This day and age, it is so cliche to say that a person should do whatever makes them happy. You hear it everyday from almost every medium and it is starting to drive me crazy. It is driving me crazy because I think it is a categorically false statement. Even worse than this are the people who say why can't you just be happy for me. All of these statements are well intended. After all, we all can and should strive to be happy. This post is not about wanting people to be miserable. Quite the contrary. My family wants to bring joy to your life and we in no ways want to cause pain. That being said, the statements about happiness I am frustrated with are just messages that should cease to exist. After reading this, I hope that you will agree with me.
The main reason those statements are false is that they seem to be an excuse for whatever bad decisions a person wishes to make. I actually had a person insult my entire family, tell me I didn't know what I was doing as a parent and then still say "why can't you just be happy for me." I'm sorry, but if my family is treated poorly I cannot just be happy for you and support how you are treating us. I can be happy that you found happiness, but I cannot accept your behavior or agree with it because it makes you happy. To be more specific, I will bring up several examples of times where the right thing trumps being happy. I will also include instances that people think will make them happy that actually brings them a great deal of pain.
Obviously, a mentally disturbed person wanting to kill a person claiming "why can't you just be happy for me" seems outrageously absurd. However, I am sure there are actually people like this. Some people claim that they want to kill their boss, a cheating spouse, some other person that has wronged them. They just want their revenge and want someone gone. While most of us can't fathom this behavior or thinking, it happens. Just being happy cannot and will not ever be an excuse for this. Sure, this is an extreme example, but it goes to show the idiocy of the statement. There are plenty of other instances in which the just be happy mantra fails...
To go along further with the law, let's talk about stealing. If someone has something that you want, you cannot just take it from them. If you take something from someone or force them to share that is theft. Theft is a crime and it is wrong. You can want it, taking it may make you happy, but you just cannot do it. Stealing is wrong and it doesn't matter if said item will make you happy, it just can't be done. Sure, major crimes like murder, theft, rape, and battery might be extreme examples, but they just show the issues with the original statement. The just be happy for me movement uses this phrase as a means to justify their horrible decisions and it is just wrong. It doesn't have to be a major crime either....
Not taking responsibility for your kids so you can be "happy" is wrong. Never taking care of them and caring more about yourself than your kids is not okay. You see when you have kids your focus needs to shift to helping them become positive hardworking citizens as adults. It needs to shift towards their happiness. Neglecting them and going out partying every night is not doing that. Cheating on your spouse is not doing that. God forbid it doesn't work out with your partner don't completely shut the kids out. They are still your kids. It is not your kids fault. You must always remember your kids. Forgetting about them will ultimately leave you feeling empty inside. The kids are your responsibility from conception until natural death.
Notice how I said from conception. It is important to know that your rights end where mine begin. Well the unborn baby has rights too. They might not have entered the world, but they are living beings. They have heartbeats. The fetus is still our responsibility as parents. Intentionally ending their life or any life is wrong. Abortion is wrong. Your future and your happiness are not a means to end that life. Ending that life will make you feel a whole lot worse than you do currently. While the baby will bring you joy. The decision to end an innocent person's life is not a burden you want to carry and not a choice any person should ever want to make.
To go further, most of us would rather spend time with our families and could find something more enjoyable than work. I quite like my job, but it doesn't compare to family time for me. However, none of us can just skip work everyday in order to chase our happiness of being with family all day or doing other things that will make us happier. We have to have responsibility. We have to pay the bills. We have to do what is right which isn't always what will make us happiest.
Now, we should still aim to be happy. You cannot go through life feeling miserable and alone. Every person has the right to be happy. I do not disagree. My argument is that your happiness should not come at the expense of someone else. Your happiness needs to come from finding a job you are passionate in and being a great person along the way. Being a Godly person. Everything in this world is fleeting and you will only want more and more. By that I mean that everything on Earth is finite, so it is difficult to put everything into finite things. The only thing that is infinite is God. You have to give it up to God for true eternal happiness.
So, I will never say "do what makes you happy" if someone asks me for advice. Instead, I will say, find some line of work that you can do and live comfortable on, treat others the way you want to be treated, and try to be the best at everything you do. I also aim to be a positive example of God's love and tell people about God when they seek it out of me. Hopefully, others will know I am Christian by how I act and conduct myself and more and more people will come into the church to seek that eternal happiness. "For they will know we are Christians by our love." Love others, trust God, respect life, respect law, and then you will be happy. Don't just blindly chase happiness, because what you want isn't always what you need.
