I Love Disneyland at Christmas . . .

There is something truly magical about Disneyland . . . and Disneyland at Christmas is like stepping into a dream.

Since moving out of Alaska we have been able to visit Disneyland much more often. My parents did manage to get us down to D-land a number of times when I was growing up, and from there my love of the land has just deepened as I have grown older. My children have grown up walking the magical streets, and they are NUTS about it. Sammi is often found researching everything Disney. She loves to know ALL the details.
When Charles and I left Alaska (to go to school in Washington), we stopped in California for our first ever family Disney adventure. It was amazing. However, it did take Charles awhile to get into it, since he was so overwhelmed at first. (He was a new Disneylander.) I think it took going on the Pirate ride and Haunted Mansion and then he was HOOKED! He relaxed and begin to immerse himself in pirates, parades, and his favorite -- churros. Yum. Now he LOVES it! But who doesn't??
Ooooooo . . . Haunted Mansion. One of my favorites!

"its a small world" ride. Love it. I cry every time. Magic.

Toon Town -- My kids love it there.

Main Street . . . love the buildings.

When the lights go out there is another level of magic. I LOVE night time at Disneyland!

They have special light shows on small world at night.

Magic, Magic, Magic!

Soon we will find ourselves in this magical land, and I am so excited (and grateful!). I am pregnant, so I will have to miss out on some of the "fast" rides, but there is still PLENTY for me to enjoy. I am hoping to discover some new things and places . . . maybe I will find all of the hidden Mickeys. :-) Or maybe I will eat churros all day long. Yeah, that sounds good.

Pirates, ghosts, Fantasmic, fireworks, small world, Mickey, churros . . . Here I come!!! Yee-ha!

*Erin, I know you are jealous, but you have to love me anyway. ;-)

--pictures from www.wdwinfo.com -- great place for info and fun pictures.

Stronger

I went running yesterday, all by myself! No stroller, no kids on bikes -- just me. It was so strange to be alone. It was so different to run free, without an extra load to carry (besides the 16 week-old baby in my tummy, of course). :-)

It caused me to ponder (it was SO quiet, without kids!) and I thought about how hard it is to run with a stroller. It is not comfortable, it is extra weight to push, I have to alternate arms, it is awkward, and I can't go very fast. As I ran free it was MUCH easier. I could move BOTH arms at the same time! I started to resent the fact that I had to push the stroller, daily. Running free was so much better! Surely, I could increase my results running on my own, free, without the extra load . . . .

But then I realized . . . sometimes, it is about something "bigger" than me and my desires. Sometimes our trials (stroller-pushing in this case) are causing us to unknowingly prepare for something in the future. Sometimes, our trials can give us the strength we need, to accomplish even greater future tasks.

(Image taken in 2007)

My thoughts turned to my experience this summer, when I was called to be a Trek parent. I was not scared. I was ready. I had been pushing my handcart for years! When most of the other women (and men) were chaffed, blistered, and exhausted -- I was none of those things. I was fine. I had been prepared. Even before Trek I had an image of myself pushing a handcart, while I was out pushing all three of my kids in the stroller. That brief "image" was not my imagination -- it came to pass! God had been preparing me, physically and spiritually, even though I was unaware what I was preparing for!

I think we all have something that we would rather do without, or a load we would rather NOT carry. But we never know when that extra load is EXACTLY what we need to prepare us for something that is to come. God knows all things and He can help us be ready for future endeavors. He can prepare us, even when we have no idea that "preparation" is what is happening!

Think about your life. Think about your trials. Consider how those trials have made you stronger. Not because you wanted to be stronger, but because God needed you to be. God works in miraculous ways.

After I came home from my "free" run, I let go of my stroller-resentment and instead expressed my gratitude for the extra load I get to carry. I am grateful for it, I am stronger for it. It will still be hard, yes. But one day . . . I may need that strength, again! Who knows what the future may hold? God will make us strong enough -- if we will let Him. :-)

This video is fantastic . . . I keep thinking about that lady who was screaming with fear. It is a powerful visual of terror, in contrast with being at peace. If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. Amazing. We do live in "tumultuous times" and spiritual strength is needed -- more now than ever -- to face the future with faith. Be prepared and be at peace.

