Disneyland!

For those of you who know me, you know I love Disney. The parks make my heart race (and not just when I am on Space Mountain!) I remember when I was 3 and we went there. My Dad bought me an orange juice that was in the shape of an orange. It had a Mickey Mouse imprint on the side. That is the only memory I have but I think that trip sparked something in me. Check out my cool Pooh belt. Awww yeah.

For as long as I can remember the parks have thrilled me. Seeing the characters make me giddy (just ask Bryan and how I almost gave him a heart attack when I saw them!) Walking down Main Street makes me teary. Sad, but true. It is my happy place!

When Bryan and I first started talking, we knew we both loved Disney. He is probably the only person in this world that is jealous of the fact I drove the monorail, and I love that. To meet someone who shares my love of the mouse and the park he resides in is nothing short of amazing. I am a big goofball and I am so happy to be with someone else just as goofy (no pun intended) as me. He is the cheese to my macaroni, an amazing Dad and boyfriend, and someone who has brought so much happiness into my life. He works so hard so I wanted to do something nice for his birthday. I decided to dip into my savings account and plan a trip to Disneyland. As my parents said to me and him, I have never done anything like this for anyone. Very true, but he is worth it :)

It took everything in my power not to tell him ASAP. I had bought the plane tickets and park tickets awhile back and I wanted to blurt it out. Eventually he learned about it and last week we headed to California. The lady at the ticket counter thought we were "too old" to go to Disneyland. I would have punched her if I knew they would have still let me on the plane. We ignored her obvious lack of coolness and left on the plane.

We stayed at the hotel I used to stay at when traveling for work. Bryan is a Marriott man so I was worried he would not love the hotel. I had great experiences there so I knew I would be happy, and fortunately he was too! We were planning on getting up early the next day and debated going to bed but came to our senses and headed to Downtown Disney. Bryan's Dad had told him you could make your own remote control cars there and when you say "cars" to Bryan, his eyes light up. Kind of like me when Hobby Lobby is mentioned. Bryan made a car for each of the boys and he made one for himself as well. I love the look on his face as he drove his car. Pure happiness!

The next morning we got up really early and headed to the parks. We were at the gate at 7:55 eagerly awaiting the 8am opening. So much fun! We rushed over to Space Mountain but it was not open. I asked a cast member why and she said, "I don't know. I am not a ride operator." She was ruining the magic, but that did not stop us. We went to Buzz Lightyear (where I beat Bryan) and then went on the Matterhorn. We raced all over the park, getting on everything we could (kind of like Tiger Woods ;) and managed to make it on all of the big rides with little or no wait. We even got character pics (like I could pass that up!) Here are some of my favorite pics from the first part of the day. FYI-we did not intentionally dress the same.

 

 

 

We went over to California Adventure and I was so excited to see "Santa" and the cool tree with even cooler Mickey decorations on it. I of course had to get us in front of the ferris wheel so it looked like WE had the mouse ears.

 

Then I had to share the awesomeness that is Toy Story Mania with Bryan. This has to be one of my favorite pics although the person who took it cut off Mr. Potato Head.

We were ready to rock!

 

I look a little TOO excited!

As the day went on, we could feel ourselves getting a wee bit tired. We thought we would make it until park closing but even before dinner, we were wiped out. We barely sat down for lunch. We were on a mission. A mission we accomplished in possible record time. We felt weird as we headed to dinner at Steakhouse 55. Dinner was great, service was great, we saw another Santa, and then went back to Disneyland. Bryan was not aware you could ride in the front of the monorail. I asked and we received. Unfortunately there were no "co-pilot" licenses given although they give them at Disney World. Darn economy. I think Bryan still had a good time. Love this picture!

 

Bryan was excited for me to see everything lit up. The decorations were amazing and I was in love with the entire park. Yes, I always love it but this time of year is just incredible!

