Saturday, January 31, 2009

New Dolphins Option

Mom and I were watching the Food channel Ace of Cakes. On it they went to Miami and while they were there they wnet swimming with the Dolphins at the Miami Seaaquarium. I looked it up on-line and it was $139. to do what was $149 in Nassau.

Perhaps those who wanted to could do the dolphin thing on Friday or Monday in Miami rather than at Nassau. That would leave us more time for doing stuff at Nassau.

Thoughts?

Friday, January 30, 2009

Who Knows?

Who knows who Ghengis Khan is? I'm just taking an informal poll. I'm not afraid to admit that I have no idea!

Activities at Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay

Hi! In regard to activities at Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay on the cruise, inmost cases, I understand it is less expensive to wait until you get there and shop around. There are somethings that fill up quick and probably need to be scheduled through them. Info on these things is available at ncl.com under shore excursions, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.

At Nassau, there is the dolphin swim which gets filled up quickly so we may need to do that in advance. I have two spots reserved so far but Mom and Sarah and Rachel have expressed interest in this and maybe Becca. I can add reservations. I can also cancel them up to 5 days before the cruise. There is also the stingray snorkle thing and just plain snorkeling, but that probably doesn't have to be planned in advance. There are also a lot of sights to see that also do not need to be planned in advance.

At Great Stirrup Cay, there is snorking, being at the beach and parasailing. Since this is a private island, the parasailing probably needs to go through them and needs to be done in advance. the price is $79. We probably can bring our own scuba gear and save the $20 rental here.

Let me know what I need to reserve!!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Red Lion Hotels Deal

Hi! I have a friend on the high council who is an accountant for Red Lion Hotels. They have this deal where you can stay in a Red Lion Hotel for $39 with this voucher from him. The deal is good through the end of March.

Unfortunately, Red Lion doesn't have hotels in Florida, but they have them all over the west. So, if anyone needs one, I can get them for you.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ELF

ok so this post is mostly for girls... and any cross dressers who happen to look at this blog. I found this website that sells really inexpensive makeup. its called ELF (Eyes Lips Face). all the makeup is $1.00! the portions are smaller but hey for a buck its worth a try. Plus its great for travel or for your purse. Apparently there is a code "carolina" that gives you 50% off... i forgot to do this but it was still a great deal. i just ordered some blushes, eyeshadows, and eye liners. check it out! www.eyeslipsface.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Swimming with the Dolphins

Hi! On the Cruise I reserved 2 spots for "Swimming with the Dolphins". It is $149 each and I can cancel up to 5 days beofre. It is from 10 am to 2 PM at Nassau and not available at the "Great Stirrup Cay", the private island.

Mom for sure wants one. If any else wants a reservation let me know.

There actually was a more expensive option which allows one to grab onto the dorsel fin of the dolphin and have them swim around. I had to picture Mom doing this and had the feeling she might find that a little scary, so we didn't sign up for that part.

Let me know if anyone wants this experience.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Hotel dilemma

OK here is what I have discovered.

The problems with hotwire.com is that we do not get to choose our hotel.

This presents a problem because on the 11th we only need 1 room and on the 12th we need 2 rooms. There is not a way to book this all as 1 order.

So we could book 1 room for 2 nights making sure that Mom and Dad stay in the same room. But we cannot guarantee that the second room will be in the same hotel.

Or we could book 1 room for 1 night and then rebook 2 rooms for next night. The problem with this is that we will not have anywhere to store out luggage between 11am and 3pm, or a place for a nap during that time (for Rachel and Sarah of course)

Here are our options.

1. Choose one of the above options and take a chance that they will be in the same hotel.

2. For the night of the 12th we could just use one room and cram everyone in.

3. We could look to book through another method making sure it is the same hotel, but it may be more expensive.

And getting a room near the airport is about $100 including the fees (Or we can use Weston, which is $65 a room, I know nothing about this area, this is where Ashton might share his wisdom)

OK part number 2.

