Disneyland

Today we were at Disneyland. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops today and my blister was killing me-- so we barely got through 2 rides before we went back to get my tennis shoes. After I had those, the day was really fun. Again we did a lot of walking and our feet are hurting...

Highlights of today:

Brett's:
#1: Space Mountain Evacuation-- It was 10pm and we were had been waiting in line for an hour to ride space mountain. We finally got on and were at the top of the ride about to start going when the lights turned on and we were stuck. They came up to where we were and got us out of the car and we hiked all the way down the ride-- It was pretty cool... although we didn't get to ride it. They did give us a pass to jump to the front of any line so we went over to Indiana Jones and rode that one last time before we left for the day.

#2: Fast Passes-- The greatest idea in Disneyland history!! So-- if the line is long and you don't want to wait, you scan your ticket at the fast pass station and it gives you a ticket to come back to the ride at a certain time and you skip the line.. you have to wait a certain amount of time in between getting these but if used wisely, they will increase the number of rides you can go on in a day.

#3: Indiana Jones ride.

Cali's:
#1: The new Finding Nemo Submarine Ride-- I really loved it-- we did have to wait over an hour to ride it but it was worth it...

#2: Splash Mountain-- I brought along my poncho that I got in Sea World and put it across my lap.. We got fast passes for Splash at 3 in the afternoon but couldn't come back till 8:00 pm so it was a bit chilly-- so I'm glad i was able to keep dry.

San Diego Zoo

Today we went to the San Diego Zoo. I love the zoo and I had never been to this one before and it was by far the best zoo i have ever been to.. well I have only been to 2 other ones... We stopped at the pharmacy this morning to get some mole skin for my blister which made the day a lot more enjoyable plus I wore my tennis shoes which are more comfortable. After the zoo we found a Cold Stone and got some ice cream and then drove back up to Aliso Viejo where we will stay the next 4 nights.

Highlights of the day:


Brett's:


#1: Polar Bears: The bears jumped into the water and were playing with this ball-- they were pushing it under the water and chasing it and putting it on their heads and throwing it up above water. We sat there and watched them for about 20 mins. They were so cute!






#2: The SkyFari-- This ride took us over the whole park. We decided to ride it first to the other side and then make our way back. Good thing we did because it was all down hill and I wouldn't have wanted to hike all that way.


Cali's:


#1: Panda Bears-- There was a baby that was about 10 months old and about 40 lbs-- he was so cute.







#2: Orangutans-- There were a lot of them. The dad and a little baby were wrestling fro a while and biting each others hands.. it was funny. And the mom sat and watched while playing with a piece of PVC pipe.



#3: Burmese Python--I have always loved these snakes.. I would love to hold one some day :)

Sea World

Today, Brett and I were at Sea World. I had never been before and Brett hadn't been since he was 15. We had a lot of fun. We saw the shows and all the animals. We did a behind the scenes tour that took us to the animal care unit- they showed us where they take the animals that they bring in from the wild to rehabilitate. We got to pet some sharks and then we went over to where the birds are rehabilitated. It was pretty cool. We had so much fun.... We must have walked a million miles today and I ended up getting a blister on the bottom of my foot from my flip flops. I will be wearing my tennis shoes tomorrow.

Highlights of the day...

Cali's
#1: Shamu Shows-- (day and night)
#2: Touching the Bat Rays
#3: Arctic Animal Exhibit-- (especially the Beluga Whales)

Brett's
#1: Journey to Atlantis (roller coaster-splash mountain like ride)
#2: Sea Lion Show
#3: Cirque de la Mer

Day at the Beach

Brett and I have made it to California! We drove all day Sunday and arrived in Orange County around 8:30 pm. We slept the night at Brett's uncle Greg and aunt Elaine's house. They are currently in Omaha so we had the house to ourselves.

Today was officially the first day of our vacation-- we drove down the road to Laguna Beach and walked along the beach for a while, and then we drove down to a San Clemente beach to meet up with Tim Vidmar, one of Brett's mission companions. We had fun at the beach but we stayed way too long and we both got pretty bad sunburns.
After that, we drove down to San Diego, where we have a hotel for the next 2 nights. We went to the mall and bought a]Aloe Vera gel and went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.

