Miracles

I have a friend who recently ran over her cat, forgot to buckle her son into his car seat, and neglected to let the tooth fairy know about a lost tooth-twice within a week (her daughter lost two teeth in one week). Since then, the cat has received a clean bill of health, the car seat has been secured in the car, and her daughter has been reimbursed from the tooth fairy. All was back to normal in her world, until her husband's boss informed him that his paycheck would be delayed until Wednesday. Wednesday came, and her husband got the news that instead of a paycheck, they were closing the doors to the company. Lovely. I don't know why she should be surprised. I mean, the e-mails she's been receiving lately clearly warn about the consequences of not forwarding them on to every person in your address book, and she carelessly deleted them. (From now on, her name will be added to the list as a bad example.)

In all seriousness, I just wanted to check in since I'm sure you're sick of reading about the return of our cat. For those of you who may not have caught on, I confess that I am the friend. Darin is handling everything like a champ. We are both surprisingly optimistic, and despite a few tears of uncertainty, things are better than I ever imagined they would be under the current circumstances. We feel at peace, and have felt so much love and support in the last couple of days. Thanks to the advice and ideas from family and friends, we feel like everything will fall into place in no time at all. I get to try my hand at substitute teaching, and am excited that there is an opportunity to have something that is so immediate without the hassle of interviewing or temp work. It is also something that I will love! (Thanks for the idea, Ker!) Darin has been on the computer or the phone constantly for the last two days, and has been getting his resume out there. I was reading the conference Ensign today, and found a talk by Robert D. Hales called Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets. There was a quote from him that was perfect for us. He said,

"By design, most miracles are spiritual demonstrations of God's power--tender mercies gently bestowed through impressions, ideas, feelings of assurance, solutions to problems, strength to meet challenges, and comfort to bear disappointments and sorrow."

We have felt all of those things, and feel like we have been the recipients of many miracles. We also feel like this will be a springboard to bigger and better things. I will try to post something light-hearted and fabulous in the near future! This blog is becoming a bummer! And just so you know, Darin said the only way I could post about him losing his job is if we don't become a charity case, so instead of leaving comments about the job, please leave us your best joke! Thanks for being the best friends and family a gal could ask for.

A safe return

I cannot believe that I'm really writing that my cat came back!!! I pulled into the garage this afternoon and heard a meow. I thought it was the stray that has been trying to use Shadow's bed, but when I looked down, it was Shadow! I am still in shock. I feel like I was just starting to make my way through the grieving process, and had decided that I would NEVER have a pet again. So now I have a whole new process to start. I have no idea where he could have been for the past two days. He has never left our cul-de-sac, so he must have found a good hiding place, especially since the last two days have been extremely cold and windy. I didn't even think it was a possibility for him to still be alive. He is not all the way well, but he can walk, eat, meow, and purr. Only time will tell how serious his injuries are; but for right now, I'll just be grateful that he's back. Thanks for all your well wishes and condolences.

