Month: June 2012

Disneyland with The Taylor Crew

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Take two excited Grandparents, One Auntie, a Fantastic Friend, a Cheerful Mommy and two very Happy Kiddos and what do you get? A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND! Yup, when the Taylor crew is in town its pretty much inevitable that we will end up at Disneyland. How can you resist? SO this year we found ourselves at Disneyland with the same Motley Crew as last year but we also tweaked a few things.

This time around we stayed the night at a hotel in Anaheim the night before. Best idea ever. This allowed us to sleep in a bit the morning of instead of waking up at 4am so that we could get to Disneyland and not deal with a three hour drive in morning traffic. It was completely worth it. We were up by 6:30 am and arrived at Disneyland only thirty minutes after the park opened. This allowed us to go to Cars Land (which had just opened a week and a half earlier) over in California Adventure. We had hoped to get on some of the rides but even by 9am, everything had a line no less then ninety minutes. Its ok, we still enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Flo’s Cafe and then enjoyed a few more rides before heading over to Disneyland for the rest of the day.

On the tram and ready for a day at Disneyland!
The whole gang, minus Grandpa Jerry who is behind the camera as usual. 🙂

Grandma Denise and Ellie waiting for the gang to finish up on the ladybug spinners.

Abby was just a little excited to see Pluto… just a little.

For this trip I decided to roll with the punches and let whatever happens, happen. For the most part, I stuck with that decision. I let Abby and Ellie decide what they wanted to do and Jillian and Drisana were great sports about that. The only snag of the day came with riding the Matterhorn. Abby has been on it once and loved it. Since then the ride format has changed. You can no longer sit in each others laps, instead you sit in your own seat. This meant the height requirement had changed and Abby just missed it by about half an inch. Grandpa Jerry had to leave the line with her and I felt so guilty going on without her. When we got off of the ride, I could tell Abby had been crying. It broke my heart. Its tough being at that point in life where you are still little but you also want to conquer the world on your own all at the same time. She cheered up pretty quickly and we were on to the next ride, but I have to admit there was a twinge in my heart that took a bit to go away.

Ready for her first ride on the Jungle Cruise.

All set to see Winnie the Pooh!

Happy Ellie waiting to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. As she kept saying the rest of the day… “That was so fun!”

I did eventually get over it and I made sure it didn’t ruin my day with family, friends and my beautiful girls. Instead the girls enjoyed rides like Winnie the Pooh (two times to be exact), Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch and duck feeding at the Hungry Bear and their first time on the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise was a big hit and I am sure we will be riding on it again soon! Abby also had the chance to use her brand new autograph book and was able to get the autographs of quite a few characters, one of which being Minnie!

As a treat for the girls and the June birthdays, we had dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. Abby had a blast and loved taking pictures with all of the characters. Well, all but Aladdin. Abby wanted nothing to do with him. Ellie was a bit leery at first but when Minnie came around, she was star struck. She was so excited and in awe that Minnie Mouse was right there in front of her. It was pretty cute if you ask me. Abby also met Cinderella which was another hit, so much so that Abby kept holding her hand.

Pictures with Minnie Mouse at Goofy’s Kitchen. Not sure you can feel the excitement here.

Ellie meeting Minnie Mouse. So start struck.

After dinner we headed back to Disneyland for another spin on Winnie the Pooh and then Drisana, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Jerry and myself took on Splash Mountain. Yeah, Splash Mountain In June at 9:30 at night meant very soaked. Luckily it has been a hot dry day so my pants and shirt dried off quickly, but my shoe was another story. The rest of the evening was pretty lazy. The girls fell asleep so we watched the fireworks and then hit a few of our favorites. Auntie Jillian, Drisana and I rode Big Thunder and then it was Grandma Denise and Grandpa Jerry’s turn. From there we shopped while Auntie Jillian and Drisana went on a few more rides of their own. When all was said and done we stuck it out at Disneyland and nearly closing time.

At Auntie Jillian’s insistence we rode Splash Mountain. While you can tell we were hit with water, this picture does not  show just how wet we were. Soaked, completely soaked.

It was a long drive home that night, but so worth it. We made lots of memories and enjoyed our time together. Drisana is now an honorary member of the Taylor family after surviving a Disneyland trip with us for the second summer in a row. I know I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow that night but it was all for good reasons. Yet another fun day in the memory books. Until next time!