I hope that the sunburns don't ruin our week. Its no fun at all to have a sunburn!

Go Owlz!

Last night was opening day for the Orem Owls!! I went with Leslie and Dallin... Brett met us there after work. The game started at 7 and ended up going into extra innings. At the start of the top of the 12th inning, the power went out... So they started the fireworks early! The game went on to a 13th inning before we finally pulled the win off. My brother Dallin is crazy-- he spent most of the game rolling down a hill in the outfield.. He just wanted to see the fireworks. But it was really fun.

Fathers

Fathers day is a hard day for me. Every year I think it will get better and it is always sad. For those who do not know already, my dad drowned up at Deer Creek Reservoir when I was in High School. I spent a good time of the day thinking about my dad and what I would be like or where I would be if he was still here. I miss him a lot.
He was a great dad and I will always love him and appreciate what he did for me and what he taught me and the fun we had while he was here.

I am very grateful for my father in law. Especially for raising such a wonderful son. I look up to Brett's dad and love him very much. He is a great man.

And also for my mom's husband Jerry. He works really hard to support her and the kids and he has been good for my mom.

On Saturday, our adoption papers came in the mail. We have set up August 6th as our day to go to our first meeting and meet with our social worker. That gives us time to get our recommendation letters together and get the loads of paperwork filled out. So yesterday was special to Brett as well. We hope that by next year he will be a daddy. The waiting list is anywhere from 6 months up to 2 years, though there is never a certainty with this process. We wanted a family early in our marriage and have been trying for a little over 2 years with what the doctors call "unexplained infertility", but we know that we have been blessed to get to spend this time together as a couple, to do things that we wouldn't otherwise been able to do, and to get to the point where we feel we will be financially ready when a baby does get placed with us.

Mandi, Brett's sister had her 2nd baby today. its our very first nephew on the Smith side. They named him Cameron Michael. Brett and I went to the hospital after work to see him. He is so little. He was born around 7:30 this morning. He weighed 6 lbs 2 oz & 20 inches.
He is grandma and grandpa Smith's 5th grand baby-- and all born with in 2 & 1/2 years of each other. I'm lucky to have such cute nieces and nephews.. they are a great blessing.

I hope all the fathers and future fathers had a great fathers day and know how much they are appreciated.

Summerfest

Summer fest is always fun... The rides, the fireworks and family.

But yesterday was... well interesting.
Roclistic has a booth there at Summerfest this year. It was really great for our business and we more than doubled our profit for those two days. Friday Tyler sat at the booth for 12-10. And Saturday was Brett's turn and I wanted to hang out with him so we both were there from 9am-10pm... it was the longest day ever. But we had as much fun as we could i guess...

My brother Brian came to see us there with his wife and 3 kids. It had been a while since we had seen them so it was good to get to play with them for a while. They stayed and the kids played with the dog for a bit and i got to talk to Brian and his wife Nadia. We planned a BBQ at their house this Wed.

I was looking forward to the fireworks but about an hour or two before there was constant business and there wasn't even a second to rest.. I knew Mimi would get scared by the fireworks but I had no idea what she was going to do. Her leash was staked to the ground and all the sudden the fireworks started and she took off so fast, pulling the steaks out of the ground. She ran in front of a car that barely missed her and then continued for about a mile down the road and all the while she is yelping really loud. I was running like crazy after her and finally, there was a guy that had caught her leash which was being dragged behind her. She was scared to death, poor thing. I felt so bad. So I walked back with her watching the fireworks as I walked and covered her ears.

By the time we got back the fireworks were about over, but Trevor, Brett's brother has shown up with his daughter Tori. She was scared of the fireworks too. But I got to play with her for a while while the cars were being brought in to pack everything up.

So, business was great, the day was long and I will never take my dog to see the fireworks again.

Sister Power!

My sisters and I decided yesterday that we were going to to up to Bridal Veil Falls after I got off work. So we went and hiked up to the falls and up a little higher.. I though for sure I was going to die before we started but it was a great little hike for me!! I felt good when I got to the top! I haven't been hiking for a long time.. I usually don't' like it. I'm always afraid of falling.

