Kid Pics

Memorial Day weekend family vacation

This weekend we had a great time as a family, both separately and together. Friday, after the girls got out of school, we got on the road and drove to Mesquite to stay with the Vogels (Kevin's sister). It took us about nine hours to drive out there. On the way we saw trains, rain, stars (Katie calls them stars, they are really wind machines), snow on the mountains above Tehachapi, motorcycles, and all kinds of other fun stuff. The weather was cool this week. Just like in Kerman, it had been unseasonably hot the week before an then had cooled off considerably! It was great weather!!!

We stopped in Barstow for dinner. We laughed as we were leaving, because the train that we passed going through the tunnels near Tehachapi passed us in the parking lot in Barstow.

On Saturday morning Kevin and I kissed our children good-bye and left for Las Vegas. We first went to North Las Vegas and met with my sister, Candace, aka Sister Marshall, and took her and her companion, Sister Jones, to lunch. We went to Red Robin and had a long lunch so that we could catch up and get to know each other better. While Candace and Sister Jones were in the bathroom, I called Corissa on her cell phone and found out she is having a girl so that I could tell Candace. We also took a photo together on my phone and sent it as a picture message to my dad.

From there we did a little geocaching and then checked into the hotel and got ready for the concert. (Read the previous post for the concert info.)

Sunday morning we were awakened at 5:15am by a tour bus starting up and revving it's engines for about an hour. Arg! We were really hoping for more than four hours of sleep. We did get a little bit more, but not much. We got some breakfast at the hotel and then checked out and did some geocaching around Las Vegas and on the way back to Mesquite. We saw a few caches that we decided to wait for the next day when we had the girls with us. We found twenty though, so we did well.

We got back to Mesquite and our kids were running around with their cousins, barely noticing that we had returned. The next morning they we not overly thrilled to hear that we were leaving. Even the promise that they would see their cousins again in a few weeks when Rebecca is baptized was not much of a consolation. We are glad that they all get along together so well! We took some pictures (without a whole lot of cooperation on the part of the kids) and then we were off.

We drove back down to North Las Vegas to see Candace for a little while and the girls could meet her. We were glad we had the chance to visit with her! It had been eleven years since I last saw her.

We did a lot of caching in Las Vegas with the girls, taking them to the caches that we knew that they would like. Through several of the caches we learned a lot about the history of the area. We love virtual caches! We went to the Natural History Museum and saw the huge aluminum dinosaur. We went to the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort and looked at all the historical exhibits. We went by the Neon Graveyard and looked at all the old neon signs from all over Las Vegas that are waiting for the proposed Neon Museum to be built. We drove down the Strip and saw all the sights of Las Vegas.

We also took them to the Mandalay Bay casino to show them where the concert was and where we took the photos, etc. We found the last cache in Las Vegas at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, had dinner and hit the road for Kerman. It was 4:30pm, which was MUCH later than we had planned on leaving, so we figured we would not have time to stop for any caches. We were going along pretty well (there is usually a huge amount of traffic returning from Las Vegas after the Memorial Day weekend! I-15 is usually a parking lot!), until we got to Primm, which is right on the state border. There was an accident in California and it had backed traffic up all the way into Nevada, so we pulled off in Primm and did a few fun caches. Our first earth cache and another one that was right on the fence line and we took a picture of the girls with one foot in Nevada and the other foot in California.

By 6:30pm we were back on the road and we did okay until we got to Baker. We stopped there for an hour and then we inched forward until we got to the Ag Inspection Station and then after that it was fairly clear all the way through. Although by then we were so far behind that we didn't get home until after 3:00am!

So lots of family, lots of geocaching (30 total!) and lots of fun, but not a lot of sleep!

Las Vegas - Nightwish!

Nightwish - Part 2! It was amazing! It was so much fun!

Kevin and I headed into Las Vegas yesterday (I will blog seperately about our whole trip) and went to the Nightwish concert at the House of Blues. We had decided we were going to be here after we heard the first two or three notes played at the San Francisco concert in November! This time we had purchased the VIP tickets which meant that we not only go to see the concert, but we got to go in early, AND we got to meet the band!

