MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Christmas is HERE! I am so excited. I just love the Christmas season! Ever since my mission, the Christmas Spirit has taken on a little different feeling for me. Being away from home, away from my family for the first time at during this time of year, made it a little easier to focus on the true meaning of Chrismas.

I only had one Christmas in the mission field. I was in the area of South Milwaukee, which, oddly enough, is just south of the main city of Milwaukee (about 10-15 minutes from downtown). I had been in the area for about 2 1/2 months - just long enough to form some amazing friendships with many of the people there.
My companion and I with Bro Greasby

We had one family that was investigating - a single mother of two children, one of them with some special needs. He had Cerebral Palsy and was unable to walk without assistance (either crutches or a wheelchair) and he could speak but most of the time his words were not understandable. The mother worked two jobs just to make ends meet, but when it came down to it, she still had nothing.

The Sunday before Christmas, she came to church and cried through all three hours. I had seen her be touched by the spirit and become emotional before, but this seemed different. I pulled her aside and asked her what was making her so emotional. She told me that her car had broken down and she had to use the money she'd saved all year for presents for her boys to pay for the repairs. My heart ached for her. Over the next couple of days, my companion and I rounded up all the presents we could, as well as food and money for this family that was planning on having nothing under the tree and nothing on the table on Christmas. The ward was more than willing to donate, and we were overwhelmed by the response of the amazing members of the West Allis 2nd ward.

On Christmas Eve, we made our way over to their house with the boxes of presents, food, and an envelope of money for her and her boys. When she opened the door and saw us there, she fell to her knees and began to cry - tears of sheer joy. We placed the food on the table, and the presents under the tree. She called to her sons to come see what the Lord had provided for them. The son with Cerebral Palsy, too excited to grab his crutches, crawled from his room to the tree, sat in front of it and cried. He turned and smiled at us, and of course it brought us to tears also.


That night my heart was transformed. It made me realize that Christmas wasn't about presents, Santa, or shopping. It was about miracles. The miracle of our Savior's birth is the most incredible thing of all - for it is because of Him that we have a chance to return to live with our Father in Heaven. I was away from my family and home, but I felt so close to my Heavenly home than I ever had before in my life.

I love my Savior and I love what He has done for me, for you, for all of us. Without Him, there would be no purpose. This year when giving gifts to your family, imagine what it would have been like to be there that night He was born - to give Him a gift, to see His precious face, His tiny hands that would be pierced for us.



Merry Christmas to you all!

Time for an update!

We've now been in our new home for 3 weeks and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

We're still trying to get situated, and in the process of purchasing new furniture, and once that's all taken care of, I'll definitely post pictures. I've already developed a few new habits - one of which is curling up by the fireplace with a good book or the laptop. Nothing tops cuddling with Scott by the fire while we watch a good movie.

I can't even stress how much better this place is than the last one we lived in. And for so many reasons. Not only is it SO SO SO nice, but it's in Heber, and I can't tell you how much I LOVE being back "home". It's kind of weird running into people I went to high school with that are all married with kids and what not, but I absolutely love this little town. My mom always said I'd say that someday...I should have believed her!

Scott got a new job at the St. Regis hotel in Park City. It's a BEAUTIFUL 5 star hotel that is just being finished on top of the mountain at Deer Valley. Papa John (the owner of the pizza place) owns two suites, and Carrie Underwood bought one also. He really enjoys the job and the shorter commute! Not to mention that it's pretty awesome that he will most definitely be running into celebrities that come to Park City to ski...


I'm still working in Orem, and I actually really like my job. Not just because the money is good, but I have great co-workers, and I've learned a lot there. Funny how the jobs that seems menial and simple can teach you so much. I started my practicum hours at the new high school in Heber - since I live across the street from it! I really enjoy spending time in the school and working with the kids. That school being built was LONG overdue. I'm kind of jealous that I didn't get to go to it when I was in school! But at least I get to work there!