As I was taking this picture, the guy next to us got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend in front of the castle-my dream proposal! She was so excited and kept asking him, "Are you serious?!"  I love seeing happy moments in people's lives, even if they are strangers! I was excited for them. Congratulations people I never met nor will I ever see again!

We lucked out that day with no rain. It DID rain but while we were having dinner. We were planning on waiting to see Fantasmic and then watching the fireworks but we were tired. I think if I had put a pillow on a park bench, Bryan would have easily fell asleep. I struggled with leaving because my gut told me that there would be rain the next day (well, my gut and the weather channel) and the entertainment would be canceled. But we made the decision to go back to the hotel and we sat in the jacuzzi. Note to self: find out what the difference is between a hot tub and a jacuzzi!

It was an exhausting but amazing day. We had a lot of fun and I am so grateful Bryan did not throw my camera in the water around the castle. I know it is a lot to handle but I appreciate it!

That is the round up of Day 1. I will write about Days 2 and a half soon!

Reindeer Farm

Wow, 9 days have passed since I have written. We have been so busy and I have a lot to write about. I will hopefully get to that soon. Bryan and I got back on Sunday from an amazing trip to Disneyland. I am so happy to be with someone who loves Disney like I do. I am bummed to be back. Vacations always go far too fast. It was good to see the boys though and we enjoyed our time. Pictures to follow of course!

I can hardly believe it is already December 15th! 10 more days and Christmas will be here. I am really looking forward to it but I know that awhile after it, I will be disappointed that another holiday season has come and gone. I am enjoying every minute of it though. This honestly has been the best December of my life. So many fun  things have happened and so many more are yet to come.

Today I went on a field trip with Camden to the "Reindeer Farm." Unfortunately Bryan was not able to make it to this trip :( Camden and half of his Kindergarten class boarded the "short bus" as he teacher calls it, and off we went. Fortunately it was in Parker so we did not have a long ride. Every time they are on the bus, the cutie Emma points out the Chili's and how fabulous their chocolate milk is. So cute. They seemed genuinely happy to have me on the trip with them, and it was also great to spend time with Camden. He loved feeding the reindeer and loved when they followed him around the fence area. Here are some pics from today. Enjoy!

 

The Van

For those of you who read this blog, you also follow me on Facebook. No, not me exclusively, but you are aware of my status and what is going on in my world (except Tara of course. She is anti-Facebook :) While Bryan and I were in California for Turkey Day, I posted that Bryan's Dad rented a mini van but they were sold out so they gave us an "upgrade" to a Conversion Van. I believe it holds 13+ people. It was hysterical, big and white. Bryan was actually quite excited to drive it. He said he felt like he should be a band manager and be the tour bus driver. He also thought I should go all the way in the back and he could call me. We got a lot of good laughs from really bad jokes about the van.

As we were driving back to the hotel, I suggested we decorate the van for Thanksgiving. This way, when we went to pick up his Dad and Susan, it would be festive. Everyone was on board so Megan (his sister), Tyler (M's boyfriend), Bryan and I headed to Walgreen's on Thanksgiving morning. I asked the lady if they had Thanksgiving decorations and she looked at me as if I were a turkey. Thankfully, we found a ton of Christmas decorations-even battery operated lights!  We made "turkeys" by tracing our hands on construction paper and put them on the roof of the van. It was a huge success and we loved it! People were jealous of us. Oh yes, they were. Here are some pics of the van and the decorating of that piece of machinery that destroyed our backs and was super uncomfortable.

 

We thought about making it an Airport Shuttle to make some money for the holidays, but we passed on that idea. One morning I ran inside to get Bryan's coat. He pulled around to the front of the hotel and as he did that, a group of 3 men gathered their things and headed towards the door. I wondered if they thought we were the airport shuttle but they went to a car in the parking lot. Ahhh, good times with the van.