This is How Jack Rolls…

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I would just like to preface this by saying that Jack is an indoor dog. Despite having loads of energy, loving walks and being an 85 pound lab mix who should love all things outdoors, he would rather be inside then out. Most days if he is out longer then an hour, he is scratching at the back door wanting in. To sum it all up, our dog thinks he is a cat. A pampered, indoor loving cat.
So when I saw this, all I could think to myself was “Jack, what are you doing?” He is lounging like the pampered pooch he is in the girls pink plastic pool. But its EMPTY! Not a drop of water in sight! Just a 80 pound lab, the hot sun and pink plastic that I know heats up faster then the tiles. I think this was his way to get pity from us and let him in.That or this is just how Jack rolls.

Abby’s First Dance Recital!

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As I sit here writing this, I cannot help but smile. I think I am beaming from ear to ear. Tonight was Abby’s very first dance recital and I don’t think Shaun and I could be more proud of our little girl! She did an amazing job and even though I had my doubts this morning at stage rehearsal about whether or not she would dance at all, she did!
Grandma Denise, Granpa Jerry, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Pat, Grandma Zoe, myself and Shaun were all there to cheer her on. When I dropped her off backstage with her class and the babysitters she started to get upset that I was leaving but soon calmed down and then ran off to play, saying goodbye as an after thought. Looking back I think she got upset at first because one of the younger little dancers in her class was crying. I took my seat with the family and waited anxiously to see just what would happen. We caught a glimpse of Abby in the show opener and then had to wait until her dances came along. Lucky for us, Jason and Lisa (our cousins) had their daughters dancing that night. We had the chance to see Kayla and Lily dance and boy have they grown. Both girls are very talented and I see dance in their future.
Abby’s ballet dance, “Ballerina Kisses” was first and she was so cute. Before they came on stage, Abby and her friend Victoria could be seen peaking out from the curtains. I honestly think they were looking for all of us, assuming all of our families would be in the same spot watching just like we do at the studio. When it was time to dance, Abby did a fantastic job and danced every step. It cane be hard to tell with Abby, but I could see that she was having a great time, which made me smile the most.

Later in the show Abby did her tap dance, “Six Little Ducks”… what a riot! For many years at Bobbie’s, the youngest dancers at the studio were ducks for recital. It was like a rite of passage. I was so happy to see that Abby had the chance to be a duck too and she did a perfect job. She really knew what she was doing and had a lot of fun doing it. I think all of us were laughing and smiling at our cute little duck on stage.

Ballerina Kisses

Showing off her basket of kisses

Quacking like a duck

“Six Little Ducks that I once knew, fat ones, skinny ones, cute ones too!”

Keep on Quackin’!

Taking a final bow during the finale! Its a great shot because Kayla is standing just behind Abby!

So cute

A very proud daddy with a super cute ducky!
Abby with her teacher Miss Elizabeth.

Abby and Bobbie. Bobbie is the owner of the studio and someone very special to me, my family and now my children.

When the show was over Abby was spoiled with lots of hugs, kisses and more flowers then I have seen in a long time. She was so excited and very proud of how she danced. I learned from Bobbie, Judith and some of the backstage babysitters that each time Abby came off of stage she wanted to know when she could go back on. I think someone likes the spotlight! She would have also been happy just sitting in the wings watching the dances. And here I was worried that they would be able to get her out on stage!

No matter what, the evening was perfect and we are so proud of Abby. From what I can tell, she cant wait until next year to do it all again!

Anniversary and Ghost Hunt on the Queen Mary

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In the time that we have been married, Shaun and I have never officially celebrated an anniversary.  On our first anniversary we were in the middle of moving back to Los Angeles from Seattle. Our second anniversary fell during recital so I was busy working. For our third Shaun was stuck at E3 and I was too pregnant and uncomfortable to care. Last year was pretty low key as well. So we decided to live it up a little for our fifth and Shaun decided to surprise me with a night away.
This time around he was successful with his surprise and I had no idea where we were going until we hopped onto the 710 into Long Beach and I started seeing all of the signs for… THE QUEEN MARY! I have always wanted to stay on the Queen Mary so my excitement was evident. To top it all off our friends Jay and Mellissa had come down for the night and we were planning to do a bit of celebrating and exploring the ship with them.
Once we arrived and settled into the room, we headed to the Chowder House for a bite to eat. After a lovely dinner with conversation that was interrupted only by our waiter, we met up with Jay and Mellissa for a few drinks and some lovely 70’s lounge music. We had fun and enjoyed the smooth voice of the entertainer for the evening and his renditions of several Karen Carpenter songs. After some laughs and a few drinks we went to bed, only to wake up at 3am to investigate some of the Queen Mary’s paranormal history. We didn’t find much that night, but it was a lot of fun roaming around on board in the middle of the night with no one to bother us. I do want to come back again soon and take the ghost tour that will allow us to go inside the first class pool area. Its said the spirit of a young girl named Jackie haunts this area and many people have had unexplained experiences here. We wanted to do this on our own, but the area if closed to the general public. When all was said and done and the sun started to rise… we headed to bed.

