More Fun Than You Think

While sitting in the hallway Sunday after Sunday we Primary Secretaries got to know each other pretty good. We realized that we had a lot in common. We love food. Love to cook it, love to eat it, love to eat out. In addition to that we discovered that we both have an extreme love for Disneyland. We talked about it constantly.  We entertained the idea of one day going together, just as couples, without the kids.  She has some pretty sweet hook ups.  Well, that idea became a reality.  Those of you who know us, also know that Brent loves Disneyland as well.  He probably loves it even more then I do.  I planted the seed into his head, I only had to water it a little bit and a date was set.   Of course Fall is my favorite time to visit Disneyland, but I was willing to compromise and agreed on early Spring.

Flowers outside of California Adventure

Danniey and I waiting just outside

 

 We had to wait for her friend to let us in. 

Waiting that first day was the longest of my Disneyland life. 

Waiting to go on Soaring

I know I'm getting old when this ride gave me vertigo.  

I had to quickly take some dramamine so I could enjoy the rest of the day.

  

On the Little Mermaid Ride

We rode it just once just for Grace

We Watched a fun 4-D preview of Oz, The Great and Powerful

The second day we started out at Disneyland.  As we entered the park there was the horse drawn carriage waiting for passengers.  Danniey asked if we wanted to hop on.  I'd never ridden it and so I quickly agreed.  We were meeting Brent in front of Tomorrowland.   Don't make fun of the next photo.  I'd never seen Disneyland from this perspective and I just had to capture it.  It was so fun to see Sleeping Beauty's Castle over the lovely horse.

Mini waving right at me

As we were waiting for the carriage to pull forward, Mini walked by.

I snapped this photo from inside.  

I love it when moments like this happen organically in the Park.  

So Magical and FUN!!

  

Storm Troopers!!

The only characters we got our phtos taken with.  

Another moment that just happened.

Making another magical moment.  

Yes, I am full of cheese right now.  But I don't care.

  

Star Tours

We rode Star Tours the second most times.  

We went to all the planets.  

Our last day,  there were two planets we had yet to visit.  

On our very last time riding, we visited both of them.  

AWESOME!!

    

Splash Mountain

I'd never seen splash mountain from this point before. 

It's never been busy enough for me to go up the path. 

One of my favorite moments happened at Splash Mountain.

We all tricked Tyler and stood just so in the que to make him sit in the front.

I never laughed so hard on that ride.  

Especially when the waves came up over his head and soaked his back. 

Spring was Pretty in Disneyland

The Blue Bayou

Brent and I always said that if we were ever to go to Disneyland by ourselves we would eat at the Blue Bayou.  I'd read some things online that said the food wasn't that great, but the atmosphere was worth it.  Well, they were right.  The food wasn't that great, and the atmosphere would have been grand if they actually sat us further into the seating area, closer to the Pirate's Ride. It was so disappointing to be seated right behind the check in desk.  Our server was kind and did a great job keeping my diet coke filled.  And let me tell you, the coke never tasted better! Brent and I had the Monte Cristo.  They've been serving that sandwich since 1966.  I'm not sure how's it's survived that long.  Being battered and deep fried did a number on both Brent and me.  More Brent.  Poor fellow.  It's a good thing he knew just where every single bathroom is located in the Park. Cuz he needed a lot of them.  I'm glad we ate here on our last night so Brent only missed out on the last hour of our trip.

Danniey took this great photo of us seated right inside the restaurant.

CARS LAND!

Tyler, Danniey, Moi and Brent

Danniey and Tyler were super great traveling companions.  So easy going and willing to do anything we suggested.  And at times we seperated and did our own things and then met back up together again.  They are funny and full of youthful energy.  We both had been there plenty of times that we knew how to work the park to perfection.  Never wasting anytime and just having the best time ever.  

We ended up riding Radiator Racers about 8 times.  

