Thanksgiving '06

It's Thanksgiving once again! And once again we spent it at a cabin up Big Cottonwood Canyon with our friends. We managed to get the same cabin again and everyone was there from last year plus Rich was able to come out from New York. Oh and Ian got to experience Thanksgiving outside of Kate's belly! Sadie was very happy to have another little person to play with. There was snow but it was hard and icy so we didn't get in any skiing or snowboarding this year. We had to settle with eating lots of good food, playing games, and hot tubbing (sigh...life is so hard). Sol and Jacquee brought up their new Nintendo Wii and we all had a blast playing with that. Jim, Sadie, and I did drive down Thursday afternoon for lunch with my family and then drove back up for dinner with the friends. Also during the weekend, Rich treated us all to a presentation he had put together about his work on Ice Age II: The Meltdown (he's an animator). It was fascinating to see what all goes into making an animated feature. He and Colette are our celebrity friends (Colette works on special effects for movies such as the Harry Potter films and the Pirates of the Caribbean). After leaving the cabin we went for brunch at the Porcupine Grill. It was a fun weekend for all of us. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Halloween '06

In the last week we have raked leaves, carved pumpkins, gone to a halloween party and went trick or treating. First on Saturday Alicia (my niece) and I went to a halloween party, it was a party thrown by the English & Literature club (I'm the vice-president) and we had a good time. Sunday was spent raking leaves and carving pumpkins. On Halloween night Bruce, Kate, & Ian came over for dinner and trick or treating. After the kids were asleep the adults watched the new remake of the Omen. For more pictures visit the gallery.

Scarecrow Festival

When Sadie was just a month old I took her to the Scarecrow Festival here in Sandy, basically it was just so I could get out of the house. Four years later both Sadie and the Festival have grown. It has become a tradition for us to go every year and this year was better than ever. The first thing we had to do was to get Sadie on a pony. She absolutely loves riding and is not the least bit frightened. After that we went to the petting zoo and played with the chickens and bunnies. Then it was off to the children's games where Sadie scored five prizes. We were getting a bit hungry so we picked up a couple of corn dogs and some fries and a sprite to share and took a break. A bag of roasted almonds completed our meal. Mmmmm. Then it was off to get a butterfly painted on Sadie's face. We headed to the bigger games after that and Sadie won a stuffed lizard. And finally Sadie went through a few obstical courses (the big inflatable kind) and we checked out the news helicoptor and then headed out. We had a good time and look forward to next year. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Fun Fall Weekend

On Saturday, September 30th, we went to the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus. We had a good time watching all the clowns and acrobats. Sadie especially likes the elephants. We took the train downtown and got dinner at the Skybox restaurant at the gateway before the circus started. Also that weekend (on Sunday) we went up the canyon with Bruce, Kate, and Ian to have lunch at Silverfork lodge and walk around Silverlake. All the leaves were turning red and gold and there were spots of snow in the shady areas where we had our first snowball fight of the season. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Clowns

See if you can spot the real clowns in this picture!
Sadie and I went down to Macy's department store to see their parade preview (It's a traveling preview). We got to be balloon handlers and learned all about the parade. We also got to be clowns. In the end we walked away with a balloon, a big chocolate heart, a pin, two red clown noses, and a deck of cards. It was fun and informative at the same time.

