It's a dream!!

Relax time with the parents

2012-05-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

After we got all moved in, my parents and I headed to San Diego for some fun in the sun.

GORGEOUS DEL MAR!

I've been singing the song "Bicycle built for 2" for the past 7 years. Finally we got to ride one around. So fun!

My mom and I shopped our guts out. So fun. She got this dress and looks like a dream boat in it!

Del Mar lunches.

Yes, those are birds and seals.

So close to a hole in one! We stayed at my parent's friends winter home. It's part of this country club so we got free golf. Yes!

Retirement never felt so good. Getting massaged while eating Cummings chocolates. A dream.

2 trips to Trader Joe's in one day...after my parents discovered how good it is.

San Diego was beautiful!!

Moving time

2012-05-08T09:53:00.001-06:00

Well as most of you know I MOVED to California this past weekend. Right when I committed to get blogging again last month, my laptop crashed :(. Bummer. Well, now it is up and running so here is a quick overview of the move.

Many thanks to my family and friends for helping me get this big truck all filled up with my stuff. My parents and I took turns driving this and the others would drive my car with my harp.

Wow, after 7 years it was crazy seeing the condo all cleared out. Many have asked what we are going to do with it. Well, it just got re-carpeted yesterday and we will rent it out. If you need a great property manager....I have a reference :)

The road had it's typical raging mountain fires.

And Fillmore signs. We actually stopped in St. George to eat at Mergs' sister's restaurant which was amazingly good. I don't have the pics handy but will post about that later.

One night in Vegas and we finally got there Saturday afternoon.

Mom stayed in arranging the kitchen :)

The move went surprisingly fast and smooth with 5 or so guys helping us. Ironically this guy is my friend from BYUH. Reunited again!

My front room in all it's craziness.

This was fun to watch. Yikes.

Getting all set up.

Finally it's pretty much done in my room. Yes, my harp is in my room and I am LOVING that.

This is the front of the house. I love it. Notice the address. 420 :)

This is what greets me just 4 blocks down the street. I have to keep reminding myself "I live here." It's so beautiful and I am so happy to be able to live by the beach once again!

After we got all settled, my parents and I came up to San Diego for a few days. It's incredibly gorgeous here. More on that later ;) I still feel in vacation mode so it hasn't really sunk in yet that I am not going home. Thanks again everyone for helping me move. I do miss you all and can't wait to get visitors!

Memory lane

2012-04-06T01:31:00.000-06:00

I promised my niece Hillary that I would do a blog post tonight. Naturally I was going to post about the recent Washington DC trip and Alana and Ace's beautiful wedding. Don't worry, I will post all about it.

However, tonight I have spent the last several hours cleaning out HUGE bins of "stuff" that have been sitting in my storage for at least 5 years. I couldn't pass up a chance to share some of these beauties.

I'll start with this, Hillary. A drawing you sent me while I was in the MTC. LOVE!

Of course chase put me in bed with my doll and picture of Hillary and Chase on my nightstand.

The rest of the pix and collectable items are in no particular order. I found them all tonight and loved them so much I was taking pictures of them on my phone!

High school trip to Las Vegas. I am wearing a white "skort". Yep. That blue dress Sarah is wearing is mine and I wore it a few years later to High School graduation. Ha!

Where it all began. Me, Alana, Ace and Miche (who first met Ace) at Wiamea Bay, Hawaii.

Living in Hawaii. Bleach blond and tan. Rough times!

Love me some RED SOX boys!!

Our first BBQ in Hawaii when we met all the boys. Loved this night. We were loving being the new girls in town while the other girls named us the "foo foo girls" behind our backs. I think it was because we got ready and didn't just jumble in from the beach. That changed fast.

I dont' know when this was Stace but we sure look happy!

If you are ever considering going on a mission, these are two reasons to reconsider. AAAhhh! Yes, I wore that dress. Breanne.....classic!

Roasting marshmallows (a rare find in Chile) by a ghetto heater for our 4th of July celebration.

My sweet Melody on her mission in Kirtland!

