I Thought The Day Would Never Come...

Well, folks, it happened!! I finally got around to buying myself a new car! Since the PT got in the wreck in March more and more problems have happened to it. It had become the most undependable car. And as much as it saddened me to make the decision to get rid of it...I welcome the new scion with open arms! I've done lots of research to find the perfect car for us. I'm quite pleased with how everything turned out. What a great looking Scion right?!?!
After a lot of hassle from the bank we got to head down to Murray on Friday afternoon to get it. Afterwards we had to celebrate so we went to Texas Roadhouse. Andria and Avery met us there. What a great day!!! PS No... Daren was not there, it's too hard to get us and the bank and the dealership all on the same page.

I'm super excited to drive in the new car. It's everything I could have wanted in a car. I'm also really excited that we are getting a Texas Roadhouse in Logan! Anyone want to go for a ride just ask!!

In Memory Of...

May is a very bittersweet month for me. I love the month of May. It is the most beautiful weather(most years), it was when school ended, really I can't complain about anything with the month of May. However, there is a very sad day in my family in May. It was the month my brother, Derek, passed away from cancer.

Since it was Memorial Day on Monday in the month of May I thought I should dedicate a post to my wonderful brother Derek.

Derek Agee Boston
December 24, 1977- May 17, 2001

Now, don't let this picture fool you. Me and Derek were definitely what you consider bickering siblings. I don't know if it was because I really disliked him(can't think of a better term) or if I just liked the fun reactions I would get out of him. Stealing his hats when I was younger was my favorite sport. We [Kelsi and I] would steal his hat every chance we got. We hid it once under the couch in the front room and seriously had forgotten where we put it. We found it a year later. Whoops.

I remember when I first heard the term "kick him in the balls" I didn't understand it...so Derek was the person I tried it out on. Oh my goodness...he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of Walden's books so fast. Derek, I'm so so so sorry for doing that! I learned my lesson pretty quickly on that.

He was the WORST babysitter in the world. Him and Brian would buy pizzas just for themselves. We even called Andria to get her to tell them to share with us but she was on their side (we were terrible babysittees)

However, he did have his good babysitting times too...One time when my parents were out of town he came home from work at about 11:30 and wanted to go to Village Inn so he let us put on our new school clothes(my mother was very strict about those staying in the bag until school started) and we went. My parents would leave us with money when they went out of town for "emergencies" and we would always save it up and on the last day do something fun. One year we split the money up and went mini golfing and the loser had to buy the winner their shaved ice of choice. Luckily, I was in the middle. Kelsi ended up having to buy Derek the BIGGEST shaved ice.

I wouldn't say we ever got along (Please if someone can remember do share...). We avoided each other. So I don't have sweet memories or stories...I only remember things people have told me. It wasn't until the last few months that we were semi decent with each other. I think we still put on a show but late at night I would sneak down to his room and just talk to him. I couldn't tell you what we would talk about I'm almost certain it was pretty stupid. But I think if he were alive today we would have a completely different relationship, as most 'adult' sibling relationships do.

I always think about the "what ifs..." I'm pretty sure Daren would think Derek is the coolest guy around. What if he were alive, would he have finally ever gotten around to getting married? What if he was a dad (oh my...)? And how many kids would he have right now? What would his current job situation be? Would he still love warhammer? Or, would him and Michael always be living at my parents house? Who knows...

This is the last "complete" family picture taken before he passed away. It brings me to tears every time I see it. I was so frustrated with my family this day. I HATE family pictures. Why was it so important to get this picture taken.....? Well, let's just say if we had never taken this picture I'm pretty sure neither of the boys [Michael and AJ] would be present in the last one taken before this one.

8 years have passed and I'd like to think it has gotten easier but it hasn't. Derek, you are missed!

California

So this year for the California Dental Meeting I got to go as daughter, not employee. It was just my dad, AJ, and me. We drove this year and left at 6 pm, meaning we would be driving all night! We stopped in at Andria's house to wish Audrey a happy 1st birthday! I drove from Andria's all the way to St. George. Be proud people!

We finally made it, and the hotel was super nice and let us check in, at 5:45(their time) We of course didn't go to sleep right away we went next door and ate at PoFolks. I was super excited to finally get some french toast in me.



After we ate, we went and napped for a bit then decided to go eat. We went to In N Out. Then we headed to the beach. Where the picture in the post below was taken. AJ was the only one to get into the water. I'm not much of a water person myself. We didn't think he'd last that long in the water.... Hence the incredible sunburn shown below(the line is from where my body bugg is on my arm)

After we went back to the room so AJ could clean up a bit, and I napped again...we went to Knott's Berry Farm. Unfortunately, they have a after 4 discount but were only open until 6. So we had to get a lot in in a short amount of time. Luckily it wasn't too crowded. AJ's favorite was the Silver Bullet...mine of course was Xcelerator.

The last ride we went on was Ghostrider. Which, I think, is my dad's favorite ride. AJ started crying on it- his seat belt wasn't tight enough apparently. He'll kill me for saying that.
We hit some of the shops in front of Knott's before heading to...

