Conference!

Perfect world: we all watch together.

2nd best: everyone watches, some together some alone.

Lana trying peaches!

Even the cat likes conference.
 

When you are little you take a break to play with the neighbors puppies!

Tatum looks like young Dani💕

Plants

I got home and there was a pumpkin on the porch! So surprised💕 Rob bought it. I guess it’s officially spooky season!

Ezra left something behind. He likes to eat watermelon and some of the seeds got spit out in the yard. Now we have a plant that grandpa has been carefully mowing around. I don't think it will produce fruit before it freezes but maybe?!
 

Earlier today R sent me this pic of a cute mushroom from our yard. Love it! 🍄 

We went out to dinner tonight to Capt Pat’s. I had the crab stuffed rockfish and it rocked. Rob had the gumbo, to each his own.

Things that stink

Its been a busy few days back in MD. I can officially say that I like my job. Most days I am in Compass, which is the support room for kids with autism. I like the kids a lot and enjoy the room. Sometimes I am assigned other rooms and that’s fine too.

Ive had a few interviews for my practicum and those have gone well. I have a couple offers so I need to decide which will be the best fit.

Ive also been serving in RS for a couple months now. Its going well. I love the sisters and its pretty easy. I wouldnt say its my favorite, mostly because I am really busy with school and work and dont feel like I have the time to be amazing at it. 

It is definitely fall. Its cool and drizzly every day. I miss Orlando. I really miss our ward there and my friends & the family and the stuff to do and the weather.

 Anna and Amadeo are supposed to go to Hawaii tomorrow. Sierra was supposed to fly out and take care of the boys. 

Instead both Amadeo and Sierra are in the hospital. 😥 A is on IV antibiotics for an infection and maybe will go home tomorrow. Will he be able to fly? 🤷‍♀️

Sierra had an ectopic pregnancy and had surgery to remove a fallopian tube. So so sad. Having a miscarriage is common but still traumatic. I had four and even though I have six living children I occasionally still miss the four that didn’t make it. We are sad.

Hannah is still struggling with her burn, a cooking accident that has been no fun. 

Grace is feeling poorly. 

Not so bad that she isnt playing on her ultimate frisbee team though.

This weekend is general conference!!! My favorite, some of my kids dont think its as great as I do and that’s been hard. 

I 💕💕💕💕my children and want them to be happy and to be able to choose their own adventure. That said I also want them to make the choices that I think are best (lol!) Thats not what free agency is about. Everyone gets to decide, everyone gets to believe what they want and do what they want and then life unfolds. 

back to our regularly scheduled programming

 I taught science today.  Imagine my surprise to find this taxidermy polar bear in the classroom! Val taking a break from her classwork, she's working hard.  Anna taking a turn at parking lot duty.  Our fun trip is now a happy memory.

Hannah asked me if I like Disneyland or Disney World better.  That's an interesting question. I love both. I grew up with Disneyland, and that's where I took my children first.  We've been a lot of times, and we love it.  There are definitely things about it that I think are superior to DW.  When we lived in Orlando I 💕💕💕everything about it and it was a whole lifestyle. If I had to pick just one I'd say DW.  There are several things I like better about Disneyland however. I like the classic rides in fantasy land: Snow White, Storybook Land, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland. World does not have those.  It also doesn't have the Matterhorn or Indiana Jones.  They both have Winnie the Pooh but they are different, and I like Disneyland's better. I also like Pirates better because it has two dips instead of one and the exit is better. The shops, decor, landscape and castle are all way better at DW. That said I do like the scenes around the top of the toy store at land a lot. 

California Adventure has some new stuff that I haven't seen. DW has A LOT more than just MK.

Disneyland

The last day of our trip was spent at Disney! Love it! We got there in time for rope drop and stayed until 11:30 pm, almost the last second! We filled that time right up!

First off, I love Disneyland and have been many times.  This was my first time going back after having lived in Orlando and it was a shock.  I could not believe how small everything was. Every single thing is smaller! The castle is way smaller, the pumpkin wreathes, smaller.  It was crazy. It literally felt so surreal, like I was Alice and had eaten the "eat me" cookie and got made giant.  I tried to put it out of my head and just enjoy without comparing.  I think I did  a pretty good job...but not perfect, I know I mentioned differences many times.  I like both. I prefer Orlando but it was still the best day ever!

We got to ride so many rides: Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White, Pinnochio, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's Runaway Railroad (2x) Big Thunder (2x), Matterhorn, Nemo, Buzz, Storybook Land (2x) Jungle Cruise, Pirates (2x), Indiana Jones, Roger Rabbit, Rise (2x), Smugglers Run,  and Haunted Mansion.  I loved them all except in CA they change Haunter Mansion to Nightmare Before Christmas for Oct- Dec and I did not like that!

We shared lots of snacks and looked at the fun stuff. It was exhausting and the best day!

 

He or She, what will it be?

 

So excited with our news! Sierra and Chris are expecting a little one in May!! New babies are such a blessing and I think they will be the sweetest parents! Can't wait!!!

Sabbath

We went to church at Anna's ward today. They go to the Spanish ward, Amadeo is in the bishopric. We got to use headphones for translation. The ward was nice and welcoming. I love that wherever you go the church is the same. 

When we went to the TJ temple, they had the most beautiful picture of Christ calling Peter, James and John to be fishers of men.  I loved it. Anna did too.  We have spent a long time scouring the internet for the same picture to no avail. I did find these two that are cool but not the one that I was looking for.

We played some games before church.
 

After we church we went to the beach. We saw dolphins, wild life spotting is my favorite.

Then we had to take Val to the airport to go home :( Sad.

 

Saturday (photos out of order)

We woke up and went to get acai bowls for breakfast. They were good and the restaurant is right by the beach. It's funny to me to travel and see how places have personalities just like people do.  Oceanside definitely has a surfer personality, laid back and beachy.  

We walked down to the beach and it happened to be the super girl surf competition! It's a large women's surf competition with contestants like Bethany Hamilton participating (back in the day...and the only woman surfer who's name I know but that still illustrates the point.) So much fun! We watched some surfing 🏄‍♀️, and we enjoyed all the competition amenities. 

There were tons of fun things to see and do and eat. 

This is the Top Gun house where they filmed Top Gun. They sell hand pies there now.  

When we got down to the beach there was tons of stuff going on.  Lots of booths and food and activities to watch or participate in. We got tons if free stuff walking around including shrimp tacos, candy, drinks, body lotion, chap stick,…

Jo tried to win a trip to Fiji! Our new girls trip mantra became "next year in Fiji!"

After our beach fun we went home and watched the Barbie movie, then went to Johnny-O’s game (they won!!)

The air force had a trailer there, recruiting I suppose.  We did the challenges and were able to go in and play the games they had. They had different mind puzzles that were really fun and an F-35 simulator that I enjoyed, was awful at, and felt a little disoriented during! LOL. 

In the evening we went to a group reflexology massage.  You leave your clothes on and are in a large room together. It was very nice though and not too $$. After dinner we went out for sushi.  Delicious.

some of our free drinks.

Jo one Tom's motorcycle.

 Goose and Mav!

movie watchers 😁

Sisters

The water was pacific. 

Spa

We picked up the girls at the airport and went to breakfast.

 

Our plan for the day was the Glen Ivy spa. It was fun. We took mud baths and went in the grotto for a special slime treatment and soak. We had lunch and enjoyed relaxing.

After the spa we went to a cute chocolate factory themed escape room. It was Willy Wonka and we escaped!

Mediterranean dinner. The hummus was really good.