Yeah, it hurt a little, but according to Matt, "Im a gamer."
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wakeboarding
Matt and I went wakeboarding with some friends this week, and had a blast. I had been a few times before years ago, so I was surprised that I got up every time! (I didn't stay up for long, but whatever.) Matt did really good, and had a few good crashes too.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Ocean Shores
This weekend Matt and I drove out to the ocean to fly kites and play with Brisbane. Matt got a dragon kite for his birthday, and we were so excited to see how great it looked in the sky.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and the beach was so beautiful. 
They were having a sand castle building competition that we got to watch, and they were so amazing. I couldn't even imagine having the patience for this. 
Briz had a great time chasing the ball and playing in the waves. She has never been to the ocean before, and didn't understand that drinking the salt water would make her sick. 
And sick she was! After vomiting and pooping all over the beach, we bought her some bottled water and she drank almost drank 2 litres of it. It was pretty funny, and she felt better after a little while.
Memory Monday-Shannon
Shannon and I have been best friends since high school. I moved in with her and her family my senior year, and we spent every minute together! I would accompany her to the barn, we would spend long afternoons laying out at the beach or sit at home scrap booking pictures. We also spent months together searching for the perfect prom dresses! Look how young we look at our graduation party!
After graduation, I moved out to New York and Shannon moved down to Oregon to go to school. It was so hard being away from each other, but we kept in touch with the phone and email. Shannon came out to Yonkers one summer and spent a week with the kids and I. We had the best time! This is a shot of us at the skating rink in central park.
When I moved back to Washington, I had to wait to see Shannon during her summer breaks or long weekend since she was still in college. But I did my best to meet up with her every chance I got! Here we are at a T-Birds Game.
While at school Shannon met Tyler, and the two were engaged after dating for a few years. They are so great together, and I couldn't think of anyone better for her. Or, as you can tell by this picture, as weird as she is! 
For my wedding, Shannon planned an awesome bachelorette party for me to a Mariners game with our own baseball shirts! It was great. We also went bowling.
Shannon made the most beautiful bridesmaid ever! I was so thankful to share this day with her.
Last weekend, Shannon and Tyler were married! It was a beautiful wedding, and I loved being a bridesmaid.
I love Shannon so much, and I am so excited for our future together as wives, mothers and friends forever.
After graduation, I moved out to New York and Shannon moved down to Oregon to go to school. It was so hard being away from each other, but we kept in touch with the phone and email. Shannon came out to Yonkers one summer and spent a week with the kids and I. We had the best time! This is a shot of us at the skating rink in central park.When I moved back to Washington, I had to wait to see Shannon during her summer breaks or long weekend since she was still in college. But I did my best to meet up with her every chance I got! Here we are at a T-Birds Game. While at school Shannon met Tyler, and the two were engaged after dating for a few years. They are so great together, and I couldn't think of anyone better for her. Or, as you can tell by this picture, as weird as she is! For my wedding, Shannon planned an awesome bachelorette party for me to a Mariners game with our own baseball shirts! It was great. We also went bowling.Because she gave me the best Bachelorette party anyone could ask for, I was so excited to return the favor! I got to plan Shannon's "Pretty, Pretty Princess" party. Here she is riding me like a horse because, well...she does that.
Last weekend, Shannon and Tyler were married! It was a beautiful wedding, and I loved being a bridesmaid.
I love Shannon so much, and I am so excited for our future together as wives, mothers and friends forever.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Shannon and Tylers Wedding!
I didn't take many pictures at the wedding, (I was a little busy being a bridesmaid) but here are a few! There will be more and better ones coming when the professional ones are released. 
The wedding was beautiful and luckily everything went great. The weather was perfect and the venue was amazing. Shannon looked stunning in her wedding dress and the exquisite flowers topped it all off!
I got to do most of the girls hair, and everyone looked great.
Congratulations Shannon and Tyler!
The spa
Shannon took me and another bridesmaid, Christine out to get our nails done on Friday. Supprisingly my nails still look great! We had a really good time in our own private spa room. I also brought some jewelry cleaner that I used to polish Shannons ring so that it could be nice and "bling, blingin" for her wedding on Saturday
.
The Rehearsal Dinner
Thursday night Matt and I attended the rehearsal dinner of Shannon and Tyler. We all met at the venue and then headed out to Bellevue to eat at Maggianos. The food was great, and everyone had a blast. This is me and the bridesmaids at Newcastle Golf Course.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Last Weekend
This last weekend was definitely one to blog about.
