The Marchant Adventures

January 2012

2012-01-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

It's only January & my husband is in full political mode. He's watched every ounce of coverage & insists that we only refer to Mitt Romney as 'President Romney' within the walls of our house. Chad prefers to be called VP Marchant.
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Been watching Flip Men, Shipping Wars. Can't wait for Southland, Royal Pains & White Collar to return this week. I also discovered Downton Abbey this week. Since Chad has been out of town -- I ripped through the first season + started the second season in 24 hours.
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Keller is a freakin' genius. He can pretty much do 2 digit addition in his head. He can pick most all picture books up & whip through them. Got a small keyboard from my grandparent's house & started to teach him some basic 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' & reading music. He's picking it up fast.
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Pet peeve from work this time of year: PARENTS, regarding the cost of higher education: Please make sure: A) You've prepped your child to do well enough academically in high school that they will earn a scholarship and quit whining that you kid is a 'bad test taker' ; B) You've planned well enough to understand the high costs in sending your child to college [You've had the child for 18 years -- Please don't freak out when it comes down to 18 weeks to send your kid away...You've had time to save.]
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Chad has a majority of January off. By the way -- He earned near straight A's for his first semester of grad school. Go Smart Man! He spent last week in El Centro, California [2 hours southeast of San Diego] working for Dale Carnegie. He spent several nights in a sketchy hotel with a cat meowing outside his door & a continental breakfast consisting of a loaf of bread & white powdered donuts.
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We've been loving our new annual pass to the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park.
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Park Pics

2012-01-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

One of my best Las Vegas friends, Lenzi, took our newest round of family pictures on New Year's Eve.....

[Check out the tongue sticking out for concentration....]

You can find the rest of Lenzi's great work at Thru My Lenz Photography Co.

Legoland

2011-12-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

We've been a bit lucky since moving to San Diego in scoring some free tickets to top attractions including SeaWorld & the San Diego Zoo.... We finished our free ticket spree with Legoland.

This place is a plastic-color-wonder. We took a soccer buddy with us for even numbers & 5 year-old stimulating conversation.

It's amazing what can be made out of legos...Volvo anyone?

Gigantic Christmas tree with coordinating ornaments...Can't imagine the size of that Lego package....

Any why not take a trip down memory lane?

Five

2011-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

5 Events on Keller's 5th Birthday:

1: Keller was greeted into his 5th year by balloons surrounding his bed & streamers hanging on his bedroom door -- mostly in his favorite color - G R E E N.

2: We loaded the car for the trip to Cedar City to visit family for post-Christmas festivities. Luckily - the stop in Vegas was just under 5 hours.

3. We surprised Kel by picking up his best Las Vegas friend - Vance & going to lunch at Kel's favorite Robertos Taco Shop. Went all out on the birthday cake...totally under 5 calories. [Thank you Zingers-packaged-chocolate-goodness & stashed candles & matches from my purse.]

4. Birthday Bash @ the Marchant's. Keller requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with chocolate chips -- Grandma obliged.

Notice Grandma trying to get us to sing on-pitch & on-pace...what ensued was 5 seconds of America's Funniest Home Video hilarious.

5. High Five for Presents

Keller scored a San Diego Padres hat, Wii game, books & a fun FlashPad game that is ultra addictive for adult & child alike.

Keller also received an AWESOME handmade gumball machine from Uncle Kirk. Kirk is AMAZINGLY talented when it comes to woodwork & we were floored by the craftmanship. Kirk proclaimed he needed to finalize his favorite uncle status.....

5 Hilarious Things about 5 Year Old Keller:
1. He's still an early riser. Wants to be on-the-go every waking moment & is constantly asking what we are doing in the next minute, hour & weekend. In contrast, as soon as we are out running errands he is asking when we can go home. He loves home.

2. He's just under 4 feet & just over 50 lbs. That places him in the 95% for weight & 99% for height. He's gonna be H U G E. He's reading like a champ & has started to master addition.

3. With some things he is a bit obsessive -- like washing his hands. He washes his hand after every meals, snack or morsel he eats; after every project...after everything. He still is obsessive about having his Baby Bear with him at night. He's also becoming a bit obsessed with time [not getting the full concept of how long an hour is, etc.] but loves to tell us exactly what time it is at any moment. He scored a cool Cars watch for Christmas.

4. Loves sports. Loves sports. Loves football. Loves NFL Mobile on Chad's phone.

5. Makes up rhymes that don't make sense -- jokes that aren't funny -- knock - knock jokes that are crazy. He loves to listen to the radio in the car & will hear a song once & can repeat back the lyrics the next time it's on [as you can imagine, our music selection is being whittled down....].

5 Favorites of Keller:

1. Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers

2. Favorite Thing to Do: Go outside & play baseball in the backyard with Dad

3. Favorite Show to Watch: Good Luck Charlie

4. Favorite Thing to Be When He Grows Up: Football player

5. Favorite Sport / Favorite Team: Football / Philadelphia Eagles

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011. Home in San Diego.

Christmas Eve we went through all our traditions - opening new Christmas PJs [We even found Blue Shark jammies -a shout out to his soccer team] putting out cookies for Santa & carrots for the reindeer, [Funny that Keller had already set out the carrots at 7AM Christmas Eve morning....ultra prepared!], reading the Christmas story & playing with our new nativity set from Grandma & Papa Marchant. He had been petrified on Christmas Eve that Santa would find him awake & was content to be in bed by 8PM.

Christmas morning. 6:30AM. I awoke with a start & thought it was strange our usual 6AM early riser hadn't busted down our bedroom door announcing to the world, "It's Christmas!". Alas, he was being super patient & informed us he had checked on us 3 times & we were missing Christmas.

Down the stairs we came to see if Santa had come through for us.....and he did!

Football Oreos...too cool!

Keller's favorite toy from Santa - a Hot Wheels Sky Jump track

Keller scored with DVDs, 'Minute to Win It' for Wii [definitely a family competition brewing...], an annual pass to the San Diego Zoo & lots of games [Trouble, Sorry, Yahtzee, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em].

Chad scored some protein. I scored a monopod for my camera & Chad framed one of my favorite pictures I've taken.

And Grandma scored her silly dog in a Santa hat.

Christmas Projects

2011-12-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy arts & crafts kindof Christmas season around our house.

A lot of frosting, marshmallows & candy red hots have been consumed.

Christmas Gingerbread Tree

Gingerbread houses [I might have been able to sneak one very loud version of Osmond's Family Christmas Jingle Bells while the project was wrapping up. They never saw it coming.]

Christmas hand wreath

Marshmallow snowman

I also relented & got out the Christmas boxes this year. I did a BIG project last year getting 25 boxes together with treat & activities in each box....I scaled back to 12 this year.

Day 8: Make Christmas pancakes

Day 7: Make snowflakes

Thank goodness for Pinterest for all the ideas.

Jungle Bells, Jungle Bells....

2011-12-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Got a chance to visit our world-famous San Diego Zoo last week.

It was a perfect day because the temps were cool & the crowds were sparse.

Lions, tigers & bears.....

Keller's favorite animal....THE MAP.
Yes, this boy is prepared & constantly wants to know where we are.

Ramona Cafe

2011-12-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

Mark another Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives location off our list...

The Ramona Cafe in Ramona, CA -- only about 30 minutes from our house.

Check out the size of the cinnamon rolls - approximately 1/2 lb in weight & delicious to the last bite.

Mrs. Claus

2011-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

While attending the Ol' Poway Christmas Festival & waiting to see Santa [Keller flashed me his pathetic eyes which led to a 1 hour wait in the cold to see the big red guy], the following conversation took place:

Chad: 'Keller, do you think Mrs. Claus has a nice cup of hot chocolate ready for Santa when he comes home from delivering Christmas presents?"

Keller: 'Probably.'

Chad: 'What does Mrs. Claus do while Santa is gone?'

Keller: 'She stays home to keep the place clean & tidy.'

The guy behind us line busted out laughing.

Crap. Gender sterotypes continue.....

How we roll.....

2011-12-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

In December.

At the beach.

Celebrating the season with a gingerbread man from our beloved Elizabethan Bakery.

Not too shabby.....

December '11

2011-12-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Chad took a break last week. Why, you ask? His back went out-of-whack and he kept our bed company for 3 days while he couldn't hardly move. Poor dude! 2 chiropractic visits, strong pain meds, ice & heat and he's back on his feet....just in time for.....FINALS.

We'll see him after December 15th.

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Recently been watching: Flip Men, Auction Kings, Storage Wars, Auction Hunters

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Love Balboa Park's Free Resident Tuesdays. Each week of the month you can access a few different museums for free. We've checked out the Fleet Science Center & Natural History Museum. Occupies a few hours of time & makes me feel 'cultured'.

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Keller has learned he loves showers. Namely, showering & singing at the top of his lungs. I caught him rockin' a loud version of 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town'.

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Taking a while to get into the 'Christmas spirit' this year. Maybe it's the palm trees & short sleeves? Nah! Between finals, work, keeping an almost 5 year old busy all day, no big present shopping [we're spending it on the kid], church callings, etc.....it's taking a concentrated effort. But...continued hot chocolate & treats always make one feel better, eh?

Steaksgiving

2011-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Fall '11 = Steaksgiving in the Marchant household.

...And it was wonderful.

Undefeated

2011-11-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

Meet the undefeated Blue Sharks of the PQ U6 Division:

They swept the PQ Cup this weekend & earned themselves gold medals.

Keller scored 2 goals in the PQ Cup & could hardly contain his excitement.

My ever creative husband came up with the above signs. My favorite [that I didn't get pictured]:

'Somebody call Discovery - it's Shark Week!'

