I think I had actually worn Paula out, because she was fairly quiet, given what Paula had been doing. This is actually a true fact, that people with TS tic less when they are tired. This is actually a coping mechanism used by the "World's Strongest Librarian" Josh Hanagarne. (Nice guy- interesting book) He would go to the gym and exhaust himself just to placate his tics.

So keep this in mind if I'm not posting often, I'm probably just exhausted from all my running around that Paula decided to be respectful and give me a break. She's thoughtful that way...

Disney Day 2

So Day Two actually took place in California Adventure. Still a Disney Park though. Which is why Paula was still excited that she sang on the tram from the parking lot to the park. Her song of choice? "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!" However, once we entered the park, she changed her tune to the Star Wars theme. The group next to us laughed and thought it was quite appropriate.

Photo Taken by Kimber Kruger

We started the day at the back of the park and worked our way forward, so we started at the Midway Games, playing a shooting game. Paula was enthusiastic about this, screaming, "Pew! Pew! Pew!" on occasion as we played. Her enthusiasm must have been what gave me the high score. Even higher than my dad, who has spent his entire life hunting and shooting guns. Go me!

Best in Vehicle. Boom!

Apparently, someone thought Kimber and I were the targets..

She was pretty quiet the rest of the day. I was starting to wear her out I think. She only came out when provoked. Like when Kimber tried to poke my nose. Paula screamed, causing Kimber to shriek as well. Good news, my nose was not poked! Thanks, Paula!

Disney Day 1

After Paula's initial excitement, I knew we were in for a good day! One of the perks of going with my parents is that my mom had recently had surgery and was still in a boot. We had to get her a wheelchair since walking the parking lot alone just about had her done for the day. On the upside, it's like its own FastPass and we went on SO many rides. Paula quite obviously enjoyed that aspect, since she mimicked just about every ride we went on.

Halloween Haunted Mansion

First, she sang along to one of the songs on Splash Mountain. After we left the Haunted Mansion, out came her ghost noise. I'm fairly certain Indiana Jones was her favorite ride since she not only did this theme song after we got off but several times throughout the day. She obviously wanted to go back for round two.

Pirates of the Caribean might have been another favorite. Most of the noises and sing-alongs happened after we got off the ride, with the exception of Pirates. This one she sang along while ON the ride. The Jungle Cruise she mimicked the gunshots, and our tour guide wasn't quite sure how to handle me.

She even screamed, "WEEEEEEEEEEEE," after Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed that one as well.

Rose Tavern had great details! LOVED this window!

She didn't stop there either. During lunch, we went to the Rose Tavern. The food was amazing, and for reals, try the grey stuff. Delicious is an understatement! I am still craving it! As soon as I got up to place my order, Paula went off nice and loud. The poor girl taking the order sat up nice and straight. She let us know she was awake, despite how tired she looked before. Paula just wanted to help, I'm sure.

I want more!

To top off the day, I got to meet Moana. I'm such a fan of this movie and of this character, and Paula couldn't contain her excitement any more than I could! While standing in line, she serenaded the rest of the crowd. One lady even commented how appropriate that was and that I must be there to get everyone excited to meet Moana. Not quite, but I'll take it!

IT CALLLLLS ME!

Paula's Birthday!

I have officially declared September 21st to be Paula's birthday. Mostly because it is my half-birthday and she has commandeered half of my brain. Actual statistics may vary, but you get the idea. I have no record of exactly when I started ticcing or when I was diagnosed so this is as close as I get. And this way I get to celebrate every six months! I'm okay with this...

For her first "official" birthday, Paula and I took a trip down to California to Disneyland, along with my dear friend Kimber. Kimber and Paula get along quite well and they had a blast chatting it up on the long drive. We left on Tuesday, the 19th. To break up the trip, we stopped at a natural hot spring just outside of a small town called Meadow. Paula was a little shy, but after talking about her a bit, she popped up to say hi.

Natural hot springs were amazing! Photo Credit: Kimber Kruger

After stopping by my parent's house, we continued the adventure as a foursome. We went to Disneyland for two days, starting on the 21st. I don't know if Paula just loved her birthday, or if she loves Disney that much, but upon reaching the entrance- before she even got inside!- she gave a loud Mickey Mouse yell of, "Oh boy!" She sounded just like him! Yup, you should be excited as the stories come. I'm going to post them a few at a time, so you know I am still alive and working on them!

The Disney crew- Day 1

So Much Time!

So I have a new part-time job. I'm working at a Gymnastics Academy researching for a character I want to write. I am learning a lot, and the coaches are great. One coach, Carly, was working on a routine, but she has about twenty seconds that she isn't sure what to do with and was stressed about it. "It's just so much time!"

Well, Paula and her sassy self, had to put in her two cents. This is Paula, after all. She spoke up, and at first, Carly thought she had agreed with her. "Right? It's SO much time Paula!"

Well, Paula then had to up her game... She let out a few more yells, before saying, "Nuh-uh, nuh-uh, nope, nope, nope!" Let's just rub it in there, shall we? Then Carly proceeded to yell at her, "No it IS!" At least until none of us could breathe for laughing so hard...

Homesickness

Once upon a time, I used to live in Hawaii. I was there for about 5 years and I miss it terribly. I do love Salt Lake City, but it's not Hawaii. Anything related to the islands can instantly take me back and makes me so happy. Take for example, the luau I attended today. It was an end of summer party, but they went full out and it was legit.

They roasted a pig, they had Polynesian dancers, and they had GUAVA CAKE! I about died of happiness! I was so tempted to jump up and dance several of the numbers with the performers, but I did at least let out a few loud "CHEEE HOO's!" in support. In fact, so did Paula. She misses it as much as I do. It's like her people were calling to her and she simply responded.

It's good to know Paula and I agree on at least a few things. Anything island-y being on that (short) list!

What a Chicken!

My little scaredy cat is sure fun sometimes! It's funny to me, mostly because I'm not a jumpy person. Apparently, Paula is though. My friends can attest that I am not normally a jumpy person. I do get scared, but I freeze, rather than give the reaction that they would like to see when scaring someone. Maybe Paula just felt bad for all their hard work...

The other day, I was walking past the air conditioning unit as it clicked on. I didn't have much time to react before Paula let out a nice loud scream.

The chicken!

For the Dogs

Paula really likes animals. They have reactions as good as children. Besides which, half the time she sounds like one, so she blends right in. Just a little bit of background for you, I come from a small farming community. While my parents are not farmers, we do have chickens and turkeys in our backyard.

One day at home, I was taking a load of laundry to hang out on the clothes line. My parents Dashund, Toby, loves to "help" when going out into the backyard. He gets excited and stands right in front of the door.

Now, if you didn't know, turkeys can be really loud. And living with them, Toby isn't really fazed by them at all. So when the turkeys called out, it wasn't a big deal. But when Paula imitated the noise, he suddenly decided to get out of the way so I could open the door.

What ever works I guess!