I died when I saw this. A coupon book! I am cashing it in. A dance show? I am in!! Motivational pep talk? Done! I loooove Melody!

Always signing her letters with a "Skully". It's not what you are thinking. The real reason is because she loves Disneyland and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Little Hannah and I on Easter Sunday.

Some poem I wrote about the BFF. Dying! Trying to be all deep. Good one.

STTTEEEERRREEETCH! Guy I dated in high school to which Angela still cooks his mom's recipes on a weekly basis. Long live stretch :)

Not much has changed.

Pastel themed BFF pic.

Rosie's wedding.

Brian writing me on my mission signing "El Guapo". Smart.

Nate writing me addressing me: Bungholio. Yes, that is from Bevis and Butthead. Should be proud.

Tapes? Remember tapes? Sometimes I say "Listen to your tape" to my harp students and they just sit there bewildered.

Of course school blows! lol.

Miche sending me some sister love.

Oh yes they do!

Getting ready for Sr. Prom. Loved this date. Finally kissed my high school boyfriend for the first time.

4th of July in Logan. If you don't recognize, that is Mergs in the yellow. My bf is proudly cocking one knee and resting an elbow as he tries out to model and his shot on the Abercrombie shopping bag. I thought he was the hottest.

Getting all decked out for my missionary to come home!

Best friends. Danny and I in high school.

Oh heck yea Ro. I'm sure in was a "Kick Ace Christmas"!

Ximena's mission call. Oh yea, that is Trace on the end with short brown hair. That's what a mission will do to you. Change your look completely. I look like I ate 6 pigs.

NORMAN!!! R.I.P

We swam to that island. Shark infested waters. Oh yes we did.

Ok. Next post will be on these two love birds above. Hope you enjoyed this even slightly as much as I did.

Oh ps. I found an old check tonight amongst the junk, written in March 2010 for $150. I am cashing that puppy tomorrow.

Birthday lunch with grandpa

2011-10-28T17:29:00.000-06:00

This was the perfect way to kick off my birthday. Lunch with grandpa and the "best chocolate cake in the world". He told me that week that we were going to 'The little America' or bust!

Grandpa and birthdays = $50. All of us kids used to talk for weeks before our birthdays on how we would get $50 from grandpa and what we were going to do with it. It seemed like a million bucks. The funny thing is....I still get so excited. Cute grandpa, he knows how to make us happy :)

I love me some grandpa Bill!

Conversation

2011-09-14T22:21:00.000-06:00

...with Alana last night.

Lane: "Have you updated your blog lately?"
Me: "Too fat."
Lane: "I know, too fat right?"
Me: "Seriously."

The funny thing is I like blogging and reading blogs. I get it though, sometimes you are just not in the mood. Too much to catch up on. Well, here is a small attempt to catch up with the wrap up of summer. I'll try to keep up a bit more this fall :)

I will miss all of these summer things!

Perfect glass lake!!!

Soaking up the sun

Having fun with friends

Doing yoga in every random place

Silver lake

Outdoor plays with mom's German cousin

Outdoor tramps on lakes

Tennis and parties at Lindy's

However, I LOVE fall. I love the the sports season. Go Aggies!!!!

Daddy Daughter Date

2011-08-27T16:30:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday someone asked me what I did all day. "Oh, I had a daddy daughter date." Remember those? In Young Womens when you get all dressed up and go out with your dad. It's a dream of a time. They responded with "Oh how cute! How often do you do that... like once a week?" Me "Um this one is more like once a year!"

Every summer (or at least we try for) my dad and I go on a bike ride called the WASATCH CREST TRAIL. We first started going with the Radiology department from St. Marks hospital. The trail starts up Little Cottonwood Canyon and you ride along the crest with Park City on one side and then you end up riding down Millcreek Canyon. So fun...and so hard:)

The hospital stopped inviting us a few years back. We don't know if it is because my dad is retired or they stopped doing it or....we are too slow :) Ha ha we didn't care....we started coming on our own.

We enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL wild flowers along the path.

