Fun in Utah

Well just got back from another exciting trip to Utah! This time my sister Angie flew me out there for the week to watch Caden while she went on a trip. The only thing I was sad about was not getting to hang out with her for that week.
It was a lot of fun and really great because since it wasn't a holiday, most everyone had to work during the day except for Natalie since she usually works on the weekends, so I got to hang out with her everyday and her little kiddies Annie and Logan. Dave was also there with me for just a couple of days before he had to go back to work, but it was nice to have him there especially since he wasn't there for Christmas. We slept at Angie's house, but spent most of our time at my parents.

I also got to see some of my friends which was very nice since I didn't really see anyone at Christmas. It makes me miss them so much more when I get to hang out with them for a little bit, because I remember how much fun I have with them. It's nice to see what people are up to and how their lives are changing, for the better!
And I got to hang out with my MOST FAVORITE cousin LARA! I haven't seen her since last summer and I miss her, but we had fun hanging out together for a little bit! I have so many fond memories growing up that involve her! :)

It was really great hanging out with my family for a week too. I got to Utah on my Mom's birthday, so it was nice to be there and celebrate with her. We did a lot of fun things all together like bowling a couple of times, and we went swimming at the South Davis community center which was really fun, and the kids had fun swimming with Grandma and Grandpa and going down the waterslide! On Wednesday my parents, Natalie and I went to dinner at Market Street (yum) and then went and saw the play "Dial M for Murder" at Pioneer Theater Co. which I'd never heard of but I really enjoyed it. Apparently it's also a movie too and it's supposed to be good.
I think everywhere I go I must bring the bad weather with me, because the Sunday I got to Utah the weather got bad and snowy, but especially on Wednesday night it was horrible and so Caden and I had to stay at my parents we were completely snowed in!

On Friday my parents, Allison, Natalie and I along with the kids rode the frontrunner train up to Ogden to look around a bit up by Union Station. It was my very first train ride and very enjoyable! Of course I leave Utah and Legacy Highway opens and they get a train.....and an In-n-Out Burger! not fair!

So it was a really fun trip to break up the monotony of everyday activities, and to see my family was great. It was fun to see all the kids playing together too. Samantha LOVED playing with her cousins and was a little grumpy last night because I'm sure she was wondering where they all went, because she wanted to play and dance with them to the "Spring" song.
I love my little nieces and nephews. They are all hilarious and unique. Caden is a sports boy and loves to help play and take care of the younger kids. Annie (and Ella) know all the words to all the High School Musical songs. Annie is a good swimmer and loves to repeat herself when saying things like "everytime I go to swimming, I go to swimming!" It's funny. Ella is a drama queen! She knows the words to every song from movies, musicals, and the radio, and she sometimes speaks like she's an adult. And she sure knows how to dance. Logan..misses his daddy, but is so funny. He loves "Kung Fu Panda" and runs around going "Hi Ya!!" The last night we were there, Natalie had to work at the hospital that night so she was gone, and Logan found a picture of her and Ryan together when Annie was born. He grabbed it and walked around pointing at the picture as if to ask "where are these people?" and then he lied down on a pillow by the fire cuddling the picture!


It was so heartbreakingly cute! He and Samantha had fun playing together.
I always love my Utah trips!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

First of all, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I love St. Patty's maybe because I have a bit of Irish in me, which I'm totally proud of, and even though I don't drink, which is why most people celebrate this holiday so they have an excuse to drink, it reminds me of those fun school days when I was in elementary. Remember those kids who did one of three things? Either they wore the green with the fun shamrock earrings, or they wore green underwear or something not visible so they could pinch the person ten times that pinched them, or...there's the little boy that deliberately hides his green, or doesn't wear any, just so he can get attention and pinch a bunch of girls! Grown-ups can't really do those things, and if they do, it's weird, or they're weird! And I also miss the yummy Shamrock-shaped sugar cookies my dad would bring home on St. Patty's day. They were so good!
SO HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Lately Sammy's big thing has been playing hide and seek, and her favorite place to hide is in the hall closet, even though there's so much stuff in there she can't close it all the way. She'll hold it closed as much as she can until you walk by and say "where's Sammy?" and then she jumps out and says "Booooooo!" She thinks she's pretty hilarious, and she is, so of course I had to take a couple pictures of her.

Wickedly Cool!

