This is what happens . . .

. . . when you spill your breakfast on your laptop. You have to call the Dell people and have them replace your motherboard. (THANK GOODNESS for my AMAZING warranty!) The technician came to my house and took my laptop completely apart to clean it and replace the motherboard. Once I saw how he had to take it apart, I questioned whether it would ever work properly again. But, it works fine! However, I never want this to happen to my laptop again.

Moral of the story: Don't eat while at your computer--especially not cold cereal. There is nothing more gross than your keys sticking because there is milk in your keyboard! 

Restaurant Review: Mayan Adventure

Joe and I headed to the Mayan for dinner a few weeks ago. I had heard about it from several different people while I've lived in Utah and thought it was about time I checked it out for myself.

The interior adventure decor was fantastic. I loved the antique feel of the lobby. But, we were surprised at how EMPTY it was. We were there on a Friday night and we were the ONLY people in the lobby. On the positive side, that meant that we only had to wait 3 minutes to get a table.

We found out why people were scarce. The food was TERRIBLE! I couldn't even finish my enchiladas. Joe and I are big Mexican food fans and were really disappointed that this didn't measure up. The meat was dry and had no flavor. Everything else was just greasy. We didn't even take home our leftovers. :(

Although the food was a disappointment, the entertainment was great. We really enjoyed watching all the divers jump from the HIGH cliffs into the pool below. They were really talented! 

I can't imagine jumping and doing FLIPS from that high a height. However, the show didn't make up for the disappointment of the food. We probably won't go back. :(

Lagoon.

Joe and I took a Saturday in August and headed to Lagoon in northern Utah. It had been YEARS since I had been to a theme park and so we thought we would check it out. Discounted tickets from Costco made it TOTALLY worth it.

I don't know if you can tell here, but it was a REALLY hot day and we got PLENTY of sun. The rides were a blast although I think I've lost my edge. Roller coasters are WAY scarier that I remember. 

We went to this "Circ de Ole" type show. There we tight rope walkers, crazy jugglers, and this lady who could bend her bodies in ways that I never thought were humanly possible.

FUNNEL CAKE!

Have you been on the rocket? It just might be the scariest thing I have ever done.

There are two rides. One that shoots you up and then you free fall, and then another one that brings you up slowly and then drops you.  We went on the one that shoots you first and I have never screamed so much in my life. It was a little embarrassing cuz I must have been pretty loud. People in the line waiting were clapping for me when I got off. I was still shaking a half hour later. Later that evening, we went on the one that brings you up slowly then drops you. Although they were having some technical difficulties but before we got on, everything was fixed (so they said) by the time we got on. Needless to say, that didn't help my nerves. As we were waiting to go up, I was overcome with a sense of PANIC. What was I thinking?! I screamed the whole way down and after we had gotten off the ride and walked out of the earshot of other patrons, I just burst into tears. I don't know what came over me! It was the shock of it all, I think. My crying scared Joe a bit. But he put his arms around me and all was well. I have NO IDEA how I am going to use the skydiving gift certificate I got for Christmas this last year.  

We had a GREAT time and even though I got pretty freaked out on the rides, I certainly would do it all over agian!

Is it too late . . .

. . . to blog about our Fourth of July? Well, if it is, Oh well. I'm going for it anyway. 

We had a lovely picnic dinner at Rock Canyon Park that consisted of hot dogs, corn on the cob, and a DELISH strawberry and grapefruit salad.

Allie and Chris were able to enjoy the holiday with us. We sure love having family close by!

Joe and I were played several games of Yahtzee to keep us entertained as we waited for it to get dark. This is his game face.

There was also a rendition of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was a really great performance. Can you think of a better backdrop than those gorgeous mountains?

The sunset was STUNNING and a show of its own.

Of COURSE we HAD to have s'mores. It's TRADITION you know. Our mini BBQ was the BEST investment.

Have you ever tried a Reese's s'more? Simply DIVINE.  

We had a PERFECT view of the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire in Provo. We got to see the beauty of the show for free!

You have no idea how many tries it took to get all four of our faces in the picture. Out of eleven takes, this was the best one (meaning it was the only one where someone wasn't cut out).

Sparklers are my favorite part of the Fourth. I just can't go a year without them. There is something so magical about holding a firework in your hands. And you can take pictures and write with them.

J is for Joe.

Love.

M is for Meg.

Joe made this cool star. We had a great holiday!

I am so grateful for this country and the freedoms we enjoy! I'm so proud to be an American!

Cabela's: The World's Foremost Outfitter

Cheap dates are the best. If you live in the Provo/Salt Lake area, Cabela's makes a great cheap date.

We went looking for some camping equiptment, but ended up just exploring what the store had to offer. The store is almost like a museum, with wild life displays everywhere.

We especially like the shooting range. For a buck, we were entertained for a whole hour. Joe's a great shot!

I was able to hold my own. Joe only beat me by 5 points or 1 shot. It was fun because every time you hit a target, something in the landscape moved or lit up. For example, if you hit an animal, it would spin around. (Warning: If you are anti-hunting, you will hate Cabela's).

Joe taped some video as proof that I can hit a target. It's through facebook, so you have to log in to view it. I hit the tail light of the truck. You can see it flash.

Joe found his favorite chair of all time. He was pretty serious about wanting to bring it home. Although it was comfortable, it just wouldn't match our home decor.

The store also boasts of a pretty cool aquarium. I had no idea catfish could get so big!

This is a weird pic of us, but it's the only one of us together that night. We had a great time at Cabela's even though we didn't buy a thing (except the tokens for the shooting range). However, if you are a hunter, you might want to leave your wallet at home.

