"Everything's Bigger in Texas!" - San Antonio Trip

So we have been long neglecting our blog (again) due to the fact that I really wanted to go back and "back-blog" about everything that has been going on, but I figure it is now or never and I need to just dive in and backblog when I get the chance!!! (I think this is why I was never good with conventional journals either,...hmm.....)

For Memorial Day weekend, we got to take a little extended vaca down to San Antonio, Texas to spend some time soaking in the sun with our Cousin's Seth & Linsey and their kids Kade & Kenzi (little shout out to them... BEST HOSTS/TOURGUIDES EVER!!!! Thanks again you guys!)

Here we are at the airport waiting for our flight to San Antonio after our crazy red-eye flight!

The first place we went to after gettting in was a little town called Fredricksburg. It's a little tourist trap with all sorts of cool little shops, antique stores and the like, (which turned out to be good because San Antonio had a crazy little spat of a Thundershower!) We found this awesome little store called Rustlin Robs Gourmet food. They had samples of everything they sold, it was pretty sweet. They had odd combinations like jalepeno peanut butter and chipotle honey mustard, but almost everything was delicious!Here is Mike sampling the goods

We also found this random store with lots of crazy hats, you know...your everyday hamburger and pizza hats...etc.

Next we went to the San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden

It was really beautiful there, it was like stepping into a tropical oasis.

Our lovely hosts!
Just a glimpse of the scenery

Kenzi spent some time looking for bugs on the flowers...

While Kade just um...well, got dirty(that was kind of his theme :)

The next day we went down to Corpus Christi to go to the beach, it was awesome, a little bit of a drive, but the warm salty water and waves were a blast, Mike and I even got to work on our tans a little (that is of course after they turned tan from the burn we got!!!)

Kenzi getting buried in the sand!

Alas, the beach was too short lived as another Texan Thunderstorm rolled in!
For dinner we stopped at a seafood joint called "Snoopy's" right on the water, pretty good (Side note for Seth & Linsey: we will show you what REAL Fish n' Chips is when you come to Seattle!)

And then right next door was an ice cream parlor called..."Scoopy's!" Clever.


Kade got a little carried away with his none-other-than extremely blue ice-cream!

Yeah, that's right. It DID get up his nose!!! :)

Kenzi was slightly more careful with hers as she sipped it from the cup.

The next day, Mike and I went to Six Flags to enjoy a day full of sun, coasters, and swimming. We had so much fun! We got there right when it opened and were able to go on a ton of rides with very few lines. Needless to say, our brains felt a little scrambled by the end of the day. Afterwords, Seth and Linsey took us to a local BBQ, which was absolutely delicious!! I don't know how we did it (actually, I do, can anyone say caffeine??), but afterwords we stayed up all night playing games just like the good ol' days!

The free hanging coaster!

Mike is plotting our next thrill.

We got completely soaked on the water rafting ride (which we didn't mind, it was about 1:00 and in the high 90's!!)

On our last day in San Antonio, we went downtown to do some more sightseeing. Our first stop was the Alamo. It was beautiful and amazing to see how much it has been restored and preserved after all it has been through. We couldn't take pictures inside but they had lots of historical artifacts from the soldiers, time period, and even some personal effects owned by Davey Crockett

The courtyard of the Alamo were also wonderful filled beautiful gardens.

They also had this ginormous tree that had been transplanted back in the early 1900s, it is now so big it has to be held up with cables and poles!!

Huge!!!

Next stop was the River Walk Boat tours. We had the best tour guide, he knew not only about all the history and architectures, but also little random facts, and all about the plant and animal life along the Rio San Antonio

Kade got a little tuckered out along the way

The tower of America from the San Antonio World's Fair, one of the many buildings we saw along the way.

For lunch, we went to an awesome local restaurant called "Chris Madrid's". It was a little hole-in-the-wall Burger/Mexican restaurant, but was not to be taken lightly....

The burgers were as big as your head (big enough for Mike to share with me) and were probably one of the best burgers we had ever had!

Check out the cheese action on this burger!!! Go, Seth, go!!!

Mike looks pretty happy about his Tostada burger and he hasn't even tasted it yet!

I couldn't help but post a couple of Texan Pride pics from our trip... :)

The Texas flag was everywhere and always HUGE!

I couldn't help but laugh at this "Texas Edition" Ford F-150 pickup truck! How stereotypical!

We even saw a house painted like their flag!!! I wanted to get a picture so bad but we were on the highway and drove by too fast.

We were so glad we went and had a lot of fun!

Chris and Lindsay come to visit

So back before Thanksgiving, Chris and Lindsay were able to come over to Washington for a visit. We excited to see them and of course get to see our little nephew Parker who we had not yet met. He is very cute and I think he looks just like his mom!

He was a happy little guy!

See the resemblance? (actually, I think Parker looks a little freaked out!)

I got to hold him quite a bit and get to know him for a couple of days, he's such a good baby. It made him very easy to love!

Awww, poor little neglected blog...

I know, I know, I (actually, WE, this is supposed to be MIKE and my blog, however I seem to do more of the actual blogging, hmm, fancy that! Sorry, bitter diatribe, I will get back to the actual post now.) have long since posted on our beloved family blog. I haven't quite recovered from all of the crazy-going-ons that have taken place over the last few months.
However, I am making a promise to myself to try and post at least one new post a week to try and play catch up with all of the things that have done since....hmm, Thanksgiving! Wow, that does make me sound pathetic.