-Noland
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Controversy W/ Mogensen Zoos
Eric Mogensen owns three zoos in the United States. The zoos he owns are the Gulf Breeze Zoo (Gulf Breeze, FL), the Natural Bridge Zoo (Virginia), and the Reston Zoo (Reston, VA). All of these zoos have seen their share of controversy with the largest of that controversy at the Reston location that I have visited. Not only did I visit that zoo, but I gave the zoo a great review as well. That most recent review was earned back in November after the zoo had so many close animal exhibits for my kids. It was a really cool experience. It was reviewed twice and got high marks both times. The zoo led me to believe that these owners who owned the other two zoos were fantastic and I was anxious to visit their other two zoos. I have been making plans to visit both of the other zoos owned by this family. However, those trips will not be happening and I will no longer visit the Reston Zoo!
I won't visit Mogensen zoos because I have now heard of the controversy surrounding the family and their zoos. Eric's daughter, Meghan Mogensen was charged in 2012 for animal cruelty and possession of a controlled substance. Mogensen was arrested and the zoo remained open the entire time. In fact, I had not even heard about this incident nor did my family until Feburary of this year! This lady drowned a wallaby and the zoo remained open. The Reston Zoo where this happened was also written up for violations related to animal health in 2011 and 2012. You'd think that it was just one bad family member that was too young running the zoo doing this, but then you dig deeper and it gets worse.
First, the response to her doing this at the Reston Zoo was to move her to the Gulf Breeze Zoo after she was released from prison. WHAT?!?!? She drowns a wallaby and then she is moved to your zoo in Florida. Why is she allowed near animals ever again?!?! This is absolutely mind boggling. Now that I know this, I will not be visiting the Gulf Breeze Zoo anytime soon. That is a shame because it looks like a great place to go. I guess I will have to check out some other new place next time we are up in Northwest Florida. For the Mogensen family though it gets worse....
In fact, upon further investigation I uncovered that this family has been the subject of complaints from the Humane Society since 1990. The subject of complaints since I was three years old! That is absolutely insane.
Karl Mogensen owns the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia. This zoo looks awesome despite being owned by George's dad Karl. However, this zoo is named by PETA as America's Worst Zoo for its poor treatment of animals and particularly elephants. They have responded to some criticism here, but it is easy to see why they get it. In fact, back in 2004 two bears escaped this zoo through an unlocked gate and had to be euthanized when they got into the community. The owner Karl had his zoo license suspended in 2007 and a hearty fine for investigations relating how the zoo treated animals. Mogensen also had his license suspended for a brief time in 1993. Twice having your license suspended is not a good sign for how you treat animals.
I could go on and on about alleged violations and abuse. However, I will stop here. I will not be visiting any of these zoos in the future and I recommend that you take the same actions. While our ratings are based solely on what we see at the zoos while we are there, we want to go to places we can go with and feel good about ourselves. These zoos would make us feel dirty if we attended them again. It is not a shock that these zoos lost AZA accreditation and don't seem to be getting it back anytime soon. Just say no to the Natural Bridge Zoo, the Gulf Breeze Zoo, and the Reston Zoo. We will find better options for you here on ZooZooReview.
-Noland
I won't visit Mogensen zoos because I have now heard of the controversy surrounding the family and their zoos. Eric's daughter, Meghan Mogensen was charged in 2012 for animal cruelty and possession of a controlled substance. Mogensen was arrested and the zoo remained open the entire time. In fact, I had not even heard about this incident nor did my family until Feburary of this year! This lady drowned a wallaby and the zoo remained open. The Reston Zoo where this happened was also written up for violations related to animal health in 2011 and 2012. You'd think that it was just one bad family member that was too young running the zoo doing this, but then you dig deeper and it gets worse.
First, the response to her doing this at the Reston Zoo was to move her to the Gulf Breeze Zoo after she was released from prison. WHAT?!?!? She drowns a wallaby and then she is moved to your zoo in Florida. Why is she allowed near animals ever again?!?! This is absolutely mind boggling. Now that I know this, I will not be visiting the Gulf Breeze Zoo anytime soon. That is a shame because it looks like a great place to go. I guess I will have to check out some other new place next time we are up in Northwest Florida. For the Mogensen family though it gets worse....
In fact, upon further investigation I uncovered that this family has been the subject of complaints from the Humane Society since 1990. The subject of complaints since I was three years old! That is absolutely insane.
Karl Mogensen owns the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia. This zoo looks awesome despite being owned by George's dad Karl. However, this zoo is named by PETA as America's Worst Zoo for its poor treatment of animals and particularly elephants. They have responded to some criticism here, but it is easy to see why they get it. In fact, back in 2004 two bears escaped this zoo through an unlocked gate and had to be euthanized when they got into the community. The owner Karl had his zoo license suspended in 2007 and a hearty fine for investigations relating how the zoo treated animals. Mogensen also had his license suspended for a brief time in 1993. Twice having your license suspended is not a good sign for how you treat animals.