Besides decorating the van, we did several other things on our trip. On Wednesday we went to San Francisco with Bryan's Dad and Susan. I went on a trolley for the first time (I did not get a chance to do this during the trip I took with my sister and Ethan in July.) I absolutely love this picture:

On Thursday we went to Susan's sister's house for dinner. They had a great backyard and pool area. Of course I needed a picture but it turned out to be too bright. I made it black and white to help cut down on the brightness:

At 10 pm that night, Megan and I headed across the street to the outlet mall, not thinking anyone would be there. We were wrong. There was already a line at the Coach store, but we got in line anyway. There were rumors they would open before 12 a.m. so we waited, and waited and waited. You have to understand two things about me: 1.) Until I turned 33 I had never owned a Coach purse. Bryan got me one for my birthday and I adore the little red bag of heaven. Since then, I decided I needed a black one, a brown one and a few others. I have returned several of them, but I do have a total of 4 acquired in only 3 months. Nothing says "Good idea" like a Coach purse purchased by an unemployed gal. Now onto the second thing you need to understand: 2.) When I decide to do something, I prefer to follow through with it. When we got in line at 10, we thought OK, they will open before 12. They didn't. We said we would wait until 11:15 and then we were gone. 11:15 came and I thought well, if I have waited this long, I might as well wait another 45 minutes. You see, they were giving 20% off of the already reduced prices and had I left, I would have wondered if I had missed out on some incredible deals. I do not like to wonder what if, so we stuck it out. The line became INSANE. I took pictures but they are on my iPhone and I can't find my cord to upload them.

Megan and I got to the front of the line around 12:30 a.m. The place was a zoo so they were only letting a few people in at a time. Women were grabbing bags as if they were a dollar. As we waited for our turn to be let it, a news crew came and we are pretty sure we were on TV. Megan and I were let in, and then I became one of those women I was making fun of as we waited in line. I walked around with about 5 purses on each arm. Megan had a good point when she said grab what you like, and the decide later. At one time I looked down and had to laugh. EVERY purse I had was black. Thankfully Megan talked me out of many of them, and I got to the checkout counter with three purses and one wallet. I repeatedly asked if I could return the purses if I woke up with buyer's remorse. Thankfully, they said yes.

I bought a black patent leather purse that was love at first sight. When I got back to Colorado and went to put my things in it, I realized that nowhere on the bag does it say Coach. No tag, no C's anywhere, nothing. I am sorry, but if I am going to pay $175 or so for a bag, it better be clear it is Coach. I have decided to break up with this purse, as well as the other black one I purchased. They will be returning to the store in Castle Rock. I did keep a purple one that I never thought I would love, but I do love it and I have received several compliments on it. Bryan loves it too, so that helped seal the decision to keep it. Merry Christmas to me! Some people get ornaments, t-shirts or magnets from the places they visit. I went home with a Coach bag.

On Friday, we headed to Lake Tahoe to meet up with Bryan's grandparents who were visiting from New Jersey. It was so great to meet them! They made me feel so welcomed. When I offered to take a group shot of the family, Bryan's grandpa asked, "If you take it, how are you going to be in the picture?" I thought this was very sweet. It was wonderful to meet the parent's of Bryan's mother. Unfortunately, I will never be able to meet his mom, but I have a feeling we would have gotten along very well. She sounds like an amazing woman and it was so nice to meet her parents! Bryan has a wonderful family and I am so thankful they made me feel at home. Here is a photo of all of us in Tahoe:

On Saturday we headed to the Sacramento Train Museum. It was very cool and we had a good time! We had lunch at a restaurant on the river, and spent the day in Old Sacramento. Here are some pictures from that day:

 

On Sunday we headed back to Denver. We had an eventful trip in more ways than one. I met some wonderful people, had some eye opening experiences, learned some things along the way, and came back with a new perspective on some things. I am grateful for the time we spent in California, for the lessons learned and for the memories made. I am so thankful to have the Forrest family in my life!

Fantastic Day!