Yummy

In no particular order . . .

4 reasons why my pants won't fit after Christmas:

My friend brought me a Starbucks Carmel Apple Cider . . . it was SO GOOD. If you are cold, you HAVE to try this! Very soothing. Yum.

A few years ago, we went to San Francisco and to Ghiradelli Square -- it was SO FUN! Since then, we have become big fans of their yummy Peppermint Bark.

The same friend who brought me apple cider also delivered this number one pick of Egg Nog. If you have not tried Southern Comfort -- TRY IT! It is so much better than the lesser brands.
Who can forget truffles?? You know, the melt-in-your-mouth kind. Thank you, Costco, for carrying them in bulk. :-)

DON'T BITE THEM! Let them melt.

Yes, I am certain . . . the next time I go to the doctor (the week after Thanksgiving) I will bust the scale. :-)

Happy Holidays!

Legolas

The first time I saw The Lord of the Rings -- I was skeptical.

It was 2001 and Sammi (my first baby), was just a few months old. At the time, having a baby made me ultra-sensitive to everything: images, noise, movies. I was, what you might call, a prude. I had been told by family and friends that the movie was phenomenal, and I HAD to go see it. I was resistant, but after some prodding -- I caved in. So, Charles and I scheduled our FIRST date night since Sammi was born, and off to the movie theater we went.

I was nervous for a bunch of reasons, but mostly to leave my newborn for so long. I was also concerned about being trapped in a movie theater, not knowing what I was going to see. (I was not familiar with the story.) As the movie began, I started to freak. It was SO graphic compared to anything I had ever seen. It was intense and I was overwhelmed. I was uncomfortable and I did not know what to make of the film. Every time the "Eye" came on the screen I felt the fire burst unto my skin -- it was SO real! So intense!

I was panicking.

And then . . . THEN it happened!

During the Council of Rivendell, the beautiful Legolas came gracefully onto the screen. I think my mouth must have dropped open. I had never seen anything so breathtaking in a movie before. I was enthralled with the movie from that point on. I watched his every Elf-move. I allowed myself to be in Middle Earth for a time. I started to understand why people thought Aragorn was so ruggedly handsome (I was not seeing it at first). I finally let myself enjoy what was going on and I started laughing, crying, and appreciating the beauty of the images. As I gave in, I discovered it was a MASTERPIECE that I was witnessing. It was something worth watching, something spectacular.

By the end of the movie, I was left speechless, uncertain. It was so new and amazing -- it was hard to grasp it fully. We did not waste time leaving the theater. (My shirt was drenched, and I NEEDED to get home to my new baby!) But we discussed the movie for a LONG time after it was over.

As we gave the movie some time, it became something more to us. For the next two LOTR installments we were there OPENING NIGHT with all the dressed-up Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards. It was fantastic.

LOTR is my favorite movie series, ever, and I try to quote it is often as possible. I especially appreciate the TIME and LOVE they took to create something so magnificent. If only all movies were treated in such a way!

I was hesitant to let myself enjoy something. If not for Legolas and his fantastical character, I might not have let-go and allowed myself to be immersed in the magical moment. I would have missed out on so much greatness! (Not to mention super church-talk material!)

I just wanted to say, thank you, Legolas.

You changed my life. :-)

Losing Brain Cells

When I am pregnant, I tend to be a little (immensely) absent-minded.

For example . . .

Yesterday, I ruined my perfectly spotless driving record (no accidents, etc.) . . . I was backing out of a parking lot and I ran over the curb -- loudly scraping the bottom of my car. The kids freaked out -- so did I! I managed to damage the frame of the car, but nothing too serious. Luckily, for me, there were plenty of on-lookers laughing at me, so I felt even more stupid. I sped out of there as quickly as possible, feeling very sheepish.

This morning I was washing my hair (major accomplishment!) and instead of using conditioner, I grabbed the body-soap and conditioned my hair with that. I must admit, my hair did have a nice shine to it. Maybe I should use soap in my hair everyday?

