His Bit of Earth

Mark has made quite the impact on our front yard. We've been plagued with the roots of our front tree in our grass, which has consequently left our grass growing in spots and patches. So, Mark took the weekend and rented a rotor tiller and dug up the yard! And wow the roots were insane!

But now we have quite the nice little bit of earth. we laid the bark and planted a few new plants which now makes for a bit more character and color in our yard. We're only part done, but is a fun little project. I'd like to say I helped out, but to be honest, I raked about 3 shovel fulls and then I was done! Good thing Mark was so dedicated.

Lil' Trip

We really are doing something in our lives. Most of it just really isn't blog worthy. Honest. So to save my grossly neglected blog - proof that we still live.

Several weeks ago we took a trip down to see Hearst Castle again. Such a lovely little drive down the California coastline - something that really shouldn't be missed in life. We stopped halfway down and stayed in a really sketchy dive hotel that happened to be right next to a Carl's Jr. which made the divey party not so creepy. (although the peeping tom was a little less then welcome)

The next morning we made the rest of the trip down to San Simeon, where the weather was mostly cloudy and cold in the morning, and then burned off by the afternoon. Typical of the area. We made a quick stop to see the elephant seals which was far more windy and cold then enjoyable - and were shortly back in the car and off to the castle.I really like visiting the castle, dreaming of what it would have been like to stay there. It is just so dreamy; and big. We ventured down with our dear friends Sarah and Matt who make great company. Plus, since they had never been, they really made the trip more interesting for us repeat guests. Simply delightful.

**Please excuse our lack in pictures. They are mostly just of the castle and really not-so-fabulous close ups of my face! And who needs to see that right?**

I {heart} AC

I am melting. Quite literally it feels.

Its been 100 plus the past 3 days.

I wish AC was free because my bill is going to be something tragic.

Welcome Summer! Now go away.

Happiest Post on Earth

True to Morrell style, we decided to take our much needed time off to visit our old stomping grounds in Southern California. Some may think we have an illness with our frequency of the Disney goodness, but to each their own right? We headed down on Thursday evening so we could have some time to relax on Friday and of course have time to hit up our favorite restaurant Ruby's where too much is eaten. Even our friends who had not been in over a year remembered it was delightful - even if they couldn't remember why. :) Mark is really good and orders something different each visit. I however, am stuck on their shrimp tacos. And still sorely miss their White Chocolate Raspberry shake. Cheers to a Ruby's Diner.

By Saturday we were ready for our visit with the mouse. Mark and I had very few needs which made our trip fabulous as the Richards' didn't seem to have too many expectations either. We were all just thrilled to be there and little Teagan was a trooper if I've ever seen one. With only a few 30 minute power naps - she seemed to be in good spirits the entire day. A fan of Disney from...birth. Just how we like them.

Little Mermaid didn't disappoint. Its been open for a week now so we expected lines down the street. We were pleasantly surprised with only a 30 minute wait! It really was quite wonderful, and true to most Disney "dark rides"; missing a large portion of the middle of the movie and just skipping to the end. Eh - it was still entertaining.

Of course a trip to the Mania was required. Mark and the Richards' are good sports to play with me. Although my scores are NOT the best of the day like the use to be, I still score higher then most and have a delightful time playing. And let the record show that I bring good ju-ju because Michelle got her best score when she rode with me. I'm just sayin'. I'm kind of a rock star.

The most ... colorful shall we say ... part of our Disneyland adventure was discovering the "Rave Children" all over the park. Now, for a high school teacher, I pride myself in knowing a bit about the young culture. However, I have never seen something like this before. And lets just keep in mind that it felt like 95 degrees in our regular attire so I can only imagine how warm these people must have felt. I give you - the plastic color explosion parade.


They sort of reminded me of Rainbow Bright. These kids had plastic jewelry everywhere! Some had them in several layers all the way up their arms! It was insane. We began to bargain that the more colorful bracelets you had on, the higher in rank you were. You know, sort of like some kind of system of hierarchy. And the girl with the magic school bus lunchbox (green shirt above) was the queen of the Rave Children. It was the weirdest sight we had ever seen. And I must say, I just missed the pose of the entire group of like 50+ in front of the castle. If only that gentleman would have walked faster then I would have had it! Sadly, this will have to suffice for memories.

