Happy 2016!

I went to bed on New Year’s Eve at 9:30.  I had company.

 

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Powder knew I was going to make her move from her spot so I could get into bed. She was snubbing me.

On New Year’s Day I watched the Outback Bowl and saw my Tennessee Volunteers win in acrobatic fashion.

My gnomes and dog are watching the Outback Bowl #GOVOLS

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Percival and Esmerelda were excited about the game too.

I’ve been holding off on starting several books in order to use them for 2016 reading challenges. Now I’m able to start these. (I had to explain to the husband a few days ago that I couldn’t finish any books because I had already finished my end of year graphics. Oh, the problems of a book blogger.)

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Now, blog folks, I have a problem.  In a few weeks I’m heading to Florida for a conference.  The husband and Z are coming with me to visit family and to go to a few parks.  Z is autistic and her obsession is Disney.  For example, she spent dinner time with my parents on New Year’s watching her iPod touch for updates on wait times in lines in real time at Disney.  That’s the level of obsessed we are talking.  She decided a few months ago that she would like to go to Universal for the first time on this trip.  We were proud that she was willing to try something new.

You know that I love me some Harry Potter at Universal.  I agreed to go with them.  I mentioned that maybe Z should watch at least the first Harry Potter movie before we go so she would have some understanding of what she was going to see at the park.

All Hell Broke Loose Last Night

She freaked.  She started screaming that it was too scary and that it was a boy thing.  She believes in very strict gender separations.  If she labels something a boy thing (male vocalist on a song, boy in the preview for a movie, a boy she knows likes something, etc.), she will have nothing to do with it.  Yes, I tried to explain about Ms. Granger.

I told her that if we went to Universal, a lot of time would be spent in Harry Potter world.  If she honestly felt that she couldn’t handle it, then maybe she wasn’t ready for this park and we shouldn’t waste our money.  If you’ve been there you know that the amazing Hogwarts ride immerses you in a Harry Potter movie and there is that fire breathing dragon on top of Gringots.

At this point, dear readers, the child started speaking blasphemy.  She stood in my living room and yelled,

NO ONE CARES ABOUT STUPID HARRY POTTER!

I know!  I couldn’t believe it either.  I fully expected Voldemort to arise from the back of her head.

For the record, she is 12 but very immature for her age.  If she is at a place that she finds scary she has a habit of approaching random strangers and yelling, “I’m not afraid of you” in their faces.  I’m pretty confident in saying that if she is unable to make herself watch the first movie, then a trip to Universal is off the table.  The husband is so sad though.  He’s never been and was really looking forward to going.  Me paying for tickets were part of his Christmas presents.  (I haven’t bought them yet so we aren’t out any money yet.)

Any other ideas?