Disneyland...Round 2

So a couple weeks ago we went to Disneyland....again...within 3 months of the last time we went. Obsessed much? But Nathan loved it so much that when my parents planned for their last visit back before their annual passes expired, he insisted we tag along. So we went and enjoyed a much less crowded version of the park than the experience we had over Thanksgiving. And then I could tell Nathan, this is the Disneyland that I love. When you can walk and spread your arms out without hitting at least 10 people in the process. And when you ride more than 3 rides a day because you aren't in line for a million hours.

The weather was so. much. nicer this time. Except that one day that Anaheim decided to have a record high of 90 degrees on the 1st day of March. We pretty much spent that day sitting on the ground by the waterfall of Grizzly Peak so we could feel its cool mist. Or riding Splash Mountain over and over and over. We also made it our mission to weird out the other people in our log.....hence the awesome faces you can see.

We also got to spend Blaine's birthday there, so being the awesome big sister I am, pretty much forcibly put an "It's My Birthday!" pin on him so that every Disney cast member had to wish him a happy birthday, along with multiple high school girls who just couldn't pass up the opportunity to say something to such a studly young man. In fact, while in line for Splash Mountain Erin and & I had the privilege of watching a group of about ten high school girls who were there for a choir competition ask if they could sing him happy birthday. It was very entertaining; the girls were talented and we got to watch Blaine's face progressively turn darker shades of red.

We FINALLY talked Chance into riding California Screamin. He actually rode it twice, which I'm completely surprised by because after having ridden it with him the second time, I'm not sure how he ever agreed to get back on. I wish we had gotten a recording of him because he truly understood the meaning of California Screamin. He did not take a breath the ENTIRE time. All the people on the roller coaster were laughing at him because you could probably hear his scream all over Anaheim. And I mean a high pitched, blood curdling scream. I don't even remember riding the roller coaster because I was laughing so hard. A cry inducing laugh. Nathan, on the other hand is still a wimp and wouldn't even ride it after a little boy showed him up.

Also, side story that no one else will find as funny as my family but Danika pretty much knocked a trash can over. Nathan was teasing her, as usual, so when he warned her to "watch out!" she assumed he was threatening her or something. But really he was just being a protective older brother and wanted to warn her about the big garbage can coming her way. She didn't listen and instead turned around with a vengeance and ran right into the garbage. So hard that her head almost went inside of it. The best part was Chance's reaction. He didn't even watch it happen but when we told him about it he laughed for ten minutes.

All in all, it was a great break from life. I'm hesitant to say vacation because every time we get back from Disneyland I am more tired than I was when I left. However, it was a vacation in the fact that my husband drained our bank account. Something about Disneyland brings out the little kid in him (okay, who am I kidding? Everything brings out the kid in him) and he thinks he needs to buy toys, toys, toys. But the tiredness and lack of money are worth it because we had a great time together as a family.

Riding the Teacups. I hate, hate, hate that ride but Nathan begged me to ride it. I think this is my "right before I throw up" face.

Oh and if you remember my reference to Nathan's creepy Yoda backback in this post. Well Chance decided Nathan is so cool and he wants to be just like him (Nah, not really. He just wanted a cool backpack) that he would buy one too. So here he is. We woke up to him tucked in on the couch in our hotel. That kid loves his backpack.

And to keep in tradition of our dogs doing something bad while we are gone, Charlie decided he would rip up the carpet upstairs. My mom is still refusing to go and look at the damage. All I can say is its a good thing my mom loves him to death or he would be finding a new home.

One time, I rescued a bird.

The other morning started out just like any other morning. I woke up, let the dog out and got some breakfast before going to let her back in. When I called her name to have her come back inside, she didn't run in like she normally does. So after five minutes of trying to find her, Akaya came walking up to me holding something in her mouth. It had just snowed so it looked like she had a big chunk of ice or snow in her mouth. But when she got up to me, she dropped a big white pigeon at my feet. (I thought it was a dove, but I have since been proven wrong. I didn't know there were pure white pigeons.) I'm almost positive she wasn't the one that originally caught it because of the gentle way she was carrying it. It was almost like she was trying to take care of it. I know, I'm probably giving my dog a little too much credit. But later, Nathan found a trail of blood on the front porch which made it look like the bird had been hurt, then flew into our front door, which is where Akaya found her.

Anyways, long story short: Nathan went outside after an hour and the bird was still sitting in the same spot. So he put it in our old bunny cage, brought the cage inside, went and bought some bird food, and now we have a pet bird until its wing heals so it can fly. At least we are hoping its wing will heal. It seems to be getting better every day. Except I think the bird has now become so accustomed to its spoiled life that it will never fly away.

But now I can check another item off my bucket list: rescue a hurt bird and nurse it back to health. For some reason I have always had that desire since I was a kid.

Life Lately

Lately we have been doing lots of playing. Mostly sledding and enjoying the life of a family with two (three if you count my parent's) puppies.

Sleeping on Chance. This boy has two best friends.

Akaya sleeps. A lot. Poor dog has become accustomed to apartment living. Now she is outside running all day. By the end of the day she plops down where ever she can. 

