The Good, The Bad, and The Disney.

I have had many extensive conversations with myself on how this blog post was going to go down. Lists always seem to win. But first, I want to tell a sad story. This does not go on the list because i would prefer it to be a happy list. We stayed in Phoenix for a couple nights to visit my grandparents before heading on to CA. While there my car got broken into, and my purse stolen. Lame lame LAME. I'll spare you the list of all the things that were inside, because A. what a downer, and B. it's not going to do any good. Let's just say everything was in there. And now I'm going through the ridiculous process of calling a billion people to prove that I am, in fact, myself. But just as we tried our best not to let the incident ruin our trip, i will try not to let that story ruin this blog post.

So, onward!
1. Elliot and Astoria did amazingly well, considering how completely dramatic they are. I think we only had three complete meltdowns, and it was nothing a peanut butter sandwich couldn't fix.

2. Astoria LOVED It's a Small World. Yay, at least I have someone on my team.

3. Met some characters:

Love this picture so much. Cinderella looks a little tipsy, and Elliot seems to be getting a little too comfortable there.

4. Monster Faces!!!
5. Blair, the fantastic guy that he is wore the baby backpack about 75% of the time. What a trooper. We also made a deal that we each got to go on one "big kid ride" while the other one took the girls. Blair's pick: Tower of Terror. Mine: California Screamin' (I freaking LOVE fast roller coasters)

Blair and the Cheshire Cat. This picture was followed by an intense discussion on how Disney basically destroyed our favorite childrens books (Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan respectively). As horrible as those adaptations are, we're still total Disney kids. This is actually the 5th Disney trip Blair and I have been on in the almost 7 years of knowing each other.

6. Elliot's gastrointesntinal sensitivities scored her a free T-shirt. Um... Yay?

7. The crowds were really not bad at all. Longest we waited in any line was I think 30 minutes. Advice to anyone going this year: The BEST times to go are mid-week (we did Tues and Wed) Preferably during the school year. And we rode the teacups and the Pooh ride each about 5 times. Score.
8. CAPTAIN EO

I can hardly describe the awesomeness.

9. Dinner at the all-you-can-eat barbecue place in Frontierland. Ohhhhh so delicious.

10. Spending a week with my favorite guy and the three best kids a girl could possibly hope for.

Dear Magic 8 Ball...

I am the absolute worst at making decisions.

No seriously. My chest clenches up, and I get anxiety attacks, and I grind my teeth...

So let's just say that the past few weeks have not been my favorite.First there's Blair. He's now finished with his student teaching at PHS. He sincerely loves it there, and has some really great kids (not to mention some ridiculous talent and a potential run at the state tourney next season) Unfortunately, there are no teaching positions opening up in P-town. Lo and Behold, he gets an offer from Manti. English teacher attached to the head boys basketball coaching job. Oh, but don't worry, they asked Blair to interview the day we are supposed to be posing for pictures with Pooh bear, and riding in magic teacups. Right...

Cue The Clash here: should i stay or should i go...

We've been stewing over this for the last few weeks, but the decision needed to be made by today. And while the decision we came to may not be the most logical (which is huge to Blair) it's the one that feels right. And lets just say... those teacups better be pretty dang magical.
Now decision number 2 is not really quite as life altering, but it's still a pretty big deal to me. I have till Sunday to decide whether or not i'm going to attend the Zumba instructor training workshop in Vegas. Easy right? No brainer. Do it. However... there is the issue of having a 4 month old that doesn't exactly take bottles well. Would it really be wise to leave her to go to Vegas for an all day workshop? Or if i took someone with me that could watch her while i'm in class, and then I could feed her during my breaks... but seriously, who wants to hang around Vegas all day with someone else's infant. sigh...


In the meantime?

I'm taking this opportunity

To get caught up on LOST.

(any advice, as always, is welcome.)
:)

The Nicest Thing

My amazing little sister spend the weekend at my house. And when I say amazing, I'm completely serious. My girls absolutely adore her, and she is wonderful with them. Like unbelievably patient and willing to play, and a hundred times more fun than mom. So it's a super exiting time when Aunt Ra-Ra (Laura) comes to play.
On Saturday, I decided to be super brave and take my sister and all three girls out to breakfast. I say brave because, have you ever tried to take a three-year old to a restaurant? Let alone a three-year old, a two-year old AND an infant. Well, we had the traditional talk before we left about what it means to be on your "Best Behavior" and honestly? they were pretty great. They ate their pancakes and eggs without running around, dumping out all the sugar packets, or throwing salt shakers. It was a very proud mom moment.

