Moved out, Moved In

We made it to Utah (2 weeks ago)! The move went as smoothly as a move could go.  Really, it did! Our last night in our place, our neighbor's invited us over for pizza and we had a great convo and we all slept on the floor.  We were just too tired to blow up a kindly offered air matress, so floor it was, and we only slept for a few hours, and it was heavenly.

We said some nice goodbyes, although we didnt get a chance to see our friends sweet new chubby baby, Winston (maybe when we come visit when it snows here in Utah from Jan-March?)!!   We handed out some of our favorite Cowboy Cookies as a thank you.  Yes, I made cookies in the midst of the mess, but honestly, I had lots of eggs, flour, choc chips that I didnt want to waste or pack, so cookies were made. We felt the love as we left as our friends watched Jake, and we said Au reviours.  Our bishop's wife signed up to watch Jake on morning, and we dropped him off.  She just had a baby and she was watching 3 other kiddos, and has 3 of her own.  I've said it before, and I will say it again, she is Saint Natalie.  Bless all you mammas who helped us in our last few weeks.  Jake spent some time with our friends and he love it. It was hard to leave such great friends. We miss you, and are thankful we know you.

Jake n I flew out to Utah and Andy drove with his dad in the Uhaul.  We had a smooth flight and Jake slept peacefully.  He needed it.  He had a vicious ear infection that caused him not to sleep much, but things like that always happen when you move, non? Luckily, the doctor gave him the go ahead to fly after a few days with antibiotics. We met Andy at our new townhome the very next day! Hard to believe one day we are there and now we are here.  I have to admit, my heart is still in So.Cal.

We went to church on Sunday, ok so we missed Sacrament meeting, we were spent and still on west coast time, plus Jake wasn't certain of his new surroundings and the move caught up to us all.  We did make it to the last few hours. Holy Hannah, it was a sea of blonde haired babes.  Jake played with the nursery kids and out of the ten kids in there, there was only one that didnt have blonde hair.  Interesting.  I like diversity, but that being said, we are happy to be here.  I may be dying my hair purple soon. ;-)

Andy started work on Monday, and the rush of it all came quickly upon us that his month off of work was over.  He works less than 10 miles away from our quiet sleepy neighborhood.  It's a great commute and his first week went swimmingly.

We spent our first week in Utah, unpacking, getting used to the silence at night, not sure what to do when all the neighbor's lights are out at 9pm, slathering on copious amounts of lotion, drinking lots of water due to dehydration, watching half a mountain burn down from the heat, and seeing family.  My mom and dad came to town for the 4th and we went to the stadium of fire, and as per tradition we ate at the Mandarin in Bountiful, Andy had a birthday, and we played at our new pool.  Here are some pictures of our first week/last week in LA. WARNING: large photo bomb in no particular order:

 Granpda Carson n Jake at dinner

 My sweet boy

 Carson side of the family, and our good family friend Marcus

 In and Out, because it was closest thing to CA and we met there with some friends

 Nothing says Happy birthday Andy more than a huge stake the size of his head

 Welcome to your new home Jake

 Walking the Jordan River trail on a hot dry day
and seeing Uncle and Auntie Day

 Jake's owie ear infection.  He just laid on the floor. So sad.

 Everyone on the floor because Jake didnt like the pack n play, and we were to tired to blow up air matress.  OH, and Jake is getting Jesus beamed (it's an Oklahoma thing).

 All empty.  Jake's toys used to be here.

 Jake and Sacha (our neighbor)

 Buckled up on flight.  Buying him a seat was the best thing ever.  That boy WIGGLES!

Peaceful Jake during flight.  I'm very thankful.

Jay Leno Taping - vip style

Arriving at the NBC Studios, Studio 11 Late Night Show with Jay Leno

Waiting to be seated!

One of Jay's cars!

Cupcakes! OK! I'll have a chocolate one!

Another item checked off our to-do/to-see while living in LA list...we went to a live show taping of Jay Leno!!!  Knowing that it can require waiting in long lines, and getting tickets before hand we didn't know if this would be possible with Jake.  However, last week during our deep sea fishing adventure, the ship's captain, Captain Bob, has a son in law who does lighting for the show and said he could hook us up! We jumped on the opportunity, and didn't realize how good it really was until we got there!  All we knew is that we got to wait in the green room before the show started.  Now, let me preface this by saying that I was someone who grew up watching Jay with my parents.  We would be kept up late at night by a lot of tornado sirens in Oklahoma, and so we would watch Jay and laugh and then hunker down if a tornado was on it's way!

