If you ever come to visit...

... and the idea of going to Disneyland causes your wallet to tremble in fear of black-holeness, then we can go to Atlantis! No, really! And it's only $1!

A friend from Church told me about it a couple weeks ago, and when Malia and I were in the mood to get outside, but were on a block-out day from Disneyland, we decided to check it out. It costs $1 per person, and if you are an adult, you can't get in unless you already have a child with you. It's a cool way to create a feeling of safety so none of those pedophilic perverts can get in. Kind of cool.

It's basically a big park with a few of your typical jungle gyms, but then it is also dotted with some oceanic-themed goodies. It's a little old and out-dated, but I really had no complaints seeing as how it cost next to nothing to get in. And Malia had a blast.

Our first stop was the Sting-Ray, and Malia was so excited to get on that she biffed it about 1/2 a dozen times down the hill. But she was a trooper. She would just say, "whoops!" and get right back up and continue on in her haphazard manner.



So, Malia isn't a huge fan of slides. She used to be. I'm not sure exactly what happened... and David won't admit that there was trauma when I was away once and he took her on one. I'm still investigating. But once she went down the slide, I put her back in the whale's mouth just for a picture, and, I don't know if you can see it, but in this picture she is saying, "Wheeeeeee!" and clenching her fists and body in excitement.... but she's not even moving. She cracks me up.

Malia loves these rocking-springy things at whatever park we go to. But she looks miserable on it in this picture. I think I just caught her during a random pause.

Ok. Again, Malia isn't a huge fan of slides, but when I saw this thing, I had to take her on it. Note for future reference: the darn thing is, like, 6 inches wide and twists and turns. Needless to say, I don't think it was meant for adult female hips.

It took us a while to get down. I was embarrassed.

We found a little boy digging, and Malia kept saying, "Dig? Dig? Please? Dig?" Eventually the little boy told us it wasn't his stuff and that it was just there, so he told Malia she could join him.

She was so happy.

He took a liking to her and decided to come over and sit with her. Let me just say, my little girl is a shameless flirt! I am in severe trouble in the future...

Overall, it was worth the total $2 and a happy meal from McDonald's. It was a good day.

One Step at a Time

We've been living in our home for just over 4 months now. I was convinced I would have the whole thing renovated and remodeled by now. Silly me. I mean, money and time are much harder to come by then I sometimes realize. So, it's a gradual process. We still have a living rom ceiling to paint and stairs to fix and the entire upstairs needs a good finishing; not to mention I intend to completely renovate both bathrooms and the kitchen when we win next month's lottery..... riiiiiiight.

But we did finally get to our home office. I've been teaching voice/piano lessons in there and it's been driving me nuts how awful the room is. On Conference weekend, since David would be home, I saw it as the perfect opportunity! It took us only 2 days.... probably should've taken less, but it really is hard to do large tasks with an active 2-year-old around.

*disclaimer: please excuse Malia's naked exhibitionism in a photo or 2

Disneyland.... Home Away from Home

So, Malia and I go to Disneyland... a lot. When we first moved here, I begged and pleaded for almost 6 months to get an Annual Passport. David finally complied (mostly because my whine is quite annoying). And we've been going almost once a week for a year now... except holidays and the summer. I'm blocked out on those days. Thank heavens. Why would I want to go on days when it takes 3 hours just to go on Dumbo?

I'm spoiled. I know.

I thought I would share some pictures from some of our recent adventures to the Happiest Place on Earth. ENJOY!

Today? I Hate Celebrities.

Last night, I watched my first "American Idol" episode of this season. I used to be addicted to the show, but I guess after so many years, its lustre has gone dull. But last night was "Idol Gives Back," which is basically a telethon for a gazillion charities they decide to focus on. I wanted to watch it mainly for celebrity appearances and performances. The highlights:

*Fergie singing with Heart. The chic (Fergie) has some serious vocal weaknesses (singing quiet sounds like a chore for her) but she hit the high notes amazingly well and she is a great performer.

*Jimmy Kimmel talking about Simon Cowell (seriously - where does the man get that terrible haircut)?

*Robin Williams as a Russian auditioning for American Idol. I don't care if he has ADHD... it's funny ADHD.

*All of the clips/short stories about African children and AIDS & malaria (I'll elaborate more on this later).

Now, the explanation for my celebrity loathing:

Don't sit there and try to pour out your "bleeding" hearts & souls to me and try to squeeze insincere, desperate emotion through your plastic tear ducts with that smug expression that cost you millions alone just for the stylist who did your hair!

It just really irritated me last night.

And it has before.

Every time I watch these things about what's going on around the world, I get incredibly emotional. We live in such bubbles. I forget that so many of God's children are suffering far beyond any suffering I've ever done. In fact, poor David came downstairs for a minute last night to see me, a disheveled heap on the couch, sobbing nearly uncontrollably.