I was extremely excited when it finally snowed and I could use all my awesome snow clothes that I bought two years ago. Leave it to Utah to not snow when I finally invest money in warm sledding clothes.

Yup, we are those people. Sweaters for all our dogs.

We are both loving all the time we get to spend with my siblings. If you are ever having a bad day, go see Danika. Her laugh is absolutely contagious and its impossible to stay mad/sad/angry when you hear it. And she laughs at everything. So pretty much no one stays mad longer than five minutes at our house.

I also tied my first bow tie. Blaine had a 1920's themed senior dinner dance. He planned his whole outfit and haircut. But I tied the bow tie. Pretty sure my job was more important.

So lately, life has been fun. I wish I would have figured out that more play = a happier life during my freshman year. But maybe I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have if I had figured it out. Oh well, I suppose that's what my last semester is for.

Christmas Break Completed

We added a new little guy to our family. Meet Keno, our Siberian Husky puppy. He is stubborn and proving hard to train (and not to mention when he does his business it is already 3 times the size of our other dog's) but we love him all the same. I mean, look at him. How could you not love that?

Check off my life long wish of wanting to be surprised with a puppy for Christmas. Just minus the box and cute bow. Nathan just carried him inside. Maybe next time.... ;)

The rest of our break consisted of 10 amazing days in Spokane with our family. Relaxing, movie watching, eating, and sleeping. Couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Except maybe if I had taken pictures to show how awesome it was. One day I'll jump on the "taking pictures of everything" bandwagon. Its on my New Years resolution list.

We also got to be there to go through the temple with Nathan's little brother Connor. Such an incredible experience. We are so excited for him and the new experiences he will have when he leaves on his mission in March.

2013 is going to bring with it a lot of changes for us. I graduate in April and will start my full time job with Deloitte some time this summer. I am nervous but ready for the next stage in life. To make it even better, I was able to pay for all of my tuition with no school loans. I feel like I have the right to brag a little since this is my blog. I have paid for all my own expenses since I left home in August 2008. Rent, car insurance, gas, phone bill, groceries, and even vacations. You name it and I paid for it. I hate asking for money and I made it a point not to unless absolutely necessary. There were a couple of semesters that I was a little short and I have a very generous dad who helped me out in those situations. But overall, I worked hard and saved so that I could do this on my own. I was blessed to have an awesome and flexible job that helped me do all that. Even during the horrible two semesters of the accounting Junior Core where I was told I absolutely could not have a job. I still worked 20 hours a week and somehow got accepted into the Masters program. And I had an awesome family who helped support me and always encouraged me. There were many times throughout the last five years that I wished I had parent's who would pay for everything but ultimately, I am so grateful that they let me do this on my own. I now appreciate my education SO much more because I worked for it and I paid for it.

Okay, I'm getting off my high horse now. But seriously, I feel like I deserved to be there for a minute.

I wouldn't be completely fair without mentioning my incredible and amazing husband. He worked just as hard as I did to make sure that we had the money to pay my tuition. Not to mention I honestly don't know how I stayed sane without him being around. He is always there to remind me when I need to take a deep breath, just enjoy life and stop stressing. He puts up with my crazy school obsessed brain and loves me all the more every day.

So life is good. I am trying to make the most of my last semester ever at BYU while still playing and enjoying life a little. Probably a little more playing than school right now, but hey, I deserve it at this point.

Christmas Break Thus Far

'Tis the season and we are celebrating the season magically!

• Sewing, sewing, sewing. I thought I was being so smart and frugal when I decided to sew everyone rice bags for their presents. Wonder what I was saying 6 hours later when I was still sewing them.... But during the first couple hours I was enjoying myself. I forgot how much I love to sew and I can't wait until I have more time to spend on it. In addition to the rice bags, Danika and I made this cute little gem:

• Catching up on Alias. Nathan and I started watching it on Netflix at the beginning of the semester as our "watch together show." We haven't made it very far because of our awesomely opposite schedules so to make up for it we have been watching 2 or 3 episodes a day.

• Staying up past 10! This is mostly to accommodate our extra episodes of Alias. I know, 10 is late. I'm pretty hard-core during Christmas break.

• A cousin Just Dance party. Go on, just take a look. I can't believe I'm actually posting this for the public to see. I'm hoping not many people read my blog anyway. 

• Laundry. I pretty much had a mountain of it in our bedroom. Literally, a mountain. Finals makes me neglect my wifely duties. Or at least I will use that as my excuse.

• Delivering Sub-for-Santa gifts. My department at work sponsored about 6 kids this year and I got the opportunity to drop off gifts for a little girl. You don't know the Christmas spirit until you see the gratefulness on a mother's face of a family truly in need. I'm going to make it a tradition to give every year. Especially when I have kids. 

• Now we are looking forward to 2 family parties (Both of which I have been asked for the 1st time to bring an appetizer; hello, adulthood. I feel so dependable), Christmas, obviously, my Grandma Long visiting from Kansas, and heading to Washington for a nice long vacation.

