Things that make you go hmmm (or more like AAAGGGHHH!)

I feel your pain Joey. Oh, how I feel your pain.

Delayed

Alright, this post is now officially six days old and for that - I apologize! But how can I let my baby sister's 27th birthday pass without reminding everyone why she is so A.W.E.S.O.M.E. (Side note: I never refer to her as my baby sister - mostly because she doesn't feel like that to me, but hey - if it gets under her skin a little then its worth it! haha)

So the cliche is that to know (said person) is to love (said person) but that's not exactly the case with April. I mean, I am sure many people love her just by simply knowing her, but if that's the extent of their relationship then they are cheating themselves. To really know April you have to be patient - you have to be willing to pull back the layers and see more than what she initially gives out. You have to work a little harder to discover how amazing she is. But all that work is worth it.

First off, she's got a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and a wicked sense of recall that allows her to always have the best come back at just the right time. She also is someone you can talk about ANYTHING to, and those kind of people are few and far between. She lets me make fun of her, and let's face it - I do that a lot. But its only because she makes it so fun (and she leaves herself wide open...).

Most of all, I can count on her. And we think alike. And she asks for my opinion and sometimes seeks my advice which makes me feel wise and worthwhile. And she's beautiful, which has nothing to do with why I love her but c'mon, she's freaking Audrey Hepburn.

Vacation, part 2

OK, after we spent the first 3 days in Disney territory, we said goodbye to our generous hosts and headed down south to San Diego. This was B's first time in this city, and its a place he'd always wanted to visit. He loved it. After checking out the city a bit, we headed over to Coronado and the beach! Such a beautiful day.






We spent Thanksgiving at SeaWorld where the kids were enamored of the killer whale show (not Shamu. KILLER WHALE). I myself was a big fan of the 4-D Polar Express movie and a truly amazing roller coaster/water ride. We didn't buy the picture that they automatically snap on the way down, but K1 was in the front of the boat and had the BEST look of sheer anticipation and excitement on his face. It was awesome.




We ended the trip by heading to the Wild Animal Park where we rode in a super cool balloon that took you 400 feet in the air and had the best views of the park. If you've never been, its a beautiful place with some great animals including this: (a present for my BYU friends and one I won't even need to explain)


Here's the balloon, and the view:




It was a great trip, and a great way to kick off the holiday season. I am grateful for the opportunity we had to be together as a family, and create priceless memories. Now on to the business of soaking up the season!

Vacation, part 1

For our little family, Thanksgiving is a time for travel. While Christmas is filled with traditions and history and a desire to be near family, Thanksgiving is our time to get away and enjoy something new. And despite the daunting recession, we were able to make a trip work thanks to frequent flyer miles and the most gracious hospitality of our dear friends the Hatch family who put us up for four nights.

So we started our vacation at Disney, staying in the beautiful Rancho Santa Margarita (where they have street names such as Avenida De Las Flores - imagine having to teach your kids their address!) where we were hosted by the fabulous Beda and Brock and their awesome kids (who were oddly similar in every conceivable way to my own children). We had great fun at Disneyland (despite crowds) and California Adventure which we really enjoyed and was a first-time experience for all of us.




We took K2 to Ariel's Grotto at California Adventure to have lunch with the Disney Princesses. I am SO glad we did it, it was 100% worth it to watch her absolute awe. In one of the multitude of ways K2 and I are alike, I don't think I ever see her speechless. Except here. They bring the princesses out one at a time, and they spend a few minutes at your table so you have a little time in between each one. During those times, K2 would just sit quietly staring at the place the next princess would emerge and too anxious to eat. She truly didn't have anything to say! When the princesses would come she would immediately hug them, stare at them, talk to them, take a picture, get an autograph and then sit and wait patiently for the next. I think I got her to eat two or three bites of her spaghetti through the whole thing. She even made a picture for Sleeping Beauty ahead of time and was so excited to give it to her. Sleeping Beauty made such a big deal about it, telling her where she was going to put it in her castle.
Worth. Every. Penny.


Oh and K1, who insisted beforehand that he had no desire to take pictures with any of the princesses was so overcome with their beauty he had to get in on the action. Yeah buddy, just what I thought.