I remember being 5-years-old, leaving the mall with my mom, and seeing a man in a wheelchair with both legs amputated, and out of nowhere, I started to bawl. I cried the entire ride home! I couldn't believe how overcome I'd become over my selfishness. And now that I'm a mother, it is even that much harder to watch these things with orphans and grandmothers raising their 8 grandchildren because all the parents have died of AIDS and these little 18 month old wide-eyed darlings lying on a gurney because they have malaria due to the lack of $10 mosquito nets. (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!... that's what happens when I get emotional).

But these CELEBRITIES! *GAG!* I mean, they are the last people I want to hear from about reaching into my heart to help others. Honestly? I pay an honest tithe AND fast offering... which I can hardly afford what with a new mortgage. And these people are flying in jets and buying 5 million dollar homes and staying in $2000-a-night suites while eating caviar and sushi and paying their assistants ludicrous amounts of money just to order them a pizza! Don't try to guilt me into looking outside myself!

I don't know what it was that got me so irked. I mean, I even surprised myself with how mad I was getting. I think I was feeling taken advantage of.

"Here. Look at these heart-breaking pictures of these beautiful children, dying and starving, desperate for a pair of shoes, parentless, educationless, and hopeless.... now GIVE US YOUR MONEY! Meanwhile, I need a pedicure and have to go pick up the check for $50,000,000,000,000 that I got for flaunting my beautiful body and saying the F-word, so that I can pay the mortgage on my 5 houses, all on different coastlines."

Listen, you hypocrites! I pay my fast offerings every month! It may not be a lot... but I do it, every month, without hesitation! Don't you come to me all holier-than-thou and smug because you "appeared for free" (who cares?) at a function in L.A., where you live anyway, so that people could applaud you and see you as so giving! You wanna' give? Why don't you go around the block to the homeless guy eating garbage from the dumpster behind the theatre that you so "selflessly" appeared at for free, and hand him the title to one of your homes? I mean, it's not like you ever sleep there!

Bah.

*ptooey!*

Shouldn't've watched the darn show.

I need to read more.

Ode to Davey

I was noticing that the majority of this blog contains 2 topics: Malia's Milestones & My Rantings. David doesn't post on the blog (despite my best efforts to encourage him to do otherwise) and so, if you only knew our family through our blog, you might assume he didn't even exist.


Thus, the reason for this next post. Some of this will be old news to many of you. But a small handful of you might find it both enlightening and entertaining. I am mostly doing it to embarrass the heck out of my husband (as if I don't already do that on a daily basis... HA!) And because he needs the occasional affirmation of how awesome and appreciated he truly is.

When David and I met, we were on the other side of the world and we were both spoken for. That was the beauty of it. There was absolutely nothing that spoke of a possible romance between the two of us. We had both just been cast as performers at the then newly-opened Universal Studios Theme Park in Osaka, Japan. He had left a girlfriend behind back at BYU in Provo, and I had a missionary in Brazil. Our first impressions of each other were... less then spectacular. I had already been at the new place for a day, and he had just flown in that morning. I had been informed of "another Mormon" and was very excited to meet him. To be honest? I was hoping for a temporary fling while my missionary was gone. However, when David and I met for the 1st time just outside the elevator of the 8th floor, where we both would be living for the next year, we wrote each other off almost immediately. I saw him as shy, boring, and incredibly behind on the fashion times. (mind you, he was still somewhat fresh from the mission field). He saw me as loud, intimidating, and somewhat obnoxious... which, I suppose, isn't too far from the truth. However, in spite of, or maybe because of these reservations, we became fast platonic friends. He was even called to be my home teacher, which was convenient since we lived 3 doors away.

To cut to the chase: After 4 months of pure best-friendship, David and I started dating (he and the other girl had mutually parted by this time). Our relationship had it's ups & downs. But, for the most part, it was the easiest, healthiest relationship I'd ever had.

But the purpose of this was not to tell you how we met (I know, "Could've fooled me!")

The purpose is to shout to the world how grateful I am for the sacrifices he's made for Malia & I. If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you are more then aware that I chose Mommyhood over what may've been a potentially successful career on the stage. Well, when David & I were dating, he had goals to be a successful film actor. I told him that until he changed his plans, we could not discuss getting married. (hey - I was looking out for my future offspring, ok?!)

The long & the short of it? David currently has a Physics Masters Degree with an emphasis in Acoustics and a BA in Japanese and he works for a scientific research company as an Engineer so that he can put bread on the table and so that I can stay home with Malia.

BO-RING!

And he does it because he is an incredible human being. He is selfless, thoughtful, generous, righteous, all those other things I find myself lacking in.... the "Yin to my Yang," so-to-speak.

This is for him.

David, I love you, admire you, and am grateful, every day, to God,

for the gift of you.

You are my greatest blessing....

aside from the ones we've created together.