Summer Fun '08

Wow! Summer went by fast. Since I really dropped the ball this summer as far as the blog goes I will try to quickly re-cap all the events that happened:

Nebraska trip:

In the middle of July Sadie and I traveled to Nebraska to visit Jim’s family. Jen drove down from Idaho with her two kids (Hailey and Drew) and picked up Sadie and me. Then we drove to Lincoln with them (with a stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming). In Lincoln we got to catch fireflies, pick wildflowers, and of course ride around in the golf cart. We also got to experience a wonderful Young party (for Jerry’s work) with plenty of great food and fireworks! After spending almost a week there we traveled down to Kansas to visit Boppa and Grandma Young. Our visits with them were brief but fun and then Sadie and I flew out of Kansas City for home. It was a very enjoyable visit.
Click here for pictures.

Matt’s wedding:

In August Matt & Emily got married. It was great to have all the family out here for the wedding. We got to spend some time with Kristie and her kids. Stephanie got to stay with us for a few days and we got in a lot of shopping and a trip to Lagoon. She’s always fun to do stuff with. The weekend before the wedding Jim and I hosted my whole family at our house. Jim smoked a couple of chickens in the smoker and grilled some corn. Everything was very tasty. The wedding itself was very beautiful and emotional. The wedding was held at a little chapel at This is the Place Heritage Park and the reception was in a beautiful back yard. Everything was very nice, especially the flowers! (I did the flowers for them : )
Click here for pictures


Grand Canyon:

In the middle of August the Mangelson family went down to the Grand Canyon to remember my brother Mckay who died ten years ago. Jim was planning on going but at the last minute some problems came up at work and he was not able to go. So Sadie and I hitched a ride with my parents. We all stayed in cabins at Kaibab Lodge. The first night we were there it rained…& rained….& rained. The next day people had to be evacuated from down in the canyon due to flooding. The whole time we were down there it was cool and wet but it was awesome to see the storms move over the canyon. It was an emotional trip – we stopped at the spot where we had spread Mckay’s ashes and Kevin (Cindy’s boyfriend) read a poem that my mom had written. Later we watched a video collage that Alicia had made of Mckay’s life. We did manage a few hikes and ate some amazing food at the main lodge and Sadie learned how to pee in the woods.
Click here for pictures.

Zion National Park '08

This past weekend Jim, Sadie and I took a short road trip with Bruce, Kate, and Ian. We went down to Zion National Park. Our trip started on Friday morning after dropping Ginger off at the kennel. Kate and I drove with the kids so that they could entertain each other while Jim and Bruce drove down together. We stopped at Fillmore Park (a favorite of ours) for some lunch and some playtime at the playground and then headed on our way. We separated the kids for this stretch so that Ian could take a nap without Sadie distracting him. We got into Springdale, Utah at about 3:30 or so and checked into our hotel The Majestic View. Our rooms were nice – clean and comfortable. Each room has a balcony with chairs on it and an incredible view. After getting situated it was off to the pool for some swimming and sunning. After the fun in the pool we got cleaned up and took the shuttle into town for some window shopping and some dinner. We all had some good Mexican food at the Bit & Spur and then wandered back to our hotel. We all hung out for a bit in our room and then called it a night.

The next morning we all met at around 9:00 and went to the main lodge for breakfast. The breakfast was good but the service was so slow – it seemed to take forever. Finally we took the Springdale shuttle into the park and then got on the park shuttle. We got off at the visitor’s center and hiked up to the lower and middle Emerald Pools. The hike was a good one and the kids did fairly well. We got to see lizards, squirrels, and tadpoles along the way. After the 2 mile hike we went back to the visitor’s center and had some ice cream. We then headed back to our hotel for lunch and a rest. Jim and Sadie took a little nap while I got to sit on our balcony and read. After Jim and Sadie woke up we decided to check out the wildlife museum that was at our hotel. After that we hooked up with Bruce, Kate, and Ian again and headed back into the park. Our first stop was at Weeping Rock where the water literally seeps out of the rocks and all sorts of plants grow on them. After that little hike we went up to The Temple of Sinawava and began the hike there. Ian was having a tough time (he had fallen and wasn’t very happy about it) so Jim, Sadie, and I went on ahead. While we were walking we came across a deer not too far from us. Sadie thought that was pretty exciting. We hiked all the way up the trail and on the way back Sadie began to wear out so she and I started to pretend that we were Indiana Jones trying to fight our way out. That seemed to wake her up a bit. After this hike we realized that it was 8:30 at night and we hadn’t had dinner yet so we jumped on the shuttle and went to a pizza and pasta restaurant and got some pizza. Then it was back to the room for the night.