Saturday morning I worked with Courtney, and gave her the shirt that Matt and I bought her in China town. It looked great!
We had a yummy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with Ken, and then I headed home to pick up Matt to attend Malcolm's 7th birthday party. We bought him a few things such as a whoopee cushion and a "fart maker" that all the boys thoroughly enjoyed. They played football and ate hot dogs. It was a lot of fun.
That night, Matt and I were going to go see my dad play in a band, but I fell asleep early. The next morning I received a phone call from my mom telling me that my dad had had a heart attack last night, and that I needed to call home. I did so, and luckily everything was fine. Here is an email he sent out to friends and family describing the attack.
"I arrived home safely after the gig, grabbed some vegetable chips (healthy), and sat down in front of MASH to unwind and let my ears "ring down" a bit. All of the sudden, I had a tightening in my left shoulder similar to some muscle cramping. Of course, at 46 with a Chol. level of 310 the left shoulder is never where you want to have some muscle cramping. So, I waited a bit as the pain seemed to start to fill my entire chest. I put the chips away and turned off MASH and decided that I should at least go upstairs and wake up the wife, just in case something was really happening, which to this point, I was still unsure. It was just before 1:00 AM. She awoke and I told her what I was experiencing which now could be described as extremely uncomfortable with the great symptom of shortness of breath coming on fast. I decided I was going to knell down by the bed to see if a different position could yield better results....boy was I wrong. The pain and discomfort shot from about a 4 on the pain scale to a definite 6+ but now added cold and clammy....that's about 3 out of 5 on the heart attack wish list. Needless to say, Jackie at this point was already on the phone with 911 telling them that she thought her husband was having a heart attack. So far, way better than veggie chips and MASH. I got up off my knees and tried to find a comfortable position but to no avail. I decided to walk back down stairs while I still had the power (just to be nice for the firemen). Jackie joined me shortly thereafter and suggested I sit down. "That's how this whole thing started!" I said and decided to remain standing.
For those of you already wondering if this had ever happened to me before, the answer is no. "No" on the family history of heart conditions too. Just went running Thursday and other than feeling out of shape, no issues there. But, for whatever reason, I suppose at this time I needed to be careful sitting in a lounge chair eating veggie chips and watching TV. Man, you're out of shape when that's too much for you to handle.
Anyway, about 2 minutes before EMS arrived I suddenly felt a pretty swift relief from the pain. Like whatever muscle was cramping, decided to relax. The horde (is that the right word for a group of firemen?) showed up, hooked me up to all kinds of devices, and although could find nothing wrong, decided to put me in the back of an aid car (drat, no helicopter), and wheel me to Overlake ER. My first ride in an ambulance! Yeehaw!
3.5 hours in the ER and them finding more places to poke things into me, I was released simply because they couldn't find anything "really" wrong with me. In medical cases, this is a good thing and a bad thing. If they could find it, they can treat it. If not, what the heck do they do? Well, they keep trying things until they figure it out....so, I see a cardiologist on Friday to see what the deal is. I hope they find something. I hope it has nothing to do with cardiology.
In summary, I'm OK. Feel fine now just a little weird for all the to-do and a little nervous about the tests the cardiologist will run on me."
So thats the story. Luckily everything seems fine and hopefully his test results will tell us what we need. We have been very blessed in our family to have very few "emergencies" so it was a little nerve racking to hear about this this weekend.
Saturday morning I worked with Courtney, and gave her the shirt that Matt and I bought her in China town. It looked great!
We had a yummy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with Ken, and then I headed home to pick up Matt to attend Malcolm's 7th birthday party. We bought him a few things such as a whoopee cushion and a "fart maker" that all the boys thoroughly enjoyed. They played football and ate hot dogs. It was a lot of fun.That night, Matt and I were going to go see my dad play in a band, but I fell asleep early. The next morning I received a phone call from my mom telling me that my dad had had a heart attack last night, and that I needed to call home. I did so, and luckily everything was fine. Here is an email he sent out to friends and family describing the attack.
