Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was my birthday and it was a great day! I "ruined" it a couple days ago when I had a message from a client that wanted their hair done today and Jon said, "You shouldn't work on your birthday!". I said, "Why? You're working right?!" Then Jon got all flustered and said I blew the surprise and he had to tell me that he took the day off and we were dropping the kids off at his moms and going to breakfast and a movie...something different! I was excited I thought it was a cute idea to change it up and not just go to dinner! This morning Jon got the kids ready and off we went to eat at Cracker Barrel and watch "Get Smart". Before we left he gave me a card with his credit card in it saying that the air miles were mine to use to go to Washington and see my brother and sister who live there! I was so happy...what a great present! I don't even have to take the kids! :) Just a weekend alone! I can't wait to book my trip! It has been almost a year since I have seen my sister and my brother moved there in December and I haven't seen him since then. I got money and a Visa card from my parents and in-laws, so I am going to buy a watch with it...I just can't decide which watch to buy! I felt very loved today and received many birthday wishes. I am grateful for wonderful family and friends! After dinner tonight I decided I wanted one more thing for my birthday...Bahama Bucks! So off went and here is me and the kiddos getting ready to eat some delicious shaved ice! And Jon is such a trooper because he hates Bahama Bucks, but it was MY birthday! :)

Memories

This was on Julia's blog and I thought it was fun so I posted it on mine!
This is how it works:
1. Leave one memory that you and I had together (Or of Jon, Emma or Derrick too), as a comment on my blog. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Tagged

I have been tagged twice recently and have not done it...I figured it was about time I did. I am combining the 2 tags that I got into one big "all about me" blog! So here goes!

Rules:Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers.

The Five

Ten years ago…
1. I had recently graduated high school
2. (This will give away my age, but as a milestone...) I was getting ready to celebrate my 18th birthday! And honestly, I don't remember what I did!
3. I was living at home, care free!
4. I was preparing to go to Carsten Institute (Cosmetology school)
5. I swore I would not get married for at least 5 years! (Jon and I are coming up on our 9th Wedding Anniversary...you do the math!) :)

Five things on today’s “to do” list...
1. Well, since it is the evening, not a lot!
2. Finish putting Derrick's "big boy bed" together!
3. Get the kids to bed
4. Eat some ice cream!
5. RELAX! (It has been a very busy day!)

Five snacks I enjoy...
1. licorice
2. tootsie rolls
3. Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips
4. Pink Lady apples
5. grapes

Five things I would do if I was a millionaire…
1. Pay off debts
2. Buy my dream home
3. Furnish my dream home (shabby chic!)
4. Help family and friends with their needs
5. Shop, shop , shop!!

Five places I have lived…
1. Mesa, Az
2. Queen Creek, Az
3. That is all!

Next one...How To Play This Game of Tag:

Post these rules on your blog. Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog. List:
3 joys
3 fears
3 goals
3 current obsessions/collections
3 random/surprising facts
-Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names .-Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys...
1. My husband and my kids
2. The Gospel
3. The beauty of nature...(as long as I don't have to camp in it!) :)

3 Fears...
1. Something happening to my husband or one of my children
2. Spiders crawling on me while I sleep
3. Sometimes I worry about what the future will hold...but you can only hope for the best right?!

3 Goals...
1. To raise children who make the right decisions
2. To find a hobby!
3. To always strive to be happier and more patient!

3 current obsessions/collections...
1. The Tori & Dean show (love it!)
2. The book I just read "Traitor" by Sandra Grey (it was so good and the sequel comes out sometime between August and January and I think I will go crazy before then!)
3. Blogging! :)

3 random/surprising facts...
1. I must wear socks when sweeping and mopping my floors! Stepping on all the little pieces is so gross! (Although I will walk around the house barefoot. I know it makes no sense!)
2. I have crazy dreams about spiders falling on my head while I am asleep (fear #2)! I have woken Jon up a few times to kill the spider and of course there never is one!
3. I absolutely refuse to read the Twilight books! I don't care how many people tell me I must read them...I never will!!