The next day we all met at around 9:00 again and started to pack things up. Once we were all packed up and checked out of the hotel we took the shuttle into town and ate breakfast at Oscars cafe. After breakfast we started to head home. This time the kids rode with Jim and Bruce. We stopped in Fillmore once again for lunch and then we said goodbye to Bruce, Kate, and Ian and headed home to pick up Ginger. It was a great little trip and we all had a great time. As always for pictures visit our picasa gallery.

Ballet recital '08

On Wednesday, June 4th Sadie had her third ballet recital. This year was even more exciting because Sadie had a bit of a “solo”. When the dance was finished it was Sadie’s job to run out and blow a kiss to the audience. She did her dance and her solo beautifully. This year was exciting for another reason as well. Uncle Alvin and Aunt Thelma just happened to be driving through on their way to California that night and managed to make it to the ballet. Sadie was very happy that they could make it. For pictures visit our picasa gallery.

Last month the Youngs (Jerry & Susan) and the Heitmeyers (Paul, Jen, Hailey, and Drew) came for a visit. One of the highlights of their visit was that Sadah and Hailey got to learn how to ski! They both did a two hour lesson in the morning and then went on a couple of runs in the afternoon. I have to admit I was worried that Sadah would be timid (like I am) or would'nt like it but I was wrong (flat out wrong). She loved it! She loved the lift, she loved getting off the lift (which is the scariest part for me), and she loved doing "pizza slice" down the hill. By the end of the day she was going down the hill by herself without stopping or falling! So it looks like we will have to take her skiing next year. The other highlight of the visit was that we got to celebrate Drew's 2nd birthday. We had a pinata, cake & ice cream, & goodie bags for the kids. Everyone had a great time. For more pictures visit our picassa gallery.

Winter Fun '08!

A few weeks ago we went up Big Cottonwood canyon with Bruce, kate, Ian, Solomon, and Jacquee for Brunch and some sledding. We had a nice hot brunch at the Silverfork lodge and then headed to a nearby hill that is popular for sledding. We had a great time carving trails in the fresh deep snow. Sadie was not only going down the hill by herself but she was going down head first. She didn't seem to mind too much when she got a face full of snow. She also wanted to go down a run that had a jump (one that I wouldn't go down) so Sol took her down and she had a great time. After sledding we all met up at our house for some hot chocolate and later for some KFC. It was a great time. For pictures visit our gallery.

Christmas '07

This year for Christmas we celebrated with my family here in Utah and then drove up to Idaho to celebrate with Jim's family. For pictures visit our gallery

Sadie lost her 1st tooth!

Just before Thanksgiving Sadie came home from school and said "look at this mom!" as she wiggled one of her front teeth back and forth. I couldn't believe that she was at that milestone already. About a week later the tooth came out while Sadie was at preschool. They saved the tooth in a baggie and Sadie brought it home with a proud (and gap toothed) grin. She already has a second tooth that is very wiggly and should be coming out in the next few days.

Hawaii Day 4 & 5

Day 4:

This was our last full day in Hawaii and we took full advantage of it. Once again the day started early with breakfast on the beach and a swim. The rest of the morning was spent shopping. We walked down the street to the International Market and perused all the goods on display. We found plenty of souvenirs for family and friends as well as ourselves. We ate lunch at the food court in the middle of the marketplace and then headed back to the hotel to change back into our swimsuits and hit the beach for the rest of the afternoon. We swam, built sandcastles, and searched for seashells. Jim rented a boogie board and hit the waves. Sadie and I got to try out the boogie board as well. After several hours of fun, we were pretty worn out. We changed our clothes at the hotel and went to a little pub around the corner for dinner. We watched the sun set over the water for the last time from the balcony of the pub. When we got our food Sadie took two bites and then laid her head on the table and went to sleep. I guess all that sun and surf finally caught up with her. Jim and I were pretty tired and not so hungry ourselves. We hit one more souvenir shop on our way out and stopped by a Starbucks for a muffin for the morning and then called it a night.

Day 5:

Our very last day started too early – we had to leave at 4:00 a.m. to catch our flight home. We all said a very sad Farwell to Hawaii and boarded the plane. We flew to San Francisco and had a three hour lay over so we ate some good soup in sourdough bowls and walked around the airport until our final flight home. Finally after traveling all day long we got home at about 10:00 p.m. We were all tired and happy to be home. It was a wonderful trip and we all had an amazing time. Once again, pictures are at our gallery.