Life is simple, but good. I'll be an aunt again in February when my sister has her daughter Ava Elizabeth. I'm really excited to have a niece! I think Anne will be a great mother. I have a lot of friends that are pregnant or just had babies, and although I'm super excited for them, I can't help but feel that twinge of jealousy. All I can do is keep doing the right things, praying and keeping the faith. I know I'll be a mother someday, but the waiting is the hardest part. It is sort of heart breaking. I also know how much Scott wants to be a dad. And he'll be an AMAZING father. I can't wait till the day comes when we will be blessed with a special soul to care for.

On another note, I am thankful for everything I do have - an AWESOME husband who is so patient and sweet, a fabulous new house, a good job, a nice car, terrific parents and sisters and friends, great in-laws, etc. I have the ability to see the beauty of a sunrise, and hear the incredible music I love. I'm pretty blessed.

NEW HOUSE!

We are SO excited about the big change in our life - moving to our brand new condo in Heber City! There is a special place in my heart for Heber, and part of me is relieved to finally be moving "home". The other part is so ridiculously excited about our new place! I feel like we're finally settling down and moving forward.

We got the keys on Tuesday and today we went to take some pictures of the place before we move in. It's got 3 bedrooms, one of which we'll make into our office. The other will be a spare bedroom that will turn into a kid's room someday (hopefully). There are two beautiful bathrooms, and the kitchen is furnished with absolutely gorgeous stainless steel appliances! It was just barely built and I love that no one has lived in it before us!

So for your enjoyment - pictures of our new home! I'll post more when we get moved in! There are more pics on facebook.

Been a While...

I just realized it's been almost 2 months since I updated this thing. Life got really busy once I started working again! But things are on an upward slope and that is super exciting!

First things first: Scott and I are moving to Heber! We found a fantastic little starter home and we'll be moving in a matter of weeks! We just need to get everything finalized and we'll be on our way to being homeowners! I'll post some pics as soon as we get settled! It will be really nice to be living in Heber again, and most of all, it will be SO nice to live in a brand new place that has never been lived in before! We're really excited to get out of Salt Lake and be closer to my family. And we'll be living right across the street from the brand new high school, so if my dream of working there comes true, I won't have far to commute!

We've had a lot of fun the past couple months. We spent some time at Swiss Days, where Scott was handed the job of Risk Management Guy (aka the Brute Squad) and he had a blast making sure everyone was staying in line.

We also went to see the Sheepdog competition at Soldier Hollow. It turned out to be way interesting! Those dogs are CRAZY SMART and so cute. I really enjoyed seeing them do their thing. We spent some time in my dad's garden harvesting veggies and then eating them!! I loved it - getting into the plants and finding the best ones to pick, then washing them off and cutting them up to eat - I don't know what it is about home grown produce, but it always tastes SO good!!

We also went camping with our friends the Andersons and their ridiculously adorable baby boy. Well he's almost 2, so not so much a baby, but he's SO much fun. And the Andersons are some of the world's coolest people. I didn't realize until we got back that I only took like 2 pictures, and they were of Scott folding the tent up. But I did take plenty of pics of the wind generators on the way up to SF Canyon...

We look forward to what the future has to offer- I just can't wait till we get into our new place so we can start over in a new ward, a new home, and a new town. Well, new to Scott, anyway. Bring on the change!!

A couple pictures of our summer - more can be found on facebook.

Remembering...

I can't believe how fast time flies. Tomorrow is July 23, 2009. Exactly one year ago, on July 23, 2008, the world lost one of the most amazing people that has ever lived. That person was my brother-in-law Sean.

Sean was amazing for so many reasons. He was a true Superman. Sean was diagnosed with cancer when he was 20 years old. It began as skin cancer, and it was caught fairly early. The surgeries and treatments he endured left him with painful scars, but gave him 9 more years of life. He lived cancer free for the next few years, and met my sister in December 2004. They instantly fell in love. Their relationship was one to be envied by many. Sean was so respectful of her needs, so loving, so selfless, so happy and his positive spirit and high energy were so contagious.

