The Legend who still Lives on

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One of the most well-known man's of all of mankind is still even a legend to this day. He is the man that changed so many people's lives and made their childhood even more special. He's the one that made dreams come true. He is the one and only Walt Disney. If you don't know who Walt Disney is, then you must live under a rock. I'm just kidding. He's one of the first ones to start and continue to be famous in the animation business by creating his old pal Mickey Mouse!

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Walter Disney was just an average young boy that grew up in Missouri. He wasn't the exact perfect student when it came to school, but as soon as you gave him a pencil and some paper, he would be in his own little world for hours. Did you know that Walt Disney once got kicked out of an art class because his teacher thought he had no creativity? So ironic right. If he would have given up on his dream and listened to his teacher, our world would have been a completely different place today.

Drawing cartoons weren't the only thing Walt was talented with. Throughout his junior high and high school years, he also liked to entertain crowds by performing on the stage by being a part of school plays or even just being the class clown in his grade. He always found a way to make the audience laugh. He even snuck out several nights to perform at some late night comedy show in his town.

Have you ever wondered how Walt came up with the idea of Mickey Mouse? Like why a mouse? Out of all creatures, he chose a small little rodent to be his main focus. Well, actually one day he was sitting in his studio all stumped on what to draw when all of a sudden, a black little mouse runs across the studio floor. Instead of panicking like what a normal human would do if they saw a mouse, he left it be and let his hands and mind do the talking. It wasn't until his wife convinced him to change the name from Mortimer the Mouse to the famous Mickey Mouse.
         

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            As Walt's career started to become successful, he started making longer films that later turned into movies. Several people believe that Cinderella was his first ever princess movie, but actually it was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Cinderella just seemed more popular and/or successful to the viewers.

           One thing Disney had that if you were lucky enough he would share it with anyone he could, was is wisdom. He had the wisdom of a bee in its own hive. Of course he had so much knowledge on drawing and animations, but he was also one of the wisest men out there. He would teach his viewers that it's okay to fail, but you just gotta get up and keep trying. Disney's goal in life wasn't all about making people happy with his cartoons; it was all about finding a purpose in things that you love to do. "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them," is one of Disney's many famous quotes he has ever said.

          Walt Disney wasn't just a normal man. He was man who had a dream who wasn't scared to take that leap of faith and go for it. He kept pushing at it until not only others, but more importantly himself, was happy with what he has created. 50 years after he has passed away, he's name is still famous as ever. He's more than just a legend; he's also a hero!


http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/long_bio.html
(A lot of it was also knowledge I've known form previous projects on Walt Disney)

The Disney Company



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There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love Disney and those who don’t really mind it. Just like many others in the world, I fall under the category of absolutely in love with Disney. Disney was my childhood and continues to still be a huge part of my life even still today!



                As a child, I spent a lot of my days binge watching the classic Disney movies. Some of my favorite included “The Little Mermaid”, “Mulan”, “Tarzan”, and “Beauty and the Beast”. Even still today Ariel is my all-time favorite Disney Princess. Maybe that’s why I used to watch “The Little Mermaid” more than others.



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                Behind all the fancy princess dresses and their songs that they just instantly burst into singing mode, there’s always a life lesson to take from it. Two of the more recent ones are “Frozen” and “Big Hero 6”. They both have meaningful messages within them that any age could take away. Frozen shows us that true love isn’t with any guy; it’s the love from your family that can truly thaw any kind of a frozen heart. Big Hero 6 shows us kind of two lessons. First, that no matter how much we try to push away our friends in tough situations, they will always be there for you. Second, with a little thing called teamwork from our friends we can accomplish anything.

                One of the company’s next door neighbors and a really good friend is the company Pixar. Both Disney and Pixar work together to create some of the best films out there like for the Toy Story series as well as “Finding Nemo”. Pixar is known for their animations and how realistic they are to the real world. When it comes to these kinds of movies, the more real they are, the better views they get throughout the world.

                One thing Disney is known for is making sequels for almost all their movies. If you think about it, more of the classics then anything, has a sequel or two made from the original. Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and Tarzan are just some that had a 2^nd movie made afterwards.

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                Another thing that Disney and Pixar throw into their movies are inspiring quotes that can help with any real life situation. If you really are a true Disney fan, you would know exactly where these unique quotes are from: “Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten”… “Hakuna Matata, it means no worries for the rest of your days”… “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think”… “You know what you gotta do when life gets you down, just keep swimming, just keep swimming” If you don’t know where any of those are from (which I’m hoping you know at least one of them), I’ll help you out; Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, and Finding Nemo. If you ever need a little cheering upping, Disney is always there to help you out.

                Walt Disney was and still is a legend that lives on even still today. Because of him, my childhood was complete. Who knows what the Disney Company will have when my own kids or even my grandkids are growing up?

Babysitting Tips!

The 4 kids that I babysit every
Tuesday

              
As a teenager in high school, we will do whatever it takes for us to get a little extra cash on our hands. During the summer you see a lot of teens doing yard work like mowing the lawn and gardening. One job that is basically a year round job is babysitting. Even though it can be hard work and very stressful at times, for the most part it pays pretty well plus you get to be with kids all night. Who doesn't like to be with kids, right?

