Best Disney Day Ever!

So I decided a long time ago, I would not blog about every trip I make to Disneyland – I just done have time to blog that much. Lol. But this day deserves its own blog…

So my amazing friend Elizabeth and I started making a habit of meeting up at Disneyland. (It is kind of a halfway point between where she lives and where I live.) She and her mom would meet me at Disneyland and we would spend the day together laughing and having fun. One day, a run-of-the-mill, amazing, Disney day became something extraordinary!

(9/15/2011?)

To maximize our time we decided to get to the park even before opening. We made the best choice ever and decided to start in California Adventure. After walking into the park a ways, we were stopped by employees making a barrier saying the park is still closed and that we cannot pass them so we waiting right there waiting to be let into the park to start our day. About ten minutes before opening a girl wearing a Tower of Terror uniform approaches us and asks us if we would like to be the first to ride that ride for the day. Of course we said yes. She escorted us through the (empty!) park to the ride.

As we turned the corner to see the Hollywood Tower Hotel, Chip and Dale were waiting for us. As we spotted each other from across the walkway to the ride, they began running towards us (imagine cliché slow motion running towards each other in a field of daisies). Lots of hugging and smooch noises and photo ops and laughs and priceless memories. After a few minutes (felt like a really long time) of borderline sexual harassment (not complaining lol), we were lead into the ride.

It was really interesting walking through the line area all alone. We approached the “reception desk” and were asked to sign a “guest book”. Come to find out….once filled, that book will be kept in the library of the ride. MY NAME WILL FOREVER BE APART OF DISNEYLAND!! Moving on….

We then are escorted into the Twilight Zone Video portion of the ride… just the three of us. Then walked to the doors of the elevator and we were instructed to “Pick your seats”. This picture says the rest of the story.

YEAH! THAT HAPPENED!
Here are some more pictures from the rest of the day:

Needless to say: BEST DAY EVER!

I can’t imagine a day where I am tired of Disneyland… especially after a day like that. Until next time!

4 years Ago

Four years ago today, i went on the best first date (and my last first date) ever. To be honest, i thought Casey was too good to be true... so much so that i didn't really think he and i were actually going on a date until he came to the door and my dad told me my date was there to pick me up.

When i asked him where we were going he told me, "somewhere special". We showed up at The 94th Aero Squadron and had a wonderful meal... i was impressed that he made reservations for us. Most guys are so unprepared for a date.

(pictures taken 9 months after our first date)

After dinner we drove to two really unique places... we call them, "The Lions" and "The Rust Factory". Basically, just cool things to show me but i really got a feel for what i special guy i was on a date with. The unique surroundings and long drives gave us ample time to have great, genuine conversation.

Four years later and the conversation isn't dull yet. He is such an amazing man. I knew that night i would be with him forever. I couldn't see myself with anyone else after that night.

Happy Anniversary Casey! 4 years of amazing memories together... I love you!

PS: ill blog later about the fun stuff i have planned to celebrate 4 years. My new motto, "Celebrate Everything!"

Baby Ruby... My heart breaks

This story is amazing... the strength of this family. It is amazing how your heart can break and go out to complete strangers. Read the story.... but make sure you have a tissue present. This families strength is a testimony builder for sure.

http://www.aniandmatttaylor.blogspot.com/

Weddings are always a good time.

So right after i got back from my trip to Utah, i had a quite the wedding to attend. Now i love weddings no matter what but this one was extra fun because my Sister In Law, Lauren was there with her husband (Casey's brother) and my new adorable nephews. Her oldest son, Maverick was a ring bearer and the best dancer on the floor! I had such a fun time but the BEST part of the reception was the photo booth! I love how Lauren looks fabulous even when shes super preggo! Also, i cannot believe Lauren and I were able to convince Casey to do the photo booth with me.

I just wish i got a picture...or video... of Mav dancing with me and Lauren.

Congrats Allie and Britt! you put on quite the party and are quite the couple!