Jim & Sandi's Wedding

Last weekend Jim and I took a quick trip to Kansas City, Missouri to attend Jim Moy's wedding. He married the lovely Sandi Connelly. Sadie stayed in Utah and split her time between her grandma and grandpa Mangelson and her aunt Cindy. We left on Friday morning and arrived in Kansas City in the late afternoon. After getting our rental car and meeting up with Jacquee and Solomon, we headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton President in downtown and loved it. This hotel is amazing! It was built in 1924 and in its heyday was popular with people like Frank Sinatra and the mob. But like so many old buildings it was abandoned and remained so for 26 years. They have totally redone it and tried to retain as much of the original as possible and it looks wonderful. The rooms were beautiful and comfortable and the staff was so friendly. Everyone at the hotel was very willing to tell the history of the place. At breakfast on Sunday the waitress even showed us some before and after pictures of the hotel. On the last day we were there we were treated to some ghost stories from some of the staff. I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone staying in Kansas City. Also the building across the street from the hotel is the building from the movie Ghostbusters, which I thought was very cool. That night we met up with Bruce, Kate, and Ian and we all walked down to Jack Stack for some good Kansas City barbeque. The next day we went down to the Plaza to do some shopping and looking around. We had lunch at a place called Tomfooleries which was pretty good. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. We all met in the Drum Room for a drink before we left and met up with Mohammed and Romina (who flew in from San Francisco that afternoon). The wedding was in a beautiful cathedral and we finally got to meet Jim Moy’s parents. Afterwards we went to the reception which was held in an old school, The Webster House. We had a wonderful meal and had a good time hanging out and doing a bit of dancing. The next morning we again met with everyone and had breakfast at the hotel – everyone except for Bruce and Kate. Kate was experiencing some extreme back pain and was resting in her room. Mohammed and Romina brought down Ian so that Bruce could take care of Kate. After that we all parted ways and Solomon, Jacquee, Jim, and I all went to the airport and headed home. The trip was a good little trip for us. Unfortunately Bruce, Kate, and Ian ended up staying in Kansas City longer than planned because Kate ended up needing back surgery. They got home today and Kate’s mom is in town to help out. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Oktoberfest '06

Once again it's time for Snowbird's annual Oktoberfest! This year was a bit different for us though. Usually we go at the end of September and this time we went at the beginning. What a difference a few weeks make! Last year it was snowing, this year it was 80*. But everything else was the same - the beer, the polka music, the good chocolate, and did I mention the beer? Sadie won third place in the musical chairs contest out of about a dozen kids and got a prize. She also brought up her own money to buy her favorite german treat - a kinder egg. It's a chocolate egg with a toy inside. There's just one word to sum it all up - wunderbar! There are more pictures in our gallery.

A very princess birthday!

When Sadie woke up on her birthday I told her she could wear whatever she wanted to. She wanted to wear her princess dress (which is her halloween costume)-so we let her. All day long she wore that dress (except when she rode her bike). She even wore it to the store and the pizza place. That night all our friends came over and spoiled her with gifts and ate some princess cake and ice cream. Since my family celebrated her birthday a week before and she had been recieving gifts in the mail all week, Sadie now thinks her birthday lasts a week!
She's had a great time and feels like such a big kid now that she is 4 years old. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Party!!!

On Saturday, August 26th, my family came over to our house for a Luau. We were celebrating several birthdays in the family including Sadie's and my mother's. We were also giving a send-off to my sister Kristie's clan (they just moved to Dallas, Texas). Jim grilled up some tasty chicken and some mouth-watering pineapple and Delayne brought his great homemade salsa. We capped the party off with a pinata filled with goodies. I think everyone had a good time. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Boss Sadie

A couple o' weekends ago for Jacquee's birthday, we setup our outdoor movie viewing and all watched the classic Cool Hand Luke. Some short time after that toiling in the yard, I was reminded of the motion picture and Luke's hardships under the watchful eyes of the bosses from their comfortable perches, whilst I shoveled and hauled and sweat. It was then that I swear Boss Sadie said to me: "That's Boss Keane's ditch and that's your dirt in Boss Keane's ditch. Now what is your dirt doing in Boss Keane's ditch?"

New Friend

Last summer Sadie and I started seeing a little squirrel in our backyard - we only saw it once or twice. But this summer we have been seeing a good deal of our little friend, he's been exploring our yard more often. Then last Saturday Sadie and I heard a loud chirping noise coming from the backyard. We investigated and found that the neighbor cat had chased our squirrel up our tree and the squirrel was loudly chattering at the cat. We chased the cat off and put out some seeds that we had picked up at the store for our friend. He kept coming down from the tree to eat from the little feeder that we put out for him. We haven't named him yet.

Summer Projects

After building the birdhouse with Daddy at the children's festival, Sadie and I took a trip to the craft store (or as Sadie calls it the "crap" store) to pick up some paint so Sadie could finish it. Sadie picked out some blue and pink paint plus some little sparkly gems for the house and with a little help from me she painted it all up. After Sadie signed the bottom, Daddy hung it in the tree all ready for a bird family to move in. Also this summer I finally finished the quilt that I had started for Sadie last summer. I'm pretty proud of it. There are a dozen flaws in it but that's okay, Sadie thinks it's perfect.