I could go on and on about alleged violations and abuse. However, I will stop here. I will not be visiting any of these zoos in the future and I recommend that you take the same actions. While our ratings are based solely on what we see at the zoos while we are there, we want to go to places we can go with and feel good about ourselves. These zoos would make us feel dirty if we attended them again. It is not a shock that these zoos lost AZA accreditation and don't seem to be getting it back anytime soon. Just say no to the Natural Bridge Zoo, the Gulf Breeze Zoo, and the Reston Zoo. We will find better options for you here on ZooZooReview.
-Noland
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Disney Movies: To See or Not To See
This week I watched Into the Woods mostly because Jenna wanted to see it and because it was a movie by Disney. Not surprisingly, I found out that Jenna wanted to see the movie solely because it was Disney. We are Disney fanatics and want to see everything that the company produces. However, on this occasion, it worked out to our disadvantage. We hated this movie and how scattered it was. It was in our opinion the worst Disney movie EVER by a substantial margin. I wondered to myself and posted on Facebook about it, to see if anyone else had made the mistake of watching it. Additionally, I was recalling in my head each of the Disney movies that I treasured and each of the movies that I did not like so much. Then I decided to rank these movies and separate them into categories to inform the good people out there of the movies we recommend and the ones we don't. I also wanted to list the ones I haven't seen or don't remember so the good people can either recommend them or not. I scratch your back and you scratch mine if you will.
Note: Only theatrical films and films released under the official Disney banner are listed. No Marvel, Touchstone, etc. on the list or straight to DVD movies (although I strongly recommend Lion King 1 1/2.) I put the movies my family owns in bold. Jenna loves Hocus Pocus, but its just okay to me...
The first category is full of movies that you have to see in my opinion. These movies are absolutely fantastic and will be ranked in order of best to worst. Animated movies are not the only movies on this list as all Disney Movies will be included. The movies will include the movie title and the year the movie was released.
Remember the Titans (2000)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Lion King (1994)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Pinocchio (1940)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Glory Road (2005)
Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Dumbo (1941)
Tangled (2010)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Tarzan (1999)
Mulan (1998)
Miracle (2004)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Aladdin (1992)
Brother Bear (2003)
The Three Cabelleros (1945)
Saludos Amigos (1943)
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Hercules (1997)
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Big Hero 6 (2014)
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996)
Invincible (2006)
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
Cool Runnings (1993)
The Aristocats (1970)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Peter Pan (1953)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Monsters Inc. (2001)
The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad (1949)
Frozen (2014)
Robin Hood (1973)
The Incredibles (2004)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The second category is full of movies that were pretty good that I would definitely watch again.
Enchanted (2007)
Blank Check (1994)
Inspector Gadget (1999)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
A Bug's Life (1998)
Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Heavyweights (1995)
National Treasure (2004)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
The Rookie (2002)
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
The Three Musketeers (1993)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
The Rescuers (1977)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)
Jungle Book 2 (2003)
Holes (2003)
Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
Pooh's Huffalump Movie (2005)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
101 Dalmations (1961)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Fantasia (1940)
Chicken Little (2005)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Sword and the Stone (1963)
Tom and Huck (1995)
George of the Jungle (1997)
101 Dalmations (1996)
Monsters University (2013)
The third category is full of movies that were just okay that I probably won't see again unless others want me to.
Ducktales the Movie (1990)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The Game Plan (2007)
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
Dinosaur (2000)
Operation Dumbo Drop (1995)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
The Pacifier (2005)
Bambi (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Ratatouille (2007)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Planes (2013)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Flubber (1997)
I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998)
A Goofy Movie (1995)
The Big Green (1995)
First Kid (1996)
The forth category is full of movies that I disliked and don't plan on seeing again, but they were tolerable.
McFarland USA (2015)
Tron (1982)
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Alice in Wondeland (1950)
Pocahontas (1995)
Homeward Bound 2 (1996)
The Parent Trap (1998)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Air Bud (1997)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Cars (2006)
White Fang (1991)
White Fang 2 (1994)
The Emperor's New Grove (2000)
102 Dalmatians (2000)
Atlantis (2001)
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Secretariat (2010)
The fifth category is full of movies that are unwatchable IMO and I cannot believe I sat through.
Cars 2 (2011)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
Iron Will (1994)
A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Air Bud: The Golden Receiver (1998)
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Sky High (2005)
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
Home on the Range (2004)
8 Below (2006)
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
WALL-E (2008)
Up (2009)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
The Muppets (2011)
Brave (2012)
Bolt (2008)
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
Oz: Great and Powerful (2013)
The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
The Country Bears (2002)
Into the Woods (2014)
Finally, here are the movies that I either have not seen or do not remember.