Quite an Afternoon

I need to interrupt the Christmas posting to share a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad afternoon. I was supposed to take treats to Olivia's class yesterday. As I was backing out, I heard a "thud", and thought, "Please, don't let that be what I thought that was." Every time I back up or pull forward into the garage, I always go very slowly for fear of this very thing. I looked under the van, and sure enough, our cat's collar and a couple of small sections of fur, but no cat. I kept searching to find the cat, but couldn't see him. Sean said he saw him run over to our neighbor's house, so I looked and found him sitting under their parked trailor (a normal hiding spot for him). I got on the ground and tried to coax him out, but he wouldn't come. I was on my belly trying to call to him, but he just sat there and meowed. I couldn't reach him. He didn't look like he was in pain, and I was now late to take the treats to Olivia's class. I said a quick prayer that he would be o.k. and I left. I was absolutely devastated that I had run over my own cat. I had a flashback to last June when my sister's dog, Kady, died while in my care only a few days before she was supposed to go back with my sister (I was taking care of her two dogs for 6 months). Those wounds and feelings of guilt came rushing back in, and I just thought I could not handle feeling responsible for the loss of another pet. As I arrived at Olivia's school and got the boys out, I realized that I had buckled David securely into his car seat, which was not buckled into the car. Great. After we gave out the treats, my mind immediately went back to the cat. We arrived home and looked under the trailor. No cat. We looked around our house and around the neighborhood. No sign of him. Sean's friend came over to see if he (Sean) could play. I asked him if he had seen the cat. I told him what had happened, and he responded, "You know, that can kill your cat. They start to bleed inside, and then they die." Huh. Thanks for the reminder. It was around dinnertime that I realized that he wasn't just roaming the neighborhood. We named him Shadow for a reason. He was always our little shadow. He was never far away, and he loves people. As I was making dinner, the water works started. I was sobbing, and kept opening the door to see if he had come back. He didn't. After dinner, we went ice skating with my side of the family for Family Home Evening. It was a great distraction, and we all had a great time. The tears came again when we got home and saw his bed and his chair empty. We left the garage cracked open just in case he decided to come home in the middle of the night. Of course, I dreamed about him all night. In one dream Darin came in from the garage saying, "Look who came home" and in another dream he came limping home and we nursed him back to health. But we woke up to an empty garage, and the tears came again. It makes me absolutely sick to think of his cold, dead body somewhere out there. Not knowing is the worst. Oh, and did I mention that it was Olivia's birthday yesterday? Ask me how awesome I feel right now.

I would like to thank my friends who have reassured me that I am not the crazy cat lady for being so emotional about the whole thing. Experience has taught me that I will get over it, but I really don't think I can handle having pets. I didn't ask for this cat. He was a stray that adopted us. He was the perfect fit for our family, and I loved him immediately. Thanks for letting me get it all out. I'm hoping that writing about it will make the mourning process go faster than it did last time.

Day 2

I'm horrible at editing. I'm not apologizing, just letting you know that another novel awaits you!

After our first day at Disneyland, we took a day off to do laundry, rest (with much hesitation on the kids' part), and watch The Bee Movie with Derek and his kids and Jodi's family. The next day we were back at Disneyland! A quick visit to the Lost and Found lady to get me another loaner ticket for the day, and we were in.

Warren was limping as we got to the park, and was already requesting to be held, so we decided we should rent another stroller for the day to save our arms (and our ears) from getting tired. While Darin was in line at the stroller rent, I got very nervous for how the day was going to go. The kids were bugging each other. I was getting so irritated, but was trying to keep my "happiest place on earth" face on. I finally said, "Please stop." The taunting continued, so I said, "Please just don't touch each other." to which the response was, (the words)"touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch" and repeated poking. I wanted to yell, "serenity now!" but I just ignored it and tried to wait for backup. Luckily a band came by, and was just the distraction they needed.

We spent the morning riding a few more Disneyland rides and at Pirate's Lair (I think that's what it's called.) You have to take a little ferry across the river. The kids loved it! There were caves to explore, treasure to find, and a pirate show (complete with Jack Sparrow).














After that we headed over to California Adventure where we met Jodi's family at the High School Musical show. The kids were so excited to see cousins!!! (Kamryn and Lexi even got to participate.)


We got fast passes to Soarin' over California, then went to experience "Screamin'". We were so disappointed that it wasn't open. We let the kids ride the carousel, and right when the carousel stopped, the ride opened. Here is a picture of Lexi and I right before we rode it the first time:Oh, the joy! It is by far the best roller coaster I've EVER been on!!! It's fast, it's smooth, it's 3 minutes of pure exhilaration. After I had a chance, I watched the kids so Darin could go. There is a dock where you can watch the riders "blast off".