I really do enjoy writing about the things that we do and I have found that I remember more in the future when I can write at least a little about it and try and collect those thoughts in some form.
So, here goes post one!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year that I've spent with my Dad at Thanksgiving, as long as I can remember, we would go around the table and list things that we were thankful for, the only rule was that you couldn't say what someone else already said. It really ould make us think about all the blessings we had and helped me to take a little less for granted how much I really HAVE been blessed with throughout my life.
So in honor of Thanksgiving, I thought it would only be fitting to dedicate this blog to a few of things that I am thankful for (Even though I won't be there this year, Dad, it totally counts!)
These are no particular order...

1. I am thankful for my husband, Michael. Thank you for being all of my motivation in my life. You put up with me, even on my not so nice days, and I love the way you will try and make me smile when I am feeling down. You are always so positive and help me feel calm when I get stressed out! Thank you for being my constant everything! I love you!
2. I am thankful for my family. All of them and their craziness too! They make me laugh and I will love them no matter what!
3. I am thankful for my Savior.
4. I am thankful for music.
5. I am thankful for the internet.
6. I am thankful for doctors and modern medicine.
7. I am thankful for forks.
8. I am thankful for chocolate.
9. I am thankful for clean sheets (they're the best!).
10. I am thankful for that smell after it rains.
11. I am thankful for freshly cut grass.
12. I am thankful for the colors of leaves in the fall.
13. I am thankful for cell phones.
14. I am thankful for microwaves.
15. I am thankful for electricity.
16. I am thankful for mail (even though I usually only get bills!)
17. I am thankful for contacts.
18. I am thankful for my calling and the opportunity to serve.
19. I am thankful for Christmas.
20. I am thankful for toothbrushes.
21. And toothpaste.
22. And deodorant.
23. And hygiene products in general!
24. I am thankful for running water.
25. I am thankful for cars.
26. I am thankful for food and that we have enough.
27. I am thankful for weekends.
28. I am thankful for feather pillows.
29. I am thankful for fuzzy socks.
30. I am thankful for hugs.
31. I am thankful for Sunny days.
32. I am thankful for lilacs.
33. I am thankful for gardens.
34. I am thankful for prayer.
35. I am thankful for washing machines, both for dishes and clothes.
36. I am thankful for clear nights when you can see all the stars.
37. I am thankful for lightning storms.
38. I am thankful for this country that I live in.
39. I am thankful for the temple.
40. I am thankful for my testimony.

Whew! I know that this could go on and on, but I think that putting this all down in writing will hopefully keep me from taking so many things in my life for granted. I hope we will all remember what we are thankful for, no matter what season or holiday it is.

"I put a monkey on a pedestal!"

So last week we and our friends, the Brooks, went out on the town in Seattle. We tried a Moroccan restaurant, called "Marrakesh" and the food and experience was fabulous! It was beautiful inside and and we got to sit a comfy cushions on the floor. They washed our hands because we ate with our hands! It was a lot of fun!
We also went to a newer musical called "The Drowsy Chaperone" and it was hilarious. We weren't really sure what to expect, just that it was funny and that it won quite a few Tony's.
The whole musical was a satire and making fun of a lot of the elements of musical theater - It starts with a narrator who is in love with the musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" (which of course no one has heard of!) The whole production basically takes place in his loft.

The Narrator

This is from my favorite song - "Bride's Lament" It was so funny, I almost peed my pants - Almost. Here are some of the lyrics so you can see why!

Janet: [sung]I put a monkey on a pedestal

And tried to make that monkey stay

And he did for a time

But he needed to climb

And with other monkeys play

Far away

He left his jacket on the pedestal

Beside his tiny rusty cup

And I haven’t got the strength

To pick them up

Oh monkey, monkey, monkey

You broke my heart in two

But I’ll always save that pedestal

For you

Come my little monkey

Come my little monkey, do

He knows the musical so well, he starts to sing along with Janet!

Here comes the Bride!

So I am happy to announce that my little sis, Ashley is ENGAGED! Wow, I can't believe how much she has matured and grown in these past years - don't get me wrong, she's still a little goof, but she has found someone who she can be goofy with!

She was proposed to by Kyle Fickenwirth on 11/05/08. He is a very sweet guy and they are adorable together. If you don't believe me, check out the picture below.

Aww, don't they look happy together?!

Check out the rockin' ring he designed for her!

Although planning a wedding can be stressful, especially while they are both in school...man that scenario sounds familiar...I know it will be one of the happiest days that they will treasure as they start their new life together.

Sissy, I love you! I hope you two will be truly happy and wish you both all of my love and support as you take these steps towards eternity!

Fight! Fight! I mean...go team!

So my Dad called me up on Election day to see if I wanted to go to an Ice Hockey Game. I had to admit I was a little surprised, my Dad is very into politics and I thought that he would want to stay home glued to the TV to watch results come in...Needless to say, I think that he didn't want to get depressed about the results coming in. But I was happy to go! I don't think I had ever been to a Thunderbird's game (let alone a real Ice Hockey Game!) so I was excited! Despite getting a little lost trying to find the right parking garage (as well as driving the wrong way on a one way street, oops!) we finally made it to our seats on Center Ice - It was a lot of fun and we killed em! 8-2! I did feel a little redneck to be honest, but in a good way... hmmm.

It was a little crazy and all the guys around us would encourage the players to fight like every time the referees would make a call. And, what a surprise, they fought.

2 players from opposing teams whipped off their masks and gloves and started to circle each other.

The funniest thing though, the ref's just kind of stood there and watched them punch each other in the face for a good 1 to 2 minutes before they even moved towards the players!

Ah...what a good time we had!Go Thunderbirds!

The pretty sweet in-between-periods show...Yes that is the mascot riding a trike on the ice.