the most annoying day of the year

I hate April 1st. I hate April Fools. I hate April Fools' jokes. I can't tell you how many times I heard "Mom you have a spider on your head!" last year. Yuk yuk.

And this year, we as an internet community get a fabulous April 1st Virus to go with the festivities and fireworks. Whoo hoo. Let's hope I'm one of the lucky ones to miss this fabulous little invasion of privacy and waster of time and technology.

Onward!

Being April 1st, I need to update the world on where I am regarding Diet and Exercise.

I have been doing CrossFit about 2 months now, on average 5 times a week...lost a few pounds, lost some body fat, and feel a bit stronger, but still cough and wheeze for two days after running. I've also been doing TurboJam (dancing) in my living room and in the living rooms of my workout buddies on average 4-5 times a week.

I've kept on my diet--cheating here and there for a good occasion, but working out the rest of the day and week to compensate--and being smart otherwise.

I'm down one pound for the month.

Sigh.

At one point, I was down 3, then I gained 3-- for no good reason I might add. Sorry, but that just ticks me off. Gain 3 pounds and I didn't even get a Big Mac to show for it? No chocolate cake or doughnuts or french fries! Come on! It's like if I'm gonna go to prison, I'm at least gonna go commit a few fun sins to deserve it!

Just kidding. I would never do that.

Yes, I drink water. Yes, muscle weighs more than fat. Yes, my workouts vary between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Yes yes yes yes yes, I really do feel I'm doing everything right. I'm Type A, ok? I follow the rules, I do what I'm told. And danggit I'd like to see some results!

One pound. I could poop one pound. (maybe I should go try)

Sorry, TMI.

I will not give up. This means I'm down 17 for the year (which is yaaay good, but not Hip Hip Hooray good, you know?) I'm half-way to my goal weight, so that's good I guess. At CrossFit, I don't lift much, run fast, or finish first, ever. But I have also never given up. Cried a couple of times, but never given up no matter how hard.

I'd appreciate any tips! Encouragement! Personal examples or stories on what has worked for you! Or just complements on my 17-pounds lighter physique!

Just kidding.

(sorta)

I also did 5 layouts this month. Things have been kind of slow scrappy-wise lately. Not sure why. I'll post my most recent ones sometime later this week.

On to April!!

jesus the christ -- easter pageant

Every year members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) put on a wonderful musical pageant celebrating the true reason for Easter. There are 450 people in the cast and the production has been going since 1928 almost non-stop. We attend this awesome pageant just about each year and always enjoy ourselves.

The dates of the pageant run April 1,2, and 7-11, start at 8p and last approx 65 minutes. The address is 525 East Main St., Mesa, Arizona on the north lawn of the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor's Center. Admission is free, but since thousands attend, it is strongly recommended that you show up early.

My family will be staking claim to some seats starting at noon on opening day, this Wednesday the 1st, in hope that we can get as close to the front as possible. If you are interested in attending with us and having us save you some seats, just email me and let me know. We usually either bring in fast food or take along a little picnic dinner of sorts, along with books and games to pass the time as we're waiting. It's usually a little bit warm until the sun goes down, but then it gets pretty cool, so plan for both warm and cool weather!

The pageant is a beautiful depiction of Christs' life and death while on the earth; so many of the scenes and music are touching, such as my favorite, "Tonight you are Mine" or Mary's Lullaby.

If you're in the Phoenix area, make an effort to go see this pageant over the next two weeks. You won't regret it, and if you'd like to attend with us, just email me by Wednesday so we can get a head count.

doing the birthday LEGO style

My middle child, Cameron, turned 7 yesterday.  I can't even believe it as I type it, but alas, 7 birthdays have come and gone.  We planned a fun Lego-themed party for him on Saturday.

We started out with a fun party dance CD that Dan and I put together (you know, with some fun "I Like to Move it, Move it" and "Who Let the Dogs Out?" action on it) and let the kids loose on a room full of legos.  For the first half hour, they build and blasted, created and crushed, developed and destroyed their lego creations.

   

Then it was time for the pinata.  Note to self:  do not buy the $13 pinata from the Wal-Marts.  This was the crappiest pinata in existence.  We had to tape up the bottom third of it cuz all the candy kept pouring out.  Kids didn't care.  They just wanted a turn to "smack that."  (Sorry, been listening to a little too much hip-hop lately)

        

(There were no lego pinatas.  Go figure)

Onto the presents.