This is part of what they call PUKE HILL. It's forever long and you want to huck your guts up along the way.
I am soooo proud of my dad. 65 and still as adventurous and athletic as ever. Within the last few years he has had a knee replacement but that didn't stop him from doing what he loves. He bikes just about every day, plays tennis, golfs, walks, lifts weights, etc. I just love that he has always been so active and has encouraged me and the whole family to be this way also.
He was riding on an old school bike with no shocks none the less. He argues that "the bike is great". Probably because he got it at a garage sale! I on the other hand, had a dreeeaaam of a bike thanks to Rosie and Bart!! :)
We finally made it to the top. Notice the snow in the background.
Just around the bend we found a girl that had fallen off her bike and broke her elbow. I got there first and said my dad was a physician and was just around the corner. You could see the relief in her eyes. He was able to offer her comfort, as someone else called the paramedics so she could be helecoptered out of there. This sling was jimmy rigged up for her in the mean time with sticks and some gauss. Nice work dad :)
This is one of our favorite camera spots. Desolation Lake. It means we are almost to the end of the trail and on our way to the glorious paved downhill ending.
We forgot to bring snacks on the ride. Not smart. So we munched on these mushrooms. We felt really weird after.
I was giggling and falling off my bike :)
Beauty at it's best.
Until next year...

Iggy's

2011-08-17T22:47:00.003-06:00

Yea or Nea? Go ahead and give me your opinion. I can take it, I can take it. Do you like the atmosphere, the food...the fries??(my favorite)

If you have ever seen the comments on Facebook between Kels and I it usually will involve the phrase "Iggs asap!" Yep we love it. We spare the rest of the BFF from coming every time we want to go.
This last time we went we managed to recruit Kels' fave friend Shaun. And of course we took pics of ourselves. One eyed willy style.

Loved it. Iggy's for life!

Companions

2011-08-04T16:46:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite picture as of late. Taken yesterday with my mission comp Tracy, aka Vicki, T Dog, T money or T dizzle. People get confused what her name is sometimes because I call her Tracy (mission style by her last name) but her name is Vicki. We were at lunch the other day and Becca's date says "VICKI TRACY?! That is the coolest name I have ever heard! It's like in a movie!" Oh yea it is!! She claims the name alone won her all the school elections.

There is something special about the friendship you have with people from your mission. Especially with your companions. All the ups and downs and good times and hard times. They have seen you at your very best, most vulnerable, happiest and most worn out times. So happy to have this gem in my life.

Calm down

2011-07-24T23:45:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel that people sometimes just need to CHILL out? The situation at hand is usually not life or death. This is me at 5:30 AM getting ready to go to Bikram yoga with yes, a BROKEN FINGER.

Even attempting yoga this early and with the injury and all, I was half hoping/ wishing that I would get some positive feedback from the instructors such as this:

“Oh wow, way to go coming to class with your broken finger that is constantly PULSING and you can’t even use your whole hand to do the poses. Way to go to even try! Good job, 6 AM and everything!”

On no people, that was WAY too much to ask from the Bikram Natzis. My comment of the day was:

In her annoyingly calm yoga voice “Ok, soooo um even though you have a broken finger, you still need to get your arms back!!....go back, more back, WAAAAY back” as she carries on with her usual jargon.

Can I not just catch a break? I don't see anyone else in this room with a broken limb.

This summer marks 4 years that I have been doing Bikram yoga (otherwise known as yoga in a hot sweaty 110 degree room..'the torture chamber'). Obviously there is something that keeps me coming back to this rigorous work out. So much that I even go when I am out of town.

The pic above is of the Bikram yoga studio just a few blocks away from James' place. I LOVED that it is on the 5th floor with the city buildings as your view.

Alana and Trace (my die hard yogi buddies) were texting me like mad after the class to see how different/much the same the class was from our Sugar house class.

My report: "Yes girls, the lingo is across the board."