About a year later, Sean's cancer came back. It showed up in various parts of his body, settling mostly in his lungs. The Hunstman was able to run new treatments on him, and after a couple of months, he was good as new. Sean was offered a job as a dispatch officer for Summit County, and they sponsored him to attend the Academy - to pass POST (Peace Officer Standard Training) to become a corrections officer. Shortly before beginning POST, more tumors were found, this time on his brain. He had surgery on his brain to remove the tumors, and worked so hard to pass the academy with flying colors. His graduation was very moving, as Sean had realized his dream - to be a police officer. He was the only person the Academy had ever known that had passed POST between brain surgeries.

Two weeks later, he had another brain surgery.

Two months later, he was gone.

Sean's biggest dreams in life were 1- To marry the love of his life in the temple, which he did on Dec 9, 2006. 2 - To become a dad, which he did the instant he came into Amy and Jasen's life. Jasen has never referred to Sean as anything but his dad. 3 - To become a police officer, which he did in May 2008.

Before he died, Sean said the one thing I pray I am able to say before I go. He said, "I know where I'm going, and I know I'm worthy to go there." Sean's life was dedicated to living righteously. And he did it better than anyone I have ever known.

There is no question in my mind why God decided to take Sean home at the age of 29. There are far greater things in far greater places that Sean is doing now, and I'm sure of that. The world is a lesser place without him, and our lives are a little dimmer, a little sadder, and a little less exciting, but I look forward to seeing him again someday.

Sean, we miss you SO much. The world just isn't the same without you.

Embracing the Saleswoman in Me!

This is just a quick post to let you all know how much I LOVE my job!!

It's crazy, but I have quickly learned to love my job! I feel bad for ever thinking that I would have to grudgingly endure it until something better came along!

I guess I have a little bit of sales genetics thanks to my dad, and I've been able to really embrace the saleswoman in myself! And I love it! I love talking to people, telling them all about what I have to offer them, and making the sale! And most of all, I LOVE the commission!!! I get a base wage, but I also get 20% commission on every sale! I wake up in the morning and I am actually excited to go to work! Wooo!

Just thought I'd let ya'll know!

:D

My Ambivalence...

Well, it finally happened. I am officially employed after 8 months of not working. However, I am incredibly ambivalent about life right now, despite finally having a second income.

The job I got is working for the Phone Directories Company (www.pdcpages.com) as an Advertising Consultant. It sounds fancy, but basically I work with businesses to set up and design their yellow page ads in the PDC Phonebook. The PDC Phonebook is the one with the pretty cover - and it's pretty much nationwide. If you are curious about the PDC phone book, look through your stacks of unused phone books, and if you have one that has a pretty picture on the front, that is who I work for. It's a good job, the money is decent and it's not stressful. I don't plan on making a career out of it, but it's REALLY nice to have a job after all this time.

Here is why I am feeling ambivalent. When I lost my job back in November, I never really got any answers as to why I was let go. I was told many different things, from budget cuts to my "heart not being in the work", and I have harbored some VERY bad feelings for the woman that fired me. Being the kind of person I am, I have never hated anyone. I've disliked people, sure, but never given much thought to it. And if someone made me mad or betrayed me, I didn't tend to hold a grudge too long. That is, until November 24, 2008. My dreams turned to nightmares almost every night, and I sort of lost focus on what life was really about. The anger and hatred I held for this individual brought me down and held me there, making me far less of a person than I could ever want to be. I started to really dislike the way I felt, and I would try to do things to put it out of my mind, but it would always creep back in.

I LOVED my job. I absolutely loved every minute of being a social worker. I loved going on home visits. I loved writing up court reports and assessments. I LOVED going to court. And more than anything, I loved seeing the tiny steps of progression made by my clients. Losing that job made me feel like I lost the world. And the worst part about it, is that I'm sure this woman that fired me promptly forgot about me the next day. I'm sure she had no regrets and couldn't have cared less about what might happen to me. I became quite depressed. The only thing that kept me sane was Scottie. He only ever encouraged me, letting me know that things would get better. I can honestly say that the past 8 months have been the hardest 8 months of my life. I knew I wouldn't be able to dispose of my hatred for my former boss until I had another job - something to do, something to keep my mind off past events and focus on the future.

I finally feel like this dark cloud of hatred and depression is lifting. It's a really great feeling. I don't know how long it will take before I finally let go completely, or if I ever will. But I feel like a big step has been taken, and that's always the hardest part.

