Sunny Santa Monica

Last week I was able to get some park hopper tickets for Camille and Jeff. It was so much fun to spend time with them at Disneyland and be a part of little Gabby's first visit. :)

Earlier this week, Brody and I spent a fun day in Santa Monica. We explored the pier and did some shopping! We even found a British shop, and stocked up on candy for our stay at DL. : )

It was a beautiful and relaxing start to our holiday weekend! : )

King of the Foothills

A couple weeks ago Brody rode in the Tour de Foothills. He signed up for this months ago, as a little push back into cycling. He has had a blast riding with a group from our ward and stake, and by the time this race came around, he was more than ready for it!

Picking up his goody bag and number

Already making friends : )

All set to ride

The Brody cheering gear! : ) I had a cow bell that said "Go Brody!"

Little over half way done! We had followed the route and made some stops to cheer him on! It was so much fun! : )

Crossing the finish line in under 2 hours! Better than he was hoping for 32 miles. : )

He was up in the top 10 finishers of hundreds of riders

At the Finish line! I am so very proud! He did so great and is excited to do a longer race next time! : ) It was such a fun day!!

Finding love at Cost Plus

I have been looking for new tupperware for a couple months now...

but have been waiting to find something more exciting than just the plain Rubbermaid containers....I wanted something fun.

Today at Cost Plus, I found these

They are plastic, fun---kinda look like something Mrs.Brady would have and I love them!! : )

The Phantom of the Opera!!

We got to see the Phantom of the Opera this past week, something we have wanted to do for years!! It was an AMAZING show!! The sets, costumes the singing....it was all so breathtaking! The Pantages Theatre was equally as amazing, we couldn't believe the detail, it was so beautiful!!

We got there a bit early and had dinner at and Irish Pub called 'Dillon's' on Hollywood and Vine. It was so good, and there were a lot of other play goers eating there too! : )

We loved being in LA for a show, it felt so big city! There was so much energy around, it was a blast--felt like being on the streets of London!

I wasn't supposed to take photos inside, but I couldn't help sneaking two shots. The first one is before it started and the 2nd is during intermission....see the chandelier? It did a lot of going up and down (in the first photo it is under that white sheet). It was amazing!

It was definitely a very memorable night and so fun to see it Halloween week!!

We are so excited to go back! : )

Last week we also stopped off in LA for lunch at Pinks and to visit the Grauman's Chinese theater. We had never been before. We didn't have enough time to really look around, so we are looking forward to going back and exploring more! : )

Trick-or-Treat

We went to Mickey's Trick or Treat (again) this past Friday night! It was Awesome!

They have done SO much with the park having it in Disneyland this year instead of DCA. They bring in so many more decorations, lighting, fog and so much more to give it a different feel than normal. There is a Halloween parade and fireworks that are JUST for the party. This year we went as Eric and Ariel : )

Hook was trying to 'hook' Brody ; )

We partied at Jacks Club and bottom left....a pic of my handsome husband with the fireworks! : )

Just had to do a little hair maintenance with my dinglehopper ; )

It was such a great night! I love this tradtion!! : )

Pumpkin chili goodness!

I made this last week, when it was all cold and rainy. We LOVED it and it is perfect for those cool fall days coming up (hopefully). What I love most about it, is that because of the pumpkin and turkey it's not heavy like normal chili's. You can also do a lot to this recipe to make it your own. I did A LOT of adjustments (To taste and to fit what we already had). : )

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion (Substituted with Onion powder)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (Left out this time)
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (Left out this time)
1 clove garlic, minced (Substituted with Garlic powder)
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Added:

1 can of corn

1/2 can of black beans

Cinnamon to taste

Chicken broth to make it less thick and add flavor

1/2 bag of chili powder seasoning

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

{ For more tips and details, find recipe here }

Cannons

The week before Halloween we got to spend a couple days in the parks with the Cannon family (Brody's family from UT). It was so fun to finaly get to spend some time with them! We loved spending those days with them---and we got to go to Mickey's Trick or Treat party with them! It was a blast!

top left: Julian the pirate on a cannon...get it? ; )

top left: This group was the Electrical light parade. It was awesome!

top right: Julian, Richard and Gracie

We had a lot of fun on pirate island!

Enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Blue Bayou!

We headed over to DCA, and Crush picked Gracie as his first person to talk to! It was so fun!

bottom left: Gracie and I with our Minnie ears! : )

Such a fun group!! Thank you for letting up tag along! Hope to do it again soon!

We love you guys!!

iPhotos

Here is another post of photos from my iPhone...

A couple months ago I got to watch my friend Camille's little girl Gabby. It was so fun to spend some time with her....and she looked too cute napping not to get a pic!

This is Jeff and Brody after moving Jeff and Camille's stuff back here to Orange County. It was a long day! haha

One of my favorite things. : )

Jeff Lewis from Bravos 'Flipping Out' at one of my Dad's accounts in LA. He came in with his assistants and He and I exchanged "Hellos". His show is one we have watched from the beginning, it was so fun to see them in person!

I caught this happy face firework on one of our Sunday drives to watch the Disneyland fireworks! : )

About a month ago we had record breaking highs! We couldn't believe how hot is was. It never gets this hot in Irvine.

We ate at the Crab Cooker with my family and all the couples who were here for the Mission reunion. Even though I'm not a fish eater, I love this place.

As you can see, I don't really like that idea : )

Right now you can see the Christmas all set up in the back lot at Disneyland. Can't wait for the park to be dressed up for Christmas!

Lunching at Pinks in LA last week. Yummm...

Disneyland fireworks Halloween night.

At Grauman's Chinese Theater in LA this past week...

That's all for now.... : )