November 2011

2011-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

The end of October until now have been an SUU road-crazed blur for me. 2 trips to Las Vegas [Las Vegas College Fair Plus & SUU Open House + 13 high school visits], 2 trips to Cedar City [SUU Senior Expo & Distinguished Scholars Day] & several trips up & down I-5 here in S. California [from Ventura down to San Diego for RACC Week]. My favorite conversation of the week from an Independent College Counselor in L.A. was the fact that she loves the show 'Sister Wives' on TLC & one of the children on the show mentioned that he wants to attend SUU. She told me she loves the show & thinks that he would make a fine student.

I just made sure she knew that SUU wasn't a place where you can find 4 wives.

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Chad has been one busy student. His life revolves around his study spot in the Alliant library. The professors who's offices are near his 'spot' know him by name & tease him if they don't see him when they come in the morning or when they leave at night.

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Got a new church calling: Assistant Stake Young Women Camp Director. Another year of squealing girls, hair that smells like smoke & smores.

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Ridin' the Rails

2011-11-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

There are so many family-fun adventures to be had here in San Diego.

We headed over to Old Poway Park on Saturday to ride the old steam locomotive that circles the park.

They also have a great little Farmers Market:

Old Poway Park is the definition of an old fashioned community park with a lot of restored original Poway homes & great spots to explore:

Flyin' High

2011-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

There's a great little museum on the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station [cue Top Gun theme music] called the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.

They have a lot of cool aircraft on display:

The helicopters were Keller's favorite -- especially this one with the face painted on the front:

Occupy Halloween w/Ninja Style

2011-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

Meet Keller Ninja:
Meet Occupy Chad:
Chad's tribute to the Occupy protesters actually won Alliant's [his school] Halloween Costume Contest. He scored a iPod Touch -- which he lovingly turned right over to me because my iPod self-destructed a few months ago. Chad says that he was a liberal for 30 minutes just for me. Bless his heart!

Sold

2011-10-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

Just a * in our life story.

Our Las Vegas house, our first house, was sold in October 2011.

In this economy, we were happy to have completed a short sale. After having an offer for 9 months & working with the bank for over 2 years....it is done. Our house sold for just over 1/3 of what we originally purchased it for in 2006. Although I think our bank is the spawn of Satan, I'm happy to report we had a fabulous real estate agent & lots of friends experiencing our similar heartache who we could lean on.

Moving Day, August 2011:

This was a great home where we brought Keller home from the hospital, where we planted a backyard, where we hosted parties & where we laughed lots. I may have cried & cried as we pulled out of our Huntington neighborhood in our moving truck in August. I'm grateful for all the life experience we gained in Las Vegas and all the friends we miss dearly. Our new chapter will be just as great as the last....

[By the way....my great friend, Lenzi, who runs Thru My Lenz Photography Company made me take the above picture -- which I do think I'll cherish in years to come -- under duress as we finished packing. She also gave me this AWESOME gift. Visit her blog here.]

October 2011

2011-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Keller's soccer team, The Blue Sharks, are on an undefeated streak. They have gained a reputation in the league. He scored his first goal in early October after his coach & the coaches' son [Olympic soccer material genius] made it their mission to get Keller his first goal. [Kel was the only one on the team who hadn't scored yet]. They basically left Keller in front of their own goal for half the game before he finally had to touch it in. It was a good day. He's now scored 2 goals for the season.

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Our favorite Kimmy came for a visit last week. While visiting Balboa Park, we discovered this interesting vehicle:

Merry Christmas to all......
It almost rivals this vehicle I found a few years back in Prescott, AZ.

While Kimmy was here we took in the new Footloose movie [I sure missed the original Baconator], went to the temple, Lucha Libre - a funky taco joint w/excellent food & Mexican wrestling gear & ate wonderful desserts from Elizabethan Desserts while sitting on the beach at Torrey Pines watching dolphins play in the water. Yes....I love where we live.

Elizabethan Desserts gets the highest marks in my bakery & dessert conquest. We ordered this luscious lemon bar that was tart, sweet, light & sent from heaven. We might have gone back as they were closing & bought out the rest of them. Go.

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Got the chance to go to SeaWorld this month with some complimentary tickets from a friend in Chad's grad program. Love Shamu.

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Did I mention that I love living so near the beach?

These were taken in Oceanside, CA. Chad & I took a night away [Thank you Marriott Rewards], walked the beach, took in a movie & slept in. Great break!

SUU Adventures - Part 2

2011-10-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've been out on the road much more this Fall getting to know the lay of the land in CA & the [sometimes the stupidity of] students.

Hence: Part 2 of 'SUU Adventures on the Road':

*Question: "Do you have a Marine Biology program?"

My real answer: "Unfortunately, SUU does not offer a Marine Biology program....but let me tell you about our Biology program....."

What I want to say: "Duh, Utah's a landlocked state. If you can find a whale in the Great Salt Lake, more power to you."

*Question: "Are you a Mormon school?"

My real answer: "No, SUU is a public institution that does not profess one religious affiliation or another"

What I want to say: "No. We aren't a Mormon school. But, if you don't get baptized at the state border -- you'll be ridiculed & mocked. Just sayin'....."

I've had more & more students here in So. California say, "Utah....That's so far away." When I actually pull out the map they are shocked at how 'far away' Cedar City, UT is. They just can't seem to wrap around the fact that they'd have to ditch the flip flops in the winter for boots & a coat.

Sat next to a recruiter from a great Northern California UC school at a recent college fair. She explained she was an alum of the same institution & loved her education. Fifteen minutes later, while texting, she leans over to me, "How do you spell papparazzi?" Glad to see that quality education at work!

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In September, I had a few crazy days in Las Vegas. Hence, my Facebook posts from one particular day:

September 13, 8:56AM

Haul 40 lbs of SUU gear into Foothill HS thru a downpour, in heels, with a spare SUU tshirt thrown over my head to try & stay dry. I'm now soaked to the bone with bad hair, a hotel 45 min away & with lightning overhead they are holding students from my presentation.....Just another exciting day of recruiting on the road!

September 13, 12:30PM

Just survived my first hard lockdown at Las Vegas Academy. Think I might ask for a kevlar vest rather than a raise!

Weekend in the Country

2011-10-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I love Fall.

I really love Fall in the country.

Chad teases me that I'm old because I love a good car ride that leads down some

2 lane highway.

I'll take it.

We took a little Saturday drive to the small town of Julian, California -- famous for their apples in the fall.

Along the way we came across the Mountain Valley Ranch.

All the fun of a ranch in the Fall.....

Petting Zoo:
Sheep trying to escape it's pen:

Pumpkins: [loving the green & white pumpkins you can find these days]And of course, a Goat Maze:

Yes........ a Goat Maze:This was the funniest thing I've ever seen to keep the little terrors occupied in their area.

Stopped by & had lunch at Dudley's Bakery. The sandwiches could feed 3 people each & the selection of bakery items have to put a smile on one's face.
Then, we arrived at Julian to find a celebration for Oktoberfest. We may not have been as hyped on brats & beer as everyone else, but who can say no to a good polka band?
Julian is a quaint little country town & that merits some further exploring.

And then...we found it......H E A V E N in the form of an apple pie.

Mom's Bakery on Main Street must have been piping the smell of fresh apple pie out to the common folk who may have waited in line for 45 minutes to partake in its goodness.

Yes, that is an apple covered in cinnamon sugar with a slab of butter on the top about to be wrapped in the most delicious crust. Didn't have a chance to try that gem....but most certainly will next time.
We did take home an apple pie that was THE BEST apple pie I've ever had. Had to get a gallon of apple cider that must be what liquid gold tastes like. A M A Z I N G!

Anyone want to take a road trip next weekend?

SUU Adventures on the Road - Fall '11 Edition

2011-10-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

I often write of my crazy adventures in college-recruitment-land. Parents, students & other recruiters are a bit comical. Here's my Fall '11 edition:

*While at a college fair a few weeks back I met the most OCD recruiter E V E R. She proceeded to build a barrier of chairs around the back of the table during our college fair so no students could come in her personal space. She also used hand sanitizer after nearly every student. She also got very flustered when students would mess up her neat stacks of brochures.

I secretly wanted to sneeze on her brochures.

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Recently, while in Orange County, I saw more boob jobs & face lifts on the mothers than I did in 6 years in Las Vegas. Most of the mothers couldn't even show me an expression on their face due to their love affair of Botox.

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My favorite questions:

Question: "Is your ____________ [insert Psychology, Business, Dance, etc.] program any good?"

My real answer: "Why yes, it is. _________________ [Insert said fact about Psychology, Business, Dance program]. "

What I want to say: "No, it sucks. Ask a better question." [To clarify - none of SUU's programs suck. I just want the students to think outside the box.]

*Question: [upon seeing my tablecloth which says, Southern UTAH University] "Is this in Utah?"

My real answer: "Why yes, we are located in Cedar City - approximately 2 hours north of Las Vegas."

What I want to say: "No, Michigan. Ask a better question."

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I live out of my car. You can find various jackets, nametags, info cards, remnants of lunch & always an empty Dr. Pepper can.

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By the way -- If you are a lover of everything SUU - check out TBird Nation. It's a great blog written by current students who share all their crazy SUU experiences -- from Justin Beiber to T-Bird football to the Pastry Pub -- It's fun to see they are having the same rockin' time we all did a few years back.

Team

2011-09-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

The official Blue Sharks Team '11

[Top: Coach Bruce, Keller, Aiden, Justin, Nathan, Coach Darel, Bottom: Jake, Dominic, Jack]

Autograph session pending.....