Hiking at Silver Lake

One of the best things about living in Utah is the proximity to the mountains and the wildlife. Today Jim, Sadie, and I were just lounging about our house when Bruce called to invite us on a hike with him, Kate, and Ian. We jumped in the car and headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon and about 20 minutes later we met up with them at the Silver Fork Lodge for a quick lunch. We sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the cooler weather (83* as opposed to 95* in the valley). We then drove up the canyon a bit further and walked around Silver Lake. We saw ducks, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and a moose! It was a very pleasant hike. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Pioneer Day '06

This past weekend we celebrated Pioneer Day (it's actually on the 24th). It's a Utah holiday celebrating the pioneers coming to Utah. It's also called the Days of '47 (as in 1847) celebration. On Friday Sadie had cowboy day at school. They all got cowboy hats and had a pizza party. Then on Saturday we took the train downtown and went to the children's festival where we had a good time. First item of business there was to get Sadie a balloon hat and then it was over to the Home Depot booth where Sadie got a Home Depot orange apron and got to make a birdhouse (with a little help from dad). After that she and I went down one of the slides that was set up and then we ate lunch (hot dogs, a hamburger for dad, and some chips). After that Sadie played some of the games and won some prizes. She also got to decorate (and eat) a cookie. About that time it was over 100* but the fire truck came to the rescue and hooked up a hose to the hydrant and squirted water from the truck. It was very refreshing. After cooling down we took the train back to Sandy and went for a Jamba Juice. That night Bruce, Kate, Ian, Solomon, and Jacquee came over for some pizza and games - a celebration not only of pioneer day but also of Sol's birthday! Sunday we went and saw the new pirate movie with Sol and jacquee (great movie) and Monday we went to my brother Mike's for a bar-b-que. We capped the celebration off at home with some fireworks. It was a fun weekend for all. Check out the gallery for more pictures!

Sadie picks a winner

Sadie and I have a strawberry patch that we have been tending to this summer. Sadie loves to go out everyday and check for ripe strawberries which we then promptly pick, wash off, and eat. Yesterday we picked our biggest strawberry yet and Sadie was so proud.

Zoo trip - July '06

On July 3rd Jim, Sadie, and I took a trip to the Hogle Zoo with Bruce, Kate, and Ian. We got to see the new Asian Highlands feature with the tigers and pumas and such. We also got to see the butterflies out and about (last time we were there they were still in cocoons). A good time was had by all. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Disneyland Trip: Day Five

We slept in a bit this morning as well and slowly packed everything up. My stomach was still not 100 % but was on the mend. We checked out of the Tropicana at 11:00 a.m. and drove down to Long Beach. We went to a little beach called Mother’s Beach on the little Island of Naples. It was perfect for children. The tide is small so they can play in the water and there is a playground right there. We played in the water a bit and made a sand castle and then had a picnic lunch. After that we played in the water some more. Then we showered off and got dressed and headed out to Primm. We made a pit stop in Barstow again and got into Primm at about 6:30 p.m. We checked into our hotel and took the monorail over to the shops and looked around. Then we went and ate at Tony Roma’s. I was finally getting my appetite back and managing to keep food in me. Yay! Then it was back to the room for our last night of vacation.
Even though things didn't go according to plan we had a great time. We got to see the parades and things that we wanted to see and got to ride the rides that we really wanted to ride. All in all things managed to work out. For all the pictures of our trip visit our gallery!