I think the little boys had just as much fun running on the dock and wrestling.
At this point, everyone was having a great time...except for Liv. She really wanted to be brave enough to go, but her nerves wouldn't let her. I asked her if she wanted to go, and she said (through her tears), "Yes, but I'm just really nervous." I bribed her with $20, and she was still hesitant. She finally agreed to go (o.k., so I pried her fingers off the bar, and sent her with Jodi, who knows the ride backward and forward, and could tell her what was coming up). The whole time they were in line, I was wondering if I did the right thing. She said the words, "I want to try", but I still gave her a shove I wasn't sure she was ready for. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing while I watched for her to come to the dock. Imagine my horror when they came, and I saw her like this:(this is before the ride even starts)I counted to three minutes in my head to calm myself down, and said a constant prayer that she would at least be o.k. After they got off, I met her with the biggest "I"M SO PROUD OF YOU!!" hug, and we went over to see their picture. I found out later that the ride operator wouldn't start the ride until Olivia gave the thumbs up sign because she looked so distraught. She gave her an "Honorary Citizen of Disneyland" button for her bravery. I like to look at it like her purple heart. I could not believe she really did it! This was a huge deal.



This was seriously a rite of passage moment for her. A huge hurdle cleared. A different girl emerged after Screamin'. She was carefree, confident, and acted as if she could conquer the world. It was a huge life lesson for me as well. It was a huge tug of war inside myself as I was deciding whether or not to pry her fingers off that railing. I know that riding roller coasters is not a necessity. I know several people who hate roller coasters. This was more about her ability to try something new; something unknown. And she did it!

After Screamin', we rode more rides,

got a little wet, then the boys went to watch the BYU game in Downtown Disney, which left the girls to ride, ride, ride! We went on Tower of Terror twice, the Bug's Life show, the Orange peel, the rocket ride, Soarin', and then we headed back to Screamin'. I wasn't sure how Liv would react, but I thought since she loved Tower of Terror (I was shocked, again) that she might be o.k. We went the first time, and there was no line, so we went again. The third time she reqested to sit in the very front seat. The three minutes of pure exhilaration was increased by the fact that she was enjoying it with me. We met back up with the boys (all three of mine had a nap while Darin watched the game), and went back to Disneyland. Since the fireworks were going on, there was no line for Splash Mountain, so we took full advantage. Darin and I got to go by ourselves on a Splash Mountain date, but we weren't fast enough with the camera.





Then we headed over to the river to get ready for Fantasmic. We had a great seat, and enjoyed churros and hot chocolate (a mint julip and a turnover for Darin--his tradition) while we watched the show.


We had intentions of riding Space Mountain again, and we even had fast passes, but my kids were so exhausted that they didn't have the emotional energy to try it again (especially after the first time wasn't a fabulous experience for them). By the time we decided they weren't going on the ride, Jodi's family was already on the ride (I had told them to go ahead), and we had their camera, so we waited for a few minutes so we could be sure they got their camera back. Warren was still up for one more ride, so I took him to Buzz Lightyear, and as we were leaving, Liv woke up to come with us. We rode it three times in a row, and it was the perfect way to finish our day.

Disneyland Day 1

Day one of Disneyland was so magical! I got so excited as we walked off the tram and into the park. They had Christmas music playing. I felt like a little kid, and I was BEAMING!!!