By the way -- His team is killing it in the rankings. They've scored 38 goals compared to 12 goals by the other 3 teams they've played. By the way -- My child still has the goofy smile on his face as he chases the ball. Not quite sure if he 'gets' soccer quite yet. By the way -- I still think he looks adorable!

Corndog Party '11 - 10 Years & Counting

2011-09-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

10 years ago a funny little party started down in our ol' SUU apartment down by the freeway. Here's a bit of the history here and here.

This year we [Kimmy, Amy, Nicole & myself] started to plan our 10th anniversary Corndog Party back in June [when we were all in Panguitch for the Balloon Fest]. We started a Facebook page. We sent e-mails to lots of old friends. We wanted a bash!

We even made t-shirts:

Amy also wrote to Foster Farms who became our official sponsor when they sent us a roll of 1000 stickers, a stack of $5 off/box corndogs & 8 free boxes of corndogs. Go Foster Farms!

This was the haul we made to feed the masses:
This is our 2nd generation of corndog partiers:
Family Christmas Card 2011?

The sauce selection:
Even Thor stopped by for a corndog:

Our friend Ryan loving the hot corndog:
Ol' SUU Corndog Friends:

[Andrea Dover, Nicole, Ken Scriber]

It was a great gathering. Kinda makes you miss the ol' days because it will be a rare occasion when we can get so many friends together again. But....let the C O R N D O G festivities live on.....

SUU Homecoming '11

2011-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's good to be a Thunderbird.....

We headed back to ol' CC, UT for the annual SUU Homecoming festivities.

This year's theme: 'Kicking It Old School'.

Friday night was THE best party I have ever attended at SUU. President / Advancement /Alumni threw an amazing party on Upper Quad [where we NEVER get to have parties] to help kick-off the next round of 'The Future is Rising' Fundraising Campaign.

Good food. Good crowd. Good entertainment.
Ol' Peter Brienholt & Ryan Shupe for another great SUU performance:

Kurt Bestor & the SUU Symphony:

Friday night's party ended with a firework display & a torrential downpour of rain.

Saturday's festivities started with greeting my sis-in-law, Paige, at the end of the Cedar City Half Marathon. She's a running machine.

Dropped by an SUUSA reunion [been 10 years] & a Presidential Ambassador reunion.

Some pics from the parade line-up:

I might have had a good laugh with this float. Are my years at SUU now considered 'RETRO'?

Some ol' SUUSA friends from the past:

[Including Zach Ludlow, Andrea Dover, * , Heather Lattier, Steve Kiisel, Josh Hansen]

The Marchant family took on a little political stumping for the parade as we threw our full support for Papa Marchant's bid for City Council:

The stadium was well-packed for the game & the student section was rockin':

And the T-Birds took home another victory & SUU put on another great weekend!

And the Award Goes to....

2011-09-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Went to our ward's 'End of Summer' Beach party a few weekends back. [Because you have church activities at the beach when you live in San Diego...love it!] Apparently, it's a yearly tradition to build a sand sculpture. This castle was A M A Z I N G....

First Day of School

2011-09-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Chad's first day of graduate school.

Should be holding a sign that said 'Welcome to 17th Grade'.

Sight-Seeing San Diego w/The Spencer's

2011-09-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Saturday...we had some visitors from Orange County -- The Spencers.

We met the Spencers while living in our first apartment in Las Vegas in the rockin' Spring Valley ward. Together we made up some of the few young couples in that ward -- so we bonded quickly. Fast forward 6 years later and we now live just 45 minutes from each other.

After a great brunch at home [ever tried Creme Brulee French Toast?], we headed to Balboa Park. So cool! So much history, beautiful things to see & plenty of space to run. We will definitely be visiting often.

Next we headed to Old Town San Diego. Had some great Mexican food[of which Colton decided drinking the salsa was in order!] & then visited the refurbished Mormon Battalion. Totally cool!

Blue Sharks

2011-09-05T14:52:00.001-07:00

We've entered a new world.....A child in sports.

Keller is playing soccer in the Rancho Penasquitos U-6 [under 6 -- it's all like a new language to me] League. He was 'drafted' onto a great team with some very skilled 5 year olds.

He is loving it. See the smile.

He's loving it so much that he nearly skips & dances around the field. He just runs & chases all the other kids & the ball. He's a bit of a goof. Chad has since taught him to put on his 'game face'. Example:

Kel's team is the Blue Sharks. Lookin' pretty brutal in his uniform, eh?

America's Pastime

2011-09-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

One of the many bonuses about living in San Diego -- We have some professional sports to cheer on. Thanks to stubhub.com's cheaper tickets [love this site!] -- we took in a San Diego Padres game.

Petco Park is a FABULOUS stadium. Set in downtown San Diego -- they have a great open, grassy area past the outfield where they have a small baseball diamond for the kiddos to practice their skills.

And...as always....a little baseball snack never hurts anyone.

Good Afternoon, Good Evening & Good Night

2011-08-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

We are beginning to settle into our new San Diego abode.

We are also starting to think we have been cast in 'The Truman Show'. We have been overwhelmed with the neighbors stopping by to introduce themselves & even got a plate of brownies from a fellow ward family across the street. Chad keeps checking the front door for more treats. We have collected 5 telephone numbers of ward members who have offered us advice on the best beaches, told us we were welcome to swim in their pool & practically offered us the code of their garage to access their beach gear.

Other observations on our first week:

*Everytime I get out of the car or walk out of store while the sun is shining, I expect to be hit with a wall of heat & 107 degrees. Now, I am thoroughly shocked when I don't have to wear shorts everyday.

*We were missing our dear Vegas friends & needed a break from the the endless boxes. We grabbed a rotisserie chicken from the store & ate our dinner overlooking the Pacific from La Jolla. Not too shabby!

*People live outside....garage doors open, riding bikes, walking their dogs.

So far....so good.....

End of an Era

2011-07-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make
a beginning. The end is where we start from."
T S Eliot

End of an era....

From Viva Las Vegas......

To the shores of San Diego.....

About a year ago, life's curious way of kicking you, kicked our little family quite swiftly & a plan was set in motion. We had NO clue when we started exploring our options that this is where it would lead us months later.

Chad has been accepted into a Ph.D. program at Alliant University through the California School of Professional Psychology. He has chosen the San Diego campus to complete his program. He will be earning a degree in Organizational Psychology / Consulting. In simple terms -- putting psychology methods back into the business world -- making sure you have the right people, leadership & training in place to make your business successful.

Coming out of college Chad took a position with the Leavitt Insurance Agency here in Las Vegas. Great choice at the time & got us to this city we've loved. We made great friends & great connections while there. Just before the economy really plummeted, he made antoher great choice by joining Dale Carnegie Training. He loved what he learned & it was that position which set us on this path. Chad is great on his feet & makes a great corporate trainer. After a few years with Dale Carnegie & a clear message that the economy wasn't going to improve quickly in LV, NV, we started weighing our options.

Amazing that once we made some initial decisions -- the path seemed pretty clear -- not always easy, but clear. I'll never forget the day Chad went to take the GRE & while gone they put a 'For Sale' sign in our front yard. I cried. I cried even harder when he did well on the test & reality started to set in that we were headed in a new direction. Back to school we go! Chad has always wanted to work towards a graduate degree. He found a program that fit exactly who he is & what his skills are. Great location too.... I will trade 107 degree heat for the waves of the ocean anyday! [It's a bit sentimental to me too that our new adventure will begin near the very place that Chad proposed to me....]

We will certainly miss our adventures in crazy Las Vegas. Who wouldn't miss Roberto's Tacos & Luv-It Frozen Custard? Who wouldn't miss escaping down to the Strip to feel like you are a world away? I can tell you where every high school is located in Las Vegas. [Consider a consequence of being a college recruiter.] Chad can tell you every back entrance on the Las Vegas Strip by his limo driving days. We can tell you the best places to eat, explore or find a deal. [We frequented 1/2 off Saturdays @ the Goodwill a few years back!]

We have made some amazing friends. We've served to the best of our ability in our church callings & been led by some spiritual giants. We've watched fireworks over the Strip & served dinner to the homeless downtown. We added Keller to the mix & bought our first home.

This has been a wonderful chapter of our lives & know our friendships will continue beyond state borders.

Wish us luck on the newest adventure......

Viva Las Vegas

2011-07-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

Our days in Las Vegas are few....
But we are still trying to squeeze in as many adventures as possible.

A classic Vegas night out was what was called for. I had heard of this 'secret' pizza place at Cosmopolitan. And down this long hallway, on the 3rd, less traveled, floor of the Cosmopolitan, you can find it:
A real gem -- serving your New York style pizza on a paper plate & your soda in a red Solo cup. Classic!

Off to see the Bellagio Fountains. Keller was impressed. It was a nice touch that the final number we watched was my favorite -- a bit of a statement on our situation -- 'Time to Say Goodbye' by Andrea Bochelli & Sara Brightman.

And why not finish the night with a favorite local Las Vegas dessert spot:

Viva Las Vegas, turning day into nightime

Turning night into daytime
If you see it once

You'll never be the same again

Viva Las Vegas . made famous by Elvis Presley

Prevailing Wage

2011-07-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Keller left this note [with Grandma's spelling assistance] for Chad one morning after he had helped Keller color a picture:

Just Dance on Your Birthday

2011-07-17T16:52:00.001-07:00

Had a small little get together for turning another year older....and hopefully wiser....

Kimmy & Amy, Cody, Kenz, Collin & Will & my Mom joined in the festivies at our house. The traditional birthday banner was hung. We had food & an excellent icecream birthday cake.

