Christmas 2011

Flowers in my trunk for Granny's 90th Birthday Party/Christmas Eve Celebration.

Pretty Paige and me.

Margie, Sydney, and me.

Me and the tree.

Just the two of us.

and the good looking group.

Love it.

White Christmas

I saw White Christmas tonight with my friend Cheri. It was absolutely adorable and just pure fun.

We were trying to capture our matching shoes, but we didn't quite get all of our feet in the photo. :)

Hard to believe Christmas is only one week away. I'm excited to have more family around.

Christmas Time Is Here

I finished wrapping the gifts this week.


I walked around Balboa Island with my visiting teaching sister. The homeowners decorate to the max and the reflection of the Christmas lights on the water is beautiful.

Today was my week to do Sharing Time. I had the kids fill in pictures on posters to sing all 5 verses of the Nativity song and then read the Christmas story by adding a piece to the nativity scene after each scripture verse. It was a lot of preparation, but I enjoy it.


Saturday night was work's Christmas party. Sunday night was Dad's Christmas concert and games with the family. No pictures, but it was fun.

Deck the Halls

It has been a fun week. I met my visiting teacher at Fashion Island on Wednesday, I've been wrapping gifts, I got my hair done, I enjoyed some fun work-outs, and I ate a delicious burrito on our Friday night date.


Sunday night we went to mom and dad's for our usual game night and we also got to decorate the tree. Christmas is coming.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my trials and blessings. It has been a beautiful day. I slept in, enjoyed a bike ride, went to dinner at Ruth's Chris, and enjoyed football in good company.

I am not a Black Friday shopper, but earlier in the week I went to the mall. The holiday decorations are super fun. It was difficult to capture it all, but I took a few snapshots to share with you.

Here is the top half of the tree at Crystal Court. There is a train children were riding that goes around the tree.

The bottom half of the tree at Crystal Court.

The bridge between Crystal Court and South Coast Plaza.

These blue lights are up all year long. They set such a fun atmosphere.

The top third of the tree in South Coast Plaza.

The malls are trimmed with these decorated garlands on both levels. It was difficult to get a photo that captured the enormity of these garlands.

There are some fun window displays, like this one at J.Crew.

and Santa's Village is super cute too.

:) Thanks for dropping by; I am truly grateful for my family and friends.

The Holidays are Here

I came home from work one day this week and found this tree set up.

Apparently we think alike because before I knew anything about that tree, I bought these.


I drink a lot of water and they reminded me of some glasses Grandma Eliason used to have.


Disneyland is decked out for the holidays. We saw the parade Friday night and Chandler and I met at the park late Saturday night. It was a lot of fun.


After I worked out and cleaned the house on Saturday, I spent a couple of hours organizing and wrapping these gifts in tissue. I can't believe how many there are. I still need to buy a dozen more for church and work friends.

I'm so glad the holiday spirit is here. :) Happy Birthday Margie!

One for You--One for Me

It's been a great Saturday! I started early at the gym and went for a bike ride before the rain came.

I have 33 people I am buying Christmas gifts for this year. So I was doing a little on-line Christmas shopping this week, and after taking care of the majority of my family and friends, I decided to buy myself a few things to gear up for a California winter.

I bought this black jacket. It is super warm, and comfortable, yet not bulky.


I also bought this olive green jacket. It is warmer than I expected it to be which will be awesome for nights at Disneyland.


And finally, shoes. Last Sunday I was wearing socks with flip flops, so I knew I needed to get something.

The pewter flats are for work. They are really comfy and will be a nice change from black.

The dark green Tiger runners are for Disneyland. They have tons of cushion.

and The gold Nikes are just for fun. I saw Hope Solo wearing them on Dancing with the Stars and when I came across them on-line, I decided I wanted a pair too. They are pretty cool. :)

Lunch with Betsy

Betsy drove up to Irvine today to have lunch with us. It was great! Thank you. I know it wiped out your day.


I went for a bike ride this morning and the sun was sparkling across the whole ocean. It was breathtaking. I know you can't really appreciate what I mean by this photo, but its the best I could do.


Hooray for Saturdays!

Happy Halloween

Tonight was Trunk-or-Treat at the church. Dad and Chandler brought Natalie's kids dressed up in their costumes. Her kids were great. There was a big turn out. We were both out of candy after 30 minutes. This is such a smart way to trick-or-treat. It was really fun to see all of the kids and it makes it easier for all involved.

I wore my ladybug costume.

Earlier in the day, I went to Orange Lutheran High School (a private school) for their production of Bye Bye Birdie. I went with a girlfriend from work. It was super cute. They have a beautiful theater. It was such a steal for $15 a seat. We will definitely be going back for more.

Betsy, those Halloween earrings I am wearing are the ones you gave me for my birthday. I received compliments on them all day.


Work had a little Halloween Happy Hour on Friday and part of the party was a pumpkin decorating contest. I made a mess of the kitchen table for two nights and this was the end result.


That is supposed to be Paige in her witch costume.


Morgan as Minnie Mouse.


and Brooke as Snow White.

I tied for first place and won a Subway card. Yay! Lunch.

I will use it again to decorate my Primary table tomorrow when I teach Sharing Time. Another fun weekend.

Here is a spooky pumpkin carved by the man of the house.

Viva Las Vegas

Chandler and I took a quick road trip to Vegas this weekend.

We zipped down 4 miles of flight lines in Bootleg Canyon. We were moving between 40 and 70 miles per hour. This was the best thing I've done in a long time. I felt like a kid again.


We went to the Cirque de Soleil Beatles "Love" show. It was really cool. The stage, stadium, and props were unreal. The performers were awesome. It was a show with everything; something only Vegas does.


We walked around and ate at some of the most beautiful hotels on the strip. It was really fun.

Chandler, thanks for making my weekend ultra fun.

Mickey's Halloween Party

Friday night we went to Mickey's Halloween Party. It was really fun. I had never been before so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. It was entertaining to see everyone dressed up in the park. Sometimes it was hard to tell if people were dressed up or if they were the real Disney employee character walking around.

They had extra Halloween decorations around the park, extra characters taking photos at spots, a Halloween dance party, trick-or-treating stations, a fun Halloween Parade and a Halloween Fireworks show. It was perfect for us and really a great night.


The flash on my camera wasn't working but the candy store was absolutely dead because of the trick-or-treating stations so it was a good spot to take a photo for the evening.

34th Birthday Highlights

On my actual birthday I had tons of work to do, but it was still a really great day. I received calls and cards and messages. I was overwhelmed by the showers of birthday wishes.

I love this photo. It was taken Sunday night when I had dinner and cake with my parents.


Above are some really awesome cards I received plus a great book Betsy gave me (which I already started). I will get formal thank you cards out, but thank you for thinking of me and making my day so special. Below is a picture of the cute Bear Lake shirt Betsy sent me.

I finished my birthday by walking up and down the beach. It was beautiful and just what I wanted. Thanks again for all the cards, calls, messages, gifts and more. I am so blessed.

Happy Birthday!

Monday, October 10th is my 34th birthday. The celebrations started early with Mexican dinners, Disneyland, awesome cards, gifts, bbq, cake, and games at my parents.


I think these characters are some of the cutest at Disneyland, but it is hard to catch a photo of them because you can only see them as you drive by on the tram.

Thanks for loving me so much. :)