Have you ever taken a step back, looked at your life and just said, "How the HECK did I get HERE?" It's a question I feel like I ask myself way too much. The good things in my life are REALLY good. Scottie, for example, is way more than I could have asked for in a husband. He's absolutely incredible. And I am so thankful to have him. I'm also very thankful for my ability to learn, to make friends and be social, and my overall health. However, it feels like the things that go wrong, REALLY go wrong. Sometimes I just feel like I'm standing still in a world of people moving at super speed. And I don't really know what to do with that.

I guess we're not meant to understand life, or why things happen the way they do, but I can't help but always want to, espcially as I get older. The plan I had for my life when I was young went out the window years ago. I guess I should just stop making plans for myself period.

When I was 17, if asked where I saw myself in 10 years, I would have said this:
-I would have a college degree in either communications or business management.
-I would have at least two or three kids, and I'd be a stay at home mom.
-I'd be married to a man that made truck loads of money at a great job.
-I'd live in some other state besides Utah, in a big house, with nice cars.
-I'd be well on my way to building the homeless shelter I've dreamed of building since I was 14 years old.

Now I'm 27, and here is how my life is drastically different than I planned:
-I have a college degree in Psychology, working on a Masters in School Counseling
-I don't have kids, and it's very unlikely that I'll ever have my own. But we plan on adopting.
-I am married to a man that makes just enough money for us to pay the bills, and while his career path is very admirable, he'll never make truck loads of cash.
-I not only live in Utah, but in Utah's capital city.
-My homeless shelter is still a design on the back of a church program.

I'm scared and excited to see how things will be in another 10 years.

It's Anniversary Time!

Yesterday Scottie and I celebrated our third anniversary! Three years!!! It's SO crazy how fast time flies! So for our anniversary, we didn't plan much because Scott had work from 7 am till 3 pm and then I had to go to school at 6. But it actually turned out to be a GREAT day!!

On Monday, while Scott was at work, I went out and bought a frame for his Red Jumpsuit Apparatus poster that he got signed by the band. But when I got home, I realized the frame I got was WAY too big, so I had to improvise! I got an old vinyl record, put the signed CD jacket on top of the record, and put it in the frame with the poster. See the finished product below!

Then that night, before our anniversary, I snuck out after Scott had fallen asleep and put brand new floor mats in his truck. He's been needing them for a while, so I took the opportunity to get them for him! I made a card for him and left it in the truck too. Cheesy, I know, to make a card, but I couldn't find any at the store that said what I wanted to say.

He was so cute, when he came home from work at 3, he brought 3 long stem roses for me, one for every year we've been married. For some reason he was trying to convince me that he forgot our anniversary, but I knew he was just up to something. Every holiday/anniversary/birthday he always tries to do something sneaky so he can surprise me with something special. I had to leave for class, and he said he was going to a movie with a friend.

Right before class my sister came in with a huge edible arrangement and a balloon from Scottie! The edible arrangement is BEAUTIFUL - with all kinds of fruit fashioned to look like a flower bouquet, but it's fantastic because you can eat it!! I thought it was so thoughtful of him. And SO yummy!

My professor let me go at 7:30, instead of staying until 10, which was fantastic! Scottie and I went to Outback for a nice steak dinner, and then we were going to the theater but we decided to redbox a movie instead. We got Fired Up, which was REALLY funny! We had a really great night just being together, which I feel like we don't get to do enough.

Scott is SUCH an amazing husband. He is everything I could ever ask for. It's been such a wonderful three years, and I am so happy to have the rest of eternity with him!!!

Godspeed This Letter...

I always feel really patriotic from Memorial Day all the way through the end of August. Memorial Day is an awesome holiday, and this year we spent some time in the cemetary remembering those we've lost, especially Sean. He wasn't a soldier, per se, but he fought his own battles. My heart has been so full lately, and then Scott and I discovered this song after we saw The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in concert on Friday. It really touched my heart, and I feel like it expresses emotions that only a soldier can feel. I decided I would make this slideshow/movie as a tribute to the brave men and women that keep our country free. Enjoy!