Today was one of the best days I think I ever had. Tomorrow is Bryan's birthday so we have already had a very busy weekend! Last night my mom and dad made dinner for Bryan, the boys and me. Today, Bryan, the boys, his sister Megan, his Dad, Susan and I went to Disney on Ice. I don't know who was more excited-us or the kids. The boys really wanted to see this guy:

He showed up quickly during the second part of the show. We had a great time seeing Lightning McQueen and all the other cars. All of us seemed to enjoy the entire show. We were surprised when they announced there would be an intermission. Torrin was getting tired as it was his naptime, and Camden seemed as if he was still interested in the show. After the intermission there was a really long, non entertaining portion. They spent forever on the Fairies. Granted, I know little girls LOVE that stuff, but being that we had the boys with us, we were not too interested. Bryan and I were truly grateful that his Dad got us the tickets, but we were dozing off. Camden said he still really liked the show. I was surprised he was not asking when Lightning McQueen would be coming on again. We dodged that one with a bullet. Overall it was a great show and we had a lot of fun!


After the show we headed back to Parker. Torrin took a nap and while he slept, Bryan opened his presents. Although I had been planning a trip to Disneyland for Bryan and me (which his Dad and Susan graciously contributed to) I wanted to get him something to actually open. He loves Superman so when I saw this gift bag, I had to buy it. As he was opening the presents, the bag happened to be placed near he stomach. It made me laugh because he looked like he had Superman's body!

I gave him two shirts. One which was funny and kind of a joke between us, and a GI Joe shirt. When we were in California last week, Megan and Tyler bought the boys GI Joe shirts for Christmas. Granted, they have NO idea who GI Joe is, but as Bryan put it, "they will." He said he wished they made shirts like that for adults. After that, I was on a mission. Thankfully I found one. I have NEVER seen someone so excited over a shirt. I loved his enthusiasm! After all the presents were opened (from his Dad, Susan, Megan and me), he went on a scavenger hunt that I created for him to learn about his trip to Disneyland. Camden loved joining him and looking for all the clues. He loved it so much that he asked me to make clues that would lead him to the present Grandpa and Susan gave him. It was really cute!

After Torrin woke up, we all went out to dinner. I was not sure how I was going to get Bryan's cake to the restaurant without him seeing. I made up a story that I had to run by Noelle's to give her money, so I said I would ride with his Dad and Susan. He told me we would be seeing her tomorrow, but I said I had to do it tonight. We went and got the cake and when I went to the restaurant I asked the bartender to bring it out after dinner. He told me that no outside food is allowed and I should have called ahead. Thankfully he helped us out and brought the cake to Bryan. I thought for sure Bryan saw it, or knew it was coming. He claims he knew nothing about it which shocks me, but I am happy it all went well!

As we were finishing up, a lady came through and told us Santa was next door. Bryan was SO excited as was I. We tried to go make a reservation at the mall today (genius idea) but it was so crowded. We have plans to go with my nephews and niece, but we wanted to take the boys alone as well. Everything fell into place and by golly, Santa was right next door and was doing free pictures. A realtor opened her office for Santa. There was a tree, a fireplace, a Dicken's like village, etc. As Bryan said, the guy looked "totally legit." Camden went in and sat right on his lap. He sat there for a long time telling him what he wanted. At one time he mentioned he would like a battery for his truck. Santa said he did not think he had any more batteries but he should look online for them. HUH? He then asked Camden if he knew how to get online. He said no. Santa said, "Well, maybe your Dad can teach you how to get on a computer and go online." Camden then informed Santa that he has his own computer (which he does) and Santa told him it should be easy to do. I can't believe Santa said he was out of something and to go online and look for it.....to a 5 year old. Santa is getting lazy.  We just loved watching Camden sit there and talk to Santa. Torrin would have nothing to do with the big man.

 

Fortunately the people who worked there were VERY nice and let Camden talk and talk. They also let us take pictures and then used my camera to take pictures of us!