I will not be tagging people because I'm not sure who would actually do this! So if you read this and would like to do it on your own blog I would love to read it!

This is what you get...

Are there questions going through your mind? Well, this is what you get when dad plays polly pockets with Emma! I walked in a couple weeks ago and Jon was in Emma's room playing polly pockets with her and I thought, "Oh how sweet!", then I saw what he was doing to the polly pockets and just laughed! Dads play different from moms! The kids thought it was so funny to hang all the dolls out the window like dad did! (But aren't they cute!)

Happy 4th of July

This 4th of July we headed up to Young for the weekend! The kids had a blast playing with all of their cousins up there and it was very nice to cover up with a blanket to watch fireworks! (On a side note...I bought Derrick his first baseball cap for the trip and I just couldn't get over how grown up he looked in it! SO cute, I love it!) We drove to Heber for their show on the 5th. The Stake President invited the family to join them at the seminary building for a dinner and it was right across the street from where they let the fireworks off. We had awesome front row seats! So close in fact, that one of the last really big ones they shot off fell right behind us...it was a little scary! I was very impressed with the quality and length of the show! It was really good! Derrick was a little scared at first, but talks about seeing green fireworks all the time now! Emma loved it and each new one that went off was her favorite! She especially like the heart shaped ones! She said during the show, "Mom, Santa Clause must hear these!". A little random, but it made me laugh! When we got to Heber it was raining, but it only lasted about 15 minutes and then it was beautiful. It was a little frustrating trying to get out of there. We were set back on a road and just stood still on the road for about 40 minutes before the line of cars even started moving! It was a fun weekend though. Poor Derrick looked like he got beat up in a dark alley by the end of the weekend. He just played really hard and had a few bumps, bruises and scrapes! But, all survived and we had a great time! Happy 4th!

Hershey, PA

A couple weeks ago Jon and I were able to go to Hershey, PA for a nice little get away! Jon won the Laureate Award at work for all his hard work and dedication! They rewarded him (and his wife!) with a trip to Hershey. Jon left on Saturday the 21st of June and I left on Sunday. My mom stayed home with the kids (thanks again mom!). I was delayed by 3 hours getting in and did not arrive at the Hotel Hershey until 4am Monday morning! I felt bad for Jon because he had to be up at 6:30 for meetings! The hotel was beautiful! The rooms were small but the rest of the Hotel made up for it. That morning I went shopping at the outlet mall. I treated myself to a new Coach purse! It's a good thing there is not a Coach outlet anywhere near home, because I would be in trouble! They were having a sale and I got a really good deal on a cute purse! I bought the kids some presents and then went back to the hotel to have lunch. I sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the gorgeous view. It was also really nice when the check came to say, "Charge it to my room!" Jon's company paid for everything for us. It was really nice! That night was the Awards Banquet. It was a dressy occasion and was in a nice ballroom in the hotel. It was nice to finally meet all of the executives from Jon's company and put faces with names. I met everyone from the CEO to the Senior Vice President. They were all very nice and I'm glad I got the chance to meet them. I got a little nervous as we found our seats and the Senior VP was at our table. Then I got even more nervous when I saw the menu. Lobster Bisque with Sea Scallops, Filet Mignon and Crab Cakes! The filet part was ok, but I do not eat seafood of any kind! I wasn't sure what to do. Jon told me to just tell the waitress I didn't want any seafood. So, I did and everything was fine. Because I didn't get a crab cake, they served me 2 filets. One was perfectly cooked well done, just the way I like it! :) The other was medium...I didn't eat that one! (I know I'm crazy!) The awards ceremony was very nice and I was very happy for Jon. We had a great trip!

The Hotel Hershey

My view eating lunch on the patio

Crystal & Jon in front of the hotel

Before the Awards Banquet

Day 2

On the second day we had breakfast and then Jon was off to his conference while I was off to the Spa! I had a facial and it was wonderful! The Spa at the hotel was really nice! That afternoon I had lunch with Jon and the Senior Vice President came and sat at our table with us. As I said earlier, it was nice to get to meet the executives in a nonprofessional environment and just visit. After lunch we took the hotel shuttle over to the zoo inside Hershey Park. It was surprisingly a pretty neat zoo to just be tucked away in the back of an amusement park! We both agreed it was much better that the Phoenix Zoo! Jon was like a kid in a candy store! He knew what everything was and was making noises at the bear, the deer and elk! It was a little embarrassing actually! :) But, he enjoyed seeing all the animals there.

