Catalina Island

Tuesday morning we woke up to the view in the top left corner. The sky was a little foggy or misty and the temps were a little cool.

Rob and I heard all kinds of banging and noises and watched the crew lower the little deck that allowed the guests to exit the ship onto the tenders. We watched out the window until the first tender showed up and the six of us that were heading out for the scuba excursion boarded. Rob & I waved and waved, at least three people on the tender saw us and waved back, but not one person in our family saw us trying to wish them well.

We found out later it's because they were a bit nervous and were concentrating very hard on psyching themselves up for their upcoming adventure.

VIEWS OF THE HARBOR

with a glimpse of the town

Rob and I spent a couple of hours walking around the small town of Avalon. It was very charming and would be a very fun place to come for a short vacation. We wish we'd had more time because we would have loved to take the Segway tour but we hadn't brought cash with us and we didn't have enough time before our kayak excursion began.

Vehicles are limited on the island so most people get around with golf carts. Rob & I liked seeing the customized ones.

PAPARAZZI SHOTS

Six for SCUBA

Those who went diving were very nervous to begin with (except for Brian who is an experienced diver) but they all ended up having a wonderful experience and saw lots of beautiful fish swimming through the kelp forests. Rob & I learned from our kayak guide that this is one of the best places for kelp to grow because of the cold currents and deep water.

Meals on Board

We ate as a family every night in the Elation dining room. Mom & Dad requested two tables right next to each other so we were seated in a corner of the room which was just perfect for us. Each night we rotated seats. It was fun to switch up the tables. I think it caught our waiters off guard at first but they caught on quickly took great care of us. I feel badly that we didn't get pictures of them so we could show them off too.

The first night we arrived to find signs on the table stating that we would be receiving a free bottle of wine. After explaining that we really did not drink alcohol (not even a touch) - it helped once we said that we were Mormons - we were able to trade the wine for soda credits! Hooray for "FREE" Diet Coke (or Sprite)!

See how much fun everyone is having?

I don't know if Granddad was purposely hiding behind his menu or if he was really that fascinated with all the choices on the menu.

We had a lot of choices and many of us took advantage of the opportunity to order two or three appetizers or salads and some of us even ordered two entrees.

Clockwise from the top - the Mexican Buffet (Rob & I were sound asleep by then but some of the PARTY ANIMALS in the family managed to stay up for the midnight buffets), the infamous Chocolate Melting Cake, Flan (a special Gluten Free dessert that wasn't on the menu), the Dessert Buffet, Watermelon Arugula Salad, Mango (Rob said it looked pretty but he didn't really think it tasted that good) and last but not least Chocolate Mousse (another GF dessert that I would have LOVED to eat)

Steak and Baked Potato (this was on the menu every night), a Smoked Salmon appetizer with "Caviar" (the tomato gelatin was very rich and Rob said the salmon egg was not as good as he'd expected so he only rated this as so-so), Crab Cake, Fried Shrimp (This was VERY good!), Stuffed Mushrooms, Smoked Duck (My Favorite appetizer all week; well it actually tied with the Strawberry Bisque!), Lobster and Shrimp

At the beginning of dinner Monday night several people explained the need for gluten free meals and Natasha, (the assistant Maitre 'd?) personally took care of meeting the special requirements of Linda, Jim, Brian & Karin. It was so fun to watch Karin eat well after so many years of not eating, and to watch everyone else enjoy their meals.

The GF bread came out the second night and Brian was skeptical because he thought it looked rubbery but Linda and Karin raved about it so much that he ended up trying it. Linda got the recipe to see if she could recreate it at home. Karin and Brian are making those faces because they are so delighted with the meals they are eating.

Good Job Carnival! Your food was beautiful and tasty!

Cruise DAY ONE

We met most of the family at LAX and traveled in two Super Shuttle vans to the pier in Long Beach. We were met by a porter who agreed to gather all our luggage and deliver it in one big load! Unfortunately, it took him two loads because some of the luggage was in our hallway when we were finally allowed to go down to the staterooms, but a few of us had to wait over an hour for luggage to show up.

How much luggage do 16 people need for a 4-night cruise?

THIS MUCH!

I can't tell if Bryce is really excited or really nervous about going on the BIG BOAT.

Here is Laurie, ready to board the Carnival Paradise. Our home for the next four nights.

On board, Looking Fine and Ready for some Fun!

Family Cruise

We have been back from our family cruise for over a week now so I thought it might be good to actually write about our trip before I get too caught up in the next few weeks.

It was so great to see everyone again and to be able to visit and catch up. I do wish that Rob and I had tried a little harder to join in with some of the other couples during the day so that we could really have a good chance to talk and reconnect with each other. Rob's been so busy with work and church things lately that he was really looking forward to a quiet rejuvinating week. It was also nice for us as a couple to just be together and catch up with each other again.

The highlight of the trip was, without question, the time we spent with the family and we are so glad to be a part of this funny, endearing, amusing, loving, special family. Thanks Mom & Dad for making sure that we take the time to be together.

Lovely Winter Reception

Emily's friend is planning a December wedding and wanted to see some pictures of the luncheon and reception that we attended in St. Lous last winter to celebrate the marriage of Emily's cousin, Justin, to his beautiful and charming wife Brittany.

My amazing sister-in-law, Julie, pulled off a wedding, a luncheon, a reception AND managed to get the church decorated and cleaned up in under 36 hours. WOW! I don't know how she managed to be standing or coherent at the end of the day.