For after the cruise we can get rooms north of Fl Laud near the ocean for about $100 a room after fees. This will be a long drive from Miami but will give us the best location. Basically the farther away from Miami the cheaper the rooms are. This can guarantee less than 4 blocks from water (based off of looking at the map.


And finally Yay this will be awesome.

Friday, January 23, 2009

All-Mormon Team

This is from Umpbump, and was not done by Member of the church.

Posted by Sarah Green on Sunday February 03rd 2008, 1:29 am, filed in Featury

We’ve done the All-Smith team. We’ve done the All-Canadian team versus the All-Jewish team. And now UmpBump brings you: the All-Mormon team.

Mormon: There have been nearly enough Mormons in the majors to support a 40-man roster. One thing the All-Mormon team won’t be short on is starting pitching. They’ve got right-handed All-Star Roy Halladay as the ace of the staff (lifetime ERA of 3.63 and Cy Young winner), followed by another All-Star righthander in Vernon Law (1950-1967, ERA of 3.77). After that, they’ve got lefty All-Star Bruce Hurst (1980-1994, ERA of 3.92), righty Kelly Downs (1986-1993, ERA of 3.86) and still-promising righty Jeremy Guthrie (4.11 ERA)

For a closer, it’s hard to do much better than Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, a six-time All Star, an MVP, and a Cy Young Award winner. They’ve even got a decent set-up man in the form of All-Star reliever Rick Aguilera (1985-2000, 3.57 ERA). Unfortunately, the middle relief is much less inspiring–Kyle Farnsworth (4.47 ERA), Mike Fetters (3.86 ERA), Jim Gott (3.87 ERA), Ryan Jensen (5.06 ERA), and Jason Johnson (4.99 ERA).

Onto the offense! What kind of lineup could the Church of Latter Day Saints run out there?

Leading off and playing centerfield, you’d have speedy rookie Jacoby Ellsbury—and while I do doubt very much he’ll be hitting .353 for the rest of his career, it’s not a bad start.

Batting second and playing first base, I’ll go with career .289 hitter Wally Joyner, an All-Star and a lefty, who also has some pop.
Third, who but Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (1954-1975)? Don’t be fooled by his career .256 batting average. The man compiled a nice .376 OBP by walking his way to victory. Oh, and the 573 homers weren’t bad either. Killebrew played 3B, OF, and 1B in his career, but for the purposes of this exercise, I’m DH-ing him.

In the cleanup spot, it’s got to be MVP second baseman Jeff Kent. A career .290 hitter, Kent has 365 home runs and is a six-time All Star. And, he always bats fourth. Always.

In the five-hole, it’s All-Star Dale “The Murph” Murphy (1976-1993). A .265 right-handed hitter, he also hit for power (racking up 398 career Mormon: Jeff Kenthomers). The two-time MVP also played Gold Glove-worthy right field.

Sixth, the left fielder, Dane Iorg (1977-1986). He bats left, to the tune of .276.

Batting seventh, the third baseman, All-Star Vance Law (1980-1991). The son of Vern, above, Vance hit just .256 but managed some power.

Batting eighth and playing short? None other than Bobby Crosby. The 2004 Rookie of the Year may bat just .240, sure, but the only other option was Luis Gomez (1974-1981), who had a career average of .210 and never hit a single home run.

Ninth, the catcher, Alan Ashby (1973-1989). He hits an uninspiring .245, but at least he’s a switch-hitter.

Who do we have on the bench? Ken Hubbs (1961-1963) is a defensive replacement/injury fill-in for Jeff Kent. Hubbs was the first player to win a Gold Glove the same year he collected the Rookie of the Year trophy. Despite hitting only .247, he was considered among the premiere second basemen in the game during his brief time in the majors. (Tragically, he died in a plane crash at the age of 22.)

No team is complete without a fourth outfielder. I suggest righty Barry Bonnell (1977-1986) for this purpose, as he hits a respectable .272. And as an overall utilityman, I’ll go with Brian Banks (1996-2003), who hit only .246 but played most of the positions on the field at some point during his career and was a switch hitter. The backup catcher is John Buck, who hits a paltry .237 but at least has occasional pop.

