CALIFORNIA TRIP!

This passed weekend my mom, dad, Eliza and I went down to California for Memorial Day. We had so much fun! We left Thursday morning, drove all day and finally arrived at about 7:30pm. John came over to see Eliza and that's just about all of the excitement we had that day. Oh wait! That's not so! We stopped in St. George on our way down and ate at In-N-Out Burger. That's right! There's an In-N-Out in Utah. We are moving up! Anyways, on Saturday we headed down to San Diego. We were supposed to make it to a wedding for a friend, but unfortunatly, I can't be anywhere on time, so we missed it. Shoot! I still feel pretty bad about that. We still had fun though. We saw my friend Megan from high school. We've been able to stay pretty close despite the fact that she lives in California now and I live in Utah. We ate at a Mexican restaurant (much to my dad's disappointment) in Old Town San Diego and then walked around the little shops. It was pretty rainy and chilly outside so we couldn't wander around Old Town as much as I wanted. After we left, my dad wanted to drive around and visit his old haunts. He grew up in San Diego so we always enjoy driving around and seeing his old houses. He told us this time that he and his family actually lived in a garage outside of a convienent store my grandpa owned. I never knew that and it kind of broke my heart a little. Later that evening we met up with my friend Karly and her husband Chris in Dana Point. We headed to a Mexican restaurant (my dad was dying for regular food by then). It was so good to catch up with them. Eliza was a doll and my nephew Brandon, was a prince! We had such a fun day, but we were all pretty tired by the time we got back to my sister Carrie Beth's house. I really love California! San Diego is beautiful! If I were to move back there ever, that's where I would want to be. It's so peaceful even through all of business of the city. I was in heaven!
On Saturday, we didn't do a ton during the day. Eliza went and played with her dad and the rest of us went to Round Table Pizza for lunch. In the evening we went to a couple of wedding receptions. I grew up with the people getting married. Steven Wagner married a cute girl named Angie. Steven was a couple of years younger than me. It was so weird! And then Coral, who I've known forever married Mike. That was a fun wedding reception! We had a GREAT time! I saw people that I grew up with and talked about old times, new times, we just had so much fun! I love coming back to where I grew up and seeing so many fun people.
Sunday was a blast! My neice Megan and I went into Los Angeles and saw the Broadway play Wicked. Read my previous post and you will see how fabulous it was. We had a great time driving around Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Bel Air and looking at all of the huge, ridiculously HUGE houses. We only got lost a couple of times. We ate at Hamburger Hamlet in Pasadena. It was such a good time! Yesterday, late morning, we headed home. Eliza was exhausted from this trip. Before we left, my neice Amanda took her for a walk in her stroller and she fell asleep. I knew right then that it was time to head home and not do another vacation for a little while. We are going back to California at the beginning of July to move Mollie and Carlos down there, so hopefully that will be enough time for both of us to recover from all of these crazy vacations. So, that was our vacation. We had a blast! Hope all of you are planning fun vacations for the summer. Like I said in my previous post, if you get a chance, go see Wicked . It is amazing!

LOVE TO ALL!
LAURA & ELIZA

P.S. I am starting my eating-well venture today! Wish me luck!

WICKED!!

My neice Megan and I went to see the Broadway hit Wicked while I was in California. I was so impressed! I have been wanting to see this show since it came out. The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Mollie and I would take turns pretending to be Dorothy. I was even the Wicked Witch one year for Halloween. Needless to say, I was anxious to see the story behind the Wicked Witch and how she became "wicked." Besides that, I LOVE musicals! Kary was supposed to come down to California with us and go with me to see Wicked, but he had to work, so Megs was more than happy to take his place. We had great seats! This play was so awesome!! I can't explain it any other way. The girl who played Glinda (the "Good") was so funny! I would encourage whoever has the time and means, to go and see this amazing production. I actually started reading the book and was a little bit concerned about the content being appropriate for my 12 year old neice, but this was very toned down and family-friendly. The music was great, the story was amazing! We just had the best time! I'm so glad that I spent the money to get these great tickets! So worth it! Besides that, Meg and I had some fabulous aunt/neice bonding time. GO SEE IT!

AMERICAN IDOL: What a Joke!