"Find comfort with in the discomfort**Push and push and push**Like a flower pedal blooming**Forehead and knee must touch**Like a Japanese ham sandwich**SWEAT SWEAT SWEAT **Lock your knee, lock your knee, lock your knee**Pulling is the object of stretching**One vertebrae at a time**Spinal twist** Breath of fire**Nomaste **

The big difference between Chicago and Utah was THE HUMIDITY!! Holy cow. I walked in and didn't think the room was that hot. 'Oh Utah is WAY hotter. This will be a breeze' I thought. About 2 min in, I was eating my words as I was sweating buckets. They said that the humidity is much harder to work in than the heat. Man did i feel good when the class was over. That is probably the main reason I keep going back though. I feel SO good after I do this work out.

Ok on to DAVID GRAY!! Beccs and I were able to go see him live at Kingsbury Hall. He was amazing live and I highly recommend going to see him. I am bringing this concert up in this post because we experienced another Natzi like experience here.

Ok, the setting is a like A ROCK CONCERT. So you think you could sing and dance and talk right? Wrong. In between songs at the beginning of the concert we were just chatting and laughing and some girl (our age....not a grandma) reaches her big arm up and starts SNAPPING in our ears! I haven't been snapped at since I was like 8. Becca turned around and she did the cut throat sign to her.

I said to Beccs "What? Did that girl just snap at us? That is soooo embarrasing!" Loud enough so she could hear of course. Sometimes I just don't get it. Why do people get so uptight? Right after that I got in trouble for taking a picture. We felt like we were in prison...at a concert!

Anyways, I still love listening to David Gray. I still go to Bikram yoga. You come to realize that when stuff like this happens it actually just makes your memories more funny to look back on. As my brother says when he goes to the Red Sox games 'It's all about the experience'.

Slip n' Slide

2011-07-18T19:03:00.003-06:00

Guess what we were doing Saturday night? That's right slip and slide time.

Not just any slip and slide....A GIANT ONE! Yes, I know you look at this and think "My kids would LOVE that!"
I am just happy that I didn't break a bone on this thing. I did however break my finger recently while tubing, none the less. Yes, I am 11 again. Slip and slides and tubing rides.

This is what...

2011-07-13T00:05:00.011-06:00

I am LOVING about summer!!

Saturdays at the pool

Dinners with my BFF!!!

Texting Kelsey 80 times a day and dying! Poppering my penguins.

JAMES!!

My girls

Hikes

Love!!

Roadside Mexican Tacos while I work (Don't freak out Kels...and James!)

Yummy dinners with best friends

Sunday afternoons

Kickin' it poolside

at hotel Park City!

Snow cone city. A summer staple.

All the joys of summer. When it hasn't been raining that is!!

Summertime in Bear Lake

2011-07-06T22:16:00.005-06:00

In case you forgot what Bear Lake looks like in the summertime...
Here is a little sneak peak. View from James' family's cabin. Love!
We did a lot of hangin out and eating.
Relaxing and having fun with his family.
So you know what they say about the boy you are dating and his dad? If you want to know what he will look like when he is older...just take a look at his dad and you'll know! Tee hee :)
Cute nephew!
I love this shot. "Um yea, I don't really have time for you and your picture. I am fully concentrated on my 4-wheeling." James' brother and nephew.
Coz up city on the boat when you get cold!
We did alot of this. Yikes!
The competition between the tube and the banana was on! James' brother on front dominated! His nephew behind was a close second.
Point proven. Ha!
Even though I wasn't the tubing champ, I did end up with a broken finger. Oh yes. You heard me right. I got shoved off the tube and my finger is cracked and yes, I play the harp for a living. I'm just glad I didn't do it while wake boarding so I can avoid the lecture from my older brother "You are too old to be doing all those tricks. One broken finger and your career is over" Oopsies.
No worries. I am actually still working and just playing with 7 fingers instead of 8 (you don't use your pinkies any ways). I survived and had a great 4th of July weekend which ended with James and I leaving bear lake with this sunset...

We watched random fireworks go off the whole way home. It was beautiful! Happy 4th!

Typical Saturday

2011-07-01T00:03:00.004-06:00

Oh you all have heard me talk about my dad and his Saturday morning routine. He gets on his scooter and hits up every garage sale that he can come across. He'll follow those signs "Yard Sale-Left" for miles. He even has his own theory on how to assess if the garage sale is a good one or not. Well, here is a little picture proof action. He was so engulfed in uhhh...the zebra striped lamp urrr....the old trusty wall clock that he had no idea I was snapping pictures of him.

