Slumbee

So, are you ever too old for a good ol' fashion slumbee party?

Let me think about that for a second while Becca grows a pair of chicken wings.
..and Marsh and Kalie make creeper faces back at us
So I make a monkey face back at them
So Marsh smells her hair and makes a mustache
So we stare at the mango dessert and then go nuts on it

And laugh our heads off
Nope. Nope. Never too old for a slumbee partay!

A nightmare

All I can say is if I would have seen these two BEFORE and AFTER photos before I went on my mission is:

I would NOT have gone!

(semi kidding but mostly serious)

Let's analyze a bit. BEFORE: Feeling good after getting my hair done, had a nice tan, feelin in shape, happy and excited to be a missionary, perfectly planned out outfits from Banana and Ann Taylor of course because I didn't want to be one of "those missionaries in the jumpers".

AFTER: The worst haircut ever with roots going ape (not the cute melting technique that wasn't even popular then anyways), diarrhea green shirt (this was the day I was leaving so I decided to get out of my Jody dress jumper time that I ended up wearing everyday), I'm eating a burrito which should be put down asap, eyes are all red and glazed over, body worn out. Yesterday I showed this to some girls at work and they said "Ah! Yikes...you have a double chin!" Oh I rocked it alright.

Shout out to Breanne and Trace who are looking mighty fine as well! I hope you are laughing right now because when I hold up pics like these next to each other it's a scream/laugh combo every time.

The Lord hides some nightmares from us to keep us moving forward. My mom will argue that "Oh but you were sooo happy!" I dunno mom, I'm thinking I'm lookin a bit happier in the first photo :)

Visiting James

View from his balcony. So amazing to see all those city lights and just feel the energy.
His apartment is just soooo dreamy!
All it needed was a woman's touch...
So Crate & Barrel and I did the honors!
James had his input in the shopping of course "Uh, just don't make it look gay Heids." Done. Blue accents it is.
I was trying to make Alana proud so I did the honors and went APE!!! ....Ok, just kidding this is his lobby. I loved all of the modern/hip traditional flare. The best were the bellmen in the lobby. They greet you by name every time you see them and act like they really care about what's going on with you.

We ran down to the beach everyday!

Who knew that this was right down the street in downtown Chicago? Ok, if you've been to Chicago in the summer time I guess you know....but I didn't! We were in dreamland running along the paths. I mistakenly jumped in the lake too far from the shore and did a LONG swim back to the beach. My arms are sore today. That's what you get for getting too hot and wanting to cool off during your run.
I loved this dinner night! Great food, great atmosphere, exceptional company.
One of James' favorite dinner spots.

White sox gear on? Check. Ready to go hit up some mad baseball.

Don't put it past us to eat dead nachos out of a baseball cap. We were dying laughing at this! Toppings going ape.
Here's for all you sports fans. This was the only moment of the trip that James was snapping more pictures than me. "Heid, this zoom is awesome!" as he zoomed in on every batter and play that was to his liking. Yea, I discovered that long ago, and it's his camera :)

GO SOX!!
Church there is quite amazing. The Chicago singles branch meets in a school. This was my 2nd time to visit and I just love the spirit that is felt there.
Maybe long distance isn't that bad after all :)

Worst plane ride ever...worth it!

You think I am exaggerating. Well, I am not. I thought a quick easy flight over to Palm Springs to visit Melody and run the Memorial day 1/2 marathon would be a breezy breeze! Wrong. I'll just fill you in with a little text.

Text to a few friends: "We almost went down on the plane. It was spinning like a toy airplane with the wings flipping up in the air. I threw up twice in the barf bag and everyone is throwing up, fanning themselves. They tried to land 4 times in Palm Springs with the WORST turbulence. Finally we had to reroute to LA. "

Kelsey: "What the? Get off that plane asap!"

Me: "They won't let us off! I feel hostage...with my barf bag in hand."

Alana: "Whoa, barf bag in hand is the worst thing I have heard all week."

Obviously my favorite part was my friend's responses. I kept thinking in the air "I would rather fly to Thailand 7 times than take this flight again (24 hour plane flight..7xs). I can't wait to tell James that, then he'll understand how bad this flight is!"

Well after 45 min the pilot promised that the wind had calmed down and we headed back to Palm Springs..well, 2/3's of us did, the other 1/3 didn't dare get back on that plane!

Reunion with my sweet Melody!