Disneyland Trip: Day Four

After such a long night last night we all slept in today. My stomach was a bit better with the Imodium, but not quite right yet. We went to California Adventure at about 11:00 a.m. and rode the Monster’s Inc. ride that they have. There wasn’t much of a wait but just as we got on the ride it broke down. They had to take us all off again and fix it. It took only about 10 minutes or so to fix and then we got to get back on. It was a cute ride. We then went over to the animation building and saw turtle talk with Crush. Wow! This is a cool show. The cartoon character Crush is on a big screen that looks like he is in an aquarium or something and he talks and interacts with the audience. It was cool the way he picked out people in the audience and called them by name and answered questions. Sadie got a kick out of it and was even raising her hand to ask a question but she didn’t get picked.
When we got out of turtle talk we saw Woody from Toy Story. Sadie was excited and we went over and got his autograph. Then we saw Sully from Monster’s Inc. and had to go meet him. I thought that Sadie might be a bit frightened of him but she wasn’t in the slightest. She gave him a big hug and he gave her a kiss. It was lunch time by now and we decided to go get some pizza. After eating half my pizza I had to run to the bathroom again. We decided to take a break and go back to the hotel.
I called my doctor back in Utah and had him call in a prescription for my colitis since I didn’t have my pills with me. We all took a bit of a nap then. After the nap I still wasn’t feeling up to par and we had reservations at Ariel’s grotto for the princess dinner. Jim didn’t want to leave me but I told him to take Sadie to the dinner while I got some rest. So they went to the dinner and Sadie got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel. She also got a gold crown to wear and a bucket and shovel that her meal came in. After they ate they went on the Ferris wheel together. I think it was a good father – daughter afternoon.
Meanwhile I tried to eat something at the hotel and it went right through me (I was glad I was at the hotel) but after resting for some time and getting my prescription I felt a bit better and went over to California Adventure to meet Jim and Sadie. We all did some shopping in a few of the stores and then went to A bug’s land and Sadie played in the puddle park and we rode a few rides. We then decided to go back to Disneyland. We went to New Orleans square to check out the pirates store. When we went by Pirates of the Caribbean ride the wait time was only 25 minutes! They closed it down for the parade (the line wrapped around to Main Street) and had just re-opened it so we jumped in line and soon were on the ride. It was great – they still have most of the original pirate scenes but they added in Jack Sparrow, captain Barbossa, and Davy Jones. We all loved it and Sadie wasn’t scared at all. While in line for pirates a little girl behind us was admiring a pin Sadie got from Ariel’s grotto. Jim had gotten one as well and he gave his to the little girl. He was her best friend the rest of the time we were in line! We then did some shopping in the pirate store. After that we went outside and people were all lined up to see fantasmic (an amazing outdoor show). The Disney gods were with us again and we found a great spot on the bridge with just 15 minutes before the show started. We all enjoyed the show and then made our way to Main Street for the fireworks. We found a spot on the side of the castle that didn’t have a perfect view but was good enough for us plus we got to sit on benches. After the fireworks we went into fantasyland and rode the materhorn. Now it’s been a few years since I had ridden this ride and I don’t remember it being so wild. When we got off Jim and I were a bit shaken up. Sadie was not the least bit fazed by the ride but wasn’t too happy about the abominable snowman.
After doing a bit more shopping we decided that we were done and headed back with souvenirs for friends along with a pirate hat for Jim, a Nightmare before Christmas shirt for me, and a princess mickey ears hat, a princess Aurora doll, and a princess spinning light toy for Sadie. This concluded our Disneyland adventure. I think the only reason I had any energy at all on this day was because of all the Gatorade that I had been drinking all day. It was the only thing I managed to keep in.

