LSU vs. South Carolina

My brother, Tim, and I got to go the game this past Sat. It rained through most of it, we were drenched before the game even started, but it was so much fun. LSU beat them 28-16. The best part--the tickets were free! A lady that Tim tutors gave them to him. We had a great time at the game. Here are some pics:

The LSU band, after marching down the hill and playing for the crowd--the drum major, Mr. Wicks (the band director, who was there when I was in the band), and the Golden Girls:

The band during Pre-game:

The football team running onto the field through the band tunnel:

Me and Tim (you can't really tell just how drenched we were in this pic but we were!):

Photo session with Belle

I did a photo session with my niece a couple of Fridays ago. Here's a few of the shots (she's 2 1/2):

More to come later...

Lovebugs

I hate 'em! While I lived in Utah, I forgot just how annoying these pests are but now I remember all too well! They are EVERYWHERE!!! They cover our entryway, as well as the back door, they get inside when we walk in or out (I am constantly having to sweep the floors), they are all across the top of the water of our raised fish pond, and our cars are covered in them. YUCKY! They don't bite or anything, they're just a complete nuisance.

If you've never lived in the south and don't know what they are, here's a picture (they're called lovebugs because they are constantly mating, even fly around stuck together, eeeew!):

I remember having to deal with these nasty little bugs during practices when I marched in band and in drum corps. They would be flying all around and land all over you. Blech!!! We had a more naughty name for them when I was in high school and college.

Here's what our entry looks like because of them:

And our raised pond:
I can't wait for these things to go away!!!

Good to be home!

No matter how much fun I had in Utah, 3 weeks was too long to be away from my sweetie. We were very happy to see each other. We got home from the airport in time to see the LSU vs. VT football game kick-off Sat. night. I'm delighted to say that we kicked their butts 48-7; they were #9, we are #2. Geaux Tigers!

At church Sunday morning the kids in my class (Sunbeams, ages 3-4) were SO cute, saying they missed me. Our ward is great; so many people came up to me and said they were glad I'm back. We went to my parents' house straight from church for dinner; my brother, SIL, and niece were also there. It was nice to spend the afternoon with them all and, of course, Belle was as cute as ever. I spent most of yesterday just resting, as I'm still trying to get over this sinus/cough thing but I do feel much better today--I finally unpacked my suitcases!

Oh, Jared surprised me with a little present Sat. night:

I also surprised him with a BYU t-shirt and hat that I bought in Utah. I don't think I'd ever bought another team's gear before! :)

Disneyland

This is a LONG post with lots of pics (and these are just my absolute faves). Here's how the trip to DL went down:

We left Sat. morning ~7:30. We stopped at a dinosaur museum--lots of real dinosaur tracks found and preserved here in Utah just off i-15. Once we got to the hotel, we went swimming for a bit in the pool.

Sunday, we headed to the beach. It was beautiful:And the kids had fun:We went swimming in the hotel pool that night, too.

Monday morning, Kiki ran in the Disney 1/2 marathon. WTG, Kiki!!! Hope she doesn't kill me for posting this pic but I'm proud of her for completing it--way more than I could do!

We waited for Kiki to get back to the hotel, then we all headed to Disneyland. We decided to hit California adventure, first. It was so much fun but OH SO FREAKIN HOT!!! It was 108-110 degrees on Monday! The hottest it's been all summer there, OF COURSE! But it was still fun. We first watched the Muppets 3D movie (so cute!) Here's Carma in the 3D glasses:

Then, we rode the Monsters, Inc. ride (Carma LOVED it!):

I went on the Tower of Terror with Judson and Michael (BIL), then went on Monsters, Inc. again with Kiki and Carma. We then went and saw "Turtle Talk with Crush", which was really cute and funny; it's real-time animation and he talks to the audience and answers questions. Really cool!