Concert Week Off to a GREAT Start!!!

This week is concert week for us. Last night started it off with the No Doubt and Paramore concert at the E center! I went with my sisters, and we had floor tickets! It was so much fun. For all of Paramore and most of No Doubt, we were fairly close to the stage. I took tons of pictures, but there are only a few in the slideshow.

Wednesday, Scott and I will see Taking Back Sunday with Anberlin.



Friday, we are going to the X96 Maverick Big Ass Show to see The Offspring, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Alkaline Trio, Escape The Fate, Airborne Toxic Event and others. We're really looking forward to it!! I love concerts in the summer!

Trying Out One More Time!

So The Biggest Loser is casting again - this time for Season 9. And guess what??

They want family member teams of two for this season! Apparently Season 8 will be another individual season, and then it's going back to couples, but this time family members only!

Scott and I are going to try again, so first we're going to make a video, and then try to hit up a live casting call.

If you have any fun or creative ideas for our video, please let me know!!

We're really excited because this time it could work in our favor! Woooo!

Sometimes life....just is.

Since we didn't do anything exciting this week, like go to L.A., buy a new computer or go to any concerts, I thought I'd just talk a little bit about life.

For those of you that know me, my life isn't the easiest it's been in a while. I've been unemployed for 6 months now (and man that's gone by fast), I've been in grad school for 9 months (who's shocked I've made it this far??) and right now, I'm sick! Ugh! But instead of focusing on the crap, I'm going to focus on the good things!

So this is my list of things I'm thankful for this week.

1. SCOTTIE! What a great husband. Since Saturday, when I first started feeling sick, he's done all he could to make me feel better. He's given me back rubs, he has gone to the store numerous times to get ice cream and medicine and soda, he's covered me up so I don't get cold, he's made me breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he's been there for me even when he's been at school and work. He's simply amazing, and I don't know how worthy I am of his amazingness. I really lucked out in the husband department.

2. Winning! Scottie and I have won some great things this week - well Scott mostly. He's won 4 tickets to the X96 Maverick Big Ass Show (sorry, that's just what it's called) and I am SO excited because we usually go every year, but we didn't get tickets last year. But now we can go, and we'll be going with great friends! We're going to try to win more, too. I also won tickets to the Supercross event that is happening this weekend, so Scottie is taking our nephew to that. It just feels great to win.

3. Unemployment benefits! Yes, I've been able to get umemployment benefits for the past 6 months to help us make ends meet. And it's weird because while I was working, our bank account was ALWAYS empty. We didn't even HAVE a savings account. But since I've been unemployed, we've never had an empty account, and we have TWO savings accounts now. Is that weird or what? And before our trip, we had paid off or down all of our credit cards. Granted we used them for our LA trip, but the fact remains that we were able to use them because we had them paid off or down! I feel pretty blessed to be in the financial position we're in, despite the fact that I have no job. And I found out this week that I've been granted an extention of 4 months to my benefits. So thanks, Obama! (Who ever thought they'd hear me say THAT?)

4. The Church! On Easter, I was reminded just how much I love this gospel. I am SO thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - because personally, it gives me the peace I need, the comfort, and the boost to get through life. I got to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" with my dad for everyone in Sacrament. It was so touching to me to be able to share that moment with my dad, because he is such an amazing father. It means the world to me that we can share a talent together that is not only enjoyable, but allows us to show our faith together as well. I guess this one is all encompassing - the church, my father, and my voice.

5. Modern day medicine! Oh how thankful I am for the loads of Ibuprofen, Tylenol PM and Dayquil I've consumed in the past 4 days. And that's just the beginning! There's Airborne, Vicks Vaporub, Mucinex and cough drops! Although not one of them can cure me, they've all done their part to ease the burdens of this virus in their own little ways.

6. Technology. So I can share all of this with you. Because I'm sure it's the most riveting thing you've read in a while.

Are You Ready to ROCK?!?!

Scottie and I are ALWAYS ready to rock!

Last night we rocked out with Fall Out Boy at the Great Saltair in Salt Lake! Along with Fall Out Boy, we saw Hey Monday, Cobra Starship, Metro Station and All Time Low. We went to the show with Amy, George, Jen and Matt. We had so much fun!

