Summer trip

On my birthday we left for Utah for a few days to spend time with family and attend education week at BYU. Since it was my birthday, Craig said we could stay somewhere fun on Thursday night so we didn't have to make the drive in one trip. I'll do the 12 hours all at once if I have to, but its not my favorite.
Anyhoo we stayed at the Seven Wives Inn B&B in St. George (Donna and Perry, you have good taste:). I LOVE cute little Inns and especially B&B's, so I was so excited! The Inn was beautiful and the breakfast was fantastic! I highly recommend it. (notice I tried out my new triple-barrel curling iron for the pic. if you want the look of a perm without the smelly expense, its the way to go. Craig said it looked a little 80's though.) moving along...

I dropped Craig off in Brian Head to do some Mtn Biking while I headed up to Salt Lake for my cousin's wedding. How do the men always get out of that stuff?
Anyway, I got a photo op with my Mom and Grandma at the wedding. I like seeing the 3 generations together. I really hope I have the chance to get a photo with 4 generations. My Grandma is 94 and Im working as fast as I can!




Craig met me in Salt Lake on Sunday night, and on Monday we went to Lagoon with my Mom, my three nephews- Danny, Jared and Josh, and my brother, Peter. It was tons-o-fun! I only put my foot down once and refused to go on a ride with Craig. He whined the whole night, but I wasn't about to budge. It was like a combo of a a smaller roller coaster and the tilt-a-whirl. Sound like fun? I didn't think so either.



I dropped the ball on getting photos during ed week, but we had a great time- as was expected. For any of you who have thought about going but haven't, I highly recommend it. If you can stash your kids somewhere for a week, go and check it out.

I have to add one more little thing- My mom and I went with Craig's sister, Kelly, to see Julie and Julia and can I just say what a delightful little movie that was! Really, ladies, go see it. You'll love it. And if you go, call me. I want to see it again.

A week ago, Thursday, Linda came and asked me if I wanted to go with her to Palo Alto for her niece's water polo tourney. Since our IVF doc is up there and we have to go all the time, I didn't exactly jump at the chance to go again. However, I thought about it for a minute and realized it would be fun hanging out with Linda and her way cool sister, Paula. And I'd also never watched water polo (Im from back east, afterall). So thinking I should try to embrace my California...ism-ness, I decided to go.
A few hours later my brother, Tim, who's in the Navy and stationed in Japan called me. He and his family were coming to Virginia to spend time with my SIL's family, and they were going to have a decent layover in San Francisco. He thought the chances were slim, but wondered if there was any chance that I'd be in the SF area the next night. Long story short- Linda and I packed a bag, headed to Palo Alto to watch the tournament and I was able to take Time, Leslie and Dallin to dinner. It was such a blessing to have that time with them. Dallin is gorgeous, and just being able to spend 2 hours with all of them was such a treat, I can't believe it worked out the way it did. Thank you, Linda!




Since we had so much downtime between games (matches? games? what are they called, water polo people?) we went over to the Stanford campus and checked it out. I had never been there before (like many places on this, the left coast) and it was beautiful. This is just a photo or 2 of the Stanford Memorial Church. Now I can say "I went to Stanford."



Ok, water polo. I loved it. Its awesome to watch girls getting rough and tough like that! Not to mention- Craig's cousin, Sarah, is the fastest girl on the team and seriously tears it up out there. (hmm.. since its actually in the pool would I say "in there?") I thought about Ashley Wilcox and Wendy Freeman the whole time (two girls from my church who play- -for the 4 people reading this who aren't in my ward) . Now I can't wait to go to their games/matches/meets! Although I will say Im pretty positive I'd never actually play water polo. First of all THEY CAN'T TOUCH THE BOTTOM. Seven feel of water or not, I'd drown. Secondly, those girls are ridiculous- with their wrapping legs around eachother and trying to pull them under, the swimsuit grabbing and clawing and strangling and pounding and all of this while passing a little ball around and trying to score?! Its brutal and I love it. To watch. Id probably end up punching someone in the face if they grabbed my suit and tried to drown me in the human leg wrap/pull down-maneuver. I get mad enough when someone splashes me.
Anyway, Im so grateful for these simple moments of happiness- spending time with fun, smart people, visiting new and interesting places, and above all, just being with family. The only negative was that Craig had to stay home and work. He would have been the icing on the cake.

If you would like to vote no "Harvey Milk Day" in California public schools: Call Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at 916-445-2841. Listen to the recorded message and enter in the following order: 1 (English) 2 (legislation) 1 (SB572) 2 (against). Try until you get through.

Much to catch up on

As I sit here actually composing a new post, I feel like I should be stretching and yawning as if waking from some long hibernation or something. Its not an unfamiliar feeling, I'm probably one of the least diligent or consistent bloggers around. I actually got to the point where I missed looking at my own new posts. I'm just so tired of looking at the Disneyland pics from March already!

Anyhoo... we've been busy since March.

1: April- My Mom came for a visit during Easter to accompany me to Santa Clara for a few IVF appts- the doc is 3 hours away- bless her heart. I took her to San Fran for the first time while we were in Santa Clara. She LOVED it and we had a really nice time. See how cute she is!:) It was cold and windy, of course. Im a city girl so I love San Francisco. (well, most of it...)
I still have like 4 giant candy bars in my fridge from Ghirardelli square.


2: May- Craig and I went up to Mammoth for some late season skiing with some friends from Utah. We had a great time. The snow in May is kind of like mashed potatoes, but you can't beat the weather. It was sunny and warm and beautiful. We actually got to ski together, which I love. I did have the biggest wipeout of my skiing career, but since it was a slow (..embarrassing, awkward, stupid...) fall, there were no injuries to report. It just lasted a long time because I slid down a steep section for what felt like forever. In front of dozens of people. I was actually fuming. I get really mad if I fall.

