Thanksgiving Weekend Road Trip

Angela and I went on one of our most fun road trips yet this past weekend! We didn't know we could have Friday off from work until Wednesday. Having 4 days off in a row is unheard of for us and we knew we had to take this moment for all its worth.  But where to go?! As most know Thanksgiving weekend is one of the worst times to travel because everyone floods onto the road and crazy traffic ensues.

I served a two year LDS mission in Idaho a few years ago and made lifelong friends. Since then, thanks to social media, Angela has been able to make long distance friends as well. However they live in Idaho...This golden opportunity presented itself when we realized freeways 14, 80, and 95 cut straight to where we wanted to be without going to populated places other people wanted to be, like Vegas. We contacted our friends in Idaho and they seemed very happy to see us; so off we went.

We were right! Our trip there was 13 hours with no traffic whatsoever! One thing that never occurred to me before was everywhere we went other than where we're from was around 20 degrees. I don't know why I assumed the temperature would raise and fall more drastically however it did get down to 5 degrees at one point. Just for reference its 65.5 degrees here and I can hear someone complaining how cold it is a few feet from me...

We stayed at a hotel in Ontario, Oregon Thursday night where they had an indoor swimming pool and spa. Also it was so much fun to do our Black Friday shopping where there was no sales tax! But the real fun began when we arrived at our friend's house. What an amazing family! Melissa may be the best mom I have ever met and I do not say that lightly. We love her family to pieces and wish we could live closer to them. I admit to having a little social anxiety before we arrived but once we got there we felt so welcome it melted away.

They had me read "The Book With no Pictures" to the kids, which was a lot of fun. The youngest kid, Lydia kept running up to Angela giving her big hugs! We talked about anything and everything it was so comfortable for me to pick up where I left off and they were so good at making Angela and I feel like part of the family. They are so adorable when we woke up the next morning they even brought us breakfast in bed!

Peter and Lucas love to play video games on the computer and Wii. I was able to talk to them about this just long enough to find out that they like to play Steam games. We should find out their steam names so we can play together one day. On our way out Lydia gave Angela a friendship bracelet she made and Whitney waved us goodbye as we drove away. Angela and I love to just get up and go places. I am so thankful for this because it provides us opportunity to see such amazing people. This last weekend we drove 2,300 miles for a total of 36 hours of driving time. As you can tell Angela got some wonderful photos as well. We are so glad we went and would not trade our experience for anything!

Hunger Games Date

We saw the first Hunger Games movie they day it came out March 11, 2012. We had both read the book and I bought her a much sought after mocking jay pin for her to wear the movie. At that time I was just learning how to braid her hair and for that showing Angela braided her hair perfectly with the Katniss braid. She looked gorgeous!

Fast forward. The last of the Hunger Games movies were coming out and I felt I had to do something special. So I secretly bought tickets to The Hunger Games Mocking Jay part two at the city walk I max theater. I got them 2 months in advance so we could have the best seats in the house. We had lost Angela's mocking jay pin so I ordered a new one. I also learned how to do the Katniss braid so I could do her hair up for our date.

Everything fell into place so nicely. I was afraid after working I would not have enough time for a proper surprise. I had to do her hair that morning before work so she got to be excited all day. On they way to the movie I surprised her with the new Mocking Jay pin. SHE LOVED IT! The happy look on her face was so cute as I described why this movie meant so much to me.

Every moment I spend with Angela is a magical time. I cherish every memory I have and make with her. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity's to do amazing things with such an amazing person! I can't wait for the next chapter in our already fantastical book. 

The Secret of Appreciation

We heard the news that Disneyland is raising their prices. This is really bad news for me because I bought the premium passes for Angela and I last Valentine's day and I was hoping I could do this again this year. We love Disneyland! I understand that at their current prices they still have overcrowding and something needs to be done. Last time I was there I waited in line for 20 min to try a Disney corndog for the first time. (Personally I was underwhelmed but that's another story.) I can't help but picture the meeting to raise prices going exactly like the scene in Jurassic Park were the lawyer suggests coupon day.

