California Anniversary Trip

So far in our marriage we have been lucky enough to be able to go on a summer trip for our anniversary. For our first anniversary we did a few days up in SLC where we went to a Bee's game, shopped, and ate good food. Our second anniversary we visited Vegas where we hit up some exhibits (Bodies! Go see it!), walked the strip, and miniature golfed.

For our anniversary this year, we saved up for a trip to California centered around baseball and Disneyland. We were there June 10th-13th. The timing was perfect. Dillon was able to get time off from his then-current job and while we were there, he was offered a position at his much improved and now-current job. They told him that he could start as soon as we got back. (You guys! This job! It's such a blessing. It's in Dillon's field of study. He enjoys what he does and the people he works with. He has THE BEST hours of 7-3:30 Monday through Friday. AND he gets major holidays off. We love Metalcraft!)

Our fun-filled early-anniversary trip

Day 1: 
Our first day was all about the Braves vs. Padres game at Petco Park. (We've gone to a Braves game every summer since we've been married and are going to try our best to keep up the tradition). My parents let us borrow their Chevy Impala (for the low-price of Disney souvenirs) for the trip because its gas mileage is awesome and because its air conditioner actually works (important for this heat-hater). 

Fun fact: I don't love car rides. I have a propensity for car-sickness that is ridiculous. This restricts me from any time passing activities except for listening to music and car games like 20 questions (big thriller, that one :) ). That being said, my attention span reverts back to that of a three-year old. Soooo, to break up the monotony of the drive we stopped in Primm- a random cluster of shopping outlets, a casino, a hotel, and a giant rollercoaster.

 Dillon likes to try on shorts sans dressing room

We hopped back in the car and had planned to be to the game an hour early so that Dillon could try and get some signatures. Well, our handy-dandy GPS had other plans. We were about 6 miles out from Petco Park (You know, the point where the GPS really, really matters. Because, especially in California, if you miss your exit, no big deal, just drive another ten miles and take 13 different on and off ramps all just to loop back and miss your exit again, sucker) when it stopped working. It had the cute little blue car driving on a blank tan canvas of nothingness.

I quickly plugged in my parents GPS but theirs informed us that the satellites were down. So I whipped out my iPhone and plugged in Petco Park. Somehow, I hit a wrong button because the phone thought I wanted instructions from Petco Park to our house. We failed to realize this until it informed us we had 50 miles until our next exit (obviously that didn't make sense, we were only 6ish miles away from the park). Shoot! So I re-plugged it in, we got on the right path, and made it about 3 minutes before the game started. 

These things tend to not bring out the best in either Dillon or I. I panic and he gets frustrated and we both get ticked off at the other, until we reach our destination and then laugh about it all because "Hey, we got here and remember how it's our anniversary trip? It's all good." 

We watched the game surrounded by a mix of Braves fans and Padres fans, ate some awesome food, and took pictures.

And in case any of us decided to try to hop the fence, this guy was there to guard it with his fierce intimidation. All 5' 4" of him. 

Day 2: 

The rest of the trip was all about Disneyland/California Adventure. We did three-day park hopper tickets and decided that is the way to go- less stress to hurry and hit everything, time for naps and swimming, favorite rides are easily repeated etc.

We woke up late, took our dear sweet time getting ready, and headed on over to the park. Dillon had never been so he let me take the lead (I've only been twice, but I guess that still beats zero). I convinced him to hit up Toy Story in California Adventure first (top left) because the line for that one gets crazy long. I came out victorious (my score is in red-top right). Booyah! (He spanked me in Astroblasters the next day, but we don't need to talk about that).

The bottom right is a picture of the Toy Story soldiers putting little kids through "boot camp". So cute.

 The bottom left portrays Dillon's fear of heights. We were on the Ferris wheel. He hates going slow and being up high. I made a deal with him that I would only make him go on the Ferris wheel once if he would only make me go on The Tower of Terror once. (I know most people enjoy that one but, every time, I immediately regret that I didn't strap myself down in five or so sports bras. Everyone around me screams because of the drop. I scream because I nearly lose an eye. Kidding...kind of).

Lunch- THE best corn dogs.

Cars Land! This part of the park was fun and looked exactly like Radiator Springs. However, the race car ride had a 3 hour wait. No.thank.you. 