Keller decorated the wrapping on my birthday present:

My birthday present: Just Dance for the Wii. And Just Dance we did! The kids really tore it up. But, the winner of the dance off -- none other than Cody! Dr. Hughes really kicked trash with the New Kids on the Block number.

My other present from my craftastic husband -- an SUU shirt quilt. I love it! We have talked about it FOR YEARS but with some help from our friend Lenzi -- it became a great birthday present.

Can You Dig It? YW Camp 2011

2011-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Spent another 4 cold nights / 5 windy days @ Camp Stimson on Mt. Charleston for the South Stake Young Women's Camp 2011. Lots of laughs, lots of junk food, lots of time spent smelling like smoke from the fire.

This year we took 20 Young Women with our ward. It was a number that frightened me. But, I am happy to report that my girls took the 'drama free' approach & we did not have ONE incident all week. We may have had to chase them to bed at night....and one of my fellow leaders, a high school basketball coach, may have had to pull out her best coaches' voice & threaten them with a 5AM wake-up call to go to sleep.

This year's stake camp theme was 'Can You Dig It? Seeking after Treasure'. Each ward had to choose a country & precious gem. We chose Austraila & turquoise.

My time working with these sweet faces is winding down. I have spent countless hours in the car with them singing at the top of our lungs, trying to give them advice about boys & prepping lessons that I hope would touch them. It's been a great run....

4.5 Despicable Years

2011-07-11T20:48:00.002-07:00

It was a very Despicable 4 1/2 year Old Birthday Party this weekend for Keller. Our party took place at the clubhouse of my Mom's apartment complex -- ideal for space, clean-up & pool access.

First, I can take no credit for this great party idea, decor or games...
All credit must be given to my friend Lenzi who had put this party on for her 7 year old just 2 weeks before. In the midst of our chaotic lives, pulling of a birthday party without the pure genius of Lenzi, would have been impossible.

Our festivities included:

Pictures in the Box of Shame:Pin the Goggles on the Minion: Shoot the Alien: [Sorry, fluffy unicorns were not the prize!]

The one stroke of genius Chad & I did have was the food....We had a Custom Grilled Cheese bar. Our short order cook, Mr. Chad Marchant, took your order & created your very own custom grilled cheese. Big hit!

Keller also got to blow out the candles on his minion cupcake...trick candles that wouldn't die.

And then, what party in Vegas during 100+ degree weather isn't complete without swimming?

The little dude came out like a bandit with lots of Cars 2 games, race tracks, remote control car, squirt gun....

All of our fun friends in attendance:

The Hughes' Family

The Hinckley Family

The Palmer Duo

The Best Friend - Vance w/ Kimber & Carter

O* Green w/Jen & Baby C*

The Marchant Cousins

Grandma

Kimmy

First Love

2011-07-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

While Chad & I were out of town for a few days last week, Keller stayed with the Hughes' family.
Kenzie is almost 6. Keller is 4 1/2.

One night, as Amy [Kenzie's mom] was getting Keller to bed & Kenzie was out of the room, Keller said, giggling the entire time,
"You know what Amy, Kenzie could be my girlfriend."

A conversation had also occurred the week before in Panguitch after Keller & Kenzie had played together the entire day. Kenzie had gone downstairs for something while Keller was outside kicking the ball with Amy. Keller abruptly stopped the game & said,
"Oh, I have to go. Kenzie invited me downstairs in a few minutes. I don't know what we're going to do...but I better go check it out."
We adults had a good laugh at the innocence -- and worried if we would hear this line 10 years from now.

June 2011

2011-07-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have driven 1,520 miles up & down I-15 in the last 2 weeks. My love/hate relationship continues. I've been to exotic locations: Cedar City [x2], Panguitch & Kanab, Utah.

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Recently discovered the Documentary Channel. Love it! Watched 'Ride the Divide', a doc about a group of mountain bike riders who ride 2,270 miles from Canada to Mexico over the Continental Divide. I was enthralled. Anyone who has that kind of passion amazes me.

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New favorite salad dressing: Asian Toasted Sesame by Kraft. Thanks Lenzi!

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We recently rented the old classic 'Alvin & the Chipmunk' cartoons from the library. These are the ones I watched when I was little. Keller LOVED them.

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Keller finished his swimming lessons for the summer. He is a swimmin' fool now. No holding him back with floaties anymore.

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Up, Up & Away

2011-06-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I experienced the Panguitch Balloon Festival with my best friend Kimmy & her family. Keller & I couldn't get enough & returned this year.

I freakin' LOVE Panguitch, UT. Small town Americana @ it's best. Where else can you see a Motorcycle Rodeo in the high school parking lot [tricks & time races...no joke!], followed by cotton candy & inflatable toys at the park & a BBQ in the backyard. Love it!

Friday afternoon consisted of the 'Balloon Parade':

Panguitch LOVES parades. Parades head up Main Street...and just in case you missed it the first time...they come back down Main Street. There were also some great oddities at this year's parade:

Shout out to Smokey the Bear & to our forest-fire-fighting friends [Kimmy & her family all fight forest fires during the summer]:A saddled Golden Retreiver:

But, my favorite find at the parade: Motorized Cooler Train:

Saturday morning Balloon Launch:

Motorcycle Parade:

Also fit in a side trip to Bryce Canyon. Keller is not the best hiker. We had to stop & have a 'life lesson' moment to get him to stop complaining. The threat of no lunch solved that problem quickly. We also had Kimmy with us....so this trip quickly turned into 3rd grade field trip as we learned about evergreen vs. desiduous trees.

Side note: It works brillantly that I've been adopted by the Soper clan. My freshman year of college I met a great friend named Amy. We became good friends. My junior year of college I met & lived with Kimmy. Amy married Kimmy's cousin Cody that same year. We never lose each other now. Kenzie, Collin & Will all belong to Amy & Cody.

Keller, Kenzie & Collin took a tour of Panguitch with Grandpa Soper + tractor:

And then there was this moment....

When Keller truly became a real Panguitch boy:

No shoes.

Looking into the pasture.

Toy gun in hand.

Ready for action.

Keller [4 1/2] & Kenzie [almost 6] were best buddies ALL weekend:

Saturday night they shut down Main Street & line the hot air balloons up for 'The Glow':

Love Panguitch. Love the Soper family. Love Balloon Fest.

Father's Day

2011-06-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

All About My Dad by Keller

Things my Dad likes:

Favorite food: hot dogs

Favorite dessert: brownies & cake

Favorite game to play: 'Minute to Win It' games

Favorite sport to watch: football & soccer

Favorite sport to play: football

My favorite memory with my Dad is playing sports outside in the street.

My dad is best in the family at helping me.

At his job, my dad makes money.

My Dad is 39 years old.

My Dad is 2 big white sharks tall.

My Dad weighs 180 lbs.

My Dad has brown hair.

My Dad's eyes are bluish-greenish like mine.

My Dad likes to wear ties & suits.

My Dad is special to me because he helps me & I love him.

Youth Conference 2011

2011-06-23T14:45:00.001-07:00

Our Las Vegas South Stake finally decided that Youth Conference 2011 would be held at SUU.

I can't imagine where that idea came from....Some crazy YW President may have been pitching the idea for 3 years running... :)

I was able to be involved in the planning of this spectacular & somewhat overwhelming event. We have some A M A Z I N G Stake Leaders & Stake Presidency who really let our Executive Youth Committee plan a majority of the event -- It was our task as leaders to assist them to make it happen. We started talking about 6 months ago.....and got closer & closer to our goal each month.

The theme for this year's conference was 'Beyond This Moment'. It was meant to remind our youth that the decisions they are making in their lives right now will effect many future events -- college education, serving a mission, marrying in the temple -- and to make sure to have a broader view of life than just the moment we live in now.

Some of our activities included:

SUU 'Amazing Race' / Scavenger Hunt

Skits, Fireside & S'mores @ Woods Ranch

Fireworks at the Utah Summer Games
One cute girl even asked me if we planned the fireworks just for our group -- why, yes, we did!

Service Project of painting wooden children's blocks

Workshops

One presented by an Institute teacher & one by my favorite father-in-law Don Marchant

Dance

Testimony Meeting

& lots of other crazy group games & good food!

This Youth Conference was planned perfectly...and executed the best way we could. It was crazy because some of plans fell apart at the last moment. But, our Plan B ALWAYS turned out better than our Plan A.

*We were scheduled to go to SUU's Sheepherders Cabin on Thursday evening. We found out Tuesday that it was too muddy. Instead, after some assistance from a best friend & best family member, we scheduled Woods Ranch. No mud & perfect parking. We had also been concerned about transporting 165 people up the canyon, figuring we would have to do it in shifts, with all the cars we brought from Las Vegas. Every seat was filled & we made it in 1 trip.

*There was a miscommunication for Friday dinner & no food was prepped for our group. Instead, SUU stepped up the plate & we spread out an order of 50 pizzas to 3 different pizza joints in Cedar City & had pizza in 30 minutes. The youth RAVED about the meal.

*Our speaker for Saturday morning got stuck in the bad weather in New York & his flight was cancelled. He was a gem & found 2 replacements who hit our theme home. They amazed me with short notice!

*I had spent HOURS working on a slideshow to show at the end of the dance Friday evening. 15 minutes to showtime & there isn't a power cord in sight for the projector. We ended the night sans slideshow. We were able to get it all together to show right after lunch, right before we hit the road on Saturday. It was probably best to end on that high!

I was delighted with this event. I loved the Youth Committee this year. I loved the Stake Leaders & Ward Leaders who were able to partake in my crazy love of SUU. Our Bishop, a BYU fan, even said at the end of the weekend he would definitely consider sending his daughters to SUU. Many youth came to talk to me about how to get to SUU in the future.