My sisters are crazy and I love them!! We took a million and a half pictures of crazy stuff but it was a blast. After our hike we did a little exploring which is what we Merrell girls do best!! There is some abandoned houses over by the falls... you can barely see the tops of the houses from the road.. Brett and I had been there before so I took the girls there... it was fun. The houses were small but it seemed like they weren't that old. There was electricity and a small water heater. There had been a fire and everything inside was burned.
The falls are so pretty. It fun to just get out into nature.

Sunday Afternoon

This is my fridge-- crowded huh? it looks cluttered but that's how I like it. It has pictures of all the people that I love the most!!

Crate Paper makes these chipboard buttons that are sticky on the back to scrapbook with.. They are super cute. and I bought some magnets from Walmart and stuck the buttons to them. They are adorable!

Today, I got called as the Relief Society Enrichment Coordinator. So that should be fun. I was scared going in that it would be Relief Society or Sunday School teacher-- I don't know that i could ever do that. At least not well and not without stressing years of my life away.

On the Sundays that Brett works, I usually hang out with my family. I went and took him dinner today. We decided that we need to get into the University Mall as well. That mall does twice as well for every company that we have talked to. We are getting a loan to do it as well as our next order. But finding a cosigner is much harder then it seems. So we will see.

Addictions

Carrie and Kaylynn both did a post about their addictions.... So I thought I would share some of mine.


Addiction #1: Spending time with Brett. I cant get enough of that guy! He is my best friend in the world and the one person who can always make my day better. We have so much fun together-- basically just acting like little kids! Laughter is a huge part of us. (especially since I'm so crazy!)



Addiction #2: TV. I am such a TV junkie... I have several favorite programs that I watch on a regular basis... Lost, So you think you can dance, Top Chef, The bachelor to name only a few. Its a good thing that Brett works late half the nights so I can watch the programs he doesn't care for.



Addiction #3: Vacations. Every time we go on a vacation, we will have only been home for a week before I am ready for another one.. There is just not enough time to go everywhere I want to go.
But, we do plan at least one big vacation a year-- This year its California this month and hopefully another cruise in December. I love doing and seeing things I have never before. And road trips with Brett are so much fun!!



Addiction #4: Babies/kids. The only exposure I have is with my nieces and nephews. I love them all so much!! My Brother has 3 kids and they are a great age to play with. I don't see them as often as I see my nieces on Brett's side. I used to be a preschool teacher for little handicapped children and it my favorite job I have ever had. I just enjoy being around kids. I think I would rather be in the play room with all the kids then sitting and chatting with all the adults.

Addiction#5: Animals! The zoo is one of my very favorite places on earth!! We have already been once this year. I love the penguins the most. they are so cute! Ask anyone and I am an animal lover-- we have our dog Mimi, and then we have a rabbit named Rusty, and a 40 gallon fish tank that has 8 fish in it. I love my pets.



Addiction#6: Blogging! I love to write in my personal blog. It is like a journal to me. This blog is for our fun family stuff... and it has given me new excitement about blogs!! Plus I love to read my friends blogs and family's blogs to keep up with whats going on and get ideas from blogger way more experienced and creative than me!


Addiction#7: Hint of lime.The one food addiction I will put on here is Hint of Lime Tostitos-- They are my favorite snack food. And really addicting.

Nieces

I cant express how much I love my little nieces. They are the cutest girls I have ever known. They bring a lot of joy into mine and Brett's life. We are so grateful to have Tori, Sofie and Adrienne here for the summer. It's fun to see them on a regular basis. And now that Mandi and Adam live so close-- we get to see Brooke a lot!

Sunday was Sofia and Adrienne's baby blessings. They looked beautiful in their white dresses. I could just stare at them all day long.

Hopefully Brett and I will make a decision about adoption by the end of the summer. The waiting list is 6 months- 2 years so the sooner we can get in , the sooner I can have a little precious of my own. But until then I have my girls and they make us so happy.