Best and Worst of 2014

A mix of the important, the personal, and the fluff related to entertainment-

The Worst: 

• The killing of young black men all over America, both by the police and by black on black violence
• Young black men (and all people) choosing to break the law, placing themselves in the position of having to encounter police
• Meryl Streep's ridiculous swipe at Walt Disney
• Losing my job
• The continued move of American business operations to overseas locations at the cost of jobs for our citizens
• Disney's continued characterization of Epcot. Losing Norway to Frozen
• Maroon 5's latest album
• Lame plans for Disneyland's 60th Anniversary
• Middle Eastern thugs terrorizing the nations and beheading innocent civilians
• Joel Osteen and his brand of "Christian" wealth and prosperity doctrine. Sure worked for Jesus and certainly works for most of the Christians suffering all over the world- yeah, right!
• Americas continued reliance on abortion as birth control
• Hollywood's seeming emphasis on dumb, over the top, sex fueled entertainment
• Continued genocide all over the world
• The state of disrepair at Disneyland Paris
• High prices for cars and high fees to use public transportation
• Texting when a conversation deserves face to face communication
• The continued high price of airline tickets
• Frontier Airlines' website
• Too many reality television shows
• Remaking Disney animation classics into Live Action films
• Over the top greed in the business world. CEO salaries out of control
• When friends disappoint and show their true colors
• No Friends movie in the future
• Thugs posing as athletes in professional sports
• Sports leadership making excuses for such behavior and being slow to respond appropriately
• "Naked" television
• Excessive awards shows on television
• Putin's moves toward a new Soviet Union
• The new Polynesian Village Resort Lobby at Disney World
• The number of broken effects at Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland and all over the park in places you'd never expect
• The high cost of health insurance and the mess of Obamacare. When will our government understand its never better or cheap to add even government layers of oversight to a social service?
• News stations that interpret the news versus delivering it
• Kim Kardashian's exposed butt. Niki Minaj's too. Should I add Miley Cyrus' self-degradation to this list?
• Musical artists that have to swear and use highly crude sexual language to sell their music
• Parents not disciplining their kids in public and giving into their every whim
• Big Hero 6 not being the breakout hit it deserves to be
• Suits at Disney refusing to give Frozen an E Ticket attraction in the Magic Kingdom where it belongs
• The price of Disney one day park hopper tickets
• The legalization of marijuana in Colorado
• School shootings continue on
• The infiltration of humanism in the Christian church 
• The devolution of Epcot
• Fewer Caribou Coffee locations
• The French air traffic controllers strike during our vacation
• The lack of an Avengers film this year
• Having to book attraction and meal times far in advance at the Florida Disney parks
• No new original, non-IP based attractions at the Disney parks
• A wet and green summer
• Losing Shakira on The Voice
• Seeing friends lose their children and their parents
• Not enough time to give this blog the attention it deserves
• Shoddy concept art by Disney for new additions
• Disney's focus on more retail and restaurants than creating groundbreaking attractions in its parks
• The overall dumbing down of America by bringing culture to the lowest common denominator

The Best:

• Everyday heroes serving in their communities
• The announcement of Incredibles 2
• More grandchildren
• Cleaner air
• Films that value family, such as the Thousand Foot Journey
• The addition of Ratatouille to Disney Studios Paris
• The return of old school R&B music
• The continued excellent maintenance of the exterior of the show buildings at Disneyland
• A hot cup of coffee and a quiet morning to read and pray
• Picking apples with my grandsons
• The transformation of California Adventure and the hope of the suits finishing the job in the original areas of the park
• The new and overdue investment into the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Adam Levine and Blake Shelton bromance on The Voice
• Watching my son in law get baptized
• Alain Littaye and the Disney and More website
• God's continued faithfulness even when I do not understand what He allows
• The excellent refurbishment of Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• A trip to Switzerland- almost free
• A supportive wife and family
• Having more than enough to be able to give to others
• Tim Tebow on Good Morning America. A great match of human interest stories and good-hearted host.
• A new job
• Seeing Christians boldly live out their beliefs by following Jesus at all costs
• Longer movie previews
• Finding personal joy and fulfillment even while making less money
• Chipotle and their barbacoa tacos
• Better treatment of immigrants
• Lower gasoline prices
• Aging gracefully and without plastic surgery
• Rumer and Harriet making new music
• The overall good sportsmanship at the World Cup
• Old albums finally coming to compact disc
• The generosity of friends and family at unexpected times
• Removal of the Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• George Benson
• Watching our favorite local Chinese restaurant survive the economic downturn
• Visiting our son, daughter in law and grandson in Kansas City during game six of the World Series
• Universal's new Harry Potter attractions and the transformation of both the Studios and Islands of Adventure
• Having four living parents, especially as we are grandparents ourselves
• Walking along the beach in Laguna
• Praying for physical headings that would take God doing a miracle- and seeing it happen
• The forums at A&M Corner and WDW Magic
• H&M comes to Denver
• The return of Downton Abbey
• A night of Ticket to Ride with family and friends
• Great Reads by David Platt and Francis Chan
• Five Guys' french fries
• The new Union Station in Downtown Denver
• Discovering great BBQ in Orange County
• Finding new friends when you least expect it
• The upcoming details for the remake of Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Having faithful and wonderful readers of this blog!
• ...and so much more