3: June- Craig and I went down to (down?..is it up? Im not from around here.) over to Las Vegas with Steve and Linda for a work retreat/ conference thing. It was really nice. We stayed at the Bellagio and while Craig attended his sessions, I chilled out by the pool, did a little shopping and went to the Las Vegas Temple. We also saw the Donnie and Marie show at the Flamingo. I have to say, it was fantastic. Those Mormon kids can really entertain! Seriously, if you're having a bad day, this show can't NOT cheer you up. Its Donnie and Marie!? All smiles and happiness. This was the picture that was taken by a photographer at the show. I wont tell you what we paid for the little folder with our picture and a signed picture of Donnie and Marie on the other side. WELL WORTH IT!


Also in June, we went down to Fallbrook to celebrate Craig's grandparents' 80th birthdays. Man, they know how to throw a bash, it was so much fun. There was square dancing, pony rides, a bounce house, games for all, and tons of food. Good times!



It was also Craig's birthday on the 26th. We had another appt in Santa Clara so we packed Craig's gifts and opened them in the hotel. Craig likes to say that he doesn't really care about his birthday, but I know deep down he loves it when people fuss over him;) LOVE YOOOOU!

4: July- Last week the Saunders family went to Lake Tahoe. We're used to going every year to ski so it was nice to see Tahoe in the summer. It was BEAUTIFUL and the weather was unbeatable. We golfed, did a little hiking, went to the beach, laid out by the pool, got pedicures, cried when we came home to 111 degrees, it was a nice vacation. To add to all of the excitement I flew up to Washington so I could drive down with my sister-in-law, Stephanie, and her two little ones. I loved being able to see a new part of the country and spend time with them. The boys were amazing for such a long drive- 17 hours one way! Whew! Yes, I still want to have kids. These were the only pics we managed to take. Pathetic.


Also in that time, we did IVF twice- one "fresh" and one "frozen." (It does sound like we're talking produce, but no.) Still not expecting. Its the challenge of a lifetime. We just keep trying until something sticks, I guess, so on to attempt #3. I've had the chance to connect with many others in my situation through all of this. I have one friend who in 4 years and multiple ivf tries, JUST got to the point where they retrieve your eggs. She responds poorly to the drugs. I am reminded that no matter how low you feel, there are always so many things to be thankful for, and so many reasons why things could be worse. I sent out an email to my family recently explaining where we are and what we're doing next, and I said that no matter how much they can get right with IVF, the embryos have to attach on their own- no way to stitch them in or apply velcro (that was my brother's idea- he also asked if these docs were sure they were putting them in the right place? "they're not supposed to go in Craig, you know?"). My Dad said "Well I dont know how it would be difficult to become attached to you, I've always found it very easy to become attached to you. I was attached to you the moment you were born." He always says the best things. You just have to keep everything light. And humor always goes a long way.

We love you, Taylor!

Ok, I'll admit, it was friggen hilarious and I should have included these in my original post. I laughed to the point of tears and I almost broke my neck because I kept turning around. We took our nephew, Taylor-3, on Big Thunder Mtn at Disneyland for the first time. He donned his snow boots for a little extra lift and away we went. I think it was a shocker going from rides in toontown and storybookland to thunder mtn. The pics really don't do the event justice- probably because we were laughing so hard and, well, the ride was flying around the track. We did the best we could. They're still funny as all you-know-what. (The best part was that Stephanie, his mother, laughed the hardest.)

This was in the beginning- before the fright really struck. I love the super stiff, fingers together- little hands in the air. Sure, he looks like he's having a blast.








We caught Craig's 5 year old cousin, Brock, in the background. Another great shot. And Taylor has got to be on the verge of tears here.



His face really reminded me of a scene in the movie "Spies Like Us," with Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd- a classic. Seriously, Taylor's face looked exactly like this:

Disneyland!

Woohoo! I love going to Disneyland! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law invited Craig and I, and Steve and Linda to join them on their family trip to Disneyland, and I couldn't resist! They brought their 3 year old, Taylor, and their 1 year old, Erik, and we all had a great time together. I will say I am the world's WORST, I repeat- W O R S T player on Buzz Light Year, and I was reminded what felt like 50 times over. I will not reveal my scores, but I will say that even Taylor came close. A couple times. Indiana Jones is probably my favorite ride, but Tower of Terror is simply fantastic. I mean- well done, Disney!
One interesting thing that happened was that Space Mountain stopped when we were right in the middle of the ride. All the lights came on and we had to see the guts of the ride. Seriously, it looked like some old boring warehouse.


The fantasy was ruined and we weren't too happy.

The best thing about this photo is Kent and Stephanie in the back- they snuck in. Priceless.

Me and Taylor on the rockets. He was a pretty good pilot.





Craig and I with Erik. Its a good sign that he's not crying:)

A ski trip to Lake Tahoe and Craig Didn't Get Hurt!

We went up to Lake Tahoe with Craig's parents again last week (we also went about a month ago). Saturday was the best day (unless you ask Craig). The weather was nice- almost too warm, as I dressed in layers, and the snow was nicely groomed to my liking. Craig is somewhat of an elitist (because he skis the pants off anyone that I know) and prefers lots of fresh snow and the ski areas...off the beaten path- I could say. Even though its less than ideal conditions for him, skiing the boring old groomers, I'm sure grateful for the time we get to ski together. Even if its just to ride the chair lift up together and then meet at the bottom, I'll take it! I tried biking with Craig- it was near disastrous. I tried going along while he took pictures, but soon learned that its kind of a one man job and I was more of a nuisance so that was a bust. So skiing it is!








...And then for the not-so nice-weather...





Guess which one is me.