The day of the show, Erinn Smith was beyond gracious and watched Jake for us.  He was in little boy heaven playing in their sandbox, kissing baby Benson, and I'm sure following big boy Eliot around! Jake loves Eliot and a HUGE Thank you Erinn!!! We will miss that darling family so much! After dropping Jake off, we got stuck in traffic on our way to Burbank! Ahhh.  We were supposed to be there at 3:15, but we didn't make it until 3:45pm and we were so nervous we wouldn't get in!!! Luckily, security let us in right away no problem, with super close parking close to Jay's fancy car, while the lines and lines of people waiting were just starting to be let in.  We ran to the front, told them our names, and we were walked to a separate entrance while they put us in the green room.   They seated everyone else and we wined and dined, well we ate a cupcake...or two in a comfy green room! Then they told us the show was starting in just a few minutes, so they had a special escort take us to our reserved seats with Turner written on the seats! We were in the very front and center of the set right on the balcony right behind the cameras Jay stares at, so you could say he was looking at us the whole time! I was so excited!!! We were seated as Jay was inviting people to sit in the chair before the show started! He was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, and then went back to change and get hair and makeup done, while some really funny guy came out and danced and pumped us all up! It was so much fun to see Andy dancing and laughing.  We just totally let loose and screamed and laughed.  Heaven (minus a few colorful jokes of Jay's).  We were taught how to applause appropriately, and how to scream and when to stop.  The energy in the room was insane.  I mean, most of these people travel miles to watch Jay and were sunburnt from waiting all day! We were just thrilled to be a part of it.


I was surprised by a few things during the taping.  First, Jay reads his jokes off hand written cue-cards! He's old fashion and there is a person who holds them just under the camera while he reads them.  You mean, he doesn't just spew off his jokes from the seat of his pants?! NOPE there is a person who writes them all by hand, for most of his show and he has really good writers! He is so good that it doesn't look like he's reading them, but now that I've seen him do it, I can tell! For some of you, who don't know, I was a news anchor at BYU broadcasting for a summer.  I had to read a teleprompter and it's supposed to be as natural as possible, but let me tell you.  It's NOT easy, but Jay was super good, and super old school.  Fun stuff.

His guests were Andy Samberg and Seth Mcfarlane, both comedians, and unknown to us, but they were funny and Andy Samberg kissed Jay as a joke, but again, I think the whole thing was totally scripted and prepared before hand, but the interviews were candid, just certain elements were not.  I got a wave from Andy AND Jay during a commercial break.  I didn't think Jay was waving at me until I started dancing and then he did too, and I laughed and he did as well and then he pointed at me and I laughed and then  I think my face turned red, no I know it did. Andy thinks Jay winked at him, maybe he did, I mean Jay kissed another guy on the show ;-)

We got a  backstage tour from Capt. Bob's s.i.l after the show.  We saw the inner workings of the show and all the stuff backstage including Jay's gym at work. Spoiled?! No way!!!

In the editing bay, they have 1 hour to edit the show and send it out to New York before it's syndicated! CRAZY fast editing, but these people are super good.

We had a blast and would love to do it again if we come back.  Thanks again Erinn for watching and wearing Jake out! We love it here and it's certainly hard to leave this wonderful, entertaining place!

Father's Day.

 Jake loves dada

 Jake and dada, two peas in a pod

 Me and My dad

Andy and his dad

Father's Day was a great day! We called our dads and Jake and I woke up and make Andy pancakes with fresh strawberries and bananas.  We went to church had we were asked to talk during Sacrament and we shared our thoughts on Fathers Day.  We came home and ate some yummy food and spent went for a walk.  We feel so lucky to have amazing dads and Jake is the luckiest boy in the world to have Andy as his dada.  The boys adore each other.  We are thankful for all Andy does for our family and his constant love for us.  Happy Father's Day! We hope you know how much we love you!

Deep Sea Fishing Marina Del Rey

 Boarding our ship, SEA ESTA, at 6:30 AM in Marina Del Rey, California on a grey June morning

Jake's cute life preserver, which he could NOT stand! He hated it!