Disneyland Trip: Day Three

This morning was a bit rough as well with my stomach. We had planned on being at Disneyland at 7:30 a.m. but because I wasn’t feeling too well we got a late start. We got to the park at about 8:30 which isn’t bad. The park wasn’t too crowded at all. We decided to get fastpasses for the buzz lightyear ride first but when we got there the wait was less than 5 minutes so we just jumped on. This was a fun ride - you get laser guns to shoot different targets throughout the ride. Jim scored more points than I did. After that we went on Peter Pan and then Jim and Sadie went on Dumbo and the Tea cups ride (I wasn’t feeling up to anything that spun around in a circle). Sadie loved these rides.
We then went on Small World with no wait and then headed into Toontown to visit Mickey. I wasn’t sure how Sadie would react to the characters but she was great with them. We met Mickey and got his autograph and a picture and Sadie was excited. After seeing Mickey we let Sadie play at Goofy’s playground for a bit. We then thought it was a good time to eat lunch. We had brought sandwiches and chips in for lunch.
We sat down at a little table and Sadie saw Goofy and Pluto out signing autographs so Jim took her over and she got to meet them. At this time my stomach really started acting up and after I spent some quality time in the bathroom we decided to head back to the hotel for a bit. We took the train halfway around the park and saw the Grand Canyon. When we got to the hotel I tried to eat some cereal and then took a shower (because there was no bathtub). I was starting to feel bad for dragging Jim and Sadie back to the hotel but when I got out of the shower they were both fast asleep. I guess they needed a break as well. After we all slept for a bit we went back to Disneyland.
When we entered the park we saw people lined up for the parade that was starting in 15 minutes. We managed to find a great spot on the curb just in time (within minutes the whole curb was filled). The Disney gods were favoring us. The parade was wonderful – Sadie loved all the floats and characters. She was especially thrilled when Aladdin looked right at her and blew her a kiss. After the parade we went to Adventureland and rode the Jungle Cruise. We all enjoyed this ride. We went over to New Orleans Square and rode the Haunted Mansion. Sadie did not like this ride one bit! She was scared the entire time. We wanted to ride the new Pirates ride but the wait was 4 hours! It had just re-opened on Monday. We might not be able to ride it this trip.
It was about this time that I realized I had not had much food all day and what little food I had managed to eat had gone right through me. In other words I was about to pass out right there in the happiest place on earth. We went back to the hotel and Jim called our insurance to see where we could get some urgent care. There were no urgent care places near that took our insurance so they told us to go to a hospital. So the rest of the evening was spent at Anaheim Memorial Hospital. We waited in the waiting room for a few hours and then I was finally taken back and hooked up to an IV. They also gave me a muscle relaxer shot for my stomach cramps. A few blood tests and a urine test later and the doctor figured I just had a really bad bug or that my colitis was flaring up or both. He sent me home (or at least to the hotel) full of fluids and told me to take Imodium every three hours. We had spent a total of 5 hours at the hospital and didn’t get back until after 11:00 p.m. Sadie was so good and hardly complained about anything the entire time. It was all a new adventure to her. It was quite an adventurous day for us as well.

Disneyland Trip: Day Two

This morning started off rough for me and my stomach. Luckily we were not in any hurry so I was able to take a shower and lay around a bit before we headed out of Primm. We brought our breakfast of cereal and milk in the room and I managed to eat a bit. We got on our way at about 11:00 a.m. and I was feeling a little bit better.
The first leg of the trip Sadie and I both slept and poor Jim had to drive through the desert with no one to keep him company. I felt much better after I woke up though. We stopped in Barstow and grabbed a bite to eat at Popeye’s (we don’t have Popeye's in Utah) and then got going again. I drove us into Anaheim and Jim was wonderful at navigating. We checked into the Tropicana Inn & Suites which is literally right across the street from Disneyland.
After resting for a bit in the hotel we decided to walk over to downtown Disney and check things out. It looked like it was a crowded day at Disneyland. When we went into the big World of Disney store Sadie turned into a totally different child. She is usually pretty good in stores and doesn’t throw a fit because she wants something but when we were in the Disney store she wanted everything! We had told her she could take her piggy bank money and spend that on whatever she wanted (about $20) and she was ready to spend it fast! We convinced her that we would be in Disneyland for the next two days and that she didn’t need to spend it all right now. The bad thing is that even though I am not a Disney fanatic and didn’t plan on buying many souvenirs, even I was tempted by many of the cute items.
After finally getting out of that store we walked on in downtown Disney and looked at many fun stores. One of the stores we looked at was the Lego store which had an R2D2 made out of legos. By this time we were getting hungry but were afraid that the lines for many of the restaurants were too long. My stomach was still a little cramped from before so I didn’t want anything too heavy. We found a cute little restaurant called Le Brea Bakery that didn’t have much of a wait. In fact we were seated in less than ten minutes. Jim had the cheeseburger and I had a Greek salad while Sadie had Mac-n-cheese. I think we all filled up on the wonderful bread before our meal however. It was all good food. We were sitting out on the patio also which was nice as the sun went down and things cooled off a bit. Then it was back to our hotel and time for a bath except that the room doesn’t have a bath so we gave Sadie a shower instead (which is okay because she likes showers.). And now it’s off to bed for us all. Tomorrow is Disneyland!

Disneyland Trip: Day One

Since I didn't have internet access I couldn't post while on our trip. Jim managed to post a few with his phone though. So here are all my posts with a detailed report of our trip! And as always we have all the pictures up on our gallery for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy!

