d-land

Bret and I had a fantastic Valentine's/President's Day week with my family in sunny California, just a couple weeks after my last trip to Cali to visit my sister :). It was the first time the entire fam has been on vacation together since I was like 13 I think. The size of our family has grown considerably since then so it was great being all together as we visited beaches, restaurants and Disneyland.

The Udall crew (includes some Smarts, Cannons, Bowens and Millers)
I love going to Disneyland with kids and seeing them soak up the magic. It was the first time for most of them too which made it extra special.
A boat to ourselves makes for some rowdiness on Small World and Pirates.


Making a plan. Miraculously, we had only a few meltdowns and we stuck together for most of the first day.Yep, my brother-in-law is man enough to sport a Mini Mouse visor.
Bret really is so much taller than me. I only remember that when I look at pictures like this.
Sisters.Waiting for the Pixar parade at California Adventure/ ready to go be done with Disney.
Apart from Disneyland, we made the most of the 80 degree weather by visiting a few beaches.

Dana Point- our favorite spot.
Laguna

Point Dume in Malibu (with my parents and Bret this time)

Apparently this beach is a hot spot for filming movies. If you look at those rocks in the pictures above, it's supposedly the spot in the film Planet of the Apes where you see the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the sand. We also heard that Tony Stark's house from Iron Man is there. When we went there this time we noticed a random movie set on the beach and a film crew packing up for the day. Apparently this set will represent Chile in a scene from an upcoming Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz movie called Knight and Day.
Thanks to the whole fam for sharing your time, pictures and dreams with us. And a special thanks to my parents for making all the magic happen. We'll never forget it.

come to dell

So it was about three years ago this weekend that Bret and I fell for each other. Well, I may have had a crush on him a little bit longer than that but it wasn't until that particular Saturday night that he finally noticed me.

At that time Bret was our ward's activity committee co-chair and they began a tradition of sending out video messages to the members of the ward to tell them about that week's upcoming activity- very BYU. This video is the only one I know of that survives (for obvious reasons; BYU 181 members will know it as a classic). Typical of most Bret and Jordan improv collaborations, this video includes fake mustaches, some Hansen music, a wig and a lot of nonsense.



You see, I wasn't planning to go to that activity (I was still new to the ward - and to BYU- and there was an America's Next Top Model marathon on that night) but there was something about this video that I couldn't refuse, can you blame me? Luckily, I went on that sledding trip up American Fork Canyon where Bret and I shared a magical sled ride, sang karaoke together and started a dance party. The rest is history.

P.S. I think I even sent a link of this video to my sister back then and said "I have a crush on this boy. The one on the right with the Boy George hair." She probably thought I was crazy.

Scooter & Gilbert: Some Real Cool Dudes

Bret Miller here with a special shout-out to some cool friends of mine. These friends have changed my life in unseen ways. For my own posterity and for your entertainment I present to you the history of Scooter & Gilbert.

Scooter is a brilliantly yellow and naturally gentle parakeet/budgie. Had her ancestors not been caught by the white man and tamed she would be roaming free in her native Australia. For reasons unknown, Scooter found herself in the parking lot of Fastsigns of Provo on the side of a pick-up truck in April 2007. Orphaned but trusting, she didn't hesitate to step onto our fingers and take a tour of our sign shop. With that step, Planet Earth as we know it, made a dramatic change for the better.

Scooter has been through quite a bit for a budgie. Disregarding the honor code, she moved in with a bunch of men at BYU. Most the time she was a good bird, never needing a lid to her cage. Only once did she flee and foolishly leap out of our 3-story window to a wild tumble. During another adventure she visited The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was used as an object lesson in Sunday School.

After our marriage we introduced her to a new friend of her own, Gilbert the parakeet. We no longer felt bad for leaving her lonely in her cage when we were about during the day.

Unfortunately, Scooter and Gilbert, are without their masters for the next few years. My sister Melinda and her husband, Landon, have been more than kind enough to hold onto these little dudes while we're away. Our lives have been uncomfortably quiet without them. As weird as it sounds, they were one of the few constants Laura and I have had in our lives these past few years.

Thanks little friends, you're some cool dudes and you'll be missed.

nice and easy

Since B has been in Brazil for the past couple weeks, I decided to spend some of the time he's away visiting my sister and her family in southern California (I also spent some of the time having the stomach flu, but I'm guessing you'd rather not hear that story).

The trip went by too fast, but it was just what I needed. Quality sister time, beautiful and warm weather (and so green after all that rain they got), major r&r and a great distraction from missing Bret. I also got to have lots of fun with the little one, miss Norah.
Afternoon in Santa Monica

Picking out cupcakes at Crumbs (red velvet for me!)
Point Dume Beach in Malibu...

They're a family.

I love this one.

(whitest person on the beach with the cutest person)
Please appreciate the amount of activity on this cliff: photo shoot above, swimsuit photo shoot below and rock climbers in between.
Thank you Bowens for a fabulous time and for getting all those Yo Gabba Gabba songs stuck in my head.

simply tragic

I rarely get caught up in entertainment news* but, despite still having some of my favorite shows on television, NBC has gone too far with this whole Conan business and I'm seriously considering writing them a strongly-worded letter.

Conan, you're a gentleman and a comedic delight. Please don't leave us for good.

*I think we all know that statement is a lie.

so long, seattle.

So short, is more like it. We may have been in Seattle for only 6 months, but it was certainly great while it lasted. Sure, we had our share of bumps in the road (literally and figuratively) while we were there but that's life. I'm sad it went by so fast but I'm proud of the way we spent our time there: lots of exploring the area, making great new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones, eating an assortment of delicious foods, fun visits from family and friends and of course, plenty of picture-taking. And what do you know, I'm going to take this opportunity to reflect back on some of our favorite moments in Seattle with pictures, some of which I have put up before and others I meant to but never got around to. Like these at the Fremont Troll under the bridge. Slightly creepy, yes, but I appreciate that the city would support such a creative piece of public art. It's huge too, that's a real VW bug in it's grip.

We took these at the boat Locks in early fall.

watching the fish ladder

Trips to the beach and other water adventures.

The beloved Queen Anne Farmer's Market

Fresh produce= delicious meals (this was during our phase of making omelets after watching a special by Julia Child). *Somewhat relevant side fact: I later cut my finger open with that big knife.

A few favorites:
Gas Works Park

The little Duckies

Ferry Ride in the San JuansBeaches

ArboretumHudson River Hero
Sculpture GardenThe San Juans
Pike's place at Christmas
Space Needle Goodbye Seattle... for now at least.