 

Where he got legos, more legos, and money for even more legos.

Next up, cake.

 

Now personally, I think I've done better on past cakes.  But Cameron luh-hoved this cake.  So my job there was done.

 

Typical Cameron.

And that's how we do it!  Birthday party, lego-style.  Thanks to everyone who came, helped, dropped off and picked up kids, and brought presents.  Cameron was one happy boy.  =)

May the force be with you.  (my kids love playing with my camera.  I have about 4 dozen pictures of my kitchen chairs on there at present.  Whatchoogonnado, right?)

takin' a break

...before I break.

Talk to you all next week.

dear diary

Yesterday was a prime example of too many activities, too few parents. Dan was on his 24-hour shift first of all, leaving me in charge of everything at the home front. That usually isn't so much an issue, but when you have four things scheduled for the exact same time, well, it's problematic.

Cameron's first baseball game and Ethan's Kindergarten Roundup were the two I really had a hard time deciding on--Ethan's t-ball practice and a last minute church activity were getting tabled.

I decided the priority was Cam's first game. And since the game was supposed to end at 6:30, I thought if I really hustled, we could make it to the last 15 minutes of kindergarten roundup.

So, it had already been a weird kind of emotional day--my aunt passing, my best friend in the hospital with possible sepsis, and other things--but we marched on to the game. Cameron is young, the youngest on the team, so his immaturity shows. He sits down, plays in the dirt, walks too slow, doesn't pay attention, frustrates me to no end, but as they finished the third inning and the full hour, I felt relief in knowing we might be able to scurry out and head over to the kindergarten thing. Then another inning started. And then another! Come to find out coach-pitch games for this age group are an hour and a half. I wouldn't have been frustrated if Cameron was at least playing right and doing well, but he was being so goofy; I got discouraged.

As we finally left (long after Ethan's event was over) I couldn't help but get emotional in the car. We'd just missed the last kindergarten registration I'd ever be able to attend for one of my kids--Ethan's first venture as a future elementary school student, and my last "first" as a parent. Such a silly stupid thing, but I couldn't help just crying hot tears as I drove home, questioning my decision and my desire to do it all with the only two hands God gave me.

Sometimes there's no right or wrong answer...there's just a choice to be made and you deal with the consequences of your decision. Ethan won't know what he's missed. I'll register him for school in the office without him, sometime next week. But I know, as a parent. These little tugs on my uterus are killer these days.

Ridiculous.

Unnecessary.

Pointless.

Human.

Natural.

I worked out some crazy killer turbodance last night, putting into it every ounce of any disappointment in myself, sadness over missing a little one's event, and frustration over the whole dumb day.

aunt joan

Was greeted yesterday morning with an email stating my eldest aunt had passed away due to complications from a stroke. She is my second aunt to pass in the past year or so (they were in-laws to each other, not blood related) and so of course it is a hard blow for this side of the family. She was a new Grandma with another new grandbaby on the way; she had lots to live for and will be missed. A third aunt is going through triple, possibly quadruple bi-pass surgery as well! Much stress for that side of the family right now, so prayers are appreciated.

I remember staying at her house occasionally on our visits, selling lemonade at lemonade stands with my cousin, playing dolls, and hanging out with the rest of the aunts and my grandma at yard sales and square dances. As I spoke to my mom about the situation, offering condolences, I had the distinct impression that I should call my own siblings and touch bases with them.

I have two younger brothers, one married who lives relatively close by, and one single who lives back east whom I rarely see. I called yesterday to say hi and tell them I was thinking of them and of course that I loved them. Brother #1's response was sweet and in turn loving. Brother #2's response was "you're a retard." And I felt like we were 15, 12, and 10 again. ;)

Ahh, siblings.

I hope that my mom and her remaining brothers and sisters will be able to remember the happy times and cherish the good memories of their dear sister.

pretty much the ideally perfect night

Started out with a little friends, food, and fun at Buca (chicken carbonara = bliss), then off to CC's for some late night scrapbooking, then ended off the evening (or early morning?) with the Twilight movie.  Ahh, if I dreamt, I'm sure I dreamt of Edward.

Yes, Spring Break from last year.  I'm now a whole year behind.

amie never met a tag she didn't like

And because I'm doing anything and everything to avoid writing the A&P essay due Saturday. I found this lovely tag on Tiffer's blog. Play along if you like. =)


Who was your FIRST pet? I had an australian shepherd named Speckles whom I loved. She protected me from a rattlesnake in our yard once.I still have her dog tag.

Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Nope. If I ever saw him I'd run the other way, too! Way too shy.

What was your FIRST job? My first official job was housekeeping at a hospital. I actually liked it.

FIRST car? Dodge Aries, $400. Totalled it.

Who was the FIRST person to text or call you today? I think my first was a text from Chris.

Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Manion. I don't remember much about her except she tried to get me to walk flat (remember a couple of days ago I mentioned I had stunted toes from walking on tiptoes all the time?). She actually made me wear a sign on my back (did you ever know this, Mom & Dad?) that said "If you see me walking on my tiptoes, give me a swat!" Seriously, corporal punishment in 1st grade for a ballet habit. Crazy lady.

Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? I think my first was to Cancun, Sophomore year, Mexico trip with Spanish class.

Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk? Tiffers! and we stalk each others' blogs to this day.

Where was your FIRST sleepover? Most likely Tif again

Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? I think Dan as he came home from work at 7-ish this morning

Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? I think my friend Amanda?

FIRST thing you did this morning? Visit the potty and weigh myself. =)

What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? As in bought tickets to--I think Barenaked Ladies. Though I'd seen several prior to that at the fair for free.

FIRST set of stitches and how? Only my c-sections I think...is that right, Mom?

First piercing? Ears at 9

First foreign country? Mexico or Canada, not sure which was first

FIRST movie you remember? probably a Disney movie, we didn't go to a lot as a kid; we lived too far from the nearest movie theatre

What was your FIRST bike? I had a hand-me-down that I got at around 9 I think? I learned to ride it by going back and forth on my grass. My dad painted it the same color as our VW bug.

What was your FIRST computer? Something cheap, likely.

Who was your FIRST roommate? Shari. *shudder* She was one whacked out gal. Also in my apt was Tamara and Amanda who I am still good friends with. =)

First Kiss? 15 years old, Philip Cushman, after a dance. (PS: anyone know how to contact him? I'd love to reconnect and see where he ended up)

First Date? I guess meeting Philip at the Homecoming Dance (or any of those other I'll-meet-you-theres) doesn't really count. I lived too far away from town for boys to come pick me up for dates, so maybe my first real one was a blind date with Jeana when I was 16 or 17 and visiting her in town one summer. It was horrible--both me and my date were so shy, we hardly said two words to each other the whole night, while Jeana and her date had tons of inside jokes and had a ball.

First ER visit? I think my teeth went through my bottom lip as a child and that warranted me an ER visit. As an adult, I've only had 2 visits, I think--after our accident 2 summers ago (broken sternum) and another time a few years ago when I had a really painful lump I had to get drained. By a gorgeous doctor. It was mortifying. Good times.

What was your First impression of your current significant other? Well, I was dating someone at the time, so I wasn't scoping him out when I met Danny first. I did remember thinking his hair was cut too short. (I've never let him buzz it again since then!)

Now mine: How old were you when you had your first child? I was 23, almost 24.

What did you first want to be, as a child, when you grew up? I wanted to be a writer ever since I can remember.



Now you do it, and add on a couple of new ones!

just one of those weeks

...in which everything happens all at once. This week already, we've had:

• 2 t-ball/baseball practices
• 1 dentist appt
• 1 parent-teacher conference
• 4 workouts (2 CrossFit, 2 Turbo Dance)
• 1 parent's birthday
• 2 new couches delivered
• 1 child start a new preschool
• 33 pages worth of study for class
• and 1 day of volunteering at the school

Still to come:

• 1 more parent teacher conference
• 1 more t-ball practice
• 2 1/2 days for the kids at school
• 2 windshields being replaced for both cars
• 1 A&P Essay to write
• 1 night of OT for Dan at a Coyotes game
• and 3 more workouts (2 CrossFit, 1 Turbo Dance)

I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting. Weeks like this are crazy busy, but they sure make time fly, right? Weeks like this make me grateful for bedtime. ;)

I don't know that there's necessarily a trick for not having a nervous breakdown--it's more like, do what you can, don't worry about what you can't, get through it the best way you know how to, and don't forget to cherish those special moments. Moments like:

• Cameron coming home from school yesterday completely jazzed about his field trip to the Stuffington Bear Factory with all the 1st graders, and the white teddy bear he created
• the glowing report Sean's teacher gave him at our parent-teacher conference on Tuesday
• using free coupons for dinner last night at Chick-Fil-A and watching the kids go totally crazy in the playroom
• fun text messages during the day from friends (we finally got unlimited texts, folks, message away)
• having hard school material actually sink in--even if it took the whole 33 pages
  
• working on Cameron's first oral report for school with him and having fun with it
• being proud of the little four year old swinging and missing that t-ball over and over
• the fact that all the glass surfaces in the house got cleaned this week, and not by me
• happiness over my growing garden
• using the body fat calculator and finding that I lost 5% in the past 3 weeks

Good stuff, right? It's all worth it...the busy-ness, the planning, the chaos...it makes our world go 'round. And more often than not, it empowers me to know that I can handle it.