The icing on the cake for me was said by a Youth Committee member 3 hours into our event,

"How are we ever going to top this for next year's Youth Conference?"

Kelly [Stake YW President], me & Suzanne [Stake Young Womens & SUU alum]

Painted Mountain Ward w/Bishop Palacios & Virginia Palacios

My cute Young Women

Memorial Day Marchant Memories

2011-06-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend was spent with the Marchant Mayhem clan in Cedar City. We weren't able to arrive for the festivities until later Sunday afternoon due to Chad's crazy work schedule.

The cousins loved used Uncle Chad as a jungle gym:

Love the look of terror on B*'s face. It was often followed by squeals of delight when she landed back on the ground:Monday morning we had our traditional pancake breakfast with Papa Marchant on the grill.

Then, it was that dreaded time in every family's life.

The moment that calls for bribing, kicking, endless shouts of 'cheese' & terror:

FAMILY PICTURES.

Since I joined the family 8 years ago -- We haven't had a good picture of ALL of us. We set out on this difficult task.

But...there is always that ONE kid that won't smile. That screams & cries. This day, it was MY kid:

The rest of the family sure looked great with smiles plastered on their faces. My child....made the perfect impression of Gru from Despicable Me with his hunched shoulders & long face. Gratefully, we all just laughed & laughed at him. What a memory!

Papa Marchant had requested the SUU t-shirts. There are several of us Marchant's who are die-hard SUU fans. [And a few that tried to sneak a BYU shirt in...really? Hehe!]

*There are some official Marchant family shots of ALL of us coming in the next few weeks.

In the mean time, I sure liked these outtakes:

The original Marchant family:

Wacky WACAC

2011-06-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

I packed up & hit the road to head to Los Angeles for the WACAC [Western Association of College Admission Counselors] Conference at Loyola-Marymount University. I'm a college geek & LOVE to see/explore/experience college campuses. LMU was no disappointment:

From the backside of campus, you could see the Pacific Ocean & downtown Hollywood. Too cool!

I was able to stay in lovely Marina Del Rey. Took a walk down to the marina one morning:

My hotel was pretty great [Thank you Marriott] & actually had beach cruiser bikes you could rent by the hour. I took the chance & took my own tour to Venice Beach one evening:

I loved the conference & loved the area!

Visiting Papa D's

2011-06-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

In mid-May, my Dad & stepmom invited us out to his house for an action-packed weekend. They live on a few acres in a small town outisde of Sacramento, CA. We love his house for all the open space & time to play outside.

We rode Dad's Quad:

And Keller met his Christmas present:

A quad sized pefectly for this 4-year old:Keller wanted to ride that thing from sun up to sun down. He would jump on, rev around the turns & even made his own track in the backyard. He only crashed twice in the first 20 minutes before he really learned how to drive. Then....he would just ride, ride, ride....singing, screaming & laughing up a storm.

This was one of my favorite shots...The "I will run you over" look:

We also took Papa D's boat out for some fishing on Lake Berryessa:

No fish were caught but we did have some beautiful sun & consumed the usual 'fishing diet' of Hostess chocolate donuts & Dr. Pepper.

Had a great dinner at The Buckhorn in Winter, CA. A family favorite! Had to get some shots of my favorite people:
We also took in a Sacramento Rivercats triple A baseball game:

For Christmas this year, my stepmom got my Dad 2 labrador puppies.

This is Zoey - a 'rambunctious' [ask Keller what that means....] black beauty:

This is Hunter - the more calm of this brother/sister duo:

Hunter & Zoey wrestle & pick on each other constantly. Since they are still puppies & a little unpredictable with their barking & jumping, Keller was a bit intimidated. He had a bad run-in with a dog when he was 2 & is terrified of dogs that jump. Therefore, to be 'safe' at Papa D's house, Keller wanted to be out of the puppy's reach. During his waking hours, he lived in his 'perch' - a barstool.

He would call Papa when he woke up in the morning to come pick him up & give him a piggy back ride to his perch to have breakfast & watch cartoons. He had to have one of us by his side in the house when the puppies came in. He made some progress during the trip...but will have to make friends with Zoey & Hunter again.

We had a ball during our trip and again say THANKS to our wonderful hosts.

Chad's [NEW] Love

2011-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

My husband has a new love. She's polished, fast-moving with a bit of a kick:

Chad had been spying motorcycles for months. With the cost of gas rising & my favorite vehicle, my Tahoe, slurping gas, Chad took the plunge & bought himself the above beauty. He loved her...but only for a short time. Then, he really fell in love with the next lady in his life:

Therefore, we went from a 2 vehicle home to a 4 vehicle home real fast. I'm kicking out his first love & Craigslist will find her a good home soon. Chad is keeping his favorite Honda Shadow & gets antsy when he doesn't get to ride it for a few days. He looks pretty bad in his helmet & shades.

And...Keller wanted to get into the motorcycle gang too:

May

2011-05-14T23:18:00.001-07:00

So...I started this post in May....It's now June....Does that tell you how crazy May turned out?

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*Snow @ Brianhead

This picture was taken early May at Brianhead Ski Resort. Yes, it looks like it could be December. I was up there with my fellow SUU co-workers for our annual May Planning Retreat. We stayed at the Grand Lodge. It was WONDERFUL...and slightly creepy since we were the only folks in the joint.
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*Wrinkles @ 30

We also had a staff photo shoot while I was at SUU. I love our photographer [he also shot my wedding pictures] & had him take a new headshot for me. I was happy until I saw the un-retouched shots. There were honest to goodness WRINKLES & CROWS FEET on this face of mine! I was appalled & mortified. I promptly sent them back & Karl told me he'd make me look 29 again.

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Chad has been working a lot of nights this month so I've been catching up on projects & TV. I am loving The Voice -- probably because I still have a crush on Mr. Adam Levine.

I'm A Little Bit Country...I'm a Little Bit Rock n Roll

2011-05-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Got an invitation to see Donny & Marie with my adopted family - the Sopers - to celebrate Grandma Soper's 76th birthday. I admit: I had hoped to see the famous D & M in Viva Las Vegas.

Observations from Donny & Marie:

*Average age of the crowd: 67

*We sat with a mother & daughter from Texas who were giddy with excitement. Totally pegged them to be Mormon -- until they got a little more giddy with the Vodka.

*There was a lady in the row below us with the favorite 80s accessory: the banana clip

*The old people rushed the souveneir stand after the show. They were hot after the D & M / Las Vegas sign flashing button.

*Did you know the Osmond brothers sang a true gritty rock song called 'Crazy Horses'? YouTube it. It was bad in the 70s. It's still bad 40 years later.

*I might have had the giddiness rub off on me when Donny rocked 'Solidier of Love'. I spent an entire summer in 1989 waiting time & time again for that song to come on the radio so I could tape it.

*Marie is the definition of having stage presence & being a real show-woman. Her wardrobe was fun too....a few too many sequins & tule never hurt!

Overall -- I give it 2 thumbs up. For those SUU alums -- it was like Acclamation on steroids. An appropriate amount of Mormon jokes. An abundance of brother-sister scripted banter. Highly enjoyable!

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Keller came home from preschool last week with my personal invitation to Mother's Day Tea. He was so excited & kept giving me the countdown of days until I got to accompany him to preschool.

The kids sang us some great songs like 'You Are My Sunshine' & also each named a reason they loved their mom. Keller's response: "I love my Mommy because she takes me to the store to buy iceream & we take it home & make it." Yes, of course our love includes food!

We had lovely refreshments & sat & visited. The 'sit & visit' concept was a bit hard for 7 4-year olds.

Keller has loved the time he has gotten to spend at Miss Marci's this year.
Included at our Mother's Day Tea was a book that the kids filled out with information about their moms:

My Mom is 52 years old.
My Mom is good at driving her car.
My Mom cooks really good rice, green beans & corn.
My Mom has brown hair.
My Mom weighs 92 pounds.
It makes me happy when my Mom gives me snuggles.
I like to play outside with my Mom.

Alas -- I have no Mother's Day picture with Keller. I thought the above hand drawn pic by Kel would suffice. I was having an especially good hair day!

Best Dressed for Easter

2011-04-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Easter festivities landed The Monster his first vest-combo for church. Pretty dashing young lad, eh?

It was always an Easter tradition growing up that the eggs we dyed in our house were magical because our names always magically appeared as we dropped them in the dye. The tradition has continued in our house.

We did participate in an Easter egg hunt sponsored by our ward's playgroup:
Keller & Owen

We also attended a hilarious Easter egg hunt on Saturday. This new age church rents out a high school football stadium & covers the field with over 10,000 eggs, divided into age groups. My sis-in-law has been taking their family for a few years so we tagged along. Apparently the church sponsors quite a 'Come to Jesus' hallelujah/program before the kids are released. I was running with a wild schedule that morning & missed the whooping & hollering. Nonetheless, Kel must have felt spiritually saved because he cleaned up at the hunt. Actually 3 minutes into the hunt & 2 baskets full...he looked at me & said, "Mom, I'm done". Field was still covered.... but he had his fill.

Grandma & Kel treated the Easter Bunny like royalty this year & left him fancy organic carrots...[Because common carrots don't have tops like that anymore!]

The Easter Bunny comes super early to our house with a 8AM time slot. Up & hunting eggs @ 6AM....Very few usable pics due to the early hour. Needless to say, The Monster scored with an entire basketful of candy, trinkets from Grandma & a new fishing Wii game from Papa D.

Now the Cadbury eggs have been devoured & I must wait another 300+ days until more....

Hidden Gem near Vegas

2011-04-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Took a little day trip w/the Marchant side of the family to Spring Mtn Ranch State Park. Can't believe I have lived her for this long & never been to this oasis in the dessert.