Waiting for the parade was by far the hottest wait of my life. But well worth it. Disneyland has been failing in the parade department in my book for several years now; so when I heard that the new Soundsational parade was now preforming, I knew I had to have front row seats. And I was so delighted. It was a genuine Disney parade! Fabulous floats, delightful costumes and dancers in between, all the good characters, catchy music. Just delightful! So I highly recommend the time to sit and watch.


So, cheers to another delightful trip to visit The Land. We were really looking forward to spending the weekend with our dearest friends and were thrilled they made the trip down to join us.

Wrapping it up

For the past six years I have defined myself as a "high school teacher". One who deals with the crazy and unpredictable stage that is adolescence everyday. Some called me crazy, others call me brave, some just think I'm a saint to volunteer for this kind of gig. But for me, it's been perfect.

Now, Deer Valley is by no means a glamorous school. (although growing up it was the talk of the town about how nice the facilities were). I kind of blame it on my previous assignment at La Sierra because I had just the PERFECT years teaching there. I think I sort of idolize it as more wonderful then it was because I feel like I am constantly judging DVHS by its standards. Anyway - what I'm trying to say is that these past 3 months of teaching there haven't been all roses and butterflies, especially as the school year comes closer to the end, I am definitely ready to be done. Like the kid who is an open drug hustler, and comes late to class every day. Is it bad that I kind of pray he doesn't show up. And do a little dance when he is suspended, which is often. Probably. And the class that lines up at the door 5 minutes before the lunch bell rings. And I have to stand at the doorway to make sure they don't just leave. And the class that throws everything they own on the floor because it's the "custodians job" to clean it up. Oh that just bugs me. And the girl with A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E. That time she and I got into a bit of a brawl - I won't go into details - and she screams "You're not my mom" - the only logical reply - "Thank heavens for that". I don't remember the ending after that. Anyway - I digress.

On Thursday, my position as a teacher will be ending. That's weird for me. I have been trying to get a full time position at the school where I've been covering, but for some reason, it appears that just isn't in the cards for me. I'll probably be substitute teaching next school year again, but that just isn't the same as having your own students and classroom. And for the summer, I am jobless. Totally and utterly free. I haven't been that since my own school days.

So there you go. There are a lot of "last times" in life that I remember. Your last day in college, your last day in a given city, your last day single. Its weird when big stuff like that comes to an end. Like your last day in your career. (look at me all down and sour. I just don't predict the economy flipping in a few short months making a history job available for me anytime soon).

And that's all I have to say about that. I suppose that means my next post will have to be something happy. Perhaps the "happiest post on Earth" if you will. And I will.

Birthday Celebrations

Can you believe my man is Thirty? Such a fabulous age with a whole new decade to embark on. When trying to list all the things that happened the last 10 years of his life, we started to get excited with how much more good stuff lies ahead. So a big "hala" to my love and his thirty years of life. Rather then go through a list of 30 things I love about him and bore you all to near death, I'll just skip to the activities and let you all know what we did.

Mom was kind enough to treat us to a weekend getaway in Monterey. The weather seemed made to order with sun and blue skies. We enjoyed a delightful walk down Cannery Row, perused through some antique shops, stopped by a market for some lunch and enjoyed it on the beach where I caught some rays and a little nap. Aahh delightful.

The highlight of going to Monterey was our trip on the Bay in kayaks. We rented a few and headed out to see if we could find some wildlife. And boy did we. We made our way to a rather large bed of seaweed and there were about 12 or more otters just hanging out. Advised by the rental guys to stay at least 50 feet away, we didn't get close enough for a picture, and was even more amazed at the speed at which we had the wildlife preserve peeps on our back ready to "answer our questions" about the otter. Right. So we enjoyed from a distance for a minute longer and then made our way back.

Okay, now for a totally inappropriate segway picture for this birthday post. While kayaking in Monterey, the rental shop had this little dedication tattooed on the wall. I thought it was extremely accurate and therefore had to take a picture. I would have taken it on my phone but since that was all the way in the car, this was the solution. And besides, the Internet world needs to know the truth of the matter. I'm just sayin.

And back to Mark, for his actual day of birth, we enjoyed a little Chili's fresh mex. Which is just delightful, and opened a few gifts that I had tried so very hard to choose. Buying for Mark is so difficult. Especially when he breaks the cardinal rule of birthday-dom; don't shop for yourself during the month of your birth! UG.