We picked up our tickets at 5:30pm and then hung around the casino (The Mandalay Bay) for a little while before we had to get into the VIP line. HOB Security checked everyone's bags and wanded everyone. At 6:30pm we were ushered down to the Music Hall and the band was sitting at a table signing autographs. We were the last ones in line so we got to say a little bit more to the band than those before us. (We were kind of being hustled along by the HOB security.) At the table was Marco, Annette, Emppu, Jukka and Thomas.

We had been given a poster to get signed, but it was an HOB produced poster, not an official Nightwish poster, so thankfully we had brought the "Dark Passion Play" CD booklet and we had them sign the center where all their pictures are. We talked to Marco and told him that we had seen the band in November at Slim's in San Francisco. Kevin talked to him for a minute about the pros and cons of playing a small club. Anette asked where we had seen them before and we told her how glad we were that she was a part of the band now and that she was fantastic. By the time we got to Emppu the CD booklet was all the way down at Tuomas, so I looked at Emppu and just said, "Hi!" Next was Jukka and I gushed about how great a drummer he is! Then I told both Tuomas and Jukka that we had seen them in San Francisco and that we were glad to get to see them again. I asked them if they were going to play "Planet Hell" and they said no, not this tour. Tuomas said maybe next tour. We told them that we would just have to come again. We started to walk away, and then we suddenly thought we should ask to take a picture of the whole band together, but the HOB security would NOT let us go back, even though we were only a few feet away from the band. I was really disappointed that we had not thought of that sooner. Arg!

We went back upstairs and stood in line again. We also had to check our camera, as HOB did not allow cameras into the concert. At 7:00pm they let us back down to the Music Hall. We went down and were the second layer back from the center of the stage. We stood there for about a half an hour before the opening band, Sonic Syndicate, came out. They are a band out of Sweden. They have a drummer, two guitarists, a female bassist, and two singers. I use the term singer loosely, as they basically screamed into the microphone for a half an hour. We might have enjoyed them more if we could have understood a word they said. Actually, they spent more time telling us to spend money buying their CDs than the did singing. I am exagerating, but not by much. Apparently the guy in front of me knew their music though, as he nearly head-butted me a few times doing his head-banging. The sound was weird too, the bass was turned up so loud that we could hardly hear the guitars at all. All we could hear was the bum-bum-bum-bum-bum of the bass. They were done and then there was a half an hour set change.

At 8:30pm Nightwish came out! The whole audience just came alive, jumping up and down, singing along with the band from the moment they started the first song! This time I knew a lot more of the words to all the different songs so I was able to sing along even more than before! It was great! Musically, the band had made some changes. One, I think Annette knows more of the older songs now, so there were quite a few more of the older songs in the concert (The Siren, Wishmaster, Dark Chest of Wonders, Nemo, Sleeping Sun, Higher Than Hope, I Wish I Had an Angel, and, I think, Ever Dream). She put her own voice to them, or in other words, it was obvious she wasn't trying to sing them the way that Tarja did. Annette did a fantastic job! (I recently heard that in the last week or so she had done her 100th concert with the band! Congrats to Annette! Here's to hundreds more!) Two, there were more keyboard in some songs, and more guitar in others. For example, Emppu was out playing an acoustical guitar with Marco on The Islander, instead of just Marco. They seem to have added a lot more SOUND! It was great!

From their newest album, they also sang Bye Bye Beautiful, The Poet and the Pendulum, Amaranth, Sahara, Whoever Brings the Night and The Islander.

It is obvious that they were having a blast! On the bigger stage they had a lot more room, and a lot more fun! It was really different being so close to the stage. In San Francisco we stood off to the side, but here we could see the whole stage and it was awesome! We got a few photos on our cell phone, which aren't as great as the photos we got in San Francisco, but at the same time, we got to enjoy the whole concert rather than focusing on taking photos.