The result? Not a bad team. Solid starting pitching and a great closer, not to mention one of the best 3-4-5 combos you could hope for. Two Hall of Famers, and two other guys who could feasibly be elected someday. Some Cy Young winners, some Rookies of the Year, some Gold Glovers, MVPs and All-Stars. They’re just a couple of converts away from fixing their middle relief problem.

The All-Mormon Team is definitely a playoff contender. And they’d definitely beat the Canadians.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Oscar Nominations

I feel the need to comment on the Oscar nominations. I have come to the conclusion that as I am not a skier and do not enjoy the snow, the Big 3 award shows (the Oscars, Golden Globes, and SAGs) are what make January and February more tolerable. So here are my thoughts on the nominations:
  • I wanted Kate Winslet to get two nominations because I love her. She better win (and actually stands a better chance of winning with just the one nomination, but still I would have liked 2 nods).
  • I wanted The Dark Knight to be nominated for Best Picture. I hope it wins a ton of the stuff it is actually nominated for.
  • Two of the Best Picture movies are PG-13 so I can see them (or saw them. . . though I like Benjamin Button less over time since I saw it).
  • I like the unexpected nominations (like Michael Shannon for Revoluationary Road, though I don't know who he is and didn't see the movie--but read the book if that counts. It was beautifully written but depressing. I'm reading The Reader right now. It's well written, though I have needed to edit it for myself).
  • Since Leonardo DiCaprio isn't nominated, I actually would like Brad Pitt to win best actor (he won't). I'm tired of Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke is a little too weird, though I guess I'd pick him over Penn.
  • Everyone I know who has seen Slumdog Millionaire loved it. . . one of these days it will be on tv. Let's also not forget that I flew Air India and gained a new appreciation for Bollywood.

Another Cruise Update

Hi!

Mom and I have decided to fly in on Wedneday the 11th. We will arrive in Ft Lauderdale at at 9:30 PM. That will allow us to pick any and eveyone up from the airport whenever they come in. We are leaving at 11 am on the 17th which should allow us to drop everyone off at the airport.

Any ideas on hotels for the night of the 12th, 13th and 16h?

DAD

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Biggest Loser

I did not like how last nights episode ended. The black team told the others that they would vote how they wanted them to. And as we found out, they did not do that. I believe the Mormon's were behind this. Not cool

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

If the Only Tool You Have is a Hammer, Every Problem Looks Like a Nail - Dad's Thought of the Week

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." I just heard that "old saying" a few days ago, and have been thinking about it since.

In my mind is a picture of a guy trying to loosen the nut on a bolt that would easily come off with a wrench. But, since he only has a hammer, he is beating on the nut with his hammer.

It is important that we have a lot of tools to handle the challenges of life. The Gospel provides us with many tools and teaches us to get others via education.

Since challenges will come to us in many varieties, we need all the tools we can get. One is the ability to receive personal revelation. Another is the faith to relax and rely on the Lord. Another is mental ability to think through problems. Another is the humility to ask for help. I could go on and on.

What I see sometimes, not necessarily in our family, but I see people with challenges who lack the tools to handle the challenge. They get frustrated because they keeping using the only tool they have to solve the problem and it is the wrong one. It is like the guy hitting the nut and blot with a hammer, when it will only come off with a wrench.

I know you all have many tools to handle the challenges that are facing you, but you may need to get more and learn to use the tools you have more effectively.

I love you all.

DAD

Monday, January 19, 2009

Crusie Update

Hi! Well the tickets for the cruise are purchased! Now we need flights for everyone, a hotel and rental cars.

We leave from Miami at 5 PM on March 13th on the Norwegian Sky. It stops at Nassau in the Bahamas on Saturday and a private Island on Sunday and arrives at 7 AM on the 16th (Monday). We have 4 separate rooms.