Next, we headed of to A Bug's Land, where Carma and Judson cooled off in the fountains by the P.T. Flea Market:

Then, Kiki, Judson, and I rode the Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies (bumper cars):

Kiki was tired (who can blame her!) and Carma really needed a nap, so Michael went with them back to the hotel room and Judson and I stayed and played. We went on Flik's Flyers

and got a cherry Slushie--the best Slushie I've ever had! :) We then went and rode the Grizzly River Run (got a little wet, weee!).Next was Soarin' Over California, a simulated hang glider over beautiful lanscapes and landmarks in Cali. Then, I let Judson run through the Redwood Creek Challenge; we walked through the rope bridges and a stream, he slid down slides, did a little rock climbing, and swung on a zip-line swing. Then, Kiki, Michael and Carma picked us up for dinner. Judson ended up throwing up in the restaurant, so Michael dropped off me and Kiki back at DL and he brought the kids to the hotel room.

Kiki and I rode the Soarin' Over California, the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Pirate of the Caribbean. Here's Disney Main Street at night:

We headed back to the hotel and hit the sack!

Tuesday, all of us went to DL. It was still hot but not nearly as hot as Monday. Here's Kiki and I near the castle:

Michael, Judson, and I rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds while Kiki and Carma rode Alice in Wonderland. Then, we all rode the King Arthur Carrousel:

Kiki, Carma and I waited in line to take pics with Ariel while Judson and Michael went on Autotopia. We thought she would love Ariel because she always talks about all the princesses, including Ariel but she ended up being scared and freaking out:

Kiki, Judson and I went to ride on Space Mountain but, after we walked up and got in line, Judson said his tummy hurt, so they turned back and I rode it alone. Still fun! We watched the Jedi Training Academy for a few minutes then all went on the Jungle Cruise. I watched Carma so Kiki and Michael could take Judson on Indiana Jones Adventure, then we all went on Pirates of the Caribbean. As we were walking to find a place to eat lunch, Alice and the Mad Hatter stopped us and had the kids play musical chairs. It was so cute!

Alice had to help Carma, since all she wanted to do was dance in place, not go around the circle, hee hee!

We ate lunch in Downtown Disney (shrimp po-boys of all things, ha ha!), then we headed back over to California Adventure. I got this cute pic of Juddy with Mater and Lightning:

I watched Carma, who was sleeping, while K,M, & J went on Soarin' Calif., then we went and saw Turtle Talk with Crush again. We then stopped to watch the Block Party for a bit--characters from Monsters, Inc., the Incredibles, and A Bug's Life dance and sing. Then, Judson and I rushed over to ride the Sun Wheel before the park closed:

Calif. Adv. closed at 6pm, while DL closed at 8pm, so we were headed towards DL but TONS of other people had the same idea and we just didn't feel like waiting in line to get in, then waiting in long lines to ride rides once we got in. We were all extremely pooped from the heat and all the walking (not to mention sore, getting blisters, etc.) so we decided to just head back to the hotel. We went swimming for a bit, then went and got dinner.

We headed back home Wed. morning. I started feeling sick on the ride home, nose running the whole way. When I woke up Thurs. morning (yesterday), I could barely talk from a sore throat (Jared called and said I sounded horrible), my sinuses were killing me, and I was coughing a little. I rested all day and had to cancel plans to see a couple of friends (sorry again, Amiee and Jamie!). SO sad about that. I feel better today--most of my voice is back and my sinuses feel much better. Still not totally better, though. Sucks to be sick my last 2 days in Utah!!!

Not sure what we're doing tonight. Kiki and Michael have a softball game, which I may go to and even see if my other sister wants to go. I'll be headed back home in the morning and will be SO HAPPY to see my DH! I miss him sooo much! The first LSU home game is tomorrow night, too. A huge game against Virginia Tech. We're #2 and they're #9. Will be a great game that I really hope they win!!! I'll get home just in time to watch it, yay! Can't wait to get home! Three weeks is a long time to be away from Jared, no matter how much fun I'm having!