Here is Mark and his fake surprise picture; posed perfectly for the camera. We both love the movie Inception, and I had to practically tell him that I got it for him to prevent him from purchasing it on his own. And a more genuine birthday opening face which I appreciate for the photobook memories. I also got him a few books to keep his reading frenzy at bay. He seriously has been reading every book we have in the house several times over. So some new material was highly overdue.

So a happy birthday wish to my wonderful man who is embarking on a new decade of life. I guess you could say he is "thirty, flirty, and thriving." Which is what we were going for.

Garage Sales

Some people are big on Garage Sales. I am NOT one of these people. Especially after helping my mom in our first garage sale events of our lives. Exhausting and hardly worth the little income you make. Ug.

Since Mom's move about 5 months ago, we have found a lot of stuff that doesn't really fit in the new house. When word came out that her neighborhood development was having a garage sale, she thought it was a great opportunity to get rid of some old stuff and make some profit while we were at it. I headed over Friday night and we spent a good 4 hours taking everything out of boxes and deciding what the value of the object was, putting the price on it, and laying out on one of the 6 tables Mom had gotten from the Church. It all started fun, but by the end we were just throwing numbers out and not really caring what the "value" was.

Saturday morning came, only after an entire night dreaming about the horrors of pricing and selling, and by 7am we were moving the tables out of the garage into the driveway. And can you believe that we could hardly get it out fast enough before the lookers were already looking. I was surprised with how busy it all was; several lookers at a time for most of the morning. I even sold our old bed-in-a-bag set and made a little cash for our new bedroom decor. (which I then promptly spent on dinner...my bad) . By noon it had all pretty much died out and mom and I were both exhausted and just done with the whole scene. We sold a good amount of stuff but felt like we boxed up more then what we sold and dumped it in the DI truck.

So - in my personal opinion - donation is the way to go. Yeah we made a few hundred but really? For the amount of time and effort it takes to first get your sell pile together, then to price it all, then to get it all out so people can buy it, then to sell it, then to put it all away...its just a lot of work. But hey, at least I can say I've had a garage sale. Well, that my mom had one and I sold one personal belonging at it. Which is basically the same thing right?

Something Different

We're not actually moving, and I need something different to look at when I open my blog. We are such boring people. We don't have babies or vacations or fun things to report on so consequently, our blog is boring. My apologies.

I suppose I could blog about our daily lives. Like how our kitchen seems to reproduce dishes like magic. And how our dishwasher is always overloaded with bowls. And how as much as I love the look of the dark wood floors, they are more work to keep clean and pretty then I probably thought about when I choose them.

I should be embarrassed to mention how my spare bedroom has turned into the "clean linens" pile because I am too lazy to fold the laundry and put them in the closet. So whenever we need a new set of sheets, I just pull them off the top of the pile. Throw the new clean sheets in there when I'm done washing them so that when I need them...there they are. It's bad right?

I could mention about our upcoming trip to Disneyland with some of our very favorite people and how I feel like I haven't been in a million years and how I am about ready to make a paper chain to help me count the days down. It'll be jammed packed with people and probably super hot but I have plans to ride the new Little Mermaid ride which I've been awaiting since they started construction, and of course Toy Story Mania as many times as our friends will let me. And Ruby's Diner - how we have missed you.

It is easy to overlook our careers. Mark continues to learn new stuff about the pool business. He can fix just about anything and is quite the master at trouble shooting the problem. We've vowed we'll never own a pool but sure appreciate those who do. School for me is just about done. 3 weeks left makes it a struggle for the students to pay attention. We'll all be glad when it is over. Currently, the district shows no signs of hiring me into the position I've been filing even though the word on the street is that the position is available. So we'll see.

So there you have it...we don't have any pictures or good stories to tell. So a big thank you to the rest of you bloggers that keep me entertained because reading my own blog has left me realizing that we need more action.

We're moving

Only because its for sale. Opportunities like this don't happen twice. You can come and visit.

Beat That.

Dear world. If you think that I am snubbing you - think again. I just paid my monthly cell phone bill. The numbers are as follows.

50 minutes used

19 Text messages sent.

And can I just say that I'm pretty sure 17 of those messages went to a certain Washington number - because I love her. I think I need to increase my social outlets.

Wow. That is ... unreal.