Victory Through Air Power (1944)
Make Mine Music (1946)
Song of the South (1946)
Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
Melody Time (1948)
So Dear To My Heart (1948)
Treasure Island (1950)
The Sword and the Rose (1953)
The Living Desert (1953)
Rob Roy The Highland Rogue (1954)
The Vanishing Prairie (1954)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Davy Crockett (1955)
Old Yeller (1957)
Tonka (1958)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Parent Trap (1961)
The Incredible Journey (1963)
Mary Poppins (1964)
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
The Wild Country (1970)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
One Little Indian (1973)
Pete's Dragon (1977)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Oliver & Company (1988)
The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)
Man of the House (1995)
Tall Tale (1995)
Rocket Man (1997)
Mr. Magoo (1997)
Doug's 1st Movie (1999)
Disney's The Kid (2000)
Recess: School's Out (2001)
Max Keeble's Big Move (2001)
Snow Dogs (2002)
Return to Neverland (2002)
Spirited Away (2002)
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
Treasure Planet (2002)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Princess Diaries 2 (2004)
Ice Princess (2005)
Valiant (2005)
Roving Mars (2006)
The Wild (2006)
Bridge to Terabitha (2007)
Underdog (2007)
College Road Trip (2008)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
High School Musical 3 (2008)
The Crimson Wing (2008)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Earth (2009)
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010)
Prince of Persia (2010)
Oceans (2010)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
Wings of Life (2011)
African Cats (2011)
John Carter (2012)
Chimpanzee (2012)
The Lone Ranger (2013)
Bears (2014)
Million Dollar Arm (2014)
Cinderella (2015)
Side Note: The worst day of my marriage was when Jenna made me watch A Kid in King Arthur's Court, well until we watched Into the Woods. Other than that it has been sunshine and rainbows.
I hope you enjoyed this countdown and that you can give my family some feedback on these movies that we haven't seen or don't remember because we hadn't seen them since we were young kids. I did not include all of the Disney movies as I realized there were some I never heard of. If I hadn't heard of it or couldn't find it available anywhere it was not included on the list at all. Man! Disney made a lot of movies!
-Noland
Note: Only theatrical films and films released under the official Disney banner are listed. No Marvel, Touchstone, etc. on the list or straight to DVD movies (although I strongly recommend Lion King 1 1/2.) I put the movies my family owns in bold. Jenna loves Hocus Pocus, but its just okay to me...
The first category is full of movies that you have to see in my opinion. These movies are absolutely fantastic and will be ranked in order of best to worst. Animated movies are not the only movies on this list as all Disney Movies will be included. The movies will include the movie title and the year the movie was released.
Remember the Titans (2000)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Lion King (1994)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Pinocchio (1940)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Glory Road (2005)
Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Dumbo (1941)
Tangled (2010)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Tarzan (1999)
Mulan (1998)
Miracle (2004)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Aladdin (1992)
Brother Bear (2003)
The Three Cabelleros (1945)
Saludos Amigos (1943)
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Hercules (1997)
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Big Hero 6 (2014)
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996)
Invincible (2006)
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
Cool Runnings (1993)
The Aristocats (1970)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
Peter Pan (1953)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Monsters Inc. (2001)
The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad (1949)
Frozen (2014)
Robin Hood (1973)
The Incredibles (2004)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The second category is full of movies that were pretty good that I would definitely watch again.
Enchanted (2007)
Blank Check (1994)
Inspector Gadget (1999)
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
A Bug's Life (1998)
Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Heavyweights (1995)
National Treasure (2004)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
The Rookie (2002)
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
The Three Musketeers (1993)
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
The Rescuers (1977)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)
Jungle Book 2 (2003)
Holes (2003)
Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
Pooh's Huffalump Movie (2005)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
101 Dalmations (1961)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Fantasia (1940)
Chicken Little (2005)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Sword and the Stone (1963)
Tom and Huck (1995)
George of the Jungle (1997)
101 Dalmations (1996)
Monsters University (2013)
The third category is full of movies that were just okay that I probably won't see again unless others want me to.
Ducktales the Movie (1990)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The Game Plan (2007)
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
Dinosaur (2000)
Operation Dumbo Drop (1995)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
The Pacifier (2005)
Bambi (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Ratatouille (2007)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Planes (2013)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Flubber (1997)
I'll Be Home For Christmas (1998)
A Goofy Movie (1995)
The Big Green (1995)
First Kid (1996)
The forth category is full of movies that I disliked and don't plan on seeing again, but they were tolerable.
McFarland USA (2015)
Tron (1982)
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Alice in Wondeland (1950)
Pocahontas (1995)
Homeward Bound 2 (1996)
The Parent Trap (1998)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Air Bud (1997)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Cars (2006)
White Fang (1991)
White Fang 2 (1994)
The Emperor's New Grove (2000)
102 Dalmatians (2000)
Atlantis (2001)
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Secretariat (2010)
The fifth category is full of movies that are unwatchable IMO and I cannot believe I sat through.