I just feel like this is WRONG! Tonight David Cook beat out David Archuleta for the American Idol title. I mean, REALLY!? David Archuleta so obviously did so much better than David Cook did last night. I have to admit, I actually enjoy David C's voice, but he is just so cocky and in my mind, unlikeable. David A is just this great down to earth, humble guy who deserves this so much more than David C does. I didn't actually get to watch the finale tonight, but I saw the news just a little bit ago. This season has been so weird. First of all, there were two people from out of the country on there. Carlie from Ireland and Michael (very good looking man) from Australia (right?). Isn't that kind of ironic? I thought that they were very talented, please don't get me wrong. And then, Brooke White. She wasn't that great. That's so mean to say about a fellow Mormon, but there were others who got kicked off before her that were actually quite a bit better. Like Carlie and Michael for instance. And my final gripe before I wind this up and have a very final gripe about the finale, Jason Castro. I'm so sorry Mollie, but her wasn't that great either. I was bored every time he sang a song. He was a cute kid, but he put me to sleep. Please do not disown me Mollie, I know you loved your "son." I will end by reitterating how I feel about the "crowning" of the new American Idol. I feel like David A got jipped! I think that he should have won by a long shot. I felt the same way when Reuben Studdard won over Clay Aiken (so annoying!). David C is great! He has a good voice, but really, David A takes the cake in my book. OK! There! I'm done. I think maybe I should not be so passionate about this. But oh well! I am. GRR!

My Reading Dilemma...

OK! So, I thouroughly enjoy the IDEA of reading books. In fact, I was so proud of myself...in the summer of 2007 I was able to read 2 out of 3 books from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. If you haven't heard of that series of books, oh dear! You must go look it up. Edward and Bella have truly changed my idea about life. When I was in Washington this passed weekend I actually looked around hoping to see one of the Cullen clan (No joke! Ask Mollie). Anyways, I need to stay on track. I finished the first 2 books of the series within 2 weeks (I know! Some of you read them faster than that)! That's a world record for me. I started the 3rd book, Eclipse, right after I finished New Moon (the 2nd book) but unfortunatly, my life went a little bit haywire and I have not been able to finish it. I know! It's a tad sacreligious when you belong to the religion of Edward and Bella.

So now here is my real dilemma...my parents got me the new Stephenie Meyer book called The Host for Mother's Day. I have heard so much about it; I can't wait to read it! Tell me what you all think that I should do (all the "Twilight-ers" out there). Do you think I should finish Eclipse (which means, I will probably have to jog my memory and read the whole thing over again) or should I start reading The Host? I can't even stand the excitement I have to read this book. Both books, really, but The Host sounds so intriguing and romantic. Ugh! Any suggestions? Oh! And here is another tinsy winsy problem I have...do any of you Mommies of small children have any advice on how to manage time to take care of kids, clean, do laundry AND read all in a 24 hour period? I know that I have only one little baby but its like between playing and cleaning and feeding, etc., I have no time for reading. I would love to hear how some of you SUPER MOMS do it!

Oh! And the Twilight movie...Can't even wait!!

TAKE CARE!

p.s. I know that I should maybe read some more educational books to keep up on culture and world events...but really! I just like romance and suspense and believe it or not! I actually like books about ghosts and other supernatural stuff like that. I have a hard time getting myself to read "The Book of the Month" books. Shame on me!

SPOKANE/COEUR D'ALENE TRIP

This past weekend Mollie and I headed up to Spokane, Washington. We left Friday night and flew into the Spokane Airport. Our main reason for going up there was to go to my friend Jessica's wedding. Jessica is a friend from high school. She has just moved to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho which is just about 40 minutes east of Spokane. When I found out she was getting married I was so excited for her because she so deserves it! She has been through a lot of yuck these passed few years and she has found this wonderful guy who, as I observed them, loves her so much. When I talked to her a few months ago she didn't have a photographer so I automatically volunteered Mollie. We had such a good time! Her ceremony was very small and quaint and took place at this cute little place downtown Coeur D'Alene called "The Hitchin' Post." After the ceremony we headed back to Jessica's grandma's house for the reception. It was such a good time to watch Will and Jessica together. Coeur D'Alene is a beautiful place which made for great pictures. Mollie had a ball using all of the amazing scenery. I will have more pictures up of the wedding when Mollie gets done editing them. This is just one that her mom took (I stole it of her MySpace...thanks Jess!).


The next day we slept in just a bit and then headed down town Spokane (that's where we were staying). Mollie was so impressed with all of the picture spots, so our intention was to snap pictures at some of the prime picture locations. Unfortunatly we ran out of time, but we were still able to have a lot of fun. For lunch we ate at The Olive Garden on the patio. The weather was so wonderful that we were so excited to sit outside. When we were eating we saw this fun thing called the Gondola. It was a little ride that took you over the Spokane River Falls area. It seemed like a good time so after lunch we headed over there. It was beautiful! Not figuring in the little bit of motion sickness I suffered from, we had a great time. After we finished on the Gondola we decided to just go and walk down by the falls. So pretty!