The Great Saltair is a great concert venue - with two levels of standing only room. We were on the main level for most of the concert, but made our way up to see Fall Out Boy from the second level. No matter where you are, you get a great view of the band on stage! We had a lot of fun - we are big fans of Fall Out Boy, and we really like Hey Monday as well. They are a new band, and if you haven't heard of them, check them out on myspace.

Here are some pictures of the concert that I took. I didn't post all of them, in fact this is about a third of the pictures I took! And thanks, Celena, for the slide.com idea!! SO totally helpful!!!!

California!!!

I know, this took me forever. But I couldn't figure out how to get the pictures arranged. So there are LOTS of pictures, and they are in order chronologically, but BACKWARDS! haha But I am not going to spend anymore time on this blog! Enjoy!

California is such a fantastic place to be. I swear I was made to live in Beverly Hills. And I was born to be a star. But alas, I sit home in my little Salt Lake City apartment, unemployed and spending thousands of dollars on a Masters degree I might not even be able to use. (Insert *SIGH* here) If you aren't my friend on facebook (well, add me of course), then you haven't seen the plethora of pictures I put up in albums. There are 7 albums I believe, and that isn't even close to half of how many pictures we took! We took over 1000 pictures in the 6 days we spent in L.A. Since I know most of you are just DYING to know, I'll give you a brief synopsis of how we spent our time! Here you go:

Day 1: Travel. We got to L.A.X. at about 2:30 pm. We picked up our rental car (complete with Monica, our GPS unit that we LOVED), found our hotel, checked in, and instantly took off to explore. We drove to the outlet mall where the auditions would be held the next day. We had dinner at Ruby's Diner, did some shopping, and then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. We had an early day ahead of us!

Day 2: We got up around 4 am. We got ready and headed out to the BL Auditions. We got there about 6:30 am and were 170th in line. We waiting until they opened up the gates at 7:00 and then got in our place in line. There we waited, and waited some more. There were hundreds of people there. We made some friends in line, and chatted with them, which made the time go by a little faster. Finally at 10:00 the auditions began. It was then that they walked through the line and picked out some people to give VIP passes to, which meant we didn't have to wait in line. Yes, we got picked!! We got escorted to the front of the line, which cut our wait from about 2 hours to about 10 minutes! It was fantastic! The auditions are kind of lame, to be honest. What they do is take you in groups of 10, where you meet with a casting director all at once. Everyone gets a turn to introduce themselves, and then they open up a discussion among all of you and the casting director simply watches. Then after 10 minutes, you are done, and you go on your way. The lady sitting next to me was overly obnoxious and I wanted to punch her. But I didn't. We all got a couple sentences in, except the lady sitting next to Scott who didn't say a word. I didn't feel as confident as I did the first time we tried out, but it was still a good and fun experience.

After the auditions we drove around Beverly Hills, where we saw a LOT of Jews just getting done with church, and we also saw Ben Stiller carrying his groceries. We went up to Hollywood where we had lunch and explored the Kodak Theater, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Walk of Fame, Capital Records and the Hollywood Sign. We drove around some ritzy neighborhoods, and the Los Angeles Temple. We came back to our hotel for some Jacuzzi time and dinner. We relaxed at the hotel and just spent time being together.

Day 3: We had planned to go to Santa Monica and Long Beach but the weather wasn't optimal beach weather. So we went to Rodeo Drive to do some shopping! I got a wallet at Juicy Couture! We went in a lot of the shops (Tiffany's included!) and watched a Rolls Royce almost get in an accident. We also stopped to watch a Jewish wedding there on Rodeo Drive. Very fancy! Then for lunch we went to a place called The Stinking Rose. Not just a clever name! Everything there is made with LOADS of garlic! I had the most amazing Filet Mignon, and Scott had a melt-in-your-mouth Prime Rib. We loved it all so much! However, we definitely smelled pretty bad the rest of the day!