I have been using all the wrong words to describe things. I had a conversation with Charles and I described someone as "diluted" instead of "delusional". He made sure to correct me, and then laugh at me.

When I get together with my pregnant friend, normally (when we are not pregnant), if one of us is describing something and we can't find the right word -- the other one can figure it out. Now, we both have no idea what the word is . . . and we just have to move on with the conversation! :-)

And finally (but not really final, I'm sure there will be more) . . . When I was out running the other day, my head was in the clouds and I was not paying much attention to the wind. In my cloudy-head moment, I blew a snot-rocket, and it landed on William. Poor thing. Nasty.

Oh, pregnancy . . . why must you take my brain cells away? I could really use them.

Family Dinner-Time . . . Maybe Someday.

A few years ago, when Charles was in school, it was typical for me to have dinner alone, with the kids. Some nights he would be at school, studying, until 11:00 -- especially when he was working on his Math degree. This was normal, and I was fine with it. We were working for the day when things would be better -- a day when we would have time together, as a family.

Charles purposefully chose a career where he would not have to travel, or be away from the family. I like having him around, a lot. He is my best friend. I just love being WITH him. We love having time together as a family. It means everything to us. All the other stuff of life . . . just details. :-) We knew this and so we planned accordingly.

One thing I was looking forward to, after the school days, was family dinner-time. You know, when everyone gathers around the table, at the end of the day, laughs and talks, eats and spends TIME together. Sounds wonderful to me . . . just lovely.

Well, funny thing is . . . I cannot think of the last time we sat down together as a family for dinner (except for Sundays) and it is not Charles' work that keeps it from happening.

Charles is in the Young Men's program, and with that calling . . . comes great responsibility, and TIME. (If you have been part of the youth program, you know that very well.) This last weekend Charles had a Scout camp-out, he taught the YM on Sunday, Tuesday was Scouts for Daniel, Wednesday was Activity night for YM/YW, Thursday is Scout Round-table, Saturday is collecting food for the food drive in the morning, and then an all-day youth temple trip on Saturday in Twin Falls, meetings Sunday morning before church, and who knows what else will pop-up. TIME lots of TIME. (These were just his activities, I did not mention mine/children.)

Charles will run in the door after work, quickly change clothes, give me a smooch, and run back out the door. So nice to see you, honey. I have spent a lot of time, alone, with the kids lately. I enjoy being with the children, but Charles is my best friend -- I just love being with him. I miss having him around when he is not here. And being pregnant, having him around means that much more to me. I am not a wimpy-wife, but I know what I like. I like TIME with my honey.

Anyhow, I am not whining (well, maybe a little), but sometimes I think there is just TOO MUCH going on. And you know me, I do not even have my kids running to-and-fro for activities. This was the first year (for Sammi, my oldest) that she even got to participate in sports/music, etc. I try to keep those kinds of things limited and under control. Time together is more important to me than super-star athlete children. But that is just how I was raised, I suppose.

Having time together as a family was important to my parents, when I was growing-up. I can remember missing some activities because we all just needed to be together. Sometimes you just NEED to be together and re-group. I think I am about to that point!

During this holiday season, there are going to be a lot of activities going on. My e-mail has been bombared with things coming up. I think I am going to have to pick and choose between good, better, best. And hopefully I can pick FAMILY TIME. I mean the WHOLE family, not just me and the kids.

I love Charles for willingly giving his time. He loves it. He loves being with the Young Men. He never got to be a part of the program, since he joined the church at 17. It is great for him. I am grateful he gets to have this experience. I just finished spending 3 years with the Young Women, so I know how fantastic it is to be with the youth.

I am trying to learn how to bend my will, and not be selfish when he has to go out, again -- but it is not easy. Spending Saturday alone, is really no fun. Especially after not having anytime during the week. By the time Saturday rolls around I REALLY want to be together. And honestly, it is nice when he can help out with the kids, so I can relax, just a little. Pregnant. Need some back-up. Ya know what I mean?

