May 17th-May 24th

This week was so much fun. Ashley and Jared arrived on Tuesday for their first of many visits to southern California. I picked them up at the Long Beach airport. I am sure glad they arrived safely since the airport looks like it might fall over. After we picked them up we went to Fred's Cantina on Huntington Beach pier. The mahi-mahi fish tacos are fabulous. Tanner also ate his weight in guacomole which is his new favorite meal.

Wednesday we decided on a beach day. It was a bit overcast to start but then cleared right up. I kept reminding Jared to put on the sunscreen. I don't think he took me serious enough because he was fried by the end of the day. We watched Mikey play volleyball and Tanner and Jared flew the spiderman kite. I have to admit it was really fun to have someone like Jared to entertain Tanner so that Ashley and I could catch up. That afternoon Ashley took us on a trek to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Ashley and I always joke about how much she loves to shop and how much I don't. I am pretty sure she inherited that from my mom. I, on the other hand, only like to shop at the grocery store. I am pretty sure I got this from my dad. I did have fun pushing Tanner around in the stroller, playing in the fountains, trying to catch fish, and eating Pinkberry frozen yogurt which is becoming a new favorite treat. The only thing there is more of in Southern Cali than donut shops is yogurt places.

On Thursday we hit In-n-Out on the way to Disneyland. I love In-n-Out. At first I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I didn't understand why people waited for 2 hours in Utah for a hamburger. Now I want to eat there everyday. Fortunately for me there is one on every corner. Plus I am pregnant now and eating for two. Jared and Ashley were troopers at D-land. We stayed about 10 hours. Actually, Ashley was a trooper. Jared was a bit of a light-weight. For future reference, he doesn't enjoy anything that spins or goes fast. He was actually the perfect person to drag along with two pregnant women. Tanner had a blast as always. We even managed to get him a cat-nap in the stroller so we could stay all day. Jared loved the Animation building at California Adventures. It is not surprising that his sketch of Piglet looked the best in our amateur art class. For the record, Tanner's looked the least like Piglet. Mine and Ashley's looked exactly the same. Mike's actually looked more like Spiderman than Piglet. (I think that was Tanner's request). We did dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. It was actually the best food I have tasted in D-land if you don't mind the cheesy dinner theater. We had BBQ chicken, sausage, beans, corn, and cornbread. It was awesome.

On Friday, Jared, Tanner, Ashley, and I went up to Los Angeles. Jared got his first taste of California traffic and decided he was not a fan. We played at Santa Monica pier. Jared and Ashley ate a funnel cake and Tanner played on the rides. After we went 1.5 miles to Beverly Hills which actually took 1 1/2 hours in the car during rush hour traffic. Jared and Ashley went to dinner with a friend at the Grove mall in Beverly Hills while Tanner and I walked around. I decided against paying 25 dollars for Tanner and me to see Shrek 4 in Beverly Hills. Afterwards we hit the farmers market and then gave Jared a 50 cent tour of Hollywood. I don't think he was as excited about the Kodak theater or seeing where they filmed Pretty Woman as Ashley and I were. He just wanted to see the Staples Center. Of course we never found it. I don't mean to be rude but Ashley is not the best navigator.

Saturday was a great day at Huntington Beach pier. Mike won the Pro/Am tournament with Ed Ratledge and we are so proud of him. It was so fun to have the family there to celebrate. Mike has had mixed emotions tyring to come back after his bout with cancer. He says he used to be so invincible and competitive on the court, but feels he has lost some of that with cancer. This tournament was a huge confidence boost for him as he was able to DOMINATE as he used to do. As we walked away from the courts on Saturday at about 7:00 p.m. Mike mentioned how special this win was for him. He brought up the fact that out of the 100 teams who participated in the tournament and all the spectators, literally only a handful of people acually knew about what we went through this past winter. That made the win so much more special. I don't know many people (other than Mike) who could be back winning tournaments only three months after cancer treatment. It was a great win, and a good moment for us to reflect on how blessed we are to be here.

On Sunday, it finally hit me that I was turning 30. It was quite depressing actually, but having Ashley there made it easier. Of course Mike was a sweetheart and left early to get 30 pink balloons to fill the house. I told him when we first got married that my favorite birthday memory was that my mom and dad filled our bedroom with pink balloons to wake up to each year on our birthday. Mike surprised me the first birthday we were married and he did it again this year. Mike also gave me some new beach clothes and some new pictures to hang around the house. We also hit In-N-Out and Disneyland. Highlights of my birthday include being with Ashley, the pixar parade (Ashley and I both cried), fireworks, and red-velvet cheesecake and avocado egg rolls at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a wonderful birthday.

