Disneyland for New Years 2010

I've always wanted to go to Disneyland at Christmastime. My wish FINALLY came true this year! My good friend, Bryce, asked me if I wanted to go to California with him and his family the day after Christmas. Of course I said yes! Bryce's twin brother lives there, and his wife just had a baby, so they were all going out to meet the new member of their family. And of course, hit up Disneyland! The Glovers love Disneyland! (Thanks Bryce, for letting me have all these pictures, since I struggle taking pics with my own camera...)

Disneyland was crowded! I knew it would be, but they were not letting people in after 10 AM because they had already reached capacity. So the first day we did California Adventure. My favorite ride that day was Midway Mania, the new Toy Story 3-D ride. They also had an awesome outside night dancing club for the new movie, Tron. We all really liked that.


We attempted Disneyland the next day but got up too late so we ended up driving around, eating Sushi, hanging out at Downtown Disney, and eating at Mrs. Knott's at Knottsberry Farm. So yummy!! That had a huge line so we waited for over an hour to just get in to eat.

The next day we got up super early so that we could actually get into Disneyland. It was pouring rain as well, so we came prepared with raincoats. We got in! And it was such a fun day! The rain came and went throughout the morning, and let up in the afternoon. My favorites this day were the Haunted Mansion had turned into The Nightmare Before Christmas, eating the Monte Cristo sandwich, and It's A Small World, which had also been transformed for Christmas with Jingle Bells. Bryce and I left Disneyland early to go to the Staples Center, where the Jazz were playing the Clippers. He's a huge Jazz fan, and had to have nice seats. So I was lucky to sit in great seats to watch the game. We won! They had a fan there who would get up every few minutes and cheer the crowd on, he had a really loud voice and everyone loved him! Then we met up with Brandon, Bryce's twin, and ate at Pink's, a famous hot dog stand. Yummy!!


Thursday we went to see my good friend Brandon from high school. He works in Beverly Hills, right off Rodeo Drive. He looked great, as always! (I'm sad I didn't get a picture with him). We also got cupcakes at Sprinkles cupcakes.

Friday, just Bryce and I went to Disneyland to celebrate New Years Eve. Disneyland was extremely crowded! We had to wait in line to get a locker, wait in line for food, wait in line for rides, etc. We spent a lot of time in lines :) But it was a long, fun day. We were there from 8 AM to 12:30 AM so we were completely exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel. Thanks Bryce, for being so good to me and for the fun trip!!

My Amazing Mom

I'm a horrible daughter and doing this shout out 2 days late....better late than never, mom! Her birthday was on Monday. She's the ripe young age of 64 but to me, she's always been 30 (which I'll be turning in a year..go figure!) I love my mom for several reasons, more than I can list here, but here are a few of my favorite reasons why my mom is amazing:

• She is the kindest person I know. She treats everyone with love and respect. She taught me the importance of that from a young age.
• She is a strong woman of faith and has the strongest testimony of prayer. Some of my most vivid memories are sitting on my mom's bed as she kneeled in prayer. Sometimes for over an hour. She knows and loves God and knows that prayer can change people.
• She is so selfless (sometimes to a fault :) ). She works at the same school I do, and is always so willing to make copies, to laminate and cut games, to go the extra mile for me when I'm overwhelmed and struggling to get it all done.
  
• She loves her job and loves the students in her class and it shows. My students that were in her all day kindergarten class where she works as an aide, love her, and want to hug her every time she comes to see me.
• She is so talented in decorating cakes. I LOVED choosing what I wanted every year on my birthday cake and having her decorate it even better than I could imagine. I need to post all my birthday cakes sometime, you will be in awe!
• She will always take time out to teach me to sew (I have absolutely no patience for sewing!); to cook, and to fix things. She's wonder mom!
• She loves me, she supports me, and she wants the best for me. What more can I ask for from my mom?

Mom, I love you. Thank you for everything you do for me. I know sometimes it may seem to go unnoticed or unappreciated. But I am aware of what you do for me, and in the quiet parts of me, I realize how wonderful you are, and how grateful I am to call you mom. Take some time for yourself, and do something totally new soon. Happy Birthday!!

Top 11 of 2010

I know, I know, it's supposed to be Top 10 of 2010, but I decided to go with Top 11 to kick off 2011 starting. In no particular order, here are the Top 11 events of my life that happened in 2010. Bring on 2011 for even more fun and exciting changes in my life!!

11. I completed my fifth year of teaching, with my first year of teaching first grade. Let me tell you, first grade is a grade I never thought I would teach. But I really loved it and I was sad to see my cute group of students move on (good thing they are only in second grade so I can see them all the time still!), and I learned so much to make starting my second year of first grade even better!

10. I completed the process of applying for graduate school and was accepted to Utah State University, a goal that has been on my bucket list for years. I will start classes next week and I am so excited to keep growing and challenging this little brain of mine!


9. Denver 2010 trip to see my good friend and former roommate Jessica get married. Perfect fall weekend in my favorite city!



8. Moving back to Logan with one of my closest friends, Katie, has been the best decision I have made this year. It's been so much fun and just what I needed. She is so good to me! And I love Logan..I love being here.

7. BYU Football Date Night with Bryce. I am not a BYU fan by any means. But this was such a fun night, and it opened my eyes to seeing that BYU isn't all that bad. :)


6. 2010 was a year of changes for me with friendships. I made some new friends and let go of some old ones, as well as spent times with friends I don't get to see a lot. All challenging and so good for my growth. It's funny how some friends come and go, and how some friends always stay. But I really do believe that every person that comes into my life teaches me something that no one else could.





5. My Spring Break trip to see my Grandpa Perkins with my sister Tabbi and my cousin Liz was one of the funnest road trips I have taken, hands down. Lots of laughs, tears, and experiences were shared!



4. This next one is wrapped up in one word (or more like one person). Ellen. My good close friend Ellen. We have had several fun experiences together this year. Seeing Muse in concert, hiking Angel's Landing, me spending a week with her and her family in St. George. Thank you Ellen for being such a constant true friend for me this past year. I love you!!


3. Concerts with my sister-in-law Jen. We saw Brandi and Jewel sing in Boise this summer. And we are such huge Brandi Carlile fan's that we saw her again in September when she came to Utah. Jen, more concerts in 2011 I say!

2. New Years Eve at Disneyland. How cool is that?! Something I've wanted to do but never thought would happen. It was a tiring, but magical day. Thank you Bryce Glover! I'll be posting pictures from the whole trip soon!

1. Going on the Ellen Degeneres show was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I would love to experience it all over again! She was truly funny and genuine. That whole trip to Cali was so much fun and just what I needed. Thank you girls for a memorable week!




I also just want to add that it's been a fun year with my family with Easter, Thanksgiving, Perkins Family Reunion to Bear Lake and Lagoon, camping with the nieces and nephews at Craters of the Moon, and just spending time together. I love my family so much!