But the story doesn't end there.
During our meal there was a couple sitting across from us who was the happy recipient of all of Rousseau's little smiles during the meal. As we were getting up to leave, the husband stood up and said "let me get that for you" I smiled thinking he was going to help me hoist the car seat out of the booth. Instead he grabbed the check off the table. I was totally stunned. Stuff like this doesn't happen to me. I protested of course, (but not too hard really) and gave him a big hug and thanked him profusely.
Who does things like that? Seriously!

I am absolutely determined to repay the favor by doing something nice for some complete stranger. I don't think you have to be a wealthy person to make a difference in someone's day, or their life for that matter. I mean, a breakfast for two toddlers who shared a meal and me and my little sister wasn't terribly expensive, but it was still one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me.

Now, I don't often wax religious, especially in a place as public as this. But I do feel the need to point out the incredible love and Christlike attitude these people had. This weekend was an awesome Easter/General Conference double-whammy. There were things said that I really needed to hear, and I'm glad I made the effort to listen.

So in the spirit of springtime (which should be around here... somewhere) Why don't you go do something nice for a stranger today? (I will too)

Trying to Explain

Have you ever been listening to a song, and just wanted to explode because it was so amazing?


And then you tried to tell someone about it and your best description sounded flat and boring and maybe even a little cliche.Even worse is when you hear (or read) someone talking about a song that is amazing to them, and it sounds like they are either A) exaggerating or B) crazy. Half the time you yourself have heard that same song and found nothing particularly amazing about it.


So I don't really feel comfortable getting on here and telling you about all the amazing music I've been listening to lately, as much as I would really REALLY like to. Maybe it's just because music has such a unique, and often deeply personal impact on a person. There is no way to convince someone to feel EXACTLY the same way you feel. And don't even get me started on headphones. I ADORE headphones.


But there is nothing in the world like listening to something that makes you tingle, makes your chest feel heavy and full, makes you want to run a race or do a cartwheel, makes you want to stand up and shout and sing and flip your hair around.

Don't get me wrong, I love words. I love language. But there is something completely untouchable about a song that just makes you go crazy inside (a fantastic kind of crazy).

And hard as I try, I can't make the words even come close.



But just in case you wanted to know? Here is what i've been listening to:

Angels & Airwaves - LOVE (headphones are recommended for these guys)
Owl City - Ocean Eyes
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity and Bleed American
The Matches - everything they ever wrote.
fun. - Aim and Ignite
Something Corporate - Leaving through the Window

and the song "Summer in the City" by Regina Spektor.


Now go!

The Shape of Things to Come

Seems like everyone has a list of things they would like to accomplish in their lifetime. I have a list. It is an ever changing list. But here it is in its current incarnation. Yes it is categorized. No I am not anal. Yes I'm awesome. (Blair is invited to experience any of these with me if he would like, except play roller derby. Obviously.)

06/07/10 - I've started checking a few of these off, they are in green.

Places I must see:

London


Ireland


Paris

Barcelona, Spain
New York City
Mumbai, India

Bands I must see (that i haven't already seen):

Angels and Airwaves

Vampire Weekend

U2
fun.
Flight of the Conchords (are they even still together?)
Regina Spektor

Owl City

Bands I'd love to see again (this does not include all the bands that I'd kill to see again, but can't because they are broken-up):

Jimmy Eat World

Dashboard ConfessionalWeezer

Motion City Soundtrack
Something Corporate (reunion tour?!? YES PLEASE!)