It has been a while... forgive me

I was trying to figure out how to catch up on everything that has happened since the last time i blogged...and have come to the realization that there is no way for me to do that. Ill do my best. I am sure i will forget something important... here we go.

In May i celebrated my 22nd birthday. It was quite the Disney Event. I had a Minnie Mouse birthday party and I got the Disneyland Annual Pass that Ive always wanted. The one with no blackout dates so i could go whenever i want and has parking included. Ive already used it a ton.

June started Summer Camp at work which means field trips and long days with crazy kids and being more used to being referred to as Bambi instead of Kendell.

Also in June, My dad and i went to Disneyland together where we had a mini family reunion. That pass i got really came in handy. I got to see my cousins that i haven't seen in forever and my aunts (dad's sisters). It was really fun.

July was a long month.

Whitney and i celebrated the 4th of July together while Madison traveled the world.

My dad left for his new job on July 8th... in Afghanistan. Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things i ever had to do. He is doing wonderfully and if you want to know about his Afghan Adventure you should check out his blog. I'm so proud of my dad!

After my dad left for Afghanistan and Whitney went back to Utah, i had to say goodbye to my little kiddos at work and being known as "Bambi". I left my job at Sunshine and am now focusing on finishing my real estate as soon as possible. I didn't realize how much i love those crazy kids until i had to say goodbye to them. I miss them so much!

The end of July, Casey and i took our annual trip to Lake Mead with his family and this year we took with us a new toy. Sure was a fun trip! I did the best i had ever done wake boarding before which says something because the waters were really choppy. i cant wait to try again. The sad part was that because it was so windy and choppy, riding our new toy was not as much fun as it could have been. I'm hoping to go again before the season is over.

With my new found freedom with not having a job, i decided to take a quick road trip with Madison to Utah to visit Whitney. It was my first time going anywhere without Casey. It was harder on me then i thought. but i had a really good time. We went to Temple Square, saw the Utah Mylers and visited my Grandpa Boyd's resting spot in Provo.

That brings us up to date. Last week i decided to use my time at home to Casey's benefit and make some yummy cupcakes to cheer him up after a long day of work. It really made him happy and made it tough for me to stick to my eating healthy thing. Next time I bake a bunch ill have to give most of them away.

UPDATE: I told you i would forget something important:

-Madison Graduated High School and soon leaves for BYU-Idaho!

-Garrett left for Basic Training in the air force shortly after my dad left for Afghanistan.

This is QUITE the year for my family. Can't wait to see what the other half of 2011 has in store for us. :)

Easter Weekend Getaway

Casey and I decided to go away for a weekend just to spend some time together. Things have been so busy lately. This is how we celebrated our anniversary even though it was a month late, it was perfect! We chose to go to San Diego and stay with my grandparents in Temecula.

We left Thursday night after we dropped Lady off at Casey's brother's house. We got to my Grandma's house at about 10 and quickly went to bed. The next morning we drove from Temecula to San Diego to go to the Safari Park. It was packed in line but once we got in, it was super fun. I have a new favorite animal, Porcupine! so stinking cute! We saw a lot of cute animals up close and got a lot of walking in. We went in to this butterfly jungle and were surrounded by literally thousands of butterflies. Casey said it was creepy... i had to somewhat agree. But we got an adorable picture out of it.

We went from there to the safari and it was a huge line but i knew it was worth the wait. I saw giraffes and a lot of Rhinos and random deer looking animals. I loved seeing the Zebras! I was just bummed that the Lions weren't there. (they are remodeling the Lion exhibit) :(

After that we were pretty much done with the whole park. We headed the the front and passed a petting zoo. i couldn't pass up a chance to touch some animals. :)

We headed back to my Grandma's house where we knew we had a home cooked meal waiting for us. My grandma made meatloaf which was amazing and a chocolate cake. (uh oh!) I knew right then that sticking to my diet would be near impossible during our trip. We started to watch Fantasia but i fell asleep so we went to bed. Saturday morning we got up and decided to go exploring. We stopped by Pechanga, which is HUGE by the way and then drove around the wine country. it was so pretty. we found the mall and walked around a bit and then went home and changed for dinner. We went out to dinner and planned on going out to see a movie but the movie times were so late, so we went to wal mart and bought Rebel Without a Cause and watched that on Casey's laptop in our room.

