Dance machine

Elijah was quite a kick on the cruise.  Every time with went into the "club" area and took him on the stage he danced around like crazy.  He even upstaged the comic before Bingo on the first night.  He was a celebrity for the rest of the cruise.  In this video he's dancing while Home Alone 2 is playing but you get the gist.

Anyone know how to flip a video?

Honeymoon (5 years late)

When David and I got married 5 years ago we intended to take our honeymoon trip 3 months later but a delay with our passports required us to push it back.  After that our Spring Break schedules never lined up.  So this year over our 5th anniversary we finally took our Florida "honeymoon" vacation (with Elijah).

We started were gone for about 10 days.  We started in Orlando and found a cute little place called Celebration.  There were some little shops and a little town square area that had snow like bubbles at night.  Elijah loved it and danced around like crazy it in.

 The next day we went to Islands of Adventure @ Universal Studios.  We decided not to do Disney World because it would be more fun when Elijah was old enough to care and we wanted to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We were also delighted to find out that there was a Dr. Seuss section of the park and Elijah was able to go on every ride there.

 There was also a Grinch show the Elijah LOVED.  He sat spell bound for the entire 30 minutes and he giggled and clapped at the right times. 

 There is also a Jurassic Park section to the park.

 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was packed with people but it was so fun.  It felt like stepping into the book.  There were some characters around but we weren't able to get a picture due to the crowds. 

First you walk into Hogsmeade.

 Then you get to Hogwarts.  Hogwarts is mostly just a ride but while you wait in line for the ride you get to see quite a few memorable parts of the castle like the fat lady and such.

 After we left Orlando we drove to Palm Beach and left on a short 2 day cruise to the Bahamas.  We decided not to spend the money on an excursion but walked off the boat and enjoyed looking at the ocean there.

My favorite picture of the whole tip.

 This is the area we walked around as seen from the boat.

 Our last place was near Ft. Lauderdale.  We spent most of our time there relaxing and went to the beach every day since it was right next to our hotel.   This was the view from our window.

Elijah loved picking up handfuls of sand and throwing them in the water.

I was really surprise at how much coral and how many shells were on the beach there.

 And even though he got a face full of water numerous times, he never cried about it.

All in all we had a blast.  I don't think I ever want to be gone over the actual day of Christmas again, but I'm glad we finally went.  It was relaxation and a great break from the stresses of life.  I love you David!  Happy 5th anniversary.

San Antonio Trip

We decided to use our free Sea World San Antonio passes one last time.  Dave's sister Lindsay and her family joined us.  We had a great time despite the fact that on the way home Dave's car threw a rod and Mazda doesn't want to have anything to do with it because we didn't service our car with them.  Apparently a manufacturing defect isn't something they cover if they can find a way out of it.  Anyway . . . more on that another time.  Here are some pictures.

The green eyed monster

I have a big problem . . . I am envious of others who have things I want.  To me there is nothing worse than watching someone get exactly what I want, especially if they don't really want it in the first place.  I know that the Lord is in control and will give me things at the "right" time but it still sucks right now.  I hate giving up control SO MUCH! 

That's all.  Hopefully with that out I can move on and find other things to focus on.  Sigh.

Gary Randall

Just over 2 weeks ago a dear family friend named Gary Randall died.  I want to pay tribute to him a bit and just mention what he meant to me.  Gary was the only home teacher that I really remember from my childhood.  He came each month and although there was a time when he served in a Spanish Branch in our area he was still a constant in my life.  When my parents got divorced and my dad proceeded to leave our church Gary was the one who filled in where there was a void.  I don't know that he was ever asked to or if he just saw the void and did what he could to fill it.  Between he and my brothers I think that, all things considered, I didn't miss out on as much as I would have otherwise.  Even though there was not always a priesthood holder in my home I knew there was one 5 minutes away who would come when ever he was asked.  After I had a bad car accident he was there to give me a blessing of comfort and a chocolate bunny to ease my pain.  I was lucky enough to have him seal my husband and I for time and all eternity and that will always be something that is a tender mercy for me.  My dad wasn't worthy of being there but Gary was.

He will always be special to me.  A second father or sorts or at least a grandpa to me and I will miss his positive influence in my life.  I will be eternally grateful for his love and kindness and how he helped me grow into the person I am today.  I will try to be a better visiting teacher to honor him and his memory.  Thank you Gary.  You made a little girl/young woman's life brighter and happier because you were in it.  I love you!