There is a rich history of the Ranch - which was originally built in the early 1900s & has had a string of rich & famous owners. Great quote found on the wall by the eccentric Las Vegan Howard Hughes who owned the Ranch for a time:

We had an absolute blast. Perfect spring day. Great food. Lots of fun cousins to play with & sports for hours on end - Kel thought it was heaven.

Kollen, Steph & Dana

Sisterly Love: Maryn & Ashdon
Marchant Cousins [minus a few...]

Keller found his new best friend in Uncle Dave.

Skating for Scott

2011-04-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

We have a good friend in our ward, Scott. He is a jokester & always makes us laugh.

Scott was turning the big 3 - 0 & wanted to celebrate in style.....

....at the Crystal Palace Skating Rink.

Neither Chad or I had been skating since we were about 12 years old. It was a riot! Keller screamed, cried & threw a royal fit the first few minutes on the hardwood. We gave him some time to adjust & he couldn't get enough by the end of the night.

Scott also is pretty famous in our ward for growing crazy beards.
Our present to Scott -- shirts & fake beards to celebrate:

Chad's shirt: FEAR THE BEARD
Dana's shirt: BEARDS are BEAUTIFUL [Scott actually used this quote from pulpit!]
Keller's shirt: SCOTT is COOL

We have made some great friends in the Painted Mountain Ward.

SUU vs. UNLV

2011-04-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Keller & Vance

Great rivals....Best friends

Rockstar Valet Tips

2011-04-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Written by Chad:

As Dana and I prepare for our next adventure, I have taken a 2nd job as a valet and limo driver.

The essence of Las Vegas can be summed up in my typical week:

A couple of nights a week I have executives from major casinos, banks and hospitals asking me for advice on how to motivate their people and become more successful personally and professionally.

The rest of the week I park cars for strippers and run Jersey Shore wannabes back and forth to parties and tanning beds...

....and on Sunday I go to church.

That’s Vegas, baby!

I have had a number of requests to blog my experience on the famous Las Vegas Strip but, and I am not kidding about this, I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement covering all valet-related trade secrets and work events. Chalk it up to "valet client privilege".

Let's just say that parts of Las Vegas really are only about sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

If there is one thing that I can share it is what every valet wishes you knew…

If you don't have cash- don't valet.

If you are not going to tip a valet don't give some lame excuse and tell them that you are going to "run to the ATM and come right back", just get in your car and drive away.

Don’t hand a valet your ticket and ask them to bring around your Ferrari, Rolls Royce, etc, You drive a mini van, just accept it.

Don’t think that you are cool for giving a valet a $2 bill- It's not my birthday and you are not my grandma. Two bucks is Two bucks.

The valet doesn't care if the shiny quarter you just gave them has your home state on the back- I am not a coin collector and I don't care.

Your not tipping a valet for how far they have to run to get your car- your tipping them so YOU don't have to walk back from the 4th floor.

The valet cannot blow into the breath-a-lizer attached to your engine. I am sure the judge had good reason to have it installed in your car.

If you lose your ticket….. ….Don't think that you are the only one that has a key that looks like yours. There are 12 identical Mercedes keys in my booth right now. A: If you want to identify your key quickly put it on a unique key chain. B: Don’t be surprised if we I can't find your keys right away.There is a reason we gave you a ticket. C: Expect to show I.D.-- What if someone else had come out and pointed to YOUR car? You would want me to check their I.D. wouldn't you? D: Don't tell the valet that you drive the White Chevy Tahoe and expect them to find it. We don't park cars by color or size, or in alphabetical order.

And there you have it.... Life as a Rockstar Valet.

March/April

2011-04-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Time has been f l y i n g . We/I was gone in California for 11 days. It took me 11 days after being home before I finally feel like I got caught up.

Between bills, e-mail, projects, laundry, YW & life...

I finally feel back in control.

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The weather has been nice lately. Kel is loving playing outside with some of the neighborhood kids. They are excellent to put up with the 4-year old who ALWAYS wants to play sports. Plus, the other night they distracted him enough from me that I stopped threatening to put him to bed at 6:05PM. Good thing!

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Recently took a photography class, 'Capturing True Emotion' with 2 great photographers out of Orange County, CA. Highly recommend! No, I did not pay full price for the class. That is what Groupon is for! [If you are not signed up for Groupon....DO IT....You'll love it!]

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Did you watch 'The Kennedys' on Reelz Channel this month? Very interesting....I know it was a TV miniseries & only probably 42% correct....but I thought it was intriguing.

Plus, I could live in Jackie's wardrobe!

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Kel loves preschool. Their class hosted a Teddy Bear Picnic last week. He was very excited. He came home yesterday with a bag full of real ladybugs. Miss Marci rocks!

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Other Sights in So Cal

2011-04-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Brown's Park [Laguna] Also on a plague on the walkway in Laguna:

Let me live in a house by the side of the sea,

Where men and women wander by

Where there is beauty and grace and excitement that's free

On the beach, in the sun let me lie

Let me listen to ocean's melodious roar

And its rhythm, so soothing to hear

As the foam-covered waves seem to reach for the shore

Under skies that are sunny and clear.

Joseph E. Brown

A Week in the Life of an SUU Recruiter On the Road

2011-04-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

After the fantastic Disney adventure, I sent my family home on a plane & stayed an extra week to spread the good word of SUU in Southern California. This recruiting trip had been in the works for months. I received some great support from my trusty colleague & road warrior friend, Liz.

SUNDAY:

*Check into my lovely Marriott Residence Inn in Ontario, CA. Notice there is a Mary Kay Convention going on across the street & A LOT of overmade Latina MK sales specialists are roaming my hotel.

*See my 1st Mary Kay Pink Cadillac. See my 1st Mary Kay Pink Escalade.

MONDAY:

*Hotel breakfast is a bit crowded. We share a table with 2 motorcycle mechanics from Colorado. This brute, tattooed, leather-wearing gentleman shares that he missed his sleep number bed from home.

*BIG College Fair @ Ontairo Convention Center. Beg Hernando from the set-up crew & the College Fair Coordinator to please make my booth just 18 inches bigger to fit my GIGANTIC SUU display in my booth. I plead. I talk other options. I won't let it go. 2 T-shirts & a lot of begging later -- I get my way. Liz said I just schooled her on being a 'bad ass'.

*Talk to lots of excellent students who have no clue where CC, UT is located.

*The Mary Kay Convention gets out for lunch the same time we do. Saw several of these beautiful pink wigs at In-N-Out.

*Back to the Ontario Convention Center for round two in the evening.

TUESDAY:

*We wake up & head separate ways. Liz heads to Ventura, CA & experiences real L.A. traffic. I head down to Southern Orange County.

*We see our motorcycle mechanic again at breakfast. Today he is wearing a pin-up girl on his shirt & a Harley Davidson logo earring.

*I hit 5 schools in the A.M. dropping off SUU information & meeting counselors. I find a gem of one of our SUU brochures from a few years back in the Career Center. Glad to know my hubby has made a surprise appearance. It's a pic circa 2004 of him on the cover. He looks young & dashing!

*I might or might not get to eat my lunch as I sit on the beach. I might or might not be LOVING my job.

*I get to meet up with a great friend later in the evening for an early dinner & great conversation. Great to see you Ash!

WEDNESDAY:

*Great appointment in Southern Orange County at Aliso Niguel High School. Head back to L.A. to meet Liz. I experience real L.A. traffic. Liz has hit 2 high schools in the A.M. We have a great lunch at Oinkster [a great Triple D location] & have a few minutes to check out the Hollywood sign:

*We thought we had experienced real L.A. traffic. It was nothing like this afternoon's troubles. We did make it back to the Pasadena Convention Center in time to get all set for tonight's national college fair.

*After the fair, we pick up Kate [USU] & Kurt [Weber] & head down to the Nickel Diner in downtown L.A. The Nickel Diner was another Triple D location -- maybe not the best decision this late at night. We see lots of the inner city folk & even a movie being filmed across the street. Food was delicious. I had this chocolate, cream, peanut butter cake that had potato chips in the peanut butter layer. It was to die for!

*Get back to the hotel around 11PM. We are beat.

THURSDAY:

*We feel as if a Mac truck has run us over for our 7AM wake up call. We head back to the Pasadena Convention Center for round two. This was brutal. 6,000 students are 'bus'ed into the college fair. I turned my back & lost some decor on my table. Students just grabbed material & weren't that polite. They were way too interested in the Snack Bar & not their college career.

*We have some time off this afternoon. We head down to Hollywood. We eat at the famous Pink's hotdogs. Delicious! We walk a block of Hollywood Blvd. & see the sights.

*We were set to spend another night in Pasadena. We are feeling a little beat by the city. We pack our bags & head north to Thousand Oaks. Beautiful country & we feel like we can breathe again. We found a wonderful Courtyard by Marriott hotel & feel fancy again! We head to Moorpark High School & have the best college fair of the entire trip.

FRIDAY

*A day of professional development. We take a tour of Pepperdine University. Amazing campus!

*We continue our trek down the Pacific Coast Highway.

*We check into our last hotel of the trip. I've spent 10 nights in various hotel rooms. I've had to keep the key envelope with me this last week because I can never remember which room is mine.

*We have eaten SO MUCH good food -- but -- we are tired of eating out. When we settle into our room @ 10PM, we can't fathom another burger or taco. Instead, we opt for the best we can find: oatmeal [Liz] & a package of chocolate chip cookies [Dana] from the hotel shop. We are slap-happy & think we are hilarious.

SATURDAY

*Enjoy a bit of sleeping in.