Hawaii Day 3

Day 3:

Day 3 started out the same way as day 2: we got up early and had breakfast on the beach. But this time we actually went for a swim. Then (after cleaning up) we were off to Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t sure how Sadie would do on this day, I wasn’t sure if Pearl Harbor would be interesting for her but she was great. She understood that it was a place where people had died and she was very respectful. She sat quietly through the 25 minute documentary and enjoyed the boat ride over to the Arizona Memorial. After Pearl Harbor we went to the USS Missouri, the battleship that was the site for the official surrender of Japan in WWII. We had a quick lunch of cheeseburgers before we got to board the ship and get a tour. Sadie got a little bit claustrophobic inside (I was surprised by how low the ceiling was) but she did okay. By the time we left she was going up and down the ladders and in and out of the ship like a pro. After the Missouri we went back to our hotel and rested for a minute before we walked down the street a bit and looked at all the shops. We ate dinner at Cheesecake Factory and then walked along the beach to our hotel to get some sleep.

Hawaii Day 2

Day 2:

Day 2 started out early as well. Sadie woke up at 5:30 a.m. and entertained herself with all her fun stuff in her backpack until about six when Jim and I got out of bed. We got dressed and went down to the pool area to get our breakfast and take it to the beach. The hotel gave us two little coolers to fill up with breakfast stuff (cereal, muffins, pastries, coffee, and such) and then we walked over to the beach and ate. After breakfast and a leisurely stroll along the beach, we took off for a trip along the coast. We stopped to check out a blow hole and then made our way to The Sea life Park where we got to check out the sea life, feed some sea turtles, and watch a sea lion show and a dolphin show. Then we headed further up the coast to The Polynesian Cultural Center where we got to see a pageant, learn how to hula, got tattoos, took a canoe ride, and enjoy a wonderful luau. I would recommend this place to anyone going to Oahu. We learned so much about the different cultures and everyone was so friendly and excited to be there. We all enjoyed ourselves very much. After the luau we decided not to stay for the big evening show because we were all so tired so we made our way back to Waikiki and went to bed.

Hawaii Day 1

We took a quick family trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago and I am finally getting around to blogging it. This picture was taken from our hotel room in Waikiki. For more pictures visit our new picassa gallery.

Day 1:

Our trip started out early with a 6 a.m. flight (we had to leave the house at 4:30 a.m.). I was sure that Sadie would sleep as soon as we got on the plane but I guess she was excited about our trip because she didn’t. That was okay though because she had plenty of activities in her backpack to keep her busy so the first flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco was quick. We had a two hour layover in San Francisco so we ate breakfast there and waited for our final flight. The flight to Hawaii was smooth as well. We lucked out with the movie; it was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sadie and I had seen it in the theater and Sadie was excited to watch it on the plane. So after eating a meal on the plane (something else that Sadie was excited about) and watching the movie we only had about another hour to entertain ourselves. Sadie did finally sleep for the last 15 or 20 minutes of the flight.

We landed in beautiful Honolulu at 11:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. Utah time), collected our bags, and proceeded to pick up our rental car. We had to stand in line at Hertz for 30 minutes and then wait another 20 minutes for our car. But like Jim said, we were on vacation and didn’t have anywhere to be. It was a quick 20 minute drive to the hotel (Resortquest Waikiki Beach) where we got checked in with no problems. Sadie received a bag with a coloring book, crayons, cards, beach ball, bucket, and shovel from the hotel and a card that got her into pretty much everything for free. It was really nice. The hotel was great: clean, comfortable, and right across the street to the beach. The only complaint I would have is the parking. They don’t have self-park, only valet and it costs $20 per night for that (not including tips).

The first item of business when we got to our room was a nap. We all slept for about an hour and then went to Tikki’s grill and bar for dinner. After that we walked along the beach and put our feet in the wonderful, warm water. We walked up and down the beach for a while watching the sun set and then we went back up to our room and called it a day (we were all in bed by 7:30 p.m.).

New Job

I'm sorry that I have neglected the blog but I do have a job now. I work as a paraprofessional at an elementary school. Basically I am a teacher's assistant - I work with a wonderful special education teacher. I tutor reading and math to kids individually and in groups from kindergarten to third grade. It's a very rewarding and fun job and I was suprised how much I love it. It can be challenging at times but that keeps it from being boring. The school I work in (North Star Elementary) has a large hispanic population so I have had opportunity to show off my knowledge (or lack thereof) of spanish. Another great thing about this job is that I have holidays and summers off to be with Sadie and I get every other Friday off so the schedule is a perfect fit. I feel as if I am making a difference and I look forward to going to work and trying to make learning fun.

New Photo Gallery

Check out our new photo gallery at http://picasaweb.google.com/genoa73.
More blogs to follow shortly.