Dillon picked these out for me. He's so flattering. I think I've somehow buffaloed him though. 

Don't mind my sweat-stache. It was hot and humid to the max.

Bug's Life. Because it's inside and you get to sit for a minute.

In between all of that we managed to hit all of the big highlights. California Screamin', Grizzly Rapids, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Pirates, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, and so on. Around 5 o'clock we were beat and so tired. We decided to eat at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney then head back to our hotel for swimming. I think we both fell asleep around 8:30. Hoorah ha.

Day 3: 

This day included repeats of just about every ride (excluding the Ferris wheel and Tower of Tower) plus a few of the smaller attractions we didn't get to yet.

Inside Indiana Jones, outside Space Mountain, and lunch in the Blue Bayou. The Blue Bayou is a restaurant that is inside the Pirates ride. I don't remember noticing it on previous trips but as we rode past we decided to eat there. It was on the pricey end but the food was great and the atmosphere was really fun.

Outside of It's a Small World- quickly deemed Dillon's least favorite ride.

Some of our picture-during-the-ride highlights. Dillon's faces are the best (plus the girl in front of him on Space Mountain. That face = glorious)

We played hard this day and used our fast passes wisely. We watched the fireworks show (seen below with a nice silhouette of a stranger's Mickey Mouse ears) and then hit our favorites a few more times before the park closed.

Day 4: 
We reserved this day for souvenir shopping and relaxed meandering. We woke up late, again, missing our Magic Morning (What can I say? We like our sleep). We made one more valiant effort to go on the race car ride in Cars Land but the fast passes were completely gone...for the rest of the day...at nine in the morning. And the wait? You guessed it. Three hours. We'll try again on our next go around.

We did however go to Splash Mountain multiple times because Dillon decided it was his favorite. We also hit up some little kid rides because the wait was only five minutes when we walked by (the day before the wait was AT LEAST forty-five minutes for both of them).

The Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh. Cute and totally worth the five minute wait but no way would we ever, ever, EVER wait forty-five minutes to go on them. Parents, hold out until there's a lull. I promise.

From there, it was mostly about visiting the shops. Plus my ankles were swelling over my shoes (I'll get to that shortly).

 Dillon's "I'm a Pirate" face

 His chosen souvenir- a build-your-own light saber 

 I love that he picked this and that he's a kid at heart

My chosen souvenir

We called it good early in the day, happy with our overall experience and headed home in the late afternoon.

My ankles that basically turned into cankles by the third day of Disneyland and then blistered. Another fun fact, I'm allergic to the sun. Photodermatitis. It's a thing. I haven't worried about this particular ailment for a while because I sunscreen diligently, with hardcore 90 spf+ sunscreen. This trip I sunscreened everything properly, but my ankles. And they did not appreciate it. Lesson learned- Sunscreen every little bit of my albino skin that might possibly get a peek at the sun for days in a row.

When all said and done, a great anniversary trip with the best man around and a few entertaining stories to add to our repertoire.

Summer Lovin'

Sweet summertime. I'm all about summer break. I love me some time off and some fun havin'. BUT I hate hot temperatures and feeling hot, haaaaaaaate it. If I could take my summer break from October to December that would be fabulous. 

Really, though.

That being said, I still love summer break, sweatfest and all. Here is a rundown of our summer events and activities (some of which will get their own post because, ya know, they're a big deal).

Shopping! Dillon is such a good sport and accompanies me quite often to Maurices (since it is one of about two clothing stores in Cedar). Every time, a sales lady asks for my name and puts it on the dressing room door while Dillon and I anticipate how they might end up spelling it. This girl wins.

We hit up Disneyland for an early anniversary trip. (Dillon's first time!)

Dillon got hired at Metalcraft, a company in Cedar that designs and builds jets and jet parts. He's a stud.

We celebrated Father's Day and our actual anniversary with good food and good people.

We did some babysitting.

My baby-holding hottie. Heartmelting, no?

We took a quick trip to Vegas with the Britos. I think I've met my Vegas quota for at least a decade...(not that I've gone that much but it's grungy, and FREAKING hot all.of.the.time.)

