Embarrassing

I have a lot of spelling/grammatical mistakes in my blog posts.  I apologise. 

I don't like writing "boo boos."  When I find them in my own posts/writing, I feel ashamed. I try to fix them, but I know there are some that I don't catch.  This makes me cringe. (There are even mistakes immortalized in photos, unable to be fixed! No, don't go look; it will only upset you.)

No one writes perfectly all the time; I know this!  But I went to college to be a journalist. You would think I would be able to write well and without mistakes at least 90% of the time.  I obviously need to go back to school.

You know and I know that I should have paid more attention in class.  Maybe if I had, I would remember more information and be able to apply proper writing techniques.  Now that I see the consequences, I know better. 

I blame all my writing mistakes on my blood type.  I am Type O.  (Get it?   :o)   ...but really, I am.)

If there are mistakes in this post, don't tell me.  I'll probably find them later.

End of pity party.

P.S.  This may be a shameless attempt to remind Luke that I want to go back to college for a Masters degree in...I haven't decided yet.

Sushi...Sort Of

I love sushi.  Right now I can't eat it because my body is growing a baby and raw fish could seriously disrupt that process.  I love our baby more than sushi.  But don't get me wrong, as soon as I pop this kid out and get done breastfeeding, I will be feasting on sushi.  Sushi and I can be friends again in about a year and a half.

For now I spend my sleepless nights (thanks a lot pregnancy hormones, YOU SUCK!) concocting sushi creations that I can eat.  Raw fish is out, but candy, candy is SO not out! 

Makizushi - Rolled sushi

or Temaki - hand roll

Nori: Fruit Roll-Up, sour belt or those fruit leather rolls, found in the produce section of the grocery store (I used to beg my parents for one whenever we went shopping)
Rice: Rice Krispy Treat
Filling Options: Sour Punch straws, Swedish Fish, gummy worms, Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel, Laffy Taffy, licorice, pound cake, the list could go on and on (If you like chocolate - which isn't my favorite - the candy options there are endless, too)
Roe: Nerds

Nigirizushi - hand-formed sushi

Rice ball: Rice Krispy Treat
Topping: Swedish Fish, slice of pound cake (looks like egg to me!) or even a couple of Mandarin Orange slices (not candy but still good)
Nori strip: strip of Fruit Roll-Up

Some people like to dip their sushi in soy sauce or spice it up with wasabi.

Soy sauce options: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, raspberry sauce (basically any ice cream topping sauce) 
Wasabi: Pixie Stix dust 


I know I am not the first person to think of this genius idea.  Google Images proved that to me. 

I haven't made my candy sushi yet, but I will...very soon!

Aslynn's Adventures in Disneyland

Z is so spoiled rotten she stinks!  The girl has been to Disneyland and California Adventure three times in as many months!  Naturally, I am jealous because I have only gone once.

Aslynn gets to go with her aunts and her grandfather (THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!), who have season passes and like to take the munchkin because she is cute, loves Disneyland/California Adventure, will go the whole day without a nap or complaining, and she's FREE until she turns 3.  Isn't family awesome?  I love them!

I don't have pictures of Z's last Disney adventure, but as soon as I track down Stefanie's camera and download her pictures, I will.  Until then, here are A LOT of pictures of Z's first two times visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth."

Visit number ONE:

*You know you want to eat a GINORMOUS turkey leg.*

Visit number TWO:

 *Aslynn's calling the police because she is SO mistreated...*

 *She really does LOVE meeting characters.  Don't let her serious face fool you.*

 *You better believe she ate the whole thing, including the cone, all by herself.*

*Zonked out as soon as she got into the car.*

Aslynn LOVES to look at pictures of herself, especially the Disneyland pictures.  She says, "Look!  That's me with (fill in the character)!" 

Aunt Stefanie made her a photo book with tons of pictures; beside each photo is a handwritten blurb about what is going on, and what they did when they went to Disneyland.  We read the book every day.  Thanks Aunt Steffy!

A Series of Pictures...

...that crack me up! 

Whenever I look at these pictures, I laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh.  Stefanie and Barbie took Z to Disneyland.  When they were there, Aslynn really wanted to get her face painted.  She was super excited, happy, and smiley until she sat down in the chair and some stranger started painting her. 

It was a little smudged by the time I got a good look at it (the next morning) but she was SO excited to tell me all about the horse painted on her face...though you wouldn't be able to tell she was happy about it during the actual painting part.

I love her serious face!

She wore the paint for the rest of the day, all the way home, all through the night, and for part of the next morning before I was allowed to wash it off.