The ever so famous Knott's Chicken Dinner. AJ was miserable. He was cold and super sore from his sunburn. I ate WAY too much...but it was super delicious.

Friday was the glorious day we would be spending in Disneyland/California Adventure. I was super nervous because I had to drive us there all by myself(not to mention in my dad's mountaineer, no SUVs for me thanks...) Thankfully we had the gps, so after a few missed turns we made it there. We had to sit forever waiting to park...boo!

The first ride we went on was Indian Jones, for some reason this is the ride I always start with. Then we went on Pirates. It was FREEZING cold! After this we were going to make our reservation for the Blue Bayou(of course...) and when we got there you know what they told me, it's full! WHAT?!?!?! If you can't call in a reservation how could it possibly be full by 9:15 that morning. He told us there was a small chance we could get in if we came back by 11. So this made for a lot of walking back and forth.

We hit fantasy land to ride the only fantasy land ride worth riding to find this....

Yes, there would be no flights to Neverland for us. I was heartbroken that Peter Pan is getting worked on. So we didn't ride any fantasy land rides.

We got to ride a few more rides before we had to head back to Blue Bayou to see if we could get in.

Obviously we got in, and notice all the empty tables. I'll be honest, it wasn't quite the experience I was hoping to have. The menu has completely changed.. there's only like 5 things to pick from(4 on the kids menu) AJ had to go with the Mac and Cheese, which wasn't very good. I of course loved my Monte Cristo. Also, last year when we went our waitor came and had to take a quick break during our meal. It happened again this year....k, they had just opened. Why did he need a break so soon? I think that's totally weird! Well, I don't know if it will be a necessary stop for me in the future. GASP!

After we had finished eating lunch we headed over to Splash Mountain, it was getting quite hot. The wait was going to be 55 minutes. No way Jose! So we went and got fast passes...then went and rode some more rides. Which means, once again we were walking ALL over!

AJ wanted to buy something so bad, money must burn a hole in his pocket. So he bought this Grumpy hat. He later lost the beard to it. And I got to be the one to carry it around the rest of the day.

We still had some time to kill before our Splash Mountain fast pass...we yes, we went on Winnie the Pooh. I felt like I was on drugs...

We finally got to get on Splash Mountain. I love fast passes. We passed all those people who decided to wait for an hour for the ride. To make it even better, we had about 20 people in front of us yet they needed a party of 2, so we got to pass even more people. We seriously just walked right onto the ride. And we sat in the back this year so I didn't even really get wet at all. My kind of water ride.

After Splash Mountain we tried to get on Big Thunder Railroad, no such luck it was closed temporarily. So we headed over to California Adventure. California Screamin' was the ride we had to hit first because AJ had never been on it. But since the fast pass thing is such a great invention...we got fast passes then went on the Rapids ride. That was the LONGEST wait we had to wait for. It was almost an hour before we got on the ride. The man in front of us was silent for the longest time then he took these pills and magically wouldn't shut up....uh oh. And the girls behind us all had "1st visit" pins on and were pushing me and AJ out of their way the whole time. It was miserable waiting in line time. I got pretty wet, but no nearly as soaked as I thought I would get.

So then we went on Screamin'. AJ absolutely loved it. So after we got off we got another fast pass and decided to go to Tower of Terror while we waited for that fast pass time to come.

Now, we walked all the way over there and the wait said 50 mins. But we knew we could handle it cause most of the waiting was inside where it was cool. So we got to the back of the line and some lady came running up to us and said she had 4 extra fast passes and if any of us were a party of 4. AJ was like we have 2 and the people behind us were also just 2. So she gave them to us...so once again. We got right on the ride! Could our luck get any better???

Unfortunately, they now have someone standing there so you can't take pictures of the pictures as well....but I sure tried!

Then we went on Screamin' again...and once again got another fast pass for after. Then we went on Soarin Over California. The wait wasn't horrible but after just walking on to all the rides it kind of sucks. Then we rode Screamin' once again before heading over to Disneyland again.

We were going to head and see if Big Thunder had opened. As we were walking in the gate a lady grabbed my arm and was like "excuse me, do you want these?" I look, and had finally decided luck was on our side. It was 2 fast passes for Big Thunder. So we ran straight for the ride and got right on! AJ was loving it, he thought he was pretty "Bad A" if you will.

After we rode that we decided to go on Space Mountain again, we had gone in earlier that morning. The wait was HORRIFIC!!! Seriously, couldn't someone had given us a fast pass for that? We were trying to be obnoxious in this picture because the girls behind us were obnoxious the whole time in line(over an hour of middle schoolers makes me want to poke my eyeballs out)
They complained about not being able to see themselves...whoops...?

After riding a few more rides, we were pretty hungry. So I bought a turkey leg, first one ever thank you very much. I didn't eat it all. That's a lot of meat! But it was tasty!

So, AJ couldn't find anything he wanted in Disneyland(apparently...) so we once again headed back over to California Adventure...you'd think my feet would be hurting from all this walking back and forth but they weren't. After he ate, we went back on California Screamin, no joke. It doesn't get old! So we rode it 2 times in a row and called it a day.

