California- Day 2a

Saturday we got all rounded up for a full day of fun.  We had a bit of delay due to our "Welcome! catered breakfast" at our condo, which is a whole other story in and of itself.

My family went to California & San Diego when I was in 7th grade.  We went to go see the San Diego Temple and unfortunately at the time it was closed for renovation, and therefore we couldn't get inside the gates.  However, it made such an impression on me and ever since I have LONGED to go inside that temple.  It is the most beautiful temple, in my opinion.

So when we started planning our family trip this year to California, I knew that this was something that couldn't be overlooked. 

I felt kind of bad, because the kids were so antsy to get to Sea World, but I came prepared to do a quick session and wasn't leaving without it being done.  It was the only thing I asked for for the entire trip.  Shaun was super understanding and he and the kids waited outside on the temple grounds while I did a quick session, they took some pictures, and had a picnic out of the back of the car.  :) 

The San Diego Temple is simply breathtaking.  It reminds me of an ice castle.  

Being on the actual temple grounds left me breathless and speechless.

 

 This picture has a story to tell.  :)  Shaun was taking some pictures and this airplane was flying by with a Geico flag hanging from it.  He took the picture at just the right time and it looks like the flag is just up hanging from the temple.  So we joked and said, "The San Diego Temple, brought to you by Geico."  LOL! 

  

Still holding out for the day that our pictures are taken after we've gone through the Temple and been sealed as a family.  :)  Can't wait!

I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to enter the doors of this beautiful temple!  This was my first time ever going by myself and doing the particular session that I did.  All the temple workers were so amazing in helping me find my way.  It was an experience I'll never forget.

Just for today...

 

 So I'm starting a new series on my blog for a bit.  Here's a bit of background as to what brought me to said series.

So, Alpine Rehab, where I had been working, was bought out by our competitor and they in turn closed us down in April.  I've been off work since then and it's been quite the experience, since I've never been a stay-at-home mom.  Hats off to those who do it so successfully, it's certainly not as easy as it may look on the outside.  I've come to the conclusion that working 2-3 days a week is PERFECT for this mom.  I'm looking for a job, but I'll be honest, I was completely spoiled at Alpine with the flexibility it gave me, and I'm being picky as I'm looking.  In the meantime, things are a little wild at times all the time and I'm struggling with being consistent with disciplining and the like.  So I decided that I can do anything for one day, right?!  And so I introduce to you, "Just for today"!

I'm going to try to post a new one each day/night for the following day and report back on the previous days findings.  This is completely for my accountability purposes only, although I'm sure my craziness may be a bit entertaining.  (Remember though, this is real life stuff.)

Just for today...
*I will not allow bad behavior without consequences.  This includes mouthiness, tantrums, fighting, hitting, etc.  and the punishment will result in a little bathroom time. (Not that I welcome these things on any other day, but I really struggle with being consistent each and every time one of these things come up.)


Stay tuned.

California Trip- Day 1

We had a fabulous time in California!  We were there for 8 days, May 4-11th,  and enjoyed every minute of it.  We started out by staying at Chris' the night before we flew out of SLC.  I found killer deals on our flights, but it required flying out at 6 am.  So we were very grateful to Chris for his hospitality and dropping us off at the airport, and it was fun to see his new place and Mya (his 4-legged baby).  We got very little sleep, but we were all excited to head out.

This was my kids first experience flying, which made it all the more exciting for all of us.

Anticipating take off...

And the fabulous Long Beach Airport that we flew into.  Not at all what I was expecting.  When we got out of the plane we were walking outside the rest of the way out, a much different feel to this smaller airport than SLC for sure!  :)

Our sweet rental for the week.  2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor.   And thank heavens she had power.  California is not an easy place to navigate and they drive like the Indy 500.  We sure hated when it came time to turn her back.

Now, hindsight is always 20/20, but we knew we weren't going to be able to check into our condo until 4:00 pm.  Before we left, though, I had called and asked if there were any possibility of us being able to check in earlier and they told us to check in with them after we made it into Anaheim.  Murphy's Law never disappoints, and of course we weren't able to check in any earlier. 

So we started out looking around a little bit and getting groceries and other necessities to take back to the condo with us.  We also had to go pick up our City Passes from some unknown place at Disneyland that we had a HECK of a time locating.  We kept turning down the wrong streets, the wrong parking lots, etc.  Then when Shaun went trekking in to get the passes I sat out with the kids in this 15 minute parking lot.  15 minutes was up so I decided I'd better drive around the block and then restart my 15 minutes.  Yeah, I ended up lost and crying because I couldn't find my way back.  Lo and behold, obviously we did, but it wasn't without great frustration/anxiety. 

It was a long tiring day by the time it was all said and done so all we ended up doing that night was just taking the kids down to the outdoor pool/ hot tub. (What kid doesn't love water?!)