A trip for C! San Diego '13

I am convinced that EVERYONE who lives in an inversion, rather Salt Lake County, should take a vacay every January! This is the second year in a row that we have taken a trip to the glorious sunshine state of California. I kid you not, it is the best therapy around.  A little sand, a little sun and voila, you are a new person!  This year however, it was just the Can-man and I with grandma Chris and grandpa Grant on a road trip to San Diego.  We left the muck with our trustee masks in hand, not so much for the crappy air but more for the sickie grandparents in tow.  We made our way to Primm (Vegas) for the night.

The next morning we woke up and continued to follow the sunshine right up to the edge of the continent where our ocean view property awaited our arrival.  There we had some lunch, our first taste of the surf and in Cannon's eyes, "the most delicious mac'n'cheese ever!"

We wasted no time trading our boots for flip flops and the snow for some warm sand between our toes.  The whole way there Cannon kept saying "California where it's always warm!" He suggested we move there more than once and I didn't disagree.  Now if only we could convince dad.

This was our Condo.  It was right on the beach! Seriously, this was our view every night and every morning. HEAVEN!

On Friday we SURPRISED Cannon with a trip to LEGO LAND! He was so excited!!! This kid of mine LOVES and I mean LOVES LEGO'S.  You should see the things this kid can create so needless to say he was pretty dang happy.  We explored the LEGO village, hit some rides, picked up a souvie and called it a day.  Cannon loved it! 

The rode that led you to LEGO LAND is CANNON ROAD! Coincidence...I think not! Pretty cool!

The next day grandma and grandpa wanted to take C on the Sea and Land tour.  It was really neat.  You board a bus that doubles as a boat and there you have it the Sea and Land.  We explored San Diego and saw some of the tourist sites aboard the bus then the boat took us out to sea to meet up with "stinky" Sea Lions, Navy Dolphins, Pelicans, Sail Boats and a whole lot of Coast Guard and Navy sites.  Cannon was so excited for this.  When we got to Sea Port Village we were about 40mins ahead of the tour.  C would not leave for fear they would leave without us.  So he and G-pa hung around the bus while gma and I explored a bit.

After the tour we hit ANTHONY'S for the first, but I assure you not the last time.  If you know San Diego you know ANTHONY'S.  Some of the best fish'n'chips ever! It is also no stranger to pigeons, which made Cannon kind of nervous.  Poor kid is a nervous Nelly and was so worried the pigeons were going to "peck" him.  Believe it or not, the pretty much left him alone.  Wish I would have gotten a pic of that, but alas there is none so you are merely left with a visual.

We did A LOT of this and it was FABULOUS! The sand was warm, the sun kissed our skin just enough and the sound of the waves crashing to shore was a magnificent reminder of just how amazing this world is!

On Sunday we visited the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center in Old Town.  I had never been there been before and it was one of the most interesting places I have ever been.  They had an interactive, moving Visitors Center.  I learned more than I ever expected to.  I am always amazed at how the strong the Spirit can be felt in sacred places like that if you are mindful of it.  The Spirit often consumes to the point I feel tears burning in my eyes when I learn of the sacrifices, the circumstances and the faith that our Pioneer brothers had.  I would definitely recommend making a stop here if you have the chance.

Another Cannon favorite was the USS Midway.  A retired Navy ship that is truly incredible.  Cannon had a great time listening to his headphones seeking out the numbers to earn his "wings."  

This is another thing that sparks up emotion in me.  I am so grateful for our Service men and women and I can truly feel of the sacred Spirit that presides on these service ships, planes etc. We truly live in a blessed land and the Lord is mindful of our great country.  This was one of those places I could spend days on. There is so much fascinating information here.  

Following the Midway, we hit up ANTHONY'S again and went back to Sea Port Village.

On the last day we went over the bridge to the beach of gold! Coronado island which is home to quite easily, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  There is gold in the sand! The beach is huge, clean and so serene.  This island seems so magical to me.  The houses, the Del the beach, the palm trees etc.  Seriously amazing! Cannon once again enjoyed the beach and some fun in the sun.

Sadly our journey had to end! Grandma and grandpa dropped us off at the airport where said our goodbyes and got ready to board our plane.  Cannon was pretty stoked to be riding an airplane.  He has waited a long time for that and he was almost giddy!  He of course chose a window so he could keep tabs on the world outside.  I love that little smile! Look at him, pure JOY!

So we said goodbye to San Diego '13 and Hello to this...

Yep, at the airport we were greeted by these sweet peeps! Aren' they adorable?! What a sweet welcome home! We sure did miss them.  

This was such a FUN trip and I am SO thankful I had the opportunity to take the Can-man on his own adventure.  It was so fun to have the one on one time with him and I will forever cherish the memories we made on this getaway.  Big shout out to the Balltrain who stayed home with Brooky the cookie, the family and neighbors who helped watch the sweet B and of course grandma and grandpa for letting us tag a long! 

Here's to hoping San Diego is a yearly getaway.  We already have two years under our belt I think we should just keep adding! 

"I go with gama!"

Since I am so far behind I am going to blog about the most recent event.  It's still fresh on my mind and it's a good place to start.

Cannon recently had the opportunity to go on a trip all by himself with me, grandma Chris and grandpa Grant (that post will come). Brooklyn had the great fortune to spend a week at home with her dad.  She loves him so I'm sure this was a treat! However, the trip must have affected her more than I realized because this was her conversation with her grandmother, myself and her dear brother today.