Thirsty

This morning Sadie was excited to show me the stash of CapriSun juice
drinks she and Amy picked up at Costco. "Wow, that's a lot of juice
for a little girl," I remarked as she pointed out the refridgerator
shelf and drawer brimming with silvery pouches. "Think you can drink it
all?"

"Think you can drink all that?" she quickly fired back, pointing to the
case of Heineken they picked up for me.

Touché.

Ginger update

As you all know, we adopted a dog back in January named Ginger. I thought I would let everyone know how everything is going with her. Ginger is, by nature, a good dog but like all dogs, without the proper discipline and training, she was becoming a bit hard to manage at times. When we first got Ginger the plan was for Jim to be the discipline person for her, after all Jim knew a lot more about dogs than I did. I grew up with cats, I never really had a dog. But after a while we realized that Jim was gone most of the time with his work and I was the one dealing with Ginger. So a few weeks ago Ginger and I started a dog obedience course at Petsmart and it has made all the difference. We both have learned so much and Ginger now listens to me. She is a very well behaved dog, this class is more for me to learn how to train her and deal with her. We really love having her around -she really fits with our family. Sadie just adores her, they love to play together and Sadie loves to train her with treats. We can't imagine life without her now! Adopting her was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

Gateway fun

A couple of weeks ago Sadie and I accompanied Jim downtown on the train on a Sunday afternoon. We all had lunch at the Gateway and then Jim had to go to work for a few hours while Sadie and I played at the fountains for a while. Kate and Ian came down after a bit and joined us for some water fun and then snow cones. We did some window shopping after that and then took the train back home. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Ballet recital #2

On June 6th Sadie had her 2nd ballet recital (she is the second one from the left). She did a great job - she really improved quite a bit from last year. She is a lot more focused now. As soon as Jim gets a minute from his busy schedule he will put up the video like he did last year. In the meantime there are some pictures in our gallery.

Day at the farm

A few weeks ago Sadie and I took a trip to the farm at Thanksgiving Point. I had signed Sadie up for a class for 4-5 year olds about baby animals. Sadie got to hold and pet a variety of baby animals, listen to a couple of stories, make some fun crafts, and take a ride on a pony. My parents (who live just down the street from Thanksgiving Point) came along as well. Sadie and I have been learning sign language (from the show Signing Time) and we had just learned about farm animals so she had a good time teaching the other children how to sign cow, horse, pig, and goat. We had a good time and Sadie learned a lot. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Vegas, baby, Vegas

Last weekend Jim, Sadie, and I went to Las Vegas for a quick getaway. On Friday morning we dropped Ginger off at the kennel and had a nice, uneventful drive to Vegas. We checked into the Excaliber hotel and after getting settled we went to fantasy faire and played some games. Sadie won a stuffed unicorn, dragon, and bear, as well as a little barbie doll and some candy. We ate dinner at the Italian restaurant at the hotel and then walked around the strip for a bit before turning in for the night. The next day we ate breakfast at the buffet and then walked down the strip and checked out M&M World where we bought....you guessed it, M&Ms. Our next stop was the fountains at the Bellagio. Sadie was excited because one of the songs was "Time to say Goodbye" which I have on a CD and Sadie recognized it. After the fountains we stopped in Caesar's Palace and checked out the shops. Sadie enjoyed the FAO Schwartz store where she and I played on the big piano keyboard. On our way out we ran into Cleopatra and Sadie wanted a picture with her. We headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We went to the Tournament of Kings dinner where we got to see knights jousting and Merlin doing magic. We also ate a good chicken dinner with our hands. Sadie got to wear her princess dress and she loved the show. We were on the front row so she got waves from everyone in the show. We even got her picture taken with the prince when it was all over. After the show we walked around outside for a bit and then went back to the room to go to bed. The next morning we grabbed some bagels and headed home to pick up Ginger who had a good time with the other dogs in the kennel. It was a fun little vacation and we all came back rested. For more pictures visit our gallery.

Graduation Day!

After six years of hard work and homework I finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature! Jim came down for the big convocation ceremony and then my parents joined him for the separate ceremony where they actually hand the diplomas. I was a part of the first "unofficial" graduates of the new University. Utah Valley State College will become Utah Valley University next year. Our diplomas say UVSC on them but next year we will recieve new ones that say UVU on them. That night we got together with some of my family and celebrated at Buca De Beppo. I'm still not sure what my next step is going to be. I'm taking the summer off (by off I mean that I will be taking Sadie to swimming lessons and ballet, taking the dog to obedience training, redecorating my bathroom and the office, and taking care of the house and yard). This fall I will decide whether or not to continue my education in grad school or not. Right now I am just enjoying this accomplishment! For pictures visit our gallery.