Oh ps, notice the gold watch he is wearing. I bought him a fake (yes fake) Rolex in Dubai and he won't even wear it for fear of looking too uppity. So he chugs along with his Walmart watch while my $40 goes wasted in some Arabic's wallet.

I mean, how can you pass up a garage sale when you are finding gems like these?
The best was hearing my cute nephew Chase describe my dad taking him to a garage sale for his birthday. My dad said (and Chase is quoting him) "Hey look Chase, you can get anything you want! Oh look they have security cameras, bowling balls...." Oh wow...what at thrill!!
You almost can't afford NOT to buy these puppies! My favorite part of this picture is my dad fishing through his shorts to find his "last 2 quarters to his name" or some other rehearsed slogan that he is ready to pull on the poor garage sale owner.

At least he is not the only doctor in the swindling business. So many times he reminds me of Dr. Huxtable from The Cosby Show and especially in this clip. It's worth watching if you have the time (fast forward to 3 min in if you don't). Basically he is trying to swindle a good deal on a car pretending that he is all poor and after 3 min some guy sees him through the window screaming "DOCTOR HUXTABLE!! DOCTOR HUXTABLE!!" Blowing his cover. So funny.

Oh I better not forget to mention that earlier that morning we went golfing for Rob's birthday. Happy birthday Rob!! We had a blast!

When I looked down at his golf shoes I just had to laugh. We found these treasures 2 birthdays ago at the DI for $4. Smartest plan ever and he is still loving them!!
My dad making his long drive shot as usual!

All in all I just want to say that my dad sure loves a good deal. I used to hate it and wished that he would just buy me a new car like all the other Skyline kids seemed to have got on their 16th birthdays. However NOW I just admire him for it as he proudly drives around in his Corolla and whisks away all the Costco Saturday samples as a satisfying lunch. He really has taught me the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. I love you dad!

Dysfunctional family

2011-06-28T08:51:00.003-06:00

I don't think that anyone even noticed that this was going on until James walked in the family room. Angela looked up and said "Oh hi! Welcome to our dysfunctional family!" Ha, maybe this will get us on the next Mac add.

Happy Birthday James

2011-06-26T18:13:00.010-06:00

Turning 31 on the "Green Monster"!!

We loved celebrating James' birthday in Boston.
First thing was first. To catch a Boston duck tour!!
I love these girls!
I always love passing by Cheers in Boston. It reminds me of my cat Norman. RIP. He was named by Brian after Norm from Cheers of course!

Lizzy loving her life driving the duck tour bus/boat. This is why the duck tour is so 'cool'...or uncool. After driving around the city the big bus turns into a boat and you float along the river. Love it!

Nothing better to end the night than with a little Fenway Park!!

Lizzy always swindles and sits right on the dugout. Oh she's no dummy!

It's all about the experience. The food, the people, the sports attire, the drinks, the game, the family and the fun.

The family on the famous green monster. Yes, it IS all it is cracked up to be to sit up there!!
We snapped this shot of little Liz on our way home from the game. Zonked totally out.
Towards the end of the game she said "Lizzy is tired and wants to go home. Oh and Lizzy wants some birthday cake!" Ha ha!
She got what she wished for and hopefully so does the birthday boy! 31 candles was quite the task to wipe out. Happy happy birthday to you!

Family fun in NYC

2011-06-24T00:30:00.004-06:00

We were so excited that Brian and Angela came and met up with us in NYC. First thing was first: The MET!