Cars 2 (2011)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
Iron Will (1994)
A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Air Bud: The Golden Receiver (1998)
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Sky High (2005)
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
Home on the Range (2004)
8 Below (2006)
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
WALL-E (2008)
Up (2009)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
The Muppets (2011)
Brave (2012)
Bolt (2008)
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
Oz: Great and Powerful (2013)
The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
The Country Bears (2002)
Into the Woods (2014)
Finally, here are the movies that I either have not seen or do not remember.
Victory Through Air Power (1944)
Make Mine Music (1946)
Song of the South (1946)
Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
Melody Time (1948)
So Dear To My Heart (1948)
Treasure Island (1950)
The Sword and the Rose (1953)
The Living Desert (1953)
Rob Roy The Highland Rogue (1954)
The Vanishing Prairie (1954)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Davy Crockett (1955)
Old Yeller (1957)
Tonka (1958)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Parent Trap (1961)
The Incredible Journey (1963)
Mary Poppins (1964)
The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
The Wild Country (1970)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
One Little Indian (1973)
Pete's Dragon (1977)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Oliver & Company (1988)
The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)
Man of the House (1995)
Tall Tale (1995)
Rocket Man (1997)
Mr. Magoo (1997)
Doug's 1st Movie (1999)
Disney's The Kid (2000)
Recess: School's Out (2001)
Max Keeble's Big Move (2001)
Snow Dogs (2002)
Return to Neverland (2002)
Spirited Away (2002)
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
Treasure Planet (2002)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Princess Diaries 2 (2004)
Ice Princess (2005)
Valiant (2005)
Roving Mars (2006)
The Wild (2006)
Bridge to Terabitha (2007)
Underdog (2007)
College Road Trip (2008)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
High School Musical 3 (2008)
The Crimson Wing (2008)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Earth (2009)
Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010)
Prince of Persia (2010)
Oceans (2010)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Mars Needs Moms (2011)
Wings of Life (2011)
African Cats (2011)
John Carter (2012)
Chimpanzee (2012)
The Lone Ranger (2013)
Bears (2014)
Million Dollar Arm (2014)
Cinderella (2015)
Side Note: The worst day of my marriage was when Jenna made me watch A Kid in King Arthur's Court, well until we watched Into the Woods. Other than that it has been sunshine and rainbows.
I hope you enjoyed this countdown and that you can give my family some feedback on these movies that we haven't seen or don't remember because we hadn't seen them since we were young kids. I did not include all of the Disney movies as I realized there were some I never heard of. If I hadn't heard of it or couldn't find it available anywhere it was not included on the list at all. Man! Disney made a lot of movies!
-Noland
Friday, April 3, 2015
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Last week I talked about reflections and how much we are all loved. Today, it is so easy to see how that love was put into place. It is Good Friday which is one of the holiest days of the year. On Good Friday, Jesus died for our sins so many years ago. For it is because of Good Friday that we might be given eternal life. Sin and death has been defeated and we should rejoice. However, it is a sad day at the same time as Jesus had to die for us in order that we might be saved.
As Christians we typically spend this day in prayer and fasting while thinking about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. The true horrors that Jesus suffered as a way to save us are documented well in the bible and put into a visual aspect for us on the screen in movies such as The Passion of The Christ. These images allow us to see what Jesus really did for us and all he went through, but the big takeaway is that he died so that we might be saved. So let's make it mean as much as possible.
Jesus died to save us right?
He died to conquer sin and death. He died to give us eternal life. So since he made such a big sacrifice that we might be saved, we should make small sacrifices to help others. Live our lives everyday in order to lead people to his church. Lead by our actions and by doing the right thing as much as humanly possible. Try our best to give up our vices so that other people might see and be drawn to his message. Make our Christian identity our top identity. Make it so if they started throwing people in jail for Christianity that they would have enough evidence to convict all of us. Our primary goal must be to glorify God and to be drawn closer to him. We can glorify him and lead others to him if we try our best to do the right thing. If we do not judge others actions and if we support each other when we fail. To make the most of the ultimate sacrifice we must be the ultimate versions of ourselves. I know I fall far short of this on every occasion, but I am going to try to keep getting better and keep using HIS example as my own. It is my belief and my hope that anyone reading this will do the same and try to make this world a better place.
God's peace and love be with you,
Noland
As Christians we typically spend this day in prayer and fasting while thinking about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. The true horrors that Jesus suffered as a way to save us are documented well in the bible and put into a visual aspect for us on the screen in movies such as The Passion of The Christ. These images allow us to see what Jesus really did for us and all he went through, but the big takeaway is that he died so that we might be saved. So let's make it mean as much as possible.
Jesus died to save us right?
