Colorado or Bust!!!

Monday I booked a flight to Colorado for Wed-Mon to go see Shauna and the gang!! I had already taken the time off because Shauna was coming to CA, but she decided to come in the beginning of July instead. So I had the time off and nothing to do. Shauna called to tell me they were going to Aspen from Thurs-Sunday with Doug's work and I could come if I wanted. So, I booked a flight and here I am!!!

We headed to SnowMass on Thursday and are staying in this AMAZING hotel called the VICEROY. It is spectacular. We have a one bedroom with a den, but it is more like a three bedroom with a full kitchen..oh and there are 4 flat screen TVs!!!! The view from the hotel is breathe taking!! We are right on the ski hill, so there is a chairlift right at the hotel!! We went to the village Thurs night for dinner. There was a free concert going on on the ski hill that we listened to. We got some mexican food for dinner (if you want to call it that...pretty NASTY!!) Then it started thundering and poring rain!





The view from our balcony....it's rough!!!

The hotel gives the kids free sunglasses!

Free concert on the ski hill


Today we headed up to Aspen Highlands to go the the Maroon Bell hike. We met up with Doug's boss and family and another family Doug grew up with. We took a bus up to the lake where we would go on our hike. It was unbelievably gorgeous. The scenery reminded me a lot of Lake Louise in Canada.

Lake Louise


Maroon Bells

The Maroon Bell mtns are the most photographed mtns in the US!! We went on a hike around the lake and stopped for a little snack, then headed back down. I didn't want to leave. It was sooo beautiful there!! The drive there and back was gorgeous as well. I can't imagine living here and being able to come here all the time!!! After the hike we hung out in the Aspen Highlands village and had some pizza.

Can you believe she is 4 months pregnant??!!!!!!

Alexa with the mtns in her sunglasses :)

Aspen trees :)

Aspen Highlands Ski Resort

Aspen Highlands Village


Tonight we are heading to Aspen to walk around and have dinner. The only thing that could make this trip even better was if Joe was here :(

One Phone Call Turns Into "Happily Ever After"...

5 years ago today I made the most important phone call...I called Joe and asked him to dinner!! That's right...I made the FIRST move!! I can remember it like yesterday....Joe used to drive from LA to Laguna Hills every day, so he would stay late at work to let the traffic die down. So, I had promised him lunch from helping me out with something and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to use that as an excuse to ask him to dinner. We had been talking a lot due to having to work with each other on some stuff and I could tell that something was happening between us, but wasn't sure. He was at one point the guy I HATED at work!! But somehow he was starting to grow on me!! So I called him and asked him if he wanted to go eat dinner while he waited for the traffic to die down. He said "sure" and I'm sure I was jumping up and down and FREAKING OUT!! So I told him to meet me at the Yard House in Newport. I can even remember what I was wearing: white capri's and my brown rip curl shirt with a brown satin bow!! I'm pretty sure I put some kind of make-up on!!! I remember seeing Joe waiting for me at the restaurant..He had taken his tie off and I thought he looked SOOO CUTE!! I had never seen him without a tie before!!

So we sat down and I ordered my favorite meal, seared Ahi. Joe ordered CHICKEN POT PIE!! I remember thinking to myself, "Who orders chicken pot pie!!??" I was also dying because I HATED that as a kid growing up!! Well, we pretty much just talked the whole time and made fun at each other. I remember getting up to go the the bathroom and when I came back, Joe had paid the bill....I was supposed to pay!!! That gave me an excuse to tell him we would have to go out again so I could pay!! After we ate, we went down to the parking garage and talked for over an hour...well Joe just made fun of me for about an hour!! Of course, I thought it was cute :)

Two days later, we went to the movies and were never apart after that!!! I can't believe it has been 5 years and now we are MARRIED!!! Now we have two anniversary's to celebrate!!!! I can't imagine my life without Joe :)

Here are some pictures from each of our anniversary's since we have been together...

LOVE YOU BABY, LOVE YOU XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

1st Anniversary at the Madison in Long Beach


2nd Anniversary at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach


3rd Anniversay at Disneyland


4th Anniversary at Disneyland and a "pirate sleep over" with the kids (NOT our kids of course!)


Oct 9, 2009 Wedding Day


I found these pictures that Joe had taken of me at work back in 2004. We barely knew each other back then. Little did he know at that time that he was taking a picture of his FUTURE WIFE!!! (These aren't the best pictures of me but I thought it was pretty funny that he took them!!)

That's me smiling at in the background!!! "HEY BABY...WHAT"S YOUR #?? HAHAHA"


He must have really fallen for this pose!!!

She's All GROWED Up!!!

