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.