I swear James and Brian's favorite part about the art museum was downing the 3 (yes 3!!!) New York Style hot dogs just outside of the MET. Ok James did manage to save me one. Yum:) Kicking it with a random musician in Central Park was a must

LOVE the Plaza hotel every time. Wedding reception price: $100 grand. Yikes. Beautiful flower arraignments are one of my favorite things to admire and swanky hotels. FINALLY we were introduced to Brian and Angela's favorite Japanese hole in the wall restaurant that they eat at every time in NYC. They came here on their honeymoon for the first time. They were right, it was great! The next part was a big treat that I have been dying to do for YEARS! I swear I feel like I am the last person around to see Wicked. I have been coveting tickets for years. I was sooo excited. Even better than that..James was sooo excited for me to see it. He said "I usually just like to go to sporting events, but when I saw this I was blown away!!" James managed to swindle us 4th row tickets. It was an absolute dream. I was surprised by the story line, the cleverness, the humor, music, acting etc etc. LOVED IT!! Love them! It was Brian's first time to see it too! NYC at night! Guess what I loved even more than the Plaza hotel this trip??

The W HOTEL!!!!!

The lobby was insane. The walls behind James and the ceilings are running water, like constant waterfalls. Yea, I know. I was in awe of this room every time I got here. Amazing!! Church on sunday. "I hope they call me on a mission!" Ha ha. James looking like his missionary days. Before we left NYC, James was hinting away about going to this 'Doughnut Planet' place. "Uh Heid, I saw it on the food network. It looks pretty cool. They have a Peanut butter and Jelly filled doughnut! No big deal if we can't go though". ...and then he would repeat that same paragraph about every hour until we ended up there. Ha ha!! James going nuts on the anticipated PB&J doughnut. Ohhh yea!

Now only 4 hours in the car until we get to New Hampshire!

Experiencing the city

2011-06-23T00:10:00.003-06:00

The Natural History Museum. For all you "Night at the Museum" fans (nerds...jk jk)

The live size whale was amazing.

Finally James came to back to NYC !! We were all excited to go hit the town right when a HUGE rain/HAIL storm hit. We watched as the people of New York scurried around trying to avoid the rain. Soooo funny!
So we stayed at the hotel and hit up an amazing place where James had the tuna burger of his life. He kept trying to subtly hint to me the whole trip for us to go back there. 2 am that night "Hey maybe we can get that burger to go."
Later that night we met up with Breanne and Jeremiah and hit up Korea town!!

Loved the Korean BBQ
Gooooer!
Loved hangin at their place.

Times Square definitely remains one of the best places to people watch for sure!

NYC with Breanne & Kenna

2011-06-20T12:28:00.007-06:00

Ahhhhh! It was a dream and a 1/2 to see my mission comp/cousin Breanne and meet her little girl Kenna!

Died for her!!
Ate breakfast on her rooftop. Her little family moved right into Manhattan not too long ago. What a great place to live and visit for sure!
We always hit up a little SoHo and shop our guts out!

Almost every time Breanne calls me as of late she says "Oh I'm just on the subway with Kenna!" I love this because she is out and about really enjoying the city with her little girl.

Best fried zucchini sticks around.
Crossing our fingers to get into Broadway..Princess styled to the 5 th row :)
LOVE
About 11:00 pm Breanne says to me "Hey, do you want to go bike riding in Central Park?"
Of course I do!

Not much has changed about NYC. I still love this city! Thanks for a great first day back Breanne and Kenna!

Slumbee

2011-06-13T23:32:00.004-06:00

So, are you ever too old for a good ol' fashion slumbee party?

Let me think about that for a second while Becca grows a pair of chicken wings.
..and Marsh and Kalie make creeper faces back at us
So I make a monkey face back at them
So Marsh smells her hair and makes a mustache
So we stare at the mango dessert and then go nuts on it

And laugh our heads off
Nope. Nope. Never too old for a slumbee partay!

A nightmare

2011-06-09T07:12:00.007-06:00

All I can say is if I would have seen these two BEFORE and AFTER photos before I went on my mission is:

I would NOT have gone!

(semi kidding but mostly serious)

Let's analyze a bit. BEFORE: Feeling good after getting my hair done, had a nice tan, feelin in shape, happy and excited to be a missionary, perfectly planned out outfits from Banana and Ann Taylor of course because I didn't want to be one of "those missionaries in the jumpers".