*Load into our last college fair @ the Anaheim Convention Center. Slow crowd. We are counting the minutes.

*We are locked & loaded & on our way to Las Vegas. Liz is being the official best road buddy ever -- driving back to Vegas with me & catching a flight to SLC in the A.M.

*Arrive back home to a Monster in a fort & a smile on my face!

Other Sights in D*Land

2011-04-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

I was excited to find the door to the famous Club 33. Never heard of it -- Check this out:

I became a bit intrigued with the different types of mailboxes located all over D*Land:

[Tomorrowland]

[Haunted Mansion]

[Main Street USA]

Even D*Land wants to point you in the direction of their magnificent corn dog:

Disneyland

2011-03-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

We headed out for California on Wednesday, March 23rd. We told Keller that I had to go do some SUU work in Southern California & that he & Chad were coming to help. When he asked where we were going, I responded, "Anaheim". He responded, "That's where Disneyland is." I brushed it off. He's way too smart for his own good!

We arrived at our hotel -- my Dad & stepmom just a few minutes in front of us. We had adjoining rooms so as we were exploring our room we just happened to knock on the door to the adjoining room. Keller was pleasantly surprised to find Papa D & Grandma C. He had no clue they would be there.

So -- Kel still has no idea what the whole shin-dig is about. I was hoping for one of those moments that have been captured on the Disneyland commercials as of late. You know - squeals of delight, jumping up & down, etc. As we settled in to chat, my Dad starting asking Keller what he thought we should do for the next few days. My Dad then told Kel that we would be spending the next 3 days in Disneyland. Keller was floored & laughed & laughed. [We have video of the event, but are having a hard time downloading....]

This was the scene at 5:57AM the next morning: Kel could not understand why Disneyland did not open that early.

The obligatory 'We are at Disneyland' photo op: *Note an excited Keller & happy grandparents.

We were welcomed in style: Keller has always been fascinated with maps. He was so intrigued with the D*Land map that he made a pit stop on Main Street to figure it all out: Our first ride was Pirates of the Carribean. Maybe not the smartest move on a parent's part. Keller hid his eyes the entire time & huddled close. BUT, as we got to the end of the ride, he shouted loud enough for all to hear, "I loved it! Let's go again!" He said at the end of the 3 days that Pirates was still his favorite ride. Cute boy in cute mouse ears:

We were very impressed that Disney brings in a special guard everyday to lower the flag followed by several patriotic musical numbers. All American Main Street - love it!

Day 2:

We encounter rain. The boy from Vegas, who never sees rain, is jumping up & down in puddles:

Minnie's Breakfast -- One of the best events we attended:

California Adventure:

We also got to see The World of Color. Totally amazing! [These pics do it no justice...]

This cute face talked Papa D into a few treats:

Day 3:

Back to Disneyland. We had waited the entire trip to find Kel's favorite - Buzz Lightyear. Finally, on Day 3, we found him hidden in Tomorrowland.

The Sword & the Stone alludes this prince:

We had an absolute blast. We discovered the goodness of the Disneyland corndog. We fell in love with the FastPass system. We got a good dose of people watching done from the comfort of a porch on Main Street USA.

We were tired:

Sshh....Don't Tell the 4 Year Old

2011-03-28T17:19:00.001-07:00

My Dad proposed a trip to The Happiest Place on Earth a few months back. We didn't share the full news with Kel. We told him that we should start to save our money for a family trip to Disneyland & when we had the right amount - we'd go. We saved & saved in our 'Disney' bank for about 5 months. We decided to make the trip a surprise for the 4 year old. In early March we told him we needed to count the money in our Disney bank.

$77.29 closer to our goal.....

Little did he know what was in store next week.

Nelson's Landing

2011-03-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

Took a ride on President's Day Weekend to Nelson's Landing, NV. It's a little ghost town outside of Boulder City, NV near Lake Mohave. They have some unique antiques & 'junk' all around the property. Loved the shots we got!

And my favorite shot of all:

February

2011-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

February consisted of LOTS of trips up & down I-15 to SUU events in Cedar City [6 in 5 weeks]. I even got to ride the roomy charter bus we use to transport students to the Multicultural Overnight. Spending 2.5 hours each way with a bus full of 50 dominantly black students will teach you new music, phrases & teenage interaction.

Remind me to get stronger headphones for next year.

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Last week brought the 4 year old down sick. Got into a doctor's office Saturday [in the ghetto], got to a CVS pharmacy that was still open @ 8PM Saturday night [in the ghetto], & took the little one home with a case of pneumonia. He hauled this gigantic water bottle around for days. It was more of a friend than his beloved Baby Bear.

2 days later = never would have known he was sick.

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So happy it is almost March & that S P R I N G weather might actually stay.

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Stumbled across the new Maroon 5 video for their latest hit, 'Never Gonna Leave This Bed'. On a movie rating scale, it's probably an R [Don't tell my Young Women, pretty please?]. On a 'Dana is strangley drawn to Adam Levine, lead singer' scale, it's probably an A+. It's hot.

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My husband has been a work-crazed fool. He's up to 3 jobs. Dale Carnegie training. Valet. And the latest endeavor: oh yeah, he's a limo driver on Friday & Saturday nights at the Panorama residence tower. That's a whole post in itself we'll get to soon. I just think he's trying to land every quintessential 'Las Vegas' job. Watch out Thunder from Down Under.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-20T19:57:00.001-08:00

Woke up to Chad's custom pancakes. Delicious as ever. Exchanged a few presents - Kel scored a new Nerf gun, Chad scored a new book & I scored a foam mattress for the bed & cupcake decorating tools. We had a very romantic lunch -- all 3 of us -- at Roberto's. That's just us.

We did attend a rockin' Valentine's couples-only party at the Woodbury's the previous Saturday. Ben is a master chef who whipped up a Bobby Flay mac & cheese to accompany the custom steak & lobster. Also indulged in mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, homemade rolls, chocolate oreo truffles....I could go on & on. It was better than any restaurant could have offered. The highlight of the evening came in the form of The Newlywed Game. It got heated, it sparked arguments & it was the most I've laughed in years. Thanks Ben & Lenzi for hosting the fun!

Chevy Basketball

2011-02-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Keller loves sports. No news to anyone.

Grandma & Papa Marchant have a basketball hoop in their driveway. On one of our many trips to Cedar City / SUU in the past month, Keller found a new love. He's always had a hard time sinking the shots in the full size hoop. Grandma & Papa got smart & backed the truck into the driveway, put the tailgate down & got Kel that much closer the hoop.

We call it Chevy basketball....or the dunk truck.

Winter Blah Break

2011-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Took a break from the blog for the last month.

Why?

The Winter Blah.

My friend Liz told me the other day she is solar powered -- She needs the sun to find her get-up-and-go. I couldn't agree more. I crave feeling the warm sun on my skin, the smell of fresh-cut grass & the ability to play outside past 4:48 in the afternoon.

The other part of the break -- My many trips up & down I-15 from LV, NV to CC, UT. It's been 5 trips in 4 weeks. 1 more this week too. Pretty sure I could drive that stretch blindfolded & backwords and always make it in my 2.5 hours. Thank you SUU for my love-hate relationship with the black asphalt.

But....I'll find my mo-jo again. I'll keep dreaming of flip-flops & a chauffer.

Disney on Ice

2011-01-19T21:53:00.001-08:00

Keller received Disney on Ice tickets for his birthday from Papa D & Grandma C. There were 4 tickets in the package -- enough for Mom, Dad & a friend. Of course, the friend was Vance.

These boys LOVED the show. Vance sat glued, holding on to his ticket the entire first half.

The boys did get a bit restless during the 'Princess' numbers. 4 year old boys don't understand the beauty of fake-wigged princesses being spun around the ice by dashing princes in spandex. Isn't that what every girl dreams of?

Keller actually started chanting, "We want Buzz, We want Buzz" totally unprovoked.

Alas, Buzz, Wood & the Toy Story gang arrived & smiles returned.

Thanks Papa D & Grandma C for a great afternoon out.

Love this pic. Taken after the show. Will be used for black mail in about 12 years.

January

2011-01-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Currently loving TV shows Downsized, Storage Wars, Southland,

My Fair Wedding w/David Tutera,

Teen Mom

[Yes, make fun all you want of Teen Mom. I probably deserve it.]

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Recently discovered my love for OneRepublic. 'All This Time' = Repeat several times in a row. But, not nearly as repeat worthy as John Mayer's 'Edge of Desire'.

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Been crafty lately -- Love the red & pink for Valentines. Printed this. Created a version of this wreath & these rosette balls. It looks deceiving. Each took 2 hours +.

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Keller would play the Wii all day if we let him. The addition of MarioKart to our game collection has raised the level of competition in this house. Keller also discovered he can climb a kitchen chair to change the games when he chooses. When the Wii is retired he is often begging to watch Despicable Me.

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Taking a Photoshop class at the JulieJane Paper Co. Lovin' it. Had the stupid program for 2 years & could only crop & make pics black & white. Watch out world...I can now take away your blemishes & erase you completely from a pic.

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Took a Girls Night Out with my friend Lenzi. We caught up over carbs & Pazookies @ BJ's. We then were real divas by oogling The Cosmopolitan again. We even took a seat at the Chandelier Bar for a cherry Coke & Sprite. The bartender laughed at us. We laughed at ourselves. My jaw was sore from talking by the end of the night. Good time.

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Great website for free font downloads: dafont.com

I could spend hours.

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Very interesting article on the Mormon Mommy Blog phenomenon at salon.com.