Happy Birthday to Me

Is it just me or does it seem like as soon as a person has kids, the only birthdays that matter are those darn kids' birthdays?!  Parents get no hoopla, no fanfare, no real enthusiasm when their birthday finally comes around.  WHY?!  I ask you! 

Sometimes I wish I was little again and could have a big birthday party with the works - cake, presents, a gazillion friends - you know, HOOPLA!

But then my rational-self puts my kid-self in a time-out and explains to her that 1) cake isn't that great 2) presents are nice but what do I really want/need anyway? 3) my friends have busy, real lives, and 4) maybe birthdays are supposed to get un-special as we get older because there comes a time when getting older is a bad thing. 

My kid-self feels bad for being so shallow and silly.

For real, my birthday was dandy.  I did feel quite a bit of love from my family and friends.  Thanks, guys; I love you all bunches! 

Since I was expecting the lack of hoopla, fanfare, etc. I decided that I would take my birthday into my own hands and plan something BIG.  I planned a dream vacation of sorts just for the hubby and I.  You will never, in a million years, guess where I wanted to go. 



























Rexburg, Idaho.

Yes, you read correctly.

Seriously, I miss our Rexburg life and especially going to school so much I cry about it.  Really. I reminisce about silly things like the cheap theatre where Luke would buy me as many licorice ropes as I wanted. Shopping the sales at Broliums and Albertsons. Cursing Wal-Mart for not having that thing I needed for my class tomorrow, but not being mad enough to stop perusing the aisles on date night. Working out in the Hart building for hours at a time for FREE. Hanging out and/or going on cheap double dates with the friends that were our past roommates or that we met in class or at a ward social. Driving to Idaho Falls and gallivanting around town, because Rexburg gets boring and has no place to shop.  Craigos.  Millhollow.  Emma's Cafe. I miss it all...but not the cold.

So I found some cheap plane tickets and planned it all out.  It was going to be a great weekend!  I told Luke that we were going because I wanted to explore all the cool new things (sky bridges?! mini-Conference Center?!) appearing on BYU-Idaho campus.  I also wanted to see if we could meet up with some friends who are still in the BYU-I-ish neighborhood; most of them have grown up and moved away...dang it. 

Luke knows me too well and understood that I was also seriously craving some Craigos, Millhollow and Bambinos (which I have never been to, only heard about, but the stories are enough to make me fly to Idaho and spend a whole $1.99-$2.50 for one).  I did not deny this fact. 

I wanted to go to I.F.  I wanted to do a couple of sessions at the Rexburg Temple.

We were going to have so much fun.

Remember the rational-self I told you about earlier?  Well, she talked my kid-self out of going on her dream vacation.  Sad, huh? 

Let me tell you though, Luke is an amazing husband.  He was all set and ready to buy the airline tickets and take me to Idaho, when I stopped him.  I usually always talk myself out of spending large amounts of money because I know that money can go to something more important, like Aslynn's college fund or a school loan payment.

Sometimes it makes me sad to be a grown-up with responsibilities. Don't worry, kid-self, some day you will get your trip to Rexburg. 

P.S.  I admit, making a big hoopla and fanfare with TONS of enthusiasm for my kid(s) on her birthday is a lot more rewarding than when it is done on my birthday.  Just thought I would throw that in there.

Living Desert

We recently visited the Living Desert (Palm Springs' version of the zoo).  It is pretty small, but it has a lot of great things!  There is a giraffe feeding time where we could have fed them a treat but the giraffes were full by the time we got there. 

*Aslynn loved the giraffes.  She stood by the exhibit for a long time. Whenever anyone walked by, Z would tell them all about the giraffes and how they were "eating" right behind her.*

All the exhibits are smaller which is sad, but you always have a great view of the animals. 

*I have never seen a crane sit like this.*

At the petting zoo Aslynn had no fear!  As she walked by, a goat was trying to use his horns to butt her in the booty and Aslynn wasn't phased.  She tried to pet him and then passed him by for a more friendly companion.

In the butterfly and hummingbird exhibit (Aslynn found and bench, sat down and told me, "Mom.  I stay here.") we were surrounded by beauty!  I saw a hummingbird's nest, which I have never seen in real life.  I was pretty excited about it!

As the morning went on, the kids decided to be pill-faces; their behavior made us moms want to rip our hair out.  We only made it through half of the zoo before we headed home. 

With some pressure from Luke (who wanted to come with us but couldn't because he had to work. The big softie begged for pictures via text message, all day!) I decided to get a membership so we could go back and visit the zoo again!

*Aslynn riding a bronze, baby warthog.*