This picture does not do the tree justice. It is ENORMOUS!!! The weather was perfect Disneyland weather...just overcast enough to keep the big crowds away.We headed over to Tomorrowland and went on Buzz Lightyear very first. It was a definite hit and a favorite for all! Next were the rockets (or "cars" as David calls them--this was his favorite ride.)
I won't give you a play by play of the whole day, but I will tell you that right after this ride (our second ride) my giddy bliss turned to panic and sadness when I realized that I had dropped one of our tickets. I had a handy little pouch in my sweatshirt that had a zipper--the perfect place to keep our tickets. I unzipped the pouch to get the map, and the tickets fell out. Some older girls helped me pick them up, then I counted them. We had 5 fast passes, and only 4 tickets. We looked all over the area, I checked my pouch, my pockets, the backpack (just in case), but no ticket. I was so bummed, especially since it says right on the ticket "Not responsible for lost or stolen tickets", and this was only our first day of a two day pass. We went to city hall to plead our case, and I was praying for a miracle. They guy there gave us a loaner ticket for the day, and told us to go to lost and found. The miracle came. Not in the form of a ticket found, but in the form of the sweet lady in the lost and found who believed us (plus we had the fast passes that gave us the missing ticket's barcode), and assured us that all would be well. Thank you, lost and found lady!!!
My cousin, Denise, had e-mailed us giving Disneyland insider tips. They were so great! One of the tips she gave us was about a Star Wars Jedi training that happens in Tomorrowland. We checked the schedule and got there early. A Jedi master comes out and tells of his mission to defeat the forces of evil, then he chooses jedis from the audience to train. Sean got picked!!! I was so excited!!! He got a little robe and a practice light saber to use for the exercises. They all learned a little routine, then Darth Vadar and Darth Maul came out! There was steam and lights and all the jedis in training got to fight them!!! I may have gotten a little teary-eyed with excitement. My son. Defeating Darth Vadar. Almost too much!
After more rides,(Darin sat out of the tea cups. He doesn't do well on dizzy rides)
(Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D shades)
some characters,(David and I stumbled across Mickey and Minnie while Darin had the other kids on Space Mountain. I was so bummed the other kids weren't there! Funny story about Space Mountain. I was waiting for Darin and the kids at the exit, and was telling another lady there that I was a little bit nervous about how my kids were doing. They've never really been on roller coasters. The lady was telling me how sure she was that they would love it since her son had loved it since he was 3 and a half. Right then Darin walked down the corridor with not one, not two, but all three kids sobbing!!! I felt so bad...and a little sad that I couldn't enjoy the magic of Space Mountain with any of them)
some souvenirs,

and more walking and eating, it was night time! And it was awesome!
Toward the end of the night the roles were reversed, and I was begging for "just one more ride" and all the kids were begging to go home. So we did. At midnight.

On our way...

So after our car was all fixed, we packed the car, loaded the kiddos, and we were on our way! We made our way to Las Vegas where we stayed with my brother, Devon and his family. We ate dinner with them, swam in their hot tub, played cards, and enjoyed cousin time and a good night's sleep. The next day we made our way to Redondo Beach where we saw my good friend, Cheree and her daughter, Mackenzie, for the first time in almost two years!!! It was so good to see them. We also got to meet her husband, Arnie for the first time. I had heard nothing but the best about Arnie, and he definitely lived up to his reputation! They are the perfect match. We had such a great evening with them eating pizza, playing Wii, and watching part of The Biggest Loser finale. It's so fun to see long time friends! We hated to leave, but since it was getting late we decided to make the rest of our journey to Darin's dad's house. It's been too long since we visited Grandpa! It was so good to see him! We went straight to bed, grateful to be done with long trips in the car for a while. The next morning the prep work for the new floor began. Part of our reason for going to California was to help Darin's dad put in a new floor in his living room, dining room and hall. We pulled up carpet and pad, pulled off base boards, and moved the furniture. We took a little break around lunch time to visit my cousin, Derek at work. He works for Oakley, and we went to visit him. The building is so unique! It was so fun to see. Thanks to the world of blogging, I knew exactly what Derek had been up to, so we didn't have a lot of catching up to do! Here are some pics of the building:

One of my favorite parts was the Oakley museum. There was a hallway showing all the different styles that Oakley had from the beginning to now.


To end our tour, we got to go shopping in the Oakley discount store. We all decided on beanies except Darin, who got some sweet new glasses.
After the Oakley adventure we went to In n' Out to have lunch and continue our work on the floor. After a while I realized that with all of us there "helping" we weren't getting a lot done, so I took the kids to the mall to see Santa and watch a movie so the big boys could get a lot done. We were all tired and ready to sleep to get ready for DISNEYLAND the next day!