The guys went out to buy leftover Christmas trees and found a lot with a sign that said the all the trees were free! That was a definite advantage to holding the reception AFTER Christmas.

They brought the trees home and lightly flocked most, but not all of them. Then they set up little woodsy vignettes around the perimeter of the room. The one above was the backdrop for the receiving line and went along the doors at the back of the chapel. I don't know if you can see it but there is acutally a backdrop set up behind this grouping of trees. It is built out of pvc pipe and covered with a black fabric. It was a small touch that not many people would think of but it actually added a big impact to the final look.

This little scene was a charming way to fill a corner. I don't know where they found that wonderful street lamp, but doesn't it add the perfect touch?

Julie asked her husband to cut some LARGE branches off the trees that grow in their backyard. Then they set them into cans of concrete for stability and spray painted them white. Having the bare branches mixed in with the evergreens really took the decor up a notch into fabulous. Somehow adding that extra touch of realism added a sense of wonder and delight to the room.

Since they had such limited time to set up and take down instead of trying to wrap the trees with light they just trailed the small white lights along and around the base of the trees and covered them all up with fake snow. I think this was a perfect idea. Stringing the lights into the trees would have taken hours, not to mention all the sap and scratches that come with decorating real trees, and it wouldn't have looked quite as natural and charming for the way they had the room set up.

I just put this picture in because Brynlee is such a cutie and the mix of trees made a pretty background for her.

This shot was taken along the long wall opposite of where the cake table was set up. I didn't put any shots of the cake table because it was a typical set up with a round table, draped with her colors and set off by a little floral arch.

When the evening was over Jim actually knew of a place where they could dump the trees for free. They had all the trees taken care of by the time we had the kitchen, the linens, tables & chairs and the room decorations cleaned up.

The ceiling also received special treatment with lights and tulle strung from the center (it's where the DISCO BALL comes out for those special stake dances) out to the walls.

Adding this extra touch gave the effect of dropping the ceiling so the room felt cozier and less cavernous. It also added a nice element of lighting in the room since they had the overheads either dimmed or turned off.

One of Julie's friends made the beaded snowflakes that hung down from the center on fishing line (we took them down very carefully so she could save them to use again). There were also ornaments hung amongst the snowflakes which matched the color scheme.

They served hot chocolate with whipped cream (isn't that a FUN idea?) and mixed desserts which were served from cake plates that became a part of the centerpiece on the tables. You'll have to use your imagination for that because I didn't get a picture of the tables.

The room was beautiful; the food was fun, relatively easy, and tasty; and the bride and groom were happy. What more could you ask?

Easy Appetizer

I attended Clarissa Glassett's bridal shower today and said that I would bring a pasta salad and a plate of appetizers. I found an idea on http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ that looked super easy and sounded yummy so being bravely foolish (or is it foolishly brave) I decided to make and take them without trying them first to make sure they really would be edible.

Ree, "The Pioneer Woman" calls them Mystery Rolls but I may have to change the name to Blue Cheese Bites. If you are in the mood for an easy, tasty treat you should make these.

If you want detailed directions then go to the appetizer section at the link that I have in the first paragraph and look for "Yummy, Delightful "Mystery Rolls". Otherwise - Place a stick of butter in a pan with 4 ounces of crumbled blue cheese. Melt slowly. Meanwhile open a can of refrigerator biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands but any kind would work) and cut each biscuit into fourths. Roll each piece in the melted butter & cheese mixture and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. After I took the biscuits out of the oven I brushed them with the remaining cheese and butter. This made the cheese taste stronger and made the top of the biscuits pieces an interesting bluish color...BUT they tasted GREAT.

Try them and let me know what you think.

Amazing Video

So I watched this amazing video a couple of days ago and wanted to share it with you all.
http://www.sonnyradio.com/swanlake_0001.swf

The "Ballet" isn't really all that amazing, but as it turns out, this isn't a ballet troupe but a group of Chinese Acrobats.


stick around for the end, it's amazing! although I admit I found myself wondering why someone decided that was what they wanted to do when they "grew up"


p.s. I LOVE the swan costumes

Ch-ch-ch-changes Part Deux

Well, we finished Alaina's room and the next course of action was to make the guest bedroom a dedicated room so it would always be ready for company.


I wanted to paint it 'cause it's been terra-cotta since Mark was in high school but since we did Alaina's room up I don't have time to do it before Celia arrives. Em helped me choose a comforter that actually compliments the wall color nicely and softens the room up a little bit. We put the queen headboard that we had in the basement on the bed, moved in the vanity table from Emily's room and moved out ALL of my seminary stuff. The room is a lot less crowded now and is ready for company.

Elmer Fudd

Rob asked for, and received an unusual gift for Father's Day this year. He had to visit a client up north last week so he stopped in at Cabela's and picked up a Remington Wingmaster Soft Air Shotgun Style Rifle.

We've all had fun with target practice and have gotten pretty good at hitting the concrete bunny that lives on the hill but the rascally rabbits must have gotten wind that their hiney's are in danger of getting a good sting so they are scarcer than they used to be.
Rob is just waiting for an opportunity to actually use this on one of those nasty lagomorphs who take such pleasure in destroying our hard work and expensive plants. Since my mother's day gift was a lovely shade garden (which has hosta, which the rabbits like to eat) Rob can use his gift to protect my gift!

We like to call him Elmer Fudd!
('specially when he walks around with a cap on his head)