Being down in front was a totally different for another reason. (This is my only negative comments about this concert!) Actually I had two separate experiences that were good and bad. I was actually amazed that we had not been crushed as the audience surged forward when the band came out. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone seemed to stay put. Kevin was standing behind me for the whole concert. But then after the first few songs a very tall, sturdy girl came pushing her way up to the front of the crowd, pushed from behind by a bigger guy. This tall girl completely squished a much smaller, petite girl who was standing next to me. The small girl was crying and scared. I turned to the tall girl and yelled to her that she was squishing this girl. She looked at me as if she could have cared less. It was frustrating to me, as I wanted to be able to help this small girl, but I had come to enjoy this concert, not referee a squishing match. The small girl texted someone on her phone and then disappeared. Kevin said that another guy had grabbed her from behind and had pulled her back a little bit behind him for the rest of the show. I really hope that she was able to enjoy it after that. As soon as that small girl moved though, the tall girl pushed forward to take her place. The next girl in front of her had to put her hands up on the barricades, around the shoulders of a girl standing in front of her, so that she didn't get squished as well. The tall girl kept pushing towards me, so I stood for the rest of the concert with my elbows out (which was hitting her right at her waist) and so if she pushed against me she got my elbow in her side. That didn't stop her from nearly hitting me in the head with her arm or from flicking her hair in my face when she was doing her head-banging. Kevin kept having to grab on to the straps of my backpack and put his arms over my shoulders so that the guy who was with her couldn't push in between us. It is really unfortunate that people can be so rude that they want to have things their way regardless of how it effects other people. (By the way, this girl did not have a wristband on, so she was pushing people out of the way who had paid extra to be where they were.) I don't feel that I got to enjoy the concert as much as I could have if I hadn't had to focus so much attention on keeping this girl from shoving me out of the way.

In contrast though, the lady who was in front of me, at one point in the concert turned to me and apologized because she thought she might have stepped on my toes. (She hadn't.) At the end of the concert I thanked her for being so considerate, in complete contrast to the rudeness I had experienced on the other side of me.

Okay, back to the fun stuff! Nightwish was out for an hour and a half! They said they were going to end, but then we all yelled and screamed and they came back out for a three song encore! I knew they couldn't be done because they hadn't sung, I Wish I had an Angel yet. They always sing that as their last song! Kevin always says, if the roadies aren't out there tearing stuff down, there is still a chance that they are going to come back out! When they all got together to bow they were RIGHT in front of us! Emppu was throwing guitar picks out into the crowd during the whole show, but at the end he was throwing a lot more and Marco threw some too. The big rude guy next to Kevin caught one during the show (which I think is a travesty of universal justice), but then at the end several went over our heads. When the room started to clear, Kevin looked down and one of them was right by his boot. Kevin picked that one up and then told me that he was pretty certain another one had dropped near us. When the row in front of us cleared, he looked under the barricade and there was the other one. We were excited, as each had Nightwish imprinted on the front, but on the back, one said Emppu Vuorinen and the other said, Marco Hietala. We got one from each!

We wanted to stand there and talk for a few minutes, but again, HOB security kind of hustled us out. (They were great, by the way, and very polite and professional.) Kevin and I went over to use the casino restrooms. We sat for awhile and watched people go by. That was a lot of fun. It is Vegas after all. After a few minutes we decided to walk over to the Luxor, for old times sake. (We stayed there twelve years ago on our honeymoon.) We walked through the shopping corridor which connects the two casinos and got a sandwich at the Luxor cafe. It was about 11:30pm when we walked back to the Mandalay Bay to go to our van and go back to the hotel. As we walked back through the shopping corridor, I kept having to ask Kevin to walk a little slower, as by now I had been standing or walking for six hours straight. I was wearing my mary jane 3 1/2" wedge heels. My feet were not killing me (I love you Rocket Dogs!!!), but they were on the painful side.

We got on the escalator to go down to the casino floor. When we had almost reached the bottom, I could see the entrance to the Music Hall and there were several people standing by the door. In amongst all the black t-shirts I saw a little bit of blonde. I let go of Kevin's hand and RAN across the casino floor. Kevin said it was like I had been shot out of a gun! Suddenly my feet didn't hurt so much any more. As I reached the door, I realized I was right. It was Marco standing there talking to some of the fans! As I got closer I saw Jukka too! (Don't tell any of the other band members, but if I had to pick, I would say that Marco and Jukka are my favorite members of the band!) There they were, right in front of me! Marco was getting his picture taken with a girl about Amanda's age and her mom, and when they moved, I motioned to Marco to see if I could come up and get my photo taken. He put his arm out and I stood next to him and Jukka stood on my other side and I got a picture with both of them! (This almost made up for the fact that we didn't get a picture of the whole band!) Kevin said he doesn't think I smiled that big at our wedding. (Kevin knows I love him more than 20 Marcos or Jukkas!)

With that we went to the hotel! It was nearly one o'clock, and I may have been acting like a teenager for the last six hours, but our parents-of-three-kids bodies were all tired out!