There's a million more pictures and stories and we haven't even moved on to our second phase of the vacation, San Diego. I'll save that for another post. To end this one, a photo that sums up how much energy the kids expended each day:

For Your (or maybe just my own) Viewing Pleasure

OK I'm late, but here they are (drum roll please...). Peter Pan and Tinkerbell making their debut (and Happy Halloween btw):

Ace of Cakes

So everyone has their secret dream job right? Maybe you're living your dream job, but chances are even if you love your life you have a secret dream of something you'd LOVE to do, LOVE to accomplish, LOVE to be good at. I'd LOVE to know what it is ;). Want to know mine?

I best most of you that know me really well would say my secret dream is to be a U.S. Senator. And you'd be right - it is my number one dream. And I'd be freakin' good at it people. Freakin' good. Maybe even White House press secretary. I'd be good at that too. Not hubris guys, just knowing my strengths ;).

But you know my even more secret dream? The one I never really share with anyone because truth is, I'm not sure I would ever be good at it? But oh how I would LOVE to be able to do it. I would love to be a world renowned chef. But not just any chef, a pastry chef. The kind that makes gorgeous, beyond belief cakes, cookies, confections of all kinds. Beautiful works of art. A veritable explosion of flavors and cutting-edge collaborations. Maybe I would even have my own reality show to highlight my fierce creations.

The only thing holding me back is my inability to branch out on my own in the kitchen - to experiment and not be afraid to fail. Oh, and my utter lack of artistic creativity. But that's it. Otherwise I would be awesome.

So I guess we're back to the first dream. Congress... here I come. And maybe if I find a way to be truly awesome, I'll bake everyone cupcakes while I'm there.

A Difficult Day

I've been doing pretty well these past few days, despite. In fact, the last two days I've been downright... elated. Hormones? Just the 180 degree difference from feeling like utter crap to actually being human again? The clear skies and sunshine? Having enough energy to clean the house and actually cook dinner? Being caught up at work after a weekend of staying in and ignoring the phone? I don't know what it is, all I know is that I was just feeling good.

And then today I had to face calling the doctor, though I just didn't want to deal with it. The good news is that they weren't sure they needed to see me, as I just didn't want to be seen. But they did need me to bring in the "tissue sample" (I'm guessing you can read between the lines and know what I am talking about). So thankfully my sister was with me, and I sort of coerced her into driving to the dr's office with me. I didn't tell her it was because I couldn't bear to face it alone, I just told her it would have been more convenient driving-wise and of course it was nice to have someone stay in the car with the kids while I ran the errand. I met with the nurse and gave her the baggie - just holding it and dropping it off like a letter or a urine sample or a misguided drug deal - it was all a little disconcerting. After we talked about what to expect, I was left to take the long walk out and I couldn't help but cry a little into my dark sunglasses. It was all so... final. That was my goodbye, to my baggie. That was it. And then I just wanted out of that office and that building as fast as I could and if I never have to return, well that will be good enough for me.

And then tonight B and I sat down and told the kids. K1 actually took it so much better than I anticipated. He had been so overly excited, I thought it would crush him. But he just sort of nodded his head and gave us a hug and asked when we could get another baby. It was K2 that took it like the wise old soul she can sometimes be. She listened carefully at first, then as she slowly absorbed it I saw her face take it in and start to crumble. She cried - real, genuine sad tears. No drama, no wailing or sobbing, no milking it. Just quiet, sad tears. She stood up and hugged me. Then she sat down and cried some more. It took a while to console her. K1 went and got himself a snack. The thing is, K1's style is to ruminate a bit - he'll bring this up from time to time over the next little while, and he'll be sad about it when he's ready. But K2's reaction just killed me a little inside. But I know she will be ok, just as I am.

I can't thank everyone enough for the kind words, and the prayers, and the love. Thank you for the amazing meals, the yummy banana bread, the cheesecake(!), the going out of your way. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for wanting to be there. I am convinced that trials, tribulations and tragedies are the ways in which we remember and are shown how much we are loved and cared for. It is reaffirming.

And my next post will be happier. I promise.