We managed to leave our house at a pretty decent time for us (10:00 a.m.) and headed out on the road. We stopped a few hours later in Fillmore for a quick lunch. The park we stopped at is the same park that my family used to stop at for breakfast on our trips when I was a little girl. After lunch we drove on and made good time. We stopped for a quick break in Mesquite, Nevada and were in route to arrive in Las Vegas at 4:00 p.m. But wouldn’t you know it there was a huge traffic accident on I 15 and it was completely shut down. What should have been a 30 minute drive ended up taking us well over 2 hours. To add to this delay, the car almost over heated. We had to turn off the cool air and turn on the heater to relieve the engine. Nothing like having the heater on in 107* heat!
We finally made it to Circus Circus and after eating a so-so buffet we headed upstairs to play some games. That’s about when my stomach decided it wasn’t so happy but I still managed to win a few stuffed animals. Seven stuffed animals later we decided to call it a night and drove out to Primm where we stayed for the night. The night was a bit rough for me because my stomach was still upset but I managed to get some sleep after such a long day.

Type type type, went the blogger

She's either working on the great American novel to make her fortune and
support her husband's extravagant lifestyle or working on her travel log
to post to the blog, I'm not sure which.

Call the CDA!

Quick, someone call the Child Detection Agency! This little girl broke
the Monsters, Inc ride.

What's This?

We listened to a CD of Disney music on the way to Anaheim today. Sadie
is now singing her rendition of "What's This" from "The Nightmare Before
Christmas":

What's this?
What's this?
There's maggots in the air!

A few pics

A few pics from yesterday.

Gas-Up Early and Often

We stopped in Mesquite to switch drivers, relieve bladders and stretch
legs. Stepping out into the Nevada heat, that good ol' desert dry
heat--107 degrees and 6% humidity, was stifling. The car had plenty of
gas to carry us through Las Vegas, to Primm and beyond but heeding the
word of a wiseman who once told me to gas up whenever I could,
especially in the desert, we did so. Saints praise that sage!

Twenty-five miles just outside of Las Vegas, traffic ground to a dead
hault. What should've been the last thirty minutes of desert highway
into town turned into two hours and thirty minutes. The best we could
gather was that there was a bad accident up ahead that closed the entire
interstate, congesting and diverting traffic to the old two lane
highway. Twice we had to execute emergency engine cooling procedures,
rolling down windows and adding to the arid heat by running the car's
heater full blast, the engine temp guage bobbing like a metronome.
Thank heavens we weren't stranded out there light on petrol!

Once we actually made it into Vegas and walked into the circus that is
Circus Circus, we realized that in the confusion brought about by heat
exhaustion, we had left the camera in the car. A long walk in the heat
once more to grab it, the traditional buffet for dining, then to the
midway to play games and win prizes!

After we had acquired more stuffed animals than we could carry, we
loaded back up into the car to finish the day's drive to Buffalo Bill's
here in Primm. The short drive from Vegas to Primm afforded Sadie
enough of a catnap to be fully charged and ready for more. Heading to
our room, she was fully prepared to give every slot machine we passed a
chance to spit out another toy for her. Even now she's spread the day's
winnings on the bed around her and is joyfully briefing each one on our
agenda.

Underway

We are underway, headed for sunny California! High noon found us
passing through historic Fillmore, Utah (capital of what was to be the
Deseret nation, covering about 85% of what is now the western U.S.)
where we stopped at the tried and true, Mangelson family approved city
park. A quick lunch of sandwiches and juice, a couple runs down the
playground slide, then back on the road.

Utah Arts Festival

Yesterday, before final packing for our California adventure (suddenly
the name of the Disneyland sister-themepark makes perfect sense!), we
met Bruce and Kate and Ian Charles, Ladies Man, downtown for the Utah
Arts Festival. Sadie did her part by contributing to a kids'
collabortive work but we're still trying to find the official contact
person to guarantee she receives her due royalties.

Aaaarrrr Little Pirate

Argh mateys! It be pirate day at Sadie's school today. All the little pirates got a hat and eye patch and went on a treasure hunt for pirate booty (stickers and such). They even had pirate fruit snacks for a treat! Sadie had a hearty good time.