Video found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP5CdRiY8Ak

We have done a lot since my last blog post. We have had a girl's night and we went to see Billy Joel in San Francisco. Angela and I have been playing and having a lot of fun and we could not be happier people. Maybe my next blog post will be about our adventures in San Fran but for now I want to talk about something very important to my happiness that I haven't really touched on in my blog much; appreciation.

My mom used to tell me I was really good at cleaning. Whenever there was a mess she would praise my ability to clean and organize things. Yes, I did have a natural knack for it but what really motivated me was this praise. Soon I would look forward to cleaning my room because I felt fulfillment in being able to actually be good at something and as a kid you don't have many things you feel you can do as good as adults.

To this day I love to organize, our apartment is filled with little tubs labeled and put away. I have had several people tell me "Hey when are you coming over to my house to help me organize?" Another great thing that my wife does is she has carried over this praise of my ability to clean. Every time I unload the dishwasher or do our laundry Angela will tell me how wonderful I am. It's taken me a long time to realize this is not normal practice. When people do well on a regular basis people get complacent and start taking them for granted.

I think a lot of people are drawn to nitpick because it makes them feel superior. It puts them on a pedestal to tell someone else all the wrong things they are doing and leave out the good. It takes a strong person to tell someone they are doing well because that puts them on equal ground and people like to take the high ground whenever they can.

Which brings me to the secret of appreciation; it's to not take this high ground. People don't take the high ground because they are bad people they do this because it makes them feel more comfortable. People want to fix flaws but hardly ever take the time to see what they or others are doing well and I am so glad Angela and I don't nitpick.

Colors

I know art comes in many different ways

Mine expressed in many adjectives and verbs

You see now my words have changed to colors

They bleed down the sides of every page

Go ahead and splash more colors

I feel everything at once

You see we kissed in the rain of all your colors

Not one has run down my face

Now all words run together

I live in your sea of mixed red, green, and blues

Every one of them a living breathing eternity

My words they’re gone forever

And I never want them back

Words express one set meaning

Definitions never run too long

I can see your colors forever changing

And I will be there for every one.

I thought black ink was forever

One word for one time

Now my book has every color

I don't think I've ever thanked you for that

Girl's Weekend!

As all of you that keep up with my blog know, Angela and I have girl's nights on a regular basis. It makes us sad but some of our friends live out of state and can't make it. This weekend we decided to bring girl's night to one of our favorite people and this plan resulted in the most fun girl's weekend trip we could have ever imagined!

We left Thursday night and drove though the desert. We made a detour to a very unique place when we stopped at Joshua Tree National Park. I have never seen Joshua Trees that big, they looked like alien Dr. Seuss trees and driving though made me feel like I was driving on the ocean floor.

When we made it to Phoenix it was 4 in the morning and 104 degrees outside. We made sure to bring in everything from our car so nothing would melt when the sun came out. We woke up a few hours later and got ready for the day. By the time we got back into the car to go pick up a few provisions we saw this...

Unlike the heat, it was amazingly comfortable for us to be around Ashley. She's truly is a sweet, kind, wonderful soul. She works all the time and rides her bike to work in this weather. When Angela and I got back to the hotel we had fun decorating our hotel room for a Disney themed girl's night. If any of you know Ashley then you know that she absolutely loves everything Disney. Before we left for Phoenix we had to make a special trip to Disneyland to pick up a present for her and some caramel apples for us to eat. Here are some decorations we put up for our Disney Princess theme.

This is a candid photo of her opening her Disneyland 60th anniversary water bottle we got her.

We had foot soaks and stayed up all night watching Mulan, Mean Girls, and talking about anything and everything. When we woke up we had our second complimentary breakfast and spent the rest of the day at the mall trying on clothes at all the stores and smelling delicious smells at Bath and Body Works.

My wife and I have had some wonderful opportunities to road trip lately and I am amazed at how blessed we are to have the friends we do. I can't thank Ashley enough for the time she spent with us. She is so cute and bubbly and deserved to have some fun time off.