                When it comes to babysitting, there are so many different responsibilities that come with it that may not always be the same as your previous house. One job that definitely varies from house to house is the diaper changing. If you an infant or a toddler on your hands, you become a pro pretty quickly at changing those stinky diapers. Another job that you most likely will have (especially if you're babysitting during the evening hours) is getting them fed. Sometimes the parents will have the food already prepared and then all you have to do is serve it to the kids. Other times you might need to bring out your cooking skills. When in doubt, go with Mac and Cheese.

                It's always nice when you're a family's regular babysitter. Every Tuesday night I babysit somewhere between 3.5-4 hours for this family. While the parents are off at a bible study group, I get the privilege to be with their 4 precious kids; two boys and two girls. The two boys are the oldest with the ages of 9 and 8 which means the 2 girls are the youngest with the ages of 6 and 3. Yes, you would think 4 kids for one teenage girl like me would get way out of hand very easily, but actually it's not challenging at all. I love all 4 of them, and wouldn't replace anything for them.

The kids

                Like I mentioned earlier, babysitting can become extremely stressful at times, but in reality it's also such a blessing at the same time. For starters,we can all say that the high school life can be pretty challenging at times. Either drama with friends, trying to keep our grades up, or all our activities we're involved in; whatever it is we have so much pressure to jungle underneath our feet. For me, whenever I'm over and watching the 4 little cuties, all my stress and worries become invisible. Being with kids is like a mini therapy. Yeah, their kids, so you obviously can't rant to them about how stressed out you are, but you get the chance to see things from a kids perspective and sometimes even become one while being with them.

                Some ways to make babysitting fun and to go by faster are by having activities planned out for the kids to do. If it's a nice a day, maybe take them out in their backyard or go for a walk throughout the neighborhood. The kiddos that I babysit for love to be adventurous and could spend the whole day outside. Just yesterday when I was over at their house we spent about an hour or so just playing soccer out in their backyard. Let's just say that I might have gotten beat by some 9 and 8 year old boys.

                Even though babysitting can be kind of time consuming, it's totally worth it in the end. The more you put yourself out there and offer to babysit, the more you start to like children and start a bond with them. Having a child wrap their arms around you and fall asleep in your lap is one of the best feelings ever!

Soliders fighting for our freedom

Once every year my school has the honor to have three Vietnam Vets come in and talk to students of their own personal experience of fighting in the Vietnam War. Earlier this week, not only did I get the chance to listen and ask questions about their story, but I also got the privilege to shake all three of their hands. Especially with Vietnam Vets, they love it when the youth from today goes up and shakes their hand and thanks them for their service. Not only did it make me feel great on the inside, but it also gave the Vets a pretty awesome smile upon their faces.

My dads in his uniform

                We all probably know someone who has or still is serving for our country. I personal have quite a handful of relatives that has served or continues to serve today. Both of my grandpas served for our country when they were in their twenties. My mom’s dad was part of Marine Military Branch and fought in the Korean War for about two years while my dad’s dad was part of the South Dakota National Guard for 35 years. On my mom’s side, I have 1 or 2 uncles and a few cousins that has connections with serving for our country.

                One thing that I love seeing is videos of soldiers coming home and surprising their families. No matter how they surprised their family, it’s still very heart warming and sometimes leads to tears. I’ve never actually experienced a soldier’s homecoming personally, but one of my favorite teachers from middle school has. A couple years ago around Christmas time, it would have been the first Christmas where her husband could not have been there with her family. Already having all this planned out, the news station wanted to interview my teacher about being a “single parent” for the holidays. When the news station got to their house, they said that they had a present for everyone that could help them get through the holidays. And, out popped her husband!

                Today’s generation a lot more people, especially the youth, want to serve for our country. For several reasons actually; maybe because they had relatives that served, they love working with weapons, to have the honor of fighting for our country, maybe even to help pay for college later down the road; there are so many reasons why people today want to go into the military including my own sister. When she graduates she wants to actually go overseas and fight for the freedom of our country. I know I could never handle how strict and cruel they are to you just within the boot camp, but I know my sister can take anything that is thrown at her or that gets in her way.

The Vets saluting my grandpa's casket

                If you ever attended a funeral of a soldier or a veteran, you can definitely agree with me that it’s one of the saddest things ever. When both of my grandpas died, their funerals weren’t like typically funerals; they both had special things that you only get if you serve for our country. The family of the soldier/vet can decide what military things can be part of the funeral. One of the common things that occurs at a funeral is the 21 Gun Salute. 7 soldiers shooting off three times is when the tears definitely come out. One thing that I really liked about one of my grandpa’s was the way and the view of how he was carried into the church. There were about 6 vets, all from the Marines that was close to his age, on both sides and they were saluting the casket while it was being brought into the church.

Another tradition that is performed at a vet’s funeral is a soldier folds up an American flag and hands it off to the living spouse to keep within their household. For both of my grandpas’ funerals, it was hard to see the solider hand off the flag to my grandma. Now both folded up flags are hanging on my grandmas’ wall with pride and in remembrance of my grandpas and their service.

If it weren’t for soldiers and the risks they took, our country would not have as much freedom as we do today. I challenge you next time you see a soldier in uniform or not, go up to them and shake their hand. If you don’t feel comfortable shaking their hand, maybe start with something small like thanking them for their service! Not only will it make your day, but it most likely will make theirs as well!