Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend was a blast! We met up with one of my best friends (Allison) and her hubby Rod, Eric and Gretchen (Jimmy and I met at their wedding), and 2 other couples. We went to the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, the Mystery Spot, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, saw the Elephant seals along the beach (they smelled horrible by the way), drove the most beautiful drive in the country (Highway 1...a 2.5 hour drive along the cliffs off the coast of California) stopping for tons of pictures along the way, Hearst Castle (and we saw wild zebras--no joke!), and to a few California missions from the 1700s. It was an amazing trip and so much fun to be with old friends and enjoy the beauty of CA.

Jimmy and Rod singing at the Kereoke Bar
The whole gang singing "The Love Shack"

CA sunset on our way home

So these random zebras were along the side of the road. They are wild and tend to hang out with the cattle.

You'd think were were in Africa or something

Here is an indoor pool at Hearst Castle (the floor is made of gold)

Dining room

The beautiful Hearst Castle

One of the pools at Hearst Castle (me and Gretta)

One of the guest houses

One of the bridges along Hwy 1

another CA mission

me with all the nasty elephant seals along the coast

Beautiful drive

CA mission

Cathedral

I didn't know they had whtie-sand beaches in CA

my cutie hubby

us at Carmel

This looks like Sunset Beach in Hawaii

some of the pretty fish and kelp forest at the aquarium

This little sea lion was tapping his blue ball on the window. It was so cute!

The jellyfish were the coolest! Jimmy, me, Allison, Rod

The mystery spot

I'm actually standing on a ladder against the wall here...

Jimmy inside the myster shack...for some reason he didn't fall over (Allison in background making a weird face)

Here's Jimmy walking against the wall of the mystery shack

The whole gang. Basically the mystery spot is a place where due to optical illusions and the theory of relativity, things aren't as they seem. You can walk on walls, stand crooked, balls roll uphill, etc. I still can't quite figure it out!

My First 5K

If you know me, you know that I hate to run. I like to exercise and play sports such as volleyball, softball, water sports, etc. that involve quick sprints or no running at all.

Well--we decided to do our first 5K for Breast Cancer (a close to home cause). I have never run 3.2 miles at one time in my whole life so my goal was to:
a: run the whole time
b: run it in under 32 minutes.

Jimmy's goals were the same except he wanted to run it in under 30 minutes. Here are the before pictures:

the sun is in my eyes!

Friend Janelle, Jimmy, Me, sis. in law Karen

There was a huge turnout of 20,000 people that attended and we ended up meeting our goals! I ran it in 28 minutes flat and Jimmy did it in 26 minutes!

Here is the after picture of us in our apartment parking lot. Karen, Jimmy and I.

p.s. I just updated my mom's blog with a funny video about her...check it out www.rubbingrock.blogspot.com

Locks of Love

So--I finally did it. I cut off 10 inches of my long, curly hair. As you know, my mom has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and is completely bald. Although my hair will go toward a wig for a child, I felt that somehow I would be helping my mom by donating my hair.

So if anyone is looking to get a cut for summer--maybe cutting it a few more inches would provide a wig for a child with cancer. (visit http://www.locksoflove.org/). The minimum length for a wig is 10 inches.

Here are some before and after pics...

Before

After

Look how much I cut off!

2nd Article of Faith

At church a little 3 year old ran up to the primary president to pass off the 2nd article of faith. Here it is:

"Sister Nelson, I learned the second Article of Faith. We believe that man may be punched for his own sins and not for his madams transgressions."

hahaha! I kinda like this way better ;0)

Good Citizens

I'm giving my husband the "good citizen award" due to something that happened last Saturday. We were following behind a car and all of a sudden the man started hitting the person in the front seat (really hard--with lots of anger).

We called 9-1-1 and here is the response:

911: I'm sorry--all circuits are busy. Please try again later.

Ugh. I kinda lost interest and just said "well that's a bummer!" but at the urgency of my great husband, we kept dialing.

We followed the car and finally got ahold of 911. We gave them all the information and noticed that there were 2 little kids in the back seat. SAD! So to my sweetie Jimmy (who never reads this blog)--you get the concerned citizen award.

Anyway--this is the second time we've called the cops on people breaking the law here in Sacramento (and both occurred on the same street within blocks of each other). We'll keep our eyes open...

Pet Peeves

So Lately I have noticed that I have a lot of Pet Peeves. Some might say I'm OCD--you be the judge. Hopefully you don't take offense :0)
Pete Peeves:
1- people that waste water (i.e. leave it on while they're brushing their teeth, etc).

picture of me going with this family to find water

2- dirt under the fingernails. Just clean them, ok. (my mom says I can't be her daughter since one of her favorite feelings is having clay all over her hands and under her fingernails! A true artist!)