A little hat shopping at the Vegas Outlets

We've frequented the Pastry Pub. This sandwich is superb. They only have it as a special for a little while but Dillon and I order it year-round. If it's not the special, though, the workers somehow have no idea what we're talking about. "Chipotle sandwich?? Whaaa? Are you making that up?" So we decided to take a picture that way we can break it down for them upon our return.

Our dog, Alice, has been bitten by the runaway bug. We've had to find her four times, in the last week- only one of which involved the pound.

We've also made sure that Delta trips have made it into the rotation, especially for the Fourth of July.

And last, but not least by any means, I've taken plenty of summertime naps to recuperate from all of the fun.

My Big Brother

Today my oldest brother Dustin would have turned 29. It has been seven years since he passed away. On this day, and this day only, do I go out by myself to place a single yellow (his favorite color) rose on his grave. I don't generally go out to the cemetery unless my mom asks me to go with her. Time hasn't made it easier for me to gaze at his headstone and feel connected to him.

I miss Dustin like crazy but, for me, the cemetery is not where I feel close to him. I feel close to him when I hold one of his favorite shirts that I kept, the yellow-striped button-up. I feel close to him when I listen to his Pearl Jam and Creed CDs. I smile because he is the reason one of my first CDs to own was a Creed album. I feel close to him when I hang his favorite type of Christmas ornament on our Christmas tree. I feel close to him when I think about how he was my favorite person to talk to about my achievements, big or small. When I told him my ACT score, for instance, he called all of his friends to let them know how smart his sister was. He was always so proud of me and I loved him for it. I try to keep making him proud every day.

My family is blessed to have a piece of Dustin here with us in his son Braden. His mom Steph and her husband Corom are really amazing people and they are so good to include us in their and Braden's lives. Below is a portion of a video that was made in remembrance of Dustin. It's my favorite part to watch and re-watch. Braden was in a toddler race in an event that takes place every year in Panguitch. He smoked everyone with encouragement from Dustin and Steph. Dustin was so proud and rushed to congratulate Braden with a high five. I love it because it's not a still picture. I get to watch Dustin smile and interact with his son.

There are a lot of things I have learned through Dustin's passing and one day, when I'm ready, I think I'll share the whole experience. For right now, I simply want to share how wonderful he was and how terribly I miss him. I am so overjoyed to know of the plan of salvation and the peace it brings to me and my family. I know, without a doubt, I will see Dustin again. I am so looking forward to that day.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Dustin. I love you.

Things We Teachers Do to Entertain

After End of Levels, it's borderline running a zoo as far as middle school students are concerned. My 8th grade classes were towards the beginning of the testing chopping block, which left us with 5ish weeks of class post-test. KILL.ME.NOW. That's what I was thinking. Thank goodness my mentor teacher is full of fun and creative ideas. The kids loved them. I was doped up on Advil and Mountain Dew to deal with the screeching. All in all though, those weeks were definitely the most fun of the school year.

A highlight of a few of our activities as a department and as a school (picture overload, you've been warned)-

Activity #1: BOTTLE ROCKETS

Step #1: Assemble rocket with two pop bottles, counter weight, fins, and choice of duct tape.

The girl who made this "Penguin Express" is adorable for the record. As in, I just want to put her in pocket and take her home with me.

Step #2: Fill your rocket half full with water, place on launcher, wait while Mrs. Thatcher pumps the air compressor....or wait until it's your turn.

I realize that these photos probably seem biased. I promise there are pictures of guy students too...Middle school girls are just much more willing to pose for the camera.

Step #3: Pull the string and watch your rocket blast-off, then go and get it to assess the damage

Activity #2: Egg Drop Contest

Step #1: Assemble a device no bigger than a foot in any direction that will stop your egg from cracking when dropped 20 feet. Be creative!

Step #2: Mass your device so you can calculate its acceleration during the drop.

Step #3: Drop your egg and hopefully come out victorious. This kid did.

Students were unbelievably creative with their egg drop devices. A lot of them decided to surround their egg with peanut butter...apparently they saw it on a show (Disney's iCarly I think?). For the record, of the fifteen that chose peanut butter, one survived. Disney lied to the children. His was in a different container so that probably helped. My favorite though was a student who put his egg in a gallon of milk. He cut a hole in the top, dropped the egg in, and duct taped the hole.

