The happiest birthday

Jana Birthday 09 at Disneyland. Eating at the Blue Bayou.

"The happiest birthday"

David took me to Disneyland for my birthday on Weds. It was warm and sunny, so beautiful! It wasn't crowded at all. It was magical. Disneyland is celebrating everyone's birthday with free entry on their birthday. Since I'm already an annual passholder and get in free as it is, I got $69 Disney bucks. It comes by way of a gift card and you can use it anytime at any Disney themed store. You wear a big button that announces it's your birthday and all the employees say "happy birthday Jana". It was fun. We ate at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant inside of Pirates of the Caribbean) and for dessert they brought out a parfait pudding with a candle in it. What a great surprise. We stayed over the night and came home the next day.

Fall vacation in New England

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to go on a cruise to New England and Canada. It was a gift from my parents, (thanks Mom and Dad) that included my Aunt Kay, brother Glenn and his wife, Linda, along with their two daughters. There were 8 of us altogether. We flew into New York City and stayed a couple of days with Auntie baby Kay. Did the whole New York thing including a viewing of The Phantom of the Opera, the top of the Rock (Rockafella Ctr. Bldg), eating NY pizza, Lenny's bagels, riding the subway, Macy's and Times Square. Just to name a few of my favorite things. We boarded the vessel on a Sunday and cruised up the coast through Newport, RI; Boston, MA; Bar Harbor, ME (the water was too choppy and we couldn't take the tender to shore); St. John, Newbrunswick; and Halifax, Nova Scotia. My Dad and I saw the best fall colors in the Boston countryside. We each had our favorite sites. I guess the only bad part of the trip was that out of the 8 of us, 3 got that norovirius and ended up having to be quarantined for a couple of days. Bummer!

St. George Marathon

Today was the St. George Marathon in Utah. While I'd like to say that I ran the marathon, I'd have to say DREAM ON! But, Parker did run the marathon. It was a cool and very wet day in St. George. We all went to support and encourage Park. Even though you could feel for his very wet feet and shivering body, not to mention the aches and pains for running 26.2 miles he was very happy. In fact, everyone that was running was strangely very happy. Although I have a lot to learn about running, I do understand the incredible feeling that comes from accomplishing something that is very hard. So, to Parker and all the 700 participants that ran...you are #1 in my mind regardless of your place and finish time! Congrats!

Chicago! uhmm minus Obama

Earlier this month, David had his LPL conference in Chicago and we were able to go. Hayden didn't come this year. We were sort of hoping that he would have a J-O-B. So, since it was just the two of us, we went to a White Sox game, the Shedd Aquarium, the play "Wicked" (WONDERFUL and so very POPULAR), the Areonatics museum and took some pictures on ginormous farm equipment (for Caleb :)) shopped the "miracle mile" shops, and walked to the Navy Pier. The Pier used to be the home of the University of Illinois before it became a boardwalk/carnival tourist attraction. Fun, fun and more fun. David did attend his conference during the day, while I read all the Twighlit saga books. We went to hear Ted Koppel speak and I will be a good Christian and not say anything bad like my mom taught me even though I'd really like to rant! Anyway, this is waaaayyy more wordy than I thought.

It's ALIVE!

Here are a couple of pics from our recent trip to Chicago. The "where'd ya get those eyes!" are from the Shedd Aquarium. A Planet Earth 4-D video was the ultimate experience. The other is at the Navy Pier. We walked from the Downtown Marriott where we were staying to the pier. It was a beautiful day and in honor of Elder Dixon we even ate a funnel cake! It was calorie and nutrient free... Enjoy.