Once you go Mac, you can't go back...

After talking about it for about 2 years... I finally did it, I broke down and bought a Macbook Pro. So far I am loving it. My awesome brother in law Dan helped me pick it out and then my other awesome brother in law Jess helped me buy it online with his student discount. I am still learning... but so far I am loving all the features. I am pretty excited to learn to use Garage Band... maybe I will be motivated to write music again. I have a digital piano... so this could be a beautiful new hobby. Also excited to get into photo editing and video editing. I am hoping this can be a very useful thing to learn for many future projects. Anyway, I'm excited for my new purchase. Thank you Novell for my 1500 dollar bonus. :o)

Christmas time at Disneyland

There were already many pictures on the Candlelight post and I had so many more of Disneyland I wanted to post. So here are the pictures I took of the Magic of Christmas at Disneyland. Enjoy.

It's a Small World Ride


Sleeping Beauty's Castle takes your Breath Away



Main Street



The Snow after the Fireworks



After the Firework show the Christmas Tree Changes Color (new this year)


Candlelight Carol Setup


Haunted Mansion Transforms into The Nightmare Before Christmas Ride













I Heart Disneyland!

Candlelight 09

It is that time of year again. The first weekend of December I always fly home, not just to go home because I love being home... but to also perform in Candlelight Carol at Disneyland. This was my 13th year and it has truly become one of my favorite Christmas traditions that I do with my old High School Alumni Choir and I am lucky enough that my mom goes with me every year as well. Usually Jamie goes too, but since she just had a baby... that didn't happen this year. And there was one year that Kristy came with us too. THAT was a treat. :o) I did a post about Candlelight last year, but I wanted to write more about how much I love it.

Every year it is exciting to see which celebrity they get to narrate for the program. This year they had Jon Voight. I didn't know too much about him, I mean... I just knew a few movies he

has been in and that he is Angelina Jolie's dad and they did not get along. So I was not that excited for him as a narrator. During our rehearsal with him behind the scene's of Disneyland I was pleasantly surprised. He is actually a really decent guy (which is probably why he doesn't get along with Angelina Jolie). He is one of the first narrator's that I have seen in my 13 years of performing in this program that really understood the meaning of the program. He was not just doing it because he was being paid and had nothing else going on, you could tell that Christmas actually means something to him. In fact... during the rehearsal he got teary eyed telling us all what a special gift we were giving to everyone at Disneyland and that celebrating Christ is the true meaning of Christmas. After this there was a loud "Amen" from one of the choir members and everyone clapped. It was great. It is a really neat experience for me to be in a 1,000 voice choir that is made up of different High School choir's, alumni choirs, and different church choirs that all audition and make it to Candlelight. I am surrounded by people of all different faiths and different backgrounds than I am, but we all come together and when we start singing

about Christ and you hear how powerful the music is (1,000 voice choir + Disneyland Orchestra + Fanfare Trumpets + hand bell choir + soloist's = AMAZING) it is a very spiritual experience. Every year I am touched to the point where tears start to come and I remember why I

make the trip back every year. I am blessed and thankful that I have that opportunity.

Our Director, Nancy

The Soloist's

The Hand bell Choir

After the two performances, we get to go back in the park for a couple hours. We can't wear our robes back into Disneyland, and so they tell us we need to take them back to our car before going back into the park. Well... Jamie, my mom and I decided years ago that is too much effort and takes too long. So we figured out a better solution. We roll our robes up and we hide them in the bushes. The first year we did it, I was nervous that they would not be there when we got back. When we found that nobody discovered our robes, we have done that every year since.

We then met up with Kirsten and Maren (who came down from Vegas to play with Kirsten in the park while we were rehearsing all day). We watched the amazing Christmas firework show (Disneyland really knows how to make things magical... they even make it snow at the end of the fireworks while playing I'm dreaming of a white Christmas). Then we went on Indiana Jones, which happens to be my favorite ride in the park. Then we watched Fantasmic, which happens to be my favorite show at Disneyland (I believe that the guy that orchestrated Candlelight also did Fantasmic which makes him that much more awesome in my book). If I could have one job at Disneyland, it would be to perform as a monkey in Fantasmic... just saying. I have too many Disneyland pictures that I want to post... because I brought my super awesome camera... so I think I will leave this one for just Candlelight and do another post for Disneyland pics. Stay tuned.

I'm NOT Dreaming of a White Christmas

I have this discussion with people in Utah every year. People who grew up with snow in the Winter time feel like Christmas is just not the same without the snow. I can't tell you how nice it was to be home this last weekend where it was not snowing. Does it still feel like Christmas in Santa Barbara California? Yes it does. I have no problem going and sitting at my favorite spot at the beach instead of watching snow fall. I am ok with seeing palm trees lite up instead of Christmas trees (although they do both). Of course I grew up this way... so I am used to it, but to me the snow has nothing to do with the spirit of Christmas.