Finally the night I have been waiting for for so long finally came on Friday. Dave and I went to see "Wicked" in dowtown Portland!! I loved it! Or I should say, we loved it.
I really wasn't expecting to love it as much as when we saw it in New York a few years ago, because hello, it's New York....but really it was just as amazing! And the lady that played Galinda, or Glinda as she is known as later in the play, was hilarious! And everyone had amazing singing voices! I always get the chills when Elphaba sings "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed".....awesome! It is such a fabulous play and if you haven't seen it and it's coming to your town, you have to go!! What made it even better was the fact that we sat on the 3rd row! We could see everyone's facial expressions and the spit coming out of their mouths while they were singing!...so great
Before the play, Dave took me to dinner at this place right on the Waterfront called McCormick and Smicks! Wow, it was so yummy! I had the stuffed salmon, with the stuffed part being lobster, and Dave had the Marlin, and for an appetizer we ate these cocunut fried prawns! It was amazing and the ambiance of it all, made it that much more wonderful. And it didn't hurt that we had a $20 coupon too. That was nice.
So all in all, it was the perfect date night for me. Good food, and Broadway Musicals!

Good Deals

So tonight for dinner, Dave and I went to Quiznos and enjoyed two free subs! No, Buy one get one free, but actually free! They are giving away 1 million free subs, so if you are interested, click here to get yours!
Also, Fred Meyer is having really good sales this week. They are having a %70 off clearance prices on clothes, and I got some good stuff, especially clothes for Samantha. Plus, they have a good sale on Cottonelle toilet paper. There is an in-store coupon for .79 cents for a 4-pack, and then stack that with a .50 cent off coupon and you get 4 rolls for .29 cents!!! I ended up getting 5 packs for under $1.50! If you don't have a MF coupon, just look online and you can find and print one! Even without the extra MF coupon, it's still a good sale!

Taking the plunge!

Well he did it!!....but not in a speedo. He was going to wear one even though he didn't reach the $300 goal, but Dave was not able to find a speedo in time. But he did dive into the water! And he was up all night....shaving....his hair off the night before! And if you look at the pitures, you can see he shaved a lovely handlebar (chester molestor) stache which I made him shave off soon after! For those who know Dave, that is a hefty task shaving, and I've never seen him with that little amount of hair!
There were a ton of people there and luckily for everyone that was diving, it didn't rain, but the sun kept hiding behind the clouds, and the wind was a bit fierce.
The way they did the dive, because there were so many people, they had to go in groups. Dave was in group #29 out of like #33. So he had to stand in the huge line mostly naked for quite a while and was quite chilly. He could have poked someone's eyes out with those nips! But luckily for him, our friend Kent came to his rescue and gave him a sweater. But by the time he jumped in to the water, it wasn't as cold for him because he'd already been freezing his arse off.

He had a lot of fun doing it though, and plans to do it again next year. Thanks to everyone who helped out and donated. He ended up raising $220!! And as a whole, they raised $116,000 for the special Olympics! It was awesome!

After the plunge, we went to a Rugby game! Our friend plays on the Portland Pigs Rugby team, and let me tell you, that is a confusing sport. But it was really fun to watch and fun to watch him play!

Valentine's weekend

This last weekend was obviously very fun because it was Valentine's Day and a Holiday weekend! I love those Monday's that Dave gets off work, it feels like a vacation! But it stinks when he has to go back to work.
This Valentine's Day, I was totally sure that Dave wasn't going to do ANYTHING except take me out to our annual restaurant of choice, Benihana (mmmmmmmmm) and I made him promise, because we are trying to save money right? Well, since he is Dave, he wasn't going to not do anything for Valentine's (that's just the way he is) he is very good at spoiling me, as all of you know. So he did take me to dinner, and gave me some cute Valentine's p.j's, some Moonstruck chocolate (yum) and an awesome spa pass to get a facial! I guess I should tell him more often to not do anything, because he ends up going over the top. It was a very nice Valentine's Day!

Then on Monday, since he had work off we went on a hike to Forest Park up here in Portland. It's huge! I think Dave said it was one of the biggest parks in an urban area or something. It was a really pretty day, perfect for hiking, and a lot of fun! Now this weekend, I have to look forward to a fun girls day out celebrating Tracee's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory, and Dave jumping into the icy Columbia River in his swimsuit!

The Polar Plunge!

As many of you know, Dave is participating in the Special Olympics of Oregon Polar Plunge on February 21st. It is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics and those who participate, get to jump in the ice cold water that is the Columbia River!! It will be fun to hear Dave shriek like a girl, again!
He has already done well, and by the gracious goodness of many family and friends and their donations, he has raised $155! And he has promised that if we get to $300 then he will wear a speedo and a lovely mustache, that takes him probably 3 hours to grow!
So that mental image might not motivate you to donate, but please, think of who he is doing it for, and that makes it worth it right? And I will make sure to take plenty of video and pictures of the event, so we all know the wonderful cause that our money went to!
There is no obligation to donate, even if it's a couple of bucks that would be awesome! Thanks everyone!



Personally, I think he will look more like Mark Spitz :)