And to that I say, Bring it, World. I'm ready.

growing up too fast

How is it he's old enough for City Rec Sports?  Wasn't he just born?  This picture makes my ovaries go into depression.

will niceness ward off a telemarketer?

I know you guys must think I'm the biggest freak that 1) I actually answer the telemarketers' calls and 2) that I keep having such absolutely bizarre encounters with them.

why I answer the phone

The answer is two-fold. (I love using the word 'two-fold'...try it, you'll feel smarter) First of all, I'm here alone a lot. It's less now since Danny's schedule has changed, but for a while there, I had 5 days in a row of barely elementary level conversations, and more often, preschool-level conversations. Hours, days, what felt like weeks on end. Sometimes, the phone is literally my only line to the outside world and people. Real, educated, standing upright, walking around people. I'd find myself a bit starved for attention, even if it was only from the bored man on the other line wanting to know if I was happy with my long-distance service. Secondly, and probably the real reason why I will answer most calls, is because our landline phone and charger are dying, thus making it difficult sometimes to not only answer it, but screen it before we answer it.

example one

This happened a couple of weeks ago. I had been having problems with the phone, which rang while I was playing piano. I dove for it and just as I pushed "ON", I realized the caller ID said Desert Valley Aire, which I think is an Air Conditioning company.

Me: Hello?

He: Amie?

Me: Yeah? (taken aback a bit because I'm not used to such an informal greeting from a telemarketer)

He: Are you ok?

Me: . . .yeah. . . (thinking, 'is this someone I know?')

He: Because you don't sound like you usually do.

Me: (still racking my brain, wondering who I would know well enough who wouldn't identify themselves at the beginning of a phone conversation). . .I don't?

He: No. Are you all right?

Me: I'm fine. . .

He: You know what, I'll call back tomorrow. (click)

Is that not the weirdest thing? I sat there in a stupor looking at my phone thinking what the heck was that? and is this a new ploy to get me to call back and get a quote on my air conditioning tune-up?

example two

Well you remember the great vaccum cleaner debacle of  08.  Since then, the company that whores out hires out Kirby has called approximately once a month.  I have seen it on the Caller ID occasionally and once or twice Danny has answered when they call.  They called again tonight, and what the heck, I was in a good mood, so I answered it.

Me:  Hi!  (a pause)  Hello!  (still nothing, then that click when the telemarketer actually picks up) He-llloooo!

She:  Hello.

Me:  Hi there!!  Thanks so much for calling!  How are you today??

She:  I'm fine, thank you for asking. (said so blandly I wonder if she was gnoshing on saltine crackers at the time)

Me:  Where you calling from today? (me asking uber excitedly)

She: RK *******

Me:  And you want me to try your carpet service, doncha?! (acting like it was the most fabulous thing since single-serve gogurt was invented)

She:  Yes, ma'am (bland bland bland)

Me:  Yeah. . .you call once a month. . .would you mind taking me off the list?  I'dreallyappreciateit. (yeah, I said it just like that, totally fake perky and enthusiastic)

She:  Sorry about that ma'am, I'll take care of that for you.

Me:  THANKS!

Sure she will.  I give it approximately 2 weeks before they call again, and then I have decided I will start answering with fake accents, or act like I can't hear and she needs to speak up, or possibly just hand the phone to the resident four year old.  The other day, I actually video taped myself talking to one of them, asking to be taken off the call list in case they gave me some mumbo jumbo garbage about there being no list, or try to come onto me again.  (let's call that example three)

Ah well.  At least it breaks up my day.  (please friends, call me.)

12 of 12 -- sort of

The 12th ended up being pretty busy--with a trip to Mesa, court for some unfinished business with the lawsuit, and general life taking up most of the day, I was just not able to pull out the camera often enough to get 12 interesting shots. However, my son and my mom took a few that they shared with me, and I'm gonna count those as well as a couple from the 13th. Ok with you?