Easter Sunday we went to church with my grandma and hung out at their house. Grandma made an amazing dinner and of course some dessert. We watched Phantom of the Opera with my Grandparents and then Casey and i went to bed. The next morning was so bittersweet. The weekend was perfect and relaxing and easy and it was so hard to leave knowing that we had to go back to reality.

I am so grateful to have grandparents who live in such a beautiful place and are such beautiful people. Even though this was my first Easter without the Easter Bunny or Easter Eggs but it was perfect! I was so happy to come home to our Lady and she was so happy to see us. Now its back to reality!

Who's That Lady?

So it was a beautiful Saturday when i convinced Casey to go to the Fish Hatchery off the 126 and then go to a fruit stand to grab some fresh produce. Afterwards Casey decided to drive towards Castaic lake to see if there were any boat shops that we could look at. After we drove around and realized there were only repair shops and no showrooms or any place that sold SeaDoos or boats, i had the bright idea to stop by the Castaic Animal Shelter...just for kicks.

We walked in and i just wanted to ask someone how long they kept their cats before they euthanized them. Then we walked through all the dogs to get to the cat building but before we could even get two dog cages into the room, i saw the sweetest face ever. We spent a while talking to people in the pound and looking at dogs and cats and stuff. Then we drove to Burt's Mega mall. The whole time the only thing we talked about was this dog we saw. We decided we would pray about it and sleep on it. We drove home and had dinner, did some research on Boxer dogs and went to sleep.

Sunday morning came and right after Sacrament meeting, we drove to the pound and put our names down to adopt her. Monday she got fixed and Tuesday she came home. Meet our Lady!

Lady is a 2 year old Boxer. They say she had puppies before we got her. She's super calm and sweet. She knows how to Sit and Shake. We are so happy to have her in our family. It was such a surprise decision to get her but we know it was the right choice at the right time...and for sure the right dog. We Love Lady!

2 years already!

Today marks two years of amazing marital bliss!

Two years ago today my best friend made me the luckiest girl in the world by making me his wife. I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It feels like just yesterday i was coming home from our first date telling my family how he could be "the one".

When they asked me Why, the only thing i could think of off the top of my head was "We like the same jelly beans!". But there were many more reasons i had even just at that point. He treated me like a lady; and still does. He genuinely cares about what I want/need; and still does. He's a hard worker. He's appreciative. He's down to earth. He's honest. Not to mention how insanely attractive he was; and still is! And all that (and more) i got from the first date.

I had this feeling i couldn't explain our entire first date, and i still have that feeling every time he looks at me. I am so lucky to be his wife. So lucky to have such an amazing guy. I could go on and on. I just am on clouds today thinking about what happened two years ago. From getting ready, meeting up with him at the temple, sitting with him quietly inside the temple before the wedding, and kissing him as his wife for the first time. All i can think of is how very blessed i am!

I'm A Brunette!

so a little over two weeks ago i took the plunge and died my hair brown. I was terrified at first but the second she started putting the color on i was totally relaxed. She had to Double Process my hair; which basically means she did it twice. The first time she did it it was a dirty pond color. A light brown with a tinge of green. She did that color just to soak up all the blonde and the second color would be the REAL color. I LOVE IT! I dont have that many pictures of me with brown hair yet. But i'm keeping it for a while so you will she plenty of brunette pictures in the future.

I'm not sure what i like better. Blonde or brunette?

Oh, and Casey likes it too. (Phew!)

Weight Watchers Update: I am down 11 lbs since starting the program. Only about 6 more lbs until i reach goal! YAY

Mario March!

Happy March!