Twenty Seven

(My dear sister Cecily made this beautiful "Better than, (pause) you know" cake. It's my favorite.)

My birthday was earlier this month, but I was so busy with my internship, I didn't get a chance to post my usual refections of growing a year older. Funny thing about birthdays--everyone has a different opinion of them. Some people are fanatics. They don't celebrate birth-DAYS, they celebrate birth-MONTHS. Others are more quiet about it. They don't make a hullabaloo, but make sure to treat themselves to a little something. And then there are some that want everyone else to know when their birthday is, so they make sure to broadcast it at least a month in advance to everyone within earshot. They do this so that no one forgets to make them feel special on that day. And then, there are the people who have birthday-phobia. They hide their birthday from everyone except the people from whom they can't hide it (like their moms.) When asked, they refuse to reveal the day they were born. Heck, if they could, they wouldn't even tell the DMV.

With the exception on the last group, I have fallen into all of these categories. Perhaps because I was a child of six and thus had to fight for attention, I always wanted to feel special on my birthday. I've been blessed with a dear friend to feels that birthdays should be like Christmas and makes a point to go out of her way to spoil others on their birthday. She even drove 13 hours from Arizona to Sacramento, CA to surprise me on my birthday a few years ago.Yup, she's a die hard and I love her for it. Perhaps because of her example, I feel that everyone should feel special and loved on their birthday. It's not only the day a person entered this world, but it's the day that his or her greatest test began. For that is what this life is. It is one big test to see what kind of person we will be. Every year of this gigantic test that is completed should be celebrated.

I have come to believe, however, that birthdays are best when they are about serving others. If you hope for a fabulous birthday, full of presents and recognition, you are bound to be disappointed. But if you focus more on other's birthdays, and try and make them feel loved on those days, then you can feel birthday joy throughout the year. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't celebrate yourself. It just that the basic service principle applies. You can't expect others to serve you and doing so won't bring happiness. You can only serve others, and that is where the happiness comes.  

This year I worked 10 hours in a law office where no one knew it was my birthday. I ate lunch alone. I didn't open a present. (May family did give me some wonderfully thoughtful gifts a few days later. But nothing on my actual day). But, my sister made me a wonderful cake, my mom cooked me a steak dinner, and I laughed with my parents and siblings all night long. It was the simplest birthday I have ever had and I am grateful for it because when it comes down to it, family, food, and laughter are the best combination in life.

I am grateful for my mother who not only endured months of nausea and 26 hours of labor to bring me into this this world, but cracked her tail bone in the process. I am grateful for a father who welcomed me into the world with open arms and held my hand whenever I needed something to hold onto. I'm grateful for siblings who came after who have become my most important friends. I am grateful for other loving family members and friends who have loved me. I am grateful for my husband, even though he called me at 12:01am to sing me happy birthday. It was worth waking up for. I am thankful for good food, beautiful music, the glorious outdoors, and adventures. But most of all, I am grateful that God gave us this wonderful world and provided a way for us to return to Him once our mortal test is complete.

I've lived 27 years. I never thought I would get this old, but I am so glad I did because the truth is, life is good. It is oh so good.

This is why . . .

. . . I get no sleep at night. What a bed hog! He doesn't believe me, so I had to get this picture as proof. (Please don't mind the messy bedroom.) I guess this would be fine if we were the kind of people who like to cuddle all night. I know you people are out there. But let's be honest, men are hot as ovens and I don't know about your husband, but mine kicks in his sleep. No thank you! I'm thinking we should get bunk beds. Then maybe I wouldn't have these bags under my eyes!

We Got Cake Wrecked

I love a good laugh. I love a good cake. I love beautiful cakes. I love horribly decorated cakes (because they make me laugh). So naturally, I LOVE the blog Cake Wrecks, because it combines them all. Check it out. You will be shocked at how "wrecked" some of the cakes are! 

Last week, we headed to the Kings English Bookshop in Salt Lake City for a the Cakes Wrecks tour. Jen, the creator of the blog, has just published a book which she offered to sign. She also came to share some of her favorite wrecks with us.

The actual event was in a mod gallery down the street. It was a packed house!

We went with some of our favorite people, my dear sister Allie and her witty husband Chris. Thanks Allie for inviting us!

That's Jen and her husband. She is as funny in person as she is on her blog!

Joe had never heard of Cake Wrecks. He's not a blogger. But, the dear humored me and came along. I may or may not have bribed him with cake.

People brought in some replicas of the wrecks. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of those (but, Jen posted the great ones on Cake Wrecks, so check them out). They also served cake and a local bakery showed off some of their sweet creations. I loved this polka dot cake.

This was the biggest cupcake I have ever seen. The babies on carrots were originally on an actual wreck. I'm sorry, but doesn't that just creep you out?

The boys liked the cake. Yum!

Although I've had my share of sweets (like my wedding cake below that I absolutely ADORE), 

I've had my share of wrecks too. This was Joe's birthday cake this year. It looks NOTHING like the model cake they showed me. It is SUPPOSED to be a football helmet next to a football on some grass. I guess the decorator decided to leave out the face guard on the helmet and decided that grass grows sideways. Oh well, it tasted good.

I must say, I loved the Kings English Bookshop. I'm a sucker for bookshops and this one was so quaint. I could spend many hours perusing their shelves.

Of course, Allie and I browsed the lovely books while we were there. We especially loved the home decor books. Ah, "one day" we will be able to have a swanky house like those. 

Allie found our favorite book of the night. 

It's a real tear jerker.