Rachel, Ashton, Becca And Ella have their tickets arriving at Ft Lauderdale on the 12th at 9 am. They leave on the 17th at 6:35 AM

Sarah's flight back is on southwest and leaves at 1:20 PM on the 17th from Ft Lauderdale. I am ot sure when her flight is to Ft Lauderdale.

Denise and I will probably arrive on the 12th at 955 PM and leave on the 17th at 7 or 1150 am, though we have not bought the tickets yet and are open for longer on either end based on what everyone else does.

Andy and Stefany will probably be coming in the Friday the 16th at Miami as Andy has class the night before.

We are deeply excited!!

DAD

Friday, January 16, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEFANY!!!!!

I hope you have a fantastic birthday!!!

I believe your first birthday present was that an airplane didn't fly into your apartment.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Final info on the Cruise

I am ready to make the purchase of the Cruise tickets. It looks like Norwegian line to the Bahama from Miami. March 16th thru the 19th. Let me know if there are any complications.

DAD

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Biggest Mormon?

Are possibly four of the 22 contestants on The Biggest Loser Mormon? Last week Andy and I thought that the two cousins (black team) that each have 3 children and one on the way at the age of 28 MUST be Mormon!!! Who has that many kids so young, let alone are married that young? Also, if you look at the pictures from home, their wives just have that "Mormon look" about them. This week one of the Polynesian cousins (blue team) got to call home (hope that doesn't spoil anything) and I am POSITIVE that I saw a Temple in the background of a picture of him and his wife. Look and let me know if it is. Who else has a picture of a pointy spired building in their home ? . . . as far as I know it's only the Mormons. If he's Mormon, his cousin might be Mormon too, right? So, what does everyone else think?

Friday, January 9, 2009

Buttocks



So I was at Penn Station waiting for the Subway and started thinking about when Stefany, Sarah and I watched Adam Sandler on Letterman. I was going to tell that story and than realized what our initials are together.

A ndy
S tefany
S arah

You may think that is cool, butt there is more

R achel
E lla
A shton
R ebecca

So next time we play games to save time we can say "D" Ass versus "D" Rear

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Years Resolutions!

so normally i dont even attempt at making any new years resolutions because.... well i never keep them. but this year i decided i would set goals that 1. i could actually achieve 2. would make me a better person and 3. hopefully make me hotter! well here they are.... enjoy!

1. Drink More Caffeine- i chose this one for many many reasons. lets face it caffeine makes me a happier less tired person. i mean so what if my teeth turn a darker shade of yellow each day... why do you think they invented crest white strips? at least its Diet! plus anything unnatural that i can keep pouring down my throat i applaud! i tried for 3 days this year to not drink caffeine... so not fun. and i just ended up tired with a constant craving for blow pops.... weird i know.

2. eat less candy- now normally the phrase "sugar free" is a 4 letter word created by Satan ( i'm pretty sure he invented it right after he came up with the idea of a menstrual cycle and stretch marks) but i have decided to cut back this year. i already have an advantage because of my small hands, see when i take a handful of say peanut M&M's (which by the way were like crack to me over Christmas) i only get like 6, where as Cherise gets like 12. Now i just have to teach myself to only take one handful and i think i'll be good!

3.Close my big mouth- i know its hard to believe but in the past my big mouth has gotten me into trouble... which is why this year i am going to try to make less comments that require the people around me to make awkward laughter and either quickly look the other way or lift up their eyebrows extremely high. the best thing i can do is feel out my audience, you know see what they can handle and then filter accordingly. and by the way everything i know i learned from my mother.

4. Wish Happy Birthday/ Return Phone Calls- I have been very bad at these two things for quit sometime now and that is why this year is going to be different. its not that i dont want to remember your birthday.... its just that i dont always remember you!. is to much to ask for a countdown from the birthdayee? anything? also i do want to call people back i just forget. i have a lot going on right now. i mean every night i have like 7 or 8 reality shows to watch. and keep up with all the Hollywood drama.... i cant believe Heidi and Spencer didn't actually get married...I hope Jake and Reese dont break up and i wonder how Jon and Kelly are doing? (Travolta and Preston that is). see i have so much on my plate so just be patient with me. oh and by the way if i dont mention it Happy 09 Birthday, and i'm sure i'll be calling you back soon!