Love is a Package Deal

Angela and I saw Phantom of the Opera last week to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary. We have both wanted to see that play since we were very young. Angela has been fortunate enough to see it three times now. I related life experience to Christine's struggles and it helped me see life more clearly. It taught me just because something feels good at the time does not mean it will grant someone lasting joy. It's amazing how the wisdom from other people's experiences (like the ones portrayed in Phantom of The Opera) can save you unimaginable heartbreak.

The Phantom exploited Christine's naivety and let her believe that he was the Angel of Music sent by her late father to watch over her. After all she was a young wide-eyed little girl willing to except anything that hid her from cold hard reality. She grew up very lonely without her parents but the Phantom of Opera was there to ease her mind. However while satisfying both their needs for companionship Christine was blind to the treachery caused by the Phantom's other desires.

You pity the Phantom for his dark past and hopeless future but you realize that does not excuse him of his actions. Life is hard and everyone deals with it differently. I find with life most things come in package deals. All you see at first is a box labeled "companionship" and you think I NEED THAT! But what you get with that companionship can be toxic. That's why you need to be careful how you choose your friends. It may feel right because you're getting what you need but you may get more than you bargained for.

It's easy at the beginning of a relationship to just focus on your loneliness being relieved. It's easy to feel special just from someone's desire for them to be around you. And if they are charming you may be enticed into more than friendship. Unfortunately for a lot of people long term relationships are very complicated.

You need to keep bettering yourself or else what is the point of a new day? Angela and I have been through enough to know hiding in the shadows gets you nowhere. I wish I could shake some people that give their love blindly. In this play the Phantom is a person pulling the strings and it may be for you too, but in most of our lives it's subtle things. Everyone has their phantoms to soothe their minds. It can be an idea or obsession but eventually reality will catch up with you.  It saddens me that some people think that ignorance is bliss, they may never experience true bliss that way.

Angela and I live our days in the light discovering new things about ourselves and each other daily. We live each day living for the future. Christine only dreams of being hidden from her problems not to rise above them. Even when dreaming of the light she wishes to be hidden. Angela and I make effort to rise above all obstacles daily. Our love is not blind but pure thanks to being ever watchful for impurity. We know 2 years is not very much time and we have much to face ahead but we will do it head strong and most importantly without darkness in ourselves.

Today is Our Wedding Anniversary!

I know too many people that never find out who their spouse is the entire time they are married. I have understanding now that everyone is different and you can't cut any corners to know your spouse, it takes hard work to find things out for yourself. You have to weed though fears and walls but as I do this I grow closer than I ever imagined with Angela.

Angela and I had one of our best days ever on Saturday the 18th. We got to go to Disneyland in the rain. To a lot of people that would sound awful but we loved it. We were taking a selfie by the castle and a lady informed us that it was raining like we were dumb for not seeking shelter. Everywhere else may be jaded by rain but southern Californians have good reason not to be. This drought is terrible, all our hills are brown and we need water to live. 

You will never be happy until you count your blessings you have. I don’t know what it is about growing up that makes it so your goals get bigger. You start to get ungrateful for the things you already have. When I got married all I wanted in the world was someone to love, a place to live, and food. Now we’ve added buy a house have kids and go on vacations. Angela and I used to sneak into our apartment before the move in date on the lease; lay on the floor where we imagined our bed would go and stare up at the ceiling like it was the night sky. We would dream of living together and even though we didn’t know if we could afford our one bedroom apartment at the time just being together was what mattered. Now we lay on our floor of our apartment sometimes together to remind ourselves how far we’ve come and what’s important.

Today is Angela and I's wedding anniversary. I love my life more and more every day I spend with her. It's almost like things don't happen unless I share them with her. I am so grateful for all the time together these last few years. I love that we can play like little children and then if need be work together to take on the most serious of tasks. I love that we are whole now because we have found our other halves. 3 years down ∞ to go. <3