Danniey was a fast friend.  I teared up a few times on this trip.  Once in the car and once standing in line to get some dinner.  She told us as we were just leaving Utah that Tyler accepted a job in AZ and they would be gone by the end of April.  Even though we've only been good friends for about a year, it hurts to see her go.   She came into my life when I was quite lonely and needed someone to fill a friendship void.  I'm so glad we were able to share in some of our favorite things that brought us close together. 

Halfway through the first day Brent commented on how it's just not the same without the kids.  And I was like, "Ya it's not the same without the kids."  When asked which I prefer, with or without the kids.  I had to plead the 5th.  They are two different experiences and both are fun.  I would go back to Disneyland with just my sweetheart in an instant.  And after we left, I ached to go back with my children.  There really is no happier place on Earth.

Just the two of Us.

If you were to ask us if we were  there celebrating anything special, I'd have to say our 17th Wedding Anniversary that is coming up in a few weeks.  I still can't believe that it's been 17 years.  I know it's going to sound so silly and major cheesy, but I fall in love with this man more and more every single day.  Every day he gets better looking.  I relish these times that we get to spend with just the two of us.  It reminds me how much I love him.  His sense of humor, his common sense about almost everything, his desire to be good, his desire to care for me and our ever growing family, and his desire to have fun and make memories.  Life isn't always peaches and cream with us.  It takes a lot of hard work, love and a lot of forgiveness to keep a marriage going. I am so grateful for my marriage.  Even though we aren't perfect, we are good together and for each other.

Going to Disneyland without kids was more fun then I even imagined it to be.

My Sis...

Last week my sister celebrated her birthday. She flew me out to Virginia to be with her and her little family.  Her husband is currently in Afghanistan.  This time will be the longest duration apart from each other.  I went out to break up that time and be some what of a help to her.  This trip was my longest to date.  She needed it, and I needed it more then I realized.

Jessica is one of the most kind, generous and loving person I know.  Her laughter is contagious, her sound effects spectacular, sense of humor superb, and her mothering skills are effortless.   I love being with her and makes me sad that we are so far apart from each other.  On one of the last days of my trip Jessica mentioned how when we get together one of her favorite things that we do is to go to Target and cook good food.  Its the ordinary every day life stuff that we miss out on, and miss the most. 

My departure was bitter sweet.  I was excited to be going home to my own family, but ached to stay with my sister and her children that I quickly grew to love and adore.  My emotions got the best of me and I could not hold back the tears.  I will miss my sister and her sweet family.  I am grateful for technology that keeps us closely connected. 

More stories and photos to come.


I came across this photo today.  I LOVE it! 

Just the Two of Us

This past weekend Brent and I took an Epic trip to Disneyland without the kids! I know, many of you might thing we're crazy to go to such a place as a couple.  But people, I'm telling you it was stinking fun!  I am so grateful I had the opportunity to go with Brent, the love of my life.    More photos and tales to come. 

Gosh we're cute together!!

And then they were 12

MY TWIN GIRLS TURNED TWELVE!!! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I now have 3 girls in Young Womens. The other day I pulled out an old school scrap book and found photos of these girls as babies. Man those were some crazy, robot mom days. When Isabel and Annika were born Jaren was just 3 years old and Hannah was only 20 months. 3 babies in diapers and one just barely potty trained. My sport mini-van was filled to the brim with car seats. All I did every day, day after day, was fix breakfast, clean up breakfast, change diapers, put down for nap, make lunch, clean up lunch, change more diapers, put down for another nap, fix dinner, maybe get dinner cleaned up, maybe not. By the time night time came around I was one run down robot Mom.  And look,  we've made it this far. And they are some fantastic 12 year olds.

My kids get birthday parties when they turn 8, 12, and 16.  Ya, I'm not a huge fan of parties.   So this was a big one for them.  I found some inspiration on Pinterest and came up with a Peacock themed party.  I presented the idea to the girls and they loved it.  Here's how it all came together:

Instead of Cake, CUPCAKES!

