Happy New Year!

I had a really great New Years Weekend.  One of the reasons was an extra day off of work.  I spent the weekend with great friends and lots of good food.  I spent New Year's Eve with close friends playing cards and eating.  We rang in the new year with noise makers, party hats and glow in the dark jewelry.  It was a good time the very conservative Mormon way.  On January 1st some girl friends and I took advantage of the day off of work and went to Solitude to stay in my bosses condo.  It was nice to get out of town but only be 45 minutes away. 

We watched a couple of movies, played some more games, read horoscopes, listed our resolutions, painted our nails, watch more movies, ate good food, ate more good food and headed back home.  It was a great weekend and I am very very excited for a brand new year!

A Little More About Texas

While I was in Texas a few weeks ago there was kind of a lot going on.   Amaia was born which was so exciting and fun to be a part of.  In addition, Milo had just turned eight and was getting baptized.

With Milo and Holly at Milo's Baptism.

After the baptism Monica and Scott hosted a taco bar at their house for friends, family and neighbor. Of course they were a complete delight due to Scott's cooking.   Milo wore a Brazilian soccer jersey during the taco party that I was very happy to see him wearing. 

 Go Brazil!!!

While everyone was mingling and eating Monica and I snuck away to take Amaia to her first doctor's appointment.

I loved going to Amaia's doctor's appointment.  It was so fun to be there.  She passed all the tests.  As I said a hundred times over the weekend..."She is perfect!"  We will see if her parents think that as she gets older.

Holly got a little tired with all of the excitement and took a nap in the middle of the floor. 

There was a significant amount of family in town to support Monica and Scott for the birth of Amaia and for Milo's baptism.  Scott's siblings, parents and grandparents were there.  Along with myself and my mother. Because of all the support, they decided to bless Amaia at their house while we were all there.  It was a very touching experience.  The Bishop came over after church and it was very sweet and simple. 

The Little Family. 

I love going to visit Monica and her family.  I wish they lived a little closer.  I look up to them in so many ways.  They are one of the best families I know.  They are caring and giving, down to earth and easy going.  They are easy to be around and fun to talk to.  I'm so grateful they are a part of my family and that they are such great friends to me as well. 

Huntington Beach

I spent Memorial Day Weekend in Huntington Beach California with a group of girls.  I knew some of them before we left and some of them I didn't.  What I have to say about it now is we will all be life long friends.  It was such a good time.

Gen, Kari, Cheryl and Cristina waiting for X2. 

They had fast passes so they didn't have to wait as long. 

We were trying to get Cristina's wrist band on Lyndsie's wrist. We totally failed. This picture is my favorite of the trip!  Lyndsie face is so strained. Who would think something more serious was happening. Hahaa!

Oooo La La at the Beach!

Kari and Julie in the car on the way to Magic Mountain. 

We made it! Yay!

My favorite ride on the earth...X2. Totally worth the 2.5 hour wait.. sigh!

Cute, sweet, girls!

Going on GOLIATH for the second time. Don't worry about the 225 foot drop into a black hole!! Yikes! Hold on tight....

Julie and I couldn't pass up trying on the hats.

Movie and Candy night.  Yes, all of the bowls on my body have a different kind of candy in them. 

Beautiful girls Lyndsie and Julie waiting for X2. I think this was about 2 hours into the wait. 

A quick pic while on Ninja.  We were a little excited!

Yes we are shopping by the beach!  I love this place!

Tanning Trip #7

Brianna and I headed out over the weekend for our annual tanning trip to Mesquite.  This is the 7th year we have followed the tradition.  We have actually come up with a pretty stricked ritual.  We leave on Friday afternoon.  We drive to St. George and stop for In N Out hamburgers.  We finish the drive to Mesquite, check into the hotel, get in our pajamas and watch TV until we fall asleep.

Bri sitting pool side. 

On Saturday morning we go get a massage. It's heaven. Then we go to Walmart by all the slutty magazines, some treats and diet Pepsi.  Then we go lay out at the Casa Blanca Pool for the rest of the day. Around 4:00ish in the afternoon we pack up our pool bags and head back to the hotel.

I was so excited to wear my hat! Ha! :)

We shower and get semi-ready, meaning we don't wear any make-up or fancy clothes.  We take our selves out to dinner and then to see a movie.  This year we ate at Los Lupes.  Which was fabulous and I highly recommend and saw Water for Elephants as you can see in my post below.  Then on Sunday morning we wake up. Eat the free breakfast at the hotel and head for home.  It is one of the best weekends ever!!  I hope the tradition last forever!

A Weekend With The Little's

I went to Monica and Scott's in Austin a few weeks ago to spend the weekend.  I flew down Friday afternoon and came back Sunday night.  It was a quick trip but so much fun to see them.

We ate Amy's Icecream.. three times! (We took some home from the store with us)

I met Buzz Light Year.

Holly helped Monica with Family Home Evening.

Holly using her dad as a chair.

We watched some cartoons together.