On Saturday my dad had a class(as I said in the earlier post) and I didn't really want to drive around and do much so me and AJ hung out at the pool. Yes, I even got in the freezing water! I think I might secretly become more of a water baby then I let on....

After swimming and laying out for over 2 1/2 hours, he had a serious sunburns. Stupid us! I took the sunscreen out. Not my fault AJ didn't apply it liberally. So we sat in the room for awhile before I got so bored I told him we were leaving(thank goodness for GPS!) We headed to the nearest Walmart and bought some Aloe Vera. I will never, ever complain of our Walmart being too crowded ever again! That was a nightmare!

Since it was our last night there we went out to eat with my dad's good friend, "Uncle" Brent, and his wife, Diane, and their son, Dan(can you guess where he got his name from :)). It was a good time. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. It was a great way to spend our last day in California.

Then on Sunday we left bright and early and headed home. I'm happy to be home and sleep in my own bed. And most importantly, to not have to deal with California drivers again!!!

A big thanks to my dad for taking me along for the fun. Thanks to AJ for being a good sport and tagging along with me. And even a thanks to Kelsi for supplying the clothes for me ;)

Oh and PS- I burned 3417 calories walking around Disneyland, in case any of you were wondering!

I'm Alive...

....And kicking in California. Sorry it has been so long since my last post. My dad is in classes today and AJ is napping so I'm just bored. And we didn't bring the camera cord otherwise I'd be all over posting the whole shabang. I will have a beautiful post awaiting as soon as I get home...Just you wait for it....

It really is SO beautiful here!

Birthday & Britney

Today is Daren's birthday! It's his Golden Birthday...meaning he turned 27 on the 27th! He is getting SO old. We knew he wouldn't be up for much this year since he has to go to school and work today. So we celebrated yesterday. We watched HIS shows on tv, River Monsters. We ate sugar cookies, he is not into the whole cake thing.

But I think the thing that REALLY made his birthday weekend special was there is a fly fishing membership place out in Paradise. My dad normally signed him up for it with the other local dentist(it's cheaper for groups) But this year they decided not to sign up, they didn't use it enough. But on Friday evening Grant, the head guy out there, called Daren asking him to be a guide for some people on Saturday out there. He had so much fun! He loved it, he is now convinced even more he should just fish his days away.

And, the hype is offically over about B. Spears concert. Well, ok I'm still thrilled I went but I can't wait around forever to get Whitney's pictures so I will post my mediocre ones. Enjoy!

Pussycat Dolls opened for her. I love them even more after seeing them live. Seriously, they were GOOOOOD!

Then, of course, Britney's tour was all about the circus. So before she came out there were real circus acts.

And Perez Hilton made an appearance. Love him.

Then Britney FINALLY came out...

Yes, I was this close to her!

Future Outfit....? I think so!

Jealous? I know....

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

Last weekend, with all that wind, we decided we were going to fly Michael's new kite. It was a pirate ship. Let's just say...we're not very good.

Especially when Michael is in charge of running with it... But the kite is pretty awesome.

Once we finally decided to change to a different kite...AJ and Daren got it up in the air!

It too broke though....bummer...But who doesn't LOVE flying kites, while being rained on! All I did was sing "Let's Go Fly A Kite"...

Also, I've created a monster! I use to be so sad Meli wouldn't ever let me hold her... Well, she now won't ever let me put her down. It's hard to do when I've got things to do. So I decided to put her in my backpack and wear it backwards. She didn't like it too much. I hope to go to the store, or find some pup carrier sling online. I love my little baby though!!!

Beware I may be posting again soon, I'm just waiting for my friend Whitney's pictures of the ever so fabulous concert from the other night!

P.S. DAREN HAS ALMOST GAINED 15 LBS!! Now who weighs more than the other one... ;) HAPPY DAY!!!

I thought I would post some pictures of my car. I don't think they do it justice....these are pictures JC Auto posts online to help me stay intuned with what they are doing to my car. The estimated day of doneness is April 16th. That can not come soon enough!! I'm over the automatic rental car. Thankfully no snow is scheduled for the forecast, at least nothing to icey!

Anyone who wants a good laugh drive out on 8th West, by Renegade Sports(old Celebration Centre) and you'll see nice car tracks, mounds of dirt, thats me! It's my claim to fame....It is actually kinda sad to drive past every day to remind me of what happened.

On a completely different note, Daren's parents came and stayed with us this weekend. I had a cold(or something weird going on with my head/nose/throat/ears...) so I can only assume I wasn't the hostess of the year, nor was I photographer of the year. Thankfully they fixed up our tv so we have many channels now(I don't have to abuse my parents DVR anymore..) We ate out A LOT...I ran a lot and walked the dogs so hopefully it didn't completely mess up my BodyBugg work. Luckily my mother in law likes to go shopping with me, so thats what we did while the boys worked on the tv.

Really nothing too spectacular to report. Don't you fret, the weeks to come are busy, busy, busy and I will keep my camera by my side to have some wonderful posts for you!