He died to conquer sin and death. He died to give us eternal life. So since he made such a big sacrifice that we might be saved, we should make small sacrifices to help others. Live our lives everyday in order to lead people to his church. Lead by our actions and by doing the right thing as much as humanly possible. Try our best to give up our vices so that other people might see and be drawn to his message. Make our Christian identity our top identity. Make it so if they started throwing people in jail for Christianity that they would have enough evidence to convict all of us. Our primary goal must be to glorify God and to be drawn closer to him. We can glorify him and lead others to him if we try our best to do the right thing. If we do not judge others actions and if we support each other when we fail. To make the most of the ultimate sacrifice we must be the ultimate versions of ourselves. I know I fall far short of this on every occasion, but I am going to try to keep getting better and keep using HIS example as my own. It is my belief and my hope that anyone reading this will do the same and try to make this world a better place.
God's peace and love be with you,
Noland
Sunday, March 29, 2015
That Time We Had A Lazy Weekend...
Typically our family is go-go-go. We like to have fun and spend lots of family time at least every weekend. Whether it be a trip to the zoo, Disney, or something else, we like these crazy outings. However, this weekend we have just wanted time to ourselves, time to unwind, and time to RELAX. With my team's track season ending this seemed to be the weekend to do it and just lay around doing nothing just like the Bruno Mars song...Lazy Song
Now, we did not just do nothing all weekend and lay in our PJs. My family still went to church, still went to get groceries, and made a stop at the Catholic Store in Tampa. However, we didn't have some all day event and just chose to stay home for this one weekend. Sometimes, we all need these kinds of weekends. Sometimes, we just need to recharge our batteries and that is what my family has done this weekend. It is important to have these types of weekends from time to time especially with a lovely pregnant wife who can use the rest.
This weekend is also just another chance to reflect and realize how blessed we are. I am blessed. My family is blessed and you are blessed. We are blessed with life, with nature, with wonderful people. Sometimes it seems like some of us are more blessed than others. Circumstances dictate that we all have different challenges and obstacles, but it's how we embrace them that dictates how things will go. It is taking the time to recharge and reflect that we are able to really put things into perspective. These are the moments that allow us to be thankful. To appreciate the times and the people in our life that make them so great. I thank God for all the things that he has put in my life and embrace the challenges that the future brings. Judging by our past, the future for my family looks bright. Trusting in God and his plan will make it all the brighter.
In the future weekends, I will try my best to remember this reflection and try to embrace everything. It is important to stay on the positive train and look at opportunities for the potential happiness that they possess. One quote I remembered this weekend that I absolutely love is from the original first lady Martha Washington...
"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances." -Martha Washington
Of course sometimes its easy to keep a positive disposition especially with this little guy around....
Try to keep that positive disposition at all times. It is near impossible with the business of life, but just remember. There is someone somewhere that unconditionally loves you as well. Try to remember these people. If you cannot believe that, you can hopefully believe that Jesus is always there for you and will always love you no matter what. Happy Holy Week people!
-Noland
Now, we did not just do nothing all weekend and lay in our PJs. My family still went to church, still went to get groceries, and made a stop at the Catholic Store in Tampa. However, we didn't have some all day event and just chose to stay home for this one weekend. Sometimes, we all need these kinds of weekends. Sometimes, we just need to recharge our batteries and that is what my family has done this weekend. It is important to have these types of weekends from time to time especially with a lovely pregnant wife who can use the rest.
This weekend is also just another chance to reflect and realize how blessed we are. I am blessed. My family is blessed and you are blessed. We are blessed with life, with nature, with wonderful people. Sometimes it seems like some of us are more blessed than others. Circumstances dictate that we all have different challenges and obstacles, but it's how we embrace them that dictates how things will go. It is taking the time to recharge and reflect that we are able to really put things into perspective. These are the moments that allow us to be thankful. To appreciate the times and the people in our life that make them so great. I thank God for all the things that he has put in my life and embrace the challenges that the future brings. Judging by our past, the future for my family looks bright. Trusting in God and his plan will make it all the brighter.
In the future weekends, I will try my best to remember this reflection and try to embrace everything. It is important to stay on the positive train and look at opportunities for the potential happiness that they possess. One quote I remembered this weekend that I absolutely love is from the original first lady Martha Washington...
"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances." -Martha Washington
Of course sometimes its easy to keep a positive disposition especially with this little guy around....
Try to keep that positive disposition at all times. It is near impossible with the business of life, but just remember. There is someone somewhere that unconditionally loves you as well. Try to remember these people. If you cannot believe that, you can hopefully believe that Jesus is always there for you and will always love you no matter what. Happy Holy Week people!