In September, Nightwish is going to be back in San Francisco (12th) and Los Angeles (13th) . . .hmmm! Need we even say it!

See all the pics HERE.

Nightwish!!!!!!!!

It's safe to say that Lora likes a symphonic metal band from Finland called Nightwish. "Likes" may be an understatement. This weekend, we went to see them in Las Vegas, Nevada. We got the VIP tickets and got to meet the band before the show. A highlight that was way too short. The show was amazing (which you can read about in the following post), but the best part came after the show. We found ourselves back near the venue about an hour after the show was over and saw some of the band members out by the door. Lora bolted across the casino floor like she was shot from a gun, in three-inch heels after standing in them for more than five hours! She likes the whole band, but she's partial to the talents of Jukka, the drummer, and Marco, the bassist/vocalist. Jukka and Marco were by the door and Lora was eccstatic that she could get a picture with them. Could you doubt that smile?

See our post about the November show HERE.

Rebecca's tooth

Last night before family prayer Rebecca asked that we would pray that her tooth would fall out. Her front lower tooth has been loose for weeks and nearly hanging out of her head. We finished the prayer and as we said, "Amen", we heard a gasp and as we opened our eyes, Rebecca was holding her tooth in her hand! Wow! Talk about a speedy answer! Rebecca was thrilled!

Happy Mother's Day!

A photo of me and my three favorite reasons to celebrate Mother's Day!

Rebecca's flower birthday party!

We had Rebecca's birthday party today. We know it's a month early, but we have had very bad luck having her parties on her actual birthday, as it is right after school gets out and very few people can come due to vacations, invitations that don't make it out of backpacks until it's time to go back to school in August, etc.. In past years we have only had two or three people attend. So, we figured if we had the party before school got out we would hopefully have more girls attending. We did! There were ten girls here this Saturday! Yea!

Our theme for the party was flowers and we had a great time! There were flowers EVERYWHERE! The girls made flower pens, decorated notebooks with flower stickers, made flower candy lollipops, and we gave them flowers drawn on shrinky-dinks and then we shrunk them down and they strung them on a necklace with beads. They had a great time!

I made Rebecca a big, huge flower cake and she blew out all eight candles! My friend, Andrea, came to help me with all the activities for the girls and I really appreciated her help! It was a lovely afternoon and Rebecca had a great time!

See all the pics HERE.

size 16 jeans!

I got my size 16 jeans on today! I was able to button and zip them without sucking in! I don't think I could have comfortably sat for very long in them, but I was able to lean down without feeling like something was going to pop! Awesome! I've added another short term goal. I want to pass 178 this month. That is the halfway mark in my goal.

Piano lessons

Amanda and I have started taking piano lessons. We have been wanting to do this for quite a long time, but haven't been able to coordinate successfully. Recently, due to a shortage of piano players in our ward, the Bishop called one of the piano players in our ward to teach several of us. Amanda and I started taking lessons on April 2nd, and we will have lessons for nine months.

We are both doing really well for only one month of lessons so far. I had lessons for a little while eleven years ago, so I had a pretty good foundation to start with, but I am really impressed with how well Amanda is doing in such a short amount of time. We go over to the chapel almost every day to practice. We are trying to get a piano to have in our home (a church in Biola is trying to get rid of a piano that they don't use any more), but there is a line of about four people to get messages back and forth to, so we have not been able to get it yet. We are looking forward to that!

Here is Amanda playing Jingle Bells.

Blogging my weight loss journey - Month 4

Well, this month proved to be a challenge. I hit the usual frustration road blocks, and I had two bouts of illness that kept my exercising to a minimum. Once you stop exercising, it is really hard to get the momentum going again! I only lost six pounds and 3 inches this month, but I reached another one of my goals, and I have lost as much as I did when I was trying last year. I am down to 182 lbs, which is a total loss of 36 pounds and 43". Still a grand accomplishment! Next goal is to fit back into my size 16 jeans. I can get them on, I just haven't been able to comfortably button and zip them yet.

I have had many compliments and comments about how great I look, and I really appreciate that! (Especially since I feel like I have lost a lot of weight, but then I see a photo of myself and I get disappointed because I still look so fat!) Hopefully I won't have any more problems with my stomach and I can get back into the swing of exercising and lose a lot more weight by the end of this month! I want to look good for our trip to Las Vegas!