After Santa, we decided to take a carriage ride. This year our town has the best lights! I need to take a tripod and get some good pictures of Parker. It really is beautiful! I have always loved it here, but seeing all the Christmas lights and the streets and stores decorated, it made me love it even more. It was absolutely freezing but we went ahead and did the ride anyway. The lady who ran it was very nice although she did not know how to use my fancier camera (hence the blurry picture!) We loved our horse Hank and we loved seeing the lights in our amazing town! After the carriage ride we went home. Torrin and Camden went right to bed but Megan, Bryan and I watched a movie. I think we all fought to stay awake!

Now it is time to go to bed. It is 1:11 am and I had no idea it was so late (early?) It is officially December 6th so it is Bryan's 31st Birthday! I can't wait for us to go to Disneyland on Thursday. He is such an amazing person and father. I love him and his boys so very much. Here are some more pics from the night :)

Good news!

Hi All-I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Bryan and I had a very quick trip to California. Pictures and stories to follow soon!  Thank you to all of you who emailed me and told me I needed to update the blog. I love that people read the randomness that I post on here.

For about a year or so, there has been a rumor floating around that there is a Little Caesars coming to Parker. There was one here years ago, but it has been long gone. One opened up in my college town so when I visit my sister, that is always a special treat. One opened in Castle Rock (15 minutes from here) so we go there sometimes. I have wished for one to come back to our town, but every time I asked someone at another store they said, no, it is a just a rumor. There is not one coming to Parker. Sadness.

One night my brother said he saw tiling going up in a store in a local strip mall and it looked like it would be for a pizza place. I scoped it out, took a mental picture and that night when I went to Castle Rock, I checked out the tiling in their store. The SAME tiling. WAHOO!  I did not get TOO excited because we did not have confirmation. Until today. This afternoon Bryan texted me and told me we have confirmation on Little C's. I was ridiculously excited.

Now we can have $5 hot and ready pizzas....

We can also have the deliciousness known as Crazy Bread and Crazy Sauce (AKA-Crazy Combo) A tiny bit of heaven.

Oh how I want this right now. Minus the random leaf, doesn't it look just delightful? I am going to need to work out a lot more when this place opens. I cannot wait!

Tyler

Tyler is my 5 year old nephew that I love and adore (as I do my other nephews and niece). I was in the delivery room when he was born but since I lived in NJ, I missed the first 4 years or so of his life. When I did come to Colorado to visit, he recognized me and would chat with me (when he got to talking age of course!) Ty has some speech issues and the poor little guy has some social anxiety. He is the cutest thing, and I love him to pieces. It breaks my heart that he will not speak to me. He will hug me when I ask him to, he laughs when I tickle him, nod yes or no but he will not speak to me. If he sees me listening to him talking to another person, he will stop and hide his face. I am not sure why this is, but it is a really hard thing for me to accept. I just want him to feel comfortable around me and like being around me.

Today I went over to borrow a suitcase from Noelle and she told me Ty was in his room. He was bummed because there was no one to play with. I knocked on his door and he asked, "What?" Of course he did not know it was me. I walked in and say hi to him, and much to my surprise he said hello back. I asked him what he was doing, and again, he spoke and said, "Legos." I told him that I heard he wanted to play with someone, and since I had some time, would he like me to build something with him. He said yes, and then he put his arms around my neck and put his cheek to my cheek. I melted! I was so excited that he said something to me and I was really looking forward to playing with him. Then we learned the neighbor was home and wanted to play with Ty. So he packed up his Legos and off he went down the street. So much for playing with Tanta.

I love this kid so much. Although he may only say a few words to me now and then, I know he is smart, I know his personality. I especially love that he loves the camera and on school picture day, he wanted to wear a suit to school. Today I was somewhere where they needed to see my license (no, not a bar) so I opened my wallet. The lady behind the counter asked if the picture of my niece was my daughter. I said no and we got to chatting about my 4 nephews and niece. She was oohing and aahing about them so I showed her some pictures (Yes, I talk to everyone). I showed her the pics of Ty and said my brother thinks he looks like he wants to sell us some real estate. I agree with him, and the lady said she would buy anything from Ty. I would have to agree. I love you Tyler Joe!