Disney.

I love Disneyland. Love it. Who doesn't? It's like my Twilight or Harry Potter or Hobby Lobby or anything that I am entirely indifferent to. Everybody loves it (Dinneyland), including me, and I don't know why anyone--ANYONE--wouldn't. And don't say Asians. Or children. Or long lines. I have responses for each of those reasons. Disneyland is a science. A system that, with the right plan, can be worked. And we worked it. Last Friday, I quite possibly had the best day there I have ever had in my dozen plus trips to the magic mecca (and it's more than the fact that I finally took Elliott, who hadn't been since 1997... apparently). We went with our dental school friends, Kyndall and Brian and had a heyday. The weather was overcast, meaning we were dry but many people stayed home for fear of the rain coming.

Let me better illustrate what I mean by retelling the experience we had on a little ride called "Splash Mountain":

Ride Operator: Would you like to go again?

Us: Yes. 

Ride Operator: *Pushes button* 

Us: Wee!

...10 minutes later...

Different Ride Operator: Would you like to go again?

Us: Nah. Twice was good. Too cold. Too wet. 

Ride Operator: *Raises Eyebrows* Ooooohhhhkayy..?

Not to worry, we walked on every ride with the exception of *maybe* 3 or 4.

I think Elliott would even admit that he was converted.

By the way, planning a trip soon?

Get a fastpass at California Adventure for the "World of Color" light and water show. Amazing. Blows the Bellagio's show out of the water... No pun intended.

 Moving on.

 Day two was equally amazing as THAT was the day the real downpour came. However, it cleared up for several hours giving us just enough time to be a little merry and fly a kite on Huntington Beach.

Do you love our frog kite? Because we did.

 Elliott has his Free WIlly on. 

 Kyndall, the natural kite flier.

Brian, the natural bag holder. 

Lastly.

Have you eaten here?

(Scottsdale and Phoenix)

How about here?

(Old Town Scottsdale)

And how about here?

 (Newport and LA)

These restaurants are part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group. 

They are officially my favorite restaurants. Very similar, but each with it's own specialty items that set it apart from the other restaurants in the group. 

Houston's: French Dip made with prime rib, fresh ahi, tortilla soup

Bandera's: The cheeseburger, meatloaf sammy, and Carnita's sammy

Gulfstream: Mustard Barbecue Beef Ribs, and a house-made hot fudge sundae that will addict you so fast, before you know it, you're eating more than half of your friends' and embarrassing your husband because you were too stupid to order one yourself and will have to wait until the next time you go to California to get it and this makes you sad.

But motivated. 
We are so lucky to have such great friends who will let us stay with them at their aunt and uncle's amazing home!! It definitely made this trip much more affordable and possible! Thanks Kyndall and Brian. Until next adventure.

Mustache

Happy Movember.

I'm a Lumberjack.

And I'm ok. 

I really am.

I just got accepted into NAU's Master of Education in School Counseling program. 

I'm excited. 

I'm THANKFUL because it really was more of a blessing and a divine hand working in my favor than anything else.  

I start this January and the plan is to finish in 2 or so years. 

Granted, since I've started the new adventure of having babies, it is nothing more than a plan that I will gladly postpone if needed. 

 Please note Tom Hanks (bottom far right).

I love school. 

And George Harrison.

You should really watch the entire "Concert for George" film, by the way. 

I also will always love love love my ASU.

 I'm thinking I want one of their sweatshirts for Christmas... As well as an ASDOH one to support my baby. 

Food for thought.

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

This has served as a mantra for me for a couple of years now ever since hearing it from a wonderful lady at Church.  

 I think about those words nearly every day. 

I set a lot of day-to-day goals--and usually end up re-setting them the next day. I tell myself, if I started right now (again) with a clean slate , 20 years from now I would look back and realize that as "bad" (and let's really not read too much into the word "bad") a habit as I once had, at least I haven't repeated it in so long.

--Until then--

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

“You can start a diet in the middle of a bag of chips”

Beckett Turns 6 Months and Learns to Drive

They don't call them Mini Coopers for nothing. 

Meanwhile, I could not stop laughing--serious tears streaming down my face--at these faces he was making through the glass of ASU Storage's official conference room (where all the important book business goes down). He repeatedly faceplanted right into the glass in an effort to eat it... Or catch the fish... And, if you look close, you can see the hangman game that was going on several... um... months ago to guess the hideous shade of yellow gracing the walls of storage ("Aurora Night").

Thanks for the 6 month cake, Kacey! Ironically, she brought in a cake for Beckett on the same day of her birthday! Selfless, selfless. Ok, maybe the cake was given to her and she brought it in to share and I made up my own special reason to come in and steal cake. Also, thanks to Mark for letting Beckett "drive" his car... and he also did most of the controlling of the wriggly baby. And of course, thanks to Joel for indulging me and my half-birthday celebrations and buying Beckett pretty much the coolest book ever. 

It had Koalas!

AAACK!

(The video that started it all)

Who wants to take a field trip to the zoo?? The temporary Koala exhibit recently opened and well... I want to see a good Koala fight-- despite the severe chlamydia epidemic striking the koala population. 

Hallowhaunts Pts. 2 & 3

Pumpkin Carving at Chaz and Patrick's--thanks so much for having us! But... no thanks for the horrifying yet hillarious movie we watched--kidding! By the way, I had to steal this top one from you, Chaz, because I didn't have a SINGLE picture where someone wasn't either cut off or looking at another camera--seriously--that's what happens when we let our husbands play paparazzi with four different cameras! 

Left to right: Dental floss who's costume was in the other room, Olive Oyl, Bella Swan, Clara Bow

Left to right: Charlie Chaplain, Edward Cullen, Toothbrush who's costume was in the other room and Popeye... who's costume was in the other room.

You girls are all too fun, I had an amazing time, a must-do more often!  

 Ok, ok I am a picture thief but seriously, too cute not to show! AND they thought of it BEFORE Jim and Pam.

Left to right: Pig, Boxer, Teeth guy, and Elephant.  

Again, we really like our teeth. I pretty much love all of the pumpkins here for their own reasons. 

They're awesome. 

 

Little Beckett had so much fun this weekend that he was much too exhausted to Trick-or-Treat. 

We probably should have still initiated him and taken him to a few houses just because...