Emily graduated from High School at the beginning of June and I CAN"T BELIEVE IT!!! She is the youngest cousin on my mom's side. I can't believe she will be going to Utah State in September. I am really going to miss having her around to hang out with. Emily is half my age but she seems so much older. Above is a picture of me holding her at my high school graduation back in 1994 when she was just one!! Time has flown by and we have become so close and great buddies :) I hope you know how proud I am of you Em :)

Now I just have one more cousin that will graduate next year, Taylor, who is the youngest cousin on my dad's side. I am starting too feel REALLY OLD :(

Wishing it was a dream...

I can't believe that it has been two years today that my Grandpa passed away. It still feels like a dream and it's not real. It has been a hard week remembering what we all went through two years ago. As hard as it is for me, I can't begin to imagine what my Grandma is feeling. In just three days they would be celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary. There aren't many couples that have known each other since childhood and have been together ever since. My Grandpa treated my Grandma like royalty and took such perfect care of her. My Grandpa would always do such sweet things for her but my favorite has to be the shoe book he made for her. Now my Grandma has a great love for shoes (this is where I must get it!!). She keeps her shoe boxes for each pair and it's hard to have to open up each box to figure out which pair is which. So, being the smart Grandpa he was, he decided to number each box. Then he took out one of the shoes and took a picture of it next to the box #. He put each picture in a book so my Grandma could just go through the pages to figure out what pair she wanted and then find that numbered box!! I hope that I can have a relationship as loving as theirs!

There are many things I miss about my Grandpa, so here are a few of them and some of my favorite memories:

*Calling me sweetheart and giving me a kiss and a hug when he would see me
*His funny jokes (only he could get away with telling those jokes!)
*His saggy pants
*Staying a week with he and my Grandma and being at dinner and my Grandpa telling my Grandma that I wanted some potato chips, saying I didn't, he saying I did and then giving me "that look"...forgot to mention they were "salted" chips!!
*Going on a drive with he and my Grandma and taking me to all of their old homes above the Rose Bowl and telling me stories about all of them
*Always being with his camera and saying, "OK, 1,2, 3..."
*making dribble sand castles at the beach house
*falling asleep where ever he was!
*Sitting next to him on California Screaming for the first time and watching his face..and him trying to walk straight after he got off!!
*watching the Electric Light Parade
*Going to Disneyland :)
*Telling funny stories about all of our crazy relatives
*raking the sand for us so it was perfect
*always fixing up the yard
*sitting in his dark room
*being more computer savvy then me
*hated "rap" music
*coming to my high school basketball games and taking pictures of the team for our Program
*always having an organized garage
*being pulled on a tube from a boat at Lake Powell
*swimming across the Balboa Channel
*being the most helpful person I know
*being the hardest worker I know
*dancing with my Grandma
*loving my Grandma more then anything in this world!!!

I love you Grandpa and I miss you more then you know...XOXOXOXOXO


Me, Grandpa & Shauna making dribble sandcastles

"The Wedding", by Audrey Saunders

Audrey had to do a narrative at school where she had to write about something and narrate it to her class. She chose to write about her day as our flower girl. I thought it would be cute to make a book for her about her narrative and give it to her for her birthday. I had Lisa email me her narrative and I put it on the last page of the book. I got as many pictures as I could of her from the wedding and turned it all into a cute book. She loved it and I am soo happy she did!!! She kept telling Lisa that she doesn't know how her narrative became a REAL BOOK!!! Take a look at the book...the last page is her narrative, but in case you can't read it you can read it below the book...

Click here to view this photo book larger

The Wedding
Written By Audrey Saunders

It was a beautiful Friday morning and I didn’t have to go to school. It was a special day. It was my Aunt Cara’s wedding and I was the flower girl!!! In the morning I went to get my hair done at A Star Is Born. It’s a hair salon where you can get beautiful hairdos. I told the hairstylist, “I want my hair in two little braids in the front that connect in the back.” When she was done my Mom said, “It’s perfect! You look beautiful!” After she finished I put a clip in the back. It was brown with a gold center.

After I got my hair done my mom and I went to pick up the flowers. The flower lady’s name was Candy. The flowers were all different shades of oranges and for the vases there were real white pumpkins!! After we got them we put them in the car.

After we got all dressed we drove to the beach for pictures. I was wearing a brown dress with gold flowers on it and gold shoes. We were in the middle of taking pictures when my Aunt Heather yelled, “Ouch!” She had stepped on a bee. She was almost crying and in pain. My Grandma ran to get an ice pack from the Life Guards. She put it on her foot and it felt better.

Next we went to the Community Center. At the Community Center we had the real wedding. That meant it was almost time for me to be flower girl!!! When it was time I walked down the isle. I carried a basket that was as white as snow and the orange petals from the flowers were in it! After my two cousins and me watched a slide show, danced, and played around. During the dancing it was time to throw the bouquet!!! Cara turned to me and said, “Stand behind me.” The next thing I knew she through the bouquet right at me. When I looked in my hands I noticed I had caught it!! That was one of the most fun times of my life!!!

The End!!!