We really had the best time! I was ready to pack up and move Eliza and I to Coeur D'Alene, but then I was warned by so many people about the wicked winters that they had and considering Orem, UT winters are more than too much for me, I decided pretty quickly to stay where I am. While we were downtown Spokane Mollie wanted to take some creative pictures, so since I was her only model in sight, I agreed. She does such a good job!




For those who are wondering where Eliza was...I left her with my mom, dad and sister Carrie Beth. She needed to recover from the Florida trip and I didn't want to put her through another crazy time of no real naps and a strange bed. So, she got a little break with Grammy, Papa and Auntie CB. Our busy month of May is almost over. We have one more trip to California. That will be a GREAT time! Eliza will get to hang out with her dad and her cousins and Kary and I get to go see Wicked! I am so looking forward to that. Hope all is well with everyone!

LOVE TO ALL!
LAURA & ELIZA

I've Been Tagged...Really This Time! YAY!

So this time I really got tagged. I didn't make it up like last time. My friend Lisa tagged me. I am supposed to tell six random things about me. I will try to make them exciting.

1. People think that this is the weirdest thing, but I honestly hate old things. I cannot go into antique shops, EVER! I always feel like they are haunted. About 3 years ago I went up to Canada with the Capuas and we stayed in these people's house who had old pictures on the walls. In the room I was sleeping in there were like six or seven pictures of people from the 1800s on the wall above the bed I was to sleep in. I couldn't handle it, so I made Vicky take down the pictures before I would sleep in the room. I know, I know! It's weird, but I just have a problem with old, antique stuff. My one dilema with that though is that I really think that some things would match really pretty in my house (if I ever get one).

2. I am a shameless blogger. I don't know what is going on these days, but I LOVE to blog! I love being able to show off my cute little Eliza. I love showing people pictures of what is going on in my life. I think its just a fun thing to. And I am addicted to looking at other people's blogs too.

3. I love Diet Coke and/or Diet Pepsi! I'm actually quite addicted. Also, I don't see a huge difference between the two. I know! Some people think that there is a a huge difference and hate one or the other. I think they are both great and will drink whatever I can find or whatever is at the restaurant that I am eating at.

4. Along with that, I love going out to eat. Especially lunch! I can't help it! Right now I'm a little bit tired of eating out. I just want a ham sandwich that I make myself with lettuce, tomato and dijon mustard. Oh wait! Make that a TURKEY sandwich. But, really, when I haven't been on trips (I literally have been gone for 2weeks. First to Florida for 10 days and then to Northern Idaho and Washington this past weekend - I will blog that trip soon), I love eating out.

5. I am obsessed with being tan. I really feel like if I'm not somewhat tan, I look gross! I have the kind of skin that is just blah, so to look nice I like to be tan. It's dangerous, I know. I'm working on my obsession, I really am.

6. I LOVE reality TV! I have to say that I am really looking forward to the new Bachelorette. I'm not a huge fan of The Bachelor for some reason, but I love watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. I also love the E! Channel show Dr. 90210. It's shameful, but I can't help it!

Oh my! That was hard! So, I'm supposed to tag 6 people or something, so here it goes. I tag: Megan, Karly, Carly, Mollie, Hailey, and Chrissy. Have fun girlies! I'll be excited to see your random things.

I hope that was fun for some! Have a good day everyone!

FLORIDA TRIP

Hello Everyone! Eliza and I are home from Florida. We had the BEST time! Our days were spent at the beach and the pool and just running around playing with friends. Of course, we did some shopping and eating out at my favorite restaurants as well. It wouldn't be a Flirda trip without going to Michaelangelos or Hickory Hollow. We just had a very fun time.

Eliza proved that she is a huge fan of the water. Whether it was the pool or the beach, she loved to be able to splish splash all around.




Eliza and Cooper loved to play together. Cooper is my friend Jessie's little boy. He is only 29 days older than Eliza. When we measured them, we found that Cooper is a whole head taller than Eliza is. Either he is really tall or Eliza is really short, I'm not sure which one.




Going to the beach is not the same anymore. Before Eliza I was able to go to the beach and lay on a towel and get an even tan. Not so much anymore. I am not complaining at all. Eliza is all over the place. If she was not bee-lining it to the water, she was putting sand or sea shells in her mouth. It was pretty cute, but the whole experience of the beach could have been a little bit hazardous if I didn't keep on top of things. Needless to say, my back is a little bit crispier than my front. So much for the days of even tans.