First Timer

Over Thanksgiving break I took my husband to the Happiest Place on Earth for his 1st time. My parents and siblings bought an annual pass last March and so we decided to tag along on this trip. I was nervous about taking Nathan because his family trips usually consist of something involving the outdoors. And he loves that. Our family vacations however consist of pretty much just Disneyland. So I had been counting down the days until I got to go back to my very favorite place for months. I told Nathan that whether or not he liked Disneyland would basically determine the future of our marriage  Haha no, I was just kidding....but maybe not entirely ;)

BUT the verdict is....Nathan loved it! He said we can definitely go back so I'm looking forward to many more Disneyland vacations with my hubby and family :)

This trip was full of fun memories. The biggest being that Disneyland during the holidays is absolutely beautiful! The place is magical enough on a regular basis but when you add in all the lights, fireworks, and fake Disneyland snow, you just can't help but feel that Disney magic.

Rather than bore anyone with details of waiting in massive lines, (because that's pretty much all we did. I've never seen that place so crowded!) I'll just tell you the highlights and post pics. You can imagine the rest.

• Nathan cried on Tower of Terror. Okay, not really. I've gotten in trouble for telling this lie. But he might as well have. I thought he was going to die when I made him ride it a second time. Who would have thought that he would be scared of my favorite ride. I consider it payback for all the terrifyingly scary movies he makes me watch.

• Cars Land is my new favorite part of California Adventure. It looks just like the movie!
• Nathan, who was completely convinced before we left that he wouldn't want any stupid Disneyland souvenirs spend a hefty sum on a freakishly real looking Yoda backpack. Everyone kept staring and asking to take pictures. It looks like a baby is riding on his back...an ugly baby anyway.

• This is the first time EVER that we have left every night before the park completely closed. In fact, we were outta their by about 9 or 10 every night. I'll blame it on the little kids but in reality, none of us could handle the park the whole day. We just don't have the Disneyland energy we used to have.
• I cried during the Pocahontas part of World of Color. I LOVE THAT MOVIE! And I love being reminded of my childhood Disney memories. 
• My dad laughed so hard he cried when my mom got soaking wet on Grizzly River Run. I have honestly never seen him laugh so hard in my entire life. Crying, red faced laughter. Best moment hands down.

• I popped my jaw out of its socket while eating a caramel apple. Caramel apples are one of my favorite past times of Disneyland. I will probably never eat another one again because I get chills just thinking about how gross it felt to have my jaw move somewhere it should not be.
• Danika is the bravest little girl I know. She rides everything! Her favorite is California Screamin. We probably rode it more than all the other rides combined.

• Chance is more conniving than I would have ever thought. He told me he was scared to go on the swings so I bribed him with an ice cream sandwich. Come to find out from my dad, the swings are actually his favorite ride. The little turd conned me!
• Blaine became dubbed "Insane Blaine" by Crush the talking sea turtle. But then Crush later told him his name should be not-insane Blaine because he swims too slow. Haha
• Nathan's favorite ride is Space Mountain. Chance...not so much. He pulls the best faces on rides

These two are becoming best buds. 

Enjoying the Tiki Room

The best part of our trip: getting home and hearing about how Erin locked herself our of the house with the dogs locked inside the house. I wish I had pictures of the results. If you have met our dog Akaya you know she still has all that happy, puppy energy. So when Erin didn't show up to yell at her for awhile she decided to have a party in my parent's house. She drank a leftover Pepsi (probably fueled her 5 hour rampage), ate an entire bag of dog treats, ate two cans of opened dog food from the kitchen counter, dug through the trash and splattered marinara sauce all over the kitchen, and Blaine's favorite part: left her business right in the middle of his bedroom. The only thing we could all think of the whole situation was, "Poor Charlie." Charlie is my family's more human than dog pet that never does anything bad in fear of my mother's wrath. I'm sure he was running around after Akaya for the whole 5 hours, begging her to stop before the humans got home.

Halloween is Scary and Fun

Just a quick update on our life. We are both keeping busy with work and school. I'm quickly losing what motivation I did have for school when the semester started (which was already very little). I'm ready for the next stage in life, as well as really nervous to start that next stage. I don't know what life will be without school and homework. I'm sure I'll find some way to survive though :)

I went to my first haunted attraction this year since I went to the Haunted Forest as a 7 year old. (Have I thanked you for that one yet, Dad?) I thought I would be brave enough by age 22 but I'm sad to report that I was still terrified. And I may have even cried....okay, yes I cried. Apparently the chain saw guys left more of a scar on my 7 year old self than I thought. And who said Cornbellys wasn't even supposed to be that scary? At least my hubby got some entertainment since he didn't seem to be phased at all.

This was the second Halloween of our married lives that we had to spend apart. In fact, most of the holidays we spend apart. Part of the gig when you have a husband who works in the restaurant business. But I had a blast on Halloween with my family. For those who don't know, my brother Blaine is an incredible artist. So with my brains and his skills....mostly his skills...we pulled together an awesome group costume.

Blaine painted Chance's death eater mask. So awesome! You can't tell in the pic but the wands were also all handmade. Chance's (or Lucius as he is more commonly known) has a snake head on the handle.

On another note: I voted for the first time today! Proud to wear my sticker!