We had a slow start the next morning, waking up and checking out of our room just in the nick of time. We had lunch with Jay and Mellissa and then decided to take a look at the parts of the ship that are not open at night, mainly the engine room and the museum in the lower parts of the ship.  It was kind of a strange place but very interesting. From there we left and headed home. It was a quick trip and something I hope to do again soon but it was a wonderful little getaway for our fifth anniversary!
The hallway on M deck just outside of our room.

While exploring down on the A Deck we came across the third class nursery. The doors were locked and it looks as though people do not come in and out of these doors often, if at all. Another abandoned part of the boat.

One of many closed off elevator shafts throughout the ship.

Room B340, which is now unmarked as such, is said to be the most  haunted spots on the ship. It has not been used as  a guest room for nearly 30 years and most of the rooms around this spot are rarely used and if so are given to guests if asked.

B Deck hallway at nearly 4am. Quiet, empty and a little eerie feeling.

One of many beautiful stair cases within the ship.

The unsused elevators right next to the first class pool that I want to come back and take the tour so that I can see it!

The view from our room that night. Not too shabby!

Gorgeous map and mural inside the dining room.

Outside promenade deck. I can only imagine what it must have been like to cross the Atlantic and enjoy the views from this deck.

The location of our anniversary dinner the night before.

Carnival ship Splendor arrived that morning in the port next to us. I have never been on a cruise, but the idea is becoming a bit more enticing now.

This was only one of four which was displayed for the public.  The picture does not show just how big it is!

Beauty salon on board the ship from the 1950’s and 1960’s

Third class rooms…

First Class Dining room set up.

Second Class dining room set up.

Third Class dining room set up.

Second Class rooms.

First Class State Room, this was just the sitting area of the suite.

A beautiful day and a wonderful overnight stay at the Queen Mary. We cannot wait to come back again!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

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Happy 5th Anniversary…

I cannot believe I am saying 5th anniversary! It feels like only yesterday Shaun and I were married. This is a special year not just because its our 5th but also because it falls on the exact day of our wedding. At this time five years ago I was getting up and enjoying the calm with my sister, Sarita, and Tommie. I was packing up my bags making sure that some made it to Shaun’s room, which was our suite and the rest went with me. We left around 11am and headed to the salon to get our hair and makeup done. Unbeknownst to me, a large brush fire had started causing traffic and road closures. Everyone was worried about telling me but when they did, they were shocked to see a still calm and unaffected bride. I was getting married and as long as Shaun was there waiting for me, nothing else mattered. I weathered the storm and kept myself focused on what mattered most, my soon to be husband.

Not much has changed since then. When the road gets tough and we are faced with challenges, I try to to worry because I know I have Shaun right there with me. He is the cool, calm and level headed person that balances my often emotional and reactive personality. In my mind we are a perfect match and after five years our relationship is better and stronger then it was before.

Luckily the year leading up to our 5th Anniversary has been a bit more tame then it has in the past. Since we celebrated our fourth anniversary we have…

  • Celebrated Ellie’s 1st Birthday and watched her grow. In that year she has learned to talk, speak in sentences, count, learned a few colors and teach us a lot about patience. Yes, she is our go getter and our tester. She loves to test us and can cause some frustration but her smile, hugs and her love of cuddling with mommy makes it all worth it and then some.
  • My dear friends Mackenzie and Jeff were married on July 17th, 2011.  I was a bridesmaid but even more importantly Abby was a flower girl! This was her first time being a flower girl and she loved every moment of it. She still talks about it and asks when she can see handsome Grady again!
  • Abby enjoyed her very first Broadway show… Mary Poppins. We took Grandma Zoe for her birthday and Abby had a blast. She watched every minute of it and was such a little lady. She even sang along to all the songs that she knew!
  • Our house on Hatillo Avenue finally sold. It was sad to say goodbye since I loved that house (just wished it was in a different location) but I know we will be on to bigger things soon!
  • Abby celebrated her 3rd Birthday and she has grown by leaps and bounds since. Abby is learning so much it amazes me. While she is still just learning to write she has memorized all of her alphabet and is now working on numbers. She loves to sing and she loves music. Listening to her sing a long to Adele’s “21” album always makes me smile and giggle.
  • Abby and Ellie went Trick or Treating for the very first time and loved it! We only did a small portion of the Auntie Jen’s neighborhood but that made them completely happy.
  • Abby began her first year of dance classes! Mommy is very proud and it looks like Ellie is taking a liking to it as well! We will have to start her next year though because she is still too little.
  • We enjoyed another trip at Christmas time trip to Montana.This time we came home with a messed up bumper thanks to a nutty old lady in Dillon Montana. Abby and Ellie didn’t get to see as much snow as they would have liked, but we still had the chance to walk around on Main Street, enjoy the Museum of the Rockies and Shaun and I had several days to ourselves. One of which found us in Yellowstone!
  • Abby had her first bee sting! Happy to report that she is not allergic!
  • Shaun and I took our first extended trip without the girls and headed to San Francisco. We missed them very much but it was wonderful to get away and enjoy the time together and I had the chance to see my best friend. I haven’t seen her since Abby’s baby shower in 2008! It had been far too long!
  • Shaun and I had the chance (twice actually) to greet the LA Kings as they came home from series wins, the first time after completing Round 1 of the playoffs and the second after the Kings won the Western Conference!
  • We took Abby for her very first haircut! I shed a few tears but it was worth it!
  • And last but not least… as an early anniversary present… THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!! Best present ever!
So the year has been busy but all of these events occurred in the same city, with the same number of children, in the same house! I have a feeling the year leading up to our sixth will be eventful, maybe even more so then this past year, but I am ready for it! 
Happy Anniversary Shaun! Here is to another five years and then another hundred after that. I love you so much and I am thankful for all that you have done for me and given to me. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings us. What an adventure I am sure it will be!