I love this month. This is the month that the weather usually starts to be perfect. Hopefully that means that we will stop this freaky cold weather and even out somewhere around 65. This is the month that, two years ago, i married the man of my dreams! This is the month of my FAVORITE big sister's birth. So many reasons for me to LOVE this month. :) Here are some updates on what's been going on lately.

I am four chapters in on my Real Estate Course! Yippeee Skippy! i was hoping to be further along by now but that's alright, I'm still moving pretty quick, especially since it's independent study. I am really loving what I'm learning. I have gotten A's on all 3 of my quizzes so far. But that's just personal progress because the school recently notified me that the scores on the quizzes don't really count... they just help me personally gauge where I'm at with what I'm learning. I'm not sure how i feel about that....

Weight Watchers Update: I LOVE IT! I've already lost over 5% of my starting body weight. and I'm still moving quickly.

I am dying my hair TOMORROW morning so I'm terrified about that. I'm sure I'll blog about it with pictures :)

Casey sold his Cadillac CTSV last night. He has decided he wants to put energy, money and attention into his '66 Chevelle which i TOTALLY support. This might sound weird but i LOVE the sound and smell of classic cars. He got it started for the first time in over a year or so on Tuesday night and at first i thought we were having an earthquake! I'm so excited to get it moving! Here is a pic of Casey working on it a week or so ago. It is now on its tires and off the stands. Please excuse the messy garage... it is much cleaner when Casey isn't working on his car. :)

Now time to explain my title of this post... for this month, the theme in my classroom at work is Mario... and i LOVE it! it makes me feel like a kid again and i REALLY want to find my old Original Nintendo and play Super Mario Bros 3! Here are some pics of how I decorated my room this month:

I am currently loving American Idol. The only other time i have ever watched the show was the first season to watch Kelly Clarckson win and then every now and again only to watch the auditions of people who canNOT sing. (william hung?) This year, however, i have watched from the first audition and even voted last night. There are a number of people i really want to win! a few of the top of my head: Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, and Scotty McCreery. Check them out! They are SO good. anyways...there's my TV Dish :)

Until next time :)

Party Time

This last Saturday, i hosted a Pampered Chef party.

I had never been to a Pampered Chef party but had heard great things about the products. I'm so glad i ended up doing it because it was SO much fun and i really like the stuff. We made some super yummy treats. I'm mkaing up my order of stuff that i want right now... im so excited to become a better little cook for Casey. :)

Weight Watcher's Update: First weigh in went GREAT. i did not expect to get results right away.. but i did. With the pampered Chef party, i lost track of my points for a few days lol... but today is Monday and im starting the work week right on track. Hopefully, ill have the same amazing results this week as i did last week. I'm so excited to transform myself into a happy healthy (hopefully skinny) woman for 2011.

More exciting news, Feb 1st is the Official Ribbon Cutting for Casey and his brothers' new Real Estate Office. So exciting!

Until Next Time! :)

Happy New Year!

I'm so excited for 2011... you have no ideas... i have big plans for this year and i have already gotten a start on it....

So far I'm working on two things: Getting my real estate license and getting in shape. I already joined Weight Watchers and... to my surprise... i LOVE it.

I know i don't have any serious weight issues but i really want to feel like I'm taking care of myself and for the first time, i do. I love their new program (apparently they've changed it) and I'm really happy! i cannot wait to see how this year turns out!

oh and I'm going to become a brunette.... bye bye blonde!

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

...and I'm sad because i waited so long to post about Christmas and Thanksgiving....

it was a beautiful Holiday Season! Christmas was amazing this year... the big wins for Casey: tools, cologne, clothes, Back to the Future BluRay Collection and Gun from his dad. Me: (Casey totally spoiled me) Laptop, ipod, steam vac, clothes and some other goodies.

Here are some pictures to sum it up.

We started this year with a lovely snow day. it was super fun but not expected at all. Got some pictures of it but i was NOT prepared to be in the snow and i got soaked by an impromptu snowball fight with the in-laws.

I hope everyone had a fun Holiday season! We sure did! :)