3- dirty dishes left on a couch, floor, desk, bed (anywhere but sink. Better yet--anywhere but the dishwasher).

4- people that don't finish or save the food on their plate. I guess I hate having things wasted altogether...and yes there are starving kids out there and yes I know their names; so please don't waste your food.
5- I hate when people run their fingernails on a chalk board, but worse yet, I hate when people have chalk on their hands and don't wipe it off. Actually, I can't stand it and have to pretty much leave the room. I'm a freak!
6- lateness. Being on time shows so much about someones character--or so I tell my husband every Sunday on our way to church late (If you've got kids, you can be an exception). I am especially bugged when people show up late and make me wait for them (yes I'm impatient, and also--always on time). Which leads to my next OCD-ness...
7- At night, I check to make sure my alarm is set like 5 times before I go to bed. I'm so nervous it won't go off and I'll be late to work-- (so I am a little OCD)
8- When someone calls me and then puts me on hold...grrrrr
9- Personas que me fallan. It sounds so much better in spanish. Basically, people who stand me up or don't follow through with things they told me they would. This is a biggie! Hypocrites falls in this category too.
10- Annoying drivers! People who don't use a turn signal, people that slow down 500 feet away before they turn, etc.
11- I thought of one more--I hate crude jokes, crude movies, crude talking, crude anything.

So c'mon--doesn't any of the above bother you too?

Cute Easter Idea

Ok all you young cute moms out there (and others like me). Here is a spiritual, fun, and cute idea to do for Easter, Family Home Evening, just for fun, etc. Of course--the idea came from my momma. Here's what you do:

Just cut out the strips right here after you print it out. Gather the little things to put in the eggs that you can hold, place numbers on the outside of the eggs and Whaa-laa! You have a great family tradition to pass on for generations or a sweet grandma gift.

Ideas: Place all the eggs in a special Easter Basket and read a few each night starting on Palm Sunday and ending Easter Sunday.
OR: Place an egg on each plate for your family Easter Dinner and read at dinner and discuss.
OR: Do a special FHE and read all at once.

Note: Don’t underestimate the value of scripture with little tiny kids. If you are doing this with small children, you will need to tell parts of the story about the item instead of reading all the scriptures but let them hear the scripture words. Over the years they will understand the scripture language.

Easter in Eggs family home evening
Plastic Egg #1: Matt. 26:29 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Sacrament cup in egg and scripture placed in egg)

Plastic Egg #2: Matt. 26: 14-15 Then one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them what will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you” And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. (Put 3 dimes in the plastic egg with scripture) This fulfilled the prophesy in Zachariah 11:12-14 that Jesus would be sold for 30 pieces of silver.

Plastic Egg #3: Matt. 27: 1,2 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death and when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. (Place in egg a piece of twine with scripture)

Plastic Egg #4: Matt. 27:24-26 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a turmoil was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it, children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Piece of soap)

Plastic Egg #5: Matt. 27: 28-30 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns and they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. (Red piece of velvet)

Plastic Egg #6: Matt. 27: 31-32 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him. And led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by the name, him they compel---led to bear his cross. And he was crucified…nailed to the cross. Press the nail into your hand…feel how it must have hurt. (Tiny nail in egg)

Plastic Egg #7: Matt. 27: 35-36 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet…And sitting down they watched him there… ( small pair of dice)

Plastic Egg #8: Matt. 27: 50-51 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost, and behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;….Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth quake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Tiny bag of crushed rocks or coarse dirt)


Plastic Egg #9: Matt. 27: 58-60 Then when Joseph, a rich man, went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered, and when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of a rock. (Strip of white cloth) (maybe similar to the swaddling clothes he was wrapped in in the manger)

Plastic Egg #10: Matt. 27: 60 And he rolled a great stone door of the sepulcher, and departed. Pilate said unto thee (the chief priests and Pharisees), Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. (One Big rock that fits in egg)

Plastic Egg #11: Mark 16:1, Matt. 28: 2,5 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdelene and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, had brought sweet spices that they might come and anoint him. And behold there was a great earth quake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. And the angel said unto the women…Fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. (place in egg, cloves, or bay leaf..some yummy smelling herbs)

Plastic Egg #12: Matt. 28:6 HE IS NOT HERE: FOR HE IS RISEN, AS HE SAID.
(Empty egg except for these words)