For more information on twelve-of-twelve, go here.


'Member how I admitted that I had fallen at my crossfit workout the other day? Here's one of my bruises on my fat leg as proof.


My toenails look orange (gag) but I promise you they are a lovely shade of coral. Yes, I have stunted toes. I blame ballet as a child. And the fact that I walked on my toes until I was nine.



The necklace I wore today--a Valentine's present from my sweetie.



Little Junior that I babysit has the cutest pacifiers. I love this one. And his chubba wubba cheeks.


Some o' the products I used in the shower that morning. I love that green stuff.



My little Surrogate daughter brings all sorts of lovelies with her each morning--today it was this bear. She gave him a nap in our swing, which is just fine since Junior hates it.



Cameron is actually in Utah visiting my parents for Spring Break, but my mom sent this picture of a project he made while there. Why is he always grimacing?



This is from Sean's camera. He's just as obsessed with self-portraits as I am.



He took this one as he was going down the tube slide. I thought it was rather artistic. And I keep trying to convince him that 9 year olds don't wear shoes with velcro.


Ethan's very first day of his very first sport--T-Ball! He's been asking for literally years when he would have a chance to play. Now it's finally his turn. The group is for 5-6 year olds (he's 4!) but his birthday falls in the middle of the season, so he qualified to play this year. He's so tiny!


Danny favoring us with a little karaoke at night--"Lips of an Angel" one of my faves.


The required self-portrait. At the end of a long day.

why mormons build temples

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created a short video that explains the purpose of Mormon temples. I hope you'll take a look.

loads of hope from tide

BlogHer asked me to mention the following program made possible by Tide.

From Tide's Loads of Hope Website:

Tide Loads of Hope helps in the aftermath of a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. Partnering with Feeding America, we travel to disaster affected neighborhoods with the Tide Loads of Hope truck or vans, our free mobile laundry service.

Tide Loads of Hope truck:

• 32 high-effiency washers and dryers stationed on the truck
• Can do 300 wash and dry cycles a day -equal to one year's worth of laundry for a single family
• Will wash about 9,000 loads of laundry over a four-week period
• Leveraged during massive disasters where electricity is unavailable in the region

Tide Loads of Hope vans:

• In partnership with a local laundromat, the Tide Loads of Hope vans provide free laundry service at the same load rate as the trucks
• Leveraged during disasters where neighboring communities still have a source of electricity

To date, Tide Loads of Hope has washed more than 35,000 loads of laundry for over 20,000 families. Most importantly, the Tide Loads of Hope program means we're equipped to take action whenever and wherever there is a need in our country.

Tide Loads of Hope Vintage Tees:

Tide Loads of Hope can also be supported through the purchase of a Tide Vintage Tee. All profits go to support families affected by disaster.

Shirts can be purchased through this link: P&G has asked us to help get the word out about their efforts to raise money via T-Shirt sales to support families that are affected by disaster in this one-of-a-kind program. The shirts are vintage-looking and support a great cause.



Where it all started

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the need for clean clothing became critical, and Tide found a way to help. So in November 2005, the Tide Loads of Hope truck headed to Camp Hope in the Metairie, LA area and cleaned over 10,000 loads of laundry. The spirit of this first venture informs and inspires everything Tide Loads of Hope program does.

Thanks for all you can do to support this!

pay it forward tag

I've been seeing these around for a few weeks and finally won one, so now's my chance. I wanted to mix it up a bit though to keep it interesting.

Here's a fun blogging game...

Be one of the first three people to leave a comment on this post and you'll receive something handmade from me sometime in the next year.

But there is a catch. You have to do the same thing on your blog. And then once you get the item from me you have to comment about it on my blog!!

So my change on this is that the winners must be people I know/email/talk to or is a follower of my blog. You can't be some random stranger. Now, commenters will likely not know who I know, so even if there are 3 comments, please still enter. Your entry into this is your most embarassing moment. I have many that I personally could choose from, including:

The time I walked in on a HS boys' PE locker room during shower time. The story actually makes perfect sense, but goes down as a very embarassing moment indeed.

Or when I accidentally spilled the beans about a surprise baby shower to the recipient. Duh. I have a very hard time keeping secrets.