Crystal and Jon in front of an elk

Jon wanted to try and make it look like the alligator was about to eat my head! :) (Do I look scared?)

When we walked up to the bear and Jon started making grunting noises the bear actually walked over towards us, sat down and lifted it's hand up like it was waving to us! It was pretty funny!

The deer that Jon said he would shoot if it were in the wild! (Always thinking like a hunter!)

A buffalo

A porcupine eating it's dinner!

A lynx

Day 2 conitnued...

On Tuesday we also went to Chocolate World. This is where you can shop for EVERYTHING Hershey and take a mock tour of how they make the chocolate and it smelled pretty good in there too! We also took a trolley tour through the main part of town. It is a cute little town! The houses are all old but have been restored to beautiful homes. All of the street lights on the main street are Hershey Kisses. The story of Milton Hershey is actually pretty amazing. If you ever get a chance you should look it up!

The Chocolate Factory

Hershey Kiss street lights

Chocolate Ave. (Main St.)

All of the houses we passed were beautiful like this one. They all had nice green lawns, shutters on the windows and steps up to the front porch. It was just so cute!

Our singing trolley conductor

Chocolate World

Look at all those kisses! YUM!

Our Last Day

Our last day in Hershey we actually slept in until 8:30am. Which really isn't sleeping in if you go by AZ time. That meant 5:30am. But, it felt like we slept in! We had breakfast and then headed off to Hershey Park. Jon was not feeling well, so I was left to ride their new ride, Fahrenheit, all by myself! It was petty fun, but not like rides at Magic Mountain! They had a single rider line, so I only had to wait 10 minutes instead of an hour. The water park was fun. They had some pretty crazy slides. The picture below shows East Coast Water Works. It is a giant structure with water slides, hoses, tipping buckets and everything water. We went into it and ended up getting so cold waiting for the slide on top that we worked our way back down! The kids would have loved it though! After the water park we went to the gardens at the hotel. They were beautiful! There was also a butterfly house that we walked through and saw some amazing butterflies that I had never seen before. Jon quickly became obsessed with taking pictures of butterflies and flowers. I have only posted a few here (we have about 30!). It was gorgeous there, and I loved smelling each of the different roses. To end our trip, I had probably one of my most embarrassing moments ever! When we got to the airport in Harrisburg they told us our flight was delayed by just over an hour. Well, that would make us miss our connecting flight in Chicago. So they told us to hurry fast through security and they would rush our bags to the plane and we could fly out on a flight leaving right then. We were going as fast as we could and as we were getting on the airplane, I was digging in my bag trying to get my book out and was not paying attention to my walking! Next thing I know I trip onto the plane and fall into the fight attendant, first down to my knees and then all the way down to my face! I could feel tears welling up, not from pain, but only from embarrassment! Jon and I did not have seats together, so I went to find my seat and the seat next to me was not taken. So, Jon moved all his stuff from where he was, in a middle seat, and came to sit next to me on an aisle seat. As soon as he did that, the guy in that seat showed up! So, Jon moved back to his seat with all of his stuff. The people on the flight were not happy with us anyway, because they had to wait for us to get on the plane. So, you think "I'll never see these people again and they will forget about it by the time we get to Chicago." Not true! When we got to Chicago, Jon was waiting for me outside the bathroom when he heard 2 people from our flight talking about how "comedic" we were with me falling and us trying to move seats around. I'm glad we were able to entertain everyone! So embarrassing! But, overall we had a really great trip!

East Coast Water Works

Fahrenheit! It starts off with a 97 degree drop!

After a fun filled and tiring day at the water park!

The gardens with the hotel in the background.

Jon's flower pictures! They were beautiful!

Butterflies mating.

I thought this was really cool with the bee in the flower!