Everything IS bigger in Texas!

The other day I was doing some research and I came across a interesting fact. The largest movie theater in the United States is in Mesquite, TX, which is a suburb of Dallas. The theater has 30 screens and seats 6,092 people! To put that in perspective, the island of Grand Turk has a population of about 4,000 people. The entire island could fit plus the passengers of a cruise ship! I was intrigued, so I went to do some more research. Apparently we really like movies in the Dallas area because there is another 30 seat theater in Grapevine, another suburb of Dallas. Both of these theaters are owned by AMC. The first stadium theater that they built was in Dallas. I really like to go to the movies, but it has gotten so expensive! It used to be just New York City that had outrageous prices. At least we can get a discount here for going in the middle of the day. Of course since I am home with my niece now, I have only seen kids movies recently. We saw the Princess and the Frog the other day, which I think is now my favorite Disney Princess movie. Maybe I will go to this HUGE movie theater soon and give you a review.

Missing the Turks and Caicos

I really miss Grand Turk and all my friends there. Since I haven't posted all of the almost 500 pictures I took, I thought I would post a few more. Enjoy!



The beach!

A beautiful sunset.

A view of Grand Turk from the tiny airplane I took to Provo.

Dallas Observations

Since I have been back in Dallas for more than a month now, I have made a few observations. Things have changed since lived here seven years ago. I have been back in those seven years, but this is the longest stretch. First, traffic is still bad. I thought all the highway improvements and the Dart Light Rail would help. Of course, I heard that over 5,000 people move to the DFW area everyday! Next, more people are taking the Dart Light Rail, but not enough. I would take it everywhere if I could. More people should take it. Third, despite the economy, Dallasites still like to shop. I have been to the mall a couple of times and had a really hard time finding a parking spot. (Please note, I have only been exchanging stuff!). I am sure will notice more things that have changed the longer I am here.

Reading in the 21st Century

For the last year or so, I have been dying for a Kindle. For those of you still in the 20th century, this is a ebook reader sold by Amazon. I have been hesitant to buy one for several reasons: lack of money, I don't like being the first one to try something new, and I couldn't check out library books on it. Now Barnes and Noble has come out with their own ebook reader, the Nook. It came out while I was living in Grand Turk, so I didn't get to go look at one till I got back, but I already liked what I was reading about it. The Nook has a touchscreen, a larger collection of books to download, ability to check out ebooks from the library, lend feature, and a microSD slot to increase memory. Being that I still have no money I didn't think I was going to get one, but the winds of fortune have turned to my favor and I ordered one last night. It is expected to ship on February 1. Now the waiting begins.

Back in the States

My time in the TCI is over. I miss it more than I thought I would. My time there was great in so many ways. I learned about the history and culture of a foreign country. I met lots of new friends. I started doing yoga! My life was very unstressed. I was ready for bed at 9:30 every night because of the lack of stress. I came home with a decent tan. I can't wait to go back.