My mom was heading out of town and Brooklyn says "Gama I go with you."
My mom kindly replies "Sweetheart you can't go with me." 
Brooklyn: "Yeah gama, I go with you on the airplane."  <<>>
Grandma: "Maybe when you are 3" looking at me,
I quickly respond or "15!"
Brooklyn: "OK, 3 or 4 gama." My mom reassures her that that may be a possibility.  She then hugs my mom and runs over to her brother, bends down to talk right in his face with her darling little two year old booty sticking out, hand on her hip and says.  "Cannon, I go on a trip with gama when I 3 and you can't go.  You stay here wif dad and I go on airplane."
Cannon now looking at her in disbelief just kind of shrugs off and says, "hmm I already on a trip with grandma."

Brooklyn then goes back to my mom hugs her again and says "Gama, we go on trip when I 3 ok."
Seriously to hear this conversation coming out of her two year old self was hilarious.  Who knew she was feeling so left out.  Love that sweet B!

Swimming Neck Deep...

Have you been looking at this beauty only to be disappointed time after time? Fear not, so have I.  It's not that I don't like blogging anymore.  In fact, in many ways blogging is my therapy.  I enjoy working out my emotions. High, low, good, bad, funny, sad, amazing, unbelievable, life happening things here.  This is my journal, open to all! This is my life in a book. 

Sometimes life gets so busy that I get lazy.  Does that even make sense?! I feel myself so consumed with the day to day and all my responsibilities that I forget to take a few minutes to enjoy it, to document it so that I can remember "the moment." Ironically I am really good at taking pictures of "the moment."  So good that i have an instagram account full of photo ops, not to mention a camera full of things that I will eventually get blogged.  But as you can see that has not been happening and now I am swimming neck deep deciding where I should start. 

So far now, as I gather my thoughts and try to get my head above water I will simply leave you with a sneak preview of things to come.  So, stay tuned, don't give up on the ballerblog! 

#30 The Grand Finale!!!

Well, we have reached the last day of this gratitude journal.  While I started out on this writing endeavor in an effort to focus on the good things about turning 30 years old rather than the bad, in the end I think I wound up appreciating being 30 years old.  I don't know that I fully appreciate getting older, but  I have grown to take a step back and look at all the many, many blessings I have been able to encounter in my years.  I have been blessed beyond measure spiritually, emotionally, financially, materially, the list could go on.  I am surrounded by amazing people.  I live in an amazing time.  I have an amazing family and lets be honest, life is pretty dang good! I would say I am doing OK for myself and that if my next 30 years are anything in comparison the my last, I would say fared pretty well.

Today I am grateful that I took the time to notice the world around me and appreciate it.  Some days  I appreciated something huge, others it was a simple pleasure.  Whatever it was for the day I had at least one thing to be thankful for, but in reality I had an abounding plethora of things to be thankful for.  Today my heart is full of gratitude for this opportunity and for allowing myself to recognize all the good in my life whether it be people, places, things or an opportunity. I am truly thankful that I get to experience this thing called life and hopefully appreciate all that it entails.  So, as the month of  "30" comes to a close the time for gratitude is really just beginning!

#29

Today I am thankful for friends! I am thankful for my friends, for my kids friends even for Brandon's friends. I am thankful for the good influence that friends can have, for the inspiration, for the intuition and for the support that they can offer.  I am thankful for the generosity, the understanding, the peace the happiness and the fulfillment those relationships can extend.

There is nothing like having a crappy day, or a long night with sick babes and the next day discover one of your "besties" has dropped off a Diet Mountain Dew to help you get through the day.  There is nothing like receiving a note saying just what you needed to hear or a friend who listens when you need to let it all out.  There is comfort in knowing you have a group of allies, a "village," a posse of support! There is nothing like a FRIEND!

 

 

 With that I am also thankful to be friend.  Sometimes you don't even know when you are being the strength that someone needs.  Sometimes you don't realize a smile or a wave or a play date at your house is helping someone out in ways beyond measure.  Sometimes that diet coke drop off at 8am or the McDonald's summons you felt like sending out, is the only saving grace for your dear friend that day.  I am thankful for the service that as friends we can provide but mostly I am incredibly THANKFUL for all the service that my friends provide me! I love my ladies and you ALL you know who are! I love my neighborhood "kids," and shh don't tell, I even love Brandon's "boys!" I love knowing that we are surrounded by people whom we love and admire and I am beyond thankful for those relationships!

#28

Today I am thankful for TODAY! Not because it was super awesome or exciting or unforgettable but because I realized that TODAY is right now, TODAY might be our last tomorrow, TODAY might not ever become tomorrow's yesterday! TODAY could be all we have! 

This morning, a teacher from my Junior High School was hit and killed by car on his way to work.  He jogged to school EVERY morning.  He only lived a few miles from the school and for the last 17 years he has jogged his way to work.  He was well known in the area and lived in the neighborhood where many of his students resided.  He was a PE teacher and a coach.  He was in excellent health and it is truly devastating to hear of his passing. I know it has been YEARS since I attended Junior High School, but somehow it just seems to hit home in a hard way when you know someone who has passed away, especially tragically. This is a huge loss for the community.  I am positive as he set out on his thousandth run to school this morning, he did not think it was going to be his last jog, but it was.  Today was his last TODAY!  So, en lite of the emotions I am feeling today, today I am simply thankful for TODAY!

#27

Today I am thankful for...

so that I don't have to do something like this...

It may be a simple luxury but I am very thankful to have some indoor plumbing, a clean seat and a nice roll of TP by my side.  We are "kind of sort of" entering the potty training phase with Brooklyn and let me just tell you, GLORY be the day when that girl uses the potty! Today I "kind of sort of" attempted it for a few hours, lets just say she is "kind of sort of" NOT grasping the concept.  So, as I am cleaning her undies and and trying to teach her the proper toilet etiquette it got me thinking about how truly grateful I am to have a bowl, some paper and handle to flush! So yep today I am thankful for the glorious TOILET!