Spring Break

Another reason why I am such a fan of my profession. I get Spring Break. Granted, this particular year I don't get paid for it - I still have the time off which I love. This week is turning out to be full of "things-to-do" lists.

Things-to-Do #1: Finish Bathroom!
Okay, so its not exactly finished, but it is totally mostly done. And it is beautiful! A big shout out to my BIL who is an interior design genius and help me commit to a color. And now, presenting, my totally new and totally relaxing grey bathroom. Can you believe that we tore out this whole bathroom, and reinstalled everything! B-E-A-utiful. Comments of congratulations welcome.

The Before. Especially loved the pink accent tiles.

The during - well, the best I could find.
The New-and Improved.
I totally love the 2 mirror look. So sleek.


To-Do-List #2: Celebrate Mom's birthday.

Mom had her birthday yesterday and I sort of took the easy road and took her out to dinner rather then make it for her at home like last year. But I did get her a cute new shirt and jewelry combo and a recipe book for soups which I happen to love. Delightful

To-Do-List #3: Host Mikey

My favorite BIL is visiting for the week between his London study abroad and return to Provo. He is just such a delight. And I like having him around. We mostly just sit and watch Tyra Banks talk show and other lame daytime TV but it is fabulous.

To-Do-List #4: Finish Scrapbook(s).

So I have 2 Scrapbooking projects I am trying to finish. And I love it. Mostly because I get to have a creative outlet that produces a great result. And it is good for me. And I especially like to hear the satisfaction on the faces of those whose books they are. Perfect.

To-Do-List #5: Spring Cleaning Start

As my first year as a homeowner rounds out, I feel it is important to get in the spring cleaning chores while I am out of school this week. This includes a deep clean of several things that get overlooked during the year. The blinds, the oven, the cupboards; you get the jist. So heres to my music being a little too loud, and the lemon-y smell of goodness everywhere.

Overall - Spring break is turning out to be quite successful. Happy spring to me.

Just to catch up

A blog I follow updates ALL THE TIME. At least twice a week. And I love that. I use to be a frequent blog updater, but now I can't blog at work, which is a huge inhibitor in my getting stuff down. So - just to catch up.

--Our fence is finally in the building stages. Our neighbors set up the contractor; which was nice of them, and now we are seeing some progress. Of course the mammoth size snake that was living under the old fence was an unexpected surprise. I'd be okay if we don't see another one of those again.

--I am going through a sugar cookie phase. Weird right? I am CRAVING sugar cookies all the time. Now, a few months back when I was in this craze, I actually made the cookies and consumed them all too quickly. I suppose I am healing as I don't actually make them anymore. But man they are delicious.

--We are big reality TV fans. We've been following the usual popular shows, missing others I'll admit. Although we haven't been into American Idol or Survivor, we've got ANTM, Amazing Race, Top Chef, Deadliest Catch, Biggest Looser, and a myriad of Food Network challenges. We also are fairly large fans of Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. Most our evenings are fairly chill and include some kind of TV relaxing. It's a charmed life.

--I don't know how to feel about those blogs who clarify those pictures they take with their "point and shoot" or "iPhone". Because I am pretty sure all my pictures look like those which makes me feel like my photo skills are inadequate and are not going to document my kids life as beautifully as it should. I'm just saying - I don't care if you took your pictures with a Kodak disposable, had them printed, and scanned them with your hand-me-down scanner to get them on your blog, they are nice so be okay with it.

--I am loving my job again. This really is my perfect job. I love Love LOVE it. Too bad the school system in America is less then favorable and the value of the teachers work is, again, less then favorable. But I get to hang out with a lot of great students. Many of whom will go on to forget me; but I don't know how to explain it. It is just magic for me.

--I sold my college car. My RAV4 that I just loved. The cute little perfect fit for me. I felt like I was cheating on my family getting rid of her like that. And the knife in the heart was when the buyer changed my radio station to his Latin station and had it booming while we finished the transaction. (sad face). But it really was for the better. 3 cars with only 2 drivers really was a bit excessive.

--I've started Scrapbooking Mark's life. Yes! A big project I know. But I am in need of some inspiration for another book I am working on so I started. And now I can't stop. I just love the idea of our futures being able to see pictures of us when we were young. I am addicted to scrapbooking my life. I even sometimes have the pages done before the pictures are captured. So fun.

I guess that is it. Not really exciting eh? Now you know why I don't blog much.