Happy 2011

2011-01-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Wish I had some really cool photos from a crazy New Years Eve Party with fireworks, 2011 tiaras & sparkling cider in hand. Alas, I think my best friend Kimmy & I were both asleep by 10:30PM after a movie fest. [Note to self: Never, never waste another Redbox dollar on movies such as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Trying to be 'indie hip' made me lose 2 hours of my life I'll never get back.]

This photo from an actual New Years Day visit to the new [and really amazing] The Cosmpolitan Hotel/Casino will have to do.

Some of the other sites @ The Cosmopolitan:

Bowling Birthday

2011-01-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Keller picked his favorite activity to celebrate his 4th: B O W L I N G.

Off to Red Rock we went w/Grandma. Had a blast. Didn't snap many shots....but this is my favorite:

***On a side note: I let Keller pick out dinner for his actual birthday dinner.
He very decidely wanted carrots, rice & macaroni & cheese.

Keller 4.0

2010-12-26T20:51:00.001-08:00

This Monster turned 4 today.

No -- I promise that I won't make this a chees-o-riffic post about how I wish to rock him to sleep again ...yadda...yadda...yadda.. [I admit: I still do like an occasional snuggle].

This kid constantly amazes us & makes us bust out laughing nearly every day:

*Keller & Grandma have a montly tradition. When the moon is full, they celebrate Mr. Moon's birthday by having a cupcake, blowing out a candle & singing 'Happy Birthday' to the moon. On the way home from looking at Christmas lights the other night Kel looked out the car window and saw the full moon & shouted, "Happy Birthday Mr. Moon. Glad you share a birthday with me & Jesus."

*He's starting using the words precisely & exactly. 'Yes, Mom, a PB & J is precisely what I wanted for lunch.'

*Still lives for sports & competition. Has to ask Chad every morning who won the football game, basketball game, etc. in the morning. The other day, once he found out the score, said to Chad, "Dad -- You gotta post that score on Facebook."

*Still wakes up at the crack of dawn. The last few weeks he has mastered the art of turning on PBS & using his stool to reach his cereal & get himself breakfast. Auto Tune on the satelite is a wonderful tool.

*Kid has a masterful vocabulary. He is also super tall. He has negotiation skills like you can't imagine. Loves the Wii & cucumbers. Hates being naked & getting in trouble. Totally tender when you get down to it.

We do call ourselves lucky parents. Happy 4 years Skippy / Monster / Jonesy / Sally / Kel.

Did Santa Come?

2010-12-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing like the wonder in a child's eyes on Christmas morning.

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Pro: Great Christmas morning. We even got to sleep in until 6:45AM.

Con: Like most, Christmas day seemed endless. Thank goodness we scored a few new DVDs.

Pro: Kel loved his foosball table from Santa. Santa got it for a great deal!

Con: I now have a foosball table for a living room table.

Pro: The 'Countdown to Christmas' was great. K loved opening his boxes everyday.

Day 13 - We made treats to take to friends.

Day 3 - We had hot chocolate.

Day 1 - We read the Christmas story from the scriptures & opened 1 present. [gotta have the clean, new jammies!]

Con: I was so Christmas'ed out by December 25. Chad laughed as I sped around the house on December 26, hurridely taking down the Christmas tree, decor, etc. Bah humbug! [Note to self: Limit 'Countdown to Christmas to 12 days....maximum.]

New Sled

2010-12-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

Up to Mt. Charleston we trekked on Christmas Eve to burn off some pre-Christmas energy & to try out Kel's new sled. [Thank you Woodbury's!]

Kel likes the sledding...but loved the snow that could be thrown at Mom & Dad.

Snow

2010-12-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

Mt. Charleston . Christmas Eve . 2010

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Don't feel left out...only about 5 of these beauti-mous Marchant Mayhem Christmas cards were printed & mailed this year. We still love you even if we didn't greet your mailbox.

And yes...Chad was happy that it says 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy Holidays'. He has some strong feelings on the subject....don't get him started if you don't want a fight....

Merry Christmas.

Custom Christmas Cakes

2010-12-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

...Pancakes that is.

This is my husband's specialty. He's famous for Elmo pancakes:

We celebrate all holidays in pancake style:
One of his many hidden talents.

Build-A-Puppy

2010-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

Keller had requested a stuffed puppy for Christmas. As a pre-Christmas surprise -- Chad, Grandma & I took Kel down to the 'big, big mall' [as K calls the Fashion Show Mall] to Build-A-Bear Workshop to pick his own new best friend. He loved it!

Christmas Decor @ City Center

2010-12-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Classic Cars & A Crowd of Boats

2010-12-17T15:29:00.000-08:00

Day 14: Go The Lakes Electric Light Boat Parade & Car Show

The Lakes Community hosts a great Electric Light Boat Parade / Classic Car Show / Craft Show every year. We finally decided to check it out this year with our friends, the Hawkins.

Keller & Vance:

[The Rudolph sticking it's head out of the passenger window slightly freaked me out]
Chad wanted to add this to his wish list:

Unfortunatley, the crowd was a little too big to catch a view of the boats all decked out in Christmas lights. We did see a good sunset though:

Pre-School Fieldtrip: Bellagio Christmas Display

2010-12-16T12:04:00.001-08:00

Aahh [insert collective sigh of wonderment]...The Bellagio Conservatory for Christmas

But the wonderment gets a little chaotic with these 8 little rascals:

This is Keller's Preschool Class. They are hilarious.

P.S. Notice how my child towers over the others in regards to his height?

Keller & O*

They were adorable climbing where they probably weren't supposed to. They loved the train that circled the gigantic Christmas tree. Their laughter filled the entire Conservatory when the penguins popped out of the igloo...again....and again....and again.Grandma also came along on the adventure. This would be one of the two or three pictures she allows us to capture in the course of the year. She hates having her picture taken.

Santa, Sugar Rush Gingerbread Houses & Snowglobes

2010-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

Day 18: Go see Santa @ Bass Pro Shop

Giving Grandma the exact Chrismtas list....
Real monkey is still included -- I'm getting worried how to pull that one off.....

Day 17: Make a Gingerbread [or the easier-for-Mom- graham-cracker] House

His proud creation:

Mom's place to sleep off the sugar high:

Dad's palace:

[Notice the honey graham bears gathered around the outside firepit & chocolate kiss pine trees]

Day 15: Make Snowglobes

Christmas Countdown

2010-12-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

Started a new family tradition this year - Christmas Countdown Boxes.

Every morning Mr. K gets to pick up the corresponding box to the days left until Christmas. Some days he finds a piece of candy, sometimes a Christmas prize....but everyday there is a piece of paper with a Christmas project / activity.

Day 23: Make a Christmas treat. Chex Muddy Buddies never disappoint.

Foto Faux Pas

2010-12-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Ethel M Christmas Cactus Lights

2010-12-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Ethel M Chocolates puts on a great light display in their Cactus Garden in Henderson each year.

Keller also got the chance to visit one of Santa's 'friends' to share his Christmas list, which includes:

-A real monkey

-A train with train tracks

-Paul Frank 'stuff'

-A stuffed puppy

Keller also got to meet Mr. M & M.

You must know something about Mr. Keller.... He thinks these characters are celebrities. He sees Mr. Star [from Carl's Jr] and squeals in delight. When Mr. Caesar [from Little Caesars] appeared at our new Little Caesars grand opening -- he made us stop the car at the corner to give him a high five. He also loves Mr. Macaroni [from The Mac Shack] & it is a great day when Mr. Icecream [from Menchies] makes an appearance. And, yes, we call them all by their proper Mr. titles.

Southern California Bound

2010-12-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Took a quick trip down to Southern California in early December.

Saw some great sites:

*Rose Bowl [Pasadena, CA]

*San Diego skyline from Coronado Island

*San Diego Temple

*Lights on San Diego temple grounds

*Christmas decor @ Hotel Del Coronado

This tree was amazing! Appartently it took 10 people 3 days to decorate it up & down.

In true Marchant travel fashion -- we ate....and ate....and ate.

We hit 3 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives locations while on the road:

*Oinkster: Eagle Rock, CA

Amazing food! One of the best pulled pork sandwiches I have EVER had. Great garlic mayonnaise dip for the twice-fried french fries. Burger was awesome too. Keller loved his food so much that he stated the next morning, 'Man, I rocked that burger last night!'

*Pizzeria Luigi: San Deigo, CA

Good pizza & funny characters runnin' the joint.

*El Indio: San Diego, CA

Great Mexican food. Chips that were thick & crispy!

Also hit up Phil's BBQ in San Diego. I had no clue you could get THAT much smoke flavor into meat. Truly incredible! We were lucky to meet up with my cousin Zach & lucky to only have to wait 25 minutes -- wait times can be up to 1 hour & 25 mintues. Worth it!

And Keller's favorite part of the trip:

Luggage cart rides.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010 was spent at home in Las Vegas. With all of our go - go - going the last few weeks, it was good to have some quiet down time.

You see....I could make our Thanksgiving look like a very fancy event:

But, instead -- I think I'll share the truth:

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't entirely homemade. It was relaxing. It was a Wii bowling tournament. It was excellent leftovers the next day. It was a day to enjoy & be thankful for time spent together.

And enjoy the Thanksgiving interpretation of a preschooler -- A few Keller projects:

Family

2010-11-26T20:04:00.001-08:00

**Special thanks to Lenzi for making us look good thru the lens!

Monster Hockey

2010-11-24T07:39:00.001-08:00

We take Table Hockey very seriously in the Marchant house.

All the essential gear is required for flying pucks....

And monster gloves are required for the proper crowd reaction....

We even have a zamboni to clean the ice at half-time....

We always love spectators & new players. Feel free to purchase your tickets & join in our fun!