Anybody want a Peanut?

I just got back from a visit to Denver. I took The Princess Bride with me, which is what I am currently reading for my Book Club.


I find it full of romance, high adventure and humor. Especially Fezzik's rhymes. Limes.
So back to my trip. Dip. Mindy and Matt, my dear friends from our stint in SoJo, UT, just had a baby, little Tessa. It's girl number 3 for them. Tessa is a cutie pie, as are her sisters. I love these girlies. Whirlies.


Who can resist this little imp? Chimp.

In the short time I had there we managed to squeeze in some fun stuff. Enough. First we went to Helga's, an authentic German restaurant, where we ate Schnitzel and drank Spezi (Coke mixed with orange Fanta) and enjoyed a festive band night along with a slew of old German folks. I got this free *beer* glass. Pass.


I slept in the cute blue and white guest room in a comfy bed...it must have been because I slept until 9 am!!! Okay, it was still 8am PST but it sure beats 6:15 at home! Shalom.
We went to some garage sales and Mile High Thrift. Snow Drift. Really it snowed. Blowed. Didn't find anything *fabulous*...but did score some cute shoes for Kate, ribbon, a Bundt pan and a Baby Ben Clock that turned out to be a little fast. Blast.
It was a great time, except the part when I threw up on the plane. Pain. No, I'm not pregnant, I just get really motion sick when I fly. Why?
The best part was coming home to 90 degrees. Geez! I kid you not. Hot.
Now back to reality. Normality.

Savior of the World

Ben was recently in a production of Savior of the World, a musical produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (available on the church's website, lds.org) for any Stake to perform. It was really amazing. He had rehearsals for about 2 months, 4-5 days a week on average. Somehow we got through it! I am not a fan of single motherhood. But it was all worth it to me because of one sweet experience.
My children and I decided to surprise my husband with lunch at one of his Saturday 6 hour rehearsals. We also wanted to see for ourselves what dad has been up to at all this time at Savior of the World. We sat down to watch the second act, just as the stone was rolled away from Christ's tomb by angels and somber music filled the room. The angel choir sang, as did Mary Magdalene. The Savior spoke to her. I noticed that my oldest son, who is seven, was crying a little and trying to hold back more tears. I asked him if he felt sad and he said no. I asked him if he was feeling happy and warm inside and he said, yes, but that he also felt like crying. I had one of those defining experiences, telling him that he was feeling the Holy Ghost, that what was being represented on stage and the music he heard were of God and that what was being presented on stage was true! Jesus is the Christ, He was resurrected and loves us! Since then Ian has been able to identify the Holy Ghost and his testimony of the gospel has grown much. I will ever be grateful for this experience and Ben's participation in this production.

Club 33

The highlight of our week was going to Club 33. What is Club 33, you ask? You may know the answer if you are a Disneyland fan, or if you have ever lived in the OC. It's an exclusive restaurant in Disneyland you can only get into if you "know somebody." Usually a company buys a membership and can entertain guests and clients there. There's a little door kind of tucked away by the Pirates of the Carribean ride with a door bell that you ring only if you have an appointment. If you stand around long enough you can catch someone going in or out of the restaurant and catch a glimpse of a richly decorated hallway, some stairs and a French elevator. It's one of those things my Disney-obsessed in-law family dreams about going to.
So Ben's brother and sister-in-law were here for a visit and I thought I'd see if anyone we knew around here had an "in." We were lucky enough to get a lunch reservation thanks to Ted and Eliza! (You rock!) We really had an amazing time! It was pretty FAHncy and the food was delish. My favorite was the dessert buffet (check out that rasberry truffle thing with gold leaf!). And the fact that every time we left the table, someone folded our napkins again. And the Evian water refills every ten seconds. No, the bathrooms with throne toilets were the best!
We finally left with full stomachs and full of ourselves as we walked again out of that secret door, and people were actually watching us, trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious luxury they only wish they could attain. :-)