It totally worked! Clever, clever kid.

Activity #3: Making Ice Cream with Carbon Dioxide

Step #1: Pour pre-mixed ice cream mix into your cup, wait in line, put your cup next to the ice machine while Mrs. Thatcher shaves dry ice into it, and stir like crazy.

Step #2: Once all of the dry ice bits have been stirred into the mixture, eat your ice cream and try your best not to make Mrs. Thatcher lose her mind while she helps the rest of the students.

We did some other fun activities in science but those were definitely the highlights. Our school also had a talent show, field day, and movie day. Below are pictures of my three favorite students participating in those activities- my cousins. This year three of them attended my school, one of which I had the opportunity to teach.

Kessler. He signed up for Honors Science so I didn't teach him, but look! He's a fellow red-head. We're cool like that.

 Rockets

Field Day- He got 1st in the mile!

Talent show. He's workin' the guitar. P.S. I love that they know this song.

Kordell. He signed up for Honors Science too, but his schedule didn't work out to allow it so he got stuck with me. I liked it. He did his best all year to not address me so that he wouldn't have to call me Mrs. Thatcher.

 Rockets- He's on the right. One of the few non-ginger cousins.

 Field Day- Neither of his feet are touching the ground. Whaaa? He's got speed.

Brynlee. She just started at the middle school so I didn't get to teach her yet. She also has some awesome flaming hair. And I call her my mini-me because she and I are buds plus she's full of spunk and likes to chatter.

Field Day- She got second in her relay

Talent Show. Miss Bryn is drumming it up with her class. She's the little orange head wearing plaid to the right of the impressive, blindingly white afro.

See? We like each other a little. Old picture proof.

Whew! Longest post ever but lots of memories for me to keep. I'll end with this...

My sunscreen for all of those outdoor activities. My students busted up laughing when they saw the SPF. I simply explained to them that I had to protect my ginger skin. They all nodded in agreement knowing full well that I may be the whitest of all white people.

The Much Belated and Highly Anticipated Mother's Day Post

My mom's birthday is always about a week before Mother's Day so we get to celebrate her twice during the month of May. First off her birthday..

The cute ladies that work with my mom called me the night before her birthday and asked if I had any pictures of her when she was younger. Seeing as how we currently reside in my Grandpa's house, I had plenty. I dropped them off and let the ladies do their dirty work. (They did a spectacular job...and in case you were wondering how old my mom turned, they did their best to not keep it a secret - at all.)

My mom called me bright and early the next morning (We're talking 6:45) and asked me if I provided the pictures of her. In my best lying voice I told her that I had not. While still on the phone with me she turned to the rest of the ladies and yelled, "She says she didn't. Where did you guys get these?!" I couldn't hold it in anymore, I admitted my guilt via laughing. That earned me a stern, "DaNae Dawn, are you lying to me?!"

My mom apparently had already called my aunt to give her a verbal thrashing that morning (Sorry, LeAnne!) because she assumed that's where the pictures came from. She laughed about it with me over the phone and invited me to come and see what had been done to her office.

The people at her work just love her, as do I.

I didn't get any pictures of the birthday girl and I don't have any recent ones. I blame her. Every time I try to take a picture she provides me with a witheringly glare letting me know in no uncertain terms that if I would like to keep breathing I better not snap a photo.

So..these oldies but goodies will have to suffice. She is beautiful in every one of them.

My mother is one of the best people I know. She taught me what it means to be strong, patient, giving, kind, and loving. She taught me how to overcome. I've seen her cry tears of sorrow more times than I wish to remember but I've also seen her pull herself back together and press on with full determination and faith. She taught me what true love means by loving my dad and having him love her back. They still hold hands and call each other ridiculous pet names like "Babycakes". I see her face glow with pure happiness when she looks at him. She taught me what it means to work hard and take pride in whatever you do. She helped me develop my love for reading. She taught me about the gospel and helped my testimony grow. She has shown me what it really means to be a mother- to appreciate the good times, to endure the bad times, and to love so fiercely that your children never question how much they mean to you.

I know I don't say it nearly enough. I love you Mom. Thank you for everything you've done for me.

Love,

Your favorite daughter