5. Don't get a Flat Tire- this may seem like a really easy task for most... but most aren't me! in the past 3 1/2 years i have had 4, that's right 4 flat tires! now i know this isn't normal because i managed to go 21 years without a single flat tire. everyone knows that the first flat tire gave me the special opportunity to pee, i mean urinate, in a cup in my car and drive 30 miles squished between 2 overweight elderly tow truck men Yessss! and its been all down hill from there. one time i had a nail and screw in 1 tire. i mean unless they've been doing some construction at the Nordstrom parking lot i'm not really the kind of girl that drives around construction sites. and dont think i dont check the preasure... i do. i stick that thing that looks like a pen that shoots out that stick that has numbers on it on my tire a lot and each time things seem to be ok. anyway thank goodness i know how to change tire because now if you do see me on the side of the road i'll be getting out my jack and singing "Independent Women" by Destiney's Child instead of relieving myself in the backseat of my car!

6. Continue to always win at Tetris- Easy Breazy.... because unless Katie Fawcett comes into town i'll be squashing the competition all year long! When you are given a gift from above you must use it and continue to improve. can you imagine if Michael Jordan had given up on basketball? or if David Archaletta had never tried out for American Idol? The world would be a sad lonely place.... therefore i must continue to excell!

7. Run a race- yes this year i would love to run in like a 5k or a 10k. now i years past i've thought why would i pay money to run around the block and feel fat, out of shape, and probably ugly? i mean heavy panting, and leg fat jiggling all around wasn't my idea of a fun afternoon! if i wanted that i would just watch Kevin James peel an orange. but i've changed my mind and decided it would be a great accomplishment to brag about to others, and when i get my "free"( see its not actually free because you paid to be there but whatever) ugly shirt you better believe i will wear that bad boy around everywhere these cottage cheese legs will take me.

8.Stay single- nothing brings me greater joy then when someone comes up and asks if i'm married, because then i get the great opportunity of saying with smile....no, no i'm not. then i'm thrilled when they freely offer me dating tips and or advice on how to snag that special someone or suggest i date their cousin's nephew's friend. well i just want to say that i just love being single! i mean sleeping in a twin bed when i go home... so fun. always telling servers "can we get separate checks". or at the movies... "i'll take one for he's just not that into you". see all these things i would never have the opportunity to do if i were married. so this year, no more blind dates, and no more munch & mingles... cause this tax sheet box is checked single!!

Happy New year to Everyone!

Love Sarah

Sunday, January 4, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!


Happy Birthday fabulous Mother. In honor of your birthday I have thought of a few things that I love about you. (Everyone else can add on to the list if I missed your favorite.)


  • Willingness to try things (like sledding!)

  • The holiday packages (love the dish towels)

  • Snorting when laughing hard

  • Socks for all holidays, cities, etc.

  • Stories that win things on the radio

  • Amazing cooking--lasagna, mud pie, chicken pillows--need I say more?

  • Always bringing meals to people (missionaries, women with babies, etc.)

  • Love of Jimmy Stewart and It's a Wonderful Life (I finished his biography and liked it)

  • Very creative

  • The Oscar Dinner

  • Always putting Dad and the kids #1 (and sacrificing so much for us)

Love you! Rachel


Friday, January 2, 2009

Gonzaga


Here is a picture from the Gonzaga-Utah game. Sad that the Zags lost but still a lot of fun. I (Rachel) did figure out one thing watching the game: I now know who my favorite Zags are this year. That would be Heytvelt and Bouldin. I am curious who everyone else likes :)

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Christmas Holiday Photos
















Here are some of the Christmas Holiday Photos that I took. It was a wonderful time!!!

DAD