I had so much fun coloring the batter and the frosting.  The cake was either green or purple, and the frosting was a brilliant purple or turquoise with green eatable pearls.  The girls got so excited. 

What's a party without flowers?

I was at Costco and came across these deep purple tulips.  The color matched our theme perfectly.  And we needed some bright, cheery flowers to lighten up our table. 
In the background, can you see the ceiling?  

The Photo Booth

Look how adorable they are!!

Before everyone arrived I took the time to take a few shots of the girls.

Annika, growin' her hair out.

One of our activities was to make props for the "photo booth".  I think the girls had a lot of fun posing.  They laughed a lot, and got really goofy.

Peacock Necklaces

Our second acitivity, which was also the party favor, was to make peacock necklaces.  We put them in these little blue bags for the girls to take them home in.  It was a bit of a crazy activity.  Considering that I had to help each girls with several steps.  But it was so worth it.  I thought they turned out awesome!

 

Well, I think the party was a success.  All the girls got a long.  There was no drama or one girl stealing the attention.  They laughed, they talked, they goofed around, they had FUN.  Isabel and Annika seem genuinely happy and thrilled with their party.  It was a lot of work and preparation.  And worth all the work. 

Happy Birthday to my Twins!  You guys changed my life in so many ways.  Giving birth to you was extremely humbling.  My weaknesses quickly surfaced, and at the same time, so were some of my strengths.  As I tried to imagine how I was going to care for you while you were still swimming in my tummy, I couldn't.  The only thing that got me through those first few years was the knowledge that Heavenly Father gave me the skills to take care of you.  I just had to figure out what those skills were.  I'm still trying to figure them out.  I love you Isabel.  I love you Annika.  I am grateful for your distinct personalities, interests, and talents.  You are amazing young women and I feel privileged to be your Mom. 

Glasses from Firmoo; A tender Mercy

A while back Isabel's glasses broke. Luckily they broke in a place that could easily be fixed with Duck Tape. She wasn't happy about it. Cuz you know Isabel, style and fashion are important to every day life. Which, I agree with. Lucky for her as well, she has long hair that hid the embarrassing duck tape job. Isabel was going to have to wait for new glasses though.  I just didn't have the money for a whole new eye appointment, plus the cost of the frames and lenses.

Out of the blue I got an offer from a company called Firmoo for a free pair of glasses. You can find them here:  www.firmoo.com.  They had a wide range of glasses to choose from, and the first pair was free.  I figured, why not.  Together we sat down and these are the glasses that Isabel picked out.

Isabel wanted to go with the "Geek" look.

I think Isabel looks adorable as a "Geek"

I was happy with the service from Firmoo.  The website was easy to navigate.  And if I can figure my way around it, anyone can.  Cuz I am not too sauvey when it comes to new websites.  They also have this program where your first pair of glasses are free.  Check that out here:  http://www.Firmoo.com/free-glasses.html.

Harlem Shake (Family Home Evening Edition)

My neighbor and good friend Danniey asked us over for FHE last night to help them out with this Harlem Shake(Family Home Evening Edition). Oh my gosh, it was so much fun. Check it out!!

Provo Temple on Stilts?

Today I went out to lunch with my Mom to celebrate my birthday. She works at the Provo City Offices just across the street from the Old Tabernacle that is being rebuilt into a Temple. She insisted that we walk across the street to see this "thing" that was on stilts. I was like, "Okay". And wondered to myself what could it be?  When we peeked through the flap, it was the actual Temple that they put on stilts.  I'm sure in the construction biz they're not called stilts.  I was blown away by what I saw.  It is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen!  As I was walking up I actually saw some kind of tractor drive under the existing building.  Amazing! 

I wish I had brought my camera.  Luckily my Mom had her phone and she took these shots. 

I know these photos don't do it justice.  It was pretty impressive in person.   If you are ever in downtown Provo, you should go and take a look.  It's a site to see!!