The End of the Ultimate California Experience

This year, Chris got the ultimate California experience, minus Disneyland...we will hopefully do that next year!!  On the 29th, we went to Medieval Times with Tyler's family and had a blast!  We celebrated my nephew, Ben's, birthday and he was knighted before the tournament began.  We sat in the front row!  Our Knight didn't win, but my niece, Laura, was honored as our Knight's queen of the tournament.  

On New Years Eve, Chris and I said goodbye to the beach and rode the Amtrak train from Oceanside t Glendale.  We spent the evening with my two brothers' families ringing in the New Year banging pots and pans with the kids out in the front yard.  Chris took that tradition to a whole new level when he brought out the metal folding chair and started banging a pan lid against it!

Chris hadn't experienced any of Pasadena's Rose Parade/Rose Bowl activities before, so we took in as much as possible.  Chris had been asking me for months if we could go to the Rose Bowl.  I grew up 10minutes from the Rose Bowl, and to most natives, the Rose Bowl is a hassle.  Crowds, traffic...added to L.A.'s crowds and traffic!  I finally gave in the night before the college football playoff selection show.  Sure enough, Chris' favorite team, Florida State, was chosen to play in the Rose Bowl.  Despite the score, Chris loved every minute! It's an event he's always wanted to attend.  Because I knew the hassle with traffic, parking, etc, we bought parking ahead of time in Old Town Pasadena, just north of Colorado Blvd (the Rose Parade route).  After watching the Stealth Bomber fly over the house on its way to the Rose Parade, we got ready for the game.  I left my memory card at my mom's with the video of the Stealth, but that plane was a huge part of our family as my dad worked on it for years before and during its production.  We called it the 5th child of our family.  Chris and I arrived in Old Town Pasadena just as he parade was ending..perfect timing! We walked along the parade route so Chris could see it as we made our way to the Rose Bowl.  It was a 2 mile walk..because of our detour!  Upon arrival at the Rose Bowl...we just took it all in.  We walked around, bought Rose Bowl game gear, ate lunch, and took a lot of pictures!  We saw the Stealth fly over the Rose Bowl and enjoyed the game, sitting in an Oregon section, but people were good sports and nice to Chris, who was decked out in FSU gear!

On January 2nd, we went to lunch with my good friend Chris and his wife, Erica.  We enjoyed chatting with them and playing with their cute baby!  She loved Chris' beard!  After lunch, we decided to go see the Rose Parade Floats.  We loved it!  

We flew back to DC on the 3rd, with a layover in Salt Lake City long enough to visit with my brother, and friends Nicole and Ambree Bennett.  

It was a great trip and very hard to leave!!!  We can't wait to go back for another visit!

Southern California in December

We have been at the beach for the last four days and have loved every minute!  Chris has taken on a new hobby of photography and has captured some amazing pictures!  It's been so nice to relax, eat junk food, watch sunsets, enjoy walks along and views of the beach, and other activities.  Tyler and his kids came down on Saturday and we watched them ride their new bikes they got for Christmas,and yesterday, Chris went fishing.  We enjoyed milkshakes from Ruby's Diner, which is at the end of the pier.  We only have a couple days left here, but we are so grateful for the time we've had here!  

Christmas Fun!

We have loved being in California!  Christmas was a good crazy, as usual!  We spent the first few days as "Santa's Elves" running errands, shopping, wrapping presents and getting things ready for Christmas. 

On Monday (Dec 22), we made a quick drive to the Griffith Observatory so Chris could see the Hollywood sign!

The next night, we took care of Scott's kids and helped my mom decorate for Christmas!  My favorite tree is her Santa tree!

 On Christmas Eve, I said goodbye to my hair.  I donated 14 inches to Locks of Love.  My mom's hairstylist, Leslie Hilquist, who also did my hair for my wedding, cut it for me...I don't think I could trust anyone else to cut that much off for me! 

That night, Josh and Amy Walters and family came over and we had a special visit from Santa!  The adults chatted while the kids made sugar cookies...after our pizza dinner!  We all loved the evening and being together.  

Our PJs this year are Disney PJs!  Our cousin, Daniel Forsgren, from Sweden joined the family this year.  He and Chris were recruited to help with Christmas preparations and were up until 2 helping Mom. I was up until 3:30 and mom was up until 5am.  Scott's family came over around 9, and Chris and Daniel led the bunny hop to bust through the paper.  Chris was volunteered for breakfast duty and made waffles for the whole family.  The rest of the day we relaxed and spent time with family.  It was a wonderful Christmas!

Trams-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Evening!

Last night, we learned that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is NOT an orchestra!  They are a rock band!  It was awesome!  We loved it!  Before the concert, we went to the National Christmas Tree at the White House.   It was definitely a very festive evening!

Christmas Party!!!

After being car-less for a day, we finally got my car back and we were able to attend the Christmas party for Marla's church congregation on Saturday night. The evening started with dinner and a hot chocolate bar.  Then the primary kids performed a Nativity and some Christmas carols followed by a Christmas Sing-along.  Then ended with a special visit from Santa!  We ended the evening by driving through Old Town Alexandria to look at Christmas lights!

We Love This Time of Year!!!!!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We have had a lot of fun getting into the Christmas spirit the last few weeks!  We decorated our apartment and also have two trees!  There is an artificial tree in our bedroom and a real tree in our living room!  I put out my many Nativity sets and other small decorations....and we bought those smelly pine cones!  

Today we went to see Chris' mom and we took her a small tree to decorate.  We chatted and decorated the tree with her.  Chris also showed her the work he's done on their family history on both sides!  

On our way home, we listened to the Christmas Devotional for the LDS church and finished watching it when we got home.  It is such a special time of year!