-Noland
Friday, March 20, 2015
ZooZoo Review Zoo Ratings So Far
On Tuesday, I announced that ZooZooReview would be moving from Blogspot over to this blog. This site is where we have reviewed zoos all across the United States, but mostly in Florida. To catch you up with what you have missed, this post is to inform you of our best and worst zoos so far.
Today, we will take a look back at what we have rated each zoo so you can see how many elephants each of the zoos we have reviewed has received. For each zoo we use a rating scale from 0 to 5 elephants with 5 being the best. We have seen some awesome zoos and some zoos that are not so great. Here are the ratings.
O Elephants
The Seas @ Epcot - Lake Buena Vista, FL
0.5 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Ratings
1 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Rating
1.5 Elephants
Clearwater Marine Aquarium - Clearwater, FL
2 Elephants
Leesburg Animal Farm - Leesburg, VA
Mote Marine Laboratory - Sarasota, FL
South Carolina Aquarium - Charleston, SC
Tallahassee Museum - Tallahassee, FL
Tarpon Springs Aquarium - Tarpon Springs, FL
Wakulla Springs - Wakulla, FL
2.5 Elephants
Gulfworld Marine Park - Panama City Beach, FL
3 Elephants
Florida Aquarium - Tampa, FL (will be higher upon update which is coming soon)
Gatorland Zoo - Orlando, FL
Royal Gorge - Canyon City, CO
Sea World Orlando - Orlando, FL
Wild Adventures - Valdosta, GA
Zoo America - Hershey, PA
3.5 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Rating
4 Elephants
Montgomery Zoo - Montgomery, AL (Guest Post)
National Aquarium - Baltimore, MD
4.5 Elephants
National Zoo - Washington DC
Reston Zoo - Reston, VA (Zoo Controversy)
5 Elephants
Busch Gardens - Tampa, FL
Disney's Animal Kingdom - Lake Buena Vista, FL
Jacksonville Zoo - Jacksonville, FL
Lowry Park Zoo - Tampa, FL
Maryland Zoo - Baltimore, MD
Zoo Atlanta - Atlanta, GA
Any zoo at or above a 3 rating is one which we would visit again. The zoos below 3 we will probably not be going back to unless we are starving for something to do. We would check out someplace new instead of going back to those zoos.
Looking at our ratings you can see that we absolutely loved 6 zoos and those zoos got 5 elephant ratings. We will go back to each of those zoos someday. Two zoos got 4.5 ratings and were really good, but one of those zoos has had some controversy and we won't be returning. We will likely visit the 4 elephant zoos again. There were also six 3 elephant zoos which we will likely go back to. There are 6 2 elephant zoos that were okay. We rated only two zoos below a two so far and one was the Seas at Epcot, only because it is a ripoff solely for the zoo. However, since it is a part of Disney and we will likely have passes again at some point, we will be back there. Look forward to many other exciting ratings to come this year and beyond.
In the coming weeks look for Sarasota Jungle Gardens, The Brevard Zoo, The Central Florida Zoo, ZooWorld, and an update of the Florida Aquarium.
-Noland
Today, we will take a look back at what we have rated each zoo so you can see how many elephants each of the zoos we have reviewed has received. For each zoo we use a rating scale from 0 to 5 elephants with 5 being the best. We have seen some awesome zoos and some zoos that are not so great. Here are the ratings.
O Elephants
The Seas @ Epcot - Lake Buena Vista, FL
0.5 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Ratings
1 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Rating
1.5 Elephants
Clearwater Marine Aquarium - Clearwater, FL
2 Elephants
Leesburg Animal Farm - Leesburg, VA
Mote Marine Laboratory - Sarasota, FL
South Carolina Aquarium - Charleston, SC
Tallahassee Museum - Tallahassee, FL
Tarpon Springs Aquarium - Tarpon Springs, FL
Wakulla Springs - Wakulla, FL
2.5 Elephants
Gulfworld Marine Park - Panama City Beach, FL
3 Elephants
Florida Aquarium - Tampa, FL (will be higher upon update which is coming soon)
Gatorland Zoo - Orlando, FL
Royal Gorge - Canyon City, CO
Sea World Orlando - Orlando, FL
Wild Adventures - Valdosta, GA
Zoo America - Hershey, PA
3.5 Elephants
No Zoos @ This Rating
4 Elephants
Montgomery Zoo - Montgomery, AL (Guest Post)
National Aquarium - Baltimore, MD
4.5 Elephants
National Zoo - Washington DC
Reston Zoo - Reston, VA (Zoo Controversy)
5 Elephants
Busch Gardens - Tampa, FL
Disney's Animal Kingdom - Lake Buena Vista, FL
Jacksonville Zoo - Jacksonville, FL
Lowry Park Zoo - Tampa, FL
Maryland Zoo - Baltimore, MD
Zoo Atlanta - Atlanta, GA
Any zoo at or above a 3 rating is one which we would visit again. The zoos below 3 we will probably not be going back to unless we are starving for something to do. We would check out someplace new instead of going back to those zoos.
