Back from California

Well, we just spent the past week on vacation and it was so much fun and much needed. We first drove down to St. George to celebrate my grandparents 80Th Birthday Party Hawaiian style. Pretty much all the relatives on my dad's side were there and we played games, ate yummy food, watched a video of their life, and just visited. It was great! And somehow the Easter Bunny was able to find us and left the boys Easter Baskets. We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and their cousins which was fun. Then we drove to Victorville, CA and stayed with one of Aaron's friends and his family. We woke up Monday morning and the weather was overcast and raining. When we arrived at Disneyland, the lines weren't too bad, but as the afternoon arrived and the sun came out, so did everyone else and their dog. IT WAS CROWDED! I haven't been since I was a kid and I don't remember the lines being so long. But Tuesday proved to be even worse when it came to the lines. We still had fun and the boys were really good about all the standing and walking we had to do. We were up really late both nights and as soon as we entered our hotel room they were ready to go to bed without any arguments. One cool thing is that Kaden was just barely tall enough to go on the big rides. He went on the big roller coaster at California Adventure with Aaron and loved it! He's our fearless one. Jonas did pretty well but a few of the rides scared him just a tad. He still had fun though. I can't get over how expensive the food is there. We looked forward to the times when we could eat somewhere cheap off of the park property. McDonald's never looked so good. On Wednesday we slept in and then drove to San Diego to my Aunt and Uncle's house in La Jolla. They were so hospitable and had everything we needed to go to the beach waiting there for us. We changed into our swim suits and made our way out to Pacific Beach. I laid on the beach trying to get some color while the boys played in the water, collected sea shells, and built sand castles. We couldn't stay to long because we had a limited parking time but it was good. We had a BBQ that night and the next day we took the boys to Sea World. They loved it. I was disappointed because the dolphin show was closed and we only stayed for part of the day because we ran out of things to do. It's not like at Disneyland where you almost feel like there isn't enough time. We saw all of the shows and exhibits and ate lunch (which was also outrageously priced) and let the kids pick out a souvenir. Then we went down to this children's beach where they had it roped off. Every year the mother sea lions come and give birth to their babies and stay for awhile to keep the pups safe. It was cool to see up close. It was amazing that they didn't seem bothered by everyone looking at them only feet away from their babies. I guess they just get used to it. We went out to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle and had awesome fish and chips. Friday morning we went back to St. George and stayed at my grandparents overnight to break up the drive. We had to make it back for Church on Sunday because our ward split the week before and Aaron is now in the Bishopric. I'm so excited for him and I'm excited about our new ward. It's much smaller and I think it will be easier to get to know people better. However, I'm going to miss a lot of the members in our old ward. I've been called to play the piano in Relief Society which should be interesting. I haven't played in over 15 years and never learned any hymns so I'll just have to do the best I can. I guess the Lord wants me to learn this talent again. I used to be a pretty decent player when I was a kid but it's true what they say..."If you don't use it, you lose it." I'm way out of practice. Life is good and I enjoyed the driving part of our trip just as much because Aaron and I were able to have some good conversations. I love my husband with all my heart and couldn't imagine being married to anyone else. He is truly the perfect mate for me. I'm so grateful for all of my blessings and for the opportunity we had to create these precious memories.