AFTER: The worst haircut ever with roots going ape (not the cute melting technique that wasn't even popular then anyways), diarrhea green shirt (this was the day I was leaving so I decided to get out of my Jody dress jumper time that I ended up wearing everyday), I'm eating a burrito which should be put down asap, eyes are all red and glazed over, body worn out. Yesterday I showed this to some girls at work and they said "Ah! Yikes...you have a double chin!" Oh I rocked it alright.

Shout out to Breanne and Trace who are looking mighty fine as well! I hope you are laughing right now because when I hold up pics like these next to each other it's a scream/laugh combo every time.

The Lord hides some nightmares from us to keep us moving forward. My mom will argue that "Oh but you were sooo happy!" I dunno mom, I'm thinking I'm lookin a bit happier in the first photo :)

Visiting James

2011-06-06T23:43:00.008-06:00

View from his balcony. So amazing to see all those city lights and just feel the energy.
His apartment is just soooo dreamy!
All it needed was a woman's touch...
So Crate & Barrel and I did the honors!
James had his input in the shopping of course "Uh, just don't make it look gay Heids." Done. Blue accents it is.
I was trying to make Alana proud so I did the honors and went APE!!! ....Ok, just kidding this is his lobby. I loved all of the modern/hip traditional flare. The best were the bellmen in the lobby. They greet you by name every time you see them and act like they really care about what's going on with you.

We ran down to the beach everyday!

Who knew that this was right down the street in downtown Chicago? Ok, if you've been to Chicago in the summer time I guess you know....but I didn't! We were in dreamland running along the paths. I mistakenly jumped in the lake too far from the shore and did a LONG swim back to the beach. My arms are sore today. That's what you get for getting too hot and wanting to cool off during your run.
I loved this dinner night! Great food, great atmosphere, exceptional company.
One of James' favorite dinner spots.

White sox gear on? Check. Ready to go hit up some mad baseball.

Don't put it past us to eat dead nachos out of a baseball cap. We were dying laughing at this! Toppings going ape.
Here's for all you sports fans. This was the only moment of the trip that James was snapping more pictures than me. "Heid, this zoom is awesome!" as he zoomed in on every batter and play that was to his liking. Yea, I discovered that long ago, and it's his camera :)

GO SOX!!
Church there is quite amazing. The Chicago singles branch meets in a school. This was my 2nd time to visit and I just love the spirit that is felt there.
Maybe long distance isn't that bad after all :)

Worst plane ride ever...worth it!

2011-06-02T18:09:00.014-06:00

You think I am exaggerating. Well, I am not. I thought a quick easy flight over to Palm Springs to visit Melody and run the Memorial day 1/2 marathon would be a breezy breeze! Wrong. I'll just fill you in with a little text.

Text to a few friends: "We almost went down on the plane. It was spinning like a toy airplane with the wings flipping up in the air. I threw up twice in the barf bag and everyone is throwing up, fanning themselves. They tried to land 4 times in Palm Springs with the WORST turbulence. Finally we had to reroute to LA. "

Kelsey: "What the? Get off that plane asap!"

Me: "They won't let us off! I feel hostage...with my barf bag in hand."

Alana: "Whoa, barf bag in hand is the worst thing I have heard all week."

Obviously my favorite part was my friend's responses. I kept thinking in the air "I would rather fly to Thailand 7 times than take this flight again (24 hour plane flight..7xs). I can't wait to tell James that, then he'll understand how bad this flight is!"

Well after 45 min the pilot promised that the wind had calmed down and we headed back to Palm Springs..well, 2/3's of us did, the other 1/3 didn't dare get back on that plane!

Reunion with my sweet Melody!

NEVER been so happy to get off a plane!!

Introducing her gooer #1: CORBAN
I could die for these kids. Look at that hair!!
Gooer #2: GAVIN!! Yes he weighs 35lbs. My arms are still sore from carrying him around Mel. You are a rockstar for doing this daily!
We got one day to relax and church it up.

Who has a family this cute? They do. I love the ODell's!
Thank you for all the support boys!!
4:45 am came pretty early. We had to wake up to drive to Laguna Hills and start the race on time. Of course we are waiting in the porta potty line right here. If you have ever ran a race before..you know the drill!!