I kept trying to wrestle Milo.

And I gave Holly and Milo lots of loving.

Cambridge and Harvard

The last day Kelli and I were in Boston we took the subway to Cambridge. The city of the famous Harvard University. We experienced the worst weather on this day. It was very cold and very rainy. Harvard was, I want to say majestic. Ha, Ha, that seems like such a funny thing to say but truly it was just like what you see in the movies. A courtyard full of tall trees. Large historical red brick buildings everywhere on campus. I could felt like a student just walking the street.

We stopped by the bookstore to browse. I bought a few used Christmas books.

We actually walked around for a while trying to find the front gates to the Harvard. We think this is it. Not 100% sure only because we that it might be bigger and have a large monument or sign indicating it was the front gates. This is the only gate we could find so it just figured it was the front gates. Ha Ha!

The organization of Harvard.

A small plaza with a fountain donated by the graduation class of 1887.

The courtyard with all the trees and red brick buildings.

The Cambridge Fire Department. Keeping with the theme of red brick buildings.

And Grendel's a darling little restaurant/pub we found to eat lunch. Of course we didn't take advantage of the pub part but the food was great and the atmosphere was amazing.

All in all, Boston, Cambridge, Harvard... great places to visits. It was a very fun trip. I look forward to going back in the summertime to see more sites and of course.. catch a Boston Red Sox Game!!!

Christmas Spectacular!

The purpose of the trip to Boston was to see my friend Staci, who served in the same mission as me, in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It was so fun to get dressed up and go to the show.

The show was playing at the Want Theatre in the theatre district in Boston.

Kelli and I inside the theatre.

The inside of the theatre is amazing. Chandeliers, stone and marble everywhere.

There were so many parts of the show that I absolutely loved. The joy and happiness of Christmas. One of my favorite parts is the very last scene. The preform a live nativity. The actually have real camels, and lambs and a donkey. The costumes are absolutely beautiful. The live Nativity has been a part of the Christmas Spectacular since 1933. As the show ends and the curtain close you hear a reading of a testimony entitled....

"One Solitary Life"

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. The for three years He was itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place he was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. he did non of the things that usually accompany greatness. While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had - His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave. Two thousand years have come and gone, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever marched and all of the navies that ever sailed and all parliaments that ever sat and all kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this "One Solitary Life"

We met up with Staci after the show. She is so amazing. It was so fun to see her and be in Boston. I can't even wait to do it again!!!

Weekend in Boston Continued...

After Kelli and I finished our tour of Boston's freedom trail, we took to the streets to see more of the city and do some shopping. Shopping in Boston was very fun and everyone was full of Christmas. Everywhere we turned some one was wearing a Santa Claus hat or an entire Santa Claus outfit. Music was playing. People were laughing. Carolers were singing. Lights were hanging everywhere. It was so easy to be happy and enjoy all the Christmas in the city.

Standing by the gigantic Christmas tree in the middle of the shopping center.

A picture at "Cheers" -- Where everybody knows your name!

This Statue was so funny to Kelli and I for some reason. I don't remember the guys name but he had something to do with the beginning of basketball or the Boston Celtics or something. We just thought it was a unique way to display a statue. Haha!

Another Christmas Tree in the city.

Once we had finished shopping for the day. We went back to the hotel and got ready to see Staci's performance in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Let me just tell you it was SPECTACULAR!! I'm being serious. Staci got us great seats and we sat on like the 6th row. The costumes, the dancing, the singing was all amazing. I didn't ever want it to end. It definitely should be on everyone's list to do for Christmas.

Boston Massachusetts

My friend Kelli and I spent the first weekend in December in Boston. Both of us were going there for the first time. My friend Staci who was dancing for Radio City Music Hall invited us out to see the show and got us tickets. The show was amazing and I instantly fell in love with the city. The food was amazing. The historical sites you can see. The shopping. The theatre. I loved everything.

One of the first things we did while we were there was to take a tour on the Freedom Trail. It was a great way to see the historical highlights of the city.

The freedom trail is marked by a red painted line throughout the city. The actual trail is about 16miles long. You can find your way to all of the sites either by following the red line or following a tour guide. We used a tour guide but still thought it was great to see the red line.

This is a picture of the Boston Common Park. The oldest park in the United States.

Another picture of us in the park.

This building is called the New State House. It isn't really that new because it was built in 1798. But it is newer than the old state house which was built in 1784. The State House is still where the Government of Boston meets. The dome at the top is plated in copper and was plated by Paul Revere.

This is one of the old church's in the city. It sits to on the same grounds as one of the most famous burial grounds in United States history.

This is the burial ground next to the church. It is the largest in Boston but not the oldest. There are about 5000 bodies buried here. This is the burial site of James Otis, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.

This building is the old state house I mentioned before that was built in 1784. This is the place the Boston Massacre occurred and where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time.

This is a picture with our tour guide once we finished the tour. She was so great and entertaining. I loved learning about all of the history of our country and of the city of Boston.