Stanley Cup Champions Parade and Rally

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So I am on a high… a hockey high. Not only did the LA Kings win the Stanley Cup, Shaun and I were able to attend the Championship parade and rally today! I was supposed to be a surprise to me, but once again… I ruined it. Neither of us were able to obtain our free tickets when they became available to the general public so in my desperation I started asking anyone and everyone. To my surprise, my friend Hilary had two spare tickets and I started orchestrating how I would get them. Shaun finally had to call me and fess up to the surprise before I compromised someones tickets! Needless to say, Shaun used his powers and we were able to get tickets.
Loving it, although I think it needs to be changed now so that is says Stanley Cup Champions!

All of the rally ticket holders gathered inside LA Live Plaza. I didn’t have a chance at seeing the players but I was still excited! Then again over 200,000 people attended the parade so I am sure a lot of people couldn’t see what was going on. It was still exciting and you could feel all of the amazing excitement and energy.

The first players bus turned into the plaza… I only knew because people were cheering really loud and trying to take pictures.

And then next thing I knew… it was raining streamers and confetti!

Despite not being able to see the players, I could hear Matt Greene giving a nice speech and thank you to all of the fans. You are so very welcome Matt Greene! And Thank You for helping the Kings get that beautiful cup!

AEG is going to have to do a bit of house cleaning to make room for a few new banners. I really really want to be at the first home game of the season to see them raise the banners. I don’t know how but I will get those tickets!

Our view from the premier section… watching the game 6 on the big screen, waiting for the players to come out.

All of the players, coaches, trainers, Luc Robataille, the Conn Smythe trophy and the Stanley Cup. Boy its so sparkly!

After today I am on a huge high and I am not sure I will be able to come down until maybe the season begins in October. Even then I am sure I will still be dancing in the clouds. And to make it even better, I was in the same building as the Stanley Cup. Oh it was so pretty!

A Few More Stanley Cup Video Clips

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The following are videos from the Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The first are highlights from NBC’s coverage of all of the goals as well as the presentation of the Conn Smythe Trophy and of course the Stanley Cup! The second video is of Head Coach Darryl Sutter and Goalie and MVP Jonathan Quick doing a press conference, but someone else takes over. Its too cute and its fun to see this side of the players now that the stress is gone!

http://nhl.cdn.neulion.net/u/videocenter/embed.swf

THE KINGS WIN THE STANLEY CUP!!!!!

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Its been a bit since my last post. But we have been busy first with the Finals and now the fact that…. 

THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!! THE KINGS ARE THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!

I don’t think I can say it enough! I still don’t believe it and neither does Shaun. What a surreal moment. I know we both wish would could have actually been at the game but I will take seeing it live on TV. I think our heads are still up in the clouds but I don’t mind… 
THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!

Below is a video of the final moments of Game 6 being called by Nick Nickson. I cried again when I heard this. For those who don’t know, Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans do the radio calling of the game. Bob Miller and Jim Fox do the TV announcing but because of TV contracts did not get to do so. Bummer… but we still enjoyed watching the win and its been said that Bob and Jim did call the game and it may be synced up with the game for the fans. Fingers crossed!

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 I am sure there will be more clips to follow but until then…

THE KINGS ARE THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!