2 Years Down....Eternity To Go.

On this, the 2nd anniversary of the happiest moment of my life, I felt appropriate to give a tribute to my amazing wife. She is the kindest, funniest, and best friend anyone could ever ask for. Here are some good descriptive words for her.

Selfless - We had some good memories this second year. A move to Northern California that would cause for her to leave behind a job she loved dearly, but did so without any complaint. She knew she may not ever teach again, but she also knew it was the right decision.

Creative - We bought our first house this year and have had to be more than open-minded to what we have needed to do in order to make it feel like home. Kaylinn has put her touch of creative genius into the upgrading of our house and has made it feel just as we had hoped.

Dream Driven - I love how she has dreamed of certain things forever and they always come true. A couple of weeks ago, we had determined that it was time to finally plant her lemon tree that she has always. On top of that we planted an orange and grapefruit tree. We took a train to Sacramento last weekend to celebrate our anniversary, something that she has always wanted to do. I just can't wait for what will be next. These little dreams have turned from her dreams to ours.

Loyal - I am talking about her friends here. She has reconnected with friends from the past that have presented to be beneficial for both ends. Last night we planned outings with some of them for the summer time. No matter what, she is always there for a listening ear and a word of comfort to those who are need. I love that about her.

Last of all -AMAZING- that is what she is. Every aspect of her character is determined to improve on what it currently is to what it could be. I always have respected that about her. Never content with where she is because she knows where she could be. I hope that in our eternities I can keep up with that!

Kay, I love you. Thank you so much for an outstanding first two years. It just makes me more excited for what there is in store for us.

Self...Great Day

Woke up. Sun shining perfectly. Worked out minimally, but still counts. Cleaned house to smell of lemons. Had music playing nice and loud which resulted in the sweep n' step. Very therapeutic. Conference talks. Stellar. Followed by grocery shopping with the hubby which is always a favorite. Sun still shining perfectly. Open the windows & blinds that have been closed for ages, and enjoy the breeze. Delicious lunch. Catch up on distant friends lives and their beautiful blogs. I feel blessed. Some of my favorite people visit followed by Rock Band gaming, girl talk, and Chili's. Self...great day.

Old Town Sacramento

Being that our anniversary falls on Conference weekend, we decided to celebrate this weekend to ensure we were available to listen to the sessions. This year was my turn to plan our little get away and I decided to stay somewhat close to home. As usual, our weekend was full of unexpected funnies and just delightful memories. We got off to a bit of a rough start when I was delayed at school thus making our departure from home a little later then it should have been. In an effort to switch it up a bit, we made arrangements to take the train up to Old Town Sacramento. Being that we were running a little behind, our stress level was higher then it should have been, so we weren't exactly thinking totally clearly. To make a long story short, we flew into a parking spot we didn't think we snag, let a few obscenities slip as we tried to grab our luggage from the trunk, ran like mad across the tracks and barely made it onto the train as it was pulling out of the station. I felt a little like a hobo might have, trying to jump on the train while it was still moving. Ok - so it wasn't that bad, but it was bad. Of course there were few open seats so it took a few minutes to find an open row. Got seated and tried to calm down. Only to find out...what?-this train is going where? That's right folks. We got on the wrong train! Drat! So it took an extra 40 minutes but we did eventually make it to our destination.

We stayed in a hotel that we are pretty sure supported some kind of political campaign. But it was nice and right across the street from the capitol building. Except of course our room was not on the right side. We still think the view was something special. We did make an appearance at the State Railroad museum which compared to the one in my memory - was a ton smaller. We started with the tour, until the tour guide was a little drab, then just made our way around on our own. Then we walked around Old Town Sacramento and enjoyed a little pizzeria who boasted a lunch buffet. We were disappointed when the buffet consisted of 2 pizza's with a ton of cheese, one with a little pepperoni. Weird. We then went over to see the state capitol building which was built in 1875 or something crazy like that. The refurbishment in 1975 cost California 2 bucks a person. And it was something amazing for sure. We stood in front of the Governor's office and even set off an alarm while trying to find the exit. That was fun. After an innocent explanation and personalized directions to the exit; we felt we really made our mark on the capitol.

We ended out trip with a delightful meal at The Firehouse Restaurant which I would highly recommend. So although the weather was a little more wet then I would have requested, it was a great little celebration for just the 2 of us.