight of the trip...I'm sure there are more posts and pictures to come!