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!