30.7.08

Sounds like fun!

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you (if you already haven't). It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

28.7.08

Viva La Vida!!!!!

Well, I'm finally getting to reporting about our trip to Las Vegas. It was a great trip away from Albuquerque. I love road trips. I have grown to love the landscape of New Mexico. I know a lot of people might think I'm crazy, but I do. No, there is not a lot of green, and there is a lot of dirt, but there are so many colors in that dirt! There's old lava flows, layers of color, erosion that makes interesting shapes...OK, I'll stop. I know - I'm a science nerd.

Back to Vegas. We had a fun time being together. It was hotter than Hades, but LV has the best air conditioning in the world. We stayed on "The Strip" thanks to a timeshare seminar which was an experience all it's own. As much as they try to market Vegas as family friendly, it is not. We went to the Coke Factory which was fun, ate at the Rainforest Cafe in the MGM (Parker loved that, but not the "rain storms"), and took Parker to the Excalibur where he won a sword.
Sharing a milkshake @ Roxy's (The waitstaff sang and were good!)


Hangin' with the Coke Bear.


Parker and his dad...ha ha! Just kidding Chris. Love ya!

So those things were neat, but not worth putting up with all the filth that is around. Thank goodness Parker didn't really notice any of that till the last night when he looked up and saw a billboard for a Vegas Showgirl show and said, "That gill (girl) is showing her bumb." So that was that, and he will not be going to "The Strip" ever again!!

While we were there, we got to see my bro & sis-in-laws' new home, and it is beautiful. We also were able to visit with the family for a little while, which was fun, but I wish we would have spent more time with them...next time!!!

Now for the highlight of the trip. The homemade potato chips at Roxy's...just kidding. They were good, but not the highlight. THE COLDPLAY CONCERT!!!!!

First of all, I have a bunch of shout outs for the people I thought about during the show:

Corey & Michelle: Chris and I are really sorry we didn't call you to come with us. We missed having you there!

Michelle & Becky & Brad: We missed seeing the concert with you too!!!

The Premies: (my little brother's band before he and the rest of the band went on their missions) I don't remember the name of the guy that was the opening act, but he did his whole gig on 2 digital keyboards with Macs on either side of him. While he played his music (trance) he projected this psychedelic animation behind him. I thought you guys really would have liked that.

The Giranimals: (Connie & Maury's band) You guys should have been the 2nd opening act. Not whoever was the 2nd opening act.

Connie H.: (favorite thing in the world besides Bret Farve & Tim McGraw is confetti.) During the song, "Lovers in Japan", there was confetti that dropped from the ceiling. Not just a little, but a ton! And it wasn't ordinary confetti. It was shaped like butterflies the size of your palm. It was beautiful. The first time they dropped it (Well they didn't just drop it. It was shot out of canons or something.) they shown white lights on them. Then the second time they used black lights, so the butterflies looked like they were glowing. Connie you would have LOVED IT!!!!!

(Please no one be offended if I didn't think of you during the concert...I still love you!!!!!)

The concert was great. Those guys are talented! I wont blog about every single song they did, but I will say that every song they did play was entertaining and fantastic. I am so glad I finally got to see them in concert.

So, all our little summer adventures are now over (except for the ward camp out...yeah!), and I'm starting to feel the pressure of school starting. I can't believe I only have 8 more days of summer. The good thing about that is between now and the first day I report back Breaking Dawn comes out, so I'll be busy this weekend!

13.7.08

Hello All!

I know I haven't updated my blog in almost two months. I'm sorry. I've gotten (is that a word?) caught up in the "Facebook" world. I have been re-acquainted with so many old friends..it's great. So every time I get online, there's another email from someone through Facebook, and I end up spending my computer time there instead of blogging.

So here's what we've been up to since I last blogged.
I've visited my sister, Patty, in Baltimore. I miss her, Malan and Nate. It was so good to see them and hang out for awhile. We also got the chance to visit Washington D.C.. It was great, but we forgot the stroller in Nate's car and ended up dragging Parker around everywhere. He was exhausted from walking everywhere, and almost tumbled off of Chris' shoulders from falling asleep up there, but I think he enjoyed it more in the end! Parker and Malan pretending to be pirates!
Parker LOVED this Elephant at the Natural Hisotry Museum @ the Smithsonian.

Patty was also nice enough to watch Parker for us overnight so we could go up to New York City. This was quite an adventurous mini-trip. If you're interested you'll have to ask me about the bus ride up and down (there were only 5 non-Asian passengers on the whole bus). We had fun trying to figure out the subway and making sure we got in the right line and got off on the right stop...we did pretty good. We saw two musicals, Mary Poppins (Awesome!) and Wicked (A MUST SEE!!!! It's going to be in Salt Lake City April '09...you HAVE to go see it). We also went to Carnegie Deli (Yummo!) and got a huge corned beef sandwich and the best piece of cheesecake I've ever had! We also shopped at F.A.O. Swartz (ya know the toy store in the movie "BIG"?) and just walked around and soaked in the atmosphere.
Thank you Patty!!!!!!


We also went to a beach in Delaware for 15 minutes (there was a huge storm), and an Oreals vs Red Sox game (There were just as many Red Sox fans as Oreals!)

(I'll get more pics of the trip up soon...I'm getting tired, it's 12:45am...plus those pics are a different computer...)

Patty gets the best auntie award for helping Parker get all the way potty-trained! Yes, Parker is now potty-trained. YEAH!!!!!! When we arrived in Baltimore Parker was still having trouble with going #2. Anyway, when we were riding the bus up to New York we texted Nate to ask how thing were. His reply... "OK, Patty's a little stressed...Parker just [messed] in his pants...but Malan ate his yellow crayon, so we're even!" Chris and I almost died. I felt awful. Well, Patty made Parker clean up his mess by himself. Patty relayed to me later that Parker said while cleaning his shorts, "This is really yucky!" I am proud to say Parker hasn't pooped his pants since. So THANK YOU PATTY!

Independence Day was great. The Ward had a great pancake breakfast and flag raising ceremony. Then we went over to Jenny & Troy's house for a HUGE family (Navarrettes-elder and younger, Shepherds--elder and younger & two brothers with their family, sister-in-laws parents, and my dad) get together. We had a blast. Food, kids swimming, hanging' out, playing baseball and fireworks (Parker didn't like that). It was blast!






Lastly, Parker is taking swimming lessons with his two cousins that just moved down from Boston! It is so much fun to see him out there with a class. This is his first formal class where he has to listen and follow directions (well, besides Nursery). He cried at the beginning of class the first couple times, but then he finally figured out that I'm staying to watch and swimming is fun! He is going all the way under on his own, doing alligator walks like a champ (walking on your hands in the baby pool while blowing bubbles and kicking), can hold his breath for 3 alligators (1 alligator, 2 alligator...), and loves finding treasure at the bottom of the baby pool! It's weird to be on the outside of the baby pool fence...I've come full circle...I took swimming lessons, then taught them for 6 years, now my son is taking them. I love it! Notice the shirt...yes his skin is very sensitive (he's already gotten one really, really bad burn this summer) Also, I think his hair is getting blonder from being out in the sun so much...what do you think?





I hope you all are having a fantastic summer!

Next adventure? Coldplay in Vegas baby!!!!!!