But for now, we seem to have Fridays -- unless there is a camp-out -- we usually get our Friday nights. So Fridays are OUR nights, our time to be together. If anything falls on a Friday night, I usually kick it to the curb -- out of necessity. How I LOVE my Friday Family Nights! Seriously, if it is Friday than DO NOT DISTURB! :-)

So even though our time is limited right now . . . I still hope that maybe one day, someday, we can have family dinner together, daily. How glorious that would be!

And as far as stealing my family away (which I WILL do!) . . . we will be gone for about a week in Decemeber and we are not coming back until we all have Mickey-Ears! :-) Yippee!

Hot Chocolate -- Improved

I like hot chocolate. I do not love it, because it is not something I want, all the time. But when it is cold, and the season is right . . . you will find it at my house. This year we have added some flavor to our regular routine of Coco. I just happened to walk past the shelf in the store (the chilled dairy section), the flavors caught my eye, and I wanted to try them . . .

So far we have tried Coconut Creme -- YUM!! I really like this flavor, and the kids do, too.

This last grocery trip, I grabbed Hazelnut and threw it in the cart . . . I think it is my favorite so far.

I will grab another flavor when I go shopping this week . . . any suggestions?? The peppermint one sounded intriguing to me. What do you do to make your Hot-Chocolate taste yummy? I am tired of normal stuff and I am looking for FLAVOR.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Perfection

I hesitate, a little, to write my thoughts this morning. I had an "interesting" experience yesterday in Relief Society and it has caused me to contemplate a lot of things. It was even more interesting that I was already considering a blog post about this subject, but after yesterday, it became a little more personal -- too personal.

I was innocently sitting on the sidelines in the Relief Society room (my seat of choice, so I can scope out the whole room -- I'm a people watcher) and I was enjoying the lesson taught by the Relief Society President. It was a great lesson, which she taught mostly from the Book of Mormon. She was relating scriptures to modern-day issues that women face: pride, vanity, doubt, despair, pursuing self over family, etc., etc. She mentioned that we do not have to be perfect in our housekeeping, appearance, etc. We are too hard on ourselves. But we also need to guard ourselves against the evils of the day. I am being vague in the interest of time . . . it was a fantastic lesson. I loved it.

At one point the teacher said something about not having to appear like the "perfect family". You know, the family with hair curled/combed, nicely dressed, and perfectly reverent during church, etc. As this "perfect family" was being described in greater detail, a new lady in our ward said out loud, "Yeah, like the van Ormers!" (My breath was taken away at this point.) Now, I do not get offended easily -- but I do get embarrassed easily! My face turned white and my cheeks were burning red. My mind did not quite capture what she had just declared. (I was probably day-dreaming, or watching someone else wondering how they manage to look so perfect.) Everyone laughed at her comment, nodding in agreement. (This does not mean they agreed, but they were likely just being nice.) In my state of shock, I turned to my neighbor and said, "She hasn't been in the ward very long! She has no idea!" My neighbor did not help much when she said, "Your house is always clean, isn't it?" (I am not using names, to protect the innocent, but I must mention that I love my "neighbor".) :-) She went on to say, "She is right, I have sat behind you for a long time." This perplexed me even further.

I sat through the rest of the lesson wondering why such a thing would be said about my family. We sit on the very front row (which is why I think we were targeted!). But could the new lady not see my blood-pressure rise when my children are not listening? Could she not see that my legs were numb from holding my 4 year-old tightly on my lap? Could she not see my kids tug-o-warring over a crayon? Could she not see the dirty looks? Could she not see that my children's socks don't match, and they have stains on their white shirts? Could she not see that Sammi refuses to wear tights? Could she not see that I was wearing clothes I have had since I was 16? Could she not see my kids pick their noses? Oh yes, we are perfection. Now, I admit this last Sunday was calm, but that is only because William fell asleep! If only she could have seen the yelling it took to get us out the door!