 Get it, SEA ESTA (siesta)

 The birds that followed the boat for scraps, they tried to eat the fish that mom and andy caught, so they had a water gun to spray them away from the boat

 First catch of the day, Salmon Groupie (rock fish).  You wouldnt know it, but Andy was sick right before this picture was taken!

 Jake and Grandma Carson.  He loved the wind and waves. 

Land ho!

 Ship's bell

 Andy and Jake

 Fishing Poles, some for deep sea fishing and some for hooking some big fish like Halibut.  Mom and Andy used both.

 Fish bait-Sardines. 

 Marina Del Ray Port has a cute little lighthouse and some pretty colorful buildings

 Beautiful ship called the 'Entertainer'

 Captain Jake and dada

 Cutest Sea Captain

 Handome dada and Jake's face smashed in his preserver

"F" "F" Fish

 Captain Bob

 Baby Shark 

 Reel em in.  Andy said it was tough work to bring up fish from 250 feet down.

 Out like a light....3HOURS!

 Go Grandma Go! She was in heaven because her dad was an avid fisherman and she hadnt been deep sea fishing since she lived in Alaska as a teenager.  Thanks for the adventure mom! You are so much fun!

 Shark Bait, YUCK!

 Cheese!

Tug Boat on our way back to port

We woke up before the sun did this morning to go deep sea fishing.  We wanted to go whale watching, but it's not that time of year, so instead we went fishin'.  Jake slept for the first THREE hours cause the boat was like one big rocking chair, plus he was super tired from getting up early.  Andy and I both got sea sick, but it was a fun adventure. Mom and Andy caught some rock bottom fish and a sea bass, but it was too little, so they threw him back.  We think Andy even caught a shark because the line was shredded and frayed according to our ship hand, Dave! Too bad he couldnt have pulled that on board! We fished for some halibut, but they didnt show up.  We have been home for several hours and I still feel like we are on a boat!

Just Look at that Face

Everday at 5pm, our sprinklers go off and create messy puddles of mud and dirt everywhere! The brief thought of letting Jake play in them has quickly entered my mind, but swiftly leaves when the mud starts gathering at the bottom of our stair case.  This week, however, I carried Jake on my hips down to get the mail, and he kept pointing to the water. No, No, NO WAY pumpkin and I going to let you down into that mess, but I did.  I let him down THINKING he would feel the few cold drops that might reach him and scare him away, but instead, the opposite happened.  He ran FULL force into them, no fear, no looking back, just pure joy.  For a moment, I thought, NO go get him stop him from getting dirty, stop him from falling, he'll only make a HUGE mess, but I decided to just let go of my inhibitions and let him have a blast.  We both ended up laughing and just look, look at his face.  I think it says it all!

'Lette Macarons Beverly Hills

Another pastry review for you, but this time it's not cupcakes, it's macarons from 'Lette Macrons in Beverly Hills!  We were heading to dinner last week, and I happened to spot a little macaron shop, and I wasnt going to go in, but our restaurant was conveniently located just down the street. I hopped on in to see what it was all about and BAM, bright vivid colored cookies blew my mind instantly! Their hip logo and branding and the bright display in front of me hooked me in no time!

The owner's name is Paulette and thus the name, 'Lette.  They have fun slogans like, "La Passion du Macaron", and "Let Them Eat Macarons."  I ordered a small box of 6 just to give them a try (we have a tradition of sharing macarons and then picking our favorites after we went to the ultimate Parisian macaron shop Laduree a few years back).  I have to say, these were the best I have had in the states. These were packed full of flavor and personality, definitely unique! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but not flakey, paired with a perfect filling. TRES BON! We bit into 'Lette's violet cassis, coconut, rose, raspberry, sweet wedding almond, and vanilla.  The sweet wedding almond tops my list and it just happened to be their last one.  I scooped that baby up quick! I would highly recommend this shop if your looking for some authentic macarons around the LA area.

Miette San Francisco

Andy spent his last two weeks at LEK up in San Fran. He didnt forget to bring me some delicious treats back!! He went to my all time favorite cupcakery, Miette.  I love me some cupcakes. These are just insane.  He brought me some French macarons too, which are good, but the best was def. the gingerbread cupcake with cream cheese frosting.  It makes me drool just thinking about it.  If you ever visit the city by the bay...do yourself a favor and get one of their cupcakes! (Sorry about the lackluster photos taken at night with Andy's phone, but isnt that cupcake cute?)