Looking at our ratings you can see that we absolutely loved 6 zoos and those zoos got 5 elephant ratings. We will go back to each of those zoos someday. Two zoos got 4.5 ratings and were really good, but one of those zoos has had some controversy and we won't be returning. We will likely visit the 4 elephant zoos again. There were also six 3 elephant zoos which we will likely go back to. There are 6 2 elephant zoos that were okay. We rated only two zoos below a two so far and one was the Seas at Epcot, only because it is a ripoff solely for the zoo. However, since it is a part of Disney and we will likely have passes again at some point, we will be back there. Look forward to many other exciting ratings to come this year and beyond.
In the coming weeks look for Sarasota Jungle Gardens, The Brevard Zoo, The Central Florida Zoo, ZooWorld, and an update of the Florida Aquarium.
-Noland
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Busy Busy Busy
In life we have all become very busy. That is no different in our family than in yours. Despite my two-week spring break (yes two weeks, go year round school!) I have still found myself to be quite busy lately. With a pregnant wife, a wild two year old, teaching, and coaching full time, it is pretty tough to find extra time for the little things in life. It is important to stay busy, but to also make time for everything that you need to get done. We have stayed busy, but no more than normal I don't think. We have made plans during spring break that have taken up all of our time, including the time I normally spend on the blog in the morning. Actually, I have been sleeping later by about an hour during spring break and haven't been as active on the blogs. However, I found some time today and Jenna and I wanted to announce some changes coming soon to This Little Light.
Since this blog is largely about our family life and some tips that our family has for others, it will be moving more and more towards that theme. We will be posting more pics of our family and talk more about our adventures to Disney and other places. Those other places include of course the zoo! With a little one that's favorite place is the zoo, it seems natural to move those posts over to this blog. It seemed silly to keep up two separate blogs that go over the same thing. Therefore, over the next few weeks, we will be moving all of our ZooZooReview blogs over to this blog. It will help us post more regularly and post about more new and exciting things. We have visited several zoos in Florida over the past few weeks and cannot wait to share. This spring break alone we visited ZooWorld in Panama City and the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford. We also plan on visiting Lowry Park again at least once. Hopefully, by Friday the posts will be moved over here so you can get a feel for how our zoo reviews go. If this task is not done by Friday, the posts will still be moved in the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Life has stayed busy during spring break, but that is partially necessary so that it was able to stay fun. There always needs to be times for those fun and awesome moments (some of which were captured below). There always will be time for these moments with our family and we look forward to sharing the moments with you.
From our family to yours, we hope that you enjoy the changes and are having a wonderful week. We also would like to wish you a Happy Saint Patrick's Day and God bless!
At Spring Training Game @ Wide World Of Sports
Playground @ ZooWorld
Getting Ready For A Spring Break Trip
Excited @ The Brevard Zoo
Sometimes You Got To Make Your Own Dinosaur Train
Kisses For Me While I Was @ A Track Meet
Family Fun Day @ Sarasota Jungle Gardens
Raising Him Right With The Noles
Fun With Cousins
More Fun With Cousins
-Noland
Since this blog is largely about our family life and some tips that our family has for others, it will be moving more and more towards that theme. We will be posting more pics of our family and talk more about our adventures to Disney and other places. Those other places include of course the zoo! With a little one that's favorite place is the zoo, it seems natural to move those posts over to this blog. It seemed silly to keep up two separate blogs that go over the same thing. Therefore, over the next few weeks, we will be moving all of our ZooZooReview blogs over to this blog. It will help us post more regularly and post about more new and exciting things. We have visited several zoos in Florida over the past few weeks and cannot wait to share. This spring break alone we visited ZooWorld in Panama City and the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford. We also plan on visiting Lowry Park again at least once. Hopefully, by Friday the posts will be moved over here so you can get a feel for how our zoo reviews go. If this task is not done by Friday, the posts will still be moved in the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Life has stayed busy during spring break, but that is partially necessary so that it was able to stay fun. There always needs to be times for those fun and awesome moments (some of which were captured below). There always will be time for these moments with our family and we look forward to sharing the moments with you.
From our family to yours, we hope that you enjoy the changes and are having a wonderful week. We also would like to wish you a Happy Saint Patrick's Day and God bless!
At Spring Training Game @ Wide World Of Sports
Playground @ ZooWorld
Getting Ready For A Spring Break Trip
Excited @ The Brevard Zoo
Sometimes You Got To Make Your Own Dinosaur Train
Kisses For Me While I Was @ A Track Meet
Family Fun Day @ Sarasota Jungle Gardens
Raising Him Right With The Noles
Fun With Cousins
More Fun With Cousins
-Noland
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)