Or when I interpreted something incorrectly at work several years ago (I used to work as a sign language interpreter for a school district in the valley) and most nearly got the kid in big trouble. I realized my mistake and corrected it, (and it turned out pretty funny) but yeah...I almost got the poor kid expelled. *nervous laughter*

Or just yesterday when I totally biffed it at my crossfit work out and landed on my butt in the middle of about a dozen people. It wasn't even during the workout; it was afterwards, in the kitchen. On the hard tile. Sigh.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I want to hear your embarassing moments! Please still comment, even if the token 3 winners have already said their piece. This could be really fun for us all. ;)

what mom does when she's been given a night off

She looks around the empty house and sees all the jobs that need doing.

She notices her text book on her bed.

She starts a chick flick.

She sends some emails.

She hears crickets chirping

She needs to get out of the house!

She goes to Target. She buys some tomato seedlings. And new bowls.

She orders a carnitas bowl from Chipotle with veggies, rice, tomato salsa, and corn.

She brings it to her quiet home and eats the whole thing.

She turns on American Idol and plays it way too loud using the surround sound.

She thinks about planting her tomato seedlings.

She really needs to brush her teeth.

She mops the floor.

She misses kissing her kids and hubby goodnight.

She goes to sleep alone.

anniversary in snowflake

I think I've mentioned before that our real anniversary is the day before Valentine's Day. For that and many other reasons, we actually choose to celebrate a month or so later. This year, we went up to Snowflake for the weekend and stayed at a little Bed & Breakfast up there; we truly had a great time, did some great things, ate some great food, and thought about our children not at all. ;) Well, maybe a little bit.

My parents were kind enough to watch the kiddos so we could get away for about 30 hours. Snowflake is about 4 hours from us, so it's not a quick little trip, but the quiet togetherness time is rare for us, and we enjoyed it.

We went to the LDS temple first. Snowflake is a town established on a plateau of sorts, and they get wind like crazy. The Snowflake Temple is on top of a hill on top of the plateau so it gets Super Wind. ;)

Once inside, we were asked to be the witness couple for a session, which I always enjoy doing. This was our first time in this temple, other than attending the Open House in 2002, so it was exciting for us to experience this newer little temple for the first time. Most of the attendees and patrons knew each other, so they made somewhat of a big deal out of our visit, all asking where we were from, what our family was like, how many kids we had, etc. The Celestial Room is absolutely breathtaking, so bright and clean and gorgeous. I tried to find some stock pictures online but I couldn't find any.

Then, we stayed for about an hour of sealings. Love that. =)

When we came out it wasn't near as windy as when we went in.

We drove next, to the Heritage Inn, the B&B that came so highly recommended by some.

It's this quaint little restored set of buildings on Main Street, completely remodeled and designed to look like period 1800s architecture and design. It reminded us of homes from Nauvoo.

I loved all the little touches that made it look so authentic. And I loooooved the piano. I was itching to play it, but the lovely owner, Dean Porter, said it was non-functional.

While we were touring the kitchen, Mr. Porter told us how we were welcome to come down any time and make cocoa, eat treats, nuke popcorn, grab drinks. . . very accomodating. Too bad I was forcing myself not to totally blow my diet. Danny did allow me one piece of chocolate cake and it was to die for. I'm still dreaming about it.

The spa room-formerly known as the chicken coop. ;)

He gave us a very engaging tour of the premises. But I was freezing. And hungry. I just clicked away to keep my mind off my cold toes and empty stomach.

These last several shots are from our room.

Then we ate at Eva's Kitchen or "La Cocina de Eva". Our waitress cracked us up-she'd come to take our order and bark out in Spanish "Digame!!" (tell me!) I was very happy here eating my chimichangas because it was the first 'naughty' food I'd had since Valentine's Day I think. ;) Super yummo.

I loved how the hotel looked at night. I really wanted to stay out and snap more pictures, but I was fuh-reezing. I hurried inside while Danny paahked the caah.

To warm up, we took advantage of the spa-true to the 1800s period, right? (I hope no one minds these pictures of us in swimsuits)

We ordered our breakfast for 9am and had a nice chat with the owner while we dined. I promise I did not eat that whole plate worth of food. I wanted to, but I didn't.

It was a great little place and we hope to return in a couple of years.

Next we drove to Heber and met up with an old friend (the one pretty much responsible for introducing Danny and I) and his family. We visited for a while and then went to church with them in Heber.

On our way back to town, we played in some snow along the side of the road.

Cuh-razy.

"My arms are cold!"

Ya think??

Good times. Happy anniversary, baby.