Southern California

Here are a few highlights from our Anniversary trip we took earlier this month.

We woke up bright and early to drive to San Francisco to catch our flight to LA. After a scary bus ride to the Car rental terminal at the LAX airport we were on our way to see the famous Los Angeles Farmer's Market. We were able to meet up with Dan's parents and walk around awhile and partake of some yummy Korean food, gumbo, crepes, and PinkBerry frozen yogurt. After spending a few hours at the Los Angeles Farmer's Market we headed to the Getty Center. Here is a view of one of their lower gardens. Next time I hope to have more than 30 minutes to explore all the beaty it has to offer.
After the Getty Center we headed to our hotel in Hollywood. We took a quick walk down "The Walk of Fame." I was surprised that in our party of four I was the only one who had seen it before. Here's a picture of me with Mickey in front of an old theater Disney owns.

After the "Walk of Fame" we parted ways with Lyn and Mike. Thanks for the summer wardrobes for the kids and Dan's new fancy camera. Later that night we enjoyed a peaceful meal at PF Chang's.

The next day was the Ellen taping. After a lazy morning we had a nice lunch in Burbank before heading over to the studio for the taping. It was a lot of hurry up and waiting, but a party from the moment we parked and stepped foot in the waiting area. The taping was cool - especially the 3rd row seat to a mini Black Eyed Peas concert. But, I must say it is much more relaxing to watch it on TV. Between all the dancing before the show starts and during the segments you get quite a work out. So much that the person sitting by Dan wondered why she even bothered to shower and do her hair before the show. The next day I was feeling muscles that I forgot I had and my voice was hoarse from all the screaming. Here is a picture of the fabulous prize that should be arriving on our doorstep in the next few weeks.

A great gift for a non-drinker! We are kind of hoping that William Sonoma will take one of them back so we can get some cool kitchen gadgets. Since it retails for close to $350. After the show we walked around the mall for a bit and then had our final peaceful meal at the Outback Steakhouse.

The next morning started way too early, so we could drop of the rental car and catch our 9am flight - that ended up being canceled by the FAA in San Francisco. So, we spent a lot of time at LAX airport waiting to find out how we were going to get back to SFO. We finally arrived in San Francisco at the time we had planned to be back in Fernley. I guess everything can't go according to plan. We stopped by IKEA in Sacramento to pick up a few quick items before grabbing our kids at Grandma Sandi's and heading home. We had fun watching the episode when we got home late that night and pointing out our ourselves to the kids. They had fun dancing around in their new Ellen DeGeneres shirts. (I'll post a pic later...)

It was so nice to have a weekend to remember what it is like to be a person - not just a parent. And to get the opportunity to appreciate your kids more.

Thanks to all who made it possible.

On a side note: Ellen DeGeneres has become an authority figure at our house as a result of our trip. After asking them to do something they often ask: "why? Cause Ellen DeGeneres says." I think it's pretty funny, but am all for whatever works to get things accomplished around here. Some of the often heard phrases from our kids are: "Ellen DeGeneres says pick up your toys," "Ellen DeGeneres said take a nap," and "Ellen DeGeneres says wear your seat belt."

Don't get me wrong they both know who the real boss is, or I'd like to think they do. However I do get a lot of "because Heavenly Father....", or "Heavenly Father says..." from Noah.