The Gateway Adventure

After working around the house yesterday we decided to have a little adventure today - we thought we would ride the trax train downtown to the Gateway (shopping and dining area) and let Sadie play in the fountains that they have there. We hopped in the car and drove down to the station. There was a train there all ready to go but wouldn't you know it - as soon as we got our tickets it took off. Oh well, we just waited around for about ten or fifteen minutes for the next train. We finally boarded the train and were on our way untill...about 6 blocks from the Gateway our train broke down completely. We decided we didn't want to wait around so we decided to walk. Sadie did great, she walked most of the way and rode on her daddy's back for a few blocks. We decided to cut across Pioneer Park - sounds like a nice plan except that Pioneer park has not been a nice family park for quite some time now. It belongs to the homeless and sometimes shady characters. We had no problems though and even had a man apologize for swearing in front of us (all he said was ass). Finally we got to the Gateway. Sadie was a bit squimish around the fountains this time for some reason but she had fun. She had her swimsuit on and got soaking wet. Jim and I did not have our swimsuits on and got a bit wet as well. But with it being close to 90* out we didn't mind. After drying off we went and looked around a bit in the book store and then ate dinner outside at the Skybox restaurant. A quick trip into Dick's sporting goods and then we were back on the train for home. I'm happy to report no problems with our train on the way back home. Quite a fun little adventure for a Sunday afternoon!

Our new room

Every summer I take on a project in our house - this summer was our bedroom. Jim wasn't a fan of our old comforter so I let him pick the new one and then I decorated the room around it. The first thing that I had to do was to scrape the old "popcorn" style ceiling and repaint it. Then I tore down all the wallpaper (which luckily came down rather easily). After that I had to convince Jim to let me paint the back wall red. He was a bit hesitant at first but I told him that I would change it if he didn't like it. Turns out he loves it, as do I. The other walls are a gold color so the whole room isn't done in red. It really turned out well and I am glad that I don't have any more ceilings with that "popcorn" *&%#$ on it. I'm not a big fan of the stuff and I'm not a big fan of scraping it off. Anyway we are very happy with the end result!

Sadie's Ballet Video

We've uploaded Sadie's entire ballet performance to our family website. It may take a few minutes after clicking the link below before the movie begins playing so please be patient! If you want to save it to your computer, you can right-click the movie and select "Save Video As…". Once it's on your own computer, you can view it to your heart's content, watch it full screen, etc.

Sadie's First Ballet
Hansel & Gretel
June 7, 2006

Sadie's First Ballet Recital

Last night was Sadie's first ballet recital and she did a great job! She was not the least bit nervous or shy - she just walked on stage and did her thing. Of course her thing was to do about 3/4 of the routine and then wave to us and play with her crown for the last 1/4 but she looked so cute doing it! Grandma and Grandpa Mangelson came to watch and brought Stephanie with them. Kate and Ian also came to watch and went with us to eat pizza afterwards (Bruce was able to make it for pizza as well). There were several other groups performing and they were all so cute and did such a good job. Sadie got a yellow rose from her teacher (Miss. Katherine) and a Barbie Swan Lake video from her mom and dad. We are so proud of Sadie and she had a blast showing off what she learned. For pictures of the recital visit our gallery.

Barracuda!

Seeing as the Colonel and the Major took to kickin' my sorry butt on two wheels while in Alaska, I thought it time to knock the dust off the ol' Barracuda. (For the record, I'm sure my sluggishness riding in Alaska was due to the elevation. I'm not used to that 100ft above sea level bit. The air is just so thick down there!)

First was replacing a tube with a broken valve, then inflation, shifter tuning, a scavenger hunt for pedals and shoes, the quest for the golden end bar bolt, brake adjustment, wheel truing, more brake adjustment, then seat post height. Just some friendly advice from me to you-- if you do the wheel truing before the brakes, you only have to do the brake pad adjustment once. That tip is on the house.

Turns out after eight years of hibernation, a Rock Shox Mag 21 can really lose its luster which is to say, there's no spunk left in the spring. And to boot, nearly a decade past its prime, it's nigh impossible to get parts to revive its recoil. That means I may be in the market for a new fork.

Just like a bad habit though, she's back! Now I only need to convince that same sorry butt to get out and ride!

Dinosaur museum

Today we went to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. We saw lots of cool dinosaurs and Sadie got some hands on experience with fossil rubbings, digging for dinosaur bones, and creating her own world with sand and water. She was a little hesitant at first but it didn't take long for her to be completely at ease even with the huge specimens. After the museum we went to Jamba Juice for a snack. A nice afternoon outing for all. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Watch out, they bite!