"I arrived home safely after the gig, grabbed some vegetable chips (healthy), and sat down in front of MASH to unwind and let my ears "ring down" a bit. All of the sudden, I had a tightening in my left shoulder similar to some muscle cramping. Of course, at 46 with a Chol. level of 310 the left shoulder is never where you want to have some muscle cramping. So, I waited a bit as the pain seemed to start to fill my entire chest. I put the chips away and turned off MASH and decided that I should at least go upstairs and wake up the wife, just in case something was really happening, which to this point, I was still unsure. It was just before 1:00 AM. She awoke and I told her what I was experiencing which now could be described as extremely uncomfortable with the great symptom of shortness of breath coming on fast. I decided I was going to knell down by the bed to see if a different position could yield better results....boy was I wrong. The pain and discomfort shot from about a 4 on the pain scale to a definite 6+ but now added cold and clammy....that's about 3 out of 5 on the heart attack wish list. Needless to say, Jackie at this point was already on the phone with 911 telling them that she thought her husband was having a heart attack. So far, way better than veggie chips and MASH. I got up off my knees and tried to find a comfortable position but to no avail. I decided to walk back down stairs while I still had the power (just to be nice for the firemen). Jackie joined me shortly thereafter and suggested I sit down. "That's how this whole thing started!" I said and decided to remain standing.
For those of you already wondering if this had ever happened to me before, the answer is no. "No" on the family history of heart conditions too. Just went running Thursday and other than feeling out of shape, no issues there. But, for whatever reason, I suppose at this time I needed to be careful sitting in a lounge chair eating veggie chips and watching TV. Man, you're out of shape when that's too much for you to handle.
Anyway, about 2 minutes before EMS arrived I suddenly felt a pretty swift relief from the pain. Like whatever muscle was cramping, decided to relax. The horde (is that the right word for a group of firemen?) showed up, hooked me up to all kinds of devices, and although could find nothing wrong, decided to put me in the back of an aid car (drat, no helicopter), and wheel me to Overlake ER. My first ride in an ambulance! Yeehaw!
3.5 hours in the ER and them finding more places to poke things into me, I was released simply because they couldn't find anything "really" wrong with me. In medical cases, this is a good thing and a bad thing. If they could find it, they can treat it. If not, what the heck do they do? Well, they keep trying things until they figure it out....so, I see a cardiologist on Friday to see what the deal is. I hope they find something. I hope it has nothing to do with cardiology.
In summary, I'm OK. Feel fine now just a little weird for all the to-do and a little nervous about the tests the cardiologist will run on me."
So thats the story. Luckily everything seems fine and hopefully his test results will tell us what we need. We have been very blessed in our family to have very few "emergencies" so it was a little nerve racking to hear about this this weekend.
President Hinckley
I recieved this email from a lady in my ward and I thought it was a great idea!
"As many of you have already been informed, June 23rd is Pres. Hinckley's 97th birthday.He has been such a wonderful example for all of us and I think that it is time we pay him back! One thing that he is known and remembered for is the construction of so many temples around the world. I was thinking that it would be a wonderful idea if every member possible attended the temple the week of June 23 as a way of honoring and thanking Pres. Hinckley for all his years of service to the church."
"As many of you have already been informed, June 23rd is Pres. Hinckley's 97th birthday.He has been such a wonderful example for all of us and I think that it is time we pay him back! One thing that he is known and remembered for is the construction of so many temples around the world. I was thinking that it would be a wonderful idea if every member possible attended the temple the week of June 23 as a way of honoring and thanking Pres. Hinckley for all his years of service to the church."
Monday, June 04, 2007
Our New York Vacation
This may be the longest post in history, but there is a lot to blog about! Matt and I had the greatest time last week in New York City . 
We flew into Newark Airport Monday morning and caught a cab to our hotel. We cleaned up a bit and then headed into the city. The shuttle from the hotel dropped us off every morning in Times Square! It was perfect. The first morning we walked around the city, amazed at how big it is, and then took a tour of Madame Tussaudes wax museum. This is me working out a movie deal with Steven Speilberg, and Matt as the hottest member of N'Sync.
I got to make a wax mold of my hand after the tour, and it turned out really good. 
We were supposed to go home and fill it with cement, but we must have accidentally left it in the sun because it melted.... :( At least we got a picture of it before its tragic end!
After the museum, and a really good lunch at a restaurant called the Heartland Brewery, we walked over to Bryant Park which is my favorite place in the city. I used to hang out there a lot when I lived in New York, and it is just the nicest place to relax. The park is behind the New York Public Library where Ghost Busters was filmed. 
This is a beautiful fountain at the entrance to the park. 