NEVER been so happy to get off a plane!!

Introducing her gooer #1: CORBAN
I could die for these kids. Look at that hair!!
Gooer #2: GAVIN!! Yes he weighs 35lbs. My arms are still sore from carrying him around Mel. You are a rockstar for doing this daily!
We got one day to relax and church it up.

Who has a family this cute? They do. I love the ODell's!
Thank you for all the support boys!!
4:45 am came pretty early. We had to wake up to drive to Laguna Hills and start the race on time. Of course we are waiting in the porta potty line right here. If you have ever ran a race before..you know the drill!!

There is nothing like running a long race with your sweet Hawaii friend of 10 years. We had soo much to catch up on while we ran past palm trees and a waterfall that all of the sudden we were saying "Whoa..we are at mile 9 already?!" We partied it out for 1 mile and cranked our music. Then I had one more story to share for the last 3 miles and ....

WE WERE DONE!! 13.1 MILES!!

I was so proud of Melody. It was her first race and she pumped it out like a champ. Just 8 months from having her last baby!

YAHHHHOOOOO!!!
The free massages afterwards were the smartest plan ever.

We managed to find some RICOS in line. One of them was reciting poetry to us, claiming he made it up on the spot. Riiiiggght! "It's just coming to me right now for you ladies." Nice try big guy. Melody was showing off her wedding ring loud and proud :)
Getting our body fat tested after running 13 miles was our 2nd smartest plan!

My main priority for the day was to get to the beach. Not for me..but for Melody. "Heidi, I haven't laid out by myself without kids running around for 3 years!" I am sure you moms can relate. I was sooo happy we laid there for a few hours and she fell asleep. A dream!
Matt brought the boys later that afternoon. So fun to watch this sweet reunion.
At the beach Melody told me Matt was the one that asked her what her hobbies/passion/goals were after having their 2nd son. He helped her come up with the idea of running the half. I love watching them and their family together. It makes me so happy when I know my best friends are taken care of by a wonderful man.
Thanks Mel for having me out and the great idea. It was a perfect way to honor our veterans and loved ones and reunite together. Hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial weekend!!

New Blog

Yep it is time for a new blog. One of the first names that came to mind for the new blog was "It's a dream". Allow me to explain...

As most of you have noticed "It's a dream!" has become a new addition to my vocabulary. I usually use it when things are really good in life or something goes your way or an experience you are having is simply turning out better than you imagined.

Let's face it though. Sometimes life is not a dream. We all have the daily grind mixed in with the good times and the hard times. Sometimes the pendulum swings as high as the sky or really low and you are down in the dumps. I love hearing all of these ups and downs from all of you...my family and friends...through phone calls, blogs, long dinner talks etc. Whatever you want to share, I love it. I love and care so much about you all.

However, some things are just too hard to share. Other things are way heebes things that happen to us in life but they are funny to share and especially refreshing for us all to hear or read about on blogs. It is so much fun for me to read all of your blogs and see your adventures and sweet children grow up. This way I feel like I get a taste of who they are even if you live miles away!

I get it how annoying it can be on blogs when you feel like all the person is doing is bragging about their 'perfect life'. We all know that is a lie (or we secretly hope it is!). I hope to share ups and downs on this blog but I also realize that I end up sharing a lot of ups and highlights. One reason is that I am a positive thinker and I like to focus on the good things and blessings in life. Another reason is that some things have just been too gut wrenching for me to share. After going through that phase of my life for a few months, I have pulled out of it and I wanted to have a fresh start on a new blog.

I love knowing that on the road of life that is filled with curves and hills is what shapes us and let's us say out loud "It's a dream!!" when we are at those peaks in life.

Thailand May 2011

Without further a due, here are some pictures of my latest DREAM trip I was able to go on. So many pictures I know...but you know me, I love to snap away like there's no tomorrow.

I was able to head to Thailand with my amazing James Cook, his roommate Tyler and my good friend Lindy. We had an absolute blast!

When you get to Japan after 16 hours of traveling, you only have 7 more to go!! Ha. The bathrooms are quite the treat!
We ran into Dick Norris at the airport with his cute 14 year old son. Proudly wearing his 'Make a wish' T-shirt, they were on their way to China to meet Jackie Chan. What an amazing and friendly family!
The Peninsula hotel in Bangkok was nothing but a dream!
I will do the honors!!