Events I must attend:

Suns vs. Spurs (with the Suns kicking the tuna salad out of those crap-lousy Spurs) Oh how i wish i could be there now... Suns vs. Spurs in the PLAYOFFS? dang.The NCAA Final Four
The Holi Festival of Colors
Comic-Con


People I should meet:

Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindehoff, or J.J. Abrams

Neil Gaiman
Team Boo

The Ruth that lives in Korea

Billy Collins
Steve Nash
Mo Willems

Things I must do:

Eat at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill
Take up guitar again, and perform - Open for John Allred maybe?
Get a part in a play/musical
Play roller derby
Run a 5k
Run a 10k
Get Zumba certified
Teach a dance class/Zumba
Have my writing published
Finish writing a novel (even if it's just a little one)
Read more than 50 books in one year
See all my kids go to college and get married in the temple
Have a son ( I know this isn't exactly up to me, but i'd really really like one someday)
Learn to play the theme from Pride and Prejudice, and Debussy's Clair de Lune on the piano (along with a few other pieces)
Paint a picture that can hang in my home
Make quilts for each of my kids
Give someone a really meaningful gift that they will really treasure
Make someone happy
Start and keep a tradition with my family
Own a cat. Maybe even several cats. And name them all really awesome names.
Have a house with a secret room, preferably behind a bookcase
Cook something that makes Blair say "wow" without provocation by me
See fireflies
Play in a meadow with my girls, and we can all wear white dresses and pick wildflowers

Learn how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie for high-altitudes (THANKS to Cheeky Kitchen!!)

Teach my girls to sing
Read Ulysses
Be part of a dance or music flash mob




There. Incomplete, but still awesome. You should make one too. I dare you.

Also, i'm always open to new suggestions and ideas. I know I've probably forgotten some things. And as I think of more things, i'm sure i'll add them on, so this post will change. And yes, if you'd like to do any of these with me, i'm up for that too.

Teeth

I grind my teeth. Especially when I'm anxious.
I have dreams CONSTANTLY where my teeth are falling out in a variety of different circumstances, and I'm always so sure it's real that when I wake up I have mini panic attack until I realize they are still there, then I just want to cry with relief.

There are several things right now that are seriously endangering the safety of my teeth (both physical and metaphysical).
So for the sake of my teeth, let's hope that all these ridiculous worries are resolved expeditiously.

Only Five Things For Today:

1. Last night I did not have a teeth dream, but I did have a dream about the triple bunk bed my friend Katie used to have when she was young. It was awesome, I wish I had one for my kids.

2. Rousseau is the happiest kid I could have ever hoped for. It's retribution I suppose. It was by far the most miserable of my pregnancies.

3. I am craving Thai food like you wouldn't believe right now. Anyone want to go on a curry date with me? (I don't think Blair will go. He's not into anything that doesn't come out of a drive-thru window.)

4. Blair will be done with his student teach in SIX DAYS

5. iTunes Alphabetical adventure, Seventy Times 7 by Brand New. I remember so clearly screaming my guts out during this song while the guy who would become my future husband stood just a few feet behind me screaming his guts out.

If you like mushiness, by all means read on

Most of you know that I'm married to a super hot guy. If you are an 8th grader at Parowan, you are probably crushing hardcore on this very same super hot guy (don't think I don't know you girls... ). Yesterday as my little family went about our typical Sunday-ness, I had a series of epiphanies. For some reason I was more than usually aware of how much I really really like Blair.

He likes his french toast with peanut butter and maple syrup (so now our girls do as well). Personally I think it's gross, i'm more of a powdered sugar and butter fan, but I still thinks it's cute. I am glad beyond measure that I did not marry a carbon copy of myself.

He cooks. This alone is reason for a gold star, but beyond that, he is a creative cook. Yesterday he decided that we should have a Chilean food day. He made an amazing Cozuela de pollo (it's like a chicken soup with a bazillion things thrown in) and some dulce de leche cookies (I can't spell the actual Chilean name for them so i'm not even going to try). It was pretty stellar.

He is funny in his sleep. Last night I woke up to a stuffy-nosed little one who was in need of some snuggling. Blair proceeded to inform me that there was a new kid at Region, and he needed a school bus. Yeah. Me neither. Someday i'll tell you the story of the sandwich, don't let me forget.

He is pretty optimistic when it comes to impossible situations. He is planning a vacation for us this April involving Disneyland. Me and Blair at Disneyland with a 3-year old, 2-year old, and a 5-month old baby. Right... we'll see how that works out :) I'm thinking there will need to be a vacation just to recover from this vacation. Just kidding. I can't wait.

In summation: Blair is my favorite thing.