On Monday, I talked Jared and Ashley into a long journey for Cafe Rio queso and chicken salad. After a long drive to get there, we discovered that there was a Cafe Rio 15 miles closer to our house. Still I had never been to Lake Forest, California, and it was very nice. The food was amazing, and just like home.

Jared and Ashley left shortly after, which Tanner still hasn't been able to understand. He keeps saying: "Where are Jared and Ashley?" All he knows is that when they are here he gets to go to bed late and sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

It was so much fun to have our first visitors here in California. Their visit made me less homesick. I honestly felt bad for Jared and Ashley to be returning to Utah where is was snowing. We missed Bruce and Steph but are glad that Bruce is on the mend.

We love you all and will keep you posted. Mike is playing in the Hermosa Beach tournament this weekend, and the Huntington Beach tournament the next week. We are excited to see Rachelle, who is coming down during the week of the Huntington Beach tourney.

May 9th-16th, 2010

Thanks to my dear friend Keri for starting me a blog. She tells me that even though I am what they call "technically challenged" I should still be able to do it. I guess now that we are off on our adventures in sunny California that maybe people will want to read about it.

So we have been here two weeks and I feel like we are getting adjusted. Boxes are unpacked, kitchen and clothes are organized, and Mike and I have already argued about where pictures should hang on the walls and where items should go in the refrigerator. We were pleasantly surprised with the size of our apartment. We hadn’t seen it before we got here to California, and feared that it might be really small.

We had a really fun time with Mike's family at Disneyland. It was so much fun to start our move off with a fun vacation! Here is a picture of me and Mike on Tower of Terror! It wasn't my favorite to say the least. :)

Tanner is doing great, and loving the beach, sand, and sunshine. It is so fun to be outside all the time, and Tanner’s hair is quickly turning bright white. I hear they got snow last week in Utah. I am not sorry I missed it.

Tanner seems to be feeling better. I am hoping that the health issues from the last year will now be a distant memory. Still I am scared to be too hopeful. I have to remember that this whole adventure started with a three hour stay at the emergency room in Barstow after an unexpected asthma attack on I-15. This kid has quite the sense of humor.

Speaking of sense of humor, we are on week two of potty training and I am losing mine. There is nothing more terrible than making lunch in the kitchen when your 3 year comes in with a handful of brown goodies and says “mommy, I pooped!!!” I am hoping I will survive this. Good thing I have wonderful friends and family members who have been through it and tell me I will. With all that said, Tanner is the greatest. I don’t know how such a little body could have so much personality. We have been going to Disneyland frequently and it is so much fun to take it all in through his eyes. He truly thinks that Buzz and Woody are real people. His life is complete after Astro blasters and Pirates of the Carribbean. He even sports his pirate patch and sings “yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirates life for me.” It is so cute, but we are trying to get him to stop singing it in the middle of sacrament meeting at church.

He is also enjoying the beach a lot more and is finally getting in the ocean. He loves to run away from the water as the waves hit the beach. He has also found love on the beach. The other day he met a little Hispanic girl who ran around with him for a good hour. They were so cute together.

Mike is doing well and is training so hard and we are so proud of him. He says the California game is so different but he is getting his “sand legs.” My first thought was, if…YOU aren’t in sand shape where does that put me? He is making a bunch of new friends and is already making a name for himself. His main goal right now is to find a good partner for the next AVP tournament on June 3rd.

We are all set up on Skype, and have enjoyed talking/seeing some of you. It is a fun way for Tanner to see friends and family and stay connected with them. Tanner loves to see himself on camera, and is already famous for his funny Skype faces.

Ashley and Jared are coming down this week so I look forward to being re-united for our birthday. My parents were originally going to come down, but my Dad hurt his foot and had to have surgery. We wish him a speedy recovery. Tanner is obsessed with talking about my Dad’s hurt foot, and always says: “Zurg (my Dad) has a BIG owwey!”

We miss you all! We will continue to keep you updated through this blog, and look forward to sharing our experiences with you all.

California Here we Come!