Saturday, December 17, 2011

Santa, stop here!!

December is always a busy month, but this year December has been a very special experience for me. I now have 4 great kids that really make Christmas so much more exciting. It has been so much fun taking them to family events and to see Santa at the clubhouse. I've also had the opportunity to spend time with the 4 of them while they made an ornament for the tree and a stocking. It's a new experience having kids in the house during this time of year. I love listening to them talk about Santa while trying to figure out how he'll fit through our small gas fireplace. Apparently, if Santa smells like beans and meat he's not a real Santa. Oh, and he must have blue eyes! They really are the cutest kids. I am looking forward to Christmas Day!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Honeymooners

Andy and I were married on November 4th and left the morning of the 5th for our 9 day honeymoon. This post will probably be a little longer because there is just so much to talk about! The honeymoon was a great start to our new life together.

Day 1
What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Stay in Vegas..
We drove in to Vegas the morning of the 5th and arrived around 3:00. We checked into our hotel room at the Trump, hung out for a while and relaxed before going out. The Trump was fantastic. My favorite part of it was the bathroom. It had a TV in the mirror and a tub as big as a hot tub! I actually have a funny story about Andy in the tub but he'd prob murder me if I told you all :) Next time you see him... ask him what happened in the tub at the Trump ;)

That evening we walked around some of the casinos and had dinner at a place called the Grand Lux Cafe which is owned by the same people that own the Cheesecake Factory. We also made it to Madame Tussauds wax museum. It was the first time I'd ever been to one and we had a great time taking some goofy pictures with the wax figures.

 Love those Desperate Housewives!

 Tiger checkin' out my booty!

 Three letters: OMG!!

 Qaddafied!!

Tough guys!

Day 2, 3 & 4
Happiest Place on Earth!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disneyland! Andy and I had such a great time there. He'd been before, however there were still quite a few attractions that he'd never been on so I was able to experience those with him. It was so relaxing to just wander around together and not have to worry about time. Sadly there were a few rides that were closed while we were there. I love Pirates of the Caribbean, however it is being remodeled again so it was closed. If you happen to go to Disneyland in the near future be sure to see the World of Color show. It was amazing!





Day 5
Universal Studios
Great shows + Great Characters + Great Rides = Great time! We had a lot of fun at Universal. We tried to hit all of the shows and rides. We took pictures with characters and went of the back lot tour. One thing that had changed was they took our the Back draft stage. Sad... It was a great day and the weather was fabulous! While wandering the park we saw the Simpson characters out in front of the Kwik E Mart. We waited in line to get our picture with them. Bart and Homer couldn't believe I would date wear a Disney hoodie to Universal so Homer went into the mart and brought out a t-shirt with his face on it to hold in front of my hoodie. It was actually pretty funny. They gave us a good laugh. Also they had a Donkey character from Shrek and he looked fake however could see, interact and harass the park visitors. He made sure he picked on Andy a little. The characters really made the park a lot of fun that day.





Day 6 & 7
Take a Break Day
On day 6 we drove down the coast from Anaheim into San Diego. It was a beautiful drive and a lot of it reminded me of living in Hawaii. Once we arrived in San Diego we checked into the Hilton, relaxed for a little while, then went downtown and had dinner at a Thai restaurant. I'd never been through the downtown area and I was quite impressed. They have quite the nightlife down there. Tons of places to eat, watch sports, etc.
While in San Diego we visited Sea World and the Wild Animal Park. Sea world was great. One of the best meals we had on vacation was actually the meal we had while here. We dined with Shamu. It was so neat to be so close to the whales and have a private show. Unfortunately our trip to the Wild Animal Park was not quite as eventful. It literally down poured all day that day. We attempted to see the park and accomplished the safari ride but didn't stay much longer than that. Not many animals were out because of the rain. That night we went to Benihana for dinner. It was delish!





Day 8 & 9
 The morning of day 8 we woke up, had breakfast and began our drive back towards home. We stayed that evening in Vegas at the Aria. It was a fabulous hotel. I LOVED the room and the hotel had a lot of things to do and see. They have a fabulous buffet there. Another must try if you go to Vegas anytime soon. The morning of the 9th we woke up and drove the rest of the way home. It was such a great trip and we were both sad to see it end. I can't wait until the next time!





Monday, December 5, 2011

Our Special Day

Andy and I were married on November 4, 2011. We chose to have a nice small little ceremony with close friends and some family. It turned out perfect! We currently live at the Farm Gate Apartments in Herriman, The clubhouse is beautiful inside and the rental was cheap so we had the ceremony there. We had Bishop Hansen from my family ward marry us and my sister's friend Michelle did the photography. It was a beautiful day. I married my best friend. It was so great to have the kids, family, and friends there. I wish we could have shared it with more of you. We'll be sure to send out invites for the open house :)