There is nothing like running a long race with your sweet Hawaii friend of 10 years. We had soo much to catch up on while we ran past palm trees and a waterfall that all of the sudden we were saying "Whoa..we are at mile 9 already?!" We partied it out for 1 mile and cranked our music. Then I had one more story to share for the last 3 miles and ....

WE WERE DONE!! 13.1 MILES!!

I was so proud of Melody. It was her first race and she pumped it out like a champ. Just 8 months from having her last baby!

YAHHHHOOOOO!!!
The free massages afterwards were the smartest plan ever.

We managed to find some RICOS in line. One of them was reciting poetry to us, claiming he made it up on the spot. Riiiiggght! "It's just coming to me right now for you ladies." Nice try big guy. Melody was showing off her wedding ring loud and proud :)
Getting our body fat tested after running 13 miles was our 2nd smartest plan!

My main priority for the day was to get to the beach. Not for me..but for Melody. "Heidi, I haven't laid out by myself without kids running around for 3 years!" I am sure you moms can relate. I was sooo happy we laid there for a few hours and she fell asleep. A dream!
Matt brought the boys later that afternoon. So fun to watch this sweet reunion.
At the beach Melody told me Matt was the one that asked her what her hobbies/passion/goals were after having their 2nd son. He helped her come up with the idea of running the half. I love watching them and their family together. It makes me so happy when I know my best friends are taken care of by a wonderful man.
Thanks Mel for having me out and the great idea. It was a perfect way to honor our veterans and loved ones and reunite together. Hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial weekend!!

New Blog

2011-05-30T23:08:00.001-06:00

Yep it is time for a new blog. One of the first names that came to mind for the new blog was "It's a dream". Allow me to explain...

As most of you have noticed "It's a dream!" has become a new addition to my vocabulary. I usually use it when things are really good in life or something goes your way or an experience you are having is simply turning out better than you imagined.

Let's face it though. Sometimes life is not a dream. We all have the daily grind mixed in with the good times and the hard times. Sometimes the pendulum swings as high as the sky or really low and you are down in the dumps. I love hearing all of these ups and downs from all of you...my family and friends...through phone calls, blogs, long dinner talks etc. Whatever you want to share, I love it. I love and care so much about you all.

However, some things are just too hard to share. Other things are way heebes things that happen to us in life but they are funny to share and especially refreshing for us all to hear or read about on blogs. It is so much fun for me to read all of your blogs and see your adventures and sweet children grow up. This way I feel like I get a taste of who they are even if you live miles away!

I get it how annoying it can be on blogs when you feel like all the person is doing is bragging about their 'perfect life'. We all know that is a lie (or we secretly hope it is!). I hope to share ups and downs on this blog but I also realize that I end up sharing a lot of ups and highlights. One reason is that I am a positive thinker and I like to focus on the good things and blessings in life. Another reason is that some things have just been too gut wrenching for me to share. After going through that phase of my life for a few months, I have pulled out of it and I wanted to have a fresh start on a new blog.

I love knowing that on the road of life that is filled with curves and hills is what shapes us and let's us say out loud "It's a dream!!" when we are at those peaks in life.

Thailand May 2011

2011-05-30T02:05:00.000-06:00

Without further a due, here are some pictures of my latest DREAM trip I was able to go on. So many pictures I know...but you know me, I love to snap away like there's no tomorrow.

I was able to head to Thailand with my amazing James Cook, his roommate Tyler and my good friend Lindy. We had an absolute blast!

When you get to Japan after 16 hours of traveling, you only have 7 more to go!! Ha. The bathrooms are quite the treat!
We ran into Dick Norris at the airport with his cute 14 year old son. Proudly wearing his 'Make a wish' T-shirt, they were on their way to China to meet Jackie Chan. What an amazing and friendly family!
The Peninsula hotel in Bangkok was nothing but a dream!
I will do the honors!!

Elephants, tigers and Bangkok

2011-05-29T23:54:00.000-06:00