Now, I think most of you know, and especially those who know me well . . . I am not THAT girl, and I do not have THAT family. You are probably laughing right now, because you have seen my dirty-laundry. You also know that I do not even fold my laundry! I am often found in jammie-pants during the day and make-up/hair is a Sunday event. So, we may appear "put-together" on Sunday, at a very far distance -- but just don't look too closely, or drop-by unexpectedly. You will be disappointed. And you might be invited to fold towels. :-)

My reason for writing this is to show the absurdity of judging others and comparing ourselves to others. Every seemingly "perfect" person has PROBLEMS. This is something I know for certain. You dig deep enough and you find that people are just people! I have noticed that everyone has something that they do not like about themselves. There are just a few things I wanted to mention, of people I know. Here are some of the things that plague their thoughts: Arms are too long, chin is not pronounced, arms are too hairy, muffin top, crooked teeth, legs are too short, hair is too thin, hair is too thick, stretch marks, dislike hair color, feet are too big, feet are too small, don't like freckles, nose too big, too chubby, too skinny, etc., etc. The list could go on, and on. Everyone has something they would change. Something that keeps them from being, or rather, feeling . . . "perfect".

But the thing is PERFECT is not meant to be PHYSICAL! PERFECT is meant to be SPIRITUAL! I think that many who are striving to be perfect (or as good as you can be) are going about it all wrong. You only have to drive for 5 minutes in Utah to see that advertised plastic surgery and perfect homes are what will make you happy. Right? As long as you have all the right stuff, and look the right way . . . then you will be happy? As long as you have the appearance of perfection, then you must be close?

How far from the TRUE goal we can get. How obsessed with ourselves we can be! What a sly way to distract us from acquiring real perfection, the perfection of the heart.

And when we can stop comparing ourselves to others, and just LOVE them . . . then we will know happiness. Have I said that before? Yes, a bunch of times! And I know it is true! Now, I have been on the other end of the comparison game and I did not like it. At all. I thought people understood me a little better than that? I thought just by looking at me you would know I am nice, insecure, and unpretentious. But really, how can you understand me, if you do not know me? How can you know me, just by looking at me, and not digging any deeper?

Don't judge others. You are very likely, almost certainly, WRONG. I am well-versed on this subject. I used to be a first-class judge of others. It was a hobby of mine, really. Funny thing is, some of those victims -- whom I judged most harshly -- have become by closest friends! So give up the judging and gain a friend, or two! :-)

So about this perfection concept . . . instead of trying to perfect the thing that will certainly give out on you with time (your physical appearance), perhaps we should perfect the thing that will NEVER give out on us . . . LOVE. Having charity (the pure love of Christ), is the number one requirement to live with God again, after all. Having charity in our hearts is something worth striving for. Something worth perfecting. Something we CAN perfect! No Botox required!

And, as a personal request . . . PLEASE, have some charity for me. I am about as average and simple as they come. There is no use in judging me . . . I guarantee you are wrong.

Just love me . . . and you are one step closer to perfection. :-)

The Hobbit: 2012

If you are like me . . . you wish there were more quality movies being constructed (quality seems so rare now-a-days). So when a movie like The Hobbit is on the horizon, one gets a little excited! YIPPEE!! Something worth watching! A glimmer of hope that all quality is not lost!

I was pleased to come across this website, with some sneak-peek video glimpses into Middle-Earth.

Go check it out!

If you love LOR, like I do -- then you have something to be excited about next Holiday season!

http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

Celtic Thunder

Last night we had a real treat!

Celtic Thunder came to Boise, and we got to go!

Thanks to my parents for the tickets and the Holdens for babysitting!

The concert was super. I was especially impressed with the band of about 7 who sounded amazing and played/sang/danced. So much energy! I was surprised how fanatical the audience was. They were screaming and the energy was high -- there is something about men in skirts. :-)

I liked all of the men's voices, and the new little boy who is 13, he was super cute. But the one who resonated with me -- was the tall bald guy. I really like his voice and his magnetism. Come to find out at the end, he is the only Scottish one, and the rest are Irish . . . that explains it. I am Scottish, through and through. :-) I could feel the difference, I suppose. I even wore a scarf in my Scottish family Tartan to the concert.

I am part of the McPherson Clan.

It was fantastic fun. Very uplifting. Loved it.

Here is a little sample from the concert. If you ever have a chance -- GO!!