Hollywood

KiddieCorp sent me to Hollywood to work an event for a few days. It was an experience of a lifetime to say the least! :) I stayed at The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. I managed the infant program (22 children under the age of 3...oh my!) Yes, I had 7 team members who helped me.

Thanks mom for letting me drive the Mini :)

This was the temperature outside on my drive to Hollywood!
Renaissance Hollywood Hotelour hotel roomHeidi and I at the mall outside our hotel

Ohio

Trip to Dayton, Ohio for one of my best friend's wedding! I had a lot of first experiences on this trip... first flight to Ohio, Matron of Honor, saw my first firefly, breakfast at Cracker Barrel, dessert at Ritter's frozen custard, drinks at Fricker's, (I've heard they have delicious chicken wings.) and more!!!

Jeanna (the bride) took Kristina (maid of honor) and I to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel one morning. I ordered eggs in a basket with a side of spiced apples. The food was delicious! When we were about to leave the entire SWAT team in Dayton walked in the restaurant and sat at the six tables that surrounded ours. Needless to say we felt a little uncomfortable and out of place. One man walked up to us and said, "you even look guilty!" (laughing). I guess they were there just to eat breakfast, but we got out of there as quickly as we could. :)

Matt and Jeanna,
We are so happy for you! Hope you're enjoying your honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day. I had so much fun in Ohio meeting Matt's family, catching up with your family, and meeting new friends. You were a beautiful bride! You were so organized that everything fell into place, even if the limo driver was not in the best of moods :)

Kristina, Michael (Jeanna's cousin), and I eating Ritter's frozen custard

Alaska trip

We made it home safely! Tommy and I had a great trip to the Kenai peninsula. We were blessed to stay with friends and family on our trip and visit many places. I have too many pics to post, so I posted my favorites.

We began our journey in Anchorage, Alaska. From there we went to Cooper Landing (~1.5 hours). We stayed with Phil and Brenda (Rachel and Ruth's parents) for 7 days. Tommy and his cousin went fishing 4 days in a row and caught many salmon. The girls drove to Seward to the Sea Life Center, Sterling to visit some friends, and around town sightseeing. I even felt the 5.3 earthquake!

Then Tommy's cousin Mary and her husband Jeremiah picked us up and drove us back to Anchorage for 2 days. We drove around town and they took us to their favorite places to eat- Bear Tooth and Arctic Roadrunner.

We met up with my friend Michelle in Anchorage, who I met in elementary school, and she drove us to Soldotna where her parents live (~ 3 hours away). We stayed with her mom for 4 days. In Soldotna we drove around town, checked out the city of Kenai, and drove ~1.5 hours south to Homer. Then Michelle drove us back to Anchorage where we met up with John and Rachel at the church she grew up in, Chapel by the Sea. We stayed at the church for the remaining of our trip. We had a couple BBQs and visited with friends.

Our last 2 days in Alaska were spent on a Glacier Cruise out of Whittier, Alaska and a hike to Rabbit Lake. Tommy and I were dropped off at the train station downtown in the morning and we took the train to Whittier (~2 hours by train). Then we got on a boat and visited a couple glaciers up close and personal along with an all you can eat salmon/prime rib buffet for lunch. The cruise was ~5 hours and then we got back on the train to Anchorage. We saw many wildlife on this trip. For example: dall sheep, eagles, bear, seals, seal lion, birds, and sea otters!

Our last day in Alaska Tommy's cousin John drove us to his favorite hike in Anchorage, Rabbit Lake. We arrived at 11:30am and were finished at 5pm. It was about a 2 hour hike there and back, but once you get to the lake you don't want to leave. :) It is so majestic. God's beauty and his creation is absolutley amazing!!! We ate lunch and hiked around the lake before we headed back.

We would like to thank everyone who allowed us to stay with them and drove us everywhere. You were very hospitable and we appreciate the time you took to show us your beautiful state.

Off to Alaska!!!

Kenai Peninsula here we come!!!

sea world

Today Francis and I met my friend Jodi and her son Ethan at Sea World. Francis has been to Sea World before, but this was the first time he was able to recognize some of the animals and use his words/sign language.

Francis looking at Ethan for the first time. "Baby"

Francis looking at a Beluga Whale (except you can't see the whale)

He loved playing with the blocks!

Francis was excited to see Elmo and Zoe from afar, but up close...not too sure.

carlsbad

Tommy and I took a two day mini vacation with his parents to Carlsbad. We stayed at the Carlsbad Inn Resort. The weather was overcast, but it cleared up today before we left. We drove up Thursday night and just relaxed before going to bed. On Friday we went to lunch at Fish House Vera Cruz. They have delicious sourdough bread, ranch, and fish tacos. All of their food is amazing, but those are a few of our favorites. (Thanks Mathis Family for the gift certificate for Tommy's birthday in 2005. We finally used it!) Then we went for a bike ride around Carlsbad. We love renting bikes and riding around town. There are so many unique shops and bike trails in Carlsbad. For dinner, we went to a Mexican restaurant and then off to Linda's Yogurt for dessert. We ended the day relaxing in the jacuzzi with my brother-in-law Tim, who came up to visit for the evening. Today we had a chef salad and yogurt for lunch, walked on the beach, checked out of the Inn, visited the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, and went to the movies to see 17 Again. I'd like to thank my in-laws who allowed this mini vacation to happen. We had a wonderful time.
Do you see the hummingbird in the nest?