We're on our way to the dinosaur museum down at Thanksgiving Point.
Sadie just asked, "Are we gonna see dinosaurs? Do they bite?"

Pretty Ballerina

Jim was just getting after me for not keeping up with the blog like I promised to so I better get to it. Sadie's ballet recital is a little over a week away and she is all excited for it. She knows the routine pretty well but I'm not sure how she will react on stage in front of everyone. Her class will be the woodland fairies in Hansel and Gretel and the costumes are so cute. All this ballet stuff is due to the fact that her mimi and grandpa gave her a ballet kit complete with outfit, pole, dance mat, and video for Christmas. After that she was hooked and I had to sign her up for lessons. She looks forward to the lessons every week and has learned a lot. She's our pretty little ballerina!

Look Ma, No Hands!

Just got back from a quick spin around the block. I'm guessing Sadie is over the trauma of her first spill on her bike a few days ago when we dashed through a neighbor's sprinkler and she tucked her head, cranked the handlebars, and toppled over. How is it I think she's over it, you ask? Consider her daredevil stunts tonight like riding with only one hand and shouting "Hey, look at this!". Then "And now this!", all ten fingers free from the grips! Cue the circus music. Folks, don't try this at home. Impressed with herself, she quickly reported "I think I'm ready for Disneyland!"

Viva Turnip Head!

We used John and Ilda's visit last night as an excuse to get Summer Movie Nights 2006 underway. After waiting out two passing storm clouds (one with torrential downpour!), we quickly fired up the grill and loaded it with Greek chicken sausage, garlic chicken sausage, jalapeno bratwursts, veggie burgers, bacon wrapped corn on the cob, and seasoned peppers and onions. Also available were a great pasta salad and a fine selection of local brews. In attendance were John and Ilda (of course), Sol and Jacquee (soon to be Agent JQ, PhD), Bruce and Kate and Ian (that's Ian Charles, Ladies' Man), Amy, Sadie and myself.

The movie preshow included Tom & Jerry favorites Cat Fishin', Zoot Cat and Touche Pussycat, as well as Fensler Film's classic G.I. Joe P.S.A. series. Once the food was gone, the sky fully dark and everyone had secured their favorite seats (chair seating on the patio and blanket lawn seating are both available), the feature presentation of Howl's Moving Castle began to roll. Disney's English adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki's animated adventure was well received and an exciting season opener to this year's outdoor movie extravaganza. Viva Turnip Head!

First zoo trip of 2006

Welcome everyone to our new blog! I will probably do a fairly good job with posts during the summer but when school starts up again in the fall I make no promises. On May 11th Sadie and I went to the Hogle zoo with Kate and Ian. It was our first zoo trip for this year. It was a perfect day to go because it was warm but not yet hot ( not 90* like this week). We saw the usual elephants, zebras, giraffes, etc. but the big cats (lions and tigers) were not there because they are putting in a new exhibit called the Asian Highlands. It looks like it should be cool. Last year they put in a new elephant exhibit that is great, so I have high hopes for this new one. We did get to see the wolves though which I was excited for because they are usually hiding when we go. Interestingly enough the female wolf managed to climb the fence and escape just three days after we were there. They got the people safely into the giraffe house and the reptile house and quickly got her back into her pen after tranquilizing her. No one was harmed, just a bit of excitement. For more pictures of our zoo trip visit our gallery.

The New Blog

Seeing as I adequately dropped the blogging ball nearly a year ago, I'm going to pass the honor to Amy. She's done a great job keeping the gallery up to date and I'm sure she'll show our readers (all four of them) the same commitment with the blog.

We're also moving this new version to the more contributor and user friendly Blogger.com but the original will still be in place for reference. It saw its christening in December of 2004. January and February of 2005 were active months, as were May and June. Ah, good times!

Those using RSS readers can subscribe to this link. For those new to RSS feeds but exhibiting interest, I'd recommend the free SharpReader or the paid version of NewsGator (my personal choice).

Amy hopes to blog our Disney trip scheduled to take place at the end of June. If we're lucky, maye we'll see some posts before then.