On Saturday night my friends and I went to a place called Joto's Japanese Steakhouse. For those people who live in Utah, it's just like Tepanyaki. It was really yummy! I don't usually like Asian food, but this was really great! We had so much fun just hanging out and remembering all the fun times we had when we lived there. Eliza came with us. I was a little nervous to leave her with a babysitter. Besides that, Jessie and Mike's babysitter was watching their 5 kids and 1 more little baby would have been somewhat difficult. But she was really good. After dinner, we went to Coldstone Creamery downtown Sarasota. It was a blast!


Sunday was Mother's Day. I went to church at my old ward and then headed up to my Aunt Joan and Uncle Mike's house to celebrate Mother's Day with them. My cousin Patty and her family were there. She has the cutest little boy, Dominic. She is also pregnant with her 3rd little baby. It was so much fun to see everyone! Eliza went swimming with her cousin Michael. She seemed to realy enjoy herself. She was in water, she LOVES water!




The rest of the time I was there was just super fun! Eliza had a little bit of a hard time some of the time. She was over stimulated I think. She was my little ankle bracelet. She would follow me around whining until I would pick her up. One day I threw on my Mei Tai carrier so that I could get ready without her being upset. It worked!


The night before I left, my girlfriends, Kim, Jessie, Melissa and I went to Bern's Steakhouse's dessert room. It was fabulous!! I got this brownie that had vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate shavings with this delicious chocolate sauce. It was literally to die for! Eliza stayed home with Melissa's husband for a little bit and then was passed off to Jessie's husband Mikey. Those two guys were SAINTLY! I had the best time! After dessert we went and saw "What Happens in Vegas" with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. Ashton Kutcher is so stinking funny! Not to mention nice to watch!


All in all, we had the best time! It's nice to be home, but I really do miss living in Florida. The weather is beautiful and the scenery is amazing! I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to go and play with such fun people in such a great environment. Thank you to all of my friends for making this the best trip ever!

Hope all is well with everyone! What is everyone doing for their summer vacation?

LOVE TO ALL!
LAURA & ELIZA

A Fabulous Massage, Glitter Toes, "I Need Mommy" & Phoebe & Eliza Love to Play

So, yesterday I decided to use my Mother's Day excuse again and I went and got a 2 hour massage. I will never be able to just have an hour massage again. Let me tell you, it was fabulous!! But, because of Spring time allergies my nose was really stuffed. When I got in the room and all settled on the table with my face in the little hole thingy I knew I was going to have trouble breathing out of my nose. I really didn't care though because I was getting a massage. A massage really is on my top 5 things that I love to do. So about midway through my massage I realized that I was falling asleep and not only that, because of my stuffed nose, I was SNORING! I don't snore! I was humiliated and I spent the rest of my massage where I was on my tummy with my face in the hole worried about not snoring. When I turned over onto my back though, I was golden. It was so relaxing, just AMAZING!

Yesterday morning while I was watching Good Things Utah, they mentioned Glitter Toes. Nicia and Angie showed off theirs. I was immediatly in love! Fortunatly, the place they got them done was only in Lehi (which is about 15 minutes away from me). So yesterday after my massage I went and got my own Glitter Toes. They are so dang cute! I figured I "needed" them for Florida. Aren't they so fun?! Any ladies in Utah who want to get them done (this is actually the only place in Utah who does Glitter Toes), the place is called La Villa Salon. They were so nice there!

Eliza has decided that there are times in the middle of the night when she just needs to see me. What happened to the sleeping through the night idea? So, between 12 and 2am she wakes up kind of crying but mostly just calling for me. So I go in there and she's sitting up in her crib. She smiles and sometimes will just lay back down, but other times she will want to be held for a minute. It is pretty cute that she wants to know I'm there. So, the times when she wants to be held, I hold her for about 5 minutes, put her back in bed and she sleeps until about 8:30am. She's a good baby!

My dog Phoebe is a little 2 year old Shih-Tzu. Eliza has loved Phoebe since she has realized that she was around. Eliza loves all dogs, but Phoebe is special. They play like little buddies. They play tug-of-war with Phoebe's toys. Sometimes Phoebe will pull so hard that she knocks Eliza over, but Eliza just laughs, gets back up and chases Phoebe for the toy. It is dang funny! One time, they played for an hour straight. Kary's dog Kyia is a Shih-Tzu also but not quite as kid friendly as Phoebe, however, Eliza is training her to be fun and playful, I guess tolerant would be a better word to describe how Kyia deals with Eliza. Phoebe and Eliza love each other, it is adorable and hilarious to watch them play together.

That's all for us. Massages, Glitter Toes, "I Need Mommy" & Eliza loves to play with Phoebe. Those are my fun days!

LOVE TO ALL!
LAURA & ELIZA