After The Stinking Rose, we went back to Hollywood, where we visited the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Guiness World Records Museum. We spent a lot of time there, looking at all the random stuff and just having fun! We got some pictures on the Walk of Fame with some of those random people that dress up as characters. Then some Japanese guys (that looked like middle aged business men) wanted their picture with Scott! We couldn't decide who they thought he was - and the closest idea we had was Syndrome from The Incredibles. Or maybe they've just never seen a 6'1", 360 lb redhead before. Who knows??? But it was pretty funny!! After Hollywood, we took a drive up Mulholland Drive, which gives you an incredible view of the Hollywood sign and the city of L.A. It was absolutely gorgeous! Then we took a drive past the Warner Bros Studios. We called it a day and went back to the hotel to relax!

Day 4: DISNEYLAND! Need I say more??? We got there early, and left late! We did almost all the rides we wanted to, and took tons of pictures! I love Disneyland! It really is the happiest place on earth!

Day 5: We got up early to head over to the Warner Bros Studios for our VIP tour! The tour was amazing! It starts with a short video on how Warner Bros came to be, and it was pretty interesting! Then they took us over to the exclusive Warner Bros museum, where they have the actual costumes and props used in many movies, including The Dark Knight, Superman Returns, Matrix, Miss Congeniality, etc etc etc. The whole upstairs was ALL Harry Potter! Even the petrified Hermoine was there, and she looked so real! It was a little creepy but a lot cool! We weren't allowed to take pictures in there, but I wish we could have! Those are things most people don't get to see! And since Scott and I love movies SO much, it was awesome to be there.

Next they took us on an exclusive tour of the E.R. set. It was so weird to be there, since I've seen the set on TV HUNDREDS of times! Our tour guide showed us some of the magic, like how most of the sets are just HUGE printed backdrops, not real hospital rooms, and how most things in Hollywood are totally fake but you'd never know it! We got to walk through Chicago, New York, and then around to some of the random buildings they use for lots of movies. We got to go to the place Jurassic Park was filmed, which is basically a jungle in the middle of the studios! We saw a lot of houses and buildings and parks and things where places are filmed, and it's funny to see things in real life that you've seen in movies and tv! They drove us through the shops, where the sets are constructed and painted, and cars and props are made, and it just so happened that the Bat Pod was sitting in there (ya know, that motorcycle from The Dark Knight). It was huge. Super cool though. One of my FAVORITE parts of the tour was paying a visit to the set of FRIENDS. That is by FAR my favorite show ever, and they've immortalized the Central Perk coffee shop. We got to go in, and take pictures. We couldn't touch anything, but it was simply amazing to be there! I know my pictures don't do it justice, but it was freaking awesome. If anyone is wondering if they should do a VIP tour of Warner Bros, DO IT!!

There is a LOT more I could tell about it, but this blog is already getting ridiculously long. After the tour, we had a couple hours of free time, so we decided to stop by the Getty Museum, since we were right there. It was such a gorgeous building and we loved exploring the gardens and seeing the exhibits. And the best part is that it was free! And it has such a gorgeous view of L.A.! I definitely recommend the Getty for anyone visiting L.A.

After the Getty, we headed to Westwood Village, where the premier for the new movie "I Love You, Man" was taking place. We lined up at the red carpet, and watched the stars arrive. It was interesting to see which stars spent time with fans signing autographs and stuff, and which stars thought they were too good for it. I got to see some stars I like, such as Niecy Nash, Paul Rudd, Jason Segal and a couple others. Some of the fans there are a little crazy, though, and we ended up leaving before Jack Black and Ben Stiller got there. But that's okay. We ended the night by spending more time at the Walk of Fame. For some reason, we just LOVED being there. We wandered through the mall, spent a lot of time in the Virgin Megastore, talked with random characters and just hung out. It was pretty cool to be there at night because things are all lit up in neat ways, and it was really quite pretty. We couldn't get enough of it. But we did eventually leave and go back to the hotel, even though we really didn't want to!

The next day we got up, had some breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, and then said our goodbyes to L.A.! We took back our rental, and hopped on our plane back to Salt Lake. Little did we know we'd come back to get snowed on and frozen! Ugh! I want to go back to L.A. so badly! It was one of the best trips I've taken in a long time! Hopefully we'll get to go back soon!!