On our subway ride home, we were waiting in a terminal full of people (this picture only shows 1/5 of them) when Matt noticed I was the ONLY WHITE GIRL! So, I had to represent. Gotta love New York.
When we got back to the city, we had to take advantage of the beautiful day and head up to the top of the Empire State Building. There was practically no line to get up there and the top was not crowded at all. It was perfect! The views were amazing and we got lots of really great pictures.
Matt was not afraid to stick his head over the building to see better. 
Mmmm...New York Cheesecake!!
After a busy day, I was surprised to have the energy to head into Times Square to see all the lights and billboards. It was so cool! My favorite thing about was seeing Matt's reaction to seeing the city at night for the first time. He was so cute!
Wednesday morning we got in line at TKTS to get tickets to see Wicked, only to be laughed at by the agent. "The show sells out 4 months in advance! You can try the Marriott hotel, sometimes they have a few for guests, but good luck!" Disappointed, we headed up to the hotel. The lady at the desk laughed at us also, but told us that she would see what she could do. She got on the phone, told us there was a cancellation and then asked the agent where the seats were. All we heard her say was "Wow, wow, wow." over and over again. When she got off the phone she said, "This only happens once in a blue moon, and it looks like its a blue moon tonight." She wouldn't tell us where we were sitting, because she wanted it to be a surprise. 
And surprised we were! The seats we dead center and only 7 rows back! Any closer and we would have to turn our heads to see everything! It also turns out we only paid half of what those tickets go for! The show was spectacular beyond description, and we were so thankful for the seats, we went and bought the lady from the Marriott some pretty flowers.
Wicked was the highlight of New York for me. It couldn't have been more amazing. On the way out of the Gershwin Theater, we ran into Daryl Hammond from SNL. He was just as excited that we recognized him, as we were to see a star. After that we went up to Columbus Circle to go to attend a session at the Temple. We took this funny picture of Matt on the way.
The Manhattan temple is in the same building that I used to attend church in. So it was really neat for me to be able to go there because I left New York before its completion. Its a small temple, but absolutely beautiful. We couldn't believe how quiet and peaceful it was considering its in the middle of one of the biggest cities. It was such a contrast.
We went to the Museum of Natural History on Thursday, and spent a lot of time there. It is such a huge place and there is so much to see and do. I had the greatest time, and I think that Matt really enjoyed himself also.
His favorite part was the Frog Exhibit. He spent probably an hour in there just watching all the frogs and reading about them. He was like a kid!
I really liked the dinosaurs and the minerals. They had big diamonds and pretty stones, so of course I was entertained :)
There are also great views of the city. This rock hill looks over the Ice Skating rink and Carnival.
On our way back to Times Square to catch the shuttle back to our hotel, we walked through Rockefeller Center. 
Friday we took a train down to Battery Park to catch the Circle Line to The Statue of Liberty. During our walk through the park we saw a guy fishing Horse Shoe Crabs. I guess they eat them in China town. First off, I wouldn't imagine these things to taste very good. There is not a lot of meat, and they are so weird looking. Second, I don't think you could pay me a million dollars to eat something out of the Hudson River. Although it was sad to see them dying on the sidewalk, it was cool to see them. They are the oldest living creature on the earth!
I never had the chance to go to the Statue of Liberty when I lived in the city, so it was great to go for the first time with Matty. The boat was really crowded, and it was a muggy day, but it was so great to be up next to our symbol of freedom.
We spent about an hour out on the island, and then got back on the boat to the park. 
Matt really wanted to see Wall Street, so we walked over there after the boat ride.
It was amazing to see the old office buildings and one that amazed me was the JP Morgan building. There was a terrorist attack there in the 1920's and there are still pock marks in the stone from the dynamite explosion that killed 30 people. We were also lucky to be able to stand on the streets in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
Little Italy was also great. The atmosphere there is so fun, and there are dozens of real Italian restaurants there. We chose "Angelo's" and after our first bite, we knew we had chosen wisely! The food was great, and the restaurant was really romantic.
Speaking of romance, after dinner we headed uptown to Grand Central Station, and then back to Bryant Park. Nothing says "lets kiss" like the park at night!
On Saturday we only had the morning to spend in the City, and we decided to spend it at Ground Zero. 
It was so neat to be there, but very saddening. Its hard to imagine what happened there on Sept. 11th. 