Christmas to me is the beautiful music that you hear once a year. Christmas to me is seeing everyone around you a little happier, a little more kind, a little more giving. Christmas to me is all the family traditions. Christmas to me is all the fun movies that come out that teach us to reach out to others and remember the true meaning of Christmas, and all the special events all around of everyone celebrating the birth of Christ. Christmas to me is spending time with the people you love the most and showing them how much you love them by the giving of gifts. Christmas is such a special time of year that has nothing to do with snow.


This last weekend I could not have been more happy to be with my family and Kirsten. There is nothing better in this world than being with people you love and that love you. I don't know about you... but it is what helps me get through this life. Of course my family is always there for me, but Kirsten was a true friend to drive down from the Bay area just to spend time with a friend. She is wonderful and I am blessed to have her as a friend. And I always strive to be that same type of friend that would really be there for anyone that needs me in good times and bad. I hope I do that. Kirsten and I had a great time sitting at the beach and talking and then going shopping. If we had only gone to see a movie after, it would have been just like old times. :o)
We didn't get pictures of us shopping... but I have a picture from two years earlier when we went shopping the same weekend in the same spot.


This is my "I'm cold and done smiling face"

Solvang

Welcome to Solvang, CA. USA

" Velkommen" in Danish.

(No passport needed to visit the little Danish replica village.)
The gentle rolling hills, windmills, quiet streets, horse drawn carriages, family bicycles, golf courses, horse ranches, wineries, Danish bakeries, authentic Danish costumes worn by some shop keepers, Danish smorgaasbord restaurants, museums of racing and Solvang history, in the Danish atmosphere and architecture are waiting for you.
We welcome your visit to Solvang CA!

Solvang is about a half hour north from my home town of Santa Barbara. It is a cute place filled with many shops with trinkets and little cafe's. I hardly ever went in all of my years in Santa Barbara, but every once in a while we would go because we had someone visiting and it is a fun tourist attraction. Just to go and look... is a good time. Yesterday I flew home to Santa Barbara. My friend Kirsten who I used to hang out with ALL the time now lives in San Francisco drove down to visit me this weekend and she even picked me up from the airport. She is awesome and we have been having a blast. We decided this morning to go to Solvang and have lunch and just look around for an hour. It was charming and pleasant until my nephew William got some fruit stuck in his throat. He wasn't too happy after that and it was time to leave. At that point we were ready to go anyway... so it was all good. We all enjoyed our little trip to Solvang today.

The Polar Express

I first heard about the Heber Valley Railroad when I first moved to Utah a little over six years ago. I saw it pass by as I was tubing down Provo River. But it was not until last year that I found out all the different things they did on the train. They have a Murder Mystery Dinner... something for Halloween and more, but the event that made me want to ride the Heber Creeper for the first time was the Polar Express. I knew that tickets sold out fast... so I purchased two tickets in September on a discount day (the tickets are pricey without the discount days). When talking about my purchase at work... I found out that my co-worker Paul volunteered every year on the Polar Express as a reader. After I purchased my tickets I told him which coach I would be in on the train and he arranged to be the reader in that coach.
They encourage you to go in your P.J.'s so Ashlee and I did just that. We felt like kids again.

We first boarded the Polar Express for our journey to the North Pole.

The train is nicely decorated.

Then we met Mrs. Claus! (It was funny because Ashlee actually knew her... she was one of her past roommates mom). Mrs. Claus gave us a recipe for special chocolate chip cookies. She told Ashlee and I personally that these cookies will attract the guys... so we should make several batches.
ha ha

After Mrs. Claus left, we were given the cookies and hot chocolate. We had elves that helped with everything.

Then our ticket was punched. I was hoping for a special letter that meant something... but it was just a star.

Then while waiting to get to the North Pole... Paul read to us the story "The Polar Express". He was great. We were handed books to share to read along with him.

Then we reached the North Pole! And not only was Santa there... but he got aboard the train and gave us each a present. It was a bell. If you remember the story, it is a bell off of Santa's sleigh that you can only hear if you believe in the magic of Christmas. Just so you know... I can totally hear the bell.

Next, on our way home from the North Pole, we sang Christmas songs. Paul doesn't like to sing on the microphone.... so since he knew me, he volunteered me to lead our section of the train in singing and had me take the microphone. I was very tempted to bust out and start singing "When Christmas Comes To Town" from the movie, because it is my favorite... but I decided to stick to the program. Not going to lie to you, I kind of enjoyed it.

And then... our trip to the North Pole was over. We were back home. But I have my bell to remember my trip. :o) The whole thing was very cute and I was very glad I went. Ashlee and I agreed that it was the perfect way to start our Christmas season.

Fashionable

Sometimes when I go over to my sisters house, my niece, Sierra compliments me on something I am wearing... a shirt, my shoes or a dress. Although she is only 4, this makes me feel good. I mean... kids are nothing but honest right? I try and do the same back to my nieces. My sister informed me that Sierra is very picky about clothes and shoes when they go out shopping... she has been since she could talk. I guess some kids care about fashion more than others. I think it is adorable. One time I complimented Sierra on her cute new shoes or something. Reanne (6 years old) turns to me and says "I know they are cute huh? Sierra is so fashionable AND popular". I thought it was so cute. My nieces are adorable and they make me laugh.