There was an amazing museum near the site, and they had some really amazing things found after the attacks. Here is a window from one of the planes that hit the WTC. 
After walking 12 hours every day for 7 days, Matt and I were ready to go home and sleep in our own bed. Our flight left Saturday night, and a 5 hour sunset was a perfect ending to an amazing vacation. 
I am thankful for Matt, for being so supportive of my dream to go back, and for making it one of the greatest weeks of my life. I am so thankful for his parents who helped us get to New York and for Shauna, who watched my kids for me while we were away.
We flew into Newark Airport Monday morning and caught a cab to our hotel. We cleaned up a bit and then headed into the city. The shuttle from the hotel dropped us off every morning in Times Square! It was perfect. The first morning we walked around the city, amazed at how big it is, and then took a tour of Madame Tussaudes wax museum. This is me working out a movie deal with Steven Speilberg, and Matt as the hottest member of N'Sync.I got to make a wax mold of my hand after the tour, and it turned out really good. We were supposed to go home and fill it with cement, but we must have accidentally left it in the sun because it melted.... :( At least we got a picture of it before its tragic end! After the museum, and a really good lunch at a restaurant called the Heartland Brewery, we walked over to Bryant Park which is my favorite place in the city. I used to hang out there a lot when I lived in New York, and it is just the nicest place to relax. The park is behind the New York Public Library where Ghost Busters was filmed. Tuesday morning we caught the subway up to the Bronx Zoo. The weather was so perfect and the zoo was great. 
It is a really old zoo, so the buildings are awesome. Most of the animals were out too, so we got to see everything that we wanted.
It is a really old zoo, so the buildings are awesome. Most of the animals were out too, so we got to see everything that we wanted. This is a beautiful fountain at the entrance to the park. On our subway ride home, we were waiting in a terminal full of people (this picture only shows 1/5 of them) when Matt noticed I was the ONLY WHITE GIRL! So, I had to represent. Gotta love New York.
Matt was not afraid to stick his head over the building to see better. Wednesday morning we got in line at TKTS to get tickets to see Wicked, only to be laughed at by the agent. "The show sells out 4 months in advance! You can try the Marriott hotel, sometimes they have a few for guests, but good luck!" Disappointed, we headed up to the hotel. The lady at the desk laughed at us also, but told us that she would see what she could do. She got on the phone, told us there was a cancellation and then asked the agent where the seats were. All we heard her say was "Wow, wow, wow." over and over again. When she got off the phone she said, "This only happens once in a blue moon, and it looks like its a blue moon tonight." She wouldn't tell us where we were sitting, because she wanted it to be a surprise. Wicked was the highlight of New York for me. It couldn't have been more amazing. On the way out of the Gershwin Theater, we ran into Daryl Hammond from SNL. He was just as excited that we recognized him, as we were to see a star. After that we went up to Columbus Circle to go to attend a session at the Temple. We took this funny picture of Matt on the way.The Manhattan temple is in the same building that I used to attend church in. So it was really neat for me to be able to go there because I left New York before its completion. Its a small temple, but absolutely beautiful. We couldn't believe how quiet and peaceful it was considering its in the middle of one of the biggest cities. It was such a contrast.
It was amazing to see the old office buildings and one that amazed me was the JP Morgan building. There was a terrorist attack there in the 1920's and there are still pock marks in the stone from the dynamite explosion that killed 30 people. We were also lucky to be able to stand on the streets in front of the New York Stock Exchange.No New York vacation is complete without bargaining in China Town and eating in Little Italy. Matt and I both bought cheap souvenirs from the street vendors and had a fun time walking through the Asian community.
Speaking of romance, after dinner we headed uptown to Grand Central Station, and then back to Bryant Park. Nothing says "lets kiss" like the park at night!It was so neat to be there, but very saddening. Its hard to imagine what happened there on Sept. 11th. After walking 12 hours every day for 7 days, Matt and I were ready to go home and sleep in our own bed. Our flight left Saturday night, and a 5 hour sunset was a perfect ending to an amazing vacation. I am thankful for Matt, for being so supportive of my dream to go back, and for making it one of the greatest weeks of my life. I am so thankful for his parents who helped us get to New York and for Shauna, who watched my kids for me while we were away. But most of all I am thankful for the freedom that we have in this country that allows us to live how we